I managed to take out at least a dozen of the merfolk in a single volley, but it wasn't enough.
"You…!"
One of them used its comrades as a shield, ducking under the convulsing corpse as it took cover from my arrows. With a hiss, it hurled its brethren's carcass at me while diving for the last vault. I took aim, but my arrow wasn't able to reach it in time.
The merfolk slashed open the vault and yanked the artifact out, cackling in glee. Spinning around just when my arrow was about to pierce through its back, it struck the projectile away. Spiritual qi glowed, flowing from the artifact into the sole surviving merfolk before detonating violently.
Shock waves battered me and flung me against the wall outside. The icy fog that permeated the chamber was immediately blown away in that single explosion, and as I crawled to my feet, I caught sight of a crackling maelstrom of potent qi that expanded before shrinking into the merfolk.
No. It was no longer a merfolk.
Much larger than before, its humanoid legs had melded together to transform into a thick, serpentine tail. Its half-fish, half-reptilian face had elongated, resembling a snake's snout, while the jaws opened to revealed dagger-like fangs. Even the teeth had lengthened, it appeared, with two particularly long ones that dripped venom. Its upper arms had turned even more muscular, the claws growing to blade-like proportions. Watery qi swirled around it, much stronger than before.
"A Naga."
I recognized the spirit beast that the merfolk had transformed into. A creature similar to those from myths, it was classified as a Yellow ranked spirit beast, usually with an affinity with water. But what shocked me was that the newly transformed Naga was exuding enough qi to be categorized as a peak Yellow Ranked monster.
This was going to be a difficult battle.
The Naga hissed and lunged at me, its speed so incredible that it almost disappeared into a blur. I immediately fired off an arrow in reflex, but it swatted it aside with its claws before its tail whipped toward me. Cursing, I dove to the ground and grimaced as the tail gouged out a whole line into the wall.
As I rolled away, I drew my sword with my right hand and fended off its next tail strike. Despite parrying the blow successfully, there was so much power behind it that I was lifted off bodily from the ground and sent flying a few meters away. Cartwheeling in the air, I landed on my feet, but the momentum sent me skidding a few inches.
"Huff…"
I looked up, only to see the Naga's claws scythe toward me. Taking a step back to dodge it, I then dropped my bow and raised my sword with both hands to intercept its jaws. The venomous fangs stopped a few centimeters away from my collarbone, though the acidic drool dripped and caused my shirt to sizzle.
Planting a foot against its chest, I kicked it away. Or rather, I propelled myself away from the creature and withdrew to a safe distance. While I retreated, I flicked one hand toward my bow and conjured a current of water to splash it toward me. Seizing my bow with my left hand, I sheathed my sword and summoned a new arrow.
Within the confined quarters of the corridor, there was no way the Naga could evade!
But it didn't have to.
With an almost casual swipe of its claws, it swatted my arrow aside to the wall. A muffled explosion blasted a small crater into the reinforced concrete, showering the Naga with shrapnel, but the shards did little more than tickle its armored scales. Hissing derisively, it continued to slither toward me.
This wasn't good.
Shrieking, the Naga whipped its tail at me once more. I grimaced and ducked, knowing that the blow possessed enough force to overturn a truck. In fact, it shattered the wall to my right, causing rubble to rain upon the corridor. While I evaded the fatal blow, the Naga used its tail to spring forward, closing in on my position and slashed.
"Yikes!"
I deflected the claws with my bow and jammed my sword into its mouth, preventing its fangs from reaching me. The Naga hissed in agony when my blade almost punched through the back of its throat, and it swiftly withdrew. Despite its timely reflex, blood spurted from its forked tongue, mixing with the leaking venom to produce noxious fumes.
"Looks like you bit off more than you could chew!" I taunted. The Naga snarled and lunged forward again, its claws rending the opposite wall and its tail lashing out to smash the lights in the ceiling. amidst the raining glass and plastic, I sent a couple of azure arrows streaking toward it, but the Naga simply ignored them. As these weren't enhanced by my bow, they didn't even faze the spirit beast.
The difference in strength was larger than I expected. Even though we were technically in the same rank, the four categories of each rank were used as a form of measurement for a reason. Like I said, not all cultivators or spirit beasts of the same rank were equal. Actually, even within each category, it wasn't like everyone had exactly the same strength.
However, just because the opponent was stronger didn't mean I should give up.
Taking a deep breath, I kept my bow and took up a stance with the sword that Jun Hai packed for me. I closed my eyes and briefly recalled the Flowing River Clear Sword technique that I had learned from dad, and then did the first stance right when the Naga slashed at me.
Water collided against water, blade against claws. The Naga's superior strength pushed me back, but I allowed myself to follow the flow rather than attempt to go against it. Spinning around, my sword flashed and cut open a wound across its armored scales, sending a spurt of blood.
The Naga hissed and pulverized my location with its thick, muscular tail. By reading the currents of its movements, I was able to predict its next strike and avoid it accordingly. I jumped above its tail and flicked my wrist, cutting another wound open on its chest.
With a shrill cry, the Naga whirled around and lashed out with its tail. This time, I wasn't able to evade because I was still in midair. Despite parrying the whip-like tail with my sword, I was still hurled across the corridor. Slamming into the far end of the wall, I dropped to my knees unsteadily and leaned on my sword.
Not missing the chance to finish me off, the Naga pounced. Its maw yawned wide open, the fangs eager to pierce through my flesh. Gritting my teeth, I spun my sword about and raised it to fend off its attack.
Fireballs detonated across the Naga's face, causing it to wail and fall back, thrashing in anger. It hissed and spluttered, glaring at the source of the fire. Despite the smoke, I saw that it was more shocked than pained, with the flames hardly doing any damage to its green scales.
Xiao Huo landed elegantly beside me, generating several more fireballs above her tail. She glared at the Naga and snarled fiercely.
"Thanks," I told her and stood up shakily. To the side, a notification window had popped up to inform me that the automated summoning had been initiated. That was dangerous. If Xiao Huo hadn't surprised the Naga, I probably would have been poisoned by those fangs.
However, I was aware that we were still outmatched. Xiao Huo was only ordinary ranked, which was why her fireballs didn't inflict even a modicum of damage on the peak Yellow ranked Naga.
The Naga didn't care. It charged forward once more, whirlpools coalescing around both of its claws. Both Xiao Huo and I sprang to the sides, but the corridor was too narrow and there wasn't much space for us to move around. Even as I ducked the first slash, I swept my sword beneath the swirling water and claws to hammer the blade against the Naga's chest. Xiao Huo nimbly leaped over both claw and whirlpool before flinging a couple of fireballs into the Naga's face.
The Naga flailed about, its attention split between us. Enraged, it continued pursuing me because I was the bigger target, and I was able to exploit its predictable behavior by turning around to face it. First, I deflected its claws, and then I rammed my foot into its throat when it darted in to bite me. Pushing myself off its scaly, serpentine body, I slid across the damp floor.
More fireballs detonated against the Naga's back, but it ignored them for now because they didn't affect it at all. Xiao Huo landed on the wall and tried to run along it, but the Naga's tail suddenly whipped forward and seized her.
"No! Xiao Huo!"
I immediately realized what the sly Naga intended. It grinned wickedly as it brought Xiao Huo closer to its jaws, acidic poison dripping from its fangs, and bit down.
The fangs grated against metal, sparks flying as the enamel met steely resistance. I panted but stood my ground, refusing to allow the slowly suffocating Xiao Huo to get bitten. Angling my sword so that I could still block the jaws but also ram the point of my blade into the Naga's tail, I was able to elicit a screech of pain from the Naga. The coils loosened, and Xiao Huo quickly escaped.
But I wasn't so lucky.
"Ugh!"
Though I managed to deflect the jaws and fangs, I couldn't do the same against the Naga's claws. The sharp talons raked across my chest and abdomen, sending a spray of blood across the wall. Then the tail shot forward to bind my body while I was staggering from the injury. I smacked the coils aside with my sword, but the Naga swiftly switched tactics and swiped with its tail instead, slamming me against the wall.
I could hear a cry from Xiao Huo as she pulled away, guilt filling her when she realized that I was hurt because I wanted to protect her. Well, of course I was going to save her. She was my contracted spirit beast, a valuable comrade.
"Don't worry about it," I gasped. I tried to stand, but my knees buckled and I ended up leaning on my sword. Fortunately, my water-based cultivation techniques allowed me to slowly but surely recover. The problem was that the Naga wasn't going to give me the time to stem the bleeding and get back to my feet. The Naga made a sound like laughter and slithered forward to clamp its jaws around my throat.
Xiao Huo jumped in front of me, peppering the Naga with fireballs. The Naga simply swatted them away or ignored them, blitzing through the resulting steam to pounce on us.
"Get out of the way, Xiao Huo!" I yelled, but my Fire Fox refused to listen. She was determined to protect me from the enemy, even if it meant her life. I could understand her feelings. She had seen me get hurt trying to defend her, and she felt responsible. She didn't want to see me suffer again just for her sake. "You're a precious comrade to me! Don't sacrifice yourself! We'll both survive! I'll figure something out!"
Xiao Huo ignored me, still standing her ground. I gritted my teeth and lurched forward, hoping to reach her before the Naga.
Neither the Naga nor I had gotten within touching distance of Xiao Huo when something unexpected happened. Golden flames ignited and enveloped the Fire Fox, turning into a raging inferno that forced both me and the Naga back. Grimacing from the sudden, intense heat, I peered through my glasses and fingers to see Xiao Huo's silhouette disappear into the flames.
Then she stepped out, a little larger than before. The inferno around her intensified, growing hotter to the point where the metal in her surroundings began to melt.
That wasn't the only change.
My jaw dropped when I saw that Xiao Huo now had three tails instead of one. Bristling fiercely, each tail generated a blazing fireball at its tip, the elemental projectiles resembling miniature suns. They were almost blinding, but even as I squinted, I realized what had just transpired.
"Xiao Huo…has evolved?!"