Chapter 42: The Storms' Last Vow
Rain drizzled from darkening skies.
Waves slammed against the shore, echoing the clash of weapons at the island's edge. Water and fire danced in furious combat—Hudaifah's curved blade, forged from flowing essence, collided with the scorpion-sigil swordsman's flaming red weapon.
The half black-smoke man laughed, twisted, and cruel. "You think you can still protect someone, Ogin? You can't even protect yourself right now."
Hudaifah didn't reply. His swords moved with silent purpose—swift arcs of precision, parrying and slashing like a river carving through stone. Though vastly outnumbered, he fought with unwavering resolve.
Hidden behind a boulder, the red-haired girl trembled. She wanted to cry but dared not. Then she turned and ran, clutching her leather satchel tightly.
From the hilltop, the vermilion-robed commander gave a signal.
Three serpent-crested soldiers peeled away from the fray and rushed toward the girl. Hudaifah saw them—and exploded into motion.
A wall of water burst from the ground behind him, forming the shape of a great illusory shark. With a roar, it surged forward, sweeping the soldiers away in a crashing tide.
The girl remembered the watery beast that had destroyed the ship before. And from within the illusory water shark, Hudaifah emerged once more, landing beside her. His essence surged—but he knew it was nearly spent.
As he looked at the red-haired girl, he found that she had flinched. Her eyes met his—and she stumbled back as if frightened. Tears broke through her face. She turned and ran again.
Before he could reach her, the smoke-wreathed man blocked Hudaifah's path, laughing as their blades clashed again.
"You're burning your soul to keep her alive," he sneered, blood trickling from his mouth. "Why throw your life away for a child?"
Hudaifah didn't respond. Instead, he turned to intercept another wave of enemies heading for the girl. He stood firm, like an impenetrable wall between her and the threat.
The enemy flared with heat. "How touching. I'll finish her in front of you—"
A ring of glowing blue water surged around Hudaifah at that time.
A wall of flame erupted in her path as she stopped. She screamed and stumbled back. From the inferno stepped the vermilion-robed commander with a drill-like spear in his right hand.
He reached toward her satchel.
The girl yanked out a small, shifting black-and-blue cube from within, clutching it tightly as the satchel tore apart. She wouldn't give it up.
The commander raised his jagged spear—ready to strike.
As Hudaifah saw this scene, he throws one of his curved swords towards the girl. A giant tidal vortex formed beneath him, lifting him into the air.
The curved sword landed before the girl with a crash of rising water, forming another swirling vortex. From the heart of the vortex, Hudaifah emerged in front of her.
When the red-haired girl opened her eyes, she saw the crimson-tipped weapon jutted from Hudaifah's back. The vermilion-robed commander withdrew it quickly, blood gushing into the rain.
The girl was frozen—unable to move, even unable to scream.
Hudaifah turned toward her, wavering on his feet. His essence pulsed one last time. Water gathered around her like a living cradle, lifting her off the ground.
"You lost," the commander hissed, stepping forward to finish the job.
Hudaifah barely dodged his attack, and his right ear burst into puddles of blood. With his remaining strength, Hudaifah grabbed the girl and threw them both into the swirling water and turned into the Illusory water shark carrying her inside.
The girl's body was sealed inside a new water body. The illusory water shark launched into the sea with a roar, carried by a serpentine channel of pure Essence—water spiralling like a tunnel beneath the stormclouds. A deep hum echoed beneath the sea, followed by a deep rumble echoed below. A massive eruption of water shattered three ships simultaneously in its wake.
She saw his face as the ill—expressionless, yet resolute—as lightning split the sky and the Illusory water shark dissolved into mist turning back into Hudaifah. They landed on the fourth ship.
Hudaifah collapsed to one knee. His essence had run dry. His swords vanished into puddles.
All of a sudden, the scorpion-marked spectre attacked down on him from above, he was also breathing heavily.
But Hudaifah eyes remained calm. He stood tall, drenched, bleeding, his body flickering between presence and essence.
The last thing the enemy saw was the Sea King raising a single hand, palm open.
Then, the entire scenery was swallowed by a storm that emerged from Hudaifah's palm.
When the smoke-wreathed man opened his eyes. His robes smouldered with electricity, and his whole body was charred with lightning, and the fleet was gone as well. The girl and the Ogin escaped, but he didn't mind as he smiled sheepishly and then laughed like a maniac as he floated among the wreckage.
Onshore, the vermilion-robed commander slammed his spear into the ground in fury. The whole island quaked with it.
Far away, under clearer dusk sky, a lone ship was drifting forward automatically. Aboard it, the red-haired girl was crying as she frantically used her powers of red sparks on Hudaifah's still body, but the injury didn't heal at all. She even used her small hands to stop the blood, but it wasn't effective as well.
She looked down at Hudaifah, who wasn't moving at all. No words came from his mouth. But his eyes moved, just a little. He smiled faint but bright. He handed her a small scroll that was sealed with a sigil—a wolf curled around a crescent moon and said something, but no voice came out from his mouth.
He raised his hand to wipe her tears—but it fell, lifelessly, before it could even reach her.
The girl screamed—but the sea only answered with silence.