“Hiss — Hahaha!”
“Oleg! Even you have met your match today!” 𝐎𝑽ℯ𝒍xt.𝔠𝑂𝗆
In hot pursuit of the sent flying Oleg, the Crimson Serpent King charged into the ranks of the bounty hunters, its massive body instantly crushing two unsuspecting mages.
“Now! The Secret Saber: Blaze Steed is mine!”
The Crimson Serpent King coiled its enormous body into a circle, trapping Oleg within, while its sturdy scales formed an impenetrable wall, preventing the bounty hunters on the outside from rushing in to rescue him.
“Tier -1 Water magic: Ice Thorns!”
“Tier -1 Thunder magic: Forked Lightning!”
The mages strained every nerve to repel the giant serpent, but their spells had no effect on its body.
The warriors, wielding their weapons, struck the serpent’s scales to no avail.
Suddenly, the Crimson Serpent King twisted its body and violently whipped its tail, sending a large group of people flying.
“Hiss — Hahaha! Your feeble attempts are nothing to me, you weaklings!”
Crimson Serpent King ? Splurt gazed arrogantly at the surrounding bounty hunters. If even the level 50 professional mercenary Oleg couldn’t deal with him, what chance did these rookies in their 20s have?
Now that Oleg was being backlashed by the fiery magic sword and couldn’t move, Splurt no longer worried about any threat from him.
What Splurt had to consider now was the timing to revert to his human form and seize the magic sword.
Although Splurt himself was a level 63 “Magic Spirit Walker,” his human form was relatively fragile as a summoner.
If he hastily reverted to his human form, he would be prone to being overwhelmed by the bounty hunters’ sheer numbers. That would spell trouble for him.
— (Slaughter them all; it’s the safest way!)
Splurt quickly made up his mind. Faced with these second-tier novices, his Crimson Serpent King form was invincible!
.
Upon Tyler and Emilia’s arrival on horseback, they were met with a scene resembling the very depths of hell.
“How…how could this be…”
Emilia’s shoulders slumped in despair, while Tyler was too astonished to speak.
Before them, a thirty-meter-long Crimson Serpent King effortlessly gripped a heavy-armored warrior in its jaws, tossing him into the air with ease, only to watch as he plummeted to his death.
Scattered around the serpent lay the lifeless bodies of numerous bounty hunters:
Crushed to death;
Bitten by venomous fangs to death;
Strangled to death;
…
Even the people’s sole hope, Branch Chief Oleg, could do nothing but roll frantically on the ground in an attempt to extinguish the flames engulfing him.
A courageous mage cast a water spell to quench the fire, but the sinister blaze seemed impervious to water, intensifying instead!
With the Branch Chief defeated and their companions being slain one by one, an atmosphere of terror pervaded every corner.
“Heavy-armored warriors, charge!”
“Snipers, aim for its eyes!”
Yet, even so, the bounty hunters refused to give up, continuing to collaborate in their efforts to vanquish the monstrous serpent.
Their cries ignited a fire of courage within Tyler’s heart.
“Emilia! Pull yourself together! It’s not the time to give up!”
Tyler’s shout roused Emilia, and he dismounted, rushing to Oleg’s side.
First, he checked Oleg’s Life Energy, which had depleted to only a fifth of its maximum but was not critically low. Then, he glanced at the Secret Saber: Blaze Steed clutched in Oleg’s hand, realizing why the flames refused to be extinguished.
“Branch Chief, I am Banning! Please allow me to temporarily take control of the magic sword in your hand!”
With that, Tyler leaned down, ignoring the risk of being burned, forcibly pried Oleg’s fingers open, and snatched the Secret Saber: Blaze Steed.
—(Take the magic energy from me, magic sword!)
As soon as Tyler grasped the sword, he felt a significant drain of his magic energy. However, once the energy was absorbed, the flames that had been spewing from the blade abruptly ceased!
“Emilia! Take care of the Branch Chief!”
Tyler patted the approaching Emilia, informing her that a water spell could now extinguish the flames on the Branch Chief.
Immediately after, without time to offer further explanation, Tyler remounted his horse and charged forth with the Secret Saber: Blaze Steed in hand.
“Hey, idiot serpent! You want this sword, don’t you?! If you dare, come and take it!!”
Tyler’s taunt instantly caught the Crimson Serpent King’s attention. It had nearly cleared the area when it noticed the sword being carried off by another, enraging the demon!
“You insolent brat! You won’t escape!”
The Crimson Serpent King pursued Tyler in a frenzy, granting the hunted bounty hunters a temporary reprieve.
Seizing this brief respite, Emilia and the other mages collaborated to finally extinguish the flames engulfing Branch Chief Oleg.
However, the Branch Chief was now severely burned and unable to speak from weakness. Gazing at the pitiful Oleg and then at Banning, who had led the Crimson Serpent King away, Emilia felt an unbearable pain in her heart.
The bounty hunters, who had been alive and well earlier that day, talking and laughing in the Quest Guild, now lay lifeless around her. Overwhelmed by grief, Emilia struggled to breathe.
The thought of Banning potentially never returning tore her heart apart…
But…
But!
Emilia knew she couldn’t wallow in sorrow! If she didn’t seize this opportunity to act, Banning’s sacrifice would be in vain!
“Everyone, hold on!”
Emilia cast off her usual expressionless demeanor, shouting with all her might to rally the crowd. In that moment, she broke free from the shackles of her emotions, returning to her former self before losing her parents.
“The seriously injured should ride the horses!”
“Uninjured, help the lightly injured!”
“We must evacuate before the enemy reappears!”
Emilia’s cries revived the people’s fighting spirit, and they momentarily set aside their grief to work together in retreating to the safety of the town.
—(Banning…you must return alive…)
.
Tyler galloped through the withered forest on horseback, pursued closely by the Crimson Serpent King.
Initially, Tyler had hoped the barren trees would somewhat impede the serpent’s speed, but the demon paid no heed to the obstacles, bulldozing its way through the forest!
—(Can I truly defeat it…?)
Tyler glanced at the Secret Saber: Blaze Steed in his hand, doubting even the theoretical possibility of victory.
A direct confrontation was out of the question, as he lacked the ironclad resilience of Branch Chief Oleg.
To claim victory, he had to rely on his wits.
However, before Tyler could devise a plan, the Crimson Serpent King initiated its attack.
The serpent momentarily paused, only to expel a gargantuan orb.
Tyler had witnessed the rain of snakes once before; this time, the serpentine onslaught targeted him alone, a relentless barrage falling from the sky!
In anticipation of danger, Tyler hastily consumed an antidote.
Yet, he had not foreseen the horse beneath him, which lacked Moto-chan’s valor, toppling to the ground in fright as the rain of snakes descended.
Consequently, Tyler was thrown off as well!
132
—(Damn it!)
Tyler promptly raised his protective sword and round shield, repelling and slaying the encroaching venomous snakes.
As he was occupied with the snakes, the Crimson Serpent King caught up and devoured the fallen horse in one gulp!
“Hiss— Hahaha!”
“Thought you could run? Try running now, hiss… Let’s see if you can outrun me!”
The Crimson Serpent King, Splurt, was brimming with confidence. Bereft of his steed, the youth had no chance of outpacing him.
Although the night was riddled with unexpected events, the Secret Saber: Blaze Steed would soon be his prize!
Upon closer inspection, Splurt was astonished to find that the youth who almost ruined his plan was none other than Banning, the very person the “Underworld Master” had ordered him to surveil!
—(Humph, you’re just unlucky…)
—(Neither the Underworld nor the Heaven Master can save you now.)
For the sake of the Secret Saber: Blaze Steed, Splurt was willing to pay any price. He wouldn’t give up when victory was so close at hand!