The Second Company, the team Laurentina belonged to, was the fastest among the Abyssal Hunters Company.
It wasn't just because of her captain, Gladiia.
Laurentina herself was also very fast.
Despite being angry, when it came to fighting, she would regain her composure.
Imagine Laurentina recklessly charging into a group of Sea Terror, killing a Seaborn at a speed exceeding one hundred meters per second, and then dragging its corpse away.
If this reckless and self-endangering fighting style could be called calm, then Laurentina was indeed quite calm now.
She knew her speed was much slower than her captain Gladiia's, so she had to give it her all to keep up with Gladiia's pace.
After all, she hadn't been an Abyssal Hunter for long, only four years.
In her first year, she fought Seaborns like any ordinary Abyssal Hunter, until one day, she got separated from her teammates after a battle and was washed ashore by the current.
She discovered the footprints of Seaborns and tracked one that had ventured into a river, arriving at the cliffs of Acahualla Highlands.
Compelled by some force, she climbed the nearly thousand-meter-high waterfall.
There, she met a male Archosauria named Garde.
For the next three years, she repeatedly came to the cliff, crossing the thousand-meter-highland to be by the crocodile man's side.
A Seaborn surpassed the surrounding Sea Terror and charged at her.
To lure the surrounding Seaborns, she had to slow down, which would inevitably attract a Seaborn Elite.
Bang!
Another figure rushed out, blocking the Seaborn attacking her. A large black sword easily decapitated the Seaborn.
"Skadi?"
"The second captain sent me to help you." Skadi said indifferently.
She wasn't good at swift kills because she wasn't fast enough.
But to lure a group of Sea Terror still not adapted to land, her speed was sufficient.
"The second captain wants us to conserve our strength. Killing Sea Terror now will only add to the male Archosauria burden."
Because the Sea Terror, controlled by the main brain, would actively consume their fallen comrades' corpses to evolve.
Ordinary Sea Terror couldn't threaten Garde.
But the Seaborn Elites were a different story.
"I was just thinking, why are we, the Abyssal Hunters, letting him handle the most dangerous part?"
"...You like him."
"Yes."
It wasn't something to be embarrassed about. It was well-known in the team that Laurentina from the Second Company liked a land-dweller.
"Do you want to have children with him?"
"..."
Even for her, admitting such a thing in front of others was impossible.
"His health is good, and so is yours. If you can have healthy children, the Family Planning Committee wouldn't mind that he's just a land-dweller."
"Skadi, what are you talking about?"
"What's wrong? If you like him, you must want to have children with him. Does 'like' have another meaning?"
Skadi frowned, as if pondering a serious issue.
Laurentina had to interrupt her: "Skadi, do you know how to have children?"
"Of course I do!"
Skadi gave a look that said 'how dare you underestimate me.'
"You just get a marriage certificate from the Family Planning Committee, and your belly will slowly get bigger. After ten months, the child will be born."
"Skadi, have you ever attended a biology class?"
"Biology class? What's that?"
Laurentina felt she shouldn't have talked nonsense with Skadi, who is famous for only being good at swinging her sword.
"Nevermind, still…chatting with you has made me feel much better."
The future is unpredictable. Instead of overthinking, it's better to go with the flow.
"Little Skadi, do you have someone you like?"
"No, fighting with a big belly would be too troublesome."
Laurentina thought for a moment and decided not to tell Skadi the truth. Explaining it would be too tedious.
Besides, the children of Abyssal Hunters would certainly become Abyssal Hunters.
Laurentina didn't have much thought about becoming an Abyssal Hunter herself. She saw the recruitment notice, took a physical exam, passed it, signed the agreement, and woke up as an Abyssal Hunter.
But to let her child bear the same fate?
Laurentina couldn't do that.
After all this thinking, she was back at square one.
As long as Seaborns exist, she has no future to speak of.
"The Sea Terror is slowing down."
"They're only slowing down now?"
Coming to her senses, Laurentina realized they were almost at the agreed position.
If they could completely get the Sea Terror out of the main brain's control range, their evolution and feeding speed would slow significantly.
But if they got too close, could Garde handle it alone?
"Laurentina, Skadi, it's time to go!"
Gladiia's voice came from a distance. After leading the Sea Terror to Garde, the hunters would turn around and head towards the Seaborn's main brain.
Garde would stay behind, becoming the new target for the Sea Terror.
When Laurentina turned back, she saw only Garde standing on the highland; Saria was already gone.
The tide of Sea Terror engulfed Garde.
Laurentina stopped, wanting to turn back.
"Laurentina, remember your duty!"
Gladiia's stern voice echoed in Laurentina's ears.
"Only by killing the main brain can he survive. Every second you waste here consumes his life!"
The hunters left.
Garde didn't let Saria stay either, while she's certainly strong, it's only when compared to normal land-dwelling Columbian Tournament fighters, in here, she would be torn to shreds in seconds.
The battle that he's about to face is something that Saria has no hope to survive.
It's a battle with no defense lines, no logistics, no supplies, no support.
Only Garde alone.
If he could hold on, he would live!
If not, he would die!
Garde now regretted not calling his tribe members to build a defense line; the upcoming battle would have been much easier if they did so.
But it's nobody's fault, who would have thought the Sea Terror would come ashore in just two days?
Of course, Garde never fought a battle he wasn't confident in.
4 years have passed since that time, and even if he had strayed quite far from life of battle, he had never truly lost his temper.
Even if he went mad again, he would surely regain his senses, right?
At this moment, Garde inexplicably wished he had someone to fight alongside him, even if that person had a dog's head and was weaker than him.
He wouldn't feel so lonely.
"It would be great if Azir is here."
"Hell, I would take Nasus."
Garde looked at the mountains of Sea Terrors and sighed.