Undersea Reincarnation - [Octopus Monster Evolution LitRPG]

Floating hundreds of yards in the air, with her heart hammering in her ears and the wind whipping about, Ash watched, fist tight, lest the ring of Flight that Arisia had let her borrow somehow managed to slip from her finger.

Still, she wished they could watch the bout from up close. They were so far up in the air that she could barely see the silhouette of Velistraine bobbing up and down as she stood on the water's surface. On the other hand, Henry and Maurice were unmistakable. For starters, Henry was a literal giant kraken and just his eyes were larger than Velistraine. As for Maurice, aside from the fact that he was taller and many times wider than the woman, his multicolored shell could not be missed either—especially considering his spot on top of Henry's head.

"Wouldn't they foul each other, like that?" asked Fabian as he peered curiously down at the duel, hand above his brow to shield from the harsh daylight.

"That's where experience comes in," answered Arisia, hands behind her back. "They're used to fighting like that, from what I've heard."

They were all three watching from afar, a decent distance back from Zerathstra who was standing between Thalis and the duel. While this little match would have most likely attracted a wide crowd, it had been deemed too risky to hold within Thalis itself. Mostly because of Velistraine herself. If Zerathstra was too busy containing her attacks, he might miss some of Henry's or Maurice's, which could end up being just as dangerous for the surrounding crowds. The defensive enchantments could hold the attacks of B-rank well enough, but at A-rank—and now B+—it was too much of an unnecessary risk.

I need to make that evolution as well, Ash thought, biting her lip. With such an evolution, she could finally go back to settle matters in her home island. Close that chapter for good.

***

"Looking scary, boys!" Velistraine called out as a wave carried her up, nearly fifteen feet up, if her count was good. But even then, Henry's large, yellow eyes still loomed above her, even though he was mostly submerged. Above him, Maurice clicked his pincers merrily as he eyed her. None had started working on their skills, which she appreciated, though the eight floating octopuses still managed to give her the creeps. For only two individuals ahead of her, she felt the weight of a lot of eyes on her.

Excluding the spectators, of course.

"I won't be using any active Skills," she called out, drawing her dragon-bone sword. The weapon she'd looted might be a little overkill, but she wasn't using most of her abilities and, well, she didn't really have the claws to fight a kraken. And her punches wouldn't do her much good. "Well, aside from this one," she said, glancing down at her feet. "Movement Skills and passives only for me. But you boys go wild."

The waves churned, sending a refreshing spray of brine up as she held her sword back, excitement welling in her chest, flushing her face. "Ready? Go!" she shouted, and broke into a sprint.

Velistraine made it three steps before she was stopped, and her laughter cut off as a giant arm tore out from under her foot like the root of a mighty tree.

"Oh shit!" she cursed as she dodged to the right, only to find herself face to face with a glistening black orb the size of her head that made her sense of danger scream at her. Velistraine went to jump up, only to feel something press down on her shoulder, at which point she noticed the haze of purple that had surrounded her.

A laugh escaped her lips as she shoved the Telekinesis away with her aura before she ran her mana into the sword and bisected Maurice's bubble. The magic destabilized and blew up, sending a wild burst of unstable raw mana, but not as violently as it would have if it had done what it had been programmed to do.

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Velistraine was thrown back a few yards, but she landed pretty easily on her feet as the wild mana dispersed.

Spatial magic? No, not just that…

Velistraine was familiar with Maurice's imploding bubbles, but she'd never experienced them from up close. Oh well. Maybe they'll manage to hit her with one and she'd see what they packed. For now, it was her turn.

Gripping her sword tighter, she exploded forward, and swung her sword up, her mana extending its reach dramatically and cutting the rising wave that barred her way down the center, parting the water and severing the giant arm hidden within before she jumped—right as a swarm of shadowy krakens came up, a second before they exploded. This time, though, she quickly course-corrected by kicking her feet against the hardened patch of air.

She felt the implosion go off above her, but she had no eyes for them. Her focus narrowed on the two beings below. Maurice tried to get her again, seeing she was coming at them in a straight line, but not Henry. She saw his many eyes track her and as soon as she kicked the air, he was ready.

Smart bastard, she thought as she changed her angle. He'd seen through her, but that didn't mean he could stop her.

Velistraine exploded in a flurry of movements, the world blurring around her as she kicked the air nearly a dozen times in less than a second until she found herself face to face with Henry, a wide grin on her face. She noticed the arms raising to meet her, but he hadn't moved fast enough.

She felt the attempt at Telekinesis, but her aura made that practically useless. Her blade flashed, and the magical jade scales barely put up a resistance as the kraken's flesh was seamlessly carved through.

Then Henry disappeared, and in his stead, an inky-black clone appeared. Velistraine sensed the buildup of magic, so she swung her sword and destabilized the spell again before it could go off.

Velistraine chuckled, a little winded as she sensed the kraken reappear a few paces behind. She looked back and watched as the cut she'd inflicted slowly closed up. She'd carved him up from just below the eye and all the way down, severing three of his arms. But because she hadn't infused any conceptual essence in the attack, she might as well have punched him. Already, the arms were halfway regrown, and within seconds, he'd be as good as new.

"Is that all?" she taunted, gripping her sword tighter. "Do you want us to go underwater? Would that be more comfortable for you two?"

The duo kept quiet, but they weren't taking her words lying down.

Henry's skin darkened further, and the scales shone brighter. The floating octopuses grew suddenly larger, and four of them began to change. One became blood-red, and its eyes were trained on her like a predator eyed its prey. One turned a pale green and floated back and away from her. That one felt like healing. A third became purple and black smoke shaped into an octopus, and the fourth glowed with an intense blue that raised her hackles.

Aspects are in play. This should be fun, she thought. But she refrained from bringing her own to the forefront just yet. She wanted to see what they could do. As for Maurice, the changes there weren't as dramatic, but she could literally feel his domain at the edge of her own, and if it wasn't for her aura, he'd already be giving her a hard time.

These two are going to be terrifying when they step into A-rank. Especially if they keep working together.

Velistraine leaned forward, ready to explode toward them, only for the blood-red octopus to screech out a rage-filled warcry and Blink right on top of her, one bladed arm nearly as large as her flashing at her head.

Huh?

Velistraine parried the blade and felt the impact in her shoulder. She went to punch the enraged octopus only for another arm to meet her and implode, making her wince in pain. But that was only the opening salvo. When she tried to move away, a pulse of Aspect-empowered Telekinesis shoved her back, right as she sensed something teleport behind her. Velistraine swung back with an elbow, and only felt something slick resist for barely a fraction before it disappeared. When she looked at her elbow, it was as if she had dipped it in ink.

Velistraine parried another swing of the red octopus aimed at her neck and looked toward her opponent, only to find them gone.

Then the waters exploded under her.