Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Chapter 403 - The Tide King's Wrath

Ming Yue jumped away only to lose her footing on the slippery ground. 

"Damn!"

She cursed inwardly, swinging her sword to meet his trident. As strange or difficult of an angle it was, she managed it and deflected the attack. Her Zephyr Claws vanished and was replaced by a ball of lightning. 

Regaining her footing, the cultivator jumped back and off of the wet ground before shooting the lightning ball into the water. It quickly spread through the water, shocking everything but the fish weren't real, they were made of water. Such an attack had no effect. 

"Did you really think that would work?"

Hai Zhu shouted as he slid on the water, gaining on her quickly. He leaped forward and swung out, releasing a dangerous pressure. Ming Yue dodged the attack but by the time she could counter it, he slipped away. 

"It's like trying to catch a fish!" she thought. 

It was hard enough trying to predict where or when he would attack but what made it worse were the murky fish, swimming around her. 

"Basket of the Devil Fish."

As he turned around and called out this name, the various fish all turned and swam straight towards Ming Yue. 

"What is this?"

She ran forward, changing her positions constantly only for the fish to chase after her. Then they leaped out, attacking from all directions. But it wasn't all at once. It was a pattern, five from one direction, five from another direction, and so on. After ten seconds, there had already been ten waves. 

All of it missed but they left behind a trail of murky water in the air as the fish weaved together a basket of water. 

"A trap! I have to break out!"

Ming Yue realized it quickly and charged forward, trying to break out. But this watery prison was durable, not breaking from her first strike. As she tried to escape the many fish swam up the basket, covering nearly every foot of it. There were dozens upon dozens of them, waiting to leap out and attack her. 

And with nowhere to go, she would have to endure the pain. 

She thought quickly before coming up with an idea. 

"Storm Lance."

Going to one side, she formed a lance above her and shot it point-blank into the cage. It exploded, causing lightning to burst out as well as a shockwave of wind, blowing a hole in it. She moved quickly, escaping just as the watery fish attacked. 

Hai Zhu was waiting for her to come out, thrusting his trident forward. She placed it in front of her, blocking the attack but was thrown back, hitting against the tree trunk. 

Riding the waters, the demon gave her no chance to recover, throwing his trident at her. Ming Yue rolled to the right before running forward, 

"How do I attack?" she thought. 

Of all her opponents, Hai Zhu was difficult, even compared to Kong Zhi. Unlike him, the Tide King didn't have the raw power but instead, he was tricky. With the wet ground beneath them, Hai Zhu was hard to catch, he was simply too slippery.

Before she even knew it, he retrieved his trident and went in for another attack. 

Ming Yue parried the attack before forming the Boltwind Nails, trying to strike him down. 

"Do you think that would reach me?"

The Tide King avoided the strike before slipping through her reach. But as he spoke, he felt a jolting pain in his back, sharp and unexpected as the lightning passed through his body. He grunted in pain before glaring at Ming Yue. 

She wasn't looking to rip his flesh but rather aimed carefully, shooting the nails into his back. 

"He can only take the paths created by those fish. I just have to find out which path he takes", she thought. 

Indeed, while the murky water continued to flow from his body and from those fish, they would dry up within half a minute. Although the paths changed constantly, all she needed to do was to observe the paths and remember them. 

Knowing this, Ming Yue moved, touching only the ground that wasn't wet. While she was adapting to the slipperiness, chances were she wouldn't be fully acclimated in time. 

Her other hand formed the Boltwind Nails once more and she chased after him. Hai Zhu kept his distance, commanding the watery fish to attack her.

"How long will you last?!" he shouted.

Dozens of them leaping out to bite her but she cut them into halves with ease. Her speed didn't slow and she gained on him until they were only meters apart. 

"Phantasmal Wind."

Like a ghost, she faded away from her position. Sharpening his eyes, the demon scanned the area, looking for any movement before holding out his trident, blocking Ming Yue's sword. Emerging from thin air, she appeared by his right side. Pulling Drifting Sky back, she spun and attacked once more, landing right in front of him. 

Their weapons clashed once more as Ming Yue stared into his black eyes. 

"Tell me, are those children still alive?" she asked. 

She pushed him back, sending out an onslaught of attacks. Suddenly the roles had changed and she had taken control of the battle. The Tide King could not back off or try to escape or else he would suffer an attack. 

However, he smiled at them. 

"So you know about them... You must have run across that little girl, haven't you?" 

He spoke with a cold tone that carried a sense of victory in his voice. 

"Then that means that you've come across the tower but the sea. I wonder, how did you enjoy the scene? I'm sure that among the dead, that the Varuna child found her dead father. How did she seem? How do you think she would feel about her brother? They're still locked up and considering that there's no one there, they've gone without food or water for days. Do you think they starved to death yet? Do you still think that you can save them?"

His words were beyond ridiculing her, it felt as if he was laughing at her.

It was a message. 

Even if he were to defeat her, she would have to cross the lake to save those children. And by then, they would be dead.

If it were any other person, they would've lost themselves to anger and rage. But Ming Yue knew what he was trying to do and she wouldn't let him. Slowly the pressure on Hai Zhu increased, he felt himself losing ground as the fish that leaped at her were all destroyed. All she needed were wind needles, piercing the fish and sending them back into the murky water. 

Even then, she could feel the anger seething within her. 

"I will not let those children die!"

She shouted, taking out the Pearlstone Dagger and thrusting it into his stomach. It pierced his skin, digging deeply into his flesh. He screamed in pain and grabbed her, throwing her off and into the water. 

"That's enough! Struggle as much as you want, it is my victory! My name will be written down in history and you are only a stepping stone!"

He pointed at her crumpled body.

"Jaws of the Abyssal Fish!" 

The murky water gathered around her and enveloped her body. Try as she might, Ming Yue sank deeper and deeper, unable to escape. She felt sluggish and the air in her lungs was beginning to run out. 

"No! I won't lose here! I have to escape, I have to save them! I promised!" 

But her consciousness slowly faded away as she could not find the strength to escape. 

Would it truly end like this? 

Hai Zhu looked at the puddle of water before him, containing her body. She had descended so far down that he couldn't even see a shadow of her. Then he turned around, assessing the situation. The craftsmen fought desperately to defend Guardian's Keep but their situation was more than dismal. Even Commander Yu Zhen joined but in her injured state, she could only provide so much help. 

In the end, his side was winning. 

"Hmph, once I claim this lake, I will become my own lord." 

Muttering to himself, Hai Zhu began to walk forward before stopping to turn around, staring the puddle.

It was rippling.