Now that Alex was completely engulfed underwater, things had become much harder for him.
Not only was he against a beast as strong as this siren, but now he was fighting on her home turf.
The tides were literally turned against him.
Alex's heart gradually started to pound faster and faster as he realised just how much trouble he was in.
But it wasn't just out of fear, no... he was also full of adrenaline and excitement!
That's right, Alex was actually excited to be in such a dangerous battle.
The siren rose in the water, her entire form now suspended in mid air, or rather mid water?
By now, the whole river itself was suspended in the air, not a single droplet of water touching the ground, defying gravity as it followed her command.
'Well this wasn't what I was expecting...'
When he first noticed a beautiful, naked lady swimming in the river, Alex didn't think much of it.
But now, it was quite clear that it was bait for someone like him to come over.
She was probably waiting and baiting pervy men to come over and spy on her, and when they came close, she'd strike just as she did with Alex.
The cold grip of the water was like a vise on Alex, pulling him and enveloping him completely.
He struggled against the current, but it was like trying to fight back against a tidal wave.
The water pressed in from all sides, crushing and trying to suffocate him.
Thankfully Alex's extensive experience of surviving out in the void of space for prolonged periods of time had helped in this situation.
Combined with his rank up to C tier, he could hold his breath for over 18 hours before needing to refill his lungs.
He called on his Phoenix Flames, feeling the familiar warmth surge within him, but the water around him barely reacted other than producing large amounts of steam.
'Shit, how could I forget, it's water versus fire!'
This was an old trick that Alex was utilising, one that he hadn't made use of since before he had even acquired his Phoenix Flames!
He was letting the flames enhance his entire body, which extended outwards towards Virtue's Edge, not excluding it from this transformation that was taking place.
Ever since he had acquired his Phoenix Flames, this neat trick he had taught himself had taken a little bit of a back burner, as it wasn't as useful in most scenarios anymore.
But this wasn't just most scenarios — it happened to be a time where it was actually more useful than anything else!
The siren's smile faded as she watched Alex begin to glow with an intense crimson light, his entire form radiating a dangerous energy that even her water struggled to suppress.
This was no laughing matter anymore.
She actually felt a dangerous threat from Alex now, which was a stark contrast to the previous feeling she had of him, which was that he was just a puny C- rank who she could squash in mere seconds.
But it seemed she had underestimated him.
This human was far stronger than she had initially thought.
A low growl rumbled through the water as the siren's eyes narrowed, her playful demeanour replaced by a cold, calculated malice.
She would not let this human toy with her.
If this human wanted a fight, she would give him one that would be his last.
With a swift motion of her arms, the water around her churned violently in response.
The entire river, still suspended in the air, began to twist and spiral, forming massive vortexes that spun with terrifying speed and intensity.
The water roared with the fury of a storm, and even outside, in the skies above, dark clouds began to develop and huge droplets of rain began to fall.
Alex felt the pull immediately, the force of the water dragging him toward the nearest vortex.
The pressure was immense, the currents were relentless, trying to tear him apart from every direction.
But he wasn't about to let himself be swept away.
He gripped Virtue's Edge with every fibre of his being, not letting it slip from his hands and be swept away by the powerful currents.