The Conquerors Path

Chapter 1044: Chapter 1042- First Major Fight and Escape

The kelp forest had given us only a brief illusion of safety. We had barely caught our breath when the distant rumble of organised movement reached us through the water, the heavy, purposeful strokes of trained soldiers cutting through the currents. Elowen’s amber eyes sharpened instantly, her bloom spots flaring with a mix of irritation and that familiar battle-madness I was starting to recognise as her default setting when trouble found her.

“They’re closing in faster than I expected; we need to move. Now.”

She muttered, pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders. The glowing floral patterns on her skin dimmed slightly as she tried to suppress her aura.

I nodded, falling into step beside her as we slipped out of the swaying kelp curtain and back into the bustling flow of the city’s outer districts. The underwater metropolis was alive with its usual vibrant chaos: merfolk merchants haggling over glowing shell goods, schools of colourful fish darting between stalls like living confetti, and the constant hum of conversation mixing with the soft currents. It was the perfect place to lose oneself… or get cornered.

“Remember the goal, Big Sis, you’re not just running, you are hunting. Find the ones pulling the strings behind the corrupted attacks. The real masters, not these disposable pawns. Once you have a lead on them, everything changes.”

I said quietly, keeping my voice light even as I scanned the crowd for threats. Elowen shot me a sideways glance, her expression a mix of annoyance and reluctant acknowledgement.

“You talk like this is some grand adventure, you are the one who started this and then gave me to end it.”

“And yet here we are, your loyal little brother by your side, ready to cheer you on through every chaotic fight and dramatic escape. It’s destiny, Big Sis.”

I replied with a cheeky grin, bumping her shoulder playfully.

She rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck.

“Keep being that annoying, and I’ll use you as a shield the next time someone attacks.”

“Harsh, but fair.”

I said, laughing softly as we wove through the crowded market square. The district was packed with stalls made of giant clam shells that displayed everything from enchanted pearls to deep-sea fruits, vendors calling out their stuff. It was easy to blend in… until it wasn’t.

The pursuers caught up faster than she hoped.

A group of mid-level corrupted agents, twelve of them, mixed shark beastmen, eel warriors, and octopus manipulators, burst into the square from three different directions, their corrupted auras staining the water with oily darkness. The lead shark, a burly Origin level 7 with jagged scars across his chest, pointed directly at us with a roar.

“There! Take them alive if possible!”

The crowded square erupted into panic. Merfolk scattered, vendors abandoned their stalls, and fish schools exploded outward in glittering clouds. The corrupted agents charged through the chaos, weapons drawn, tridents crackling with dark energy, tentacles whipping with bladed tips, and heavy hammers glowing with corrupted power.

Elowen’s expression hardened.

“Looks like playtime is over, little brother. Let’s make this quick.”

I gave her a quick nod, my own power humming beneath the disguise.

“Find the ones pulling the strings. These are just the muscles. Stay alive, Big Sis. I’ve got your back.”

The battle exploded in the middle of the crowded district.

Elowen moved like a storm of vines and fury. Her water-whip cracked forward with explosive force, wrapping around the lead shark’s trident and yanking him off balance. At the same time, seeds burst from the seafloor beneath the stalls, growing into thick, thorny vines that lashed out at legs and arms. One eel warrior tried to flank her with crackling electricity, but she spun gracefully, her whip snapping across his chest and sending him crashing into a clam-shell stall in a shower of glowing pearls.

I complemented her perfectly, using space tricks to create chaos. A small gravity distortion made three octopus guards suddenly heavier, causing them to sink and trip over their own tentacles. Another pocket of distorted water turned a charging shark’s path into a looping circle, making him slam face-first into his own ally with a loud, satisfying crunch.

“Nice one, Big Sis!”

I cheered loudly, playing the annoying little brother to the hilt.

The merman act was in full force. I “accidentally” created a small current that tripped a shark guard right as he tried to swing at Elowen. He went down hard, face-planting into a pile of glowing kelp baskets.

“Oops! My bad! These currents are so unpredictable today!”

The corrupted agents were mid-level but coordinated, their reddish mana twisting their attacks into something vicious and unpredictable. One octopus guard extended all eight tentacles toward Elowen, blades glinting. She responded by growing a wall of carnivorous coral-flowers that snapped at the tentacles like hungry jaws, forcing him to retract with a pained hiss.

I slipped behind the group, creating small pockets of void that made their movements sluggish and their aim go wide. One shark swung his hammer at me, but the space around him twisted, making the hammer swing in a full circle and clock him in the back of his own head. He stumbled, dazed, as I gave Elowen a thumbs up.

“Little brother assist complete!”

One corrupted eel lunged at Elowen from behind. I “tripped” right in front of him at the perfect moment, sending the eel face-first into a vendor’s fruit cart. Glowing fruits exploded everywhere, covering the attacker in sticky pulp.

Elowen couldn’t help but laugh, a short, surprised sound that cut through the chaos.

“You’re actually useful sometimes!”

“Only sometimes? I’m hurt, Big Sis! After all my cheering and tripping!”

I called back, dodging a trident strike and creating a distortion that made the attacker spin in circles.

The fight was nice, is what I can say. Elowen’s vines turned the market square into a living battlefield, wrapping around legs, pulling down weapons, and snapping at exposed skin. My space tricks added layers of slapstick confusion, enemies stumbling into each other, attacks missing by inches, hammers swinging wildly off course.

A group of five corrupted agents tried to surround Elowen. She responded by slamming her whip into the ground, causing a massive burst of vines to erupt in a circle around her, entangling all five at once. I followed up by distorting the water inside the circle, making it float upside down and slam into each other repeatedly.

“Teamwork makes the dream work!”

I cheered from behind a stall, poking one of the floating agents with a glowing shell. The lead shark, still fighting furiously, roared in frustration.

“Enough of this farce!”

He broke through a vine wall with raw power, charging at Elowen with his hammer raised high. She met him head-on, her whip cracking against the hammer in a shower of sparks. The impact sent shockwaves through the water, cracking nearby coral structures. Vines erupted around the shark’s legs, trying to root him in place while Elowen pressed the attack.

I created a gravity well beneath him, making him suddenly much heavier. He stumbled, and Elowen seized the opening, her whip wrapping around his hammer and yanking it away while vines pinned his arms. She delivered a precise strike to the shark’s side, knocking him unconscious.

The remaining agents started to falter as their leader went down. We pressed the advantage, Elowen’s vines and whip, my space distortions, turning the tide completely. The last few corrupted agents fled into the crowd, disappearing into the panicked masses.

We didn’t wait around to celebrate.

“Time to go.”

Elowen said, breathing hard but with a fierce light in her eyes.

“I just know how much deeper we have to go to the end.”

We slipped away from the chaotic market square, moving through narrower alleys and into the darker, less reputable underbelly of the city. The glowing spires gave way to dimmer coral tunnels and hidden passages where the city’s shadow life thrived: smugglers, information brokers, and those who preferred to stay off the radar.

We finally found a relatively safe spot, a small, abandoned storage chamber behind an old kelp warehouse. The walls were covered in soft moss, casting a gentle glow over the space.

Elowen looked at me, her expression a mix of exhaustion and something almost like respect.

“That was fun…”

I grinned, wiping sweat (or whatever passed for it underwater) from my brow.

“Told you. How’s that for teamwork, Big Sis?”

She shook her head, but there was a small, tired smile on her face as she responded with suggestive words.

“Had better.”

I leaned back against the wall, looking at her with a soft smile.

“You had better? Hard to believe, but I will take your words for it.”

Elowen was quiet for a long moment, her amber eyes studying me in the soft moss light. The fight had left her cloak torn in places, revealing the glowing bloom spots on her collarbone and thighs. She looked beautiful, strong, tired, and finally starting to open up.

“You would be the most dangerous among them, though, in a different way than in the past. You make me want to keep fighting when all I wanted was to forget.”

She said finally, her voice quiet.

I reached out and gently bumped her shoulder with mine.

“I shall take that then, the more dangerous than the best you had~”

She sighed, but the small smile returned.

“Sigh… you pain in the ass.”

‘Looks like the earring is working.’

I mused, for someone who should be killing, she wasn’t; it would seem a bigger push is needed.