Chapter 69: Pipe Fox’s Valiant Sacrifice

Hovering steadfastly before the solitary Main Camp Barrier, an elongated, sturdy figure remained suspended in mid-air, currently… being mercilessly beaten by the foot soldiers.

Indeed, that was our protagonist, Wang Tianming… transformed into Pipe Fox, whose passive ability had activated after his health bar was depleted.

“Bamboo Guard!” Having had his health bar depleted, Pipe Fox would retreat into the small bamboo pipe beneath him for sanctuary. Inside this pipe, he would regenerate health, while enemies could only target the pipe itself.

As luck would have it, when Pipe Fox was struck by the black light, he stood precisely at the convergence of three minion lanes. Consequently, before the Main Camp Barrier could draw the minions’ aggression, their focus had already shifted to the small bamboo pipe where Pipe Fox was hiding.

This passive ability of Pipe Fox proved incredibly fortunate; otherwise, even if the Main Camp Barrier hadn’t been completely destroyed, it would have lost more than half its health. The sheer number of minions this time was overwhelming; though the Main Camp Barrier inflicted considerable damage, its attack frequency was too low to clear all the minions in such a short span.

The small bamboo pipe’s health was plummeting rapidly. If even the Main Camp Barrier would have taken a beating, how could a mere Level Six Pipe Fox possibly withstand such an onslaught? Soon, the bamboo pipe’s health neared its absolute bottom. It was at this precise moment that a cute little “fuddy” (TL Note: A playful mispronunciation of ‘fox’ in Chinese, ‘húlí’, sounding like ‘fúní’) — cough, cough, a little fox — emerged from within.

“Thunder Gate Barrage! Aaaaaah!!!” The Pipe Fox, having just emerged, inherited sixty percent of the bamboo pipe’s remaining health, which was, of course, already critically low. However, Wang Tianming had already charged his ultimate ability during Pipe Fox’s “Bamboo Guard” phase. The instant he burst forth, Pipe Fox’s ultimate, “Bombardment Cannon,” immediately unleashed its fury upon the minions.

Countless bamboo-pipe projectiles rained down upon the minions’ faces. Despite the adorable appearance of the skin Wang Tianming was using, Pipe Fox was, in fact, a true man’s man, possessing a distinctly gruff, uncle-like voice. The scene unfolded like something out of Contra, with two protagonists, fearless in the face of death, pure steel-hardened men!

Regrettably, Pipe Fox’s health had long since hit rock bottom. Thus, under the relentless assault of the minions, Pipe Fox bravely fell, his ultimate ability not even having run its full course!

On the battlefield of Heian-kyo, only shattered bamboo strips and a solitary blue scarf remained, fluttering in the air before the dust finally settled.

Well, in short, Pipe Fox had also been defeated!

Fortunately, a Level Six Shikigami’s revival time was brief. Pipe Fox had also used his body to impede the minions’ advance for a period, allowing the other Shikigami to revive just as he was being overwhelmed and slain by the horde.

****

“Ahhh! My Great Tengu! Ahhh! Feathered Storm! I haven’t even used it yet!” A tall man, whose hair bore a slight resemblance to the Shamatte (TL Note: A Chinese subculture characterized by exaggerated, often flamboyant fashion and hairstyles) style, floated out of Seimei Well, his feet barely touching the ground. He spoke in a very dignified voice, uttering incredibly foolish words, all while clutching his head in an exasperated pose.

“So, can you please stop yelling? You’re the loudest one this entire game!” exclaimed a small loli (TL Note: A Japanese slang term referring to a young girl, often used in a cute or endearing context) who was also floating in mid-air, though she sat comfortably atop a bamboo stalk, resembling a little princess. “Women are truly troublesome!”

This statement was rather amusing; despite being a loli herself, she was complaining about women being troublesome, which would undoubtedly leave any outsider utterly bewildered. However, the bamboo stalk she sat upon was far more sophisticated than Pipe Fox’s, almost like a luxurious vehicle, immediately conveying a sense of high status, unlike Pipe Fox’s humble, commoner-like pipe.

“The ‘Ara’ you chose is also very powerful; there’s no need to be so upset. No one could have predicted such an event,” a mature and alluring woman, carrying a long smoking pipe, walked out. Although she didn’t possess the “Queen’s Triple Laugh” (TL Note: A common trope in anime/manga for a haughty, often villainous, female laugh characterized by three distinct bursts), anyone who saw her would inevitably imagine an “oh-ho-ho” sound accompanying her presence.

“I need to build tank! I need to build tank! I need to build tank!” The last to emerge was a figure clad entirely in armor, with a stone helmet on their head, an entity of unknown origin—human or ghost—muttering only this single phrase.