The fight dramatically changed after Orion''s punched the giant away to protect Senia.


    It swam the distance between them in the blink of an eye, covered with a layer of water that made the eel drag a devastating amount of current behind it.


    Just like wind, it battered everything that found itself unlucky enough to be around the eel''s trajectory.


    As it approached, it used the rest of its body to turn like a spring.


    In the distance, Olivia tried to hinder its movement by creating spikes of water under it, unfortunately, the enemy was now very observant of its surrounding. It dodged the spike and still continued toward Orion.


    Orion looked at the damaged scales on the left side of the eel''s face. They were gushing a dark liquid different from the blood sipping through the wounds on the various parts of its long body.


    ''This confirms it, the head is its weak spot. It''s also full of corrupted matter.''


    Seeing the black spot on its hand, he flashed his light magic, making it disintegrate in an instant. He readied his body to receive the full force of the charge.


    "I''m done warming up. Time to get serious."


    Until now, he used every opportunity he could to gather knowledge on his enemy. That was also the reason he kept Olivia and Senia from interacting too much.


    To Orion, the battle had two options at the beginning. Either kill his target in one bolt, or kill his enemy after missing that shot.


    The situation made it impossible to kill it in a single bolt, thanks to the giant dwelling in the dark abyss below.


    What made it difficult too was its size, and the fact that it was a corrupted. As if their existence were made to mock Orion''s talent to assassinate, they needed more than a single attack to be killed.


    Even this corrupted was in another league of its own. Its body wasn''t very tough, but its weak point, the head, had barely been injured by his punch.


    A single bolt in the head wouldn''t cut it. The only option now was to cut its head off.


    Orion planted his feet firmly in the sand, and crouched slightly. He lifted his hands in front of him and prepared to resist with all of his strength.


    The eel opened its mouth and closed in on him.


    *BOOM*


    A sound of two objects colliding echoed in the water.


    "GGGH!"


    With the Fourth Gear supporting the full brunt of the charge, and the Arm Overdrive to stop the enemy from pushing him further, he stood his ground.


    His feet very slightly slipped backward. Orion''s hands held the jaws of the giant opened, his blood slightly dripping from being scratched by its sharp teeth.


    While holding it back, he healed his wounds automatically, and began to push it, one step at a time.


    "KH-!"


    But the corrupted wasn''t done either. It twisted its head left and right, and used its lengthy body to create another current. Left and right, its tail approached Orion rapidly, and before long, he had to let go.


    The tail slammed on the eel''s face, making its red eye glow even brighter. It moved again subtly, making its body straighten like with a wave effect.


    Orion kept its feet on the ground, not wanting to become prey to an attack in the air, or water in that case.


    He was able to hold his ground on the seafloor, but above it, he was an easy target. Watching the eel glare at him, he pushed on his legs and ran forward.


    Alcyone formed in his right hand, which he fired upward. This was a sign for the ladies hiding to attack.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    *Woosh*


    Senia came out from far away behind Orion and attacked the giant''s neck area, where its gills were.


    ''I have a score to settle! That''s for trying to eat me!''


    At the same time, she threw many fast-moving water bullets with her right hand, and fired a piercing water jet with her left hand.


    Olivia took this chance to help Senia by creating a massive water net above and around the eel, so that it would be unable to escape her.


    Orion took this chance to fire a volley of light arrow toward its face.


    -ROOOAR-


    Noticing that it fell into a trap, the giant began to thrash around. The many bullets Senia fired were blocked by its tail, while the jet managed to slice a small area of its neck, before also being blocked.


    The volley perfectly punctured its face, but went slightly off-course thanks to its thrashing. They ended up going a little bit further behind its eye. Nonetheless, they managed to cause more dark blood to seep through each wound.


    But Orion didn''t stop there. He released Alcyone and went under the trapped eel''s head. He crouched, and clenched his fist.


    "Hmf!"


    With the full power of his body, he threw an uppercut that sent the eel flying upward. The hit was so powerful it ripped the water net, and shocked both women to their core.


    ''I''m lucky I never experienced that... That is probably extremely painful...''


    Thought both of them, watching the eel rise higher and higher. Once again, it glared at Orion, and attacked from a distance this time.


    One... Two... Many swirling water spheres formed around the giant, before being fired at Orion constantly.


    Orion dodged them as much as he could, but there were a little too many. Even if he warped away, there was a chance the place he would go would be directly under an attack, which was too risky.


    When he found himself in trapped, he had no choice but to use Alcyone. While dodging the most dangerous attacks, he fired at the ones he couldn''t.


    But he inadvertently missed one. He braced himself to receive the attack head-on, until a jet of water cut the sphere in half.


    Not only did Senia come to his rescue, but even Olivia. A wave of high water columns blocked his sight, and blocked each of the spheres coming his ways.


    With Alcyone gripped tightly in his right hand, Orion took this opportunity and jumped on the pillar closest to him, and jumped higher and higher on the next ones.


    Seeing his movements, Olivia and Senia continued to support and protect him while creating higher and higher pillars, until Orion closed in on the eel.


    When he jumped toward the last pillar, the giant twisted its body, and threw its tail at him.


    "Orion!"


    He heard the screams of the two behind him, before the tail crashed on the pillar.


    *BAM*


    The two women saw a trail of dust flying toward the ground, thinking that Orion had taken a direct hit.


    When the dust vanished, what they thought was Orion, was in fact a part of the destroyed magic, which slowly dissipated as it descended toward the seafloor.


    ''Where is he?!''


    They scanned the battlefield in search of Orion. The only one who knew where he was... was the eel.


    As it remained still, its bloodshot eye glared at the man aiming at it from above. A white light engulfed Orion, as eight afterimages of Alcyone appeared around him.


    ''It''s now or never!''


    *Click*


    Nine bolts flew toward the eel''s head, each one piercing a part around the red eye. A circle of light arrows gouged the eye of the creature, before it roared angrily and in tremendous pain.


    -ROOOOOOOOOOAR-


    Slightly shaken up, Orion tried to warp, but the roar took his ability to focus for a split second.


    That very moment returned to bite him. Not only did the giant''s eye remain firmly stuck on its head, its tail came slamming Orion.


    *SLAM*


    Orion flew toward the seafloor and crashed in the sand.


    *Spit*


    He emerged unscathed from the floating sand and wiped his body after spitting a small drop of blood mixed with sand.


    Right before being sent flying, Orion endured the slam with his arms and avoided any major injuries with his legs when he crashed.


    "I guess that''s fair. I''ve sent you flying two times."


    With a shrug, Orion let out a satisfied smile.


    ''I was unable to fight for more than a month. This feels great somehow.''


    When he looked in front of him, two massive jaws made of water magic were already closing on him.


    "Oops-"


    He warped away and drew Alcyone at the giant''s side.


    ''Stay focused. I''ll enjoy this feeling after killing that thing.''


    Feeling the blood in his veins heat up, he kept his attention on the enemy in front of him.


    The tail once again came crashing on him before he could fire Alcyone, so he let go of his weapon, and braced for impact.


    "This tail..."


    He grabbed the tail while being pushed back, and spoke loudly.


    "Senia! Cut this tail off!"


    As if waiting for such an order, the siren swam behind him, before going around the tail.


    "Understood!"


    She released a thin water jet that pierced through the whole tail, and swam around it very rapidly. Senia turned rapidly around, as if she had been swallowed by a vortex.


    Faster and faster, Senia sliced the flesh away from the tail, until Orion saw his chance when she had dug enough into it.


    "Gh- Aah!"


    He ripped the tail off with his arms and threw the large chunk behind him. The eel could only watch as five meters of his body were removed.


    It instinctively knew, that if it continued to use that kind of attack again, they would slowly cut off more and more parts. This was a dangerous option for it, so it rapidly swam away and convinced itself not to do that again.


    Losing its tail was very bothersome for the eel, as it impacted its swimming greatly.


    Now, it was left with few options to deal with them. Its jaws were stopped from biting the man''s flesh, its magic was stopped by a weird counter, its tail had been cut off, and its eye had almost been gouged out.


    What else could it do?


    When Orion thought that it was time to finish the beast, the eel went back on the offensive.


    Orion and Senia looked at each other and nodded, before moving two separate ways.


    The last stretch of their battle was only beginning.