Chapter 38: No Way Out

What made Eloma cry out in surprise was a Pearl Jellyfish.

It seemed to have just been hiding in a crevice between the rocks, and Eloma’s leg happened to be right near that gap.

Thus, Eloma was successfully targeted by the Pearl Jellyfish, which latched firmly onto her leg.

“L-let go of me!”

Eloma struggled, clawing at the Pearl Jellyfish with her small knife.

After quite a bit of effort, she finally tore it off and threw it far away.

Eloma’s sudden commotion was loud enough for anyone with normal hearing to notice.

At this moment, Lucas had no time to worry about Eloma’s situation.

He peeked out and saw a huge ship anchor wrapped in chains flying straight toward their faces.

Lucas immediately ducked as the anchor smashed the giant rock they were hiding behind, shattering it and fully exposing the four of them.

The dark mass of the Fishmen Army pressed forward toward them.

There was still a chance to turn back and escape.

But these fishmen clearly had no intention of letting them go so easily.

A Giant Fishman let out a deafening roar, then grabbed a massive boulder from the shore and hurled it toward their retreat path.

With a booming crash, the boulder flattened a large section of buildings, completely blocking their escape route.

No way out.

Fighting was their only option.

Lucas patted his pockets; he only had twenty-five bullets left.

There were about six Giant Fishmen among the Fishmen Army, and those big threats would be reserved for those few.

As for the smaller ones, clearing them out would be a real headache.

“Noli, you handle the big ones. Protect Lina and Eloma here.”

“Got it. Be careful.”

Lucas hefted his saw spear and charged into the crowd of monsters, pulling the serrated blade to spin and slice.

He cut down a group of fishmen and those parasitized by the jellyfish in one sweeping strike.

But it was only a drop in the bucket.

Lucas wiped the blood from his face and plunged back into the fray.

Several small creatures darted past Lucas’s legs at high speed, heading straight for Noli and the others behind.

Lucas’s heart skipped a beat.

He turned to see that those creatures were four-legged fish with sharp teeth—their target clearly Noli and the others.

Damn it, Noli wasn’t good at close combat.

Lucas abandoned his charge and spun to protect them.

A shadow streaked out—a black silhouette with a sharp sword slashing through the air, stabbing one of the leaping fish monsters.

It was Lina.

After killing one, Lina used her sword to flick the corpse toward other fish, blocking their advance and slowing them down.

Seizing the fleeting opportunity, she stepped forward in an arrow stance.

Her sword gleamed as she cut down several fish at once.

Lucas had never expected Lina to be this formidable in battle.

“Don’t worry about me, focus on yourself. I can take care of myself,” Lina shouted to Lucas, brushing blood off her blade.

“You watch your back too.”

With no more worries, Lucas turned back into the monster horde.

Limbs and blood splattered everywhere as he tore through them.

These creatures, even armed, couldn’t match him.

Under Lucas’s massacre, their numbers steadily dwindled.

But what bothered Lucas was that the few Giant Fishmen remained motionless.

Aside from the initial attack tossing the ship anchor and blocking the retreat, they hadn’t acted at all.

Their strange behavior piqued Lucas’s curiosity.

After severing the last small fishman’s spine, Lucas turned his attention to the six Giant Fishmen.

These monsters were more than twice his size.

Facing all six head-on meant no advantage.

The best plan was to quickly headshot as many as possible with his firearm at close range, but the weapons they carried meant any mistake could cost him dearly.

“Need some help?”

Noli approached Lucas.

“Lina said she’s protecting Eloma. Let me back you up.”

“Yeah, cover me. I want to take out those big fishmen as fast as possible.”

Lucas steadied himself and charged toward the Giants with his saw spear.

Strangely, even as he approached right in front of them, the fishmen remained unmoved.

His doubts aside, the arrow was on the string and had to be released.

Lucas leapt high, landing on a Giant Fishman’s shoulder, and fired two shots into its skull.

The fishman’s massive body crashed to the ground.

Lucas looked at the remaining Giants—they still did nothing.

Why?

Their comrade was dead, yet they stayed indifferent.

Lucas didn’t dare hesitate.

He jumped onto the second Giant Fishman’s shoulder and shot it dead as well.

Still no reaction? Lucas reloaded quickly, preparing to kill the third.

He repeated the same move—jump, aim, fire.

But at that moment, the remaining four fishmen finally moved.

A huge ship anchor smashed toward Lucas.

Suspended midair, Lucas couldn’t dodge, forced to block the attack with his saw spear held in one hand.

The tremendous impact knocked Lucas from the air onto the ground.

Another Giant Fishman raised its anchor, ready to strike.

Noli’s ice arrow shot out just in time, striking the Giant Fishman’s eye precisely.

The fishman howled in pain, dropping the anchor.

Lucas finally got a breather.

Wasting no time, he took the chance Noli bought him and fired five rapid shots into the fishman’s head.

The Giant Fishman’s skull exploded, collapsing lifelessly.

Lucas immediately flipped over to adjust his stance and retreated temporarily.

That hit was brutal.

Though not dead, Lucas felt as if his bones had shattered.

Staggering back, he reloaded his firearm.

The fishmen chased after him, anchors raised and ready to strike.

“Lucas, behind you!”

Noli warned, firing ice arrows in support.

Lucas knew exactly what was coming; he was waiting.

As the fishmen lifted their anchors to the highest point, Lucas spun and fired into the closest fishman’s eye.

The fishman froze.

As it prepared to slam down the anchor, Lucas fired a second shot.

Two shots later, the Giant Fishman wavered and fell to the ground.

Its massive body was too heavy to rise quickly.

Before it could react, Lucas’s saw spear mercilessly slashed its throat.

Four down.

Only two Giant Fishmen remained.

Lucas glanced at Lina; she and Eloma were safe, which eased his mind.

But looking at Noli, the situation was less optimistic.

Two Giant Fishmen advanced slowly toward her—one wielding a massive ship anchor, the other clutching a metal chain.

They seemed aware that Noli aimed for the eyes.

Their hands guarded their faces, peering out only through finger gaps.

However, this wasn’t the worst part.

From the sea, more fishmen and the jellyfish-hosted men began swarming ashore in groups.