Chapter 587 Crimson and Pitch-Black

Xia Nan was causing a massive commotion out in the sea.

Up until now, the adventurers on shore had suffered under the Sahuagins' siege. Not only did they have to engage in brutal melee combat with the frenzied monsters, but they also had to stay constantly alert for the magical flares shooting up from beneath the ocean surface.

It wasn't that Rogues and similar Class Holders hadn't tried to cut into the enemy's backline, but the fishman priests were hiding deep underwater—their home turf—and were surrounded by elite guards.

Any adventurer attempting to enter the water needed both the underwater mobility of an aquatic animal and the sheer individual strength to break through the fishmen's defense line. Only with both did they stand a chance of harming the priests.

As for the results of those attempts, the adventurers either never returned or were chased back onto the shore by the fishmen in a miserable state.

Under these circumstances, the adventurers could only endure the threat of the Spellcasters beneath the surface and clear out the Sahuagin on shore as best they could.

That was until Xia Nan began his assault.

Perhaps at first, the adventurers were too busy fighting to pay special attention to the deep, resonant wolf howl muffled by the seawater.

But as the frequency of magical flares striking the shore dropped, some of the fishmen—especially the elite guards and commanders with relatively higher intelligence—showed obvious signs of unease. They kept casting anxious glances toward the ocean behind them.

The adventurers naturally noticed the severed fishman limbs bobbing on the waves, as well as the fleeting flashes of magical light from the depths.

A howl like a Wolf Head, a blurry yet ferocious pitch-black silhouette, a clean and ruthless offensive—

Having fought alongside Xia Nan, or even having seen him personally take action in a Secret Realm, the adventurers on the field immediately realized that the young adventurer known as "Sea Fang" was making his move.

The morale that had dipped due to the success of the fishmen's Sacrificial Ritual gradually began to soar.

Naturally, the Bloodskin Shark Beast couldn't have missed the commotion in the sea.

Hailing from the divine kingdom, its rich combat experience and an intellect far surpassing that of ordinary fishmen allowed it to remain relatively calm, even on a battlefield drenched in intoxicating blood and frenzied death.

This was despite its confidence that it could slaughter the adventurers on the field entirely on its own.

After all, it still needed the fishman forces to carry out the subsequent plans; it couldn't just watch the priests get butchered and do nothing.

On the other hand, according to its own understanding...

...managing to survive an attack from a "divine envoy" like itself was already a stroke of immense luck for the opponent.

If the human had run away howling with his tail between his legs like a stray dog, the monster wouldn't have even bothered to chase him.

But now, not only had the black-haired adventurer not fled, he had taken advantage of the Shark Beast's distraction to attack the fishman priests who were supposed to survive until the end, acting just like a despicable rat hiding in the shadows of a sewer.

To the beast, this was an act brimming with provocation.

Absolutely intolerable.

Casting a casual glance at Tieg's corpse, whose skull it had already smashed to pieces, the Bloodskin Shark Beast immediately prepared to turn around and bestow upon that lowly adventurer the death he deserved.

But just as it took a single step forward—

"Boom!"

Sharp, blazing flames abruptly erupted from its side.

Leaving a scorched mark on its reddish skin, the strike forced the Shark Beast to halt its steps.

A human woman holding a flaming scimitar, her long, curly hair flowing like a blazing inferno, now stood squarely in its path with a solemn expression.

The Shark Beast had some impression of her.

The special combat technique that could scorch and curl the scales on a fishman's body, acting almost like a high-temperature domain, clearly wasn't something a low-level Class Holder could use. She stood out exceptionally on the battlefield.

Had it not been for the massive commotion caused by that cunning black wolf in the sea, she would have been its next target after Tieg.

It hadn't expected her to take the initiative and confront it now.

Another wolf howl and the abrupt cessation of magical flares from deep in the distant seawater made the Shark Beast feel rather irritated.

"Bug, roll aside and get out of the way!"

Muttering in slurred fishman speech, the Bloodskin Shark Beast strode forward on its two thick, powerful legs. Ignoring Lorraine standing in its path, it casually swiped its massive, broad hand at her like it was swatting a fly.

Whoosh—

"Argh!!!"

An emerald glow and a Barbarian's roar erupted almost simultaneously.

The former landed on the Shark Beast's body, transforming into damp, tough strands of aquatic vines that wrapped and climbed to restrict its movements as much as possible. In the background, the Druid Hein could be faintly seen holding her staff, looking pale and weak.

The latter came from a burly Barbarian who had already leapt high into the air, bringing his giant axe down with the momentum of his descent.

"Clang!"

A crisp, violent metallic clash echoed through the air.

Knowing that such a strike could inflict substantial physical damage, the Bloodskin Shark Beast raised its right arm toward the sound of whistling air. Ripping the aquatic vines apart with brute strength, it used the thick iron chain coiled around its arm—meant to secure its ship anchor—to block Aken's full-force cleave.

Being of a class that natively excelled in the "Strength" and "Constitution" attributes, such a leaping axe strike delivered with the force of his entire body was difficult for even a Shark Beast's physique to effortlessly block with just one hand.

As a shallow groove was chiseled into the surface of the iron chain, the Shark Beast's right arm trembled.

Retaining a measure of rationality amidst his fury, Aken did not press the attack. Instead, he rode the shockwave traveling up the axe handle and performed a backflip, widening the distance between himself and the enemy before landing steadily.

Taking advantage of the Shark Beast's brief delay, two more figures arrived on either side of it.

Its crimson eyes flicked slightly, sweeping over the swaying, furry striped tail and the faint afterimage left in place by a gust of wind nearby.

The Bloodskin Shark Beast couldn't help but find this troublesome.

All of them were extremely experienced veteran adventurers. Without needing any verbal communication, the Class Holders on the field had divined Xia Nan's plan through the situation in the sea.

Knowing full well the influence a Spellcaster had on the entire battlefield, they naturally wouldn't allow the monster before them to threaten him.

Sensing the Shark Beast's intent to retreat, Captain Lorraine of the "Blade of Vengeance" had been the first to step forward with the Barbarian Aken, briefly pinning the opponent in place.

Following closely behind, the Tabaxi Sasha, who traveled with Aken, had dispatched the elite fishman guard he was tangled with and circled around from the flank, seeking to support his teammates.

It was worth noting that Captain Zephyr from the "Windforged" squad had unexpectedly rushed over as well.

Seeing him frowning in absolute seriousness with his double-edged rapier gripped tightly in hand, it was obvious that he, too, was looking to buy more time for Xia Nan in the sea.

With things having escalated to this point, a fight was inevitable if they wanted to get their crew members off Stodd Island safely.

Having watched Tieg, the captain of the "Raging Tide Warband" with whom he had accumulated countless past grudges, die right before his eyes, Zephyr felt a complex tangle of emotions, but none of the expected thrill of revenge. Under the heavy pressure brought by the fishmen, he quickly steadied his fluctuating emotions.

Tossing those complex, tangled thoughts to the back of his mind, he knew that to end this battle, the surprise assault being carried out by "Sea Fang" beneath the waves was absolutely crucial.

Seeing that the Shark Beast wanted to head back and interfere, Zephyr, who was already stationed nearby, didn't overthink things. Driven purely by his instincts as an adventurer and a team leader, he closed the distance.

Front, back, left, and right. The Bloodskin Shark Beast was boxed in from all four directions by Lorraine, Sasha, Zephyr, and Aken. A short distance away, the Druid Hein bided her time, ready to unleash magical support at a moment's notice or shape-shift into an albatross to evade attacks.

This was different from its previous one-on-one duel with Tieg. Now it was simultaneously surrounded by four Class Holders, plus a Spellcaster.

Even with the Bloodskin Shark Beast's level of strength, it couldn't simply ignore their blockade and effortlessly break out.

"Roar!!!"

Letting out a furious bellow, just as it had done when clearing the field earlier, it used its feet as a pivot. Gripping the iron chain like a shot put, it swung the massive ship anchor around its body twice, attempting to force the surrounding adventurers back.

Having already witnessed it use this move from afar, the four reacted differently, yet each pushed their personal combat styles to the absolute limit.

Standing directly in front of the Shark Beast and being the closest to it, Lorraine sensed its intentions the instant its muscles tensed.

She immediately executed her [Flame Breath Countertide] combat technique. While the spewing flames scorched the enemy's flesh, the recoil from the blast pushed her entirely back into a safe zone.

Aken's body was slightly cumbersome, but his reaction was not slow. Hugging his giant axe, he rolled across the ground twice—a clumsy but effective maneuver that evaded the attack.

Zephyr's legs left afterimages as he moved, taking just a few steps to escape the anchor's strike range.

The agile Sasha, emboldened by his great skill, crouched low to dodge the beast's first sweep and even advanced a few steps closer to the enemy in the process.

When the Shark Beast noticed this audacious little rat and adjusted the anchor's trajectory to sweep across the ground, the Tabaxi's legs exploded with power. He sprang upward, dodging with the lightness of someone jumping a skipping rope.

At the same time, his dual short swords slashed downward in a cross. Using his legs to kick off the Shark Beast's back for leverage, he left an "X" shaped gash on the back of its neck before his body flew backward.

With a swish of his long tail, he adjusted his center of gravity in midair and landed smoothly.

Unfortunately, the window of opportunity was too short for him to exert full force. The wound left on the Shark Beast was not deep; the bleeding quickly stopped, and it faintly began to heal.

Scorching pain from the flames radiated from its chest, while the stinging cut of blades could be felt on the back of its neck.

The Bloodskin Shark Beast's crimson fish eyes, which had previously appeared somewhat irritated, suddenly grew eerily calm.

Its greatest difference from ordinary fishmen, and even from all the Shark Beasts summoned prior to this, was its mature intellect, comparable to that of a seasoned battlefield veteran.

Even after suffering a brief setback, it could quickly adjust its mindset, preventing rage and anxiety from swallowing its reason and causing it to make poor decisions.

First of all, it was absolutely certain that, from the perspective of individual strength alone, every single adventurer on the field was beneath it.

Even if they formed a makeshift party, they were definitely no match for it.

Right now, although the four adventurers surrounding it seemed to have decent Class Levels, the idea that the few of them could pose any real threat to it was undoubtedly a pipe dream.

Its attacks had only gone poorly just now because it had been distracted by the ambush on the priests in the rear, rendering it overly anxious and unable to maintain its rationality.

If it truly calmed down and focused on fighting these annoying adventurers, smashing their skulls one by one would only be a matter of time.

But clearly, with the fishman priests in the rear currently under attack, it could not afford to waste too much time here if it wanted to minimize the overall losses to the fishman forces.

In order to quickly crush this little group surrounding it and break free from their entanglement, it could—and was willing to—pay a price.

"Roar!"

As these thoughts flashed through its mind, a vague plan had already formed in its heart.

Taking advantage of the momentum, it hoisted the ship anchor in its hand. Looking as if it were seething with hatred over the Tabaxi's nimble strike, it bellowed wildly and smashed the weapon in his direction.

The Bloodskin Shark Beast held nothing back. Wrapped in majestic force, the metal anchor descended as if it wanted to shatter the very air itself.

Having maintained high focus after his attack, Sasha reacted the instant the Shark Beast made its move.

He didn't dare act overly confident in the slightest.

He knew full well that, given the force of the enemy's attack and his own physical durability, let alone taking a direct hit, even accidentally getting grazed would rob him of his combat ability.

As if using some sort of combat technique, his legs bent to gather power, and a faint glimmer appeared where the soles of his feet touched the ground.

Then, pushing off fiercely, his light, lean body launched diagonally off the ground like a rocket accompanied by a loud, explosive whoosh.

This caused the anchor to smash into empty space, kicking up a spray of gravel.

Because this strike looked as though it had used up all of its strength, the Shark Beast entered a sort of frozen recovery state after swinging the anchor.

Biding her time in the distance, the Druid Hein acutely sensed this opening. She poured mana into her staff as if it were free, transforming it into a dazzling ray of magical light that blasted forward.

"Sizzle—"

Vibrant coral with sharp tips proliferated and grew across the surface of the Shark Beast's body. Like clusters of sharp razor blades, they scraped and pierced into its skin, pumping toxins with corrosive and paralyzing effects into its inner flesh.

Coordinating seamlessly, Lorraine had prepped her movements the instant she saw the Shark Beast attack. Almost exactly as the anchor fell, she had already circled to its back.

Her scimitar, wreathed in orange-red flames, cleaved deeply into its thick hide with a whistling shriek. The high temperature evaporated its blood, the edge of the blade emitting a sizzling, burning sound.

The Barbarian Aken was a beat slower and didn't make it in time; he was currently in the charging phase, both hands gripping his axe handle.

Zephyr was agile. Although he wasn't a member of the "Blade of Vengeance" and thus lacked tacit coordination with them, he seized the offensive opening and moved in as well, cautiously circling to the rear left—a blind spot in the Shark Beast's line of sight.

The double-edged rapier in his hand looked poised to thrust straight into the enemy's vulnerable flank beneath the ribs.

But right at that moment, an unprecedented, intense sense of crisis stemming from pure biological instinct erupted in his heart.

And it spiked to its absolute maximum the instant his rapier pierced the flesh.

The elf subconsciously released the sword hilt in his hand, wind gathering under his feet as he tried to flee.

However, the shrill scream of exploding air had already sounded behind his back.

"Got you, little bug."

Rip—

The Shark Beast's long tail, studded with leaf-shaped dorsal blades, swept through the air, cleanly severing Zephyr right through the middle of his thighs.

Using its post-attack recovery state as a trap, and at the cost of minor injuries, the Bloodskin Shark Beast had found the breakthrough point in this makeshift adventurer party and crushed it within just two exchanges.

Its violent crimson eyes swept across the faces of the three rapidly retreating adventurers nearby.

A cruel smile curled the corners of the Bloodskin Shark Beast's mouth. Like the claw of a crane machine, its razor-sharp fingers grabbed the head of the little rat on the ground with just three digits.

It lifted Zephyr from the blood-soaked sand. Blood sprayed from his severed stumps, and the pure-blood elf was weeping and wailing in agony, utterly stripped of his former elegance.

It was just about to crush the skull between its fingers in front of everyone.

Suddenly, another bloodcurdling scream rang out from far behind it.

It turned around, casting its gaze toward the source of the sound.

It saw the elderly fishman priest who had summoned it to the Material Plane standing completely stiff, glowing blue blood dripping from its mouth.

A sharp, ash-black straight sword had already pierced right through its chest.

A surge of power, a horizontal slash.

An arc of light flashed.

The elderly fishman's upper half, still clinging by flesh and blood, drooped down like a half-peeled banana skin as its organs spilled onto the ground.

This revealed the pair of eyes behind it—eyes as profoundly pitch-black as a deep pool in a dense forest, reflecting the glowing blue blood.

The cruel smile on the Bloodskin Shark Beast's face instantly froze.

Its hand squeezed subconsciously, crushing the elf's skull between its fingers.

Crimson and pitch-black.

The two invisible gazes seemed to meet in the void, clashing across the distance.