Chapter 200: Chapter 188: Underwater Pledge of Love 1

Watching Lex Cross charge off without hesitation to lure the octopus monster, Flora Bloom wanted to hold him back or rush forward to fight alongside him. But a hand instinctively went to her stomach, and in the end, she dashed into the nearby Strange Rock Beach, protected by the bubble her water shield had formed.

She slipped into a cave just large enough for her to hide in. After steadying herself and scanning her surroundings to confirm it was safe, she finally looked toward Lex Cross’s retreating figure.

He was so fast that to the naked eye, he was little more than a teleporting black shadow. This shadow closed in on the octopus monster, weaving through the gaps between its dozen or so flailing tentacles, deftly dodging every attack.

Each time she saw his figure narrowly evade the thrashing tentacles, Flora Bloom would let out a breath of relief, only to hold it again as she watched Lex Cross cautiously close in on the octopus monster’s main body.

’That’s it! The octopus monster is terrifyingly large, but its tentacles are its main threat! If he can just avoid the tentacles and attack its body, Lex Cross might actually have a chance to pull off an upset and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat!’

But Lex Cross didn’t seem to share her opinion. Once he was close to the monster’s torso, he rushed in, his dagger a blur of stylish slashes against its body. Yet, its tough, slippery hide showed no signs of damage.

He, however, seemed to have expected this. After the barrage of attacks, his body flickered, and he reappeared on the far side, directly opposite Flora Bloom’s position.

Though unharmed by Lex Cross’s flurry of slashes, the octopus monster was enraged by his audacity. The fine sand on the seabed billowed as its seventeen thick tentacles coiled together, as if charging up a powerful attack.

Flora Bloom desperately wanted to shout a warning, but she realized Lex Cross was even quicker-witted than she’d thought. As the monster charged its attack, he vaulted onto the top of its head, using it as a springboard to launch himself away. His figure vanished in a flicker of black energy, reappearing on the other side.

From her hiding spot, Flora Bloom could no longer see Lex Cross. He had successfully drawn the monster’s full attention. Before her very eyes, the colossal octopus, which was being run in circles by a human no bigger than an ant in comparison, furiously charged after him.

As the man and monster vanished into the distance, a strange, hollow feeling settled in Flora Bloom’s heart.

’He’ll be okay, won’t he?’

’The octopus monster is powerful, but Lex Cross is no ordinary man. He should... he probably won’t die, right?’

Flora Bloom desperately searched for any excuse to justify following Lex Cross’s instructions, to convince herself she could leave with a clear conscience.

But just then, she heard a sound—an underwater shockwave reminiscent of the energy attack the octopus monster had unleashed earlier. Mixed within it was another ripple, one caused by an explosion of black energy that was all too familiar to her.

Flora Bloom’s heart plummeted. She found herself completely unable to take a step away.

She couldn’t bear the thought of a future where, every time Polly Bloom asked about her father, she would be overwhelmed by a guilt so profound it made her heart ache.

It was more than just guilt and heartache. Right now, what she felt most was worry.

’That fool. I clearly rejected him. I even told him I was pregnant and let him believe the child wasn’t his. I did everything I could to push him away! And yet he still had Lynx and The Crown Prince follow and protect me.’

’The moment he heard I was in danger, he came rushing over, throwing himself into this mess.’

’Could anyone be more foolish than him?’

For the first time in a long, long time, she asked herself a question about Lex Cross.

’If he’s willing to die for you, what reason could you possibly have to reject him?’

Flora Bloom wrestled with her thoughts inside the cave on Strange Rock Beach. But from not far away, a series of explosions—bursts of black energy—rippled through the water. With her affinity for and control over the Water Element, she could also taste the scent of blood in the sea.

Each blast of black energy shook the seabed, and with it, Flora Bloom’s heart.

’That’s right. The one who betrayed me in my past life was Shelton Underwood, and he’s already dead in this life! I killed him with my own hands!’

’Shelton Underwood is Shelton Underwood, and Lex Cross is Lex Cross! They are fundamentally different!’

’For ten years in the apocalypse, Shelton Underwood did nothing but cower behind me, groveling just to survive. Without the rules and riches of a peaceful society, the privileged young master plummeted to the lowest rungs of society, a commoner struggling to live.’

’But Lex Cross... he awakened as a Dual Ability User right when the apocalypse began! That kind of strength meant it was impossible for him to develop the same kind of warped personality that Shelton Underwood did.’

’Most importantly, even after I rejected him, even knowing I was pregnant, even believing the child wasn’t his... he still stood in front of me at the moment of crisis. He created a chance for my survival while he alone went to face a colossal danger with almost no hope of victory.’

The solid, confused wall she had built around her heart began to crack and fade with the ceaseless explosions ringing in her ears.

Flora Bloom emerged from the cave, reinforcing her shield. "Polly Bloom," she murmured, stroking her stomach, "what do you say we give your daddy a chance?" Propelling the bubble formed by her water shield, she sped toward the source of the explosions.

The seabed along her path was a scene of utter devastation, ravaged by the energy blasts. The fine sand was littered with fragments of coral and stained by the pigments of shredded aquatic plants.

Flora Bloom sped toward Lex Cross’s location, only to arrive just as he burst out from the octopus monster’s abdomen, a violently throbbing mass of flesh clutched in one hand.

The monster’s enormous body was limply collapsed on the sandy seafloor, its seventeen thick tentacles swaying gently and rhythmically at its base. It looked completely unharmed.

Strangely, however, it now lay docilely at Lex Cross’s feet. One of its tentacles had even slithered up to curl around his ankle, gently caressing his skin.

It looked less like an attack and more like it was trying to curry favor.

Lex Cross, for his part, appeared physically unharmed, but his handsome face was deathly pale. The black energy that had been enveloping him was now so thin it was on the verge of dissipating completely.

"A water shield?" He suddenly felt himself enveloped by an incredibly gentle surge of Water Energy. At the same time, a globule of that familiar spiritual water materialized before his lips, ready for him to swallow with a simple opening of his mouth.

Flora Bloom swam faster, coming to a stop beside him. Next to the colossal octopus, the two of them looked like a pair of rice grains.

"Why did you come back?" Lex Cross frowned, but there was no anger in his expression.

"You’re hurt. Drink the spiritual water."

"This kind of injury can only heal on its own over time. Your spiritual water won’t be much help." Despite his words, Lex Cross obediently opened his mouth and swallowed the globule of spiritual water.

"It might not be much help, but if you’re the one giving it, I’ll drink it."

"You’d drink it just because I gave it to you? What if I gave you poison, would you drink that too?"

Flora Bloom had only been joking, but Lex Cross simply looked at her, a faint, weak smile gracing his pale face.

"If your poison didn’t kill me, and you were the only one with the antidote... you tell me, should I drink it?"

"You’re hurt, so save your strength and talk less. What’s the deal with this octopus monster? I heard the explosions and sensed your superpower, so I got worried and came back." Although Flora was concerned about Lex Cross’s injuries, faced with his deep, intense gaze fixed squarely on her, she chose to steer the conversation back to the matter at hand. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

After all, a creature with a body as massive as a mountain had managed to severely injure even Lex Cross, yet it now seemed completely unharmed and very much alive.

"Why isn’t it attacking us anymore?"