BOOOOM—!
The dark beam crashed against the dual-colored blade, the collision sending a violent shockwave through the surrounding water as light and darkness clashed head-on.
The sheer force of the attack pushed Jake backward.
His boots scraped against the water pressure as he was driven several meters away, the white-gold light around his sword flickering under the continuous pressure of the dark beam.
Jake gritted his teeth.
His glowing golden eyes remained cold and focused.
In the next instant, he twisted his wrists and angled the blade sharply to the side.
With a precise, fluid motion, he redirected the dark beam away from his body.
ZIIING—!
The concentrated darkness was deflected sideways, carving a deep, black trench through the surrounding water before dissipating into the depths.
Jake steadied himself, white-gold aura still burning brightly around him as he locked eyes once more with the smiling humanoid form of the Drowned Stalker.
Then—
Crack...
Crack...
Crack...
More mouths began to open across its body.
Jagged openings split open along its arms, torso, and even the sides of its neck, each one stretching into a twisted, permanent smile of their own.
From within those newly formed maws, thick, strange tentacles suddenly erupted outward.
The tentacles writhed unnaturally through the dark water, covered in the same blackish flesh as the main body.
And in that moment, the forest of tentacles suddenly all rushed toward Jake at once.
Dozens of black, writhing tentacles shot through the dark water from every direction, aiming to overwhelm him in a coordinated assault.
But then—
BOOMM!
A bright blue aura descended from above.
Like a powerful underwater wave, the deep blue energy crashed down into the swarm of tentacles.
The moment it made contact, the black appendages were torn apart and shredded into pieces, dissolving into the surrounding water under the force of the surging blue light.
Jake looked up.
A familiar figure was descending through the dark water, blue aura coating his body and weapon as he cut a path downward.
Jake’s lips curved into a faint smile.
’Garrick...!’
Garrick didn’t reply.
Without a word, the blue-aura-coated man kicked off the water and rushed straight toward the strange humanoid form of the Deep Aberration beast.
His long sword flashed with deep blue light as he closed the distance in an instant.
With a powerful downward swing, the blue-coated blade cut through the dark water and aimed directly at the Drowned Stalker’s upper body.
In response, the remaining tentacles around the beast suddenly coiled tightly around its remaining arm.
In the blink of an eye, the black appendages fused together, hardening into a thick layer of grotesque flesh armor that covered the entire limb.
The armored arm rose to meet the incoming strike.
BOOOOM—!!
The collision sent a powerful underwater shockwave exploding outward.
Violent currents ripped through the surrounding sea, scattering the remaining black mist and debris in every direction.
Even Jake was pushed back slightly by the force of the impact, his white-gold aura flickering as he steadied himself against the sudden undercurrent.
But his glowing golden eyes never left the creature.
There...
The Drowned Stalker was now effectively disarmed... one arm already severed earlier, and the remaining armored limb locked in a fierce clash against Garrick’s blue-coated long sword.
Sensing Garrick’s intention in that brief opening, Jake did not hesitate.
White-gold light exploded around his body.
He kicked off the water with full force and shot forward like a radiant streak, closing the distance in an instant.
His dual-colored sword of light flared brightly as he swung it in a powerful horizontal arc.
ZING—!!
The white-gold blade carved cleanly through the humanoid form of the Drowned Stalker, slicing its body in half from shoulder to hip... and cutting straight through the glowing red core in the process.
The crimson crystal shattered under the radiant edge.
Without another word, Jake and Garrick both kicked off the water and retreated a short distance away.
They floated side by side in the dark sea, white-gold and deep blue auras still faintly glowing around them as they looked down.
Below them, the two severed halves of the humanoid Drowned Stalker slowly drifted apart and began to sink deeper into the abyss.
Jake and Garrick looked at each other.
They both nodded once.
It seemed to be over.
Without another word, the two of them turned and began swimming upward, white-gold and deep blue auras trailing faintly behind them as they headed back toward the surface.
Just as they were about to reach the upper layers—
Garrick suddenly spun around.
His long sword flashed with blue light as he raised it to block.
CLANG—!
Sparks of energy scattered through the water.
The force of the impact pushed Garrick’s entire body upward, and something black and solid came with him.
Jake’s glowing golden eyes widened.
It was one of the severed halves of the Drowned Stalker’s body.
The upper torso, still bearing that permanent smile, had lunged after them and crashed against Garrick’s blade.
Jake hurriedly glanced downward.
The other half... the lower body was already standing upright below, as if nothing had happened.
Jake’s thoughts turned cold.
’Is this thing’s weakness... no longer in its core!?’
Even as the thought formed, the severed halves of the Drowned Stalker began to regenerate.
Black flesh stretched and writhed as it began to reform its body.
The regeneration this time was faster... and more complete.
Within moments, the humanoid form of the Drowned Stalker stood whole once more.
...But its appearance had changed.
The body was taller and broader than before.
Jagged black spines now jutted from its shoulders and along its spine.
The permanent smile on its featureless face had stretched even wider, and multiple smaller mouths had opened across its chest and arms, each one silently baring rows of needle-like teeth.
Dark energy pulsed more violently around its frame, making its silhouette appear denser and far more menacing than the previous version.
The regenerated Drowned Stalker floated in the dark water, its glowing red core already reforming deep within its chest... then it twitched as if it were an eye as it stared straight at him.
Jake stared at the transformed creature, dumbfounded, as a single thought echoed in his mind.
’...A third phase?’
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter