Grrr…!!

The growling threat filled the air with killing intent. The 4 blood-red eyes lit up at its prey with intense menace. The creature was on all fours with its muscles stretched taut, ready to tear up the man reflected on its eyes.

"A beast?" Jean hissed in pain as he sat up.

Bai Xing pressed on his throbbing head and looked up.

"Hui…?"

Hui didn't seem to hear him. Bai Xing staggeringly stood up and turned towards what Hui was focused on.

"Jean, are you okay?"

"White, hurry and go inside the chapel. I'll distract this beast." Jean slowly tried to get up.

"No, Jean. This is–"

Hui lunged forward without any warning. He brandished his claws to Jean. Jean was quick on his reflex and managed to dodge Hui's attack.

Bai Xing instantly sobered from his limbo, "Hui, what are you doing!?" he saw Hui was about to attack again and rushed to caught his arm, "Hui, don't!"

But Hui was too strong. Bai Xing was thrown back when Hui attacked.

Jean got sliced on his side as he barely avoided it, "White, get away! It's too dangerous!"

Hui roared and raised his claws. Bai Xing jumped in front of him and blocked Jean, "Hui, you're not a beast!!"

Hui's motion stuttered, but his claws were already brought down.

"Nnh!!" Bai Xing shut his eyes in pain as the claws ripped his sleeves and cut through his skin.

"White!" Jean pulled Bai Xing to his back, "Are you deaf!? Didn't I tell you to get away!?"

Hui's body turned cold as he saw the blood incessantly dripping down Bai Xing's arms. Every drop falling to the ground sliced his heart. He looked at his bloodied claws with ragged breathing.

It's Bai Xing's blood. He…He hurt him. With his own claws. By his own hands.

Even if it was just a short moment, his very core turned into a beast.

"I'm sorry…" Hui clenched his fist until his palm bled from his own claws and curled his back, "I'm sorry. Bai Xing, I'm sorry. Even though you trust me. Why? Why did I–"

Bai Xing promptly hugged Hui's neck, not realizing what Hui just called him.

"I'm fine, it's just a scratch. I told you I'm not fragile, didn't I? I know you're worried about me. It's my fault for lying to you, I'm also sorry," he lifted up Hui's face and wiped the tears hanging on his eyes, "It's coming for you. For us."

"White, it's coming!" Jean prompted.

"We need to draw it out of town," Bai Xing looked at Hui without doubt in his eyes, "You can do that, right?"

Hui quickly pieced himself together and nodded.

"Ah, what a not-so surprise!" the virus appeared, "Your lover came to your rescue. Spared me the effort to go find him."

Bai Xing tightly held on to Hui's neck on his back, "Jean, go into the chapel. Thank you for your help and saving me."

Hui also nodded at Jean both in apology and gratitude. He then bolted away and leaped out of the town's gate wall into the woods.

The virus didn't expect them to run away instead of fighting it. It fiercely chased them.

"You think you can run away!?"

Hui nimbly flashed from trees to trees, confusing the virus. His howl rang to the sky.

Soon after, wolves appeared one by one to their side. As they continued forward, the wolves ran towards the virus bearing their fangs. They fearlessly lunged to attack it.

"Pests!"

The virus whipped up countless tentacles. It mercilessly cut down the wolves along with the trees, clearing everything out of its way.

Entering the enchanted area, the trees opened their path for Hui while shuffling around to block the threat.

The castle gate opened for Hui and shut close. But the virus was intangible. Even with everything trying to block it, it didn't slow it down a bit. Only further angering it.

It went past through the gate.

"It's useless! We are an entirely different being. Just obediently die!"

Its tentacle rained down towards them. Hui went full speed to outrun it. It wasn't until the whole front yard was destroyed that it finally stopped.

"Bai Xing, get inside."

Bai Xing jumped down and listened to Hui. He would only be a burden. He should try to message M to ask for a method to defeat the virus.

"Not so fast."

Bai Xing was just a step away from the door when his waist was caught. He quickly summoned out the kitchen knife and sliced it off before he got dragged further.

He didn't waste any time and entered the castle before slamming the door shut. He saw the tentacles go past through the door and windows, so he hurriedly ran up the stairs and hid behind a pillar.

Watching them for a while, he realized that the tentacles couldn't see him. They still needed the virus's own vision to point where he was.

He messaged M.

[M, we can't fight it]

He waited for a few seconds, but there was no answer. He rapidly called out, but still no reply.

Did the virus cut off their message too? This is bad. If he doesn't hurry and think of something, Hui will get hurt.

"Over here…"

Bai Xing heard a faint voice calling him. He thought he was hallucinating, but he heard it again.

"Be haste, over here."

Bai Xing strained his ears and followed the voice until he reached a door. He remembered this was where Hui kept the replica of his cloaks.

When he opened it, he was stunned by the four figures standing in front of the cloaks. They were nobody else other than the protagonists. Cinderella, Snow White, Aladdin, and Little Mermaid.

"We have come to your aide." Cinderella smiled.

"To repay you for saving us." Little Mermaid added.

"It is our turn to be of help." Snow White nodded.

"Defeat that evil and attain your happy end!" Aladdin snapped his fingers.

The four of their bodies lit up and transformed.

Bai Xing covered his eyes from the blinding light. When he looked again, instead of 4 people, 4 very familiar tools hovered in front of him.

The axe, the sword, the hammer, and the match.

Bai Xing grabbed the axe in disbelief. This was nothing short of a miracle!

"You can use us as much as you want."

"Thank you very much." Bai Xing genuinely felt moved.

He promptly slipped the hammer into his waist and the match into his pocket. He held the axe in his right and sword in his left.

Rushing to the entrance door, he swung the axe. Instantly, 10 tentacles got cut off and vanished into thin air. He could hear the virus's shriek outside.

He cut open the door to see Hui was already littered with wounds. If Hui's body was of a normal human, it would already be as bad as when he was in Snow White's world.

"You!!? Where did you get that!!?" the virus screamed indignantly.

Bai Xing cut down a wave of tentacles and passed the sword to Hui, "Hui, use this!!"

Hui caught it and it automatically enlarged to fit his hand perfectly.

While Hui began his offense on the virus's body, Bai Xing handled the tentacles. The virus was starting to get pushed back. Its tentacles also regenerated longer.

"Persistent bugs!!"

Strong negative pressure blew up from it, hurling Bai Xing and Hui away.

"Playtime's over."

The virus entwined all its tentacles into a massive drill and aimed it at Bai Xing. Before it reached him, Hui blocked it and stabbed the sword into it. Bai Xing took out the hammer and smashed it to the paved ground.

The ground trembled before it cracked and split. The virus staggered and lost its footing, but it didn't give up killing its target.

As it fell to the gap of earth, its disappearing tentacles stabbed down with what was left. Bai Xing's pupil shrunk as blood splattered to his face.

"Hui!!"

"Burn it–cough!." Hui coughed out the blood on his lung.

Bai Xing hurriedly lit up the match and threw it down to the virus. Soon after, sea of flames blazed in the crack.

He then set Hui down on the yard.

"H-H-Hui…you-you're bleeding…"

Bai Xing's mind was in disarray. Hui's abdomen was completely pierced through, creating a hollow space.

He dumped out all the medical kits, but he didn't know where to start.

"Bai Xing…" Hui grabbed Bai Xing's hands, "Bai…Xing…It's alright."

"No, You're not alright!" Bai Xing spammed M's chat message desperately, "M, please answer me."

"You think you can get rid of me that easily? Kakakakaka!!!"

The virus climbed up with its body on fire. Bai Xing took the sword to his hand.

Hui stabbed it earlier. Why didn't it die? Did it really not take effect on him?

"That is enough!"

A beam of white light shot down from the sky. The impact shook the ground reaching a few kilometers radius.

A glowing all-white figure, exactly the same as the virus, stood in the yard.