After throwing it, Siloque and Hill immediately retreated to observe. Tiana looked down at the burning chunks of meat and wiped her drool. “Does it smell like bugs?”
“Don’t even think about eating that, Dragon Sister. It might be poisonous.”
“I can’t eat it? What a shame…”
At a distance of 5 meters from the fire, Siloque remained quite tense. He didn’t cautiously approach until the black smoke died down, using his sword to poke the charred remains. Once he confirmed it was dead, he finally deactivated the barrier and allowed himself to fully relax.
To be honest, if they had fought that old man Andre head-on, his damage would have been incredibly high, and their chances of winning would have been slim. That skill, Thunderous Echo Electric Dragon, which was comparable to a certain Railgun, could have roasted a person into ash. The only way to counter such high-damage skills was to spend 200R to buy a set of Insulating Protective Suits, which granted complete immunity to lightning magic damage.
That’s right—this plastic-looking outfit wasn’t a hazmat suit; it was an insulating suit. The fact that a thin layer of plastic could block lightning capable of shattering mountain rocks only meant that the production team had a very unique understanding of physics. In the game’s Second Playthrough, if it came down to a close-quarters fight, a Level 15 Siloque wearing an insulating suit could hold his own against a Level 33 Andre.
‘Production team, you win.’
Besides that, Andre had teammates to provide buffs, and after activating his Nest, he could directly strip away skills. His second form, the Thunder Law King, was just a massive headache in general. The only person on the field who could truly deal a fatal blow to Andre was actually Inafa. Well, Pure Black Annihilation Ray worked too, but that would have destroyed Inafa’s home. If that happened, there was no guarantee the loli Vampire wouldn’t hunt him down to the ends of the earth.
“Brother, we did it!”
Seeing Hill run toward him with her arms wide open, Siloque didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward to meet her, scooped her up, and spun her around, praising her in a high-spirited voice. “Amazing, amazing! You actually blocked that old man’s strongest damage skill.”
“Mm-mm.” Hill’s voice sounded a bit dissatisfied. “Only Hill is this excited. You don’t look very happy, Brother.”
“No… I’m happy too.” Considering this was just the opening skirmish and there were three more Bosses waiting for them, it was far from time to pop the champagne. He was just glad that his plan, which he had been refining for over a month, worked out; he didn’t even have to use the backup Plan B, C, or D.
If Inafa hadn’t dealt significant damage earlier and forced the opponent to exhaust their Nest and Thunderous Echo Electric Dragon under the assault of the three of them, he and Hill wouldn’t have had so many opportunities to sneak in damage. It might look like he and Hill had defeated an opponent 10 levels higher than them, but in reality, they were just riding on Inafa’s coattails… or rather, her thin legs, combined with Tiana’s support. As expected, ganging up on the enemy was the way to go.
“Tiana!”
The golden-eyed Vampire seemed to have rested enough. She left her seat and pounced on Tiana. Because of the impact, they spun around three times, and Tiana, finding it fun, added another three rotations.
“That’s great… You’re safe. Oh… I thought…”
“Kahahaha! It’s fine, it’s fine! I’m great, thanks to that androgynous boy Siloque and cute little sister Hill.”
“Androgynous? Mm.” Inafa suddenly clutched her head, her face turning pale.
‘Are there more parasites? Did that old man Andre leave another trump card?’ Siloque set Hill down, his eyes behind the goggles fixed on Inafa as his hand moved toward his sword hilt. Fortunately, Inafa’s expression soon returned to normal. She raised her hand, and a crimson arrow with barbs manifested in her palm.
“Phew, that was close. Blood Magic Spike… Mom’s magic is back.”
Siloque breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed his sword. “By the way, Tiana, what you just said about Siloque and Hill…”
“Oh, them.” Tiana pointed at the two figures in yellow suits.
“Brother, can I take this off now?”
“Yeah, you can. I’m also feeling stuffy and uncomfortable.”
“Pwah! Hill is so hot… Even standing still is roasting.”
Siloque and Hill helped each other unzip the backs of their suits, and a cloud of white steam erupted instantly. Hill stuck out her pink tongue and used her hand to fan herself.
“Brother, can Hill hug you again?”
“You’re covered in sweat. Isn’t it gross to hug like that?”
“Eh, it’s better this way. I want to feel our sweat mingling.”
“Do you even know what you’re saying?” Siloque was speechless. He was such a gentleman, yet his sister’s tastes were so bizarre.
On the other side, Inafa’s golden eyes were suspiciously staring at the youth with long, night-colored hair. “Brother? …Is he really a guy?” Inafa pointed at Siloque, who currently looked quite alluring with sweat sticking to his hair and his clothes soaked through.
“Kahahaha! Exactly. As expected of my Master, you could tell at a glance. He looks super easy to mistake for a girl. I almost thought he was one at first, too.”
“They failed to challenge you?”
“Not really. They helped me find a wife. I’m planning to discuss our children’s names with them.”
“?!” Inafa blinked in shock. “Wife? Children?”
Tiana said with a blush, “Sorry, Master, I’ve already found my happiness. But Inafa will always be number one! I’ll be there whenever you call!”
Tiana pounced again, hugging Inafa and squeezing her round little face. Inafa was still in a state of shock and confusion. ‘So many things happened while I was asleep?’
“Let go of me first. It’s hot.”
“Eh…” Tiana made such a lonely face that Inafa didn’t dare move again.
“Fine, you can only hug. Just… don’t press your face against mine.”
“Yay! I knew that if I just acted a little sad, Master would agree to some skinship!” Tiana kept hugging her while kneeling. Inafa sighed as if she had no choice. “Tiana, Siloque is the one with the long black hair, right?”
“Mhm, that’s him.”
“…Let me double-check. His name isn’t Thor? And the sister isn’t named Dante?”
“Huh?” Tiana tilted her head.
The golden-eyed Vampire realized something and shouted at the siblings, “You two bastards, how dare you lie to me!”
Siloque had already stored the insulating suit back into his storage bracelet. He and Hill were currently using towels to wipe each other’s sweat. He responded unhurriedly, “I didn’t really want that old man to know our names, sorry. Let’s re-introduce ourselves. Siloque Dasvey—that’s my real name. And this is my sister…”
“Hill Dasvey! My goal is to be a Pokemon Master!”
The murderous intent and suspicion on Inafa’s face were growing. Her narrowed golden eyes looked as if they could fire killing rays. After a moment, she decided to raise her right hand with its lantern sleeve. As soon as Siloque and Hill finished wiping their sweat, a rectangular cage of blood rose rapidly from their feet, trapping them both inside.
“Whoa! Brother, she really did what you said!” Facing the sudden imprisonment, Hill wasn’t panicked; she even touched the bars curiously.
Siloque took the opportunity to ask the Vampire and Dragon Girl in front of him, “Want to try a drink?”
“Then I won’t be polite. Hmm?! Boy, this sweet and sour stuff is actually delicious. Gulp, gulp, gulp—”
Through the bars, Tiana took the Vitamin C Great Snake that Siloque had opened and downed it in one go. Inafa quickly dragged Tiana back, re-establishing distance from the siblings. She crossed her arms, striking a majestic pose. Though, in Siloque’s eyes, this attempt to look tough only made her look cuter.
“Kaka, I am deeply grateful that you helped me. I swear my gratitude is sincere. If it weren’t for you, I would have gone to heaven during that fight just now, and I wouldn’t have gotten Mom’s magic back.”
Hill leaned into Siloque’s ear. “Can a Vampire go to heaven?”
Inafa crossed her arms and flashed a smug smile. “I can hear your whispering. But who knows if you’re actually in league with them? You might just be playing some trick to gain my sympathy. I’m going to lock you in the most beautiful suite on the Fourth Floor for two weeks. I’ll let you out once I’m sure there’s no problem.”