Dai Huabin's grab was truly vicious; Mademoiselle Crabaletta felt her pincers go numb. This human brat had quite a bit of strength! Gentilhomme Usher was completely enraged—how rude! How barbaric! A fight is a fight, why resort to snatching things? Its tentacles whirled like wind-and-fire wheels, firing compressed water arrows that became increasingly fast and dense, shooting toward Dai Huabin as if they cost nothing, forcing him to dodge and block repeatedly. Those water arrows left deep little pits wherever they struck the ground or walls.
Surintendante Chevalmarin stopped floating idly as the water vapor in the surrounding air became so thick it almost dripped. Those bubbles were no longer slow; they generated rapidly and smashed like cannonballs toward Dai Huabin and his subordinates, whose movements were becoming slower and footings more slippery. When the bubbles burst, they splashed large patches of sticky water residue, throwing the group into a frantic mess.
Dai Huabin was both shocked and furious. What on earth were these three things? They looked like Sea Soul Beasts, but their control over water was far too proficient! The force of those water arrows was ridiculously high, the bubbles were disgusting, and that crab's shell was as hard as iron! His Evil Eyes White Tiger Martial Soul was considered one of the stronger ones among the attack system, yet he actually found himself somewhat unable to suppress them?
Mademoiselle Crabaletta took advantage of the opening when he was forced back by Gentilhomme Usher's water arrows to steady her pincers. She was also getting angry. Mainly, the mission might end in failure, and she wouldn't be able to give an account to Furina (though Furina likely wouldn't do anything to them anyway). She slammed her empty pincer into the ground!
"Crack!"
Several cracks opened in the ground, and a surge of extremely pure, chillingly Advanced water element energy erupted from the fissures like a small fountain. With a splash, it knocked over two charging lackeys, sending them tumbling like rolling gourds. This water looked clear and bright, but it was incredibly heavy; once it touched the body, it felt like being draped in a layer of wet cotton quilts.
Dai Huabin was startled. This water's aura... why did it feel purer than the Soul Power of the water-attribute Spirit Master elders in his family? He didn't have time to think further because the large crab, riding the momentum of the water, swung its pincer over with a whistling wind! He hurriedly used his tiger claws to block.
"Bang!"
This time, it was Dai Huabin's turn to have his arms shaken until they were numb. He stumbled back several steps, an expression of disbelief on his face. How did this crab's strength suddenly become so great?!
In fact, it was the aura of the Ultimate Water that had briefly empowered Mademoiselle Crabaletta. Gentilhomme Usher and Surintendante Chevalmarin also seemed to have been injected with adrenaline, as their attacks became even more fierce. The bubbles turned into clumps of viscous water mist that entangled people's ankles. The water arrows became colder and faster.
The three non-human creatures coordinated with great chemistry: the crab took the lead and soaked up damage, the octopus provided long-range 'pew-pew-pew' interference, and the seahorse controlled the field with debuffs. Dai Huabin and his increasingly pathetic subordinates, on the other hand, were like a disorganized mob, being played like fools.
The commotion here grew louder and louder, finally attracting the guards patrolling the perimeter of the Dukes Mansion and several servants who hurried over after hearing the noise. They were all shocked to see their young master engaged in a fierce battle (and slightly on the losing side?) against three never-before-seen, dripping-wet, bizarre Soul Beasts.
"Young Master!" "Quick! Help!" "What kind of Soul Beasts are those?!"
Several guards with some Soul Power cultivation hurriedly revealed their Martial Souls and rushed forward. But as soon as they stepped into that wet area filled with bubbles and puddles, they realized something was wrong. Their movements slowed, and even the circulation of their Soul Power became somewhat sluggish. Those three strange things coordinated too well; water arrows, bubbles, and crab pincers rained down on them, making it impossible to gain an advantage—instead, they only added to the chaos.
Dai Huabin felt he was losing face. With so many people watching, he actually couldn't take down three "Sea Soul Beasts" of unknown origin? He roared like a tiger in anger, his attacks becoming even more frenzied, but his openings also increased. Mademoiselle Crabaletta saw her chance, tanked one of his claw strikes, and swung her other pincer in a fierce horizontal sweep, sending him staggering into a wall, nearly knocking the wind out of him. The guards hurriedly rushed over to protect him.
"Young Master! Are you alright?" "These Soul Beasts are strange! Let's protect the Young Master and retreat first!"
Seeing that their master had seemingly suffered a loss, the guards and servants also panicked. The main issue was that these three things couldn't be hit or controlled; they were slippery all over and coordinated exceptionally well, plus that water was particularly heavy and cold, making it miserable to be covered in. They exchanged glances and, while warily eyeing Mademoiselle Crabaletta and the others, supported the livid Dai Huabin—who was still struggling to fight more—and slowly retreated.
Seeing the opponents about to flee, Mademoiselle Crabaletta and the others didn't give chase. Their mission wasn't to fight. Once an opening appeared, the three of them turned in perfect unison with a "whoosh," quickly darting into a more complex side alley and vanishing in moments.
...
Huo Yuhao felt particularly panicked today. Just now, a loud commotion had come from outside, along with the sounds of Soul Power collisions and people shouting. He tightly gripped a rusty short knife, shrinking into the innermost corner of their dilapidated room, his eyes fixed on the door, his heart pounding wildly. His mother had just eaten that strange dessert someone had secretly left behind last time and was feeling much better; she was resting and absolutely could not be disturbed.
Suddenly, he heard a strange, rustling, watery sound rapidly approaching from outside! It wasn't the sound of human footsteps!
He was so nervous his hair stood on end. He held the short knife across his chest and held his breath.
The next second, their dilapidated door, which barely blocked the wind, was slammed half-open with a "clatter."
Huo Yuhao almost screamed in fright as three shadows darted in! A blue, floating seahorse? A crab holding large pincers? And a round octopus wearing a small formal suit? All three things were soaking wet and seemed to be in quite a hurry.
They also immediately saw Huo Yuhao in the corner, holding a knife with a face full of terror and wariness.
Both sides froze for a moment.
Then, the large crab seemed to hesitate for a moment before quickly tossing a small pouch and a crumpled piece of paper held in its pincer toward Huo Yuhao. They landed with a "thud" on the empty floor right in front of his feet.
Having completed this action, the three strange creatures seemed to have finished a major task. Without staying a second longer, they turned and darted back out with a "whoosh," disappearing through the door at a speed as if a dog were chasing them.
Huo Yuhao was completely stunned, his hand holding the knife still shaking. He stared fixedly at the door for a long time, and only after confirming those three monsters had truly left did he, still shaken, cautiously move over and poke the small pouch with the tip of his knife.
It was heavy, and a crisp sound of metal clinking came from inside.
He used the knife to push open the crumpled paper, which had crooked characters written on it.
He was completely bewildered, unable to understand what had just happened. What were those three? Why did they run away after dropping these things? He warily looked out the door, then back at the items on the floor, his small face filled with utter confusion and bewilderment.