"This place... feels like a feeding ground," Aiz whispered, her brow furrowed slightly.
Lefiya covered her mouth, her face turning pale. Tiona also set aside her usual playfulness, staring silently at the scattered bones. Bete sniffed the air and said in a low voice, "The stench of blood is getting thicker. There's something big ahead."
Lynn didn't speak; he simply tightened his grip on his hilt. He could feel it—the familiar aura growing stronger. It was the crushing pressure of the Lands Between, the depths of the Volcano Manor, and that great serpent.
At the end of the corridor, the view suddenly opened up.
It was a circular hall so vast it took one's breath away. The vaulted ceiling was lost in the shadows, and the rock walls were encrusted with dark red crystals that pulsed with an ominous light.
In the center of the hall, a platform forged from bone and lava rose high, topped by a massive stone throne.
A woman leaned elegantly against the seat. She wore a simple white gown that wrapped tightly around her body, and a silver mask concealed her face. Beside her stood a tall knight, as still as a statue, clad in heavy bronze armor etched with the flowing patterns of the Erdtree.
Below them, flanking the path from the entrance, stood dozens of Volcano Manor recuants. They held their weapons ready, their eyes gleaming with fanaticism beneath their black hoods, like a pack of hunters waiting for their prey to enter the cage.
The moment the group stepped into the hall, a heavy thud echoed behind them—a portcullis had dropped, sealing the entrance.
"Welcome."
Tanith's voice echoed through the hall, carrying a sense of detached composure. She slowly sat upright, her gaze sweeping over the group before finally coming to rest on Lynn.
Then, the smile on her face froze. Her brow furrowed, and a flicker of confusion crossed her eyes, as if she were struggling to recall or confirm something. She tilted her head, her voice carrying a rare hint of hesitation.
"...Is it you?"
Lynn didn't speak, meeting her gaze calmly.
Tanith rose from her throne and took two steps forward, her eyes never leaving Lynn's face. She reached out and pressed her fingers lightly to her temple, her voice turning airy and distant.
"I seem to... remember you. A guest of the Volcano Manor. You once swore an oath before Lord Rykard..."
She stopped, her eyes flashing with a sudden blankness. "No. That wasn't you. Strange... where is this memory coming from?"
Lynn felt a slight tremor in his heart. She remembered. Not the him of the present, but the him from some other timeline, some other cycle. Her memories were overlapping with those of the previous iterations?
Tanith's voice grew low, as if she were talking to herself. "I have memories of you. But you have never appeared here. This... is impossible." She looked up, her gaze sharpening. "Who are you?"
"Someone you've met," Lynn's answer was brief yet meaningful. "In another world, at another time."
Tanith fell silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed. It was a cold laugh, filled with a sudden realization. "I see. So we once stood together, yet now you choose to stand against us."
"Rykard is already dead," Lynn said firmly. "The one you serve is nothing more than a mindless beast."
Tanith's smile instantly vanished, replaced by a flash of fury. "You understand nothing. Lord Rykard is not dead; he has simply... evolved. He has devoured a god and shall eventually become a god himself. And you—"
She raised her hand and pointed at Lynn, her voice turning ice-cold. "Since you betrayed us in that world and choose to be an enemy of the Volcano Manor in this one, then there is nothing left to say."
She stepped back, returning to her throne, and gave a slight wave of her hand. "Kill them."
The moment those words left her lips, the recusants on both sides of the hall surged forward like a tide. Blade-light flashed and magic roared; the narrow entrance to the hall instantly became a slaughterhouse.
Tiona roared, her fists swinging as she sent the foremost cultist flying. Bete's form became a blur, his claws tearing through the air and sending blood spraying. Tione's curved blades moved like a reaper's scythes, claiming a life with every swing. Lefiya's magic erupted into the crowd, frost and flame intertwining.
Aiz was even faster. Her silhouette was like golden lightning as she wove through the cultists, her blade leaving death in its wake. Every strike was precise and lethal, devoid of any wasted motion.
Lynn did not move. His gaze remained locked on Tanith atop the throne, looking past the chaos and the flying steel. But the one who truly kept him on guard was the figure that had yet to move—the Crucible Knight. It stood by the throne like a statue, indifferent to the slaughter around it, simply waiting.
The cultists were cleared out quickly. Though they were fanatical warriors, they were merely cannon fodder before the top-tier adventurers of Orario. As the last body fell, silence returned to the hall, save for the faint sound of the group's breathing.
Tanith remained unruffled; she didn't even stand up. She simply sighed softly, as if finding the display somewhat tedious. "It seems these minor players are indeed not enough."
She turned to the Crucible Knight beside her, her voice flat. "Go. Show them what true strength looks like."
The Crucible Knight moved.
Its movements weren't fast, yet they carried a suffocating pressure. With every step, the ground trembled slightly, and the joints of its armor emitted a low metallic grinding sound. It descended the stairs from the throne, dragging its massive greatsword along the ground, carving a deep furrow and sending sparks flying.
Bete was the first to charge. His speed was lightning-fast as he aimed a kick at the knight's knee joint. This was his usual tactic for dealing with heavy armor—attack the weak points and break their center of gravity.
However, the Crucible Knight didn't budge.
Bete felt as if he had kicked an iron mountain; the recoil turned his entire leg numb. Before he could retreat, the knight's greatsword swung toward him.
"Get back!"
Aiz's voice rang out as her sword lunged at the knight's wrist from the side, attempting to interrupt the attack. Bete took the chance to roll backward, narrowly avoiding the blade, though the wind from the massive sword still left a bloody scratch on his face.
Tiona attacked from the other side, her fists raining down on the knight's armor like hammers, only to leave shallow dents. The knight countered with a shield bash, sending her flying into the rock wall.
"So tough!" Tiona grumbled as she climbed back up, rubbing her shoulder. "This thing is ten times harder than an Iron Maiden!"
Aiz's sword pricked the gap in the knight's neck armor, but the tip only sank in half an inch before getting stuck. The knight's left hand reached out, nearly grabbing her blade, forcing her to pull back. Tione's curved blades slashed the leg armor, resulting in nothing but a shower of sparks. Lefiya's magic struck the knight's head, but it only swayed slightly before continuing its advance.
"This thing... its base attributes are at least Level 6," Tione said grimly. "And not just an ordinary Level 6."
"Don't trade blows," Lynn said deeply. "Its armor is too thick to break from the front. Find the openings and wear it down."
He was the first to change tactics. Activating Bloodhound's Step, his silhouette became a ghost, slicing in from the knight's flank. Moonveil cleared its sheath, a slash hitting the gap in the knight's arm armor. This time, the blade sank an inch deep.
The knight turned, bringing its greatsword down. Lynn had already retreated, and the sword slammed into the ground, creating a deep crater. Aiz immediately filled the gap, lunging from the other side and driving her sword into the crack Lynn had just made. The knight grunted in pain, its movements faltering.
Tione and Bete attacked simultaneously from both sides—one at the back of the knees, the other at the waist and ribs. The knight was forced to split its attention to block, its movements finally showing a hint of disarray.
"It's working!" Tiona shouted excitedly, leaping down from above and slamming her fists into the knight's helmet.
The knight raised its shield to block, and Tiona was bounced back, but she adjusted herself in mid-air and landed steadily, a grin on her face. "It's starting to lose its rhythm!"
The group took turns attacking, drawing the knight's focus. Whenever it prepared a full strike against one person, the others would harass it from the flank or rear, forcing it back onto the defensive. This tactic demanded extreme stamina and coordination, but the Aiz squad was one of Orario's elite teams; their synergy was etched into their very bones.
The Crucible Knight's movements grew increasingly sluggish. Fine cracks appeared all over its armor, and the plates at its joints began to loosen. Though every attack remained devastating, its tempo had been completely shattered.
Lynn had been looking for an opportunity. He moved like a lurking serpent on the edge of the battlefield, waiting for the moment to strike the lethal blow.
Finally, the chance came.
The Crucible Knight was struck in the face-guard by Aiz's sword, obscuring its vision. It instinctively swung its sword in a wide arc. Bete and Tione retreated simultaneously, leaving a gap in its defense. To maintain its balance, the knight's center of gravity shifted forward, and its left foot stepped out half a pace.
That half-pace was all he needed.
Lynn sliced through the side, Bloodhound's Step pushed to its limit as he appeared behind the knight. Moonveil flashed out, the light of the Transient Moonlight Iai slash striking precisely into the gap of the neck armor. The blade sank in deep, and the knight's body suddenly stiffened.
Aiz's sword simultaneously pierced the gap in the face-guard, Tiona slammed a fist into the chest, Tione's blade severed the plating on the sword-arm, and Bete kicked the back of the knee.
The Crucible Knight crashed to its knees.
Lynn pulled his blade back and retreated several steps, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his teammates. The knight struggled to rise, but its body no longer obeyed. Its armor was mostly shattered, and the magical light within flickered unsteadily, making a final stand.
"Enough."
Tanith's voice came from the throne, still calm but carrying a tremor that was hard to detect. She stood up, her gaze moving from the kneeling knight to Lynn's face, her eyes filled with a complex emotion.
"Stand down," she said softly.
The Crucible Knight stopped struggling and slowly rose, dragging its broken armor back to the side of the throne, returning to its silence like a ruined sculpture.
Tanith looked at Lynn for a long time. Then, she suddenly smiled—a smile devoid of anger or fear, containing only a strange, almost relieved realization.
"It seems that no matter which world it is, you are quite a handful," she murmured.
Behind her, a teleportation vortex slowly manifested, its ethereal blue light illuminating her refined profile. "But Lord Rykard will be very pleased to see you." She turned and stepped into the vortex, leaving one last sentence: "Follow me. If you dare."
The vortex closed, and her figure vanished. Deep in the hall, another stone door slowly opened, revealing a deeper darkness and the faint, heavy sound of breathing within.
Lynn did not hesitate and strode toward the door. Aiz followed close behind, her golden eyes devoid of any doubt. Tiona, Tione, Bete, and Lefiya followed one by one.
The passage behind the door sloped downward, growing steeper and steeper. The sweet, metallic scent of blood in the air was so strong it was almost nauseating, and the stone slabs beneath their feet were sticky, as if soaked in some liquid for far too long.
Lynn slowed his pace, his right hand resting on his hilt as his eyes scanned the darkness ahead.
"Does anyone else feel like... it's getting hotter?" Tiona wiped the sweat from her brow, her voice echoing loudly in the hollow tunnel.
"Duh," Bete snapped back, but his ears were twitching constantly, clearly on high alert. Lefiya didn't speak, clutching her staff so hard her knuckles turned white. Her small face was lit by the flickering dark red glow from ahead, her lips pressed thin.
At the end of the passage, the view suddenly opened.
It was a cavern so vast it felt suffocating. The ceiling was hidden in the heights, as if the entire mountain had been hollowed out. The walls were covered in dark red crystals like congealed beads of blood, emitting a grotesque light. The ground was crisscrossed with cracks through which scalding lava flowed, turning the space into a vision of hell.
And in the deepest part of the cavern lay a massive, slowly heaving shadow.
It was a serpent. A serpent of unimaginable size.
It lay coiled there, its body forming a small mountain, its dark red scales shimmering with a metallic luster under the glow of the lava. Its breathing was heavy and slow, each exhale sending a wave of scorching air that raised the temperature of the cave even further. It kept its eyes closed as if it had been sleeping for an eternity, but the innate pressure it radiated made everyone stop in their tracks.
"Wha... what is that...?" Lefiya's voice trembled as she instinctively took half a step back.
Tiona rarely failed to offer a comeback; she stared with wide eyes, her mouth agape in disbelief. Even with her fearless personality, faced with such a gargantuan creature, she felt a primal stir of dread.
Bete's wolf ears were pressed flat against his head, a low whimper escaping his throat—the instinctual reaction of a beast facing a superior predator. He gritted his teeth, forcing the sound back down.
Aiz didn't speak, but her grip on her hilt tightened until her fingers turned white, though her gaze remained cold and focused.
Lynn stood at the front, his gaze fixed on the great serpent. There was no fear on his face, only a complex, almost nostalgic solemnity.
"The God-Devouring Serpent," he whispered the name. It was low, but in the silence of the cave, it was clear as a bell.
"The God-Devouring... Serpent?" Tione repeated, her voice filled with disbelief. "Is that it?"
Lynn didn't answer. His gaze swept across the cavern, searching for an exit, searching for a path of retreat. But he soon discovered a despairing fact—the passage they had come from was now sealed by a fog gate, cutting off their only way out.
Wait, a fog gate appears here of all places?
"You've walked into a trap!"
Tanith's laughter drifted down from a high ledge, echoing as if coming from all directions at once. "Welcome to Lord Rykard's dinner table."
The group looked up to see Tanith standing on a protruding rock, looking down at them. Her face wore a composed smile, her eyes sparkling with a near-fanatical light. "You shall become food for the Great Serpent. It is a supreme honor."
Her voice echoed with a pious, prayer-like tone. "Lord Rykard shall devour your strength, devour your souls, and devour your everything. Then, he shall grow stronger, and stronger... until he is powerful enough to devour the entire world."
She opened her arms as if embracing something invisible. "You should feel honored. Your lives will become part of a new world."
"Nutcase," Bete spat through his teeth.
Tanith wasn't angry; she simply smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "Now then, Lord Rykard, please... enjoy your meal."
The moment she spoke, the massive shadow in the depths of the cave moved.
The serpent's eyes snapped open—two spheres of burning dark red fire, void of pupils or emotion, containing only pure, primal hunger. It slowly raised its head, a skull as large as a house, its dark red scales glowing like red-hot iron in the lava's reflection.
It opened its mouth.
The maw was large enough to swallow a carriage whole, lined with curved, scimitar-like teeth. Saliva dripped from the gaps, hissing as it corroded the ground into smoking pits. A hiss erupted from deep within its throat, shaking the entire cave and causing rubble to rain down from the ceiling. The sound was unlike any biological creature; it was a cacophony of grinding metal, cracking stone, and roaring fire—piercing, violent, and filled with a desire to destroy everything.
"Scatter!" Lynn's roar cut through the hiss.
The group fanned out by reflex. At the exact spot where they had been standing, the serpent's head slammed down with a thunderous crash, cratering the ground and sending rocks flying.
Aiz was the fastest. Her silhouette became a bolt of golden lightning as she charged the serpent from the flank, her longsword lunging at its body. The moment the tip touched the scales, it made a piercing screech of metal on metal, kicking up a trail of sparks. Her sword couldn't pierce it.
The serpent didn't even acknowledge her, simply shifting its massive body. Its gargantuan frame rolled over like a collapsing mountain. Aiz was forced to retreat repeatedly, narrowly dodging a sweep of the tail that pulverized a section of the rock wall as if it were tofu.
"Its hide is too thick!" Tione shouted, her blades leaving only faint white marks on the serpent's body.
The serpent felt no pain, continuing to thrash its body and sending lava splashing everywhere. Lefiya's magic struck the head, frost and fire exploding in sequence. The serpent shook its head with an annoyed hiss and opened its mouth, a blast of scorching air erupting from its throat.
"Get down!" Lynn grabbed Lefiya by the collar and dragged her behind a massive boulder. The heat wave passed, instantly turning the surface of the rock glowing red and curling the tips of Lefiya's hair.
Bete kicked the serpent's side to propel himself away, stumbling as he landed. He looked down; the soles of his boots were already melting. The battlefield was a furnace, with lava flowing through every crack in the floor.
Tiona leaped from a high point, slamming her fists into the serpent's head. The head dipped slightly from the impact but immediately rose again, its dark red eyes turning toward her as its mouth opened once more.
"Tiona! Get back!" Tione lunged forward, grabbing her sister's arm, and the two rolled away together. The serpent's teeth grazed Tiona's shoulder, tearing a large chunk out of her pauldron.
"How are we supposed to fight this!" Tiona scrambled up, gasping for air, drenched in sweat. Her fists were swollen, yet there wasn't a single real wound on the serpent.
Lynn had been observing. His gaze scanned every inch of the beast, searching for even the slightest flaw. The scales, the eyes, the mouth, the underbelly... every part was despairingly thick. Normal attacks were like pricking an elephant with a toothpick.
He ran the numbers in his head. At their current output, even if they attacked with everything they had for a day and a night, they probably couldn't kill this snake. And the serpent wouldn't give them that much time; every second it was draining their stamina, patience, and lives.
He needed another way.
As he dodged the serpent's strikes, he scanned his mind. System shop, inventory, armory... one by one, he dismissed them. Most items were useless against a monster of this level; normal fire, frost, and lightning were nothing but an itch.
Then, he saw it.
[Rot Pot] — 3,000 points. Expensive, with a single effect, but at this moment, it was likely their only hope.
Scarlet Rot. The curse that made countless legends in the Lands Between tremble. It could erode any living thing, dismantling the sturdiest defenses from the inside out. No matter how thick the serpent's scales were, they couldn't stop the rot from seeping in through the gaps.
"Cover me!" Lynn shouted, simultaneously purchasing five Rot Pots from the shop. The dark red ceramic jars appeared in his hands, their surfaces etched with ominous crimson patterns.
Aiz glanced at him, and without asking why, she nodded. Her figure charged the serpent again, but this time she didn't attack; she used wind magic to boost her speed, moving rapidly around the serpent's head to draw its attention.
"Hey! Over here, you big worm!" Tiona threw a rock at its head. It did no damage, but it successfully drew the serpent's gaze. Bete and Tione attacked from both sides, their strikes raining down on the body. While they didn't break the defense, the constant drumming of impacts annoyed the serpent, causing it to thrash wildly.
Diverted by the multi-directional harassment, the serpent's head swayed left and right, unsure which target to strike first. Its focus was completely fractured.
Lynn's Bloodhound's Step activated repeatedly. He wove through the gaps in the lava, moving like a ghost. The serpent's tail swept past behind him, and he was only half a step away from being crushed into pulp, but he didn't even blink. He circled to the serpent's flank, where a few scales had been slightly pried loose during the earlier melee, revealing a tiny crevice.
Right there!
He threw the first Rot Pot with all his might. The jar shattered against the crevice, and dark red mist instantly billowed out. The serpent let out a sharp hiss—for the first time, it carried a note of pain.
It's working!
Second, third, fourth—Lynn threw them in quick succession, each landing precisely in the same spot. The dark red mist thickened, seeping into the serpent's body through the gaps in its scales.
The serpent began to thrash frantically. Its tail smashed everything in sight, and its head slammed into the cavern walls, making the entire mountain shake. Lava was churned up, and the cracks in the floor widened.
"Back! Everyone, get back!" Lynn shouted, retreating rapidly after throwing the final jar.
The serpent's movements grew more violent, but that violence began to be tinged with something else—weakness. Its hisses turned raspy, the scale of its thrashing diminished, and black, putrid blood began to seep from its dark red scales. The Scarlet Rot was devouring it from within.
"It's slowing down!" Aiz caught the change instantly. Her sword struck the body again, and this time, the tip sank in.
"The eyes!" Lynn yelled. "The eyes are its weak point!"
Aiz understood immediately. Using wind magic to leap, she shot like an arrow toward the serpent's left eye. The serpent instinctively closed its eye, its thick lid blocking the strike, but the sheer pain caused it to hiss in agony again.
Tiona leaped from the other side, her fists slamming toward the right eye. This time, the serpent couldn't block in time. Her fists struck the edge of the eyelid, and dark green blood sprayed out.
The serpent went completely berserk. It snapped its jaws blindly, biting deep craters into the rock walls and shattering the floor. But it had lost its aim. Its attacks, though still devastating, could no longer touch a single person.
Bete kicked the side of the serpent's head, forcing it to tilt away. Tione's blades slashed its jaw, carving a long gash.
Aiz leaped once more. This time, her sword drove straight into the left eye. The blade pierced the eyeball and sank deep into the brain.
The serpent's body suddenly froze.
Then, that gargantuan frame began to tilt slowly, like a collapsing mountain. The ground shook violently under its weight, and lava was squeezed upward in geysers.
CRASH—
The Great Serpent fell.
Dust and smoke filled the cavern, and rubble continued to fall from the ceiling. The body that had once seemed like a mountain now lay still, motionless.
Tiona slumped onto the ground, gasping for breath. Her hands were swollen like radishes, and her face was covered in sweat and grime. Bete leaned against a rock, his chest heaving. His feet were covered in blisters from the heat, but he didn't say a word.
Lefiya sat paralyzed, her staff sliding from her hand. Her magic was nearly drained; she didn't even have the strength to lift her hand. Tione knelt on one knee, supporting herself with her blade. There was a burn on her arm from a lava splash, but she simply wrapped it and said nothing.
Aiz stood there with her sword sheathed, her golden hair damp with sweat and clinging to her cheeks. Her breathing was heavy, but her eyes remained clear.
Lynn stood before the serpent's massive head, staring at the corpse, but he did not lower his guard.
"It's not over yet," he said in a low voice.
Everyone's hearts tightened again. Lynn's gaze swept over the serpent's body, searching for something within the cavern. His eyes were urgent, as if looking for something that had to be found.
"Do you guys feel like..." Lefiya's voice trembled as she pointed at the corpse. "It's moving?"
Everyone followed her finger. The serpent's body was indeed moving. Its scales began to slough off, revealing the dark red, writhing muscle beneath. The body began to swell, as if something was trying to claw its way out from the inside.
"Get back," Lynn's voice was deep, carrying an unquestionable authority. "All of you, get back."
The serpent's head slowly rose.
It wasn't the beast-like movement from before, but a motion characterized by a grotesque, almost elegant composure. The neck began to bulge, and as the scales peeled away, a face emerged.
A human face.
The face surfaced from the back of the serpent's skull—distorted and blurred, but unmistakably human. It had features, an expression, and even a pair of open eyes filled with a certain mad light.
The mouth of that face slowly opened, emitting a low voice that sounded like it came from the depths of the earth: "...Tarnished..."
Everyone's hair stood on end.
The human face fully tore itself free from the serpent's body. It was no longer just a serpent, and no longer a man, but some twisted existence between the two. Its body remained gargantuan, but its posture was entirely different—no longer a beastly crawl, but half-upright, like a monster climbing out of the abyss.
It slowly pulled a sword from its mouth.
It was a massive, curved sword wreathed in dark red flames. The blade was covered in writhing textures, like living veins. The fire danced upon the edge, radiating a sickening, blasphemous aura.
The Blasphemous Blade.
The Serpent—no, Rykard—raised the sword over his head. The mouth on that human face slowly split open into a low chuckle. The blasphemous flames on the blade roared, illuminating the entire cavern as bright as day.
────────────────────────────────────────
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Danmachi: My Primary God is Hidetaka Miyazaki? (Simulpub – Ongoing)
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────