Chapter : 417
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Chapter : 417
A colossal sea serpent burst out of the water. It was the legendary Titanoboa.
The monster was unbelievably huge. It had thick, dark green scales. Its eyes burned like bright yellow lanterns. It opened its massive jaws. Water poured from its sharp teeth. It let out a deafening, apocalyptic roar. The roar shook the wooden docks.
The greedy poachers had woken the beast. They tried to steal from its sunken lair. The Titanoboa was in an absolute frenzy. It was totally enraged.
"That is a very big snake," Ken complained loudly. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "I really do not like snakes. They slither. It is completely unnatural. Can we pretend we did not see it? I am officially off the clock."
"We have to stop it!" Princess Iris commanded. "It will destroy the entire town! Vanguard, move out!"
The elite girls did not hesitate. They rushed toward the edge of the docks.
The Titanoboa slammed its massive head down. It crushed the poachers' small boat instantly. The wood splintered into a million pieces. The greedy men fell into the churning water. The monster ignored them. It turned its glowing yellow eyes toward the docks. It saw the 13th Unit.
The sea serpent charged. It moved through the water with terrifying speed.
"Ira, we need footing!" Naomi shouted. She spun her daggers.
Ira stepped forward. Her pale face showed zero emotion. She raised her hands. The ocean water gathered around her boots. She used her water magic to freeze and solidify the surface of the waves. She created a slippery, watery platform on top of the ocean.
"The surface tension is stable," Ira stated flatly. "We can walk on the water. But the footing is extremely disadvantageous. Mobility is reduced by forty percent."
"We will make it work!" Laxmi cheered.
The vanguard jumped off the docks. They landed on the watery platform. Their boots splashed against the surface. It was very hard to stand. The ocean waves crashed all around them. The water moved constantly.
Ken stayed safely on the wooden docks. He hugged his wooden post.
"You guys go ahead!" Ken yelled from the docks. "I will guard the lemonade glasses! The water looks very wet! My navy blue suit is dry clean only! I cannot fight on a puddle!"
Naomi did not even look back. She smiled a tiny bit. She knew Ken would stay safe. She focused entirely on the giant monster.
Laxmi slammed her fists together. Bright orange flames erupted from her hands. "Take this, you ugly worm!" she yelled.
Laxmi threw a massive fireball. The fire flew across the ocean. It hit the Titanoboa right on its snout. The flames hissed loudly against the wet scales. A huge cloud of steam filled the air.
The monster did not even blink. Its scales were too thick. The water protected its body. It roared again. It swung its massive tail.
"Watch out!" Zinia shouted.
Zinia stomped her boot on the watery platform. She tried to pull up a wall of solid rock. But they were standing on the ocean. There was no dirt. There were no rocks. Her earth magic completely failed. A tiny clump of mud floated to the surface. It washed away instantly.
"I cannot use my earth magic here!" Zinia panicked. She lost her balance on the slippery water.
The giant tail crashed into the watery platform. The impact was brutal. A huge shockwave of water blasted the girls.
Naomi tried to dodge. She used her wind magic to dash to the left. But her boots slipped on the wet surface. She stumbled. The massive wave of water hit her side. She spun out of control. She crashed into Laxmi. Both girls tumbled across the watery floor.
"This footing is terrible!" Naomi yelled. She struggled to stand up. Her clothes were completely soaked.
Sayma pushed her glasses up. She threw her hands forward. "Absolute Hexagon!"
A bright golden honeycomb barrier snapped into place. It blocked a second tail strike. The golden light cracked loudly. The sheer size of the monster was overwhelming. Sayma fell to one knee. The impact rattled her bones.
The battle was incredibly brutal. The 13th Unit was at a total disadvantage. The ocean belonged to the Titanoboa. The monster was an ancient apex predator. It moved flawlessly through the water. It dived under the waves and popped up in unexpected places.
Ira swung her high-pressure water whips. She tried to hit the monster's eyes. The Titanoboa just snapped its jaws. It bit right through the water whips. Ira stumbled backward. She almost fell into the ocean.
"We cannot hit it properly!" Laxmi yelled. Her flames sputtered in the splashing waves. "The water keeps putting out my fire!"
Princess Iris stood near the edge of the docks. She looked very worried. Her vanguard was struggling. They could not find solid ground. They could not use their normal teamwork. The giant sea serpent was too fast and too strong.
Ken stood next to Princess Iris. He watched the fight. He let out a loud yawn.
"This is why I hate the beach," Ken mumbled lazily. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "The ocean always ruins everything. We should just drain the water. A dry beach is much safer."
Iris did not laugh. She gripped her silver rapier. "They are losing their balance, Ken. The monster is too big."
Out on the water, the Titanoboa rose high into the air. It towered over the elite girls. It opened its jaws. It prepared to strike. It wanted to devour Naomi and Laxmi in a single bite.
The girls looked up. They braced themselves for the impact. They had nowhere to run. The watery platform was too slippery. The situation looked completely hopeless.
---
The Titanoboa laughed a bubbly, hissing laugh. It thought the small girls were totally harmless. It pulled its massive head back. It wanted to finish them off in one single strike.
"Leave my friends alone!" a sweet voice shouted. The voice was not quiet anymore. It echoed loudly across the entire beach.
Ken stopped chewing his candy. He blinked his sleepy eyes. He watched a small figure step forward on the wooden docks.
It was Risa. The gentle, pink-haired healer stood completely still. She watched her friends struggling in the ocean. She usually stayed in the back. She usually only healed cuts and bruises. She hated fighting. She hated loud noises.
But she saw Naomi struggling to stand. She saw Laxmi coughing up sea water. She saw Zinia trying to keep Sayma above the waves.
Risa’s bright green eyes filled with tears. But she did not cry out of fear. She cried because she loved her friends. She loved her messy, chaotic family. She could not stand watching them get hurt.
Risa slowly lowered her arms. She set her stuffed teddy bear down on a dry wooden crate. She patted the bear on its soft head.
"Stay here," Risa whispered to the toy. "I have to help them."
Risa walked right up to the very edge of the wooden docks. She looked down at the churning, violent ocean. She looked at the colossal sea serpent.