### Chapter 169: The Bold Fox, Unfortunately Grappled by a Wicked Loli
Yuliya truly had an extensive resume in dog walking.
She maintained a teasing distance, occasionally popping her head in, but mostly she vanished, sending various invisible attacks sailing through the woods.
Each strike dealt real damage, hitting crucial spots like a drill and causing nearly a thousand damage, while grazing one of the corners might only tickle the BOSS for a few hundred.
But when compared to the BOSS’s absurd health, those damages were like raindrops in a hurricane.
For the BOSS, these attacks were merely annoying flies buzzing about, something to ignore.
Yet that pesky little bug wasn’t giving it the chance—one moment it was there, the next it vanished, forcing the BOSS to chase after whatever direction the attacks were coming from.
Until one fateful moment, it sensed something, spun around, and blasted a column of black energy toward a spot to the right.
“Oh come on!” Yuliya exclaimed, narrowly dodging the attack.
But this exposure put her directly in the BOSS’s line of sight.
The next moment, another energy blast rained down.
cr*p!
Yuliya blinked out of sight just in time and switched to a more hidden position.
However, the BOSS’s attacks dropped like confetti at a parade; it just wouldn’t stop.
In a panic, she had no choice but to keep dodging.
The tides of battle had shifted.
Yuliya was now running for dear life while the Three-tailed Demon Fox just kept spewing energy from its stationary spot.
“Uh oh, it looks like the BOSS can lock onto Wind God’s position. Wind God can only keep dodging; if even a single hit connects, it could become toast.”
“Thank goodness it’s Wind God, still able to barely dodge. I’m getting dizzy just watching these relentless waves of attacks—let alone avoiding them.”
“Not good, the BOSS is changing tactics! It’s splitting its shots! The attack barrage just got exponentially denser!”
Yuliya picked up on the danger a moment earlier and activated an acceleration rune.
The energy blasts split into smaller bits, heading straight for her.
She managed to dodge them by a hair’s breadth, utilizing the speed boost.
She continued to create distance, but the BOSS was relentless, running and blasting as if this were a game of tag.
No biggie, she could take the heat.
Gritting her teeth, Yuliya pulled the BOSS farther back.
After all, this was a purple-tier boss; she never expected to take it down so easily.
Seizing the chance while her acceleration rune was active, she dodged incoming attacks and pondered.
The biggest hassle seemed to be that the BOSS could lock on to her position.
But why was it able to do that?
Her gaze shifted to the large stone slab in her hands, with a treasure chest embedded in it.
It must be this!
Because she didn’t yet own it, she couldn’t stash it in her bag.
Throwing it away? Not a chance! Anything in her hands belonged to her!
But it could work as cover.
With this thought, Yuliya made a few gestures on the slab and then hurled it forward with all her might.
She ducked to the side, disappearing from sight.
Sure enough, the BOSS’s attack lost its target and halted.
But it kept barreling toward the direction where the slab had been thrown.
It wanted its precious back.
It was fast, but someone was even faster.
Who could outrun teleportation, after all?
One hand snagged the airborne stone slab before it hit the ground, and she kept right on running.
Not only did this trick stop the BOSS’s attacks, it also created some distance.
Of course, Yuliya couldn’t resist giving the Three-tailed Demon Fox the finger as she grabbed the slab.
The fox seemed to grasp the meaning behind her gesture, erupting into a thunderous roar.
The rampaging energy was more terrifying than before.
It was angry; the Three-tailed Demon Fox had truly been provoked.
It stood in place, mouth wide open, black energy swirling and compressing.
In that instant, Yuliya felt completely locked on. No matter how much she moved or dodged, she was bound to take a hit.
d*mn it! This BOSS is cheating! It really has locked on!
Facing this, Yuliya calmly stood her ground.
If she couldn’t dodge, then she wouldn’t.
She watched as the Three-tailed Demon Fox charged up.
Once the timing felt right, she slid into position, holding the stone slab in front of her, making sure the treasure chest side faced the fox.
“Uh?”
The Three-tailed Demon Fox froze, its gaze suddenly upward.
The next moment, a black line sliced through the sky, shoving aside clouds.
All the mist and dust were swept away, and even the moonlight bent to cast a shadow.
Then came a violent explosion high above.
The massive sound shook the entire Illusion Forest; even nearby Green Shade City could see some kind of spectacle.
Yuliya inhaled sharply.
If that attack had come for her, she wouldn’t have had a single crumb left.
Fortunately, she had something good in her hands.
Observing the now visibly weakened BOSS, she couldn’t help but smirk.
Looks like I’ve got you right where I want you.
Checking the status of the Three-tailed Demon Fox, she was shocked to find it had entered a state of rage.
With its health barely dented, it just threw caution to the wind and went berserk—how bold!
As the BOSS regained its composure, it began sprinting around Yuliya in rapid circles.
Its speed had surged by half again.
It was out to find an opportunity to rip this annoying bug to shreds.
Yet Yuliya was unperturbed.
You’re just running circles around me? That makes things easy!
Wherever you go, I’ll shove this slab right between us; bring it on if you dare!
After ten or so laps, the Three-tailed Demon Fox realized it was always facing the treasure chest.
Finally, it deflated, coming to a halt.
For a moment it roared in rage, then whimpered in sorrow.
Yuliya looked back at it.
Oh? It seems to have canceled its rage mode and reverted to normal.
Normal mode? Well, that sounds great.
Let’s keep this chase going!
Waving her fingers at it, she picked up the stone slab and started to run.
The Three-tailed Demon Fox indeed gave chase and resumed its energy blasts.
Yuliya accurately predicted the trajectories of the attacks.
Most of them were dismissible; they were just zoning moves.
But the few that were actually heading for her?
She flipped the slab over, and surprisingly, those attacks turned away, avoiding her completely.
Yuliya chuckled, snatched up her prize, and kept running.
The Three-tailed Demon Fox had no option but to continue following her.
However, it didn’t slack off, damaging the terrain to obstruct Yuliya’s path while relentlessly attacking her.
Even knowing its attacks were essentially ineffective, it kept going as a silent yet persistent protest.
Because the Three-tailed Demon Fox was well-acquainted with this area, it knew ahead lay a dead end; this bug wouldn’t escape.
And Yuliya also knew there was a dead end up ahead; this fox was as good as doomed!
