Chapter 25: 21 Those Who Drown Can Swim
"Pfffff!"
Facing the entanglement and squeezing from all directions, the Cyclops was bound by the sentient watery snakes that were biting and gnawing at his flesh.
However, although Polyphemus lacked magical talent, the divine blood from Poseidon and the sea nymph Thoosa bestowed upon him the protection of the ocean. The snakes made of seawater could only briefly restrict his movements and could not inflict any real harm.
Did you think by dragging me underwater, you could drown the offspring of the God of the Sea? How foolish!
Polyphemus, who could breathe freely in water, sneered as he tore apart several watery snakes in front of him. That single vertical eye on his face was locked deadly on the figure rapidly surfacing in the sea like a darting fish.
"Damn rats, you still think you can run!"
The Cyclops, having relocated his target, suddenly exerted his strength. His enormous body, dragging many entwined watery snakes behind, surged after the figure like a fierce sea beast draped in seaweed, breaking the surface with extreme speed.
"Splash!"
A huge wave exploded on the sea surface, scattering the splashing water that formed a misty fog.
The moment Polyphemus emerged, his single eye suddenly focused sharply, and he raised his right hand to steadily catch the hidden killing intent beneath the haze.
—A light bronze arrow was stopped right in front of his face.
"Little rat, shooting such flimsy arrows, you didn't get enough milk when you were young?"
The Cyclops, with his rough, hoarse voice, laughed and taunted.
From above, however, the figure holding the bronze longbow pointed quietly towards a particular spot.
Polyphemus instinctively followed the direction of Luo En's finger and looked at the front end of the bronze arrow.
—A small, inconspicuous clay bottle, bound with thin threads, was hanging below the arrowhead.
—On the bottle, there seem to be two lines of Hermes Script engraved.
One symbol was a circle for the covert nature of water, and the other was a triangle, with a faint glow warming between their textures.
In an instant, the contempt on the Cyclops's face suddenly froze, his pupil contracting rapidly.
"Snap!"
At the same time, a crisp snap echoed.
And the bronze arrow he was holding exploded violently, a hot liquid splattered unexpectedly onto his face and eyes.
Instantly, the air filled with the pungent stench of rotting flesh. An intense burning sensation and excruciating pain swept over him, plunging his surroundings into darkness.
"Ahhh! My eyes! My eyes!"
Polyphemus clutched his face with one hand and swept blindly around with the other, emitting a piercing scream.
The sea water nearby splashed up large waves, drenching the Cyclops's body and causing secondary injuries that made Polyphemus twist in agony; the string in his mind known as rationality snapped completely.
"Ah, I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
While wailing miserably, the Cyclops cursed venomously.
"You stinking rat, I will tear your limbs off... twist off your head... scoop out your guts... then skewer you on a stick... and watch you die bit by bit!"
However, without solid ground to stand on, without projectiles to throw, without his prideful throwing technique, Polyphemus floating in the sea could only vent his frustration on the surrounding water in vain.
At that moment, Luo En, who had already changed position and retreated to a distant reef, watched the maddening Cyclops quietly with sharp and calm eyes.
Most creatures share a common flaw, the more dangerous the situation, the more vigilant they become.
And often, when they reach a safe place or domain they are adept in, they instinctively relax.
Therefore, what one perceives as an advantage may very well become a fatal factor.
This is what is meant by—the ones who drown are those who can swim.
Polyphemus had clearly made the same mistake; his opponent was not a dumb and defenseless lamb, but a thinking, tool-using demigod.
Luckily, a few bottles of poison prepared by Circe remained, and unexpectedly they dealt a severe blow to this old foe, otherwise...
Luo En gazed at Polyphemus who had been thrashing on the sea surface for a full half-hour, still cursing and flailing, and couldn't help but be amazed at the length of the cyclops' health bar.
But judging from his range of motion, reaction speed, and the strength of his speech, this old foe floating in the seawater was merely at his last gasp, hardly having any strength left.
"Despicable... shameless... I'll kill you! Kill you!"
Polyphemus kept muttering on the sea surface, with a certain emotion of grief and indignation spilling between the lines.
After losing his sight and being poisoned, the one-eyed giant, upon calming down, had considered escaping, despite being at a complete disadvantage.
But that rat hiding in the dark, occasionally shooting cold arrows and casting curses, hindered his movements; or dropped a few dragon-tooth warriors to create a commotion, making him paranoid and exhausted, simply not allowing him the chance to withdraw.
Thus, Polyphemus could only watch his vitality continuously dwindle, waiting to be slowly ground to death.
At last, after struggling miserably for another half-hour, the battered one-eyed giant climbed onto a rock and collapsed with a crash. His head, buried underwater, faintly sensed approaching footsteps through the undulations of the water.
Yet at this moment, he didn't even have the strength to lift his hand.
Polyphemus twisted his neck, turning his head with difficulty, revealing a face so mangled that the bones under the flesh were almost visible; however, his surviving tongue still managed to spit out venomous curses.
"You human half-breed... killing me... Father God will definitely... not let you go! And... and... the bird-winged bitch who raised you... you all will die... all must accompany me..."
"Pfft!"
A blade pierced flesh, and the cursing of the one-eyed giant came to an abrupt halt as a bronze long sword penetrated his huge head.
Immediately, the sword stirred, and under the assault of violent magic power, the whole head exploded in an instant, with his golden-red divine blood flowing into the sea, creating dazzling streaks of light.
"Such a chatterbox..."
Luo En scoffed, casually wiping the blood off the sword blade and naturally stretching his body, ready to welcome the baptism of divinity.
But moments later, he could only open his eyes in disappointment and reluctantly sheathed his long sword.
Sure enough, the right of war had been taken away from him the moment he was promoted to demigod, and this shortcut was consequently blocked.
They really left no loophole at all.
Luo En's gaze moved beyond the headless corpse of Polyphemus, looking towards the "audience" who was resting her cheek in her hand and watching with a smile, and he coldly snorted.
"So, are you satisfied with this performance?"
"Indeed, you have exceeded my expectations by quite a lot."
Hecate sincerely complimented, then raised her right hand and pointed towards the distant sea, her lips curving into a pleased smile on her stunning face.
"However, it looks like you've got new trouble heading your way."
Luo En's eyelid twitched, and he concentrated his magic power in his eyes to look far into the distance.
Under the sparkling surface of the sea, no less than twenty golden-blue shadows sped towards him. They had the handsome appearance of humans on their upper bodies, clad in splendid bronze armor and holding tridents, but they also had the tails of fish on their lower bodies, allowing them to move swiftly through the water.
Among them, there were three demigods, with the remaining seventeen all at the pinnacle of the golden rank.
Luo En's heart raced, and his complexion changed dramatically.
— The Atlantean Imperial Guard!