A small ball of water began to form at the tip of her finger as she shaped it like a gun.
Louis' eyes bulged open, staring at the smirk that spread across her lips. He smiled.
"BANG!" The ball of water shot out like a projectile at the speed of sound, piercing through Louis' shoulder. He groaned in pain, yet did not cease to move forward.
He pointed the tip of his dagger forward with more intent. The lines on his face began to grow more visible as the nonchalant expression slowly disappeared.
"I'll take you seriously now, my lady. So do not disappoint," he muttered, suddenly disappearing into a red mist.
Mariam raised a brow as she waved her hands up, causing the water to swirl above her and form a dome for protection.
"Where could he have gone now?" she muttered to herself, feeling immense pressure from behind and hearing a loud pop as the water dome blew up. She quickly manipulated the water to pull her down further, dodging an attack by a hair's breadth.
'You're kidding me…' she thought, noticing Louis' sadistic smile and red bloodshot eyes. "Is that all you can do?!" he cried out, charging forward at a speed she couldn't have expected.
"Shit!" she cursed under her breath, retreating further into the water and causing it to flow upstream, forming a larger water dome.
"You should have realized this doesn't work on me!" he shouted, stabbing his dagger into the water and imbuing it with his bloodlust. It quickly popped open, exposing her to his attacks once again.
She bit her lip in annoyance. "First transformation!" she muttered as her ears and arms suddenly glowed white, while the water around her grew larger with more water flowing from the ground.
"Catch me if you can!" she cried out, retreating into the water and swimming away from his grasp. He clicked his tongue and quickly retreated, manipulating his threads as they pulled him away from the rising water.
"Isn't this dangerous?!" Mario cried out, turning to his grandfather.
"Not to worry, my child. The Patriarchs have this under control," his grandfather replied as he stood up from his seat. He took a quick glance around the arena and locked eyes with Michaelo. After what seemed to be a very long time, Paulson Aquarius nodded his head and floated into the air, gaining the attention of the congregation.
"What?! What's that?!" The congregation were left to their thoughts as they observed the flying individual in the air.
He sighed as he placed his hands together and raised his index and middle finger up. His eyes began to glow a bright blue, and blue water whiskers grew from under his nose and chin.
"Rise, Ocean," he said as he separated his hands and raised them in the air slowly. In response, the mass of water that had begun to reach the audience section rumbled as it swirled up into the air in a large mass, leaving the arena ground as dry as it was before the water had gushed out.
Louis slowly walked back to the arena, maneuvering over the rocks and debris from the damaged ground.
"...." he stared at it, downcast by the mere destruction, and slowly he raised his gaze up in the air.
"Why is the Patriarch intervening?" he asked out loud, implying that he wasn't talking to anyone in particular.
"Did you not notice the rise in water tide while you were battling?" Michaelo responded. "The battle still commences."
Louis didn't need the reminder that the battle was ongoing. The large mass of water, now airborne, continued to increase in size. The holes on the arena ground kept streaming water upwards, rapidly adding to the mass. It had grown to the size of the Colosseum by the time it had moved a safe distance away from the arena.
"This is troublesome…" he muttered upon noticing Mariam within the large mass of water, though she appeared less human. She glared at him as she spun her arms around, causing the large ball of water to form ten tentacles, each as large and tall as a pillar.
The tentacles struck out one after the other at Louis in a hurried frenzy. It was like trying to swat a fly, but Louis was much more agile and quick. He dodged them effortlessly, one after the other.
Whenever one tentacle came too close for comfort, he would turn into red dust, only to immediately reappear somewhere else in the arena. However, Mariam seemed to predict his movements, nearly turning the arena grounds into a mess with debris and rocks filling the area. The tentacles caused heavy tremors to the ground with their fast, whip-like sound as they shot out at Louis.
Louis wasn't just dodging; he was analyzing. There was a reason why he had been able to withstand the first stage of the tournament, and he wasn't even close to revealing it. He dodged one tentacle, and a smirk formed on his lips. He grabbed the tentacle as it pulled away from the ground, pulling him along with it.
"You!" Mariam cried out as she flung the tentacle back to the ground, hoping to smash him to bits. However, she soon realized he wasn't there.
"Shit!" she muttered, realizing she couldn't sense him. "...Assassins are so much trouble." She could only complain to herself as she waited patiently for him to appear again. After a few seconds, she decided to take action.
"Second transformation…" Her legs began to glow as she descended towards the bottom of the large ball.
"Ocean call," she muttered, and in response, half of the large mass began to descend back to the arena. Her eyes began to glow brighter blue, and her legs curled together, forming a majestic blue mermaid tail.
"Don't underestimate me, assassin," she muttered, swinging her arms down as she halted her movements simultaneously.
The water rumbled and swirled as it crashed down with great speed and force, causing large tremors and loud wails, almost as if it were alive.
"Ocean's breath," she muttered, and the water began to glow, forming five massive dragon heads as it swirled around.
She was left unprotected by her water, floating in the air. Her majestic appearance took the breath of many.
Her ears had turned into fins, and webs were found between her fingers.
Beautiful blue and black scales adorned her body, and her Aquarius blue hair grew wilder down below her waist.
It was no wonder the congregation was dazzled. She looked like a goddess descendant, and she had the power to match.
"No matter how many times I see it, it still remains ever so beautiful," Raph muttered under his breath as a smile appeared on his face. "Though, strength triumphs over beauty…."
In the midst of the dazzlement, a red blood mist filled the air above Mariam as she slowly looked up quizzically.
"You amaze me, my lady," Louis said, his voice projecting in the air.
"...This must be the 7th La Teuer Assassination technique?" she muttered.
The La Teuer, like the Jun, had their family lineage learn their family techniques, and for the La Teuer household, it was a series of ten assassination techniques that brought the death of their opponents regardless of their strength.
Out of the ten, the 7th technique, Hollow Shadow.
"You are well-versed too," Louis said as he cackled when a scythe pulled out from the red mist and struck down towards Mariam.
She waved her right arm, and the dragon head cried out.
A loud siren noise, like the echo of the whales and dolphins in the ocean, cried out, blasting the scythe to a halt.
The loud siren noise continued, stronger and firmer with each adding scythe.
"I won't lose to you, Louis," she said with a hushed tone as she raised her left hand up.
The large half of the water left in the air suddenly twirled around, forming a pot as a large blue beam, its diameter half of the arena, shot out down to the red dust and the scythe with a loud explosion.
The siren ceased at once as the blue gust of smoke formed from the explosion dissipated, revealing an empty space.
"....Where could you be hiding now…." she said as the dragon heads began to twirl up towards her, floating and swimming around her in an endless maze.
"...You might want to show yourself…". she continued speaking regardless of whether or not he was paying attention.
The crowd was hesitant. Everyone left on edge on what was going to occur next.
They felt expectant, and their hearts were heavy.
They probably hoped for the goddess to win as they too were seeking for the Assassin to warn her beforehand but alas amidst the loud cheers from the crowds.
And the patriarch's very eyes. An evil red aura emerged from the air. Seemingly out of nothingness and what occurred next froze the Colosseum in a shock never seen before.
"Your attacks are truly beautiful." His voice sent a chill down her spine as her eyes widened. She felt a cold iron sticking on her back and the presence of an otherworldly being behind her.
His voice sounded sweet, yet it hid a danger that could not be mistaken for something else.
He had yet again found himself behind her. His dagger aimed at her back and his right hand behind her neck.
He held a sadistic smile while in this position and an evil glint hid behind his eyes. A glint that hid a meaning other than murder.
"What will you do now, mermaid princess?"