Chapter 111: The Monstrous Bird
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 111: The Monstrous Bird
‘What an adorable snake.’
Black hair and red eyes.
That was the first human the Snake Queen had ever seen.
‘Is that your little brother behind you? Oh my, why are you puffing up your body like that?’
‘Your cry is so unique. And your body is so plump, not like the other snakes I've seen.’
She spoke to her, a snake, without any hesitation.
‘Yes. I've decided. I'll stay here for a while, too. Hmm? Oh, you're asking where that little Aryong went? I brought some luggage, and it was heavy. He's probably moving it now.’
At first, she and Gaechalgoatal had been wary of the woman.
But as she spent time with the Little Dragon and the woman, the Snake Queen's guard gradually lowered.
‘Family? I don't know. I may look young, but I'm actually quite old. Hmm, maybe I should find a nice man and get married.’
‘I think having two children would be nice. Cute daughters who look just like me. What? You think they wouldn't be cute if they looked like me? You've gotten bold for someone so small, haven't you?’
She learned from her and sometimes received the human things she brought.
‘Here, try this. Hmm? What is it? It's a dango made with honey from an Okbong. Hey, I said try it.’
‘How is it? Hehe. I knew you'd like it. This isn't honey you can get from just any flower.’
She even got to eat dango made with Okbong honey.
‘What kind of flower? Well... should I tell you, or shouldn't I?’
‘Ehehe. Alright, I'll tell you. The White Lotus. And the Snowflake.’
‘What? A snowflake isn't a real flower, is it?’
‘This is why I don't like sharp-witted snakes.’
They grew close enough to spend their time sharing silly jokes.
‘They're my favorite flowers. The white lotus, and the snow flower you can only see in the dead of winter.’
Red eyes.
Black hair.
The way she possessed great power, yet never used it carelessly.
She was the Snake Queen's idol.
The Snake Queen's decision to take a human form was partly driven by her desire to be like her.
‘…Are you there?’
Just as their meeting had been sudden, so was their farewell.
‘…From now on, you are the queen of this place.’
The Snake Queen was a coward.
She couldn't bring herself to stop the woman from leaving.
She only ascended to the throne because she lacked the courage to refuse.
That was her last memory of her, and it remained vivid even after so much time had passed.
So, she was deeply shocked to have encountered her again.
Except for the hair and eye color, the face bore no resemblance.
And yet, why did she think of her?
Her body trembled.
Her mind said no, but her body wouldn't listen.
It had to be a trap.
It was definitely a trap.
But what if, by some miracle, it really was her? What if she could meet the one being she could call a mother again?
The Snake Queen hesitated, even though she knew she shouldn't.
Because she believed that woman was the only one who could save her.
“Gek-ge-gek!”
A familiar cry rang out.
Only then did the Snake Queen realize.
The one who would save her wasn't in some illusion.
A blue ray shot out from the black lizard's mouth.
*
“Kyaaaaak!”
The Rakshasa Bird screamed as she was sent flying.
I immediately checked on the Snake Queen. She still wore a confused expression.
It looked like it would be difficult for her to recover right away.
“Gek gek!”
In that case, I had to focus on the Rakshasa Bird.
She didn't go down in one hit. She was the same level as Argentavis, after all.
Now that I'd turned her own strategy against her, I had to land another blow.
Pabat!
I immediately launched myself after her.
“You crazy lizard!” the Rakshasa Bird raged.
She was covered in blood, but she still seemed fine. I could see the panic in her eyes, though.
I was about to chase her down and unleash my Dragon's Claws.
Ppdududuk!
Black wings burst from the Rakshasa Bird's shoulder blades.
Swaaak!
She used her wings to put distance between us.
“You have no manners at all!”
Shuuuuuk.
At the same time, she fired her black feathers.
Each one was a hidden weapon, as hard and sharp as my own scales.
Pabababat!
But the attack never reached my body.
“Saaaaaaaaak!”
Because the Snake Queen, in her giant snake form, had blocked the attack.
She had come to her senses in that brief moment.
The reason the Snake Queen had been confused was likely because of the Rakshasa Bird's face. She must have disguised herself as a human she knew.
And then, the Rakshasa Bird revealed her wings. The Snake Queen must have realized that this woman was a monstrous bird mimicking a human form.
“Wh-what, how are you so fast! It should have taken more time…”
The Rakshasa Bird sounded flustered. It seemed her plan had gone completely awry.
“Saaaaaaaaaa!”
The Snake Queen let out a roar louder than any I had ever heard.
“W-wait!”
Guguguguk.
An immense amount of internal energy pressed down on the air.
“Sssseup.”
The Snake Queen took a deep breath.
She was about to cast the same destruction ray she had shown in Argentavis's territory.
Even the Rakshasa Bird would surely be vaporized without a trace if hit by that attack.
“Th-this is…!”
She must have been furious. Her own plan had backfired.
For a bird to attack a snake and a lizard at night… she was too arrogant.
“Get out here, now! You stupid bastard!”
The moment the Rakshasa Bird screamed that, a tremendous roar echoed.
“Uoooooooooh!”
It was the dead of night. A normal bird would have trouble even moving.
But.
Hwarurururuk!
A massive flame shattered the pitch-black night.
A conflagration that could incinerate everything blazed to life.
This was dangerous.
Its casting speed was probably similar to the Snake Queen's technique.
The Snake Queen's attack would be more powerful, but she wasn't the only one here.
There was me, and there was Swish-Swish.
I might be fine, but Swish-Swish would definitely not survive the aftermath.
“Gek-ge-gek!”
I dashed toward Swish-Swish.
“Hieeek…”
Swish-Swish was trembling, terrified.
I immediately grabbed her and curled my body around her.
The sky turned red.
This was going to hurt.
It was going to hurt like hell.
But there was no other choice. I couldn't just leave Swish-Swish.
Kwaaaaaang!
A giant fireball slammed into the ground.
“How shameful. To keep receiving your help over and over again.”
The Snake Queen spoke in a calm voice.
My body was unharmed.
The Snake Queen was shielding me with her body.
“Hieeek!”
“Gek-ge-gek!”
The Snake Queen was wrapped around me, who was wrapped around Swish-Swish.
Thanks to her, we survived.
I wondered if the Snake Queen was okay after blocking such a devastating attack, but surprisingly, she didn't seem to have taken much damage.
She must have canceled it out with the technique she was charging.
Sssreureuk….
The Snake Queen uncoiled, setting me free.
“Hah, you have no shame. You're fine even after taking that hit?”
The Rakshasa Bird shouted in disbelief. And next to her stood a giant bird.
【Bifang LV80】
A Bifang.
A subordinate of Gaechalgoatal, a one-legged crane said to wield fire.
There was no way they would have sent only the Rakshasa Bird.
Even if the plan succeeded, she wouldn't have the firepower to kill the Snake Queen, and the moment she failed, she'd be killed instantly.
There had to be someone else to make up for her lack of power.
And Gaechalgoatal had chosen the Bifang for that role.
I couldn't assume these two were all of them.
A Jian Bird might show up, or the King of Birds himself could appear.
But for now, I could only see the two of them.
“It wouldn't be a bad idea to thin their numbers beforehand.”
In other words, this was the perfect opportunity.
The Snake Queen put Swish-Swish in her mouth.
The Bifang's attacks had such a wide range that Swish-Swish was likely to get caught in the crossfire.
Hiding her in the safest place—the Snake Queen's mouth—would allow us to act without worry.
Of course, as long as Swish-Swish was in her mouth, the Snake Queen couldn't use her destruction ray.
But that wasn't a big problem.
[Using 「Reverse Scale LV1」.]
[Temporarily acquiring 「Gaegaek Death Beam LV1」.]
Jjeo-eo-eo-eong!
Because I was right beside the Snake Queen.
Kwaaaang!
A beam filled with the power of Gaegaek pierced through one of the Rakshasa Bird's shoulders.
“Kyaaaaak! You crazy lizard!”
And the Snake Queen didn't become queen with just a destruction ray.
Both of her eyes flashed.
Jjeojeojeojeok!
Everything her gaze touched turned to solid rock.
The Bifang and the Rakshasa Bird hastily flew up to evade her Gaze of Petrification.
Since the Cockatrice had betrayed them, they probably had some resistance to it.
But it was impossible to have complete immunity. The Snake Queen's ability was a threat to them.
“Bifang! Hit them with a big one!”
“Uoooooh!”
Hwarreuk.
Kuwaaaaaang!
The Bifang, soaring into the air, unleashed a massive flame.
It wasn't aimed at anyone in particular, so its power was dispersed. It was at a level I could withstand.
Besides, I already had a resistance to fire.
Its goal wasn't to attack with fire, but to block the Gaze of Petrification.
Because if they were petrified for even a moment, they would fall to the Snake Queen's devastating physical attacks.
The battle continued in the same pattern.
The Rakshasa Bird and the Bifang attacked with flames and steel feathers while avoiding the Snake Queen's eyes.
That probably wasn't their full power, but so far, they hadn't managed to inflict any significant damage on the Snake Queen.
At this rate, our victory was certain. They couldn't dodge the Snake Queen's gaze forever.
Their best option was to admit their first plan had failed and retreat.
But they didn't.
It wasn't that they didn't have a chance to escape. Did they think they could win?
If they stopped moving, they'd die instantly.
That look in their eyes.
A look of conviction.
They were aiming for something.
Another fireball was shot.
Mixed within it were steel feathers.
And one thrown object.
I knew instinctively.
That was what they were after.
Woooong.
My entire body was sounding an alarm.
My Crisis Detection and Killing Intent Detection were telling me that object was extremely dangerous.
There was no way they could capture the Snake Queen with just the two of them.
The reason they didn't retreat and dragged out the fight was because they were counting on that object.
Conversely, if I could just deal with that object, I could completely eliminate their chance of victory.
The flames and feathers cleverly concealed it, sending it flying at an angle hidden from the Snake Queen's view.
In this situation, I didn't have a skill that could intercept that object.
My skills required casting time; it would be too late even if I used one.
The only option left was to throw my body at it and knock it away.
This was a perfectly rational decision.
Even if I got hurt, I could recover instantly just by leveling up.
And if the Snake Queen was taken down by that object, it meant I'd have to face those two monstrous birds alone.
Each one was stronger than me; there was no way I could win.
The best I could do was to take the damage myself and thwart their plan.
“Gek-ge-gek!”
I leaped forward at high speed.
I was about to swing my foreleg and strike the object the Rakshasa Bird had thrown.
Woong.
The cloth covering the object came undone. What it revealed was a single black gourd bottle.
“Ahahat!”
The Rakshasa Bird twisted her lips into a grotesque smile.
“Don't tell me you thought we came to capture the Snake Queen?”
Only then did I realize.
Their target wasn't the Snake Queen.
“It'll be easier if you just give up.”
The two monstrous birds had come at the same time to separate me from the Snake Queen.
The King of Birds had been after my neck all along.
Shwaaaaaak!
The gourd bottle began to suck my body in.
I knew immediately what had happened. The moment I blinked, the scenery had changed.
From the lake where I'd been fighting alongside the Snake Queen, to a place swarming with countless beasts gathered to kill me.
“Grrrr…”
“Krrrr…”
All sorts of beasts with bloodshot eyes openly displayed their hostility.