The vacuum collapsed, and a current of water surged onto that spot, but Shin and Bael did not flinch.
Hahahahahahahahahaha.
Shin laughed. "And what if we don't?"
"Then I'll kill you where you stand," the mermaid queen answered, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
Shin fell silent, contemplating for a moment before turning back to the mermaid queen.
"Before we fight each other to the death, may I ask you a question?" Shin asked.
The mermaid looked at him with annoyance. Though her scaly face was largely unreadable, Shin could still sense her irritation.
"Fine. You may ask your question, land dweller," the mermaid queen replied dismissively.
Shin cleared his throat. "How can you speak so well, and how long do you think you have lived?"
The mermaid queen did not answer immediately. She squinted at Shin, pausing to observe him carefully.
"Take a look around, land dweller. We mermaids live in this sunken city. Do you not think that after centuries, one of us would eventually learn your technologies?" she said, pausing for effect.
"I'll leave that to your imagination. As for your second question… your species' research, though insignificant, has shown me that I am a monster classified as an Evolved. You can guess the rest," the queen finally answered, leaning back onto her throne.
"Now… fight," she continued.
Shin looked back at Bael, who was selecting a new weapon. Bael grabbed two identical swords.
"Catch," Bael said, tossing a sword toward Shin.
The sword drifted through the water, and Shin caught it. Just as he was about to unsheath it, Bael lunged at him.
Thanks to the underwater environment, Shin was able to see and dodge in time. He used wind magic to propel himself backward.
Bael held his sword tightly and swung. A wave of water rushed toward Shin, but he managed to dodge it as well.
The mermaid queen scoffed. Bael glanced up at her and saw that her guard was down. Shin seized the moment and launched himself at Bael for a counterattack.
Bael braced as their swords clashed. They exchanged a few blows. Shin glanced up. Bael caught on.
They pushed each other away and immediately assumed battle stances. Bael held his sword high, ready for a downward strike.
Shin held his sword low, dropping his guard entirely. Bael planted his feet on the arena floor and launched himself at Shin.
Shin used wind magic on his feet to propel himself forward. Their swords clashed, releasing shockwaves of force and mana that shook the sunken city.
The mermaid queen smiled as she leaned forward, gripping the edges of her throne. Pleasure spread across her face.
What powerful mana. I always wondered if there were strong creatures outside the lake, but these land dwellers are exceptional compared to what I'm used to.
The two pushed each other apart, the aftershock of their clash still sending ripples through the entire lake.
The mermaid queen's joy was overflowing. This would be her first grave mistake—she had dropped her guard so completely that she did not see nor anticipate what Bael and Shin had in store for her.