Beneath the water, Vastarael's golden eyes adjusted quickly to the dim light. The lake was unnervingly silent, save for the occasional shifting of sediment disturbed by his movements.
He could see the Krepsunas even clearer now, their grotesque, spindly legs slicing through the water as they clung protectively around the massive pearl. Their mandibles clicked faintly, a sound that reverberated through the water and sent a chill down his spine.
They were moving so smoothly underwater that one would think they were aquatic creatures.
'Amphibians with arachnid bodies? Why is Krepsuna biology so strange? Anyways, I have only five minutes.'
He knew Phaenora was probably fuming on the surface, but he couldn't afford to second-guess himself now. Every second mattered.
As he swam closer, Vastarael clenched his fists, letting his sapphire blue essence flare slightly to draw the Krepsunas' attention. The creatures reacted immediately, their eyes swiveling toward him. The nearest Krepsuna let out a low sound and Vastarael knew he'd succeeded in earning their focus.
'Come on, you overgrown pests,' he thought, kicking off the lakebed to propel himself further. 'You want me? Let's see how fast you can swim.'
The creatures began to stir, their long legs propelling them through the water in pursuit. Vastarael turned sharply, leading them away from the pearl and deeper into the lake's shadows.
°°°°°°
Phaenora groaned in frustration as she sprinted across the surface of the lake, aided by Vastarael's water divinity. The water rippled beneath her feet, each step forming small, concentric circles that shimmered under the moons.
Her golden eyes flared faintly as she activated Soul Vision, scanning the depths of the lake for any sign of him. What she saw sent a chill down her spine.
Vastarael's radiant golden soul blazed like a beacon against the pitch-black, predatory souls of the Krepsunas.
Thousands of them.
"He's insane."
The Krepsunas were swarming toward him like an unholy tide. Vastarael was luring them away, just as planned, but the sheer number of enemies made her stomach twist.
Shaking off her worry, Phaenora turned her attention to the massive white pearl at the lake's center. Several Krepsunas still hovered around it, their hulking forms disturbingly floating on water, as though they were sentinels guarding a sacred relic. She tightened her grip on her weapon, only to remember that her bow had snapped under the force of her last attack.
"Great. Just great," she groaned, coming to a halt atop the water. "Guess I'm going old-school for this one."
With a sharp breath, she summoned her companion's energy, materializing a sapphire glaive in her hands. The blade shimmered brilliantly with a crystalline edge that caught the fading light in dazzling patterns. But its beauty did little to comfort her. She was about to face creatures that had no business being this horrifying.
She darted forward, closing the distance to the pearl and its guardians. The Krepsunas reacted immediately, their mandibles clicking in unison as they shifted their focus to her. The first one lunged, its spindly legs slicing through the water with alarming speed. Phaenora sidestepped, barely avoiding the creature's limbs, and brought her glaive around in a sweeping arc.
The blade struck its mandibles, slicing through one of them cleanly, but the creature recoiled and lashed out with its other limbs. She barely ducked in time, the wind from its strike ruffling her hair.
The next Krepsuna came at her from the side, its claws aiming for her legs. Phaenora jumped, flipping mid-air and slamming the blunt end of her glaive into the creature's joint. A sickening crack echoed across the water and the creature let out a screech. But even as it faltered, another was already upon her.
It lunged, forcing her to block with the shaft of her weapon. The impact jolted her arms painfully and she grimaced as she was pushed back. The water beneath her rippled violently as she struggled to regain her footing.
Her glaive flashed as she retaliated, aiming for the Krepsunas' weak points. Their exoskeletons were too tough to pierce, but their mandibles and joints were more vulnerable. She struck again and again but the effort was beginning to wear on her.
One Krepsuna managed to grab her glaive with its claw, yanking her off balance. She let out a startled yelp, releasing the weapon just in time to avoid being dragged underwater. Snarling, she summoned another glaive, spinning it in her hands as she charged forward.
The water around her was chaotic now, splashing wildly as she battled the relentless creatures. Every movement was a test of her stamina and skill, and the Krepsunas showed no signs of tiring. One creature slashed at her leg, its claw grazing her thigh and leaving a stinging cut.
"Dammit," she hissed, slamming the glaive down onto its head.
The sapphire blade cracked against its tough exoskeleton, sending vibrations up her arms. She followed up with a sharp kick, forcing the creature back, but the strain was beginning to show.
Her breaths came in sharp gasps and sweat slicked her face despite the cool air. She was sparing essence since Vastarael was having it worse than her. Also, she was using his water divinity to keep herself afloat. If she sank, she would be torn to shreds in seconds.
The creatures were at her rank and it was not easy to fight on water at all.
The Krepsunas were relentless, their numbers making it impossible for her to gain the upper hand. For every one she injured or pushed back, another seemed to take its place.
"Vastarael," she muttered through gritted teeth, her voice strained. "You'd better make this worth it."
Another Krepsuna lunged, its mandibles snapping dangerously close to her face. She twisted, using the momentum to drive her glaive into the creature's mouth. The blade struck true and the Krepsuna let out a screech before collapsing. She could hear the academy system's words as she killed a Lake Arachnid one after another, making both her and Vastarael stronger.
But there was no time to celebrate.
The remaining Krepsunas were circling her now, their movements methodical and unnervingly intelligent. Phaenora tightened her grip on the glaive, her legs trembling from the effort of staying upright on the water's surface. They were not letting her get close to the giant pearl at all and she had to touch it to sent it to Vastarael's inventory.
"I'm not done yet," she muttered, forcing herself to stand tall. With a defiant roar, she charged forward, her glaive flashing like a beacon against the dark tide of enemies.
°°°°°°
Vastarael shot through the water like a blue streak, the lake's darkness illuminated by the faint glow of his essence. He pushed his essence to the limit, his body slicing through the liquid as though he were flying instead of swimming. The Krepsunas swarmed after him, their grotesque forms gliding through the depths.
'Faster,' he muttered to himself, mentally.
He twisted his body, narrowly dodging a clawed limb that slashed toward him and shot upward in a spiraling arc.
Manipulating the water with sheer will, he forced it to twist and churn, creating a vortex that momentarily slowed the Krepsunas behind him.
The creatures were fast but Vastarael had one advantage they didn't: finesse.
Drawing upon his essence reserves, he manipulated the water itself, crafting massive air bubbles that floated into the Krepsunas' paths. The creatures, unused to the sudden change in pressure, barreled into the bubbles and burst them, temporarily thrown into chaos as their trajectory faltered.
With air inside the bubbles,it took time for the Krepsunas to change their mode of breathing. This tactic was the only thing keeping Vastarael alive underwater.
Even with their confusion, the horde was relentless, surging forward like a black tide. Their countless limbs churned the water, their glowing mandibles snapping viciously as they closed in on him.
Summoning another burst of essence, Vastarael propelled himself forward, the sheer force of his movements creating shockwaves in the water. He weaved through the depths, dodging rock formations and debris as though they were part of a deadly obstacle course. When the Krepsunas grew too close, he sent ripples of essence outward, forming giant bubbles that disoriented and scattered them.
But the Krepsunas adapted quickly.
Their grotesque forms twisted and contorted as they evaded his traps, their sharp limbs slicing through the water with terrifying speed. Vastarael gritted his teeth as he felt the pressure of their pursuit closing in,
'Fine, you want to play rough? Let's play rough.'
He reached out with his essence again, this time creating a massive air bubble right in between the Krepsunas.
But the effort drained him.
Vastarael felt his limbs grow heavier, the relentless use of his essence taking its toll. His lungs burned as he pushed himself further, his glow flickering as his energy wavered.
He hated the way he could not go his full potential. If he used the Veil of The Ingenious Prince here, they would go for Phaenora and she would die. If they both used it, it would consume a lot of essence, leaving them stuck for a while. Invisibility can't beat instinct, which Krepsunas heavily rely on.
Using Water Flood was, which was the only enchantment in his Codex, The Ingenious Prince, that could help him. But the essence it would consume would be tremendous and using it in a Krepsuna's natural habitat was stupidity.
'Why can't I go all out because of circumstances?'
And so, he kept swimming at top speed as the Krepsunas got out of that giant bubble and swam towards him, waiting for Phaenora's signal to...
His instincts screamed for him to swim sideways.
The second did so, a massive water slash tore through the air that slashes dozens of Krepsunas with so much ease, tearing through their exoskeleton.
His eye widened when he saw what was below her lake surface.
'Holy...'
Dozens of water slashes shot towards the Krepsunas and the Aeterium prince.