Chapter 48: Battle in the Island

At this moment, above the depths of the ten-thousand-meter deep sea where the Priestess was located, inside a secret chamber crafted by Willipol himself, a fierce battle was already taking place, born from the clash of two ideologies and two futures, both unaware of where they would lead.

“Swish!”

Hong Yan drew her sword like a fleeting shadow, slashing through the rapidly approaching sinister tentacles. However, this did not inflict any real deadly injuries on her opponent; after a brief moment of impediment, the tentacles quickly wriggled and grew new tips, continuing their assault on her as if unharmed!

In the confined space, she rolled clumsily to dodge that attack, the Swordsman Miss turned back to check on the situation behind her.

“How much longer!?”

“Just hold on a bit longer! At least… at least another quarter of an hour!”

The response came from a middle-aged man with golden short hair, known as the Pirate King. He was standing at the absolute limit of about one meter from the Princess, with the Book of Truth floating in the air, emanating waves of light that slowly fused with the intangible barrier around Princess Nitira, continuously invading it.

Willipol aimed to use his daughter, who bore the purest bloodline of the Mingjiao royalty, as a sacrifice to the God he worshiped. With the help of another Book of Truth and numerous prior preparations, he seemed to have established some connection with that “God,” even able to summon part of its power.

The invisible barrier surrounding Nitira’s body was a manifestation of this power, a true divine-level force, not something mere mortals could easily shake.

Thus, the only one present who had also gained the recognition of the Book of Truth, capable of invoking a similar divine force to a certain extent, was Rashid Bachiri—only he had a chance to break this barrier and free Nitira, interrupting Willipol’s ritual.

But that was clearly not something that could be accomplished immediately.

Time was limited, and most of the people present could feel that some terrifying force was continuously entering the Princess’s body through the ritual, causing her to fall into unconsciousness once more. Her originally blue and white pure hair gradually began to dye the dark hues of the deep sea. If Rashid failed or was interrupted, then…

“Uwaah…”

“Swish!!”

The Thief Miss was nearly ambushed by a seemingly self-aware attacker due to a misstep while deftly diverting a large number of tentacles. Hong Yan immediately slashed a sword light, helping to resolve this crisis.

“Phew, that was close, thanks!”

“No worries… just be careful.”

The two girls instinctively positioned themselves back to back, and Hong Yan seized the moment to observe the situation of others.

Queen Anies and her royal guards were also battling against the tentacles turned into minions by Willipol from another direction, nearly encircling the area where the Princess was located.

These elite Mermen were quite powerful, even not weaker than the two of them. However, due to the room’s small size, the tentacles transformed from the former Merman King had densely spread throughout the entire ceiling, making it difficult to dodge while also needing to protect Rashid’s actions from interference. Although they were not on the verge of defeat, they gradually began to feel a bit stretched thin.

Instinctively, Hong Yan thought of that thing Miss Vilyric had quietly left for her before departing.

Should I use it… now?

The thought shot through her mind like a lightning bolt, only to be swiftly dismissed by the Swordsman Miss herself.

No, it’s not the right time yet.

According to Miss Vilyric, it was a last-ditch weapon that would bring about a counterattack. Since the situation had not yet escalated to a life-and-death critical moment, she couldn’t carelessly lay her cards on the table. Besides…

The fingers resting on the hilt of her sword tightened slightly.

Before falling into a situation of absolute despair, she hoped to rely as much on her own strength to solve the problem as possible.

Unconditional granting from a higher being wasn’t entirely a good thing. Perhaps for Miss Vilyric, a being resembling a celestial saint, it was merely a pure act of goodwill that even required no cost. But if dependence formed from it, they might lose something much more valuable.

“Qiao Qiao.”

“Ah?”

The Thief Girl, who was making a grimacing gesture with her dagger against the approaching tentacles but seemed a bit nervous inside, instinctively turned her head.

Among those present, only the two of them were completely aligned with Miss Vilyric’s faction and were good friends, so their collaboration was naturally tighter.

“What’s up, are we retreating?”

The Swordsman Miss rolled her eyes, feeling a bit helpless.

“If you run away at a time like this, just wait for Miss Vilyric to come back and scold you hard. We’re allies after all; we can’t betray each other at a crucial moment!”

“Well, no need to risk your life to help, though. Didn’t the boss tell us to prioritize self-preservation before leaving…? Okay, I know it’s not that time yet, so what do you want to do?”

While repelling the tentacles attacking from both sides simultaneously, the two girls exchanged positions in sync, their low murmurs never ceasing.

“This space is too disadvantageous for us. Since those tentacles won’t be eradicated no matter how we try, there’s no need to eliminate them completely. If we’re just looking to buy some time, focusing on the environment first would make it much easier.”

“Oh…”

Le Qiao Qiao glanced up at the chamber ceiling, which was fully occupied by the tentacles transformed by Willipol, writhing densely like numerous venomous snakes. Just looking at it sent chills down her spine.

They had been here before while investigating the royal court. Though the Thief Miss didn’t understand why there was a similar island deeply within the Ghost Sea, echoing this chamber, it didn’t affect her understanding of the surrounding environment.

As partners who understood each other very well, Le Qiao Qiao quickly grasped Hong Yan’s intention. Without further ado, she reached into her pocket as if grasping something.

“How long will it take?”

“Five seconds is enough.”

“Got it!”

With that, Le Qiao Qiao suddenly pulled out several small objects, each the size of a bullet, and slammed them forcefully onto the ground!

“Boom!!!”

A large plume of smoke immediately spread from the impact site, enveloping the two girls, while the tentacles that continued to attack them appeared momentarily stunned, pausing mid-air, as if trying to comprehend what was happening.

But the next moment, a lithe figure darted out from the smoke, instinctively drawing most of the hesitant tentacles after her, which swiftly chased after her, reigniting a fierce pursuit in the narrow chamber.

“Hehe, come catch me, you ugly monsters!”

Compared to before, Le Qiao Qiao now was enveloped in a faint glow of powdery colors, continuously shedding as she ran, making her movements appear like a brilliantly colored butterfly. In an instant, she captivated most of the tentacles, even many from the Mermen’s side.

While this increased the pressure on her significantly, putting her in numerous perilous situations in a short time, thankfully… she didn’t need to hold on for too long.

Transforming like this seemed to have somewhat weakened Willipol’s rationality. Before the tentacles instinctively chasing after the colorful butterfly could react…

A sword energy, far sharper and fiercer than before, erupted from deep within the smoke like a volcanic explosion!

“Absolute Sword · Rising Stance!”

“Zheng!!!!!!!”

That sword energy instantly tore through the smoke, annihilating countless unsuspecting tentacles along its path, crashing directly into the ceiling and upper edges of the chamber, shattering the specially constructed wall made of unique materials, causing bricks and stones to collapse, burying large sections of the tentacles clinging to the ceiling.

Almost half of the specially designed underground chamber collapsed under that one sword strike from Hong Yan, even bursting through to the sky, drawing in dim light from the outside that was still several times brighter than before, significantly widening the space.

“Ha…!!”

After unleashing the sword strike, the Swordsman Miss took an exaggerated deep breath, her previously pale complexion now flushed red again, and immediately turned to shout!

“Everyone! Now’s the time! Quickly gather towards Mr. Rashid!!!”

   

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