Chapter 131

Chapter 131 - Omen (5)

The Lamia Queen that revealed herself was nearly three times larger than the other individuals.

Strangely, hard protrusions resembling a horned lizard sprouted on her forehead, forming the shape of a crown. Its color was an elegant gold. The woman's upper body and snake's lower body were also covered in golden scales.

As if to hint at possessing intelligence, unlike other Lamias, she had even adorned herself. She had crafted a massive necklace by weaving jewels among the loot plundered from humans.

Precious metals covering the Lamia Queen's upper chest to her bosom like a fan shone brilliantly catching the sunlight.

Above that rested a face carrying an aloof atmosphere, as if having witnessed a part of the world's underlying principles.

If the lower body comprised of a snake were hidden, one wouldn't doubt her if called a wise queen of a human kingdom.

"Her Majesty."

Marbas unintentionally let out a word.

Although an enemy they would engage in a life-or-death battle against shortly, no word suited the Lamia Queen better than that.

The other mercenaries also merely let out gasps of admiration. Some were captivated by the Queen's elegance and overwhelming pressure, while others were bewitched by the crafted piece hanging on her neck.

"Everyone, snap out of it about now... Because I won't say anything even if you admire it every day after we kill her, peel off her skin, and hang it in the castle."

At Eugene's cold words, laughter loosening the tension leaked from all over.

"Then Lord Marbas. If you please."

This place was a village. As one of the trade centers, the ground was neatly paved and laid with stones. The aura of nature was scarce, so even the great Valda could do nothing.

However, that wasn't a problem at all for the summoner Marbas.

The physical traits of the Lamias, and the characteristics of the village they occupied. He had prepared a hand to directly counter them head-on.

"To think a failed research would be helpful in a direction like this... The world's affairs are truly unfathomable."

Marbas lifted his oak staff and began chanting a spell. The tip of the twisted, bent staff possessed a shape similar to a heart.

Hssss-!

Hiiiiisssss-!

The expressions of the Lamias, who were flicking their tongues menacingly, were colored with panic. Goosebumps began sprouting on the beautiful female naked bodies.

They looked up at the sky. A small hole had been pierced before they knew it. Beyond it lay a hostile world filled solely with blue ice and darkness.

A chillingly cold frost poured out from the door to another dimension. Frost instantly covered the stone ground of the village, and winds swirled due to the sudden temperature change.

Kiiik-!

The Lamias panicked in stark terror. Their momentum to tear the intruders apart vanished, and they were at a loss on what to do, hugging their own arms.

The two Lamias that had discovered Eugene's army first embraced each other. The snake lower bodies intertwined, and they wrapped their arms around the other's back. The other Lamias also sought partners and combined their body heat.

Eugene's army was also within the sphere of influence of the cold, but they could endure it far better compared to the Lamias.

Crack!

Marbas's staff broke as if turning into a rotten branch. It was because he used it as a catalyst to absorb the load of the powerful magic instead.

"I will definitely compensate you for it."

"Obtaining the heart of an oak tree won't be easy... Well, I'll look forward to it."

It was not a powerful magic like hailing down ice or piercing enemies with sharp icicles. It merely summoned a brief cold wave.

Using it in winter was meaningless, and using it in summer would make enemies happy because it was refreshing. It was the epitome of severe inefficiency, yielding a massive cost while being useless against most armies.

However, it was boundlessly mighty for the purpose of sniping an army of coldblooded animals.

"I have done everything possible trying to extinguish the flames of hell eating away at me... Yet I failed every time, and the more I did, the more I began resorting to radical methods."

Brushing off the wood chips embedded in his hand, Marbas gazed at the void spewing out winter.

"That hole is a product of those researches."

"You mean suppressing poison with poison... Hell's heat with hell's cold."

The abyss of another dimension. The place people call hell does not exist in a single form.

"Because I thought... if an unextinguishable fire burns me, what about throwing myself into unmelting ice?"

"That is an absurdly dangerous idea... Humans cannot withstand it."

"It was far too agonizing to maintain rationality, you see... I wanted to harbor even a thread of hope."

While the two conversed, the hole grew larger.

The Lamia Queen stood firm despite the biting cold. With a sharp voice, she ordered her subjects to attack the intruders.

Urged by the terrifying Queen, the Lamias unwrapped their embraces and tried to advance. But their bodies wouldn't listen.

A true winter that had never arrived in Samur. That was not a problem remediable by mental fortitude. It was the limit possessed by the bodies of coldblooded animals.

The Lamias' heartbeats decreased, their breathing crumbled, and their muscles contracted.

To humans, it was merely 'Freaking cold', but to the Lamias, it operated like a poison encroaching their entire bodies.

"The cold has reached its peak... I will not be able to maintain it for long."

"This is overflowing enough... Thank you for your hard work, Lord Marbas."

Eugene stood at the vanguard wielding an X-shaped composite bow and fired an arrow.

Swoosh!

It flew towards the Lamia twins hugging each other at the closest location.

The older sister forcefully pushed her younger sister's chest away, and the arrow cleaved between the two by a hair's breadth.

Kiiik-!

Hssss-!

As the sisters shivered and cried out harboring hatred, Eugene replied briefly.

"Commence attack!"

Thwip thwip thwip!

As if they had been waiting, arrows fired simultaneously into the sky.

It was easier to hit them than when pulling rear attacks while fighting the Orcs previously. Because the cold occupying the space constricted the enemies more effectively than the weapons the Orcs swung.

Lamias hit by arrows everywhere collapsed.

Kyaak-!

Unable to watch the sight any longer, the Queen shouted loudly, making the Lamias flee inside the buildings as if having waited for it.

Bang!

Creak!

The sight of them taking refuge in the houses and closing the doors using their snake tails at the very last moment was somewhat comical.

"Indeed, snakes are snakes... I suppose it is quite cold for them."

"Then we shall make it warmer."

At Rex's words, Eugene snapped his fingers.

Heavy cavalrymen passed by the tribal warriors supplying arrows wrapped in rolled cloths. Because they were soaked heavily in oil, a stimulating scent wafted from them.

Pull!

Nocking the arrows on the bowstrings and drawing them, heavy cavalrymen holding torches quickly moved between them and lit the fires.

With Eugene releasing an arrow as the signal, countless fire arrows rained down towards the village.

* * *

Kiyaaaaaa-!

Eugene's army thought they were truly hearing Lamias' screams often lately.

Bang!

Thump!

Lamias rushed out pushing doors down from everywhere as if breaking them.

Individuals escaping burning buildings frantically rubbed their fiery bodies on the ground. Like loaches entering a boiling pot alive.

They barely managed to extinguish the fire, yet several ordinary arrows were already reaching them. The sound of arrows embedding into half-cooked snake meat was truly satisfying.

The buildings were burning, but it was far from enough to neutralize the cold descending from the sky. Because the fire was not at a severe level.

Shooting many fire arrows doesn't easily turn an entire village into a sea of fire. It was absolutely incapable of burning Lamias to death.

However.

"Cough cough-!"

"Kuh-cough-!"

It was plenty enough to produce toxic gas. Let alone hiding inside the houses, it was difficult to even stand near them.

The Lamias couldn't hide and had no choice but to be exposed to the cold pouring down from the sky as they were. That was enough.

"Shoot everyone! Do not spare the arrows!"

Lamias filled with malice scrambled over, but their speed was absurdly slow. As they turned into porcupines one by one and fell, the Lamia Queen, unable to watch any longer, stepped up.

Unlike her sluggish subordinates, she approached at a terrifying speed unhindered by the cold.

"Concentrate fire on the Queen!"

Even before Eugene gave the order, the tribal warriors were already pouring concentrated fire on their own volition.

However, most of them embedded into the bare ground. Since she moved at high speeds dodging in zigzag patterns, hitting her with arrows, a projectile weapon, was difficult.

Even if a few arrows hit exactly, considering her weight class, it was merely the level of a sting.

The Lamia Queen was closing in rapidly, yet the tribal warriors did not panic. Unlike the battle against the Wendigo, they were all on horseback this time.

"Transition to mobile firing!"

At Eugene's command, the horse archers scattered by splitting into small groups of five or six.

Kiiik-!

Believing she could massacre them once reaching the enemies' ranks, the Queen was flustered by the orderly movement.

The group running away from the front turned their waists aiming for her face and unleashed Parthian shots.

The Lamia Queen covered her face with forearms as thick as an adult male's torso. The upper body covered in golden scales deflected ordinary arrows.

Except for one thing.

Thwack!

Thump!

When an arrow lodged in her chest, the only area lacking scales, she gritted her venomous fangs at the stinging sensation.

She didn't sustain an effective strike. Because her massive size meant her chest size also exceeded imagination.

It was akin to shooting arrows at a large waterbed purely filled with fatty tissue instead of water, sloshing about. The arrows embedded quite deep, but absolutely failed to pierce the fatty layer.

The Lamia Queen abandoned the front group and momentarily changed direction, aiming for the left group. However, such shallow tricks would not work against hunting experts.

"Turning maneuver!"

Following the centurion's shout, the left group ceased firing and concentrated on fleeing.

Simultaneously, the front group seemingly chased until just a moment ago reversed direction. They fired arrows at the Lamia Queen's exposed flank and back.

"Remember the mercenaries we saw in the village. The Queen uses curses. Keep your distance as much as possible while fighting."

Furthermore, the opponent already knew about the hidden hand she possessed.

For the first time, a sign of failure surfaced on the Queen's face. If she was chipped away through hit-and-run tactics like this, there would be no answer.

What saved the Queen in crisis was time.

"The magic's efficacy is running out!"

The hole pierced in the sky shrank significantly, weakening the pouring cold.

The Lamias liberated from the cold binding their bodies approached at full speed to protect their boss.

Not many remained in numbers, but it was enough to cause confusion among the horse archers focused on the Queen.

"Retreat! Fall back wider!"

The middle-aged Dark Elf warrior leading the rearmost group shouted. They were suddenly pushed into a situation enveloped on both sides by the Queen and Lamias in the blink of an eye.

The Lamia Queen wrapped her snake body around a nearby small tree.

Crack!

As she exerted force, the tree was uprooted out entirely.

While the mercenaries widened their mouths in shock, the Queen lifted the tree with both hands and simply hurled it.

The tribal warriors in the rear, who were hurriedly turning their horses' heads to flee, took a direct hit.

Horses and warriors collapsed in a heap screaming. There were no casualties, but everyone suffered severe shock preventing them from recovering properly.

Crash!

As she uprooted and hurled a second and third tree, additional groups collapsed.

"Lord Fanor!"

"No!"

Sorrowful cries erupted from all over. The Lamia Queen was lunging aiming for Fanor, who had high renown among the warriors.

Swoosh!

At that moment, something slicing through the wind flew over, but the Lamia Queen didn't mind it.

Her back was protected by exceptionally harder scales and muscles compared to her flanks or abdomen. Indeed, not a single arrow remained lodged in it.

Like that, the Queen had to profoundly pay the price for her carelessness.

Thwack!

The bloodletting dagger thrown by Eugene stuck into her back up to the hilt.

Kiyaaaaah-!

As screams echoed, the Queen frantically clawed at the empty air.

The wound itself was small, but the vicious magic contained within ravaged the blood vessels and ruined her blood flow.

She tried to extract the dagger amidst horrifying agony, but it was situated right in the middle of her back where her hands couldn't reach.

The sharp claws scratched her own back and waist, making blood flow down. The bloodletting dagger shuddered over the highest grade tribute wafting from everywhere, radiating intense mystery.

The Lamia Queen began rolling on the ground. However, a dagger embedded up to the hilt wouldn't come out by doing that. It only enlarged the wound, exacerbating the pain.

Splush!

The magic placed on the dagger exploded, initiating terrifying bleeding.

Not only from where the dagger penetrated, but blood gushed out like a burst dam even from the small scratches created by the Queen's claws.

"Chase away the Lamias!"

Meanwhile, the charging knights and heavy cavalry inserted themselves between the fallen tribal warriors and Lamias to block them.

"I will handle the Queen."

Eugene grabbed his flail and charged toward the Queen. Someone needed to draw her attention.

"Sir! It is dangerous!"

"Step back, Knight!"

Alarmed, Hind and Rex attempted to stop him, but Eugene ignored them.

"You guys fall back!"

The flail Eugene swung smashed the Lamia Queen's snake torso.

Circular shockwaves spread from where it hit, causing ribs within a radius of several meters to completely shatter.

Kyaaaaak-!

"I will accompany you!"

One tribal knight nearby stuck close attempting to assist Eugene, but he couldn't thrust his spear even once. He was hit and blown away by the snake tail the vicious-faced Queen swung like a whip.

"Kuugh!"

The warhorse got terrified by the Queen's momentum and just ran away. The knight fallen to the ground coughed up blood clutching his pathetically crumpled breastplate.

The Queen, trembling, attempted to strike the knight attempting to stand up with her tail again, but Eugene intercepted it.

Baaang!

The snake torso flying horizontally got hit by the flail and slammed into the ground.

'It's too large and long.'

Eugene actually wished to aim for the Queen's upper body and finish it in one blow. However, entering into range wasn't easy.

If he unreasonably aimed for the upper body, he could also sustain severe injuries from a single tail whip like the tribal knight.

Bang!

Boom!

So he struck the snake body excessively wherever he could reach.

The Lamia's skeleton consisted of infinitely continuing thin ribs. While she could effectively resist slashing or stabbing attacks, she was vulnerable to the flail inflicting impact on a wide surface area.

As ribs shattered repeatedly within a radius of several meters where it landed, the agonizing pain nearly forced the Lamia Queen's soul to flee.

Hastily squeezing out strength, she swung the snake body at Eugene.

"Futile."

Crash!

But it was cut down mid-air by the flail once again.

A gruesome sight where broken bones pierced through the snake skin everywhere. Although still lacking a lethal wound, the Lamia Queen found it difficult to even crawl around.

The fear that she would genuinely die like this crept up from her chest slowly. The time for a showdown had arrived.

'Damn it... I need to widen the distance quickly.'

Eugene was likewise feeling anxious. Despite a battle seemingly overwhelming her briefly, the variable of curses remained.

He needed more time to let the tribal warriors who lost their warhorses escape. Subordinate Lamias clung on tenaciously, hindering the knights' rescue operations.

Right at that moment, Eugene sensed a powerful mystery boiling explosively within the Lamia Queen's upper body.

Kiyaaaaaaaa-!

Along with a shriek momentum enough to split the atmosphere, a white, burning light overflowed from the Queen's eyes, nose, and mouth.

Eugene instinctively realized that light was the curse that had swallowed the mercenaries. It was the power of the evil god that blessed the Lamia Queen.

"Eugene!"

Valda shouted as if screaming at the ominous aura.

Marbas hurriedly prepared protective magic, but the flash the Queen spewed out covered Eugene even before completing it.

Eugene gritted his teeth and raised his shield up high blocking the front. No matter his standing as a mage harboring strong mysteries, he didn't expect to escape unharmed from a curse of that concentration.

While everyone helplessly watched that moment, there was exactly one existence that stepped up attempting to protect Eugene.

Hiiiihiiing-!

Might, who remained composed throughout while carrying his owner and maneuvering, abruptly reared up high with its forelegs.

"What?!"

The moment the flustered Eugene hung on nearly 90 degrees while gripping the reins, the white flash covered Might's entire body.

The intense curse taking the form of light clawed past Might's four legs, abdomen, chest, neck, and face.

Yet Eugene remained shielded by Might's body without a single speck of light touching him.

As if exposed to intense alpha radiation, Might, whose vitality was instantly shredded, collapsed making a thump! sound.

"You bastard!"

Eugene, jumping down and landing on the ground, became enveloped in rage and dashed toward the Lamia Queen.

Having exhausted her strength excessively, she became weakened with no method to counterattack.

Grind.

The Lamia Queen clearly heard the sound of Eugene's teeth grinding.

"I will kill you!"

Although Eugene always approached battles calmly, he lost his composure with boiling rage this time alone.

Terrified by that momentum, the Queen reflexively extended her left arm. The flail flew right toward it.

Crack!

The arm suffering an comminuted fracture dropped powerlessly to the ground. A scream thickly laden with the fear of death resonated.

However, all Lamias that could protect the Queen had turned into corpses struck by arrows and spears.

Ultimately, she met a fleeting death as her neck bones broke from the bundle of maces.

Even looking at the deceased Queen, Eugene could not ease his anger. The moment he was about to swing again to shatter her head.

Huuuh...

A labored groan fell on his ears from behind. Might was still alive.

Eugene immediately turned around, ran over, and knelt before him. A malicious mystery was eating away the faithful warhorse's entire body.

Eugene's hands, discarding even the flail, scraped off and tore away the curse enclosing Might.

However, Might's already mangled vitality was almost exhausted. Might's eyebrows twitched feebly.

When Eugene's hand stroked Might's forehead, the eyes it was laboriously keeping open blinked once. As if bidding its owner farewell.

And at that moment.

[Farewell... Please wait a moment... Mercy upon two souls intertwined by journey and bond...]

A sublime voice echoed in Eugene's head.

Simultaneously, a holy mystery descended faintly from the sky and enveloped Might.

The dying ember of life. It was sustained as if grabbed by something.

[Castle Lord... I reward the tolerance you showed... If you wish to resist fate, return to the castle... Together with your close friend.]

Goddess Vanas's blessing was protecting Eugene and Might from the clutches of farewell.