Athena in Tower Defense Game! [LitRPG]

Chapter 105: Fight Against The Rulers of Oceans!

The sky was choked with dark, oppressive clouds, and lightning crackled across the heavens. The once tranquil sea roared with monstrous waves, turbulent and unforgiving.

Within the shelter of the boundless ocean, it felt like a dilapidated wooden ship, barely holding together. Giant waves crashed relentlessly against the base's barrier, and Athena stood amidst the chaos, clearly seeing the scene beneath the turbulent waves.

The deafening clash between the waves and the barrier sounded like the ocean's furious roar.

The scene before her bore no resemblance to the legendary mermaids who arrived with enchanting melodies. Instead, it resembled an apocalyptic vision.

Before the forces of nature, even the mightiest of humans felt like mere ants—fragile and easily crushed.

Beneath the fathomless depths of the sea, an unusual portal appeared. It was a cramped, narrow gateway, no larger than a one-meter-diameter sphere.

A dolphin emerged from it, followed by a mermaid.

With scales on her face, fins on either side, and eyes the same color as the sea, she possessed a beauty that humans could only dream of.

Her eyes held the coldness of the deep sea, her sharp teeth and claws gleamed, and her light blue, seaweed-like curls danced in the water.

Her upper body was human, but her lower half was a fish tail—two meters long by itself, making her total length an intimidating three meters.

She moved through the water with the grace of a fish, her tail propelling her swiftly towards the ocean surface.

Beautiful yet perilous.

Athena, still within the base, felt a pang of anxiety—a sensation of being targeted by a predator.

The surrounding sea remained churning, but suddenly, it all fell eerily still.

Athena fixed her gaze on a specific spot on the sea's surface, and as expected, a tail emerged—a long, shimmering blue tail that, even without sunlight, dazzled brilliantly, rippling the surface of the sea.

A wave surged toward the floating base island, only to be blocked once more.

Athena finally glimpsed the mermaid's true form. Her beauty was unforgettable at first sight, but beneath that allure lay a sense of mystery and danger.

As a member of the royal mermaid clan, she carried an inherent aura of authority that disallowed any thoughts of defiance.

This creature, an enemy of Athena, could awaken the slumbering sea with a single call—one mermaid could rival an entire army.

Athena had no doubt that battling a mermaid would be futile; if she ventured outside the base and fell into the sea, today would be her last.

Each assault from the waves brought immense pressure to the base’s barrier, but it withstood every attack, indicating its resilience and an unlikelihood of being breached.

Previously, every monster assault allowed the creatures to penetrate the base’s interior.

But against the mermaid, the base had, for the first time, repelled monsters both by night and day, demonstrating its full capabilities.

The system’s arrangement of monsters was a way of testing and revealing the players' strengths. Normally, the base wouldn’t provide protection during monster attacks.

Yet, in the face of this unique mermaid, the system had activated the base’s protective functions, ensuring there would be no inevitable defeat or simply call it, inescapable death for all players.

However, this battle was unlike any other. While Athena’s base was of a high level with formidable defense, how many times could a lower-level base withstand the mermaid’s assaults?

Observing the ineffectiveness of the waves’ attacks, the royal mermaid squinted her beautiful eyes and smiled, revealing her sharp shark-like teeth.

Her smile, charming yet dangerous, was like finding a delightful new toy.

She ceased the wave attacks, seemingly confident that Athena could not harm her, and swam toward the base.

Though the barrier had repelled the waves, it did not necessarily mean the mermaid could not enter.

The strength of a whale-like mermaid diminished greatly when away from the water—an option worth considering.

In the sea, mermaids were nearly invincible. The system’s rating of her was accurate: level eight, with exceptional skills, though her attributes weren’t particularly strong.

In the water, they were the ocean’s rulers.

Yet, a strong dragon cannot dominate a local snake—victory is especially challenging on another’s turf.

Athena suppressed her urge to draw the black axe and restricted the base’s various towers from attacking.

At this moment, all her attacks were ineffective. No matter what she tried, the mermaid could conjure waves to neutralize them.

And from the look of it, the mermaid seemed unfazed, as though summoning the ocean was a trivial task that required no effort.

As a member of the mermaid royalty, she did not possess greater physical attributes than ordinary mermaids but exuded a regal presence that could have overwhelmed anyone less mentally strong than Athena.

With a mesmerizing and enchanting face, the mermaid slowly approached Athena, spreading her arms as if seeking an embrace.

She carefully sheathed her sharp teeth and claws, as if to signify her harmlessness.

A mythical creature, usually untouchable, had sheathed its threats and approached cautiously, tempting the observer.

Yet, to Athena, the beauty and allure were overshadowed by a sense of danger and power.

As the mermaid opened her mouth, Athena wasted no time. The base's defensive towers sprang into action immediately.

A moonlit bow, strung taut in her hands, glowed with the serene light of the moon.

Upon release, the arrow shot forth with the force to part the sea, aimed directly at the mermaid’s mouth as if intending to pierce through and pin her in the boundless ocean.

Another wave surged.

It deflected countless artillery shells and arrows, yet the moonlit arrow continued its path through the wave, but fell powerless before reaching the mermaid, landing on the sea.

The mermaid, however, could not manage a smile.

Her once-beautiful face was now a mask of disbelief. Her eyes widened, her scales bristling, revealing her monstrous side.

Athena’s unanticipated arrow shattered her song, cutting off her melody before it could even begin.

Countless shells targeted her, but were stopped by the waves.

The musical dolphins below struggled to keep up with their princess's speed, pushed back by the surging currents.

Finally reaching the surface, they saw a sky filled with artillery fire closing in on them.