Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Nardan Jungle (6)
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‘No! I must protect His Highness!’
Kirigumo Kazuki felt a chill run down his spine as he watched Aren step forward.
To Kirigumo, who was on the verge of losing his daughter, Aren was truly a beacon of hope.
He had shown the way forward to a man who could do nothing but watch his daughter waste away helplessly.
No matter the reason—that he wanted to hire him as a tutor—every action Aren took felt like a profound grace to Kirigumo.
Not only had he assigned a priest to his daughter, but before departing for the Nardan Jungle, he even made sure she had meals every time.
And now, in the Nardan Jungle, they had actually found the Manlenesia.
At first, only Aren was certain, but upon closer inspection, Kirigumo realized it matched the information he had gathered.
All that was left was to escape, but they had run into combat with the Venom Anaconda, the master of the Nardan Jungle.
While attacking alongside Gillek, Kirigumo realized the Venom Anaconda was an opponent they couldn’t handle alone.
No matter how much he used his secret technique, Cloud Mist Fist, without Gillek, Amelin and Aren casting magic from behind, and the griffon Mikel drawing most of the attention, they had faced peril multiple times.
Even if the poison didn’t affect him, allowing free movement, facing the Venom Anaconda alone was far too reckless.
“Sir Gillek! Hurry and...!”
“Wait just a moment, Kirigumo.”
Gillek, who had been trying to stop Aren moments ago, now extended his arm to block Kirigumo.
“His Highness says he’s grasped its movements. I’ll trust His Highness’s words.”
“What...”
Even for a loyal knight like Gillek, this was incomprehensible to Kirigumo.
And right then.
The Venom Anaconda whipped its tail toward Aren.
“Your Highness!”
Kirigumo shouted Aren’s name.
And what followed was a chain of events that made Kirigumo doubt his own eyes.
Just before the massive tail struck, Aren leaped in place, dodging it.
Puuk!
And stabbed his sword into the tail mid-swing.
-Shaaaat!
The moment he rode the momentum diagonally up the swinging tail, Aren pulled his sword free.
He seemed about to soar into the air.
But at a certain point, Aren halted abruptly in midair.
“That’s...!”
At Gillek’s voice, Kirigumo realized what Aren had just done.
Aren’s sudden stop in the air resembled the Eagle Pursuit technique exactly.
And as if proving the thought right, Aren charged from midair, plunging his blade into the Venom Anaconda’s body.
Puuuuk!
-ShaaaAAT!
The Venom Anaconda thrashed wildly to shake Aren off.
But Aren didn’t fall.
It was like an acrobatic performance.
No matter how violently the Venom Anaconda bucked—when its body dipped low, he’d pull his sword and remount ahead; when it reared up, he’d stab again to hold his position.
“Wh-what is...!”
“His Highness truly grasped its movements.”
“What do you mean, Sir Gillek?”
“His Highness possesses exceptional observational skills to read an opponent’s movements. No matter how it moves now, it won’t work on him.”
Even with such keen observation, could anyone actually move like that?
Doubts arose, but Aren was pulling it off right before their eyes.
“Uh, uhhh!”
Amelin, who had been asked to attack when an opening appeared, hesitated to cast her magic, fearing she might interfere with Aren’s mystical maneuvers.
And after dancing across its body like that, Aren finally reached the Venom Anaconda’s head.
“Here’s a gift for you.”
Puuuuk!
Aren drove his sword into the Venom Anaconda’s left eye.
-ShaaaaaaaAAT!
The most searing, intense pain it had ever felt overwhelmed the Venom Anaconda.
The agony and boiling rage toward its foe made it writhe even more fiercely.
And in its unconscious frenzy.
“Uh-oh.”
It flung its head upward violently, sending Aren flying into the sky.
But Aren didn’t panic.
“Amelin!”
“Mikel!”
The moment their names were called, Amelin understood her role and commanded her familiar.
-Kurrrrgh!
Mikel, who had been watching from the sky, snatched Aren’s clothing with his front talons.
Witnessing the scene, the Venom Anaconda opened its maw skyward.
Gathering venom from its body to unleash in one devastating burst, drowning the foe in poison.
And seeing it target him, Aren smirked and said to Mikel,
“Mikel! Drop me!”
-Kurgh!
Obeying instantly, Mikel released Aren, who plummeted straight down toward the gaping maw.
““Your Highness!?””
His companions could only gape in shock at the move.
The beast had its mouth wide open.
Which meant it was about to fire another poison cannon.
‘Since we’re finishing this, let’s test everything I want to try.’
Spraying mana from his back like he was using Eagle Pursuit with his left hand forward, accelerating his fall.
At that instant, it spewed poison.
From his outstretched left hand, he unleashed a wide spray of flames.
No need for raw power.
Just keep producing flames as long as it kept spitting venom— that was enough.
The Venom Anaconda’s poison vaporized into a toxic mist just by being spat and left alone.
Blasting fire at it would accelerate vaporization, turning it to gas and dissipating it.
Of course, that would thicken the poison mist even more.
‘Not a problem for me.’
Resistance pushed back against his left hand.
My flames clashing with its poison.
But the poison didn’t engulf me.
Thanks to the mana jetting from my back, I wasn’t rising— I kept descending.
Extending my right hand back, I prepared a spell simultaneously.
I couldn’t cast another spell while using an intermediate one yet.
But the left-hand blast wasn’t proper magic— it was just brute-forcing flames with my mana reserves, barely worthy of the name.
So I could still cast in this state.
The spell was the one Amelin had used.
Flames of Judgment, which grew stronger the longer the charge.
Whoooosh!
The flames’ heat vaporized the mist, shrouding me completely.
Within it, I kept falling while channeling mana into Flames of Judgment.
Countering the poison blasts with my left, spraying mana from my back Eagle Pursuit-style, and pouring mana into the finisher, Flames of Judgment.
My mana recovery couldn’t keep up.
It was regenerating, but consumption outpaced it.
But.
‘Your poison’ll run out before my mana!’
I already knew how long it took to spew that much.
And as expected.
The pushback on my left hand vanished.
Its poison depleted first.
Extinguishing the flames from my left, I saw the Venom Anaconda’s gaping mouth.
It tried to snap shut immediately.
“Not a chance!”
I boosted the back jets, closing the distance and prying its jaws open.
The jaw strength that would’ve crushed old me in a second.
But now? I could hold it as long as needed.
-ShaaaaAAT!
In a final spasm, a glob of venom shot from its throat toward me.
But.
“Useless.”
Its poison only meant I’d have to wash my clothes and body again.
“Alright then... let’s end it. Flames of Judgment.”
I hurled the charged Flames of Judgment into its maw.
As I did, I swung away from its mouth.
Crack!
Kicking its lower jaw to force it shut.
And then.
BOOOOM!
An explosion erupted from within, smoke billowing out.
The blast didn’t reach me inside, but I was now free-falling from its mouth.
No worries about hitting the ground, though.
“Mi-Mikel! Catch His Highness!”
-Kurrrrgh!
I had my trusty personal summoning mage.
Mikel snatched me again with his talons and lowered me gently.
““Your Highness!””
Everyone rushed toward me.
“Are you alright, Your Highness?!”
“Yeah, fine. Hey, Gillek, how was that? I’m stronger than before, right?”
“Haha, yes. Truly... truly stronger, Your Highness.”
“Y-Your Highness! You’re covered in poison! A-Are you okay!?”
“You saw it doesn’t affect me, right? Guess I’ll have to wash up again. Amelin, spray some water over my head.”
The Venom Anaconda’s poison had run out first, but I’d used quite a bit of mana, leaving me a little dizzy.
“Y-Yes!”
Shwaaaa.
Amelin poured a waterfall-like torrent over my head.
Stripping and washing properly would be best, but in this poison-mist-filled area, it wouldn’t do much good. Dispersing the mist with wind would waste mana.
Pulling my sword from the Venom Anaconda’s left eye socket, I said,
“Gillek! Kirigumo! Help me harvest its fangs as souvenirs!”
“Understood, Your Highness!”
“Leave the butchering to me!”
With their help, we extracted two upper fangs from the Venom Anaconda.
We secured the fangs to Mikel’s body with rope, and finally rode him out of the Nardan Jungle.