Dozens of fish circled around their leader — a huge creature, easily forty feet long. It was a mixture of a catfish, an eel, and a shark. Its long body squirmed, playing with the streams of water and driving away the most annoying of the smaller fish. Odd strands, akin to tentacles, stretching from its muzzle, were topped with bone claws. Judging by the numerous scratches on the walls of the cave, they were formidable weapons. Numerous sharp fins allowed the fish to move in the water as easily and freely as a bird in the sky. Nevertheless, the most formidable weapon it had was its maw, filled with rows of triangular, bent teeth.
Hadjar looked down. The bottom of the cave glowed because of the abundance of the Grass. It grew everywhere: on the stones, on the sand, even on the skeletons of other beasts. Skeletons belonging to not only fish and other underwater inhabitants, but also ones that Hadjar wasn’t able to recognize. Apparently, it was their blood and cores that had allowed the Grass of the Azure Star to flourish.
Hadjar untied the rope around his waist and tried to show Elaine where to hide using gestures. He pointed to a ‘column’ that was near the tunnel from which they’d come out, carried by the stream. Then he pointed to the fish and folded his arms. Elaine, praise the Heavens, was a smart princess. She nodded and immediately sailed away. Holding onto the stone column, she hid behind it.
Hadjar turned toward his future opponent. The cave was too small for them to try and pass by the fish unnoticed. Besides, the huge creature was blocking the tunnel that led further on and into which the stream resumed its journey.
The enormous beast was floating comfortably. The other fish were circling it for a reason. They were bringing pieces of various food to their ‘king’, and the monster simply accepted the food into its open mouth.
Realizing that he wouldn’t be able to find another tunnel, Hadjar decided not to waste time and precious oxygen. This battle would cost him too much air regardless.
Pushing away from the stones lying at the bottom of the cave, Hadjar moved up underneath the cave roof like a crossbow bolt. The vibrations that disturbed the water as he moved attracted the attention of the water monster.
The king of the cave opened its eyes and slammed its mouth shut, scaring its ‘subjects’. It saw a strange fish, which didn’t have a tail, nor any fins. Instead, it had four strange probes, one of which had a sparkling canine protruding from it. It was an ugly, horrid thing. However, even if it meant having to face such a monster, it had to kill it to safeguard its power and peaceful existence.
Hadjar had already begun to feel his chest burning. That meant he had precious little air left. Not to mention time. The monster was gradually coming to life after many years of torpor.
The sweeps of its fins changed the flow of water and disturbed the Grass at the bottom, which caused the azure light to dance in odd, intricate patterns.
The scales on the tail of the cave king caught these patterns, looking like they were covered in a net of azure threads. Then a wave of its huge tail made the water head toward Hadjar. Almost invisible to the naked eye, it nevertheless created enough pressure to flatten not just a person, but an actual stone.
Hadjar raised Moon Beam in front of him. The blade, illuminated by the light of the Grass, lived up to its name perfectly at the moment. The former General didn’t attack. However, the light ‘peeled off’ from his blade. It took the shape of the blade, growing until it became a cutting edge that stood in the way of the water trying to crush him.
The clash of the two skills didn’t produce any loud noises or visible signs of the struggle between them. There was only silence. The stream, which had been cut in half, moved around Hadjar and hit the walls of the cave, leaving deep holes in them.
For the first time in its life, the cave king was facing an enemy that it wasn’t capable of killing with just one blow. That was bad luck on this strange, ugly fish’s part. It would know the rage and power of the king’s steel teeth and sharp fins. The king’s subjects would have a bloody feast that would make them stronger.
Hovering in the water, Hadjar watched the huge monster rushing toward him. It opened its mouth and exposed the rows of crooked fangs there.
The General couldn’t afford to fight in melee. Even if he won the battle, he would have very little oxygen left afterwards.
Time slowed for Hadjar. On his back, the tattoo left behind by the Sword Spirit shone slightly.
The water hindered his movement. It didn’t allow him to fight as easily and as freely as he did on land. Nevertheless, it was also the main weakness of the underwater monster. When the creature was a moment away from devouring him, its mouth closing in around him, he launched a single attack with his sword.
Chapter 210
That one movement was enough for the light in the cave to change. It seemed to come alive. The azure glow pushed off the walls, leapt out of its captivity in the cave king’s scales, and slipped free of the Grass. It whirled around Hadjar’s blade and then took the shape of a sword that cut through the water.
The stones trembled as the pressure increased several times. The fish that were in the way of the strike were immediately obliterated. Their small bodies couldn’t even slow the swordsman’s attack, and it soon crashed into the wall of the cave, leaving behind a cut that was several yards deep. Water rushed through this new opening, disrupting the cave’s flow.
That was enough for Hadjar’s plan to succeed. His quick and powerful attack, imbued with his
