Showdown with the Octopus

The color of Azu's right eye shifted from blue to a shimmering rainbow.

She gripped her sword with both hands, poured magic into it, and drew it far back over her left shoulder.

A sharp breath escaped her lips.

The instant she exhaled, she swung.

Even without the blade making direct contact, the sword's power sent an invisible slash hurtling toward the Octopus.

The Octopus had been trying to crush Azu from above. Sensing danger, it reflexively slammed an arm against the cave wall to change direction.

A split second later, the unseen slash severed three of its arms at the base before colliding with the ceiling, leaving a deep gash in the rock.

Using its remaining five arms with practiced skill, the Octopus landed on the ground.

But Alexia had already been charging a spell, waiting for precisely that moment.

"You picked the wrong opponents."

With those words, she unleashed a massive blaze.

Her fire brooch flared, amplifying the spell further.

The Octopus scooped seawater from the floor with its remaining arms and hurled it at Alexia's spell.

The collision flash-boiled the water instantly, filling the cave with steam.

The seawater counterattack couldn't extinguish the enormous flames, and they scorched the Octopus's head.

Listening to the sizzle of burning flesh, Azu readied her sword once more.

The power felt more natural than before. There was no risk of losing control this time.

Visibility was poor from the steam, but she pressed forward to seize the initiative.

Through the haze, the badly wounded Octopus came into view.

To deliver the finishing blow, she aimed her sword at its head, carrying her momentum into a downward swing.

The Octopus wrapped two of its remaining arms around a pillar supporting the cave and yanked its body sideways.

Azu's blade cut through empty air, but she immediately chased after it.

The Octopus had only just moved. There were no other pillars nearby to swing to.

"This ends it!"

She thrust her sword forward to finish it off, but in that instant the pillar the Octopus had clung to crumbled, and the ground beneath them gave way.

The cave's bedrock, it seemed, had been far more fragile than expected.

With the footing gone, no amount of enhanced ability could override the laws of physics.

Azu and the Octopus hung in the air for a brief moment before plummeting into the space below the cave.

It was an enclosed area surrounded by rock walls, with seawater pouring in from the ocean beyond.

Which meant Azu was inevitably plunged into saltwater.

Once in the sea, the Octopus's wounds began to mend.

Its regeneration wasn't as fast as the Kraken's, but it could still heal in the water.

Given enough time, its severed arms would likely regrow as well.

Azu had taken a deep breath just before hitting the water.

She needed to finish this before her air ran out.

The Octopus propelled itself through the water at high speed with its long arms and bore down on her.

When Azu swung her sword, it dodged effortlessly and lashed out with a tentacle.

She punched the arm slamming in from the right, forcing it aside.

In her current state, Azu could match its raw strength. But the environment was the enemy's ally.

Every movement burned through her oxygen faster.

If she tried to surface for air, the Octopus would snare her legs and that would be the end of it.

Azu called out to the Water Elemental in her mind.

Please, lend me your strength.

She felt a sense of acknowledgment—and the Octopus's movements stopped.

The Water Elemental's power, no doubt.

Azu poured magic into the Sealed Sword Grungaus right where she floated.

Firing a second time would leave her with no strength left to fight, but if the Octopus started moving again, she'd be finished anyway.

She swung and activated the sword's ability.

The slash parted the water as it hurtled toward the Octopus, and the moment it connected, the creature's body was torn apart.

Even Azu, watching it unfold, was stunned by the sheer destructive force.

Leaving the Octopus's scattered remains behind, Azu swam desperately for the surface.

She'd spent too much energy. Her limbs wouldn't cooperate. She was so close, yet her lungs burned.

Then someone grabbed her arm from above and hauled her up.

"Phew. You're alive."

It was Alexia.

She'd come down after Azu and happened to spot her just in time to pull her out.

"Cough—thank you."

"From the look of it, you got it?"

"Yes. Barely."

Azu clung to Alexia's arm, completely spent.

"Impressive power, but it really might be more than you can handle."

"Ahaha, sorry."

"Well, we're in this together. Don't hesitate to lean on us."

Alexia was using wind magic to keep herself buoyant on the surface.

Even carrying Azu, there was no danger of drowning. But a look around drew a sigh from her.

"Nothing but walls, it seems. Maybe we should wait for Elza to recover."

"Should I check underwater?"

"For an exit or a passage out? Not a bad idea."

Azu and Alexia drew close, pressing against each other.

The water was sapping their body heat constantly.

"I think I can manage swimming, at least."

"Don't push it. You'll just slow us down."

"I know."

The two took a breath and dove beneath the surface.

With the Water Elemental's assistance, they moved quickly through the water.

Whenever Azu's air started running low, Alexia generated a bubble of air from her fingertip for Azu to breathe from.

At the bottom, they found a ship.

It wasn't particularly large, and how it had ended up here was anyone's guess.

The ship was heavily damaged, but it appeared to have settled over a hole, plugging it.

Inside the ship, they found several crates.

Curiosity tugged at her, but escaping came first.

They couldn't speak underwater, so Alexia communicated through gestures.

Destroy the ship with magic and go through the hole.

That was how Azu read it, and she backed away from the ship.

Moments later, a combined blast of water and wind magic erupted from inside, shattering the vessel.

The hole the ship had been blocking was now exposed.

Simultaneously, seawater began rushing out through the opening with tremendous force.

It happened right after Alexia got out of the ship.

The ship had been acting as a plug, it seemed.

Unable to fight the current, Azu and Alexia grabbed each other's hand and braced themselves.