Chapter 609
Chapter 609
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 609
Chapter Title: Spring's Fragrance
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"KieeeEEEEEEK!!!!!!!"
I couldn't believe I was charging straight at a monster like that. To suppress the creeping terror, I unleashed a thunderous roar.
Screw bravery and courage and all that crap—just the idea of fighting something the size of a villa pushed me way beyond my limits.
Anyway, things had come to this, so I had no choice but to smash the damn thing.
The Lady would handle it somehow!
"Savage Roar of Valor!!!!!!! Impressive—whoa!!!!"
For whatever reason, the Lady was hollering like that as she ran alongside me. I thought she was matching my speed, but that didn't seem to be it.
The Lady's pace was about the same as mine.
She packed insane destructive power, but she was a bit lacking in other areas. Still, she was better than most experts, though she did have her weaknesses.
—KyooooOOOOOOH!!!!!!
Right on cue, the Death Worm that had just shredded two more Drakes spotted us and bellowed. Its circular maw was lined with fangs like steel blades in every direction, and hidden within were molars that could pulverize bone and armor whole, like a hydraulic press.
Its massive jaws were packed with muscle. Any monster that got sucked into that mouth was done for.
The same went for me and the Lady.
"I won't forgive you, you maggot bastard!!!!!!"
But the Lady was burning with berserk fury instead.
There was no hesitation or fear in her momentum.
Because she was nobility. Because she was a ruler. Because a pest had crashed her battlefield of duty. Because she was a warrior. Because she couldn't betray her honor.
—No.
All that was secondary.
The Lady just wanted to slaughter the Death Worm in front of her.
—Whoooosh!
Once more, a crimson mana storm swirled around the Lady's greatsword. I didn't know about anything else, but the last Death Worm had exploded in chunks after eating that.
Every time it moved, I caught glimpses of the parts hidden underground. The spot where it had been hit was caved in like a bitten apple. It was crazy that it still looked fine.
Anyway, if we could land that strike on a vital spot—better yet, if we could sever its body—we'd win.
—Peak clarity.
I calmed my mind, trusted in the Lady, and channeled my core energy into my blade. With sword aura, my attacks would land too. I'd just provide support!
"Now!"
—Flash!
The moment the Lady signaled, we flared out like wings, veering to either side of the Death Worm. Hit it from both flanks at once, and we'd make it work! That's what I figured. That's what I believed. Right now, belief was all we had!
"DieeeeeYYYYAAAH!!!!!"
In that state, I closed in on the Death Worm and thrust my life-reaping sword.
—Shoooosh!
—BOOM!
But at that instant, as if sensing our movement, the Death Worm slammed its head into the ground right in front of us and burrowed away. The sheer force made approach impossible.
"Shit!"
A torrent of dirt sprayed out, blocking my attack and forcing me to fall back.
"You damned coward!!!!! How dare you flee before me!!!!!"
The Lady's attack failed too.
Caked in mud, she roared in rage.
This Death Worm was too fast. And too huge. Just moving inflicted lethal damage on everything around it. One twist of its body, and we'd be flung away. Could we even get close enough to strike?
I had a bad feeling it wasn't possible.
How the hell do we beat this thing!
"Lady! We don't know where it'll pop up next, so we need to move!"
"Right! Let's get out of here!"
—Rumble!
—Groooar!
After a few rounds, I could roughly sense its direction from the sounds and vibrations alone.
To my left!
"It's heading that way!!!"
I slid sideways to avoid stepping on its back and pointed left.
"You can sense it?! As expected of a barbarian's instincts!!! Understood! Let's go!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
As we ran, —BOOM! —the Death Worm burst out at the end of our path, swallowing the Drake and human corpses there whole.
While it was feeding was our chance to strike!
"Attack!!!"
"DieeeeeYYYYAAAH!!!"
The Lady and I broke into another murderous sprint. As we closed in, guts and blood began dripping from the sky.
We'd reached it!
—Crackle!
I raised my sword and formed my sword aura!
Just as I was about to land one solid hit, —BOOM! —the Death Worm, having scarfed down its fill, burrowed again.
Shit, how many whiffs was that now!
"Hunting takes patience!!!!!! Wait! This vibration... I think I can sense it too!!!!"
The Lady felt it as well. Brimming with confidence, she pointed her greatsword east—her orientation—and shouted.
"This time, that way!!!!!!"
—BOOM!
The moment she pointed, the Death Worm's head emerged from that direction.
"I'll take the front! You circle behind! We're hitting it from front and rear at once!!!!"
"Got it!!!! KieeeEEEEEEK!!!"
What choice did I have? I bellowed madly and started my marathon. I wasn't even tired yet, so it was fine. What worried me was the Lady, burning through massive mana nonstop. Would she hold up?
—Kwoooooh!
"Shit!"
Of course, the moment we approached, it fled again.
"Again!"
Still, we didn't give up. Tracking it by ground vibrations and sounds, we pursued relentlessly. Luckily, its rampage had scattered corpses and creatures everywhere, so movement wasn't an issue.
How many misses had it been?
"Fuuuuck!!!!!! This is bullshit!!! You little shit just keeps running, you honorless maggot!!!!!!"
The Death Worm was too nimble, and the Lady wasn't that fast. She slammed her greatsword into the ground and kicked a Drake corpse to vent her rage.
"Show me the barbarian's wisdom!!! Unleash the might of Mirkeshia, forged slaying beasts in barren lands!!!"
"Our tribe just ran when shit like this happened!!!! No buildings back home to worry about!!!!"
"Such a cultural difference!!!!!!"
The Lady yanked her greatsword free with a shout.
"Anyway, this time it's that way!!! It's huge, so it'll tire faster!!! Just hold out, and victory's ours!!!!!!"
"Got it!!!"
I didn't mention that it kept scarfing food nonstop. With all that activity, it was gobbling every bit of blood and flesh on the battlefield.
Who knew if it'd tire out.
No sign of it fleeing for good either. It wasn't satisfied yet... shit!
—Tatta tat!
We charged at the ever-hungry Death Worm. It was still distracted feeding.
Now might actually work!
"Now!"
"Yes!!!"
The instant we reached it, I kicked off the ground and slashed its flank.
—Slash!
Incredibly, the attack landed!
"Fuck yeah!!!!"
My aura-wrapped blade carved deep into its hide. Crimson blood sprayed out, and —BOOM! —the Lady's strike landed too, exploding flesh.
"Su—success—"
—KwoooooOOOOOOH!!!!!!
But it wasn't lethal.
Its body was just too massive. The wounded Death Worm thrashed wildly and burrowed again, trailing blood along its escape path.
"Attack connected!!!! But no time to celebrate!!! Thought we nailed it, but it just ran!!!!"
The Lady bellowed through ragged breaths. Her strike had landed beautifully. But it wasn't enough to finish it.
Even solid hits weren't doing much.
"Damn... my mana is running dry too! Aura strikes max two more times!! How do we win this!!!!!!"
The Lady's mana was on fumes. We had to end it before those two shots were spent. Otherwise, we'd just die side by side.
In that case...!
"We have to aim for vitals, Lady!"
"Vitals... right, vitals! But how?! The head! The head's gotta be it! Smash the head, and we win!"
True enough. I had no clue where its heart was. So decapitate or destroy the head—no other way.
"But I can't reach that high!"
At first, the Death Worm reared up about 4 meters, but now it boldly stretched to nearly 10 meters.
Probably protecting its head from our attacks. At that height, we couldn't touch it.
And it could stretch even further if needed.
"And it flees the moment we close in, the coward...! Can't intercept from afar, head's too high!!! I get the plan, but it's impossible!!! Time to admit it! No way to win!!!"
Like just now—even her one-shot blew chunks from the hide, but it was so thick, no real damage.
"Urgh...! Humans lack wings!!! Is that why we can't win?!"
I cursed humanity's wingless fate and screamed.
"Exactly!!! If we could fly, we could reach it...!!!"
—BOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!
Suddenly, a massive boom echoed as the Death Worm erupted elsewhere. Stretched long, it rose nearly 20 meters. Or more. Anyway, it bellowed with its body fully extended.
—KyooooOOOOOOH!!!!!!
What an annoying length. Its total span looked over 30 meters. About that much when it burrowed into new holes.
The spot the Lady hit was bitten-apple concave, but bleeding had stopped. No regen, but fast recovery. A true nightmare monster. The Death Worm lived up to its name.
—Thud!
—Thud!
Its tough maggot body upheaved the ground. Corpses there launched into the air like meteors.
—Flying Drake corpses in the sky.
"That...!"
A thought flashed through my mind. I glanced at the Lady—she stared back, equally stunned.
—We locked eyes for a moment.
"That's it!"
the Lady shouted triumphantly.
"Can't fly? Then launch me!!!!!!"
Wait, hold up. That's not quite what I was thinking?
What are you planning?
"You!!!"
"Yes!!"
She yelled my name, so I snapped to attention.
Then, with a manic grin, she continued.
"Can you hurl me to that monster's head...? Hm, on second thought, no, that won't work!"
Was she about to ask me to yeet her like a shot put?
I blurted out on reflex.
"No! It's possible! Someone as light as you, Lady? Easy! You're feather-weight!!!!!!"
"Oh ho ho ho ho ho!!!! Of course! I'm very light! But that's only half the story! Problem is, my greatsword's too heavy!!!!!!!"
Then what do we do!
"So I'll hurl you instead!"
Huh?