Chapter 304 - Battle at the Fortress and the Eight-Headed Serpent, Part 2
The eight elongated heads writhed across the dome roof, slithering wildly.
"The second wave is coming!"
Mizuki dropped the shield she had been holding, gripping her sword with both hands. At the same moment, the Eight-Headed Serpent bared its fangs and Charged at Mizuki, Maira, and Nephie in the frontline. Mizuki and Maira lured its attacks to the very last second before splitting to either side. Behind them, Nephie waited with her staff held horizontally. A crimson fireball roared at the tip of her staff, awaiting the moment to be unleashed at the incoming monster. Aiming directly at the beast’s snout.
"Shaaah!"
The snake’s head, targeted by the fireball, widened its maw. The beast swallowed the fireball whole before snapping its jaws at Nephie.
"Whoops!"
Nephie’s evasion was a split second too slow due to the unexpected movement of the monster. She had no room to dodge sideways, only to backpedal. But the beast’s fangs relentlessly pursued her.
"Nephie!"
Maira’s cry echoed as her battle-axe swung down, aiming for the monster’s skull. A grinding sound, like splintering bone, resounded, and the boulder-like beast’s movements paused for a few milliseconds. Mizuki seized the opening, her blade dancing in the dim light, then was dyed with the beast's blood. The severed head swayed away from Nephie, sliding across the ground. Four fangs snapped wildly at them, but they scattered as if previously arranged, dodging the attack. The follow-up strike grazed Maira’s robe, but she backstepped quickly enough to avoid being nailed before cleaving at the monster with her battle-axe. It was a shallow blow, but the beast retreated without counterattacking.
Mizuki stopped fighting and looked out over the battlefield. It was clear that the four heads attacking them were now the main threat. The head that Mizuki had slashed was writhing on the ground, its movements no longer feeling intentional, gradually weakening. The two heads struck by Mamie's lightning hadn’t joined the attack either. Meanwhile, the last head watched over me, Fam, and Mamie with gleaming golden eyes. Its target was clearly Mamie, who was preparing to cast a spell on the Serpent’s main body.
"Hold yourselves! Don't let it get to Mamie!"
Her fiancé sound reached her, but she didn't react. She remained frozen, her wand raised as she prepared her spell. She looked like a doll. I tried to get her attention by waving my hands. With no response, I pressed my hand to her chest and gently squeezed.
"...Why are you doing this now...?"
Mamie's cheeks flushed red, her half-closed eyes shifting toward me.
"I thought you’d been enchanted because you weren’t reacting."
"...I'm preparing a spell. Leave me alone."
"Even if you say that, one of the heads is heading straight for us!"
"Don't make me do impossible things!"
But she ignored me, refocusing on constructing her spell. Just then, Fam’s body sank slightly, and her tail swished.
"Master! It's coming!"
The long fangs gleamed from the monster’s gaping maw. Then, in an instant, it plummeted straight down toward us.
"Damn it!"
Neither Fam nor I had the strength to take on the monster’s attack head-on. Fam agilely dodged to the side, though I could see she was injured. I hoisted Mamie onto my shoulder and started running. The monster crashed into the wall of the building. It felt like a giant hammer demolishing the structure. The shockwave pushed against my back, almost knocking me off balance. The head scuttled across the ground as it retreated, then slowly turned toward Mamie and me again. Its fangs were bared, pressing in on us with relentless speed.
"Screw off!"
I raised my free hand, firing an Icicle toward the beast. It hit the fang and rebounded. I fired several more, but they were swallowed by the beast, and I didn’t feel like I was dealing any effective damage. Meanwhile, the widely opened mouth was about to swallow both Mamie and me whole.
"Master!"
Fam’s voice rang out. Looking up, I saw she had somehow climbed onto the monster’s head. She swung her katana and thrust it into the head, but the blade was blocked by its hard scales, only grazing the surface.
"Crap, I need to try again!"
As Fam raised her katana, the beast violently thrashed, trying to shake her off. That momentary distraction was all I needed. I stopped moving and targeted my Water Magic Icicle. I aimed the tip at the head attacking Mizuki, right as it was retreating after finishing its attack. The beast was repeating the same predictable movements. There was no way I’d miss.
"Take this!"
The fired Icicle cleaved the air and deeply impaled the monster’s eye and the base of its neck. The head wobbled violently, its gaping maw screaming something akin to agony. At that moment, Mizuki took a large step forward and launched her body high into the air, aiming for the monster’s head. Her light blue hair flowed behind her, and for a moment, her eyes glowed red—I realized her special skill, Super Kill, had activated. The full-force attack splattered the monster’s head and cleaved through its neck in two. The blade continued splitting the beast’s body, almost reaching its main body.
"We did it..."
I thought it was over then. Another head problemed over and bit the severed head and tore it away from the body.
"What?!"
It didn’t seem to know about Mizuki's special skill. Yet, it must have sensed the abnormality of the attack. Mizuki wasn’t flustered by the monster's erratic behavior. She calmly swung her sword and moved away. The moment she landed on the ground her skirt gracefully floated up and covered her upper thighs. The severed head flew toward us. I barely managed to dodge, and it struck the wall, splattering blood and a sickening crunch as the bones splintered. That seemed to be the signal, as the remaining five heads paused their attacks and raised them.
"It's attacking with three heads now. One more push!"
I encouraged Fam and the others. At that moment, the remaining heads began to devour the heads that weren't attacking anymore.
"What? It's self-destructing... no way!"
Mizuki’s question quickly turned into horror. From the severed stump, a new head began to regenerate, growing before our eyes. It was a grotesque sight that made me want to vomit.
"Damn... this never ends!"
Maira gripped her battle-axe, ready for the beast’s new attack.
"...It’s alright. I’ll end this with this one blow."
The voice came from behind—it was Mamie. I lowered her to the ground, and she stumbled slightly before standing straight. She slowly raised her wand. The tip of the wand pointed toward the ceiling, where a giant metal stake, larger than the monster’s head, hovered, its tip aimed at the Eight-Headed Serpent’s body. It emitted a scorching heat that warped the air and glowed like the sun.
"...I'll finish this with this blow! Fire Magic, Banisher!"
Mamie shouted, swinging her wand down. The stake, now a shaft of light, shot straight at the Serpent’s body. The eight heads stared at it, but showed no sign of trying to evade. Just as it was about to hit, the Eight-Headed Serpent’s eight tails whipped violently. The intense heat and roar of the Banisher echoed through the air. There was a snapping sound as it split the air. Then the smell of burning flesh filled my nostrils. Then steam burst forth, painting the world white.
The steam cleared, revealing the Eight-Headed Serpent standing there calmly. The eight tails were charred and decaying from the extreme heat of the stake. Yet, like the heads, they were regenerating as if nothing had happened. And Mamie’s Banisher lay rolling on the ground beside it. Its remnants dissipated, fading away. Levante’s members, including me, were speechless, staring blankly. Everything we’d accomplished had been undone. All that remained was a sense of futility and weariness from the battle. And the only thing lingering was the dark stench of defeat. As if mocking our despair, the monster’s roar echoed around us.
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