Two Blue-striped Bluru working together on the same screen? The audience gasped, though most didn’t think much of it. When the second Bluru first appeared, plenty of viewers had already noticed but dismissed it as some disguise spell or a Bluru clone skill. Now almost everyone agreed with the second theory. Clearly, this was Moonlight Marsh Rita’s clone ability. Only those who knew her better frowned. Lightchaser, Wail, GodDraw77. The clone looked more advanced than Another Me, but clone-type skills weren’t rare. Why had she never used it before? On the screen, the two Bluru had already completed their handoff. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net Since Tanuki didn’t know which skill the bait was, the light bar above his head didn’t glow, leaving the audience unable to judge whether Rita’s loss was serious. One Bluru smashed into Tanuki, knocking him several meters back. The other twisted agilely, nudged one bubble away with its snout, then snapped up the other. Tanuki glanced at the abandoned bubble and didn’t move. The important one was already in Rita’s jaws. The Bluru that had taken it looped back, crossing paths with her other self. As they brushed past each other, she tossed the bubble into her own mouth. Rita, now with a bubble stuffed in her face: ? Tanuki screamed, "This is disgusting!" Before Rita could question, her future self darted off to finish the Glitter Strawberry Fish strung on her line, cleaning up the mess so she could reclaim that bait too. Under Rita’s relentless strikes, the Strawberry’s HP plummeted. "My teacher is Orpha!" the fish shouted desperately. The two Bluru bellowed back even louder, perfectly in sync. "My teacher is Lightchaser, make her responsible!" Everyone had a teacher. Go complain to Lightchaser then. Outside the game, Lightchaser: ... The blood elf finally stopped laughing and nudged the black cat. "So who wins in a fight, Lightchaser or Orpha? I thought Orpha was Lightchaser’s teacher’s teacher?" The cat considered. "In raw combat power? Lightchaser, easily. Orpha’s not really a fighter. Relatively speaking. But she has a lot of students." The pink-haired dwarf rubbed her ears irritably. Moments later, Orpha’s student was dead, Blue-striped Bluru tearing him apart. The bubble burst loose and was swallowed instantly by future Rita. In that instant, Rita realized what it was: Bedtime Tale. Her stomach clenched in relief. That could have been catastrophic. With the Strawberry gone, the two Bluru twisted around each other and hammered Debones in unison, ripping the line apart until it snapped. Tanuki, though, wasn’t done. After losing Shadow of the Moon, he chased them furiously. Once Rita finally broke free, she had enough breath to ask, "So what exactly did Tanuki take?" Her future self’s voice answered, "I don’t know. I have to go. It’s bad over there too. Watch the time." And then she was gone, swallowed by darkness and the glow of a lamp. Leaving Rita alone to face Tanuki’s charge. But her mind was locked on those words. She hated riddlers. Why not say it plainly? Couldn’t she, or didn’t she dare, afraid saying too much would twist the outcome? While fending off Tanuki, she glanced at her new skill. Shadow of the Moon (SSS): When moonlight casts your shadow, you may freely step in and out of the shadow world. The description was almost disappointingly bland. Tanuki was still on her tail, demanding, "What was it?!" Rita shot back, "What was mine? Count of three, we both say it. If not, our schools shut down next year. Three, two, one!" Tanuki: "Refuse Cold Violence!" Rita: "Shadow of the Moon!" That was close. Exile Island Academy and Moonlight Marsh almost got cursed into bankruptcy. Skills that obscure weren’t easy to lie about. Just like Rita couldn’t have bluffed one she’d seen in passing. They both halted, glaring at each other. Then, slowly, both lifted their fins: You first. No, you first. Both skills were valuable, but not quite worth wasting precious time and risking it all. Refuse Cold Violence would help Rita, but not enough to die over. Shadow of the Moon was excellent for Tanuki, but too restrictive—only usable at night. He grimaced, reluctant, but let it go. Rita left cleanly, though her chest felt heavy. What had her future self meant? Seven glowing baits. She had lost Refuse Cold Violence and Frost Armor. The other five—Sin of Arrogance, Scratch Card, Mystic Force, and the two her future self grabbed—were all secured. She prowled the battlefield, picking through the chaos for anything worth swallowing. But those two lines haunted her. With five minutes left in the frenzy, she stopped being picky. She targeted the fiercest fights, where fish were tearing at each other like enemies sworn to the death. Those were the ones guarding something good. The whirlpool slowed. The end was near. By instinct, she snatched three caster skills, unable to see ranks or info. Two S, one SSS. Not bad. Her last bite was a bubble labeled Burn the Sea. And the hook bit her again. This time she was ready to drag others down with her, already scanning for bodies to tangle into her line, when a voice snarled from behind her. "Cinnabar. Finally, your day has come." Lightning shot down Rita’s spine. She understood. That was why her future self had said it. Motor’s Protagonist Time. When it triggered, every fish on a line would be caught in bullet-time. Anglers and rods immune. Every hooked player slowed tenfold, helpless. Being hauled up was inevitable. And in the frenzy, that meant losing everything she’d reclaimed. Could she stop him? No. Motor wasn’t her ally. Even if he had been, this was the perfect moment to use it. Not just to ruin Cinnabar, but to wipe out every rival currently on a hook. If it were her, she’d do the same. No "wait," no pleading, nothing would stop him. A Thorn Winterfish chained to Cinnabar cried out desperately, "Motor, wait! It’s me, Fat Goose!" Motor froze, tilted his head back like some tragic hero, and howled toward the sky. "Cinnabar, you die today!" Team battle was over. Who still counted Fat Goose as human?