Chapter no.47 Vs The Bowman

[ POV Change ]

The sun beat down mercilessly on the landscape, as Zhongli stared at the bowman.

" What do you say? You let me through to that bitch and we don't do this fight." Zhongli proposed and the bowman answered by raising his bow and letting loose an arrow, the construct made of Spiritual Qi shot toward Zhongli with blinding speed. Zhongli quickly dodged to the side, the arrow sailing past him and impacting the ground. The bow master then followed up with a Yin technique " Ruler's touch " as the bowman telekinetically manipulated the arrow to ricochet towards Zhongli, who had to jump and roll to avoid it.

Zhongli knew he had to get close to the bow master if he wanted to have any chance of winning. He sprinted forward, his fists clenched as an ethereal armor formed around his body. The bow master let loose another arrow, but Zhongli was too fast, and he dodged it easily. He closed in on the bow master and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, but the bow master was able to deflect them all with his bow.

The bowman then telekinetically manipulated the arrow to change its direction and hit Zhongli from behind, Zhongli was able to dodge it by a hair's breadth, but it was clear that the bowman wasn't an easy opponent to deal with. Zhongli knew he had to come up with a new strategy.

He feigned a punch, causing the bowman to raise his bow to block it. At that moment, Zhongli kicked the bow out of his opponent's hands and closed in for the kill. But the bow master was not so easily defeated, he unleashed a barrage of arrows, telekinetically manipulating their direction so that they flew at Zhongli from all angles.

Zhongli was forced to fight defensively, dodging and weaving between the arrows. He knew that if he could just get his hands on the bowman, he could end the fight. He made a final desperate lunge towards the bow master, but the bow master was able to telekinetically manipulate an arrow to hit Zhongli in the chest it dislodged into the ethereal Ashura armor, the energy construct of it bubbling and churning as it released its deadly payload. The air around it began to warp and twist as the arrowhead began to glow a fierce red. It was clear that something was about to happen, something catastrophic.

Suddenly, the arrowhead erupted in a blinding flash of light and heat. A deafening boom echoed across the terrain as a massive explosion erupted from the arrowhead, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.

As the dust and debris began to settle, the devastation of the explosion became clear. A giant crater had been carved into the terrain, the ground around it scorched and blackened. Zhongli lay on the ground, his body battered and bruised, but miraculously still alive.

He struggled to his feet, coughing and choking on the thick cloud of dust that hung in the air.

[ Try not to get hit by an attack like that or you're going to end up like a corpse. ]

" I know that but what is that weird technique this man is using."

[ I don't know but I can sense that this man is using some kind of Yin technique.]

" So, I should use a Yang technique."

[ Yes, but only if you get close enough to land a fatal attack. Otherwise, I don't think this man is going to let you get close. ]

" I know that but that weird technique and those arrows are a pain in my ass."

[ Why? Did you get hit there? ]

" No, it's an expression of speech."

[ Dodge ]

Zhongli kicked on the floor and dodged as an arrow blasted through the ground he lay in.

" Any help."

[ I have a footwork technique that can help you get close ]

Zhongli knew he had to act fast. The bowman was raining down energy arrows on him and he knew he couldn't keep dodging them forever. With a fierce determination, he punched the ground with his jet-black arm, causing a cocoon to engulf him. The arrows dislodged themselves into the cocoon, harmlessly bouncing off the protective barrier.

The bowman didn't give up, however. He sent an arrow careening towards the cocoon, and as it struck, it exploded, opening the cocoon and revealing it to be empty. Zhongli had used the momentary distraction to his advantage to gain a footwork technique " The phantom steps" as he suddenly appeared next to the bow master.

Without hesitation, Zhongli punched the bowman's face with all the force he could muster. The bow master tried to use his telekinesis to stop Zhongli, but his Yin Qi was canceled by Zhongli's Yang Qi. Zhongli overpowered the bow master's telekinesis and delivered a devastating punch to the head causing it to explode and splatter on the ground.

As the bowman's body crumpled to the ground, it shifted and transformed into a greyish humanoid covered in ropes and talismans. It was then clear that the bow master was not a human but a magic doll, an intricate puppet controlled by a master puppet master. As the exterior of the puppet disappeared it revealed a small child, with white hair lying on the ground, with a blank expression on her face as she clenched a dark orange orb in her hand.

Zhongli was taken aback by the revelation, He didn't expect the bowman to be a puppet controlled by a child.

[ KILL IT! THAT'S NOT A CHILD, THAT'S A SPECTER ! ]

An ethereal aura erupted from her body, causing Zhongli to jump back in surprise.

He watched in surprise as a cloud of dust formed around the child, obscuring her from view. Suddenly, a white flash shot out from the dust cloud, and Zhongli could barely perceive it as he quickly summoned his dark orbs to form a shield, but the claw was lodged into it, a few centimeters away from Zhongli's eye.

The Yin Qi swirled around the claw, forming an orb of pressurized air that shot toward Zhongli. He was quick enough to dodge, but he was caught off guard by the sudden attack. As he regained his footing, he noticed that the child had transformed into a humanoid covered in silver fur. The face looked like a cross between an owl and a human, and its eyes were glowing with otherworldly energy.

" What the hell is that ?"

[ You dumb idiot, you should have killed it when you had the chance. ]