Chapter 129: The Price of Pursuit

The moment Fish King Hern activated his arcane art, his entire body underwent a terrifying transformation. Dense scales erupted across his skin, which turned a deep, unnatural blue. His feet morphed into fin-like appendages, and grotesque fins sprouted from his arms. Even his face sprouted gills, giving him the appearance of a monstrous fish-human hybrid. In this new form, he could breathe effortlessly underwater, and his mobility in the depths would be vastly enhanced.

Just as Fish King Hern completed his merman transformation, another torpedo struck the already battered vessel, sending it irrevocably to the ocean floor.

Upon contact with the water, Fish King Hern instantly darted from the shattered window, swimming swiftly into the distance. He had staked everything on this escape; the loss of all his accumulated resources was secondary, for as long as he lived, hope persisted.

Yet, fate rarely bends to one’s will.

On the submarine’s radar, a deep crimson dot shimmered.

As a creation of the Charlotte Family, their radar system was, of course, equipped with spiritual energy detection. While it couldn’t discern individual spiritual signatures with the precision of someone like Lu Xingyao, it flawlessly tracked the strength and position of basic spiritual aura.

Thus, the instant Fish King Hern fled, his location blazed brightly on the submarine’s radar.

“The Young Lady declared, ‘Leave no one alive!'”

The commander’s voice was frigid. Their directive was to execute the Charlotte Family’s orders, and here, Ellie Roth Charlotte was the ultimate authority.

Therefore, the moment Fish King Hern appeared, the submarine surged forward.

The fishing boats and yachts that had attempted to intercept the fleet were now utterly annihilated. The Charlotte Family, by contrast, had sustained only minor damage to a few ship cannons and slight hull abrasions.

Casualties were negligible, a resounding victory by any measure.

With no reservations, the submarine commander ordered a full-speed pursuit of Fish King Hern.

Fish King Hern, a seasoned Arcanist with decades of experience, proved his mettle. In the abyssal depths, he moved with the agility of a true fish, constantly altering his depth to widen the gap between himself and the pursuing submarine.

His speed, in this merman state, was surprisingly comparable to the submarine’s. However, he knew he couldn’t maintain this form indefinitely; his spiritual energy was finite.

But having roamed the seas for so long, Fish King Hern was intimately familiar with his own advantages and the submarine’s limitations. He had even survived similar predicaments in his early years, successfully evading numerous encirclements.

Submarines required time to ascend and descend, a crucial vulnerability he exploited, as he could achieve the same effect almost instantaneously.

Ordinary humans, when diving to extreme depths, needed to pause for decompression to prevent their lungs from rupturing. Fish King Hern’s transformed state perfectly circumvented this issue, allowing him to adapt to any underwater condition.

This was his edge, enabling him to steadily increase the distance between them.

‘Hahaha, heaven truly does not wish for my demise!’

Fish King Hern glanced back. The submarine was receding further and further. If he could only persist, he was certain to find a hiding place before his spiritual energy was entirely depleted. Once he survived, his power would ensure a triumphant resurgence.

A surge of excitement coursed through Fish King Hern, spurring him to greater bursts of speed, his mind gradually easing.

Behind him, the submarine launched several torpedoes in quick succession, but Fish King Hern deftly evaded each one by plunging deeper into the ocean.

Inside the submarine, the commander’s brow furrowed. This Arcanist was indeed no ordinary foe. The distance between them continued to expand, and they couldn’t afford a prolonged chase. Their primary mission was to transport Ellie Roth to the academy; they couldn’t lose sight of their main objective.

Yet, Ellie Roth’s command was absolute, creating their current predicament.

“Engage overload mode!”

After a brief deliberation, the commander opted for the aggressive maneuver.

“Are you certain…?” the operator asked hesitantly. While this mode would undoubtedly allow them to overtake Fish King Hern, the damage inflicted upon the submarine would be severe. Though it wouldn’t cripple them, the repair costs afterward would be astronomical.

The Charlotte Family would surely demand accountability. Without a compelling explanation, the repercussions would be dire.

“Now, immediately, without delay!” the commander’s order was decisive, devoid of hesitation. He believed that even if this action didn’t earn the family’s approval, it would certainly gain Ellie Roth’s. Ultimately, the family would likely dismiss it as one of Ellie Roth’s whims.

However, if they failed to act and Ellie Roth learned they had allowed Fish King Hern to escape, the consequences would be far graver, potentially leading to their dismissal.

All of them sighed, a testament to the sorrow of their lives as employees.

“Overload mode, activated!”

The operator didn’t hesitate, immediately engaging the overload mode. The submarine instantly unleashed a terrifying surge of spiritual energy. Indeed, the submarine’s overload mode didn’t consume fuel; it directly expended spiritual energy. This massive consumption of spiritual energy required a special mineral, which was precisely why overload mode incurred such exorbitant costs. Moreover, the immense spiritual energy drain would accelerate the submarine’s wear and tear, leading to various issues like mechanical component damage.

Yet, the payoff was equally immense. The moment overload mode activated, the entire submarine transformed into an enraged beast, roaring forward.

A menacing red glow emanated from the submarine, a terrifying sight in the deep sea.

‘What’s happening?’

Feeling a sudden unsettling sensation behind him, Fish King Hern turned his head, only to see the submarine now terrifyingly close.

“How is this possible!!!”

Fish King Hern no longer cared about his dwindling spiritual energy, throwing himself into a full-throttle sprint. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t widen the distance from the submarine.

The submarine seized the opportunity, launching torpedoes as if they were free, barraging Fish King Hern. With a series of violent explosions, an unprecedented detonation rocked the seabed. Multiple torpedoes detonated, their shockwaves even bringing the submarine to a halt.

Several minutes passed before the seabed returned to its silent calm.

Fish King Hern’s mangled body lay on the ocean floor, yet he still breathed, clinging to his last vestiges of life.

‘Is this… the end, after all…’

His merman skin had completely vanished, revealing gruesome, exposed flesh. His hollow eyes could no longer perceive any light, and his life began to flash before them.

‘You will… pay the price!’

Knowing his death was inevitable, Fish King Hern initiated his final echo, a strange ritual he wasn’t even sure would work. He would make everyone pay the price!