Chapter 617 - 616- Something is strange
Deep beneath the ocean, the last thing Adrian expected was to be ensnared by an illusion crafted by his opponent. Yet here he was, experiencing something that could only be described as impossible.
’This is nasty.’
His expression remained unchanged as he watched the scene unfold. Someone very close to his heart was drowning, sinking deeper and deeper into the dark waters while desperately reaching out for help.
Adrian did not tear his eyes away from the figure. His gaze remained steady, his expression utterly unfazed.
Soon, even her voice reached him through the water.
"Adrian... agh... please..."
Adrian drew a slow breath and closed his eyes.
He knew the creature was somewhere around him. He had already seen its eyes, yet for some reason, it was attempting to drive him away rather than confront him head-on.
Adrian clenched his fist and quietly muttered, "This isn’t going to faze me, so stop this foolishness and come out already."
The illusion faded.
Her voice dissolved into the surrounding water, growing fainter until it vanished completely.
The moment Adrian opened his eyes, he saw them.
More than five mermen were swimming toward him.
Fish-like tails and shimmering scales covered their lower bodies, while their upper halves resembled those of fully grown men. Each one gripped a weapon in hand as they surged through the water, rapidly closing the distance between them.
Adrian hummed softly.
"So, you don’t want to fight me directly, eh?"
It appeared the ancient one intended to test his worth before revealing itself.
Fair enough.
Adrian inwardly muttered the words as he summoned his lance into his right hand.
A fifth-grade armament he had conjured not too long ago.
The mermen showed no intention of stopping, so Adrian decided to give them a reason to.
He swirled the lance through the water, and the ocean immediately responded. Currents twisted violently around him, rapidly gathering into a massive whirlpool.
It grew larger and more turbulent with every passing second, forcing the approaching creatures to halt their advance.
Adrian thought he had bought himself some time.
Then he watched in disbelief.
"For fuck’s sake..."
The mermen began slashing through the vortex, their weapons tearing apart the turbulent currents as they continued their advance.
Adrian had to make his next move.
He twirled his lance once more, manipulating the surrounding water into several smaller whirlpools around him. From within each vortex, compressed streams of water suddenly shot forth like projectiles, hurtling toward the approaching mermen.
The first one easily dodged the attack without taking his eyes off Adrian. The second followed suit, then the third.
However, the next three were forced to halt their advance. They twisted through the water, desperately dodging and parrying the incoming projectiles, clearly lacking the speed necessary to evade them outright.
The first merman finally reached Adrian and came to a stop before him.
Clenching his trident tightly in his grasp, the man spoke.
"Last warning. Return to the surface where you belong. You have no place here."
His voice was surprisingly clear, and his words were easy for Adrian to understand despite the surrounding water.
Adrian merely regarded him for a moment before replying, "Sorry, mate. I’m here for a reason, and unless I attain what I came for, I’m not going back."
No further words were required.
The merman’s trident shot forward.
"Tch," Adrian tilted his body aside.
The weapon passed inches from his chest, but before Adrian could counter, the merman twisted his wrist and swept the trident sideways.
"!!" Adrian raised his lance.
CLANG!
The impact sent both weapons sliding apart.
Adrian immediately thrust forward.
The merman moved, his tail allowing him to maneuver downward.
The lance passed over his shoulder as he slipped beneath it, his fish-like tail whipping through the water and carrying him into Adrian’s blind spot.
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
He spun.
SHING!
The trident came for his neck.
Adrian bent backward, the weapon passing over his face. At the same time, he kicked against the water and pushed himself away.
The merman followed without even a trace of resistance by the water.
He was fast
Far faster than Adrian ever could be this deep.
BOOM!
A burst of lightning erupted from Adrian’s lance.
The merman instantly twisted his body, allowing the spell to pass beside him.
The lightning tore through the water and struck the ocean floor.
BOOOM!
The seabed exploded.
Clouds of sand and debris spread through the water.
Adrian didn’t wait for the visibility to return.
His free hand moved.
A ring of glowing runes appeared around him.
"Flame."
The water around him suddenly began to boil.
A sphere of fire erupted from his palm and expanded outward.
The merman’s expression changed for the first time.
He darted backward.
The fire expanded rapidly, consuming the surrounding water in a violent burst of steam.
Adrian’s eyes sharpened.
There.
He sensed movement.
He thrust his lance toward the disturbance.
DHAK!
The merman blocked it with his trident.
The collision pushed both of them apart.
Adrian immediately followed with another spell.
A compressed blade of air formed around the lance.
He swung.
SHRAAAK!
The water itself seemed to split.
The merman ducked beneath the attack.
Adrian’s blade passed over him.
But the merman’s tail suddenly snapped upward.
THUD!
Adrian was struck in the stomach.
His body flew backward through the water.
He stopped himself with a burst of wind.
His eyes remained calm but he was constantly thinking what to do next. Since right now it felt like racing against a falcon in the sky.
Wiping the blood from the corner of bjs lips, Adrian muttered, "You are well versed in fighting. Do you face intruders often?"
The merman didn’t answer.
He simply vanished.
Adrian’s pupils contracted.
He sensed the movement behind him.
He spun and raised his lance.
CLANG!
The trident slammed against it.
Another strike followed.
Then another.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Adrian blocked each one, but the merman’s movements were becoming increasingly difficult to read.
Every time Adrian adjusted his position, the creature changed direction.
Every time Adrian prepared a spell, the merman attacked before he could finish it.
Adrian suddenly released his lance.
The merman’s eyes widened.
"Got you."
Adrian’s fingers snapped together.
"Bind."
Several glowing chains erupted from the water around them.
The merman twisted.
One chain wrapped around his arm.
He immediately spun his body and used his tail to change direction.
Another chain missed followed by another
The merman broke free from the first and charged again.
Adrian grinned faintly and pulled the lance back in his hand with a mental command.
His mana surged.
The water around the merman suddenly began moving.
Adrian manipulated the current around the creature’s body, forcing it to move against itself.
The merman’s speed dropped for half a second.
That was enough.
Adrian thrust his lance forward.
"Thunder Spear."
Lightning condensed along the weapon.
BOOOM!
The spell exploded forward.
The merman crossed his trident in front of his body.
The lightning struck.
A violent flash swallowed both figures.
Adrian’s expression tightened.
The merman emerged from the explosion.
His scales were scorched.
One side of his body was bleeding.
But he was still moving.
And the moment Adrian saw him, the trident was already coming.
Adrian raised his lance.
CLANG!
The impact shook the surrounding water.
The merman pushed forward but it didn’t have the same strength as before Adrian easily pushed him back and prepared for the final blow.
But then,
*Grrr*
Something rumbled in the ocean and all the mermen flanking Adrian from all sides turned stiff.
In the next instance, the half burnt mermen backed away.
His eyes met Adrian’s before he muttered, "It’s wiser for you to return. Something doesn’t want you to be here."
And with that...every single one of them departed.
....leaving Adrian all alone in the depth of the darkness.
’Just what the hell is happening?’