Chapter 156 Taming the Madman (16)
Vivis mouth fell open involuntarily. Even when she had previously severed the throat of a beast alone in a cave, witnesses claimed there was a flash of light, and then everything was over.
That light had come from Damians hand. So intense was the light that it momentarily brightened the surrounding area as if struck by lightning.
There was no sense of magic or divine power. Then a harsh explosive sound belatedly reached them, and the shockwave shook the entire vicinity.
!
Had Damian been holding back his full strength until now? Or did he willingly choose to stay behind, believing he truly stood a chance? Vivi desperately hoped it was the latter.
Her eyes remained fixed on Damians location.
***
The sun had completely disappeared, leaving a dark midday. Acrid smoke rose from the burning trees.
The water dripping from the beasts body exuded the stench of rotting corpses.
The beast they finally faced lifted its head high, baring its fangs and exuding an overwhelming sense of intimidation. One bite seemed sufficient not just to prevent survival but to obliterate a body entirely.
Black mists continuously emanated from the beasts body.
Damian surveyed his opponent slowly.
A large creature needs an enormous amount of food to maintain its bulk. How many humans had this thing consumed to grow to such a size?
The beast seemed more interested in another target than Damian. It fixed its gaze on Vivi, who was escaping on the stag.
Gainax Gainax
Corpses incessantly crawling from the earth muttered Vivis name. It was as if they were speaking on the beasts behalf.
But with Damian standing in front, they hesitated to move forward.
Damian thought to himself.
Why do they covet Vivi, her divine blood? What purpose does it serve to imprison the souls of magicians?
Since dialogue seemed futile, frustration was his only reply.
Without waiting any longer, Damian swung his sword into the void. An intense light burst forth, and a blade wave surged towards the beast.
The blade wave utterly decapitated the serpents head.
Boom!
Flesh and blood sprayed in all directions as the beasts head shattered.
Damian maintained his vigilance. The beast still stood tall, even without its head.
The water of the dark lake behind the beast began to stir. It swirled progressively before climbing up and condensing over the beasts body.
It started regenerating its head.
Damian bit his lip. If regeneration was the enemys power, the disadvantage was his, as he was only allowed a very brief window to summon his sword.
The opponent was not going to go down easily.
The surrounding skeletons began to encircle Damian.
Since he needed to focus all his efforts on the beast, he had ignored the skeletons.
But their continued presence was irksome.
As they chanted Vivis name in unison, they occasionally muttered phrases from their past lives as humans.
When will mother come?
I have an unfinished book.
I left my old, sick mother behind.
They were souls enslaved by the beast, unable to leave Barvisia.
Damian struck off the skeletons clinging to him and fired another blade wave at the beast.
With a tremendous explosion, the beasts body split in two. Then, water from the lake was drawn back, attempting to restore the beasts form.
The creature began recovering its body faster than before and dove into the swamp as if submerging itself.
Damn it.
The beast started swimming through the swamp like an eel, disappearing from sight. It was difficult to predict where it would strike next, and direct hits were impossible.
Damian cleared away the skeletons as he focused on the vibrations from the ground.
Suddenly, without time to react, a tail sprang from the swamp and struck Damian squarely. He was flung into the air and crashed down twenty paces away.
As Damian rose to his feet, a giant serpents maw emerged from beneath him, trying to swallow him whole. He twisted his body to the side, evaded, and immediately swung his sword, severing its head.
Once again, the lakes water was sucked in and quickly restored the body.
Before the restoration was complete, the long body launched another unpredictable attack, and Damian was helpless against it.
The strategy for victory was elusive.
Damian spat out blood-stained saliva and quickly moved to a spot with firmer ground. He pressed his ear to the earth, concentrating on the sound of the beast moving.
He then heard a strange noise.
[Aaaaahhhhhhh!]
It was not the sound of a serpent but the sudden scream of a man. Was it a mistake given the urgent situation? He listened again, but the same sound echoed.
It was the continuous, desperate wailing of someone burning alive.
He couldnt understand how such vibrations were spreading through the ground.
Then, without mercy, the beasts ambush struck. Damian quickly reacted, discharging a blade wave at the beasts upper body, shattering it into pieces.
Sensing something was off, Damian dashed towards the black lake.
The skeletons movements became swifter and more agile, trying to seize Damian.
The surprise attacks from the beast beneath the ground also became more frequent.
A serpents tail sprang from beneath Damians feet like a trap, striking him like a club.
Damian was knocked to the side, back to his starting point. He took out all the frost bombs from his pocket and detonated them in a straight line.
The bombs caused a chain explosion, freezing the path to the lake as solid as rock. Damian immediately began running over it.
The beast emerged above ground, trying to shatter the frozen path. But its large movements made it an easy target for Damians blade wave.
He repeated the process of killing the beast several times and finally reached his destination. Upon arriving at the lakes edge, he dived in without hesitation.
Submerged, Damian could hear the mans screams more clearly. Indeed, his suspicions were correct.
Strange shapes flitted before his eyes. Countless spirits swam in the lake, as if the water itself was an essence concentrated with souls.
Dozens of jars lay on the lakes floor, and the screams were coming from them.
Something grasped Damians ankle. It was the act of a living skeleton.
The resistance intensified, indicating to Damian the importance of the souls contained in those jars. He immediately released another blade wave.
A powerful shockwave began to obliterate the lakes bottom.
And then Damian was swept out of the lake along with the skeletons.
Kwaaaaah!
Above ground, the beast twisted its body, howling in agony. Black souls burst from its body, evaporating into the sky.
It might have been using up souls to continually regenerate its body.
Damian ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath.
Then, with one last blade wave, he burst the beasts torso in the middle.
Flesh and bone shattered, scattering in every direction. And with that, the beast, split in two, thrashed and finally quieted down.
It was over.
With the death of the beast, the animated skeletons returned to being just meaningless bone fragments.
Damian emerged fully from the waters edge and slumped to the ground.
He murmured to himself.
I guess I wont be eating snake meat for a while.
***
The black-stained sky began to clear, revealing a blue as pristine as one would see at a resort in the Duchy. A refreshing breeze blew, and somewhere birds sang.
It was as if they had crossed through a dimensional door. The ominous energy that had shrouded the land was gone.
Vivi, hiding beneath a rock, looked up at the sky and sensed that everything was over.
And at the same moment, Damian, whom she had left behind, sprang to her mind.
Damian, Damian!
As if understanding her words, the blue stag came forward and bowed its head. Vivi hastily climbed onto its back, gripping the newly woven rope.
She prayed as she had never prayed before.
Please please
She hoped beyond hope that the man was safe.
The once-black lakeshore had been transformed into chaos, as if a cataclysm had struck. Trees nearby had been swept away, and the ground was pockmarked.
Dozens of skeletons lay scattered about, as though discarded mid-feast by a beast.
And the corpse of the basilisk lay stretched out, forming a barrier across the path. The battle was over.
The sight of the brutal battlefield made Vivis heart sink.
The stag moved cautiously along the detoured path. Vivi, biting her lip, looked around frantically before impulsively dismounting from the stag.
Damian, Damian!
She called out desperately, as if searching for a lost family member.
Then she reached the massive serpents maw and pushed with all her might, but it wouldnt budge.
If youre alive in its belly!
She was willing to crawl into the basilisks stomach if thats what it took to find him.
Then, as if spotting something, the blue stag dashed ahead of Vivi to a certain location.
Beyond where the stag headed, a human figure appeared. Someone was leaning against a torn-up tree stump, sitting down.
Vivi rushed over.
Fearful he might be dead, she was relieved to find he was still breathing. Despite the stench of decay emanating from his body, she paid it no mind.
Vivi quickly crouched in front of him, cleaning the stains on his face. Then, as if Damian was waking from a sweet slumber, he slowly opened his eyes.
Seeing this, a laugh escaped her, and tears welled up in her eyes unknowingly.
You are the most valiant knight I have ever encountered in my life.
He blinked slowly as if he were sleepy and said.
Its perfect weather for a picnic, isnt it?
Vivi examined Damian, noting a few conspicuous wounds, but his limbs were intact.
Damians nonsensical words brought a smile of relief to Vivis face.
Yes. Its impeccably clear.
Now that its over, I would like to rest by a quiet and clean lake.
Thats a good idea. When we return to the Duchy lets do it together.
And well spread a picnic blanket.
I wouldnt mind using the palaces silk carpets. If thats not possible, Ill cut up my dress to make one.
There must also be Sankrotis-style apple pie.
Thats something I also like.
It seems to be the only common ground between you and me.
Ive already found several commonalities, but its a pity youve only discovered one.
Then Vivi pulled Damians left hand towards her and clumsily started to weave a new rope.
Damian looked puzzled and said.
Isnt it all over now?
Since the source of the hallucinations was removed, there was no need to be tied up any longer.
I feel uneasy not knowing where you might dash off to.
In this state, where do you think I can go?
One never knows. Just stay within my sight.
When he sent her a look of incomprehension, Vivi shyly avoided his gaze and carefully tied the other end of the rope to her wrist.
Catching the beast didnt mean everything was over. The domain of Barvisia was stubbornly vast, so Damian and Vivi had to drift for three more days.
And on the third day, when the escorts communication had been severed, they were discovered by the Duchys search party sent in large numbers and finally set course for the Duchy.
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