Chapter 438: Grand Fisher

’Oh that’s not good.’

Zhen Liu and the kaijin were stunned silent as the abomination they were waiting for suddenly jumped out of the water and attacked the former’s grandfather like a lightning bolt from the deep.

The group had wanted to intercept this encroaching abomination before it had a chance to engage with the rest of the clan, but that plan went out the window the moment this freaky fishman attacked at a speed quicker than what even Hurricroak could muster.

Zhen Liu didn’t get a good look at the abomination due to how fast it had moved, but as far as he could tell, it looked like a marlin.

[Puta Madre! That’s one fast fish!,] Hurricroak exclaimed, [I don’t even think I can move that fast!]

[Gonna...be...tricky...to catch...,] Frosttusk grumbled.

[I think it’s just me, but this fish looks familiar,] Razorstella noted.

’It does?’

[Wait a minute...that’s the fish that almost yanked me overboard!,] Spring Brawler exclaimed in alarm, [I recognize that stupid fin!]

’Oh, that’s really not good.’

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[Umibozu Rage: Waterspout Piercer!]

[Oceanic Aegis!]

In a split second, before anyone else could even react, the strange fish-man warrior enveloped himself in a whirling waterspout, the faint shadow of a strange water giant appearing for a moment, and launched himself forward harpoon first in an attempt to pierce Zhen Shi.

However, before that could happen, Zhen Shi proceeded to manipulate his chains into a web-like pattern, flooded it with his own aether and created a majestic shield made of water that he used to block the incoming harpoon.

Normally the attack of an Aether Grandmaster would be utterly crushed by the defensive arts of an Aether Lord, especially when the latter employs their armaments in the process.

However, the moment the fishman’s harpoon slammed into the water shield, the two arts began to repel each other instead of the latter breaking the former.

As spear and chain engaged with one another, locking the two warriors in an energetic stalemate, the fishman spoke first.

"Forsooth, worthy catch! You have the honor of being pierced by Grand Fisher! Take your death with pride!," the fishman proclaimed in a gargling voice that sounded both regal and brute-like all at once.

As Grand Fisher made this threat, a strange energy that seemed to be coating the harpoon started to react against Zhen Ship’s shield art in an even stranger manner.

The aether making up the shield didn’t break it or weaken it in anyway, rather, it was if Grand Fisher’s energy was causing the aether to twist and distort. It was even causing Zhen Ship’s chains to suddenly warp and bend like they were made of rubber!

This energy, this [Chaos] was acting as if it rejecting all other forms of energy except its own.

Even Zhen Shi’s spiritual companion shared this sentiment.

{cHaOSsss...reJjeecTTsss...aether...}

’That’s what [Chaos] can do? What on Valresta is this thing?!’

With his opponent locked in place with him, Zhen Shi could now see that his opponent vaguely looked like a bloodliner, a swordfish one at that, but like the creepy coral monsters from before, there was something decidedly not natural about this warrior’s features.

The warrior’s torso didn’t seem to fit with the rest of it’s body, the balance should have been off and felt off too, but it also somehow held it altogether.

It’s hands and feet seem to fluctuate between fins, flippers and mortal extremities all at once, even merging at some points to make webbed extremities.

It’s face seemed to be a mix of human and swordfish features, but the ratios were all over the place in multiple parts of it’s face.

But the most disorienting thing was the warrior’s eyes.

The eyes...didn’t fit right.

From the way they sat in the warrior’s skull, from their general shape to even the glossiness, none of it fit right.

They say that the eyes were the windows to the soul...but if that was the case, then this Grand Fisher’s soul...wasn’t there.

Everything about this Grand Fisher felt wrong enough that Zhen Shi didn’t even want to fight him....but he had to.

This "chaos blessed" or whatever it was, was able to distort the defensive art of an Aether Lord to this extent, at a full rank lower than him no less, there’s no telling what could happen if this Grand Fisher warrior decided to attack one of his sons.

Unfortunately for Zhen Shi, he was about to see a firsthand example.

"I see you have a defense as strong as an island turtle’s shell!," Grand Fisher praised, "but even the mountains must give way to the heavy rains. Behold!"

Grand Fisher disengaged from Zhen Shi’s shield and immediately flew backwards. The aether around him began to distort once more, flowing into his harpoon as the form of a soaking wet feminine ghost manifesting behind him as the faint smell of rain seemed to appear out of nowhere and overpower the smell of the sea.

[Ameonna’s Lament: Heavy Rain Barrage!]

Holding the harpoon steady in one hand, the other hand on the very end of the spear shaft, Grand Fisher released a flurry of spear thrusts that hammered Zhen Shi’s [Oceanic Aegis].

Just like before, the attack didn’t break the shield but ended up distorting it.

Unlike before, the attacks were actually hitting Zhen Shi this time.

Not all of the attacks mind you, but enough that it was starting to chip at Zhen Shi’s armor.

’Gah! These attacks aren’t heavy, but damn there’s a lot of them! How is he bypassing my shield? I’m not feeling it get weaker at all!’

Everytime Grand Fisher thrusted forward with his harpoon, it would cause the shield to distort in weird ways as it woild be rejected by the energy coating the harpoon. However, the moment the harpoon would be pull backed, the distortion would immediately end.

What Grand Fisher was doing was simply thrusting his harpoon at such a rapid pace that the shield couldn’t react fast enough to reject all of the attacks.

It was under this condition that Zhen Long, Zhen Lao and Zhen Yan all began to worry for their father’s situation and proceeded to think of doing something rather reckless.

Interfering.

"What the hells? How is that fishman breaking through father’s shield?!," Zhen Lao exclaimed

"It’s not breaking his shield...its distorting it, look! Even his armament is getting distorted too! What kind of energy is this?," Zhen Long noted.

"I don’t know and I don’t care, but I’m getting really bad feeling that if we don’t do something, then the worst might happen," Zhen Yan stated "There’s three of us and one of him. We gotta go help out father, now!"

"Agreed."

The three Grandmaster elders of the Zhen Clan flew towards Grand Fisher, fully armored and charging up their own respective attacks to hammer this fishy freak into oblivion.

"Hold on father, we’re coming to help!"

"No! Stay back, this guy’s too dangerous!"

Waves of Caligos, Ignati and Aeroqi aether began to swirl around Zhen Long, Zhen Yan and Zhen Lao respectively as they rushed towards Grand Fisher and prepared to release their strongest attack arts.

Unfortunately for them, Grand Fisher sensed this coming.

[Howling-]

[Roaring-]

[Cylonic-]

[Scale Ripper Burst!]

*Bang!*

"Ah!"

"Shit!"

"My face?!"

Before any of them could even finish firing their arts, Grand Fisher’s body suddenly glowed bright blue before several thousand scales on him blasted back towards them like sharpnel shells from a cannon.

Normally such an attack would bounce off their aether armor, in fact, they were banking on this defensive property to bypass the attack completely.

But much to their horror, the scales bypassed their armor instead and tore at their faces and limbs.

"My sons!"

"Father, no!"

The three Grandmasters fell to the ground as the shock of the blast had knocked them out cold.

The rest of the clansmen, the ones who tried their best to stay out of the fight, rushed forward to remove their elders from the battlefield. But when they did, they discovered something rather...chilling.

"Wait...their armors are in perfect condition. What the fuck? How is that possible?"

"I’m not sure, but...wait. Look! The scales! They’re somehow distorting the aether armor aroudn themselves."

"This...this guy can distort aether? Is that even possible?!"

"Apparently!"

But as the rest of the Zhen Clan was freaking out over this discovery, a certain member was...freaking pissed.

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’Welp, this just got significantly more personal than before.’

[Milord, we have our human guises ready to go,] Nepherage informed Zhen Liu, [now can we intervene?]

’Oh we can, but...Nepherage, I’m sorry, but we’re gonna have to delay debuting your human persona to the rest of the clan for this particular night.

[Huh? But why?]

’I’m going to need to borrow your power to roast this fucker. Full form style.’

[Oh...well then, let’s do this thing, shall we?]

’Lets shall.’

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Above and out of view from both clan and ship, a warrior wearing a strange, almost sinister black armor, was standing midair with an even stranger device on his belt, one with two levers.

Off to the side, a horned woman made of blazing red jade flew to be beside, but during the flight has transformed into a strange looking crystal that the warrior then caught.

In a fluid motion, the warrior placed the crystal into the device, causing the device on his belt to play music and make a very strange announcement.

|MY Driver: Armor Distortion set. Blazing Valkyrie, ready!|

Once it made this announcement, the warrior decidedly pulled the lever on the left.

Yet another announcement was made.

|Armor Distortion! Fire and Fury!|

After that, the warrior’s form began to grow muscular, while horns began to sprout on the side of his head.