Chapter 589 Severe Injury

Xia Nan was in terrible condition.

From the coast where he had returned from the Secret Realm, to the port of Stodd Island, and now to these altar ruins.

One battle had followed another, leaving him absolutely no time to fully recover his stamina.

Especially after tracking "Algae Scale" Dodd to this remote coast, the high-intensity, fast-paced combat had barely stopped.

Even with Xia Nan's Constitution, chaining [Fang Hunt], [Spinning Slash], and [Heavy Tide] together with such high intensity inevitably left his stamina depleted and his muscles aching.

Not to mention that midway through, he had relied almost entirely on sheer physical resilience and equipment defense to tank the spells of multiple fishman priests. Even after consuming a "Potent Healing Potion" and using the "Spring Pulse Cleansing Heal" of the [Tears of Spring Breath], his body was still covered in wounds.

But—he couldn't stop.

Xia Nan knew that if he slowed his offensive even slightly, giving these highly experienced fishman priests time to adapt and think, they would quickly set up targeted countermeasures to suppress the mobility and agility he relied upon.

In fact, by the later stages of the battle, the remaining fishman priests had gradually figured out his fighting style and strengths, and mostly cast crowd-control spells.

It was only because there were few surviving fishman spellcasters left in the sea by that point—rendering them unable to coordinate their magic on a sufficient scale—that Xia Nan had managed to chase them down and behead them one by one.

As for the last elderly Sahuagin priest, who had conducted the sacrificial ritual and seemed to be the field commander—

There was no need to elaborate on the course of that battle.

Suffice it to say, Xia Nan hadn't wasted the precious opportunity his teammates had bought him.

Even if the skin outside his armor was covered in burns, and his legs bore dense lacerations from barbed thorns. Even his [Bone-Bound Iron Greaves] were severely damaged, showing signs of melting under the impact of the [Fireball] due to his arm shield's limited protective area.

He still ultimately succeeded in using [Gravity Control], seizing the exact moment to forcibly interrupt the opponent's spellcasting and secure the chance for a close-quarters decapitation.

Under normal circumstances, given the intensity of the fight and the price he had paid, the battle should have concluded perfectly with the death of the enemy commander, transitioning into the pleasant phase of wrapping up and tallying the spoils.

But now, it was obvious that the truly arduous battle had only just begun.

"Huff— Huff—"

He panted heavily; the residual heat from the [Fireball] made the surrounding air distort slightly.

Pulling out the straight sword pierced into the enemy's chest, he delivered a casual finishing strike to thoroughly kill the priest Urk, letting its corpse fall to the ground with its own momentum.

Xia Nan looked ahead, locking eyes with the Bloodskin Shark Beast, which had turned around at the commotion.

There was no need for ruthless words, nor any exchange of curses.

With the situation having developed to this point, both sides understood perfectly.

Between the adventurers and the fishmen, only one side would be left standing.

No one would bicker with the dead to gain a verbal upper hand.

"Arooo—"

"Roar!!!"

The wolf howl and the Shark Beast's furious roar rang out almost simultaneously.

Swinging its arm to force back several adventurers trying to entangle it, the Bloodskin Shark Beast dragged the heavy ship anchor in its hand and took the initiative to meet the deep, dark wolf lunging in its direction.

It seemed to be using some special combat technique. The anchor the Shark Beast dragged along the ground affected its sprinting speed, but as the groove it left in the sand grew deeper, the weapon gradually emitted an unstoppable, crushing momentum.

It was as if the Shark Beast was dragging a colossal, steel-forged behemoth of a ship behind it.

The distance between them closed in an instant amid the sound of tearing air.

Sensing the black wolf enter its attack range, the Shark Beast finished charging the power in its dragged anchor.

Its already thick right arm suddenly bulged with explosive force. Gripping the end of the handle tightly, in a posture that seemed exceptionally strenuous even for its immense strength, it wore a ferocious expression and swung the fully charged anchor upward, carving a crescent moon through the air.

The power of this strike was so immense that it felt as if the surrounding air was crushed by the anchor's afterimage, letting out a blood-curdling screech.

There was no doubt that if struck head-on, even a dwarf Shield Warrior focused entirely on defense would instantly return to the embrace of their Father God.

Of course, from another perspective, no matter how much time the Shark Beast had spent gathering its strength for this strike, or how much stamina it consumed—

If it failed to hit, all its preparation and effort would amount to nothing.

Naturally, Xia Nan wouldn't foolishly charge straight into it.

Having just been smashed into the sea by a single punch from the Shark Beast moments ago, he knew exactly what kind of explosive strength this Bloodskin Shark Beast—summoned by the sacrificial ritual—possessed.

And his extremely keen Perception had allowed him to notice the heavy anchor dragged behind the opponent early on, rapidly accumulating power and momentum as it sprinted.

With the potentially threatening fishman mage group already annihilated, Xia Nan was able to maintain his focus. Empowered by his Perception, he anticipated the opponent's upcoming exertion preemptively by observing the shifts in the bones and muscles of the Shark Beast's waist, abdomen, and arms.

And in the split second his thoughts turned, he controlled his body to execute the most timely response.

"Arooo!"

Wreathed in pitch-black martial aura and radiating a lingering scorching heat, the black wolf didn't slam on the brakes the moment it entered the Shark Beast's attack range; instead, it accelerated once again.

The two long legs within the black wolf's phantom—previously striding rhythmically during the sprint—suddenly changed their step frequency!

A light step with the left foot, a heavy stomp with the right.

"Bang!"

Gravel sprayed upward like an explosion.

Two footprints, one shallow and one deep, were left in the sand.

Physical attributes far surpassing ordinary adventurers, outstanding combat talent, and a proficient mastery of combat techniques allowed Xia Nan to defy common sense: he executed a tight-angled turn in the middle of his sprint without decelerating in the slightest.

With his shoulder dipping toward the ground and his chest angled upward, he slipped right past the Shark Beast's flank.

Dodging the heavy anchor strike while supplementing his movement with [Gravity Control] to adjust his center of gravity, both legs landed. His leather boots dug two depressions into the sand as he steadied himself.

By now, having completed his evasion, Xia Nan had fluidly shifted to the enemy's unguarded rear flank.

Meanwhile, the Shark Beast was stuck in the rigid follow-through of its anchor swing.

There was no hesitation whatsoever.

Hum—

The Gray-Black Straight Sword transformed into a faintly distorted, perfect arc of light in the air, slashing straight at the Shark Beast's ribs.

Because the sacrificial ritual had been interrupted, the beast was already drastically weakened from the moment it descended. Its physical attributes had dropped across the board, and its skin was riddled with wounds.

Facing Xia Nan's sword strike—empowered by [Heavy Tide] and [Spinning Slash]—its seemingly tough shark skin provided no defensive effect. It was easily cleaved open, exposing the fat and dripping flesh beneath, leaving a deep sword mark on the pale bones deeper inside that nearly snapped them.

The Shark Beast stood nearly five meters tall. Although Xia Nan's height had grown recently, reaching 1.9 meters, the sheer height difference meant that if he wanted to decapitate it, he would have to execute a massive leap and briefly hang in the air.

Naturally, Xia Nan wouldn't attempt such a highly dangerous maneuver with virtually zero margin for error.

In fact, right after delivering that [Spinning Slash], he cleanly retracted his sword without the slightest hesitation. Propelling himself with his legs, he transformed into a black wolf phantom and vanished from the spot.

In the very next second, the Shark Beast's thick, ridged tail swept viciously through the exact spot where he had been standing.

A brief single exchange of blows.

Xia Nan, having familiarized himself with the opponent's fighting style, seemingly held the upper hand. Not only did he dodge the Shark Beast's anchor strike, but he also seized the opportunity to inflict a considerable degree of damage.

However, considering Xia Nan's nearly exhausted stamina reserves, his spreading injuries, and the Shark Beast's massive health pool—which was hardly affected by this single strike—

The scales of victory were already slowly tilting in the direction of the Sahuagin.

His physical condition simply couldn't support prolonged kiting, dodging, and counterattacking to secure the final victory.

'I must find a breakthrough!'

Find a breakthrough capable of inflicting massive damage to the Shark Beast in a short amount of time, enough to cripple its combat effectiveness!

But—

The pitch-black wolf eyes, moving at high speed, reflected the massive, muscular, bloody figure before him.

Just like the Owlbear among monsters, the Bloodskin Shark Beast before him, although weakened and not at its peak state, had shown no combat abilities other than pure physical strength so far in the fight.

But precisely because of this, an enemy that relied purely on its physique for combat left Xia Nan genuinely unable to find any flaws for a moment.

The pace of the battle was extremely fast, leaving Xia Nan absolutely no time to think of countermeasures.

He had barely landed when that heavy ship anchor smashed down once again.

Shifting his feet, he narrowly dodged the heavy anchor crashing down at his face.

By his ear, a melodious lute tune suddenly rang out.

"Strum—"

As his steps suddenly felt lighter, his largely depleted stamina began to recover bit by bit, like rain falling on parched earth.

Not far away, under Ellison's protection, the Halfling Alton had relocated atop a towering reef and was once again playing his exquisite little lute.

And the several teammates from the Blade of Vengeance who had been knocked back by the Shark Beast earlier rushed up, taking advantage of Xia Nan pinning the enemy in place.

"Sizzle!"

A sharp, orange-red blade light left a fading trail of flames in the air.

Her flame-like long red curls thrashing wildly around her shoulders from her intense movements, Captain Lorraine—covered in sand and glowing blue fishman blood—wielded the [Scale-Fire Scimitar] and left a deep gash with charred edges on the Shark Beast's thigh;

Moving with agile grace, his fluffy long tail swaying, the Tabaxi lightly leaped onto the Shark Beast's back. He repeatedly stabbed his short dagger into the wound caused earlier, attempting to further expand the enemy's injuries;

The druid Hein's mana reserves were nearly dry, yet despite being dizzy and pale, she forcibly cast a spell, causing aquatic weeds and vines to wrap around the Shark Beast's body.

Of course, it was impossible to bind it completely, but even less than half a second of restraining control was enough for the final member of the Blade of Vengeance Squad on the field, the barbarian named Aken, to heavily swing his massive axe.

Having learned his lesson from before, Aken didn't waste time charging up to enhance his strike's power. It was precisely because of this that he managed to seize this precious half-second window to ruthlessly hack his axe blade into the Shark Beast's flank.

Specializing in Strength, the barbarian Aken's strike packed so much force that half the axe head cleaved directly into the creature's flesh.

—Now!

Since he was already looking for a breakthrough to end the battle, how could Xia Nan possibly miss such a golden opportunity?

The chance for victory would vanish in a flash. The maneuver might carry certain risks, but he couldn't afford to care about that right now.

His legs pushed off the ground with explosive force, and his body, transformed into a black wolf phantom, leaped high into the air.

Ocher-red energy condensed on the surface of the [Ember Fall] straight sword in his hand.

Aimed straight at the Shark Beast monster's head, the [Gravity Etching]—which had only one remaining use—was on the verge of crashing down.

But just at that moment, as if sensing the potential threat posed by the forcefield energy wreathing the blade...

The crimson-skinned Shark Beast, currently besieged by the group, suddenly expanded its already massive body by another degree.

Its rippling muscles converted into majestic strength. In an extremely brief window of time, it forcibly endured the weight of the Tabaxi Sasha on its back, the barbarian Aken at its flank, Captain Lorraine at its side, and the creeping vines and seaweed from the druid Hein enveloping it, and executed a turning dodge.

Its speed was so fast, its explosive power so great, that even Xia Nan in midair couldn't react in time.

But the sword strike had already been launched; there was clearly no room to pull it back.

Guided purely by instinct, he manipulated gravity to adjust his posture in the air, doing his utmost to prevent this full-powered strike from hitting empty air.

"Vooom-Boom!!!"

The ocher-red forcefield energy transformed into an arcing sword light, slashing down diagonally from above.

The blade in his hand transmitted the heavy, sluggish sensation of tearing through flesh and bone.

Foul, reeking blood splattered directly onto Xia Nan's face.

The final stored charge of [Gravity Etching] failed to shatter the Bloodskin Shark Beast's skull as anticipated, owing to its sudden evasion.

Yet thanks to Xia Nan's timely adjustment during his midair descent, it didn't completely strike empty air either.

"Thump-Rumble—"

Blood gushed uncontrollably from a smooth, severed stump.

The ridged shark tail, looking much like a fish tail violently chopped off on a cutting board, carved a crimson arc through the air before landing heavily on the ground.

"Roar!!!"

Humiliation, fury, resentment—the agonizing pain shooting from its severed tail, coupled with its instinctive flinching upon sensing the threat earlier, filled the Bloodskin Shark Beast with an unprecedented sense of shame.

Hailing from the divine kingdom and arriving in the Material Plane through the grace of a great god, it should have been upholding its lord's will, leading the fishmen to kick off a glorious conquest across the entire ocean.

But now, not only had the sacrificial ritual been disrupted—forcing it to endure this half-crippled body from the moment it descended—but it had subsequently hit walls at every turn. Not only was the fishman priest who was supposed to provide it with support slain right in front of it, but even these lowly, ant-like specks on the battlefield dared to actively attack it.

"You bugs—"

"All of you must die!!!"

Hum— An extremely dense, liquid-like light resembling pure blood abruptly erupted and expanded outward with the Bloodskin Shark Beast at its epicenter.

The several adventurers who had been seizing the opportunity of the Shark Beast's severe injury to expand its wounds were struck by the blood-light shockwave, as if suffering some massive blunt-force blow.

The Tabaxi climbing its back couldn't dodge in time; he spat blood and was sent flying backward, and even the fluffy long tail he used for balance lost its former nimbleness;

Lorraine was knocked to the ground by the shockwave, completely losing her balance and tumbling backward uncontrollably. Her left calf twisted and deformed, with a pale bone splinter piercing through a tear in the flesh;

Aken, situated at the Shark Beast's flank, took the blood-light impact almost point-blank to the face. Accompanied by the sickening crack-crack of bones, his chest caved in. Who knew how many bones in his body had snapped as he instantly lost consciousness, entering a state of critical injury and coma before being launched high into the air and crashing heavily to the ground.

Xia Nan's reaction was somewhat timely; the moment he sensed the danger, he subconsciously brought up his arm shield to guard his front.

But precisely because of this, compared to the other adventurers, he didn't suffer catastrophic injuries on the spot when facing the blood-light impact, with his consciousness only growing slightly blurred from the force.

However, his body remained just a short distance from the Shark Beast, having not been blasted far away.

As a result, before Xia Nan could even clear his head after the blood-light shockwave, he was met with the Shark Beast's second volley of attacks.

It was exactly the same as before.

A webbed iron fist, almost the size of half his body and wrapped in dense bloody light.

Carrying majestic force, it scraped past his arm shield, warped his breastplate, and slammed heavily into Xia Nan's body.

"Bang!"

The pitch-black martial aura shattered.

His battered body was sent flying backward like a cannonball, the sheer force of it skimming him across the surface of the sea for a great distance before he finally crashed back into the water.

Mixed with blood-red, water sprayed everywhere.