Chapter 926: Chapter 462: Advancement and Conclusion (2)

In the surrounding [Scorching Temperature Domain], when these fishmen, who had always lived in water, stepped in, the searing heat that charred even their scales had already reduced their combat ability by more than half.

The [Scale Fire Saber] enveloped in flames was like a farmer’s sickle in a field, sweeping through the air, leaving a swath of blood and severed limbs.

Without the threat of distant spellcasters, Lorin was able to fight freely.

Three minutes? Or maybe five?

It didn’t even require any more assistance from Hai Yin in the sky. Amidst the howling of wolves and the sizzling sound of moisture being evaporated in the air, the beach was silent of fishmen.

Necks severed, bodies cleaved in half, heads split open...

The fishmen’s blood turned the surrounding beach a luminous blue, the ground littered with convulsing, severed limbs.

"Crackle."

Sparks splattered.

The scorching temperature on the saber’s surface completely dried the filth that adhered to it, and with a slight wipe, it returned to its pristine state.

Lorin flared her nostrils and exhaled a puff of white mist, tossing the cigarette butt casually into the body of a fishman whose chest and abdomen had been torn open during the battle.

Her gaze turned to the black-haired young man in front who had just sheathed his sword, having beheaded the last Sha Hua fishman on the field. A flicker of concern crossed her brown-red eyes.

Although she had already learned about Xia Nan’s prowess from her crew and from Hera on the Three-legged Sea Dog, knowing he was quite an exceptional professional, having just arrived at Suo Yu Bay and already making a name for himself as "Haiya" in the town.

But this was the first time she had actually fought alongside him.

The result... was somewhat unexpected.

Not to mention how he used some ability to let Hai Yin, after transforming, carry him in metal armor to fly; just that one strike Xia Nan delivered when falling from the sky was something no one but herself in the entire Sword of Vengeance team could withstand.

And even she, Lorin herself, would probably have taken a serious hit if caught off guard.

With exceedingly rich combat experience, she clearly understood what was needed to accomplish such a swift attack.

On-the-spot judgment and the courage to fall were prerequisites, while having a physical condition robust enough to withstand fall damage was fundamental.

And then, that illusory black wolf head like a meteor, and the three consecutive sword slashes within a short period of time, seemingly sharp sword light imbued with force field energy, were absolutely not something an ordinary warrior professional could possess.

His actual combat ability in the fleet was probably already in the top tier, second only to her own.

It’s just that the "Moon Tide Banquet" is only a few months away, otherwise, with Xia Nan’s strength and power level, taking a few more missions from the Association would quickly establish his name in the Southern Islands and secure an invitation to the banquet.

"Hiss..."

The airflow stirred, and the flapping of wings from above brought Lorin’s consciousness back to reality.

The battle was over, and the Druid no longer needed to maintain her previous Wilderness Form to avoid targeting; she flapped her wings and descended.

Buzz—

The same green light as during transformation covered her entire body, rapidly shortening the span of her wings, the wing tips dulled as they morphed into fingers, bird claws extended into human feet, and her body’s center of gravity shifted subtly upward.

Within a breath, she resumed her original shape as a brown-haired, brown-eyed human woman.

It’s worth mentioning that, unlike the beastly girl named "Mint" whom Xia Nan encountered earlier, the Druid’s Wilderness Form transformation was a type of spell, whereas the former was a physical change caused by a curse infection.

So even when reverting from bird form to human form, Hai Yin didn’t face any embarrassing situations of having clothes explode off her.

The clothes and equipment on her, including the magic wand in her hand, would seamlessly blend into her body under the influence of magic energy during transformation.

However, most of them would temporarily lose their original effect and enter a silent state, with only a few still usable after transformation.

Watching the Druid revert to her human form ahead, Xia Nan’s mind was briefly preoccupied with thoughts.

The ability to fly is a rare and powerful skill, no matter the world.

Its inherent advantage of ignoring most terrain was enough to make many envious.

From Xia Nan’s perspective, if he could also move freely in the air, even if the speed was slightly slower than on land, the time needed to travel from River Valley Town to Suo Yu Bay would probably be cut by more than half, sparing him the trouble of crossing the hills and swamps along the way.

Unfortunately, the Short-tailed Albatross that the Druid transformed into was still a bit too small, with limited carrying capacity. Despite minimizing his body’s weight through [Gravity Control], carrying him through the air proved to be a struggle, only allowing for short-distance movement like earlier.

Otherwise, the tactical space would likely be much broader.

Xia Nan reviewed the battle in his mind.

Good news: The beheading tactics, taking advantage of Hai Yin’s flight form descent from the sky, proved feasible.

Bad news: Hanging mid-air beneath the Druid, he was almost a sitting duck, with no defense, and carrying him significantly reduced Hai Yin’s flying speed, making it difficult to evade attacks from below.

If the enemy noticed the two of them in the sky and possessed long-range attack methods, Xia Nan and Hai Yin would be in grave danger.

Thus, this air drop tactic couldn’t become a regular method within the Sword of Vengeance team.

It could only be selectively used under special circumstances.

Hmm... Also, the rapport between him and Hai Yin still needed time to develop.

"How are you? Need any healing?"

Hai Yin had landed and approached Xia Nan, asking with concern.

"Although it was low altitude, I felt it was still a bit too high, somewhat dangerous."

Only those with actual flight ability could realize how dangerous a seemingly short distance could truly be when falling.

Forget ordinary people; even typical adventurers falling from that height would likely be severely injured on the spot, losing combat ability.

And if she remembered correctly, the black-haired young man before her even accelerated himself in some way during the fall...

To this, Xia Nan merely waved it off, indicating he was fine.

The constant fall damage reduction from [Tidal Shaping] had already absorbed most of the landing impact for him, plus his comprehensive physical condition, with strong muscles and bones, was able to fully absorb the excess shock, preventing any fall injury.

The only consideration next time is perhaps not to be too aggressive on the landing; the burst from [Teeth Hunting] alone was sufficient, with no need for additional acceleration via [Gravity Control].

Otherwise, becoming momentarily immobilized upon landing could pose issues.

The battlefield was quickly cleared.

This was a group of Sha Hua fishmen on an external mission, naturally unlikely to carry any valuables, nor would there be a game-like scenario of extracting unattached equipment from a corpse.

The valuable loot on the field, aside from their crude and common armor and fish spears, consisted only of the two peculiarly shaped conch shells previously held by the Fishman Priest.

Without showing an attribute panel, they couldn’t truly be classified as equipment. According to Lorin’s guess, they were probably natural products of the deep sea, acting as casting media for magic power communication.

Bringing them back to Suo Yu Bay might fetch a decent sum. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Obviously, specific transactions, profit allocations, and such matters would be settled after the mission’s conclusion, presently entrusted to Lorin as the team leader for safekeeping.

"These Sha Hua fishmen likely came from the Twin Ocean territory."

Hai Yin squatted on the ground, looking at a fishman’s corpse in front of her.

A distinctly circular notch was visible on the corpse’s arm.

"Not just this one; many corpses bear similar wounds from the Saw-tooth Sharks."

Considering their encounter with the frenzied fish schools during the recent storm, these Sha Hua fishmen apparently also ran into those aggressive fish.

Though accidental encounter is possible, such discoveries were worthy of attention from the group.

Scanning over the fishers’ corpses in the pit, and recalling Xia Nan’s mention of the sacrificial ceremony earlier,

Lorin’s expression hardened.

"It seems... we should hurry up a bit more."