(Chapter 390)
The aquatic shadow figures lunged, their movements fluid and unsettlingly swift in the dimly lit cave. They wielded tridents of black coral and nets woven from shadow that seemed to absorb light. Their cold, blue eyes were fixed on Elara and Liam with a predatory hunger.
"These are creatures of the deep," one of the city's guards whispered, his voice trembling. "We've never seen anything like them."
Liam met their charge head-on, Dawnbreaker's golden light searing the shadowy forms, causing them to hiss and recoil. However, unlike the creatures of the Shadow Blight, these beings seemed more resilient, their forms flickering but not dissipating entirely.
Elara moved with caution, Whisperwind held ready. The cold emanating from the pulsating growth was intense, and she could feel it sapping her strength. The air felt heavy, making movement sluggish.
She noticed that the aquatic creatures seemed to draw energy from the pulsating black growth. When they retreated towards it, their shadowy forms appeared to mend and strengthen.
"We need to sever their connection to that thing," Elara said to Liam, pointing towards the pulsating mass.
"Easier said than done," he replied, parrying a thrust from a black coral trident. "They're guarding it fiercely."
The battle within the confines of the cave was challenging. The slippery, uneven floor and the oppressive cold hindered their movements. The aquatic creatures fought with a strange, coordinated ferocity, their attacks relentless.
Liam focused his light, unleashing bursts of pure energy to push back the shadowy figures and create openings. Elara used her agility to evade their attacks, her silver blade flashing as she sought to find a weakness in their shadowy armor.
She observed that the creatures seemed particularly vulnerable to focused strikes of pure light. Remembering her experience with the Shadow Hounds, she concentrated her inner energy, channeling it into a beam of white light from her hands, targeting the creatures as Liam created openings.
The focused light seared through their shadowy forms, causing them to shriek and dissolve into wisps of cold, black smoke. However, more continued to emerge from the fissure, their numbers seemingly endless.
"This is a drain on our energy," Liam grunted, deflecting a volley of shadowy projectiles. "We need a more direct approach to that growth."
Elara nodded, her gaze fixed on the pulsating black mass. "There must be a way to disrupt it at its core."
Thinking back to ancient texts describing parasitic entities, she recalled that they often had a central nexus, a point of vulnerability where their life force was concentrated.
"Liam," she said urgently. "I need you to create a diversion. I'm going to try to reach that growth."
Liam nodded, understanding her plan. With a renewed surge of golden light, he pushed forward, drawing the attention of the remaining aquatic creatures. Dawnbreaker blazed, forcing them to focus their attacks on him.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Elara moved swiftly and stealthily along the cavern wall, using the shadows to conceal her approach to the pulsating black growth. The cold emanating from it intensified as she drew closer, and she could feel its malevolent energy trying to seep into her.
Reaching the base of the growth, she could see the intricate network of dark veins pulsing beneath its iridescent black surface. It felt strangely organic yet utterly alien.
Focusing her inner light and her connection to Whisperwind, Elara raised the silver blade. She could feel the blade humming in response to the unnatural darkness before her.
With a determined cry, she plunged Whisperwind into the pulsating mass.
A wave of icy energy erupted outwards, slamming into Elara and causing her to gasp. The growth shrieked, a sound that was both a wail and a grating rasp. The dark veins beneath its surface spasmed violently.
The aquatic creatures turned their attention towards Elara, their blue eyes burning with fury. They began to move towards her, their tridents raised.
But as Whisperwind remained embedded in the growth, a change began to occur. The iridescent black surface began to crack and crumble, revealing a sickly, pale flesh beneath. The pulsating slowed, its malevolent energy weakening.
The connection between the growth and the aquatic creatures seemed to sever. They faltered, their movements becoming sluggish, their shadowy forms flickering.
Liam seized the opportunity, unleashing a powerful wave of golden light that washed over the remaining creatures. Deprived of their connection to the growth, they shrieked and dissolved into nothingness, leaving behind only a lingering chill in the air.
Elara wrenched Whisperwind free from the dying growth. The mass shuddered and then collapsed in on itself, leaving behind a patch of inert, black residue on the cavern wall. The intense cold in the cave began to dissipate.
The unnatural darkness outside the cave began to recede, and a faint glimmer of sunlight pierced through the swirling mist. The city by the sea had a chance to breathe again.