Chapter 917: I Am Krune (2/2)

They didn't seem to contain any energy in their bodies. Instead, they just seemed to be sea creatures that had evolved to such a size. As they moved forth as a group, they appeared imposing.

The Escapist was no longer able to paddle forth. All its muscles had cramped, causing its speed to begin slowing down. Its wings twitched as the forearm on its right was slightly bent. The bone within had a crack, seemingly on the verge of breaking.

It seemed that the exertion twisted some muscle strands too much and applied pressure on the bones to the point one of them cracked. The Escapist was grunting in pain but still desperately tried to move forth.

It was at this time that the white line arrived behind them. One of the worm-like fishes jumped out from the ocean above them. It made a beeline towards them, decelerating for half the distance before accelerating the moment it entered the second half.

It opened its mouth, revealing its teeth as it headed straight towards the Escapist. Krune dodged sideways as he tugged his rope, barely managing to evade, despite knowing the direction the attack would come from. The fact that an ocean was right above his head unnerved him.

Moreover, he couldn't stand up in fear his body would be pulled into the ocean above. With that, he had to act while crouched. As Krune dodged the attack, the worm-like fish bit into the Escapist, causing it to scream in pain.

The weight and the momentum behind the impact caused the worm-like fish and the Escapist to drown in the water. The Escapist struggled while it was pulled down further and further by the worm-like fish.

The worm-like fish left the swarming school and headed into the depths. Suddenly, the area lit up as more than ten worm-like fishes appeared. The neon glow they emitted allowed them to see the figure of the Escapist clearly.

All of them bit onto it and tore it into pieces, causing blood to splatter and dissolve into the waters. They were feasting right below the trail of the school of the worm-like fishes. Some of them were lured by the scent of blood and left the school to feast on the Escapist.

When they didn't manage to get any piece of the flesh, they returned to the school and continue to move forth.

Tears streamed out from his eyes as Krune was able to experience everything the Escapist had felt while it was torn into pieces by the worm-like fishes. Its emotions, its feelings, fears, thoughts, the pain it experienced, everything was relayed realtime to Krune. It made him howl in sadness.

He had jumped into the water and used his rope to latch onto a worm-like fish.

He tied it around the opponent's mouth, constricting it while preventing it from opening its mouth. It continued to struggle as it fell into the water, making a curve within as it headed towards the surface, shooting forth with enough force. It then plunged into the ocean above.

It then made the same curve within the water and swam towards the surface, jumping forth with enough power to plunge into the ocean above. This was how all the worm-like fishes moved, alternating from one ocean to the other constantly.

The fluctuation in the gravity fields disrupted him, not to mention the constant plunge into the water. Krune had to time himself during the struggles to breathe in the air.

The worm-like fish wriggled, trying to throw him off balance.

Krune had to concentrate to his limit. Using the rope like a ring, he spun around the worm-like fish's body, evading the lunges from the surrounding school of fishes. Even a slight lapse in judgment would cost him his life.

With that, Krune had to be as careful as possible. His arms hurt while his nails had come off during the struggle. At times, Krune had dug his nails into the skin of the worm-like fish to hold his balance. So while he was evading a couple of attacks, they were pulled off.

The pain was unbearable, but Krune couldn't relent that easily. He had to use all his experience to stay alive. Having used a shield for all his life, he was an expert in defending himself. But even then, Krune was facing a lot of difficulties.

The worm-like fish he had latched onto continued to swim, occasionally bumping into other fishes in an effort to smash him into mush. At those moments, he had to quickly swerve his body to the side and avoid the collision.

Then again, it was easier said than done. They were constantly alternating between air and water. So, every time this happened, the difference in the density of the mediums caused him difficulty in reacting. After all, it was easier to move faster in the air than in water.

There were many variables at play. Moreover, the fishes had serpentine bodies. So, they were able to coil-over one another and constrict him slowly to death. And whenever this was bound to happen, Krune had to let go of the current worm-like fish and latch onto another nearby.

On top of that, he was wounded. So, every time that happened, it made his blood mix with the water and draw in more fish towards him.