Chapter 14: I Know What It Is!

Two icy blue streaks flashed from somewhere outside the Earthly Crater. They passed through the seventh to the fourth rings without a hint of slowing down. Crossing to the third ring, the gravitational force had finally become too strong for them to ignore, thus revealing their true forms.

They were nearly two kilometers long and covered by an exoskeleton armor of bony dark blue scales. Just behind their giant heads, three additional azure scales adorned the back of their neck.

Horned Eels!

Some were aghast by the existence of more than one, others confused them with the renowned Overlord and the sharpest few had managed to catch a glimpse at the irregular defect in the third and smallest azure scale of each Horned Eel.

“Roar!” The two Horned Eels launched at Galu with the obvious intent to kill, in the process demonstrating to all who had doubts that even if their Overlord is not around, they will abide his rule.

“Can they keep grow with damaged scales in their neck?” Zax asked Saulalu. The latter was an Intermediate second level Martial Mortal, his eyes even enchanted with mist energy, could not compare to Zax’s. Nevertheless, it was not as if he was unaware of the condition of the Horned Eel Overlord’s progeny.

“No, the sea Overlord saw to it so they’ll never dethrone it. That being said, you better not underestimate them. From things I heard and now see, their strength roughly equivalent an Advanced fourth level Martial Mortal. Galu broke through the fourth level merely half a millennia ago. Her hope to get to the second ring should rely solely on her attainments from the Earthly Crater”.

“You also need to factor her resistance to the gravitational force”. Zax reminded Saulalu.

In this field of battle, close combat was typically the only method of fighting, at least for those restricted by the gravitational force.

“Overgrown warms, your daddy is not here, yet you still have the audacity to act up?” Galu turned around, to meet the two Horned Eels. The second ring just tens of meters from her.

She raised her right arm with opened hand and five stretched fingers as if it was a sniper. “Let’s see, if this won’t affect you, then I’m in trouble. For some reason, though, I’m feeling confident”.

Purple aura erupted from within her body and swayed like a violet lightning, validating that she is not limited anymore by the gravitational force. Swinging her arm, violet electric jolt crackled from the palm of her hand. “I remember that Debuk Jin came up with lances. For me, I discovered something else”. Purple whip materialized in her grip.

SWISH!

SWISH!

She flogged at the quicker of the incoming Horned Eels.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

...

A series of explosions resounded like the rumble of apocalyptic thunders storm before the whip even hit. Each explosion released pulses of lightning and created distortions in the sea.

The Horned Eel perceived the tip of the whip instant before it reached the space between his eyes. In terms of cultivation, Galu may not be his match, but as far as speed goes there was probably no one currently in the crater that could rival her.

BANG!

The Horned Eel rammed the lightning whip and then howled in pain as a huge, bloody gash engraved on its head. The pain was excruciating, paralyzing even. The attack discharged from the whip breached through all of its defenses and sent shocking current to its every cell whenever it attempted to move.

The second Horned Eel saw its companion being severely damaged and got angrier. Its Overlord rubbed them from their true potential as three scales Deformed Beings and their shared miserable fate created an unbreakable bond between.

“Roar!” In its rage it gotten faster, more ferocious, but alas, the whip once again proved to be unparalleled in terms of speed.

BANG!

The collision resonated and each human, beast and Deformed Being in the crater felt a minuscule portion of the pain the two Horned Eels suffered.

“Tsk!” Despite thing looking in her favor, Galu was unsatisfied. ‘The real purpose of this Fervid Lash is to attack the soul. Against Deformed Being its strength is lessen by thirty to fifty percent’. She dispersed the residues of electric aura, which without her support crumbled in the face of the third ring’s gravitational force. ‘If they weren’t constrained by the battlefield ... Could I have still won?’ She turned and continued to close the gap to the second ring.

Eventually, in the short span of two seconds the Horned Eels recovered, but by then Galu had made the last step to the second ring.

“Ha! Ha!” Two charming syllables escaped Galu’s mouth the instant she crossed. Her countenance looked almost entranced. She did not advance another step after the initial in, simply retained a standing position and with a giddy smile closed her eyes.

‘She made it!’

‘It’s ... She’s ... the first to ever reach the second ring’s region after the Horned Eel?’

‘Is that it?’

‘Why isn’t she moving? It doesn’t seem like she is resisting the gravitational force of the second ring?’

‘No matter one, this is my chance!’

The first to follow Galu to the second ring was none other than the second figure who was meditating in the third ring; an ancient looking woman with long gray hair, donning a set of robes. Standing up, she supported her weight holding a cane that seemed to be curved out of some special wood. “Respect the elderly”. She said, talking to herself, but her voice traveled to all the eager ones wanting to reach the second ring, filling them a sense of dread.

After her, Olaf was the next to follow, subsequent by eight more experts and a Deformed Being the size of a mouse and with the frame of a four legged beast, that up until now remained very inconspicuous.

The Horned Eels were infuriated, but failing to stop one lawbreaker was akin for their Overlord to failing to stop all of them. Their option to survive the wraith of their Overlord was to either by pleading for mercy or escaping to one of the oceans that is not under his sovereignty, and so they left.

...

“They all just stand there”. Zax said. “Their expression enthralled, are they having enlightenment at the same time?”