novelraw Chapter 123 - 121: Killing the A-Rank Sea Beast! The Cave Mother Nest
Chapter 123 - 121: Killing the A-Rank Sea Beast! The Cave Mother Nest
The talking and laughing in the cabin ceased.
Faced with an A-rank sea beast, everyone instinctively grew more vigilant.
Some among them were S-rank Awakened hiding their true strength. Still, they couldn’t deny the possibility of failure when facing such a creature in the deep sea. Fortunately, they were attacking as a well-prepared squad, reducing the risk of a catastrophic failure to a negligible level.
But they still had to remain vigilant.
Besides, this was just the appetizer.
They couldn’t afford to waste too much energy on the appetizer.
"Alright everyone, listen up. I’m about to activate the Dinglan Pearl. It only lasts for three hours, so we have to make this quick!"
"Don’t worry, Wright! If this many of us can’t even take down a single A-rank sea beast, we’ll be a laughingstock!"
Iruka, a black man, still seemed carefree on the surface, but his weapon was poised to strike.
Shi Ming gazed at the foothills of Mount Olympus, submerged in the deep sea.
The Abyss Explorer’s current position was less than five hundred meters from the Cave Mother Insect’s nest.
Ice condensed around his right hand, forming the Ice-Forged Long Saber.
...
The Abyss Explorer’s radar had already detected the presence of a powerful life form.
BOOM—
The Abyss Explorer struck first. A high-pressure missile, specially mounted beneath its hull, shot out like a deep-sea reaper toward the ruined cliff face below. There was a tremendous explosion, and the single projectile blew away nearly half of the dilapidated cliff, which was already crumbling from the Cave Mother Insect’s corrosion.
A foul stench filled the water.
Countless lesser insects spilled out into the murky water, squirming as they frantically tried to escape.
Several Awakened shot out of the Abyss Explorer, suspended in the deep sea as if standing on solid ground.
’This Dinglan Pearl is incredible! There’s absolutely no water pressure, so fighting feels just like it does on the ship. Best of all, I can float and move without any resistance at all.’
Shi Ming marveled at the treasure’s ingenuity but continued using his diving gear and the Awakening Power within him to maintain his resistance to the extreme water pressure.
He activated his A-rank skill, Ice Annihilation.
A solid layer of Ice Crystal Armor formed over his body. Although Shi Ming’s base Defense Power was already high, the extra layer of Ice Crystal Scale Armor provided more insurance. The Ice-Forged Long Saber in his hand was razor-sharp and emanated a savage aura, reminiscent of the Glacier Dragon from the past.
’King Slayer’s current Attack Power bonus is extremely high. It’s an excellent trump card.’
’But I’m a long way from needing it to deal with an A-rank sea beast.’
The seven combat-type Awakened formed the front line while the elderly healer stayed in the rear, providing support for the team. Under the influence of the Dinglan Pearl, Shi Ming and the other Awakened moved through the water like dreamlike phantoms, mercilessly slaughtering the swarming lesser insects.
"Hahaha, let’s see who can kill the most of these lesser insects!"
"Alright!"
Caught in the storm of insects, Shi Ming’s Ice Blade moved at incredible speeds, creating a ceaseless wave of blades.
Arcs of light from his blade repeatedly sliced through the lesser insects’ bodies, freezing them solid the moment they were bisected. The extreme cold caused the temperature of the surrounding water to plummet, significantly thinning the swarm that followed.
Nearby, Yize had fully transformed into his beast form. His body was now covered in strange, brown fur, and his once-golden hair had faded, taking on an indescribable, crazed quality.
Iwami’s Swordsmanship was also remarkably sharp and decisive. The Sword Intent it contained was in no way inferior to the legendary Demon Sword!
BOOM!
Another tremendous explosion.
The missile had collapsed the mother’s cave!
The mother insect, which had been lying dormant deep within the cave, was finally forced to reveal itself in the murky water. Its body looked as if it were stitched together from countless nests, covered in a variety of strange eyes. One hundred and eight feelers grew all over its body, making for a truly terrifying sight.
The A-rank sea beast: the Cave Matriarch!
It’s out!
The thin membrane that had covered the cave’s surface retracted completely, enveloping its enormous body.
The mother insect’s body shuddered violently. Like a seahorse giving birth, it frantically spewed out vast numbers of lesser insects and semi-formed eggs.
Iruka, who was at the very front, took the lead and charged straight in. For a defense- and psychic-type Awakened, his speed was impressive. He rushed toward the Cave Matriarch’s body with a giant blade in hand. However, the A-rank sea beast was so enormous that before Iruka could cover half the distance, he was snared and enveloped by a slimy membrane hidden in the water, halting his advance.
There was an invisible trap.
Seeing this, the others grew cautious and quickly unleashed their own killing moves.
Almost simultaneously, the Cave Matriarch opened its stitched-together "mouth" right from the center of its body!
Twisted strands of mucus shot out like spiderwebs, quickly filling the area with a sticky net. The patch of sea had become the mother insect’s hunting ground.
"Careful! Don’t touch those webs! They’re extremely sticky!"
Shi Ming, of course, wasn’t afraid of these webs.
His control over his frost energy was superb; it would instantly freeze the mucus webs, making them brittle and causing them to lose their stickiness.
Frost condensed in his eyes. Solid ice formed in the water, sharpening into razor-sharp icicles. They shot forward like flashes of lightning, severing the membrane trapping Iruka’s feet. Then, filled with killing intent, they continued on toward the Cave Matriarch’s body.
Wright had already unleashed his own skill.
He was now the second-closest to the Matriarch. Black lightning crackled around the greatsword in his hands. He swung it fiercely at the now-exposed creature, imbued with a Sword Intent powerful enough to sunder the heavens!
The Cave Matriarch, of course, wouldn’t just sit and wait for death. Its 108 feelers shot out, a ubiquitous tide attacking everything in sight. In this patch of sea filled with transparent mucus, there was no safe zone left for its targets.
Wright’s expression tightened.
The black glow on his longsword faded, replaced by a brilliant white lightning that shone like the dawn. It mercilessly shredded all the nearby mucus webs!
"A perfect opening! Go!"
The crackling lightning cleared a safe path.
Reyno and Yize seized the opportunity, their attacks following right behind. Iwami’s sword, however, bypassed the webs from the side, moving with incredible finesse to avoid them all and strike directly at the Cave Matriarch’s core!
Shi Ming didn’t hesitate either. A colossal Ice Sword materialized, carrying a chill cold enough to shatter any living thing. It descended with unstoppable force, like a divine weapon sent from the heavens.
HISS—
Suddenly, the Ice Blade tore a massive gash in the Cave Matriarch’s body. The trembling of its 108 feelers grew more frenzied. A powerful sonic wave, conducted through the water, pierced everyone’s ears, making their eardrums feel like they would burst.
Wielding his Thunder Sword, Wright narrowly broke through all the attacks. Finally, with a strike that was certain to land, he slashed down upon the Cave Matriarch’s body.
The Ice Blade exploded inside the Matriarch’s body at the perfect moment, freezing a portion of the sea beast’s tissues.
Yize, Reyno, and Iwami’s attacks connected. Unstoppable cracks, like those in a sheet of ice, spread across the Cave Matriarch’s outer tissues!
The A-rank sea beast let out an unimaginably sharp shriek as all 108 of its feelers shot upright!
It was preparing to fight to the death.
"Eye of Control!"
Just then, Iruka’s eyes turned a pure, deep black. As if channeling an irresistible will, his gaze locked onto all of the Cave Matriarch’s eyes. In that instant, the heavily injured creature’s desperate struggle was brought to a halt.
Mr. Lei’s body descended like a thunderbolt, and with a CRACKLE, he blasted directly into the core of the Cave Matriarch’s body.
BOOM—
An unimaginable explosion.
The blast left everyone around them with ringing in their ears.
Mr. Lei’s final blow created a massive shockwave. It surged outward, carrying with it weakened bolts of lightning and fragments of the Matriarch. As the bloody mist cleared, Mr. Lei stood where the creature’s core had been, impassively sheathing his blade.
The once-enormous Cave Matriarch now lay in exactly eight pieces.
’Blown into eight pieces... If I had delivered that final blow, the others probably wouldn’t have even gotten the scraps.’
’And that strike from Mr. Lei... talk about putting on a show. It’s almost like he was afraid of *not* waking up that Deep Sea Titan.’
Shi Ming grumbled to himself.
Yize still remained vigilant.
A smile appeared on Wright’s face.
"Alright."
"Our teamwork is as flawless as ever. Now, it’s time to reap our rewards."