C28 The Air Was Poisonous!!

I had assumed there would be no reaction this time, but I, Nuo Juan, was mistaken.

"Haha~"

It was Green Hair's voice: "Little girl, you might as well prepare for the end."

I paused, taken aback, "...Is this guy an idiot?"

Meanwhile, Green Hair continued to cackle mindlessly: "Haha~ This... Blondy and I have been through countless trials, faced endless setbacks, and it took us ten years to perfect this combination skill!"

"..."

Is this kid serious?

"Haha~ Scared, aren't you? Just squat down, cover your head, and surrender, and I might just spare you."

"..." I was at a loss for words: "Why don't you just come at me directly?"

In the shadows.

"Blondy, it's no use. That girl isn't scared at all," Green Hair said, spreading his hands in resignation.

"Then it's time to act," Golden Hair said through clenched teeth. "After all, our boss didn't ask for her to be brought back alive!"

"But..." Green Hair hesitated, "She looks like she's still a student... Hadn't we agreed not to..."

"Shut up!" Golden Hair snapped angrily.

"If she doesn't die today, we're the ones who will! Do you get it?" Golden Hair yanked Green Hair's face towards him, emphasizing each word.

"Wuwu~" Green Hair looked pitifully innocent.

...

I could feel the changes around me.

The air was thick with yellow sand, casting a grey haze over everything. The wind was fierce, stinging my face with sand. Opening my eyes meant a face full of grit; squinting was the only relief.

"The sand particles in the air are getting larger!" I thought, squinting, "...Is it them?"

"Caw! Caw!" The Two-Headed Split Lizard seemed to be in distress as well, its scales clogged with sand.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The sand swirled faster, cutting into my exposed skin, leaving behind fine lines of blood.

"Damn!" I quickly covered my face, but my arms were instantly streaked with fresh cuts.

This wasn't working!

I glanced around, desperate: "Hey! Can you stop for a second?"

"Actually... we can have a chat."

"Buzz!"

The moment she finished speaking, the air's movement slowed, and the larger grains of sand settled to the ground under the pull of gravity.

"What is it you want to talk about?" Golden Hair's voice echoed from every direction.

"I'm curious... how did you manage to create this sandstorm?" Nuo Juan inquired, her voice tinged with wonder.

Since their encounter, she had realized that these two were quite ordinary. In a head-to-head battle, even Caw could take them down, so why this anomaly? It didn't add up with their apparent abilities.

"Why should I tell you?" Golden Hair pressed on, "Unless... you agree to come with us."

"Cough, cough~" Nuo Juan coughed, then put on her best cute expression, clutching the hem of her clothes, "I'm just... so curious. Could you... maybe tell me about it?"

But Golden Hair flatly rejected her, "No way!"

Damn it! Another guy who can't take a hint!

"But... I can't escape anyway~" Nuo Juan persisted, her voice dripping with sweetness, "Brother... couldn't you indulge me just this once?"

"Why should your curiosity matter to me?" Golden Hair retorted, not the least bit accommodating.

As he spoke, Golden Hair ramped up his power. He had made up his mind: Nuo Juan would either willingly accompany them back today, or he would simply take her body back to settle matters.

"Cough, cough~"

Suddenly, Green Hair chimed in, "Cough! Hey, Blondy, why not just indulge her? It's not like she can escape anyway."

Golden Hair: (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

"Villains always perish because they talk too much!" Golden Hair said to Green Hair, trying to keep his patience.

"How could that be? A turnaround now? That stuff only happens in TV shows," Green Hair retorted, somewhat rashly.

Golden Hair: "..."

Meanwhile,

Nuo Juan watched the two bicker once more, a silent cheer rising within her.

"Caw, Caw~ Use poison breath~" she whispered, nudging the Two-Headed Split Lizard beside her.

"Squeak, squeak!" Are you kicking me?

The right head of the Two-Headed Split Lizard suddenly snapped at Nuo Juan in a fit of rage.

Nuo Juan gasped, "!"

"Chitter chitter!"

Luckily, the lizard's left head quickly clamped down on the right one.

The right head of the Two-Headed Split Lizard exclaimed, "!"

Am I biting myself?

"That was a close one," Nuo Juan said, patting her chest. After all, the Two-Headed Split Lizard evolved from the Rock Split Lizard, whose mouth teemed with bacteria. She certainly didn't want to test her resistance to that.

"Caw Caw?" Nuo Juan called out cautiously.

True to Yi's words, the newly sprouted head of Caw Caw was extremely temperamental.

"Chitter chitter," the left head, which had been emitting ice breath, replied.

Nuo Juan breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to have at least one head that was cooperative.

"Caw Caw, how about some poison?"

"Chitter chitter," the left head nodded, then bit the right head again.

The right head of Caw Caw protested, "!"

"Chitter chitter!"

The right head complained, "Ouch! You bit yourself again! Doesn't that hurt?"

"Chitter chitter!" retorted the left head.

The right head argued, "Are you stupid? Ouch! It really hurts, stop biting! I'm going to break—I'll release the poison now!"

Nuo Juan wiped the sweat from her brow.

Eventually, the reluctant right head of Caw Caw gave in and exhaled a faint stream of poison breath...

The poison breath was pale and fine, but as soon as it touched the circulating gases, it quickly dispersed into the air, tinging it a subtle shade of green.

"We shouldn't be exposed, right?" Nuo Juan mused silently, casting a covert glance at the two quarreling heads.

...

"Just spit it out! If it all goes south, we go down together!" golden hair declared vehemently.

"Pfft!" green hair scoffed, showing his contempt.

He wasn't about to be intimidated by such petty tactics.

After that, Golden Hair fell silent, simply watching Green Hair's performance.

"Little sister, didn't I tell you before?" Green Hair said with a hint of boastfulness, "This move is called 'Sandstorm'! It's a powerful technique that Blondy and I developed after more than a decade of research."

"Oh!" Nuo Juan, while discreetly emitting poison gas, asked at just the right moment, "What is it composed of? What's the underlying principle?"

Green Hair was taken aback, "?"

What was it composed of? What was the principle? Wasn't boasting enough?

Golden Hair, standing next to Green Hair, rolled his eyes, well aware of his unreliability.

However, Green Hair did possess some knowledge: "It's merely a composite skill."

A composite skill? This revelation also surprised Nuo Juan.

One must understand that each skill has its own attributes and structure. Consequently, every skill produces different effects. These effects interact with one another. Some are mutually exclusive, while others enhance each other, like giving wings to a tiger, potentially yielding unexpected results.

Thus, a composite skill is the merging of two Familiars' abilities. They interact, combine, and generate a more potent effect.