"We have finally arrived at our destination and shall begin venturing into the sea. Greg. You are going to lead the ship in my stead and return to the original rendezvous point."
"Yes, Ma'am!" Greg nodded.
"In that case, let's move out!" Lena ordered out loud.
Eight summoners, including Nathan and Selena, walked to the edge of the ship while Lena looked at Greg one more time, signaling that he should protect Flora at all costs. With another nod from him, Lena finally moved together with the rest of the team.
"They're coming!" Fenrir shouted.
"Descend! Summon all your familiars and be ready to fight!" Lena shouted and jumped off the ship. "Follow me!"
The rest of the summoners also leaped into the water. Fenrir and Anubis were already summoned. Fenrir descended in his own way, while Anubis formed a barrier like Nathan.
The summoners under the duchess had their own form of barrier, while Selena was the only one who had an avatar as her barrier.
The moment they entered the water, all the summoners called out their respective familiars.
"Enemy spotted!" One of the summoners warned aloud.
Their eyes were fixed on the seafloor. They could see so many aliens swimming toward the surface.
"Intercept them!" Lena shouted.
The people released their own ena. Some even had bows and shot them underwater. The arrow had been coated by ena, which allowed it to move faster in the water like a fish.
The sirens created an echo underwater, using that sound wave to disrupt the enemy's charge. Several mermen and other aquatic familiars charged forward, engaging the enemies.
Fenrir suddenly moved like he was stepping on hard ground and swiftly crushed several aliens with his strength. Anubis was standing by in case people got hurt. At the same time, he had released his bandages, ready to pull anyone back when they needed assistance.
"There are two juvenile class aliens in sight!" One summoner warned after spotting two aliens with more ena in their bodies.
However, as if they were moving in sync, the first alien got hit by a massive arrow and had his body obliterated. The second alien was pierced by bullets coming from all sides.
"!!!" The summoner who warned them earlier couldn't help but glance back, seeing Nathan with several bullets still around him and Selena with her avatar forming another arrow.
"Heh?" Lena smiled. It seemed the people they brought really didn't plan to become their burden. The fact they were able to attack them without anyone's order was enough to know that they were experienced enough. But these two attacked the moment of confirmation, as if they realized that all the summoners and familiars were occupied for a bit and Lena would most likely attack them.
Hence, these two decided to get rid of those aliens to conserve their commander's ena, especially for stronger aliens in this mission.
"Oi. There is something underneath that ground!" Fenrir suddenly shouted.
All of a sudden, a huge squid-like alien emerged. Unlike a normal squid, it had three heads with teeth at the top of their heads.
"Mature class alien!"
Selena and Nathan were ready to attack, but Lena shouted, "Let me handle it. I should warm up as well!"
Lena shifted her stance as if she was about to draw her blade. All of a sudden, her barrier transformed, creating a small path for her sword. She then swung her blade forward, tracing the barrier's path while releasing all that ena.
"!!!" Nathan and Selena couldn't help but widen their eyes.
It was supposed to be a strike like what Noelle usually used, but for some reason, it was much faster and the range was at least 5 times that of Noelle's. They had seen it before, but the one who unleashed that strike was the Sword Saint. Even then, there was something different about that sword strike.
"What is that speed?" Nathan squinted his eyes.
Before they realized it, the sword strike had cut the alien in two.
Selena's expression turned solemn. "It's the form of that sword strike."
"Yes. I have seen Noelle and Duke Sullivan using a similar thing, but their sword strike is bulkier. It's packed with a lot of power.
"However, her sword strike is much thinner and sharper. In addition to the speed of her release, her sword strike specializes in speed. It's like she's cutting someone before they can even protect themselves. Even if it's weaker than other sword strikes, as long as her opponent is not fast enough to erect a barrier, they've lost.
"It's probably because of the environment. By creating something thinner, it's easier to cut through the water resistance." Selena explained.
As expected of Selena, she really understood more about ena. Nathan nodded. "I see."
"Well, I should change my approach as well. And try not to use the explosive bullet during this because the combustion can create some problems not just for the enemies but also for us."
"Alright." Nathan agreed without hesitation.
Selena raised her head. "Let's kill the rest of the aliens first."
Several bullets appeared above her, but their forms soon turned into a javelin before she released it. Due to their form, the javelins flew like a missile, straight and unhindered.
A lot of aliens got impaled by the javelins, while some still managed to avoid them. However, Nathan was ready to intercept them. With just a flick of his finger, the bullets that followed the javelins curved toward the aliens that still survived and killed them.
"Oh?!" One of the summoners looked impressed. "Not bad."
Another summoner chuckled. "Commander. Where did you find them? Are they seriously still a first-year student?"
Lena smiled. "Is there anything else you'd like to say? No more problems with them watching our backs?"
The summoners smiled. "None."
Though, half of them couldn't help but think, 'What problems? Aren't they basically stronger than us? And this is their first time fighting underwater.'
Seeing that the battle was wrapped up in less than three minutes, Lena smiled and reached the sea floor first.
The team had successfully cleared the first hurdle, and it was time for the exploration.