"No, I cannot die here... like this..." As barely audible as her voice had become, and with an expression growing darker and gloomy, Nerissa desperately clung to the last thread of her life.
Then, suddenly, a malevolent aura, cold and sinister, seeped from her weakened body. Nerissa floated in midair, bubbles of water swirling around her like a warning. Anyone daring to come closer would face instant doom.
King's surprise was fleeting. He knew what was happening. The little girl was about to unleash her trump card.
Her Royal Skill!
Although surprising, it was still within his expectations. Of course, it was still a development he was eager to prevent.
That was something he feared, but not to the point where he'd back down.
In any case, by the looks of it now, King couldn't prevent it anymore. Frustration, anger, and a hint of worry played on his darkened face.
He glanced back at Jax, but despite all his efforts to stay calm, his itching hands betrayed him. The constant urges to knock this brat out kept growing stronger.
This little piece of shit needed to be taught a lesson!
But that wasn't the time for it now. King reined it in, slapping his cheeks to snap out of it. He fixed his gaze on the mermaid, eyes narrowed, steeling himself for the danger to come. This wasn't going to be easy, but he had to prevent that little mermaid from activating her Royal Skill.
With a deep breath, King charged forward, his eyes growing more intense with each step. His hand resembled a sharp dagger, poised to strike the other party's chest.
When royal mermaids turn as berserk as this one, the only way to stop them was to still their heart. The mermaid wouldn't die, of course. They were famous for having the greatest vitality among all the ten elementals. In that berserk state, they could still live even with their heart destroyed.
Of course, that would come at a huge cost. With a destroyed heart, their ability to use the Royal Skill would trigger a failsafe, creating a new heart. In return, they'd be unable to use that Royal Skill ever again.
Swoosh!
King's attack was about to hit Nerissa, but one of the water bubbles encasing her reacted swiftly. King's attack was intercepted by that water bubble, which detonated with explosive ferocity, repelling him with a force that shook the air.
But that was only the beginning.
As the water bubbles encasing Nerissa detected danger, they erupted with lethal intent, propelling themselves like ballistic projectiles straight at King with a velocity that defied comprehension.
"Tch, as expected, this won't be easy," King gritted his teeth and grumbled. He watched the water bullets hurtling fiercely toward him as he steeled himself to either dodge or deflect. Dealing with a mermaid was definitely no easy feat.
Swoosh!
King evaded all the incoming water bullets, but he couldn't get a chance to counterattack. The bubbles of water reproduced around the mermaid with ceaseless ferocity, attacking him with relentless pursuit and trying to keep him at bay.
Not only that, but each time the bubbles passed him, they collided with the ground, triggering miniature water explosions. The relentless barrage flooded the area, water rising above his feet.
At that moment, King realized something. With the water level rising, moving around wouldn't be as free. It hindered his movements, slowing him down significantly. It was like the water was trying to bind him, or even worse, swallow him whole.
''This is troublesome...'' King muttered, his expression growing uneasy. He knew full well that time was running out. The mermaid would soon finish transforming and activate her Royal Skill.
If that happened, he'd be dealing with even greater trouble than what it already was.
''Strange, this is the first time I saw you with that troubled expression. Is dealing with a mermaid really that hard for you?''
Amidst his thoughts, King suddenly heard an annoying voice, piercing eerily through the air. The mocking voice cut through his focus, making his veins bulge and eyebrows twitch in irritation.
That brat...
He was still not running away? And he even had the leisure to annoy him? This was making him crazy.
If it wasn't for that brat, things wouldn't have escalated this far. He even tried to put more effort to spare him mercy and give him the time to escape.
Yet right now, he was still there. He looked at where his voice came from and, damn, spotted the brat lounging on a tree branch like a spectator at a show, completely unfazed.
''You...'' King's eyebrows twitched, his anger simmered. He was just about to...
Swoosh!
Boom!
Unfortunately, that momentary distraction proved fatal, and definitely more than enough to catch him off guard. One of the water bubbles slammed straight into King's face, exploding on impact. He was thrown back, tumbling through water and mud. The force sent him rolling violently across the area.
"..." Jax, seeing King in that pathetic, brutal defeat, couldn't help but widen his eyes in incredulous shock. He opened his mouth, but no words dared to come out. His subconscious mind wished this was just a mere hallucination.
But reality stared back at him, unyielding. King lay motionless in the water and mud, and Jax couldn't deny the truth. Was King still alive? He had to be. Jax refused to believe otherwise. King was a tough nut, he couldn't be taken down that easily.
''Now, you've done it.''
As if answering Jax's doubts, a sudden voice cut through the air, sending chills around the area. Jax stilled his gaze, and there, out in the open, he saw a figure standing tall in the mud. As he got a clearer look, he saw King's expression twisted with anger. Jax sensed a fierce determination emanating from him.
He knew the mermaid was doomed this time.
Now that he looked at it, Jax could feel King was about to take it seriously and make a furious move.
Jax smiled.
He raised his light crossbow, Whimpering Repeater, preparing to attack the mermaid to lend King a helping hand once he made his move. He didn't care if this killed that mermaid.
Jax took aim at the mermaid. But to his shock, the mermaid, no matter how he looked at her, was completely different now. He no longer saw her as a person, unlike earlier when she seemed like a gorgeous lady.
The mermaid's transformation was complete. She was conscious now, her body covered in dark reddish silver scales that looked like impenetrable armor.
Looking closer, Jax saw three slits on each side of her neck, extending down to her shoulders. He realized these were her gills, evident from the subtle movement and soft sound they made.
Then her fishtail was gone, replaced by slender humanoid legs and fin-like feet covered in the same dark reddish silver scales. Her silver locks dimmed into a dark purple, her eyes burning red with cold, merciless anger.
On top of that, the water bubbles surrounding her before had also transformed into swirling water, veiling her nakedness from the eyes of the filthy.
Just like before, that mermaid could still float in the midair. But this time, with more elegance and poise, her movements were a blend of fluidity and power.
Jax swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He couldn't help it. The sight was just too mesmerizing. Although she seemed more like a monster now, her beastly beauty didn't allow her to look hideous and unsightly.
Slowly and gracefully, she descended upon the shallow water. Each moment made Jax feel like he was holding his breath more. He shifted his gaze to her eyes, and to his shock, the mermaid gazed back.
And there he finally saw true danger.