Chapter 604 - Temporal
A few minutes earlier...(Continuation from chapter 600)
In this awakened state, Hao Xuan's reflexes were firing at around 4-5 times their normal speed, allowing him to perceive time that much slower. From his perspective, everything was slowed down to a standstill.
Tearing through more than six rows of undead he landed where the demon 'should' have been but there was no one there to greet him.
A high-pitching sizzling sound came into his ears from behind and a warning popped up into Hao Xuan's peripheral vision.
"Warning! Temperature change detected!" it said in big bold letters, a red arrow pointing towards his back.
The hair on Hao Xuan's neck that were standing straight up curled up in an instant from the sudden increase in temperature, urging him to move.
His first instinct was to just jump up into the air but as soon as that thought appeared in his mind, warning bells started ringing inside his head saying that was not a good idea. He tried to quickly change direction and maybe jump left or right but the warning bells only got louder.
Taken aback and unsure about what was going on and why his instincts were suddenly shouting bloody murder at every thought of dodging the attack, Hao Xuan could feel the time running out and the temperature rising even higher and higher.
Before he could do anything, the flesh on his back started burning. Left with no other option he simply bent his knees and allowed gravity to do all the work. Hao Xuan's gigantic body moved down and left, slowly moving out of the way.
And as soon as he did, a red glowing beam of light went right past where his head was a moment ago.
*SSSSSTT*
A sizzling sound came from surrounding raindrops that got evaporated instantly. Hao Xuan's eyes opened wide as he saw the beam of light move in a straight line before suddenly changing its direction.
Yes, it went exactly where Hao Xuan WOULD have been if he had gone ahead with the jump to avoid it. It would have cut him cleanly in half from top to bottom.
"Warning! Spatial disturbances detected. Multiple temporal fluctuations detected," another warning appeared followed by a notification, "Countermeasures activated. Code Blue!"
Hao Xuan had no idea what the warning or the notification was about nor did he have time to just inquire about it from Baracus because the warning bells started ringing again.
Thankfully, this time he was a little more prepared. Hao Xuan's body landed on the ground and he quickly spun around in the mud to see the Puer standing in his initial spot before he activated the Heavenly Blare.
Its mouth that Hao Xuan thought to be useless was opened wide. Red rays of light gathered around it, forming a ball of light that was getting bigger by the second. Yet it was not the mouth that caught his attention, but the 5th appendage that had grown out of its inverted abdomen.
It resembled a beastly clawed arm, not something that belonged to a human. Its elongated fingers were moving left and right in a bizarre manner, reminding Hao Xuan of the antennas on a cockroach.
He could even feel a strange energy around them. Hao Xuan's eyes almost popped of their sockets when he noticed the second beam of light already heading his away.
He was on the ground and no matter how fast he was, he couldn't react faster than the speed of light. All he could do was to listen to his instinct and make the absolute smallest movement he was capable of.
The beam landed, a mere half a foot away from his head. Hao Xuan's left ear was charred black even from that distance.
"Warning! Temporal fluctuations detected!" the third warning came.
Hao Xuan jerked back to look at the Puer and saw it charging up for another attack but judging from the smaller glimmers of light around its mouth, it was taking longer than before.
A small moment of peace that was ruined by Baracus.
"Please avoid getting hit for the next 60 seconds. Countermeasure recharging."
Hao Xuan gritted his teeth with such force that it sounded like bricks being smashed against one another.
"Shut the fuck up! What are these god damned warnings?" he asked getting back on his feet.
"Spatial and temporal disturbances, i.e space and time. Before each attack several disruptions in the flow of time were detected," Baracus quickly explained.
"What?! Does that mean what I think it means?"
"If you think that the demon is seeing the future, then yes. You must close the distance at once and not give it enough time to do it again. The fifth appendage seems to be the one allowing it to interfere in the time flow."
"Suggestion: kill it or at least destroy the appendage to inhibit it utilizing its ability."