Desharow Merman Chapter 40

Translator: Jade

Editor: Unedited

Chapter 40

Agares!

The noise that echoed from a distance sounded muddle/chaotic in the seawater, but in my disorderly mind;it was like an explosion. This immediately caused me to struggle, kicking away  the arms that were trying to grab hold of my ankles. I swung my hands to separate the water and spared no effort in swimming upwards. 

As soon as I broke through the surface, I gasped for air before I held my throat and coughed violently for a minute before I carelessly swept away the wet hair that was stuck to my face. I noticed a gleam of light that penetrated over my head where the end opened a mottled spot on the surface of the water, faintly revealing the numerous covetous eyes hidden within the shadow of the water 

Frightened, I frantically splashed around in the water and leaned against a rock wall that was behind me, not even daring to let out a breath. However, it seemed as though those merfolk were also afraid of something as they didn't immediately surround me but restlessly made hungry and enduring swallowing noises. Soon, they retreated one after another towards the dark cave entrance I was originally hauled in from, and like a devoted subject, they bowed their heads as if they were greeting an arriving sovereign.

The low and husky voice of Agares's gradually drew closer and my heart had gotten more and more violent as though it had been shaken by a large wave. I felt around the rock wall and began to climb upwards. My movements weren't noticed by the merfolk as all their attention was captured by the noise that Agares emitted.

However just as Agares's voice gradually floated closer to the cave's entrance, I felt my ankle had suddenly been tightened. When I looked down, a dark-red shadow swept past my vision, but before I could even cry out in fear, my entire body was dragged back into the water. Once under, a strong, pliable arm wrapped tightly around my waist like a spider tread, binding my body and then fished out from the water by him. 

I was caught off guard due to the unexpected change, therefore took a large gasp of air. My nerves trembled as though they had been pulled harshly then loosen once again. My eyes swept over to my waist and saw a drenched pale webbed-hand. I knew that the fellow who had captured me in mid-air was none other than this demonic, red-haired merman.

I had a sudden realisation that a portion of the merfolk had not fled to Agares, but instead revolved around the red-haired merman;like a myriad of stars surrounding the moon, crowding around him. The number of mermaids were equally matched with the others that were gathered together to greet Agares at the entrance of the dark cave.   

I was met with the sudden awareness that I had possibly been roped into the center of the feud between the leaders of these two groups of beasts. This red-haired merman was perhaps only vying over me not because he was interested in me but instead, through some methods, he found out that I was Agares's "captured trophy" and wanted to seize a hold of me in order to challenge Agares for his position and authority. 

"Fuck! Let go of me!" I spared no effort in using both my hands to pry away the arms that were bound tightly around my waist in the struggle. However the merman's arms were like steel pincers, firm and solid, and moreover, to keep me from resisting, his sharp nails had stabbed through my clothes and scratched into my skin and flesh. I could only imagine that if I had made a bigger struggle, what might be scratched next is my abdomen. 

How detestable! I gritted my teeth, but the sharp pain left me with no choice other than temporarily surrendering to the red-haired merman's strength.  Just as I gave up struggling, his sharp claws went ahead and cut open clothes, and let it run down my stomach toward my pant's hemline.

"No!" I turned pale in horror and yelled. I attempted to stop the evil claw that was aiming for my groin/crotch but suddenly, I felt a sharp pain radiating from my waist. Bloodstain trails down my stomach creating scarlet red threads. I heard a series of curses being muttered but I wasn't able to comprehend what was being said. 

I could distinguish it as a warning sign. This merman wasn't concerned about my life at all. Without a doubt, I bet that if this merman's patience went dry, he would cut open my chest all the way to my stomach for Agares to see. Just at this moment, the part of the red-haired merman's tail that was exposed on the water surface had a frighteningly awful gash. A large portion of the scales had disappeared without a trace, revealing the thick white flesh/muscle beneath it.

It was obvious that he had acquired this wound during the intense confrontation he had with Agares and because of that, he seeked vengeance. He regarded me as the tool to defeat Agares.

I grit my teeth together while my jaws trembled in both fear and humiliation. Being under the threat of harm, I could only look on helplessly as the red-haired merman tore open my pants and let his webbed hands roam around my thigh wantonly. This kind of unbearable scene would soon be presented before Agares. At this moment, I could see a large gush of water rushing in from the entrance of the dark cave and within a second, a long silhouette emerged from the shadows. 

I stared in horror. It was as if my shame and fear had transformed itself into seawater and it was pressing onto my airways, creating an urgent and messy rhythm as I gasped for air.

I couldn't imagine how Agares would respond to this matter, because as far as I know, within the races of these beasts, the position of a leader would be much more important and higher compared to their spouse or trophy. Merfolk don't possess the same concept of love like humans do because in the end, they are still beasts. When there's a threat to his position, how could Agares be concerned about my safety? Supposing that if I died, he would just go look for another spouse that suited his taste.   

I kept brooding about this matter that when Agares's body emerged from the water, I was greatly taken aback—

The upper area of his body was littered with puncture wounds, both big and small. Even though there was a layer of white membrane that had solidified and covered it up, you could still tell how deep it was. It was evident that it was caused by the claws of a Mermaid. This may be the reason why he hasn't appeared the past few days. He was killing, fending to keep his position, or perhaps to take the position, or maybe to compete. 

Aagres stood high in the water, towering high and above, looking at us but was blocked a few meters away by the red-haired merman's devoted followers. First, he set his gaze upon my face, then stopped at where the red-haired merman's claw was playing at. He narrowed his eyes. There was not a single glimmer of light in his eyes, only the black color of a bottomless dark hole. His expression changed to the point it was cold and ruthless as though it had become a highly toxic scorpion. 

I took a deep breath, feeling cold just by his glare. The state of his violent emotions between now and when he was fighting those pirates was different as night and day. It was so different that I even doubted myself if he was the same beast I dealt with. As if within these few days had been reborn into a soul reaper, an emotionless killing machine. 

Did he rush over to help me or did he coincidently come to this place in order to fight for his position of leadership? 

I thought to myself, feeling hesitation and panic, because I didn't want to hope nor believe that Agares cared more about my existence rather than his position. However, as my throat got gripped tightly by the red-haired merman's webbed hands and my ears got licked by a moist, flexible tongue, I immediately choked out a few hoarse words. "Agar..es!"

The red-haired merman's hand suddenly stiffened, but then gave a few, chilling cold laughs. He bent his tail to pry my legs open and dragged out the last syllable with his sneeringly mocking tone, "Agares…" 

It was only then did I realise that I made a huge ass mistake, I had forgotten the meaning behind that particular phrase. Saying that phrase in this timing, could be considered as 'wooing' to merfolk. Fuck! 

His tongue began sliding more wantonly down my neck and his webbed hand beneath started to trace along my crotch. My mind felt like it would be split wide open from my anger and humiliation. I struggled hysterically, not caring about how deep the claw digged into my waist and used one of my hands to grab onto the violating webbed hand in my pants while using the other hand to feel around for the military dagger that didn't come in handy before, but unfortunately, it was placed inside my boots!

All of the sudden, a large wave of water bursted right in front of me, raising Agares that was in it a few meters high. His long and thick tail, like a fatal whip, lashed ferociously towards the  several merfolk in the front that was preparing to launch an attack. Within the bat of an eye, this action allows him to easily pass through the merfolk's encirclement.

Agares gaze landed on my forcefully gripped neck and rapidly slid them down to my badly mangled and bloody waist.  Seeing this, his teeth gnashed together, shaping his jawline into the edge of a sharp knife. Agares's webbed hands that were suspended mid air, tightened into a clenched fist to the point that I could even hear the sound of bones cracking. His pale fingers overflowed with blue blood, and with drip after drip, it fell into the water. Even though the sound was soft, at this moment it seemed like it was an incomparable beat.  

I looked at his expression with my confused and conflicted wide eyes. Hope rose in my heart. But then this hope made me feel as though my heart had been ripped to shreds and was really difficult to bear.  Besides feeling guilt there was an indescribable feeling that was gnawing on my nerves, making me want to go crazy. I tried to deceive myself, saying that it was the virtue of a biologist haunting me, but I knew that that wasn't it. 

As I clenched my hands into a fist, Agares suddenly exposed his sharp fangs. His eyes were like a tailbone being dipped into poisoned water as he stared behind me. He then issued out a phrase that I wasn't able to understand.

"Fa arensai miya…" 

That was probably the merfolk's language. The red-haired merman immediately sounded a response.  He leaned closer to my ear and let out a bone-chilling sneer before spatting out a string of words. In the very next moment, the defeated merfolk made another comeback as they swarmed around him in order to stifle the movements of his tail. Several webbed hands clawed  and tore at his scales and one after another, like a unified entity, they dug their fingernails deeply into the wounds of the black weapon tail in an attempt to tear off it's epidermis. 

"Agares!"

I made a strangled shout from my squeezed throat. I saw that Agares's arm muscles twitched due to the pain and yet, his upper body didn't even flinch, resembling a metal statue. I can't imagine how painful it would be to get your scales violently ripped off,  yet I do feel those claws scratching at my own heart. This tormenting pain coming from my chest had surpassed the pain of my waist being pierced. 

This heartache and distress made me stoop down all of the sudden and let the  sharp claw ingrained itself deeper into my flesh. Using this moment, I took out the dagger that was located in my boots and firmly swung the dagger behind me. 

A loud roar emitted by my ear and my body was then abruptly released and dropped into the water. In that split second, a large burst of wave hit directly onto my whole body, sending me to slam against the rock wall behind me. 

Through my water blurred vision, I saw Agares's tail had risen up from the water surface and had turned into a violent black lightning, breaking off those claws that were shackling him and fiercely swept away those who were going to attack him, back into the water. 

The red-haired merman whose left ribs had been injured by me was unwilling to be outdone and attacked Agares from behind but was chopped down by Agares's sickle like caudal fin. Immediately, a large chunk of the enemy's scales peeled off and he let out a blood-curdling screech,  before withdrawing back into the shadows in the corner of the dark water, however a pair of eyes was still staring unresignly at Agares.

Now I knew that this merman wasn't Agares's opponent anymore, or maybe I should say that he had never been his opponent. 

I held my waist and hid within the shadows, looking black at the dark silhouette under the mottled light.  Agares was strong beyond imagination. Just what kind of merman did I enraptured, the merman I so happened to encounter was the boss of the population!

Good heavens Desharow, is your luck just good or bad?

Anyone wanna try to guess what ‘Fa arensai miya' is? Frankly, I have no idea either, but it's fun to guess.

Chapter end