A Desperate Stand Against the Deep Sea Overlord

“This is bad!”

Ai Ou jolted back to awareness, a sudden realization dawning on him. His body had, inexplicably, reacted to the oceanic overlord before him, initiating an attack. He had no idea if this involuntary action would be perceived as a blatant provocation!

‘I can only pray that my body’s automatic reaction went unnoticed,’ Ai Ou thought desperately. ‘Please, don’t pay any attention to us here!’

Every capable individual on the ship’s deck had been utterly incapacitated, stunned into unconsciousness by the overwhelming pressure emanating from the colossal beast. The others below deck would be even worse off.

It seemed Ai Ou was the sole person awake on the entire vessel, roused by some inexplicable phenomenon.

If the Deep Sea Winged Serpent were to perceive his reaction as a challenge, then his mere third-tier strength battling against a ninth-tier Deep Sea Winged Serpent would be nothing short of a suicidal offering.

If others had remained conscious, there might have been a chance to escape. Alas, according to Murphy’s Law, the more one worries about something happening, the more likely it is to occur.

Ai Ou observed that his body’s automatic counterattack, triggered by the Deep Sea Winged Serpent’s immense pressure, seemed to have caught its attention. After the pressure swept over its form, the Deep Sea Winged Serpent unexpectedly froze, momentarily stunned. It was then ambushed by a pack of Deep Sea Demonic Bone Fish, who dared to challenge it.

‘Perhaps I can seize this chaos to escape our predicament.’

Ai Ou could only pray that this group of challengers would succeed in dispatching the Deep Sea Winged Serpent, allowing him and his companions to safely traverse this treacherous sea.

However, once the smoke from the attack cleared, the collective assault—powerful enough to devastate an entire town—had merely dislodged a few scales from the Deep Sea Winged Serpent’s body. Its wounds, which had bled only a few drops, healed almost instantly.

‘If an attack like that struck me, I’d probably be instantly vaporized!’

Ai Ou couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment. This latest assault infuriated the Deep Sea Winged Serpent. Shaking off the lingering shock of Ai Ou’s inadvertent pressure, it glared at the insignificant ‘clowns’ leaping before it. In a fit of rage, it let out a thunderous roar, unleashing a torrent of breath from its maw. By the time its mouth closed, not a single enemy remained alive.

Every last Deep Sea Demonic Bone Fish had been utterly annihilated by its devastating exhalation. Thus, the Deep Sea Demonic Bone Fish clan was completely wiped out.

After eliminating its challengers, the Deep Sea Winged Serpent consumed them all, converting them into its own sustenance. With their demonic cores absorbed, it then turned its massive form towards Ai Ou, beginning to approach him.

Watching the hundreds-of-meters-long Deep Sea Winged Serpent gradually draw closer sent an instant chill down Ai Ou’s spine, raising goosebumps across his skin. Having witnessed the Deep Sea Winged Serpent’s destructive power, Ai Ou harbored no illusions of surviving a direct confrontation, nor of escaping across the vast, boundless ocean.

The entire sea was its domain. Humans, when facing the ocean, were never as agile as they were on land. Oceanic magical beasts were truly supreme.

Although it was said that ‘an innocent man is guilty only for possessing a treasure,’ and he feared news of the dragon might leak before he grew strong enough, now that everyone on the ship was unconscious from the Deep Sea magical beast’s pressure, there was no one awake to discover the dragons. Moreover, if he were to perish, even the most precious treasure would be rendered useless.

At this moment, he had no choice but to fight for his life!

Watching the ever-approaching dark silhouette and the escalating tempest, Ai Ou gritted his teeth. He immediately summoned Erza and Elaine. A crimson glow and a cerulean light pierced through the black curtain of rain.

Something extraordinary began to unfold.

With Elaine’s appearance, the chaotic storm seemed to stabilize considerably. The weather, which had been influenced by the Deep Sea Winged Serpent, now felt as if another force had emerged to contend with it.

It hadn’t been long since their last parting, yet the two dragons and Ai Ou were reunited. The dragons, bewildered by the sudden turn of events, had no idea what was happening, having been abruptly summoned by Ai Ou from Dragon Island.

They had been sleeping soundly in their respective lairs.

Dragons were notoriously ill-tempered. If anyone else disturbed a dragon’s slumber, their morning wrath would undoubtedly tear that person to shreds.

However, if that person was Ai Ou, then it was a different matter entirely; Ai Ou’s actions were always forgivable.

Summoned to the deck, Elaine and Erza’s eyes lit up upon seeing Ai Ou, and they instantly bounded towards him, just as affectionately as before. Though Elaine had consumed her eggshell and the Imperial Dragon Fruit, accelerating her growth, she was still quite young. At this moment, Elaine was only about the size of a small dog, continuously rubbing against Ai Ou’s pant leg.

“Alright, Erza, stop licking! And Elaine, no more pouting! This isn’t the time for such things. I’m facing a grave crisis right now! If I can’t overcome this, I might perish here today!”

Upon hearing Ai Ou’s words, the two dragons, now possessing intelligence comparable to humans, though unaware of the exact situation, understood that Ai Ou was in danger and needed their strength. They set aside their playful antics and began to growl at the rapidly approaching Deep Sea Winged Serpent.

Even their reverse scales bristled. Clearly, they sensed that the Deep Sea Winged Serpent before them was a power they could not hope to match.

Yet, if they were to retreat, their master, Ai Ou, might fall. As his loyal companions, the two dragons absolutely would not permit Ai Ou to perish here. If death was inevitable, it would only come after their own demise!

Despite perceiving the insurmountable disparity between them, their draconic pride forbade them from fearing a magical beast of a lower life grade, even with such a vast difference in power. Dragons would not back down!

First, Erza unleashed her formidable dragon’s might, directing it towards the Deep Sea Winged Serpent, which had now drawn alongside the cruise ship. Although Elaine had only recently hatched, the innate talent of dragons was undeniable. Carried by Erza’s dragon’s might, Elaine, without any instruction, instinctively began to wield her own.

The dragon’s might of the twin dragons of water and fire simultaneously erupted, surging towards the Deep Sea Winged Serpent’s colossal body.

Even knowing their enemy was insurmountable, they could only press forward with grim determination!

Ai Ou, at this moment, could only resort to his immature fusion magic. His most potent spell was the fusion of water and fire elements.

Thus, Ai Ou held a fire orb, maximized to his current control, in his left hand, and a water orb, also at its maximum capacity, in his right.

With fire in his left and water in his right, he held his stance, a grave expression on his face, confronting the Deep Sea Winged Serpent.

If the Deep Sea Winged Serpent launched an attack, Ai Ou would channel all his available magic into his hands, forcibly fusing and detonating the combined spell. Though it might mean death, it was better to be shattered jade than an intact tile. He had to risk everything!

Just as Ai Ou watched the Deep Sea Winged Serpent with tense vigilance, an ancient voice suddenly resonated across the entire sea.