Thalion watched the massive crystal nestled beneath the swaying seagrass with a hunger he did not bother to hide. Its sheer size rivaled that of the leviathan. The thick strands of seaweed had masked most of the crystal’s energy, but now that much of the vegetation had been destroyed in the chaos, whispers echoed in Thalion’s mind, coaxing him to descend and claim it for himself. He considered simply slipping it into his spatial ring and vanishing into the depths. Surely the fishfolk had thought of that already. Even if they lacked spatial rings themselves, they could have borrowed one from the undead.

Yet here they were, locked in battle with the leviathan. That alone was enough for Thalion to guess their true motive. The rage and precision in their attacks suggested vengeance rather than greed. The leviathan had likely killed one of their own. Now they fought not for power but for retribution. That suited Thalion perfectly. He intended to seize the crystal no matter what. If aiding them in slaying the leviathan gave him a better chance, he would do it. That did not mean he would spare them when the time came. They would surely turn on him too. No alliance here would last beyond the fall of the beast.

Thalion was not as heavily armored as the leviathan. Those enchanted harpoons could pierce his flesh with ease. It was best to remain hidden for now and wait until both sides were weakened. At the moment, neither seemed to be using their full strength. The leviathan had yet to unleash the coiled tentacles wrapped around its midsection, and the fishfolk had not escalated beyond the same freezing spear tactic. The method had merit, but it was not enough to truly endanger a creature of this magnitude.

Even as the battle raged below, Thalion’s thoughts wandered back to the crystal. Could they even mount it on Lucan’s formation? What would happen if he chose to absorb its power directly? He had fused Eagly with such artifacts, using them to amplify his spells and strengthen his body. The Tidecaller Serpent was exceptional at breaking down crystals and refining their energy. It was the smoothest form of body tempering he had ever experienced. At present, he had three shrunken crystals slowly dissolving within his belly.

That, however, was the limit his body could handle at one time. Any more would disrupt the process and risk damage. Shrinking this crystal and consuming it might push his strength to new heights. He had considered transferring the digestion skill from his damaged Eclipsari form back into the Tidecaller Serpent, but he was unsure how often such changes could be made before something broke. The risk of the skill being stuck in the wrong form for weeks was not worth a minor boost.

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Even as a passive power source, it must be unimaginably potent. He needed to wait. Jumping into the fray too soon would be foolish. His only real concern was that the leviathan might wipe out enough of the fishfolk to force a retreat. Right now, it did not even look like they had inflicted any lasting damage.

They had adjusted their aim and now targeted either the tentacles wrapped tightly around the beast’s midsection or its eyes. The eyes were small and difficult to hit, and Thalion suspected there was some kind of shield protecting them. Sharks had evolved similar defenses, rolling their eyes back just before an attack. The leviathan seemed to possess an even more advanced mechanism. Its eyes looked reinforced, as though protected by a thick pane of transparent armor. Not that it mattered. The fishfolk lacked the accuracy to land a direct strike, and the leviathan moved swiftly, dodging most attempts with ease.

Thalion doubted the beast even needed its eyes. They were tiny in proportion to its massive body. Perhaps they were useful, but he suspected they were far from essential. The tentacles, on the other hand, were clearly functional. They absorbed most of the impacts, though even there, no real wounds had been inflicted. Their design appeared deliberate—soft flesh on the side that touched the leviathan’s body, while the outer layers were covered in a hardened, shell-like skin that deflected most attacks.

Thalion still could not quite understand the purpose of so many limbs. It seemed excessive, even for a creature of this scale. The battle continued with slow escalation. The leviathan moved with increasing speed, while the fishfolk pushed their enchantments further. Some attempted new tactics, like freezing the water around the leviathan’s flippers, but those efforts had little effect. After the initial wave of combat, the five warriors had linked themselves to their embattled comrade using threads of water, ready to pull him out of danger the moment the leviathan got too close.

It was an effective way to counter the pull every time the leviathan opened its enormous jaws. The creature grew increasingly irritated, unable to snatch the lone hunter it had relentlessly pursued. To Thalion, the sight felt almost comical, like a massive dog chasing a treat just out of reach. Even the few harpoons embedded in its tentacles, like crude acupuncture needles, barely registered as discomfort. The leviathan's vitality was immense. Its wounds closed within seconds, leaving no trace. Tiny punctures meant nothing to a beast of such scale.