Chapter 252: Princess Iron Fan

The wind whipped up the roof tiles, showering Luo Qi with bricks and debris. The wind in the courtyard was thick with dirt, flying sand and stones, reducing visibility even more than before. Even Du Zhengyi raised his hands to shield his eyes from the dust. The old tree where Luo Qi was hiding let out an ominous creaking sound in the gale.

Luo Qi's sixth sense was screaming danger. He rolled and scrambled out from behind the tree, unable to discern any direction in the midst of the chaos. The old tree crashed down behind Luo Qi, slamming solidly into the wall of the old house. The eaves overhead shattered completely, falling with a clatter. Half the wall above the window frame was cracked, and part of the tree crown had surely smashed into the house.

Luo Qi's Climate Magic was also completely interrupted. Fortunately, Luo Qi himself was shocked by the scale of this wind; if he had kept up that magic, it definitely would have formed a real tornado.

"Nicely done," Du Zhengyi said. "The smog has turned back into a sandstorm; it's still that same old flavor."

Luo Qi knew from his tone that he wasn't being complimented.

"You really are a butterfly in the Amazon rainforest," Du Zhengyi added once the wind had calmed slightly.

Luo Qi was stunned for a moment, but he was clever by nature and particularly adept at such nonsense. After a brief reaction, he realized Du Zhengyi was referring to that famous human climatology anecdote. A butterfly in the Amazon rainforest of South America occasionally flapping its wings could potentially trigger a tornado in Texas, USA, two weeks later. "Are you talking about the Butterfly Effect?"

"What else would you think?" Du Zhengyi said in a low voice. "Luo Qi, only in a Sandbox can you go all out without any regard for the consequences."

Luo Qi recalled various cases cited in textbooks, not daring to imagine what kind of consequences this gale would produce in Chaos Theory. However, the reason for the chill running down the back of his neck was far from any Butterfly Effect; those troublesome matters would have to wait until tomorrow morning to be worried about. He was very puzzled as to why Du Zhengyi still looked so relaxed. "Why... haven't they attacked?"

The dust had settled now, and Luo Qi's face was covered in sweat, which was likely turning into mud on his skin. The sky cleared, and the outlines of objects in the courtyard became distinct. Luo Qi's vision, superior to that of a human, began to identify more and more shapes, but he could not find a trace of the Psychic Beasts.

"They are only not attacking for the moment," Du Zhengyi said.

Luo Qi thought for a moment and understood; those Seal Beasts had suffered from being too thin.

"Our bone density is already much higher than a human's, and our muscle tissue is different too; we are stronger and much heavier than humans," Du Zhengyi said. "But this thing is practically born with the sinews and bones for war—high density, light weight, possessing both strength and agility."

As Du Zhengyi spoke, he began to use a Lightweight Magic, conjuring a simple campfire in the middle of the courtyard.

The firelight dispelled the darkness and brought a sense of stability to the heart. Luo Qi caught his breath and sat down on the ground, leaning against the windowsill. "Brother, why does it sound to me like you're a bit jealous of them? Jealous that they are more like a War Machine than you are?"

Du Zhengyi stiffened for a moment, then suddenly retorted, "Princess Iron Fan!"

Luo Qi was amused; he really had fanned those things away. He said with immense regret, "It's a pity, it's a pity that the power the Society Ghost can provide me isn't the power of a true Magic Array, or I could have kept fanning them until dawn."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sudden, chilling dread rose in his chest.

With a "Crack!" of the wooden window shattering, a hand reached out from the window behind his head—a claw like black iron grabbed his neck and squeezed with force. Luo Qi felt as if he had been squeezed of his very breath; his throat was about to shatter.