Chapter 757 Unmistakable Hate
?Archer was relaxing on Lucrezia while she slowly swam toward the sharks, who were oblivious to their presence; when he realized this, he scanned them to see how strong the deep sea beasts were.
[Deep Trench Sharks]
[Rank: SSS]
'They're strong,' he internally thought.
Just as he thought that, Lucrezia quickly dived into the darkness below. Her sweet but menacing voice sounded in his mind, ''I will hunt them from the dark so they won't flee straight away.''
''Okay Luce,'' Archer replied.
''The Deep Trench Sharks are blind if I attack from below and won't scatter, allowing us to hunt several of them before they flee,'' Lucrezia revealed.
As the monster sharks glided above them, their senses keen but unaware of the impending danger, Lucrezia waited while Archer was on her back, concealed within the shadowy recesses of the underwater cavern.
She watched with a predator's patience as they circled lazily, their sleek forms cutting through the water with effortless grace. Then, with a sudden surge of movement, she lunged forth from the darkness like a phantom.
Her massive jaws snapped shut with precision on the caudal fin of the nearest shark. Archer watched the creature roar in pain as Lucrezia snapped closed her large jaws. Its panicked thrashing movements sent ripples through the dark water.
Lucrezia retreated into the darkness before the other sharks could react, dragging her prey. The injured shark flopped helplessly, its panicked movements causing the surrounding creatures to freeze in fear, unsure of what had just transpired.
Archer got excited as he witnessed everything, but as she held the shark in her massive jaws, he unleashed a dozen Eldritch Blasts into the creature's brain, causing it to stop thrashing around and flowing a decent chunk of experience into his body.
When he felt that, Archer checked how much experience he had gained from fighting the Swarm and the Deep-Trench Shark.
[Exp: 1800000>2000000]
Excited by the amount of experience he gained, he eagerly anticipated hunting in Zarion's realm and engaging in further battles with the Swarm. Afterward, he stored the beast's body in his Item Box before they returned to hunting.
Lucrezia hunted the sharks from the darkness, while Archer killed them using Eldritch Blast to stop their struggle. The two continued hunting the deep sea beasts until hours passed, and he could feel the weight in his Item Box due to all the corpses he collected.
Archer stood on Lucrezia's head while staring into a black hole at the bottom of the Deep Sea Trench, which he couldn't see through even with the help of his dragon's eyes. The Death Witch spoke as the silence took over.
''We have something similar in my kingdom, but no one entered it as it leads to the Underrealm and the places the Nameless Things roam,'' Lucrezia explained. ''I don't understand how this realm has the same thing.''
He shrugged before answering, ''We can ask Zarion whenever we see him.''
The large Mosasaur girl nodded as she started swimming to the surface while the surrounding beasts fled from them. It took them an hour to reach the shore, and when they breached the surface, Archer Blinked to the shore while Lucrezia transformed.
She landed next to him with a thud, but they were suddenly hit by three powerful auras, which forced Archer to grit his teeth while fighting back against it. Lucrezia felt it, but as she was a Demigod, it didn't affect her as much as him.
Soon, Zarion and Zapona appeared in their Primordial forms, and the giant ice snake that ate Goramoth appeared behind them, staring at Lucrezia with hate in her eyes. The two massive birds landed in front of them, shaking the ground.
They transformed into their human form with looks of anger on their faces while a loud sinister hiss was heard, which caused Lucrezia to grab Archer's arm as Zarion looked at him and spoke, ''We didn't think you'd bring the Deep One Princess here straight away.''
Archer shrugged, ''She helped me hunt the sea beasts, which were plentiful,'' he said. ''Is that not the point you gave me access to this place?''
Zarion stared at him while Zapona said nothing but stared at Lucrezia. Archer felt the Death Witches' nervousness, but then another light was seen, causing everyone to turn their gaze in its direction.
As Archer gazed ahead, he caught sight of a petite female with skin as pure as snow and eyes shimmering with violet intensity. She glared at them with unmistakable hate while Lucrezia stood frozen, transfixed by the approaching woman.
Noticing the woman's hair mirroring her pallid complexion and her pointed ears twitching with agitation, Archer braced himself as she halted before them, her voice laced with anger. "Why have you brought a Deep One here?" she demanded.
When Archer heard her demand, he was confused and questioned the newcomer. "Didn't you hear me explain to Zarion? She's helping me level up," he replied.
Zarion stepped forward and addressed the snake woman, ''Sirenia,'' he said. ''Archer is our guest and ally against the dark god's forces. I let him in here so he can get stronger.''
''But why is she here?'' Sirenia demanded. ''The Deep Ones are with the Abyssal Legion!''
That's when Zapona finally spoke, which stopped Sirenia from complaining. ''She cares for Moirai's Chosen and will fight on his side.''
Archer was shocked and looked at Lucrezia, who gave him a nervous smile, causing him to ask, ''Can you control your aura? Luce means no harm and is my fiance.''
The Primordial Thunder and Storm birds nodded before retracting their auras. Zapona looked at Sirenia and asked her to do the same, which she reluctantly did after giving Lucrezia a dirty look.
Once the Primordial aura vanished, Archer spoke, ''Can't Lucrezia join me in Elysium?''
Zapona nodded, ''She can,'' the white-haired woman said, ''Just explain that she's your fiance and is on our side, and they shouldn't have a problem as I'm well known as a good judge of character and Lucrezia is different from the other Deep Ones.''
Archer smiled gratefully and thanked Zapona before the Primordial couple disappeared, bidding their farewells and leaving Sirenia behind. As they vanished, the petite snake woman's gaze remained fixed on him, her expression inscrutable.
A nervousness shivered down Archer's spine as Sirenia's violet snake-like eyes locked onto his own. Before leaving, she warned him, ''If she poses any threat to us, I'll deal with her as I did with that vile gorilla.''
But Archer reassured her, ''All she'll do is aid me in hunting the Elysium beasts until I'm strong enough to confront the Primordials that pursue me.''
Sirenia just stared at him before giving him a slight nod. Afterward, she turned around and transformed into her massive snake form, slithering into the nearby sea. Archer watched this with an amazed expression.
Afterward, the two hunted the land beasts using their magic. Lucrezia helped him pin down many creatures before attacking them using his spells, claws, and shadow form, which effortlessly danced through the jungle.
Soon, the Elysium night came, causing billions of stars to light up the sky, creating a beautiful canvas. Archer and Lucrezia stood on a random mountaintop that stretched out to the green canopy below.
''This realm is beautiful, Arch,'' Lucrezia commented. ''It's so primal, and the beasts are stronger than the regular ones outside.''
Archer agreed with a nod before setting up a fire so he could cook some meat for the two of them. He built a fire pit using Mana Manipulation and used the same spell to start a fire, causing it to roar to life.
It lit up the mountaintop, catching Lucrezia's attention. She turned around with a smile and asked, "Hungry?"
''Yes,'' Archer replied. ''I ate during the festival, but my appetite grew as we fought the Swarm and now the Elysium Beasts.''
Once they finished speaking, Lucrezia watched with curiosity as Archer prepared the meat, seasoning it with herbs and spices he had in the Item Box. The pungent smell of the seasoning caused his stomach to rumble with anticipation.
Archer brought out a pan and threw the meat on the fire. When it started sizzling, the scent of roasting meat filled the air, making their mouths water in anticipation. After he did that, the two of them sat next to the fire and waited for the food to cook.
As they sat by the crackling fire, Lucrezia began to inquire about Archer's childhood, her curiosity sparking a series of questions. Despite the memories stirring within him, Archer responded openly, his honesty unwavering, even as recollections of his family's treatment resurfaced.
Though remembering his upbringing annoyed him, Archer recognized that dwelling on the past was pointless as it couldn't affect him anymore. The meat was done sometime later, and the two started eating, which Lucrezia enjoyed as she took more.
The Death Witch let out a happy groan as she tasted the meat. Archer enjoyed the meal while relaxing after pulling out some blankets and cushions from his Item Box, which he handed to the blonde woman.
Lucrezia smiled as she sat down and got comfortable. Just as she was about to sit down, a roar shook the mountain, causing Archer to jump up and scan their surroundings to see the trees below crashing down as something big ran through the jungle.
There was another roar, but this one was quieter. Archer concluded that it was further away, but he wondered what type of beast it was. While watching the scene, Lucrezia spoke up from behind him.
''Come sit down and ignore the beasts, Arch,'' she said. ''They can't get us while we're up here.''
[Please let me know if you spot any mistakes, and I will edit them. Thank you]
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