However, the problem is, how are we going to uproot this monstrous plant when we don't have a shovel? But kidding aside, the large stems covered in algae performed a magnificent dance piece in front of us, while showing off their spikes inside their blooming petals.
The water that dripped from them reminded me of the drooling monsters that came out from the red door. Are all monsters drooling like that? Or are they really just hungry for humans?
The ice block we were standing on moved and got swept away when another ugly lotus shot up from the water. They were as tall as buildings, and their stems were approximately five meters in radius.
Commander Kyle tapped me on the shoulders, "Ryder and I will dive down underwater. We'll going to uproot the mother, you manage these flowers above."
Using only their strength? I would have laughed at his face if I hadn't seen him lift an entire building once we were training outside the facility. And Ryder's muscles aren't something to be trifled with either.
I nodded. They wasted no time and dived underwater, while I told Eva, "Support them."
Eva, "Yes!"
She brought her palms forward and created two transparent balls the size a bit larger than a human's head. Then, that ball, like a volleyball spiked into the other net, flew sharply to the two people underwater and hit their heads.
The next thing I saw, Ryder and Kyle already looked like that squirrel who lives underwater with a sponge.
I stifled my laughter at their dumbfounded look. They weren't expecting to be hit, but I guessed it did hurt a little. Eva scratched her head and looked apologetically, then she said clearly after, "I can prolong this sound bubbles for thirty minutes. I will inform you five minutes before it vanishes, so swim above water."
The two large men nodded and disappeared to the depths of the water. The lotuses started attacking us like missiles striking down their targets. Their movements were fast and with every strike, the water splashed and hindered our sights.
Ethan created blocks of ice and threw them in different places. Then, the three of us leaped in one each as another stem struck where we were, breaking the iceberg we stood upon.
"Ethan, freeze the stems!"
Ethan looked at me with doubt. I could tell he wasn't confident. Then, I just pointed at the stem that crushed the iceberg. Ethan quickly understood.
The stem was frozen for a few seconds. Its movement somehow stopped and I took that opportunity. I leaped from the ice block and struck the stem with my black sword.
The stem cracked. I landed on the floating ice block and leaped again, striking the stem repeatedly.
[+1]
A small black screen with yellow text appeared on the tip of the sword. I furrowed my brows. What does it mean? I didn't find an answer as another stem attacked me. I dodged and landed on the floating ice again.
I gritted my teeth. We might have cut one stem, but the rest, which was more than twenty, plunged in our direction.
The water rose and the three of us were submerged in water. I gripped the sword tightly. I remembered reading you shouldn't let go of your weapon in battle no matter what. Beneath that dark place where sunlight couldn't pass, the five of us battle that slimy creature.
We were able to breathe because of the sound bubbles Eva created. But fighting underwater can limit our movement, so I quickly swap upward.
"Argh!"
Eva shouted almost bursting my eardrum open, "Ethan!"
I swam to Ethan instead and cut the weeds that clung to his ankle. The sound bubbles are too quiet and we can only hear our voices. Maybe because we were underwater; the sound had much higher frequencies.
So, I just talked normally, "Ryder, commander, where are you?"
Kyle answered, "Underwater."
"Uh, okay," I shouldn't have asked. They seemed fine. I couldn't see what was beneath me as the surface was too dark.
"Let's get back on water."
Without orders, Ethan froze the stems that kept attacking us underneath, as we swam upward.
"Dammit. This is tiring. If we keep this up for seven days, we may die from exhaustion instead. We have to find a way to cut all those— Eva, look out!"
Kaboom!
The seedpods showered as those paralyzing seeds as soon as we came up from the surface. Ethan sent ice spears and hit a few, but many were still flying at us. I swung my sword and blades of wind struck them and exploded in the air.
I swam to Eva to help her out, but I should have trusted her to help her own. My ears almost bled after Eva shouted. I could see sound waves rippling through the air, and the seeds coming her way, exploded.
The monstrous lotuses shook and the seedpods exploded. I gawked at Eva, who casually wiped the corner of her mouth with her index and thumb fingers. I bet that shout came with some saliva dripping in the corner of her lips.
She shyly averted her eyes from me after she caught me staring. I was worried for nothing. I sighed in relief. It seems that she can protect herself, and she's really a big help.
Why is she training with the psychics, though? Does sound manipulation fall in that category?
"Sir Atlas, another's one coming at you!"
I jumped away after Ethan shouted. The block I was standing upon was crushed in the mouth of the lotus flower. I wiped my face from the water that splashed away as I held onto the ice block drifting away from it.
I didn't wait for the lotus humantrap to jerk its head up. I leaped on its stem, and cut it off with a powerful strike. The head dropped into the water with another splash, while the stem moved and thrashed around like a still worm you suddenly poked on the ground.
[+1]
I grabbed onto the stem. But it was too slippery that my palm just slid down and I fell into the water. Another plus one? Is it the numbers the sword killed?
Oh! That's it! The sword upgrade! A monster's life counts! I grinned widely. I was relieved. I don't need to kill humans to upgrade the sword. Thank goodness.
"Sir Atlas!"
Eva shouted, but it was too late for Ethan to create another block of ice for me as another human-eating lotus plunged at me, engulfing me with its teeth and pushing me into the depths of the lake.
F*ck! I need your bubbles, Eva!
As I shouted that in my head, something hit me at the back of my head and exploded, then it felt like my breath was sucked in by a vacuum before the water dispersed and the thin sheet of transparent round bubble enveloped my head.
It was dizzying, but relieving. I was able to breathe properly after that.
I stuck the sword at the rim of the monster's petal-like mouth; the hilt on the lower part and the tip of the sword at the upper. It stopped the flower from swallowing me whole. I grabbed on the hilt of the sword and pulled myself upward.
However, I momentarily stopped when I saw the part of the water turning red. I looked below and saw my right leg pierced by the sharp teeth of the lotus humantrap. It was bleeding profusely, yet I couldn't feel the pain. Is it paralyzed?
I tried to move my leg. Shit. It's f*cking paralyzed!
"Sir Atlas, are you okay? Are you alive?!"
I groaned at the voice coming from the bubble.
"Thank God, you're alive! Ethan, he's alive!"
Ethan, "Sir, which part of you? I'm going to pull you up!"
But his plan wasn't put into action as the still water of the deep lake where the shitty monsters dragging me down stirred and sent waves upward. The current swept me up but the lotus held onto me.
Two bright lights appeared from the very bottom of that abyss. I shuddered. Now that I remember, where did the two bodybuilders of the team go? They've been silent ever since earlier!
Those two bright lights blink as though they were eyes…oh, holy mother of all…those aren't eyes, right?
If my hands weren't busy grabbing hold of the sword and dragging my wounded leg, I would have prayed to the heavens that those lights were just coming from a tunnel.
"Ryder, commander, are you still alive?"
No answer. However, a powerful force yanked the ugly flower biting me away from falling into those two eyes. Then, an arm grabbed the rim of the upper petal and plucked it out. I spun my head around and saw Ryder grabbing another petal and not even bothered by their sharp teeth.
"Careful with the teeth! They can paralyze you!"
Another arm smacked the back of my head and whispered angrily, "You dumb*ss! Keep shouting and wake up what's sleeping beneath us!"
I'm glad he's alive. I almost teared up and prayed for his soul to rest in peace after seeing Ryder alone. But I guess it's true, crooked weeds don't easily die.