With a tremendous crash, water erupted as the Black-haired Pig Demon was catapulted into the air, tracing a parabola before crashing onto the deck. Ming, still suspended in mid-air, stared in disbelief. "You've become so brazen in your laziness?"
In a swift motion, Ming fluttered his wings, soaring back onto the deck. With the Pig Demon no longer in the sea, caution was paramount.
"Boss, that octopus was ruthless," the Pig Demon hurriedly explained as he picked himself up. "I just went down to have a word with it, but it attacked first. One tentacle struck, and I was sent flying. You have to believe me."
Ming grabbed the Pig Demon by the ear, gave him a swift kick, and both plunged into the waters below, with Ming activating his ability to hold his breath underwater.
Beneath the waves, a colossal red octopus tightly enveloped a whale with its tentacles.
Underwater, Ming gestured towards the Black-haired Pig Demon as if to say, "What are you waiting for? Why stare at me? Do I look entertaining?"
The Pig Demon gestured back, indicating the sheer size of the octopus as if asking, "How do we tackle this?"
Ming motioned, "Bite it!"
The Pig Demon gestured to his small mouth.
Ming rolled his eyes.
The Pig Demon smirked, "See?"
"If you manage to defeat it today, I'll give you a half-hour with the mermaids you're always drooling over."
The Pig Demon bargained, "An hour."
Ming replied, "Twenty minutes."
The Pig Demon conceded, "Okay, half an hour."
In a split second, Ming watched as the Black-haired Pig Demon activated his skill. His body swelled many times over, and the rake in his hand enlarged proportionally. Like a fish rediscovering water, he glided towards the octopus's head, raising the gigantic rake to strike. Due to water resistance, the descending rake moved in slow motion...
A thick cloud of black mist spewed from the octopus's mouth, enveloping the Black-haired Pig Demon and disorienting him.
Ming's "Eagle Eye" scanned the two titanic creatures:
[Ravenous Humpback Whale]
[Two-star Epic Grade]
…
[ Agile King Octopus]
[Three-star Epic Grade]
[…]
[Weakness: If it's on land... It's surely dead. In the sea, tread carefully~ However, its size means it can't possibly guard every part of its body. Utilizing its visual blind spots for an ambush could be quite effective~ If you wish to capture it alive, based on your combat experience, a Three-star Epic Grade can usually be tamed~ Good luck~]
Without hesitation, Ming dived deeper, maneuvering to the octopus's blind spot. Drawing forth his Twin Spears of the Gods, he thrust at its massive body.
Stab!
Defense -0.
"…"
Pausing momentarily, Ming realized he had to breach its malevolent defense first. He promptly drew his Thunder Hammer, invoking a burst of lightning.
Strike!
Boom!! A fork of electric energy erupted, its violet-blue arcs fracturing like a shattered boulder, racing in all directions deep in the sea.
Defense -12000.
[Your frogs watched from above as a large bubble burst on the sea's surface, with electric currents dancing within it. Da Vinci commented to Napoleon, "See? The water is electrified. Even if I don't dehydrate, I'd get electrocuted. I certainly can't go down. Makes sense, right?"]
[Your Napoleon, observing the Black-haired Pig Demon thrown onto the deck again, his body flickering with electric sparks and convulsing, nodded in agreement. Da Vinci had a point.]
The Black-haired Pig Demon glanced at the mermaid beside him, her face filled with terror. Ceasing his convulsions, he jumped up gracefully, holding his rake. As he leaped back into the sea, he shouted over his shoulder, "Wait for me, little fish!"
The mermaid on deck looked puzzled. Wait for what? A roasted suckling pig, perhaps?
Below, Ming, having gained the upper hand, raised his hammer again. However, a swift tentacle suddenly swept towards him. He attempted to dodge but was hindered by the resistance of the water. Moving at an impressive speed, the tentacle flung him out of the water.
Thud!!
Ming clutched his chest, his defense dropping by 5000. The pain was real. Indeed, underwater was their battleground. He needed a new strategy.
[Your frog looked at you, and seeing you unharmed, they were relieved. Keep fighting, and save the rainbow-spouting whale!]
[Your Merlin said, "Ming, use poison!"]
"Right!"
Ming plunged back into the water, removing his gloves and searching for the King Octopus's blind spot. At that moment, the octopus was entangled with the whale, tumbling through the depths.
Where's the pig?
Looking up, it had been whipped out of the water again. What kind of legendary creature was this?
He turned his attention back to the octopus, found its blind spot, and swiftly approached, kneading its tentacles and suction cups, releasing his potent venom.
On deck, the mermaid grew anxious and said to the Black-haired Pig Demon, "Can you even handle it? If not, stop causing more trouble!"
"You think I can't?"
The Black-haired Pig Demon instantly got up, grabbed his rake, and dove off the deck like a torpedo. Nobody could tell him he wasn't up to the task!
Beneath the water, Ming withdrew swiftly after administering the poison, yet the octopus seemed unaffected. Could the water have diluted the venom? Or perhaps, due to the creature's vast size, the poison's spread was simply delayed. At that moment, the Black-haired Pig Demon dove in, growing in stature. With a single hand, he gripped a tentacle of the octopus, pulling it away from the whale.
The Pig Demon wrapped the seized tentacle around his arm, stretching it out and biting down hard.
Defense -1000.
Defense -1500.
Defense -500.
Such potency! Could it be that his bite can pierce through the most sinister defenses?
Impressive!
Sensing the attack, the octopus lashed out with another tentacle at the Pig Demon.
Crash! The seawater churned, waves surged, and the Pig Demon, mouth clamped around one tentacle, grabbed another with both hands, twirling it around him. Holding two tentacles firmly, he lunged forward, aiming to bite a third.
"Remarkable!"
Had the Pig Demon been concealing his true strength all this while?
Pig Demon: "Sir, it's a battle! Don't just watch. This hurts, you know?"
ραndαsΝοvεl ƈοm Ming: "Hold on. I'm strategizing."
Ming advanced, seeking the octopus's blind spot. Presently, only six of its tentacles ensnared the whale. The situation seemed at a standstill. Ming realized he might be at the tipping point, but how should he intervene? Using the thunder hammer might disrupt the advantage the Pig Demon had created. So, he continued searching for a blind spot.
Then, he noticed the bound whale twisting its body, loosening the grip of the six tentacles. Had the venom started to take effect? Yet, the whale still couldn't break free completely. It had gained some leeway but was still trapped!
Unable to free itself?
Ding, ding, ding!
A flash of inspiration hit Ming. Instead of attacking the octopus, he swam directly above the whale's head, initiating a direct connection with his right hand.
"If you can't move, I'll just bridge with you now. It was meant to happen anyway, which is quite efficient."
The bridge is successful!
Ming immediately accessed the whale's abilities and talents.
[Whale Swallow: Can ingest any underwater creature up to its own weight in a single gulp. Must face the target head-on, with its mouth angled no more than 60° outward. Cooldown time of 10 minutes.]
"This skill is perfect!"
Excited, Ming kicked off, heading straight for the octopus, forcing a one-on-one confrontation.
The octopus released the whale in the next moment, standing off against Ming. The latter vanished, employing a cloaking maneuver.
Confused, the octopus writhed, spewing dark ink clouds, yet couldn't break free from the one-on-one challenge area as the forced confrontation timer ticked down.
Ming immediately directed the whale to face the octopus head-on. As the one-on-one challenge ended, he commanded: Whale Swallow!
Whoosh~
The whale's massive maw yawned open, drawing the octopus closer as if pulled by an unseen force.
In that paused moment, the whale took a deep breath, drawing all eight of the Grand Octopus's tentacles into its cavernous mouth.
Ming commanded, "Close your mouth."
The whale snapped its jaws shut, exposing only the octopus's head. As the octopus struggled, it felt a hand caressing its oval-shaped head, sensing its spirit draining away—mental collapse, reconstruction.
Connection successful.
Ming commanded, "Release the whale, thank you."
[The octopus regards you and complies. "Now, have that pig-headed creature release me. Thank you."]
[…]
Moments later, the fleet set sail again, now accompanied by a giant netted sperm whale and a large octopus.
The soggy Black-haired Pig Demon sidled up to Ming, grinning cheekily. "Boss, isn't it time to fulfill your promise?"
Ming looked puzzled. "Fulfill what? What did I promise you?"
"A half-hour alone with the mermaid."
"Did I say that? You must be mistaken. I'd never make such a claim. I respect her."
"…"
[The Black-haired Pig Demon looks at you, thinking you're the best boss in the world, bar none. Absolutely... none!]
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