Entangled in Battle

A series of sharp cracks echoed as some tentacles lashed against the ground with ear-piercing intensity. Just as the tentacles were about to strike him, Simon sprinted off the rooftop edge, his feet leaving the ground, and with a whoosh, he plummeted downwards.

The Nightmare Beast's attacks all missed their mark.

The rooftop stood over ten meters above the water below. Simon let out a fierce roar as he fell straight down like a cannonball, plunging into the water with a resounding splash, sending up a great spray.

Though Simon lacked professional diving training, his robust physique, several times stronger than an average person's, allowed him to endure the fall. The impact only caused a brief shock to his head, and his muscles tensed momentarily before he regained his composure. He immediately dove deeper, swimming furiously away.

He was unsure if Long and the others had found the kayak or raft, or their exact location, but they had a good chance of escaping. The Nightmare Beast had been lured to the rooftop, buying them time. As it clambered back down the building, they would have the opportunity to flee.

Simon swam swiftly, glancing upwards, when suddenly, a massive shadow appeared, growing rapidly.

With a thunderous crash, the water erupted, sending waves crashing around Simon, propelling him far away.

He was stunned, hardly able to believe his eyes.

He had never imagined the enraged Nightmare Beast would follow him into the water, its enormous body plunging in and landing just five meters away from him.

The waves created by the beast's impact had fortunately pushed him away. Otherwise, he would have been less than a meter from it.

"Does this creature hate me that much?" Simon thought, both shocked and furious, as he dove deeper.

He didn't know how fast the Nightmare Beast could move underwater, but his only option was to dive as deep as he could. His goal wasn't to escape but to head towards the submerged building.

He had fallen into the water just three meters from the building's edge. The Nightmare Beast had also landed near the building, and the waves had pushed him horizontally several meters. However, he hadn't been driven far from the building; he was now even closer, barely two meters away. He immediately dove downwards, reaching the submerged twenty-ninth floor.

The Nightmare Beast's tentacles had already reached over, demonstrating remarkable agility in the water, even more so than on land. Simon cursed under his breath and propelled himself through one of the windows on the submerged twenty-ninth floor.

Escaping the Nightmare Beast in the water seemed nearly impossible; his only hope lay in entering the building and using its numerous rooms as barriers. Simon remembered that this floor had become a den for hordes of carcass beasts, yet now it appeared deserted, likely due to the Nightmare Beast's presence.

Simon darted inside, with tentacles snaking in after him, but the Nightmare Beast's massive body couldn't fit through the window. Suddenly, a thunderous crash erupted, causing waves to surge. The wall housing the window crumbled as the Nightmare Beast unleashed another supersonic blast, reducing the barrier to rubble.

Having distanced himself from the wall, Simon calculated the intervals between the Nightmare Beast's supersonic attacks. He estimated he had at least two minutes before it could strike again. Utilizing the myriad rooms as shields, Simon played a dangerous game of hide-and-seek with the beast.

The enraged Nightmare Beast became increasingly terrifying. Despite its inability to continuously emit sonic blasts, its powerful forelimbs effortlessly demolished the waterlogged walls. It resembled a demolition machine, smashing through obstacles with ease.

Simon, alarmed, escaped through another window, clinging to the building's exterior as he swam away. The Nightmare Beast, fixated on him, immediately followed, resuming its relentless pursuit.

In the underwater chase around the building, the Nightmare Beast's speed surpassed Simon's slightly, closing the ten-meter gap between them. Simon hugged the building's walls, ensuring he could dive back inside at a moment's notice.

Soon, Simon spotted numerous floating corpses in the water, suspended between sinking and surfacing. "This is it," Simon thought. He recognized this area as where he had previously tossed the monster carcasses from the rooftop—his true destination.

With the Nightmare Beast's tentacles nearly upon him, Simon suddenly pivoted and slipped through a nearby window.

The Nightmare Beast pursued relentlessly, its numerous tentacles writhing as they forced their way through the window. The immense eye on its belly became visible, signaling another impending supersonic attack. The two-minute interval had passed, allowing it to unleash its devastating sonic blast once more.

A colossal explosion reverberated through the water, creating a towering wave. Water sprayed in all directions, walls crumbled into ruins, and the floating corpses were shredded by the force of the blast.

Having anticipated the timing, Simon had calculated that the Nightmare Beast would soon deploy its sonic attack. As he darted through the window into the room, he immediately charged through the door opposite. Though the supersonic blast held immense power, it could only demolish a single wall, incapable of collapsing two consecutive barriers to reach him.

Simon paused, listening to the thunderous explosion outside. He watched the wall crumble, and the Nightmare Beast squeezed through the debris, raising its forelimbs to assault the next wall standing between them.

"This building won't hold much longer," Simon thought silently. Forced by the circumstances, he had little choice. Although the Nightmare Beast couldn't catch him immediately, his escape seemed equally implausible. This protracted skirmish would either end with his exhaustion leading to capture, or the Nightmare Beast tiring first, allowing his escape.

However, given the creature's formidable nature, the latter seemed a distant hope.