"Alina!"
Yu Yachen's eyes widened. She suddenly felt a strange palpitation in her chest.
Realizing the enemy's intent, Yu Yachen immediately dove toward Alina. Her reflexes were fast enough; Killer Queen was already shielding Alina before the snow spikes could hit her.
Yu Yachen swept Alina up from the ground in a princess carry. Killer Queen's arms blurred, shattering the incoming spikes one by one. But even with Killer Queen's high precision, countless tiny, silver-needle-like slivers were mixed in with the large spikes.
She quickly covered Alina's face with her own hand. The snow-spikes peppered her own body, even piercing her cheek. Alina, in her arms, was also hit by many of them.
Only after Killer Queen had shattered every last spike did Yu Yachen pull her hand away. Alina's body had indeed taken many small hits, but thanks to her shielding, none of the spikes had hit any vital areas.
If those spikes had pierced the Elafia's eyes, not even [Cream Starter] could have fixed them. Unless... unless she used [Gold Experience]...
Wait.
Yu Yachen froze.
What... what is this heart-pounding feeling?
The white-haired woman stared at the unconscious "little deer" in her arms. Seeing that her eyes were unharmed, she had... for a split second... felt a wave of [Relief]. She had subconsciously let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
Why would I be worried about a tool? This little deer is just a [Tool] I'm using to acquire stronger Stand abilities.
I'm worried about her safety only because I'm afraid the system's mission will fail, that I won't get the mental strength to control two Stands. It's not because I'm relieved that she, herself, is safe.
Yu Yachen's breathing was heavy, and a cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
She felt a sensation she had never experienced before spreading in her chest.
She had always been able to maintain an almost pathological composure. She was supposed to be able to remain as calm as a robot at all times.
...That's right. That must be it.
You'd better not be seriously hurt, Alina.
Yu Yachen gently stroked the little deer's cheek, her gaze worried.
"You... you're pretty confident, aren't you?"
At the same time, the Ursus woman's voice came from nearby. Eirymes spat. Her white humanoid Stand floated behind her.
"You think you can fight both of us while carrying an Infected? My Stand is also a close-range power type."
As she spoke, Yu Yachen was shocked.
This woman... she's unbelievably durable. Despite being hit by a chain of explosions, she only had minor scrapes, and her clothes were a bit torn.
"My Stand, [Paper Hearts], can turn anything it touches into fragile paper. And Pierre's [Warne Marsh] is also... contagious. Why don't you look at your feet?"
"..."
She was right. Yu Yachen realized the clothes on her legs had softened. Her shoes were sticking to her feet. The other enemy's Stand didn't just soften objects, it infected them.
If this continued, her legs would be softened too. Then she wouldn't even be able to stand.
"Spltch!"
Just then, she felt the ground beneath her soften again. She tried to pull her leg back, but she was once again trapped in the swamp.
This was bad. Yu Yachen, her balance gone, instinctively half-knelt. She couldn't possibly escape while they were both watching her. If it were just Eirymes, she could handle her. But their teamwork was too good.
"You... you have a [Stand] too? Were you also hit by an [Arrow]? And you don't use Originium Arts... you're not Infected, are you?"
"Why are you helping these low-lifes? The Infected... they're just filthy livestock who are going to die soon anyway! They're the kind of things that will infect you with an incurable disease if you even breed with them!"
She spoke bluntly. Eirymes was the owner of several mines in the tundra.
"And you? You look young. You have a bright future. You just fell for this Infected's face, didn't you? There are countless beauties like her out there, right?"
"How about this. I'll give you one chance."
Eirymes said viciously, "We're also looking for [Stand User] companions. I want you to join us. If you refuse... you can die."
"..."
Yu Yachen was silent for a moment.
"You don't seem to understand the situation," the white-haired woman said, her face blank.
"I don't understand? You should take a good look at... wait."
The Ursus woman's eyes went wide. She stared at Yu Yachen's arms.
The Elafia woman who had been in her arms just a moment ago... was gone.
"Where did you hide her?! You bitch!"
Eirymes cursed.
"Who knows."
Yu Yachen slowly rose from the ground. Her calves were completely sunk into the snow. The white-haired woman spoke, her voice unhurried.
"My Killer Queen is different from Yoshikage Kira's. I can set multiple bombs at the cost of reduced power. But if I want to maximize the explosive force, the optimal number is five to six bombs."
"A moment ago, I buried those bombs all over the surface of this snowfield."
As Yu Yachen's words fell, Killer Queen made a "thumbs-up" gesture.
"Click."
As Killer Queen's thumb pressed the switch, the frozen snow instantly vaporized in the extreme heat.
"BOOM—!"
The shockwave of the explosion radiated out for over twenty meters, flipping the entire snowfield like a giant wave. The surrounding pine trees were snapped in half like dominoes, and the ground cracked open. Shattered wood and bits of flesh rained down.
A massive white cloud of steam and smoke shot into the sky, instantly obscuring the entire area. Yu Yachen shielded her face from the blast. Even so, the snow she was standing in was still not destroyed, though it sank a bit with the collapsing ground.
But her objective had been achieved. Amidst the smoke, she raised her arm, wrapped [Hermit Purple]'s vines around a fallen tree trunk, and slowly pulled herself out.
Since the other Stand user is hiding and attacking me from the shadows, I'll just obscure everyone's vision.
Yu Yachen quickly changed her position. She used Hermit Purple to grapple onto the branches of a tree untouched by the blast and pulled herself up to the treetop.
Although she had complained that Hermit Purple was useless, right now, this "useless" Stand was playing a decisive role.
Under the cover of the smoke, Yu Yachen pulled her phone from her pocket.
[Spirit Photography]... activate. Purple vines snaked around the edge of the phone's screen.
Stand: Warne Marsh
Stand User: Pierre
Destructive Power: C
Speed: E
Range: A
Durability: A
Precision: B
Potential: E
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (390 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (166 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (190 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (150 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (168 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (180 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (120 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (160 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (50 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (70 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (60 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (30 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it