Chapter 96: Chapter 96: You better not run away, my precious pendant!
Chapter 96: Chapter 96: You better not run away, my precious pendant!
Eren tightened his grip on his weapon, his heart pounding in his chest. The sea breeze tousled his hair as he stood on the edge of the Phoenix's back, ready to face the Sea Serpent head-on.
With a commanding gesture, Eren signaled the Phoenix to descend closer to the water's surface. As they approached, the Sea Serpent's immense size became even more apparent.
It glimmered under the moonlight, its scales reflecting a mesmerizing array of colors.
After coming closer, Eren was able to use his identification skill.
The status Screen of the sea serpent appeared right before his eyes.
[Name: Sea Serpent]
[Level: 30]
[Identity: None]
[Bloodline: Serpentine]
[Age: 408]
[Traits: Slow]
[Stats]
[Strength: 452]
[Agility: 143]
[Stamina: 705]
[Intelligence :08]
[Mana: 0]
Looking at its stats, Eren was able to roughly guess the strength of the beast before him. It was roughly comparable to the strength of the City Lord that had come to kill his second disciple.
It was much weaker than Xiu Ying, who was level fifty according to his system's estimates. If she was here, they could easily kill that thing, without even sweating.
"No wonder the options did not allow me to take help from her. With her help, the option would have changed to hunting the Sea Dragon instead."
"The target is much weaker than I expected. It just looks bigger and scarier. But... It is weak when compared to her. Compared to me, it's still very strong. I can't look down on it."
The Sea Serpent, sensing their presence, raised its head above the water, its eyes fixated on Eren and the Phoenix. It let out a low, rumbling growl, as if issuing a warning.
Eren took a deep breath. He could still leave and give up. This was the last opportunity to turn around and give up on the plan. If not now, then never.
Despite that, he did not hesitate. His grip on his sword tightened. He released his Sword Emperor's Aura.
Initially, it was only a bluffing skill to make him appear stronger. But that was exactly what he wanted. He wanted the Sea Serpent to be stunned or scared even if it was only for a short moment.
"Now!" Eren commanded with all his might.
The Phoenix screeched in response as it descended swiftly from the sky, its flames blazing brightly. The Phoenix opened her mouth and shot out a torrent of scorching flames towards the Sea Serpent, engulfing it in a fiery inferno.
Eren stood his ground, his heart pounding with adrenaline as he watched the majestic creature unleash its full power. This was the first time he had seen the Phoenix attack with all her might.
The Sea Serpent was surrounded in flames, its painful cries echoing in the silent ocean. Unfortunately, it wasn't just a battle between sky and earth. It was also a battle between flames and water.
The Sea Serpent took advantage of the surroundings. It went inside the water, trying to protect itself from flames.
"I am sorry, but I can't let you run away!"
Eren jumped off the Phoenix's back. He wasn't sure if the Sea Serpent was ever going to come out of water if it was allowed to escape. Once they lost him, it was as good as gone.
As he fell from the sky, Eren made use of all the Talismans he possessed. One of these talismans granted him a temporary surge in agility, enabling him to move with unparalleled swiftness. Another Talisman gave him a temporary increase in strength.
Among his arsenal of Talismans, Eren possessed a particularly vital one. It was as rare as it was expensive, even in the Great Demon Sect.
It was a protective charm capable of ensuring his survival in the face of extreme conditions.
Whether submerged underwater or walking in treacherous icy terrains, this enchanted Talisman granted him the resilience necessary to endure and survive.
It allowed him to breathe underwater, while also allowing him to bear extreme temperature differences, albeit for only a few minutes.
"I am spending so much of my stockpile on you! You better not run away, my precious pendant!"
At this moment, Eren completely stopped caring about his surroundings or the danger. He did not see the difference in strength between the two... He did not see the stats.
All he saw was a beast that he had to kill, if he did not want to live his life in ignorance. In this moment, he was a hunter, who only had the prey in his mind, maybe even overestimating his abilities.
Eren landed on the burning skin of the Sea Serpent. Although the phoenix flames did not hurt him, but the burning skin of the servant was enough to make his shoes melt, and even burn his feet.
The Serpent did not notice that someone had landed on its back. All he knew was that he didn't like pain! It was too hot! He wanted to leave!
He ducked his head inside the water, and soon his body followed suit.
Eren took a deep breath, already expecting what was coming next. He firmly stabbed his sword on the sea serpent's back to improve his footing.
As the sea serpent moved inside the water, Eren stood atop like a Knight with both his hands on the sword.
He was dragged inside the dark and bloody water. If he was thinking clearly, he might have thought that he was doing something absurd. He could not even see properly under the bloody water after all.
To his advantage, he was not thinking straight. Or rather, he could not afford to think straight. He knew that the moment he started thinking, he might lose the courage that he had managed to gather.
He pulled out another sword from a storage ring. This was the sword kept inside the ring that was given to him by the Hero Academy.
He had never used this sword, worried about exposing his identity. But here, he didn't need to think about it.
"Die!" Eren stabbed the second sword on the scorching skin of the Sea Serpent.