Chapter 178
Chapter 178
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 178
Chapter Title: Ghost City (13)
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Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Ronan opened his eyes in satisfaction as the enraged footsteps echoed all the way down to the depths where he had coiled himself. The "time" had finally come. This time, he would devour every ugly soul in this village. Ronan slowly stretched his body.
Crunch!!!!
Ronan burst through the small door blocked by thin planks and began crawling out of the basement. Every time the green flames from the candelabras on the walls illuminated his scales, they shimmered and rustled with iridescent light.
Ronan slowly crawled up the stairs. He could sense it—at the top of those stairs, beyond that wall, there was a sticky soul reeking of a fishy stench. A soul brimming with ugly desires enough to fill this entire mansion. Ah, it hadn't been a short time at all. Far from repenting, it had only swollen those desires even larger. Ronan flicked out his bifurcated black tongue and approached the wall. The scent grew even thicker.
'A fine appetizer.'
The green serpent opened its massive jaws greedily, wide enough for its nose and chin to touch the ceiling and floor. And then...
Crunch!!!!!
Ronan smashed straight through the wall.
* * *
Crunch!!!!!
Dust billowed as the wall crumbled. I barely dodged the debris of the shattered wall and looked ahead. The fallen village chief was there. The moment I moved to help him up,
Slurp.
A massive, blood-red eye met mine, sending chills down my spine. Instinctively, I knew—that was...
'Ronan...!'
The green serpent Dimakushel had spoken of!
I took a deep breath.
"El! Don't look up!"
Any normal person would have panicked just from making eye contact. Like a mouse before a snake! But thanks to my [Bane of Evil] title, I was immune to fear, confusion, and shock, so I stayed composed.
-Hoo.
Ronan seemed intrigued by that. It flicked out its bifurcated black tongue, then bared its teeth in a grin. Four enormous fangs gleamed.
'...Just a graze would kill me.'
I swallowed hard and looked up at it. The red eyes bored into me, and just as it seemed about to speak...
"Gr-Great One!!!"
The village chief, coughing raggedly, forced himself to his feet. He stretched both arms high toward Ronan and cried out in a cracking voice.
"I-I came to find the gold after hearing your message!"
Was it fortunate or unfortunate? Ronan's gaze shifted from me to the chief. It looked down at him with a creepy smile and whispered softly.
-...Ah, so you heard my revelation.
"Yes! Yes! That revelation to come find the gold!"
-Loyal one. I shall give you all the gold you desire. However.
"...!"
-You too must offer something to me.
"Anything! I'll offer anything! For the gold!"
-Then...
Ronan's red eyes gleamed ominously. I saw its jaws opening wider and rushed toward the chief, but...
-How about your soul?
It was already too late.
Crunch!!!!!!!
Splurt!!!!!!!!
I couldn't tell if the chief answered or not. Only Ronan and the chief would know. Ronan's massive jaws bit straight into the chief, and hot blood sprayed out like a fountain. Covered head to toe in that blood, I stared blankly at the chief's halved body. Even that was soon devoured by Ronan.
Ronan licked its lips with its tongue, smiled in satisfaction, and scanned the surroundings again. El, Ayla, and...
-You are truly mysterious.
Me.
"...I hear that a lot. Especially from creatures like you."
-Oh, you've already met others like me?
"Bad luck on my part."
-...
"Theirs."
I smiled faintly up at Ronan. It eyed me with even greater interest—or was it just hunger? I couldn't tell, which made me uneasy.
"...Looks like you enjoyed your meal. Why not head home now?"
-The meal is just beginning.
Yeah, I figured as much. I only asked to be polite. Feeling the warmth of the wriggling lizard in my pocket, I replied more leisurely.
"Didn't I just say it? Every demon I've met has had bad luck."
-I cherish those skilled in lies.
"What if it's not a lie?"
-Hahaha.
"That one buried under the Lavata Mine, the one submerged in the Dehid underground temple—word hasn't reached hell yet?"
-...
"Or maybe you demons are all just worthless nothings..."
Kwarrrumble!!!!
Before I could finish, the serpent's head lunged at me. I barely dodged and shouted to El.
"Get out of the mansion!"
Ayla scooped up El and fled outside. The mansion's framework was collapsing under Ronan's movements. It burned every night, and with its massive body, this was inevitable. Dodging falling pillars, I spotted a translucent hand waving from afar.
"...!"
The girl's hand.
I dashed toward the second-floor stairs it pointed to. Leaping up them almost like flying.
Ssss!!!
Ronan was hot on my tail.
Crash!!
Crack!!!
The moment I reached the second floor, the stairs and railing shattered behind me. Thud! Thud! Thud! Snap! The pillars holding up the mansion splintered and broke.
"Cus cus!!!"
-Whoosh!!!
I called Dimakushel, and shadows shot out instantly, propping up the collapsing house.
-I can't hold it long.
"...I'll finish before then."
At the end of the second-floor hallway, the girl waved again. Rosalyn Dawson. The blurry-faced child pointed at the ceiling. I sprinted to the end of the hall and reached up. I felt the remnants of a rope and a groove. Hooking my fingers in, I pulled—and a door opened, dropping a ladder to the attic. Cough, cough. The dust made me cough a few times before I climbed up.
The attic seemed to have been the girl's playroom, scattered with toys, dolls, storybooks, and even half-eaten dog treats. Amid the mess, I spotted something gleaming.
'A necklace...'
A child's small necklace with a fingernail-sized golden pendant. The moment I picked it up, memories flooded my mind like a wave.
-Rosalyn, look at this. It's the first gold Mommy and Daddy ever made.
-We thought of you, and this miracle happened!
-As long as you wear this necklace, we'll always be with you.
-We love you, Rosalyn.
-Woof! Woof!
-Yes, we love you too, Argos.
The necklace overflowed with warm, gentle, yet resilient power. I drew my bow and arrow, wrapping the necklace around the arrowhead. Then, I waited for the green serpent to poke its head into the attic.
"...Legion, get ready."
I nocked the arrow and drew the string. Meanwhile, Legion smacked its lips like it was warming up, inhaling until its body ballooned like a sphere. And then.
Grind!!!
Swish, swish, swish...
The serpent, coiled so tightly around a groaning pillar that it splintered, slithered up to the second floor. Almost time. I took a deep breath and focused. For a moment, silence fell.
Kwarrrrumble!!!!
The narrow attic passage shattered. The green serpent's head burst through the floorboards, half-destroying them, and fixed its red eyes on me. Like a snake spotting prey, it flicked its tongue with a hiss. Each time, sulfurous flames spurted from between its green scales.
-Looks like the one with bad luck is you.
Villain cliché. They always spout lame lines like that, reeking of forced bravado. How do I know? I'm a gamer from South Korea. That crap doesn't faze me. I chuckled, and Ronan, no longer holding back, gaped its jaws wide. A glowing green fireball shimmered deep in its throat.
"Legion."
Roooarrrrrr!!!!!!!!
As Ronan spewed its green fireball, Legion countered with black flames. The ballooned, round lizard unleashing a massive breath was a sight to behold. The merciless black inferno that burned even fire itself! Ronan's hellfire from the depths was powerful, but not as much as Legion's. Ha, of course. Snakes can't beat dragons.
Pop! Thunk! Pop!
Roooarrrrr!!!!
In the end, the black flames consumed the green ones entirely. Ronan's mouth was charred black, its bifurcated black tongue completely severed.
「Theo. Me. Did good?」
"You did great, Legion."
「Theo. Me did good. How good?」
"Super, super, super good."
More than great. I winked at Legion, then aimed at the center of Ronan's charred mouth, toward its throat. Pop! Boom! Pop! Small green explosions chained in its throat—the sign it was gathering fire again.
「Theo. Me again?」
"No, Legion. My turn now."
「Theo. Turn?」
"Yeah."
I drew the string with all my might, waiting for the 'final' explosion. Pop, boom, pop... As the green flames flickered anew deep in Ronan's throat.
Screeeee!!!
The arrow shot out like the wind.
Thuuuunk!!!!
The golden necklace on the arrowhead blazed brilliantly, piercing the green serpent's throat.
Sizzle!!!!
The flames about to erupt fizzled out, and the serpent's jaws snapped shut reflexively. And at the same moment,
Rustle, rustle...
Shimmer, shiiiimmer...!
The green scales writhed like living things, each one spewing gas. I grabbed Legion as it tried to inflate again. Good, good. I get you want to finish it off...
"Let's get out of here, Legion!"
「Huh???」