Chapter 530 - 529: Struggle in the Water

Chapter 530: Chapter 529: Struggle in the Water

"Interesting. Very interesting," the Aboleth’s voice echoed in his mind. "I know this is terribly rude, but I must remind you that this is my private space. If you don’t mind, could I ask you to leave?"

Three faint red lights appeared on the dark shadow in front of Colin.

In that instant, he suddenly felt a chill from the surrounding water seep deep into his brain.

Sharp pains shot through the depths of his brain, as if several sharp shards of ice had been shoved into it. The sensation was somewhat similar to the Spiritual Attack he had suffered from the Mind Flayer.

Just then, a flash of silver light cut through the darkness.

Dorn’s Spiritual Dagger pierced through the water and plunged straight into the Aboleth’s brain.

Colin felt a violent surge in the surrounding water.

He fought to remain calm, using his Defense in Attack to focus all his energy on Defense.

’If I were this Aboleth, how would I attack?’

The moment he had that thought, Colin swung his Giant Sword to block his side. A tentacle immediately whipped against the blade, sending him flying.

Being sent flying underwater was a bizarre sensation. Colin felt the world spinning around him, momentarily losing all sense of direction. All he knew was that the light source from Orelia’s position was rapidly receding into the distance.

The other tentacles didn’t press the attack, likely having gone to deal with the others.

A moment later, a dull ache in his upper arm finally registered.

Colin carefully reached out and felt his arm. The Plate Armor had protected it well; the blow probably hadn’t done more than leave a bruise.

"I see a lot of Kuo-toa around us," Dorn’s voice sounded in his mind. "They’re hiding at the bottom of the cavern and not trying to surround us. What’s the plan?"

"We attack the Aboleth directly. Its ability to transfer Damage is limited. If we take it down, this will all be over. We can’t afford a war of attrition against a school of fish underwater," Colin thought back.

Just then, he felt a powerful current surge over his head.

"Kase is under attack!" Dorn’s voice came again. "Orelia is trying to mark it with a Guiding Bolt. I also had her cast Light on my Dagger. If that thing shows itself again, it’ll either get hit by the Guiding Bolt or stabbed by the Dagger. Remember, the dimmer point of light is the Aboleth!"

"Got it."

Just as Colin was about to try and swim back, the gurgling sound of countless rising bubbles came from all directions.

Then, Kuo-toa wielding Person-Catching Forks swarmed in from all sides. These fishmen were far more agile than they had been on shore; they might as well have been two different species.

Colin struggled to get his bearings in the water.

He kicked off the stone wall behind him, spun, and slashed forward with his sword. The blade cut through the water, disemboweling two Kuo-toa in the process.

Crimson blood blossomed in the water.

More Kuo-toa charged from above, from behind, from the left... from every direction Colin could imagine.

Fighting underwater was different from fighting on land. On land, you only had to worry about front, back, left, and right, but in the water, you also had to account for up and down. This gave an even greater advantage to the side with superior numbers.

Colin swam backward, pressing his back firmly against the rock wall behind him.

The Armor he wore dragged him rapidly downward.

At the same time, the distant light source was also descending quickly. Orelia, clad in Scale Armor, was also being dragged toward the bottom by her Armor.

Colin swung his sword in a backhanded upward slash, cutting down two of the charging Kuo-toa.

One of the two Kuo-toa was hit, while the other frantically flailed its arms to swim backward, dodging the strike.

As a former dockworker, Colin was a decent swimmer. His physical condition was also far superior to the surrounding Kuo-toa. Even in his cumbersome Plate Armor, he could still land a few nasty blows on them underwater.

But now, the Kuo-toa’s formation was complete.

Several Fishing Nets dropped from above, numerous Person-Catching Forks thrust out from the sides, and countless slime-covered Shields appeared at the edges of his vision.

Colin swung his weapon, batting aside the Fishing Net falling from above.

The vibrating blade began to hum as an invisible, spherical Force Field enveloped the Kuo-toas’ battle line.

BOOM-WHUMMM—

A muffled roar echoed out. The Kuo-toa within the Magic’s range twitched into grotesque positions, then slowly drifted toward the surface, belly-up.

The vibrations caused by Shatter were even more terrifying in the water.

For a moment, Colin couldn’t even see how many enemies he had killed.

Then the shockwave reached him, making his head spin and his heart feel like it skipped a few beats.

Seeing this, the distant Kuo-toa pushed aside the corpses of their comrades and surged forward. These fanatical Cultists, who worshiped the Aboleth as one of the Gods, had no morale to speak of. They were a swarm of lunatics who did not fear death.

Colin swung his sword again.

Several Force Darts shot through the water, striking a few of the onrushing Kuo-toa.

After the Shatter, the number of Kuo-toa pressing forward had noticeably dwindled.

And just then, Colin clearly saw a second point of light appear near the brighter one in the distance.

That had to be either Orelia’s Guiding Bolt or Dorn’s Dagger with Light cast on it.

Without hesitation, Colin dropped his Giant Sword, drew Burning Blood, and sliced his own hand.

The blood seeping from the wound didn’t disperse into the water. Instead, it coated the blade and spread toward its tip.

A silver mist instantly enveloped Colin. He channeled his Spiritual Energy to unleash a Curse Sword with the power of Tier Three Magic, using his Combat Mage Specialty to enhance it to its maximum potential.

An unheard melody rippled outward. Black Elf Runes appeared on the blade, instantly stained a glaring, bloody black.

The water around Burning Blood vibrated continuously.

Streams of bubbles rose from the sword’s body and floated upward.

The entire sword emanated an inexplicably ominous aura. Any rational person who saw this conflagration would feel an instinctual fear; this was not a power that a mere mortal could hope to face head-on.

The silver mist before him dispersed.

Colin saw Orelia, Dorn, and the Aboleth in front of them.

Three of the Aboleth’s tentacles lashed out toward Orelia, while a condensed point of golden light gathered on its massive head.

A spectral blue Flame suddenly ignited beside the Tiefling, and Kase’s Spirit Shield appeared just in time.

At the same time, a silver arc flashed above the Aboleth’s head, the silver light rapidly converging between Colin’s brows.

The Aboleth had already launched its attack. Colin had no time to use Control Magic like Tasha’s Hideous Laughter; all he could do now was use Silver Light Sharp Words to disrupt the accuracy of his opponent’s assault.