Chapter 1038: Chapter 1036-I Am Me.
Elowen’s eye twitched as she lashed her whip at the octopus assailant, wrapping it around two of his tentacles and yanking hard. The assailant stumbled, giving her enough time to send a burst of symbiotic energy through the vines, making them tighten and crush the lead shark’s legs with a sickening crack.
Kal, meanwhile, was trading blows with the eel. His crystalline arms blocked electric strikes, sending sparks flying everywhere.
The octopus’s tentacles were everywhere, trying to find an opening, while the shark was using brute force to break through her vine defences. She was holding her own, but the corrupted energy was starting to wear on her, making her movements slightly sluggish. On the side, the merman male made a small move that caused a distraction. She used the distraction to wrap her whip around the octopus’s main body and slam him into the second shark. The two assailants crashed together with a satisfying thud, giving her a moment to breathe.
Kal finished his opponent with a powerful strike, his crystalline arm shattering the eel’s electric defence and sending it crashing into the barrier wall. The eel slumped, unconscious but still twitching with corrupted energy.
The remaining two assailants, the lead shark and the octopus, were now furious. The lead shark broke free from the vines with a roar, his body bulging with corrupted power as he charged at Elowen. The octopus, recovering quickly, sent all eight tentacles whipping toward her at once.
Elowen met the charge head-on, her water-whip cracking against the shark’s fist with a loud boom. The impact sent shockwaves through the cell, cracking the floor further. Vines erupted around her, trying to restrain him, but the corrupted shark was too strong, breaking through them with raw power.
Kal joined the fray, his crystalline arms clashing against the octopus’s tentacles. The fight turned into a chaotic dance of power, Elowen and Kal working in sync thanks to her symbiotic connection, while the merman continued his "moral support" from behind, occasionally poking enemies with random items he found on the floor.
"Big Sis, duck!"
The merman shouted as a tentacle came flying toward her head. Elowen ducked instinctively, and the tentacle slammed into the lead shark instead, making him roar in anger.
Elowen couldn’t help but let out a small, exasperated laugh despite the situation. This was the most ridiculous fight she had ever been in. Here she was, trying to survive against corrupted assailants, while her fake little ’brother’ treated it like a comedy show.
The lead shark, now thoroughly enraged, unleashed a powerful corrupted roar that sent dark energy waves toward them. Elowen raised her whip, channelling her Bloomkin power to create a shield of glowing vines and flowers. The impact made her skid back a few steps, but she held firm.
Kal moved in, his crystalline arms glowing as he delivered a series of rapid strikes to the octopus, finally knocking him out with a powerful uppercut. The octopus slumped to the floor, tentacles twitching weakly.
"One left," Kal said, breathing heavily as he joined Elowen against the lead shark.
The shark was massive and powerful, his corrupted mana making him almost berserk. He charged again, fists glowing with dark energy. Elowen and Kal fought together, her vines and whip restricting his movements while Kal delivered precise, powerful strikes. The merman continued his commentary from behind Elowen’s leg.
"Big Sis, his left side is open! Kal, watch his right hook! This is better than any gambling den show!"
Elowen rolled her eyes as she used her whip to wrap it around the shark’s arm, yanking him off balance. Kal followed up with a devastating strike to the shark’s chest, sending him crashing into the barrier wall with a loud boom.
The shark slumped to the floor, defeated but still conscious, glaring at them with pure hatred.
The barrier around them started to crack and fade as the assailants’ power waned. Elowen stood there, breathing heavily, her body covered in small cuts and bruises but otherwise intact. Kal looked similarly worn but relieved.
A stifling silence fell after that. Elowen took a deep breath as her eyes finally fell on the lone merman male standing at the back, looking at them with a smile on his face. Right now, Elowen was barely suppressing her desire to murder the 4 in the worst way possible, but before that, she needed answers. Answers from the young merman or whatever the hell he is.
From the very beginning, none of the situation made sense. Things don’t go to shit so fast like this, not normally, which meant there is a hidden force pushing everything. Her eyes landed on her neighbour, whom she had just met today, who caused her a lot more problems than she could count in a single day.
Looking deep into his calm eyes, she finally spoke.
"Talk."
"You were given a great chance, yet you throw your life away like this...."
Is what the merman male said, and the moment he did, a shock went through the heart of Elowen. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, and to give credit, she did a good job of controlling her expression, yet it failed in the worst way. Because her silence did indeed give it all away.
’Who is he?’
Elowen thought, and seeing Elowen’s reaction, Kal got ready to take action. To which the merman male raised his hand in surrender as he spoke to Elowen.
"Why don’t we talk in private?"
His words sounded innocent, and Elowen raised her hand to block Kal as she replied.
"Sure, let’s."
"El, but he-"
"I will be fine."
Elowen replied as she looked at her childhood friend. Kal bit his lips as he saw the serious gaze of Elowen. Seeing so, he let go of his weapon and, taking a deep breath, looked at the merman male as he spoke.
"You take one wrong move, and I will stake my life to take your head."
"Oh~ scary~"
He replied with a sly smile. To which Elowen and the merman male moved to the side to talk. The barrier set before was still active, as suddenly a new barrier formed, cutting away both Elowen and the merman male from the gaze of Kal, who was indeed dying with curiosity to know what the hell was happening.
.....
"So, who are you?"
Elowen asked with narrowed eyes. She might look like she is standing simply, but her whole body is active for action. A wrong move and she will indeed fight. Back at the fight with the assailants, she had barely shown her full capacity. She had restricted her own actions. She knew this mysterious guy was watching her, and whatever his goal, she didn’t want him to know her full strength.
"The name’s Austin Lionheart."
The reply came directly, and under eyes full of surprise, the disguise fell off as a handsome young man appeared in front of her.
"Austin...."
Elowen murmured that name under her tongue. Someone would have to be living under a rock not to know that name, especially after the young man had done the great service of giving their hero Xavier freedom from his confines. Even after that, news after news about this young man kept flooding everywhere.
New and surprising things that seem to go against common sense will always happen when it involves his name, and it did strike odd to Elowen because she had never heard of such a name before. Especially when he had such an ability. If he did, no doubt he would have become someone very important to the alliance.
’He must have been killed off by them.’
That was the thought in her mind when Elowen heard about it. Someone with such ability would have never been allowed to survive. But it seems he did in this life. But even then, that was all her curiosity, just a thought of ’oh, there is a guy like that’. But now the very one in the rumours she heard, the one who should be struggling with his life, is in front of her, looking and moving like he belonged in the sea.
"Sorry for the elaborate pranks and stuff. I just wanted to make you suffer."
"You son of a bitch...."
Elowen cursed back at the innocent words that were thrown at her face. Her words didn’t surprise Austin, who just shrugged his shoulders as he replied.
"Hey, it’s the least that can be done to you, who is wasting such a gift. It did come with responsibilities, you know."
"You little cunt, what do you know about me!?"
Elowen shouted as she got a hold of Austin’s shirt, shaking him in the water, her eyes bloodshot.
Seeing her shake him, Austin didn’t react harshly. His hand went to get a hold of her hand, making her flinch a bit. The disgust of a man’s touch made her shake, though it was better since what was in front of her was just a little kid, not even a man. To her, he is just a young boy.
"You are right, I do not know. But you also do not know the life I have lived to survive till now. The will of the realms is pissed..... You are behaving like a baby."
