Blastoise, Is That You?

Star Dou Great Forest.

Lin Yuan crouched in a treetop with a Soul Beast guidebook spread across his knees. The parchment had worn fuzzy, its corners curling over and over. He turned to a page in the middle and tapped the illustration: a giant turtle with an ink-black shell, its markings like flowing water.

"A True Martial Mystic Turtle. Earth and water attributes, both close to the extreme. Astonishing defense."

"I have an attacker, a speedster, and a controller. All I'm missing is defense." Lin Yuan closed the guidebook. "This is the one."

Guga lay on his shoulder and poked the turtle on the page with a stubby finger.

"What a big turtle, guga."

From above, Star Dou Great Forest was an endless green sea. Lin Yuan leaped between treetops, scanning the ground below. Swamps, lakes, streams—he searched every place with water. True Martial Mystic Turtles lived on land and in water, but could not stray far from it. He pushed aside a thicket and found enormous clawprints in the mud. Five toes, sunk half an inch deep. The edges were still wet.

An hour later, he stopped at a swamp.

Thin mist drifted over the water. Waterbirds called now and then from the reeds. At the swamp's center rose a massive rock, and a giant turtle rested on top of it. Its ink-black shell measured over three meters across. Ancient markings etched its surface, resembling both shell patterns and runes. Pale blue light flowed through them, as though water were rushing through dark stone. The turtle's head was half withdrawn into its shell. Each heavy, slow breath sent ripples across the swamp.

A ten-thousand-year True Martial Mystic Turtle. Its shell markings glimmered faintly in the mist; from a distance, it looked like a moss-covered boulder.

Four Gugas sprang out and landed beside Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan reached into his Soul Tool and pulled out two Black Iron Hammers, one large and one small. The larger hammerhead was the size of a millstone; the smaller was half that size. Both were pitch-black. The large hammer's handle was thicker than an arm—an ordinary person could not have gripped it with both hands. He rested it on his shoulder and handed the smaller one to Guga.

Guga hugged the handle with both hands, then raised the little hammer for Dark Gold to see.

"I have one too, guga!"

Dark Gold Guga glanced over but said nothing.

Lin Yuan hefted his hammer, feeling the heavy Black Iron press into his palm. Black Iron was dense and difficult to forge, but anything made from it could smash through not just Soul Beasts, but city walls. Strong as he and Guga were, they could not keep fighting with their fists. He had commissioned Lou Gao to make these hammers for them. Cast from Black Iron and tempered by a thousand blows, their faces still bore the scale-like marks of the forge.

The Black Tortoise's eyes snapped open. Its head emerged from its shell and swept across the figures ahead. Four round little creatures, each giving off an aura no weaker than its own. The dark gold light at Dark Gold's claw tips stung the eyes. Vines wound slowly around Sky Star. Little Moon flickered between solid and insubstantial. And there was a human carrying an absurdly large hammer.

The Black Tortoise slid its four limbs out from beneath its shell and stamped a forefoot down.

The swamp erupted, spraying mud into the air. The ground turned to mire, and a vortex spun beneath their feet, dragging everyone downward. Then more than a dozen earthen spikes burst from below, chasing Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan sprang away from the spikes and brought his Black Iron Hammer crashing down in a full swing.

"Take this!"

Clang!

The shell did not budge. The recoil drove Lin Yuan back two steps and left the web of his hand numb. The Black Tortoise's feet were planted firmly in the swamp. It slid only half a foot sideways without so much as a wobble.

"Hard enough."

Dark Gold Guga charged from the side, bringing down the Dark Gold Dreadclaw. Five dark gold slashes raked the shell. Chips flew, leaving five deep gouges. The shell cracked.

But the next instant, its markings lit up. Earth-yellow light surged through them, filling the cracks until the shell was whole again.

Dark Gold Guga took a step back.

"...That's cheating, guga."

Guga rushed in with her hammer raised and jumped to strike. The blow knocked the Black Tortoise back a step, its four feet plowing furrows through the swamp. But it left only a faint white mark on the shell.

"Whoa, guga! It's so heavy, guga!"

The Black Tortoise thrust out its head. Blue light gathered in its mouth, then a high-pressure water cannon blasted forth. The jet swept across the reeds, shearing down a whole swath.

Countless vines erupted from the swamp around Sky Star Guga, instantly forming a wall. The water cannon struck it, bursting vines and scattering spray. But the jet broke apart against the wall and did not pierce it.

Sky Star stepped back, and fresh vines immediately filled the gaps.

"What strong water pressure, guga."

Lin Yuan turned aside from the aftermath. The jet grazed his shoulder, carving a bloody line.

"...Is that a Blastoise?"

Dark Gold Guga charged again, striking the same spot with the Dark Gold Dreadclaw. Five slashes landed, cracking the shell more deeply than before. Earth-yellow light surged up to mend it, but the repair was noticeably slower this time. The moment the crack began to close, Dark Gold struck it again.

The crack did not close completely.

Little Moon used Teleportation to appear beside Lin Yuan and caught his wrist. Silver-white light flashed, pulling him out of the Mudpool Vortex.

"Let's go, guga!"

The Black Tortoise stopped taking blows. The rim of its shell lit up, its markings flashing wildly. Its entire shell spun like a top and hurtled toward Lin Yuan. It plowed a deep trench through the swamp, sending muddy water surging to either side.

Lin Yuan's pupils contracted.

"It really is a Blastoise."

Countless vines rose from underwater around Sky Star and bound the Black Tortoise's feet. But the force of its spin was too great. The vines stretched taut, creaking. Sky Star bit her lip and added a dozen more before she barely managed to hold it.

Lin Yuan stared at the crack in the shell, still not fully closed.

"Sky Star, pin its feet down. Dark Gold, keep hitting that crack. Little Moon, can you use Spatial Power to tear it open?"

Little Moon tilted her head. Silver-white light flickered at her fingertips.

"I'll try, guga."

She used Teleportation to appear above the shell and aimed both palms at the crack. Silver-white light poured from her hands. Spatial Power surged into the fissure, prying it wider as though invisible hands were tearing it apart. Crack, crack, crack! Fragments of shell flew. The Black Tortoise roared, and earth-yellow light surged wildly as it struggled to repair the damage.

But the spatial tear spread faster.

The crack widened from one palm's breadth to two, exposing black flesh deep beneath the shell. The Black Tortoise thrashed all four legs in the swamp, churning the muddy water.

Enraged, the Black Tortoise thrust out its head and fired its water cannon at Sky Star. Sky Star raised a wall of vines. The jet struck, bursting the vines and forcing her back two steps. But new vines surged from the swamp and wrapped around the turtle's feet again.

"I can still hold it, guga."

Lin Yuan tightened his grip on the Black Iron Hammer.

"Little Moon, take Guga up to strike the crack first. Then come straight back for me."

"Got it, guga!"

Little Moon used Teleportation to reach Guga and caught her stubby hand. Silver-white light flashed. The two vanished and reappeared high above the Black Tortoise. The swamp shrank to a tiny spot beneath their feet, and wind howled past their ears.

Guga raised the hammer, bigger than she was, with both hands. She looked down, kicked her short legs twice, and beamed with excitement.

"Wahahahaha, guga!"

Silver-white light flashed again, and the two dropped straight down. The hammerhead lined up with the gap torn into the shell by Spatial Power, looming larger and closer. The force of their descent pressed a hollow into the swamp water and flattened the reeds to either side.

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