The Snake Princess in the Undersea Cave
Ancient Undead.
The one known by the epithet 'Snake Princess' — Lamia.
She was the most central Ancient Undead of the 5th Legion, leading the 'Dead Nagas' that formed the core of the Legion's naval warfare strength.
Serving Legion Commander Magnus with utter devotion, she acted as the Legion's strategist. Whenever Magnus made one of his characteristically abnormal, unconventional moves, it was Lamia's role to refine those ideas into practical means and shape them into reality. Magnus, for his part, was known to cherish her deeply.
And yet.
'Lamia is in this cave? All alone, without Magnus or any other Ancient Undead?'
It reeked of a trap, but he had no choice but to go.
Simon led the way through the undersea cave, with the other Ancient Undead of the 7th Legion following behind him.
The undersea cave stretched on without end. The floor was damp with seawater, and now and then a low rumbling echo rolled through the passage. Knowing that if these walls collapsed the ocean would come pouring in sent a faint chill down his spine.
[The outside remains quiet, my Lord.]
Erzebet said, giving the spiderweb a light twang with her fingertip. The web stretched all the way back to the cave entrance — if anything happened, she would know at once.
"Keep checking on the outside every so often, and report to me immediately if anything comes up."
[Yes, Lord Commander!]
The farther they walked, the passage didn't narrow — if anything, it grew wider and wider.
The tension mounted along with it.
What kind of battle awaited them ahead? Both of Simon's hands, gripping the Greatsword of Ruin and Herseba, were growing slick with sweat.
[Young Master, we have arrived.]
Akemus spoke, having read the flow of the air.
Sure enough, just as he said, a little farther on an open, expansive chamber appeared.
The floor was entirely covered in pools of standing water, moss coated the rocks, and strange seaweed of unknown origin swayed in the gloom. It felt for all the world like stepping into an underwater kingdom.
This was almost certainly the final chamber of the undersea cave. Simon slipped out of the passage and descended the slope on foot, half-sliding down the grade.
[Simon! Look over there!]
Prince, who had come down with him, pointed straight ahead.
Fairly far into the chamber, atop a rock formation like a throne naturally grown from seaweed, something small sat perched.
A Dead Naga. But its body was remarkably small.
'A newborn naga hatchling that's been turned undead?'
[Careful, Boy! That is no ordinary Dead Naga!]
Pier shouted.
[That creature IS the Ancient Undead!]
"What?"
Vwoooom!
Sensing the intruders, the small Dead Naga launched itself into the air. No — rather than flying, it was more like the way something drifts and floats underwater.
Then its eyes rolled back, whites showing. The moment the tiny fernlike hands of an Ancient Undead turned downward, Simon felt the hairs on his spine stand on end.
KEEE-ROOOOAR!
Something like a cobalt-blue thunderbolt came crashing down with a furious roar. Simon and the commanders of the 7th Legion threw themselves aside in unison.
'What the hell was that?'
Simon looked back, sweating cold. Where the thing had landed, a huge crater had been punched into the floor, water pooling inside it. Instead of sparks, droplets of water had sprayed up violently — enough to lightly flay the cave walls and floor apart.
'A bolt of lightning made of water?'
Simon planted his feet and steadied his stance.
[Khekhekhe! I can scarcely believe it even with my own eyes, but—]
Pier began.
[From that Ancient Undead, I sense the presence of the Snake Princess Lamia I beheld in ages long past!]
"What did you say?"
Simon's eyebrows shot up.
"Hold on, Pier! You're telling me that Dead Naga is the 5th Legion's Lamia? Everything I've heard says she's much bigger!"
[That is not the only thing amiss. Judging by the technique she just used, I sense not Magnus's jet-black — nor even the Legion's.]
Simon couldn't help but be thrown into confusion.
The only being in existence who commanded the 'special undead' known as Dead Nagas was the 5th Legion's Snake Princess, Lamia. That was the whole reason he had come all this way.
And yet here was Lamia apparently regressed into an infant form — and supposedly not even belonging to the 5th Legion anymore.
If Pier was right and that really was Lamia, then why had her contract with Magnus been severed?
And why had she reverted to this childlike form and holed herself up in an undersea cave like this?
[Not a question we can answer standing here. We simply have to seize her and extract the information, Boy!]
"Right."
Simon shook himself and ratcheted up his focus.
VUUUUM!
As the Ancient Undead moved her fernlike hands, more than a dozen torrents of water came crashing down again.
Power enough to bomb the entire chamber. Simon channeled strength into Pier's Bone Armor and made a high-speed leap, slipping out of the blast zone by the narrowest of margins.
Ssssssss—
Ssssssss—
And from behind the rocks of this chamber, through the narrow crevices of the walls, Dead Nagas began pouring out without end. Reinforcements were being deployed to hold back the intruders.
[Simon! What do we do now?]
Prince was sprinting along the cave walls, weaving between the waterfalls of water.
"What do we do? We fight!"
Simon levitated Herseba into the air and gripped the Greatsword of Ruin with both hands.
"Of course, we have to take her alive!"
The real battle had begun.
The Ancient Undead presumed to be Lamia was enjoying every advantage of her home ground. She called forth countless Dead Naga soldiers from the rock crevices and narrow hollows, while she herself fired off powerful wide-area attacks in a ceaseless barrage.
KEE-ROOOOM!
KEEE-ROOOOOOM!
"Gah!"
Two torrents of water shot at Simon as he tried to sneak closer. He hastily raised the Greatsword of Ruin to block them, but the impact drove him sliding back a considerable distance.
[Careful, Boy! A direct hit will shred your whole body apart!]
"I know!"
Capturing her was the objective, so he couldn't carelessly swing slashes or tear open the space around her.
And then came the real problem.
KEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Lamia went berserk.
A sphere of jet-black formed in front of the forehead of the small Ancient Undead floating in the air, and from it, torrents of water began erupting like madness itself.
They bombarded everything indiscriminately — friendly Dead Nagas were caught in the blast, and she began smashing apart the walls and even the ceiling.
KEEE-ROOOOOM!
The already precarious undersea cave trembled as though it would collapse at any moment. A boulder-sized chunk of debris fell from the ceiling.
[Kiddo! Now I see it!]
Herseba said, raising a barrier of gold to form a canopy overhead.
[Could Magnus's goal not be to lure us into this cave and then bring the whole thing down on our heads to wipe us out in one stroke?]
Simon shook his head, panting.
"I don't think so."
Magnus's interest in Simon wasn't driven by 'grudge' but by 'greed.' His goal was to take the Ancient Undead of the 7th Legion from Simon. If he brought the entire undersea cave crashing down, he'd lose his own precious subordinates along with them — and forfeit the very prize he wanted.
"Either way, we're out of time."
At this rate, this undersea cave wouldn't hold. Simon glanced back over his shoulder.
"We'll have to push through, even if it's a stretch — Akemus!"
[As the Young Master commands.]
Flap!
Akemus drew forth two additional pairs of wings and wrapped them around his body. His frame rippled and began to change.
SCREEEEEEECH—!
The monstrous bird's cry rang out. Ominous jet-black poured from his body with enough force to swallow the entire undersea cave.
Then, wings still folded around himself, Akemus shot toward Lamia like a beam of light.
KEE-ROOOOM!
Lamia fired back torrents of water. Countless streams came crashing down on Akemus, but he simply powered through them on raw strength and durability alone.
BOOOOOOM!
Only after Lamia went further berserk and doubled the number of water torrents was Akemus's charge finally stopped dead.
The torrents of water and Akemus locked in a standoff of sheer force, surging forward and being pushed back in an endless struggle.
[Well done, Akemus!]
Prince, who had been riding on Akemus's back, slipped out sideways and swung his fist.
[Hidden Card Punch!]
A shockwave shot from his fist, and for the first time, Lamia used a defensive spell.
She raised a wall of water in front of her body.
[There's your opening.]
That alone was enough.
Spiderwebs coiled around Lamia's short little arms and yanked her forcibly backward. Erzebet, who had circled around behind her without anyone noticing, was weaving her hands.
[One little brat is being far too much of a nuisance.]
WHAM!
The moment Lamia's body met the cave wall, the rock softened and turned to a wall of gold. Lamia's arms and torso were bound in golden fetters.
Herseba shouted.
[Now, kiddo!]
At last, Simon charged. Cutting down the water torrents she desperately fired one after another, he arrived, reached out his arm, and placed his hand on the core exposed at the center of Lamia's chest.
"I still don't know what's going on here!"
VUUUUUUM!
Simon closed his eyes and drew up his focus.
"But if I want to stop her, this is the only way!"
Simon's jet-black bored into Lamia's core.
Even after Pier's words — that there was no trace of the 5th Legion's jet-black in her — Simon had remained half-doubtful. But it was true. If she were the Legion's Ancient Undead, he should have felt resistance — and there was none at all.
"Ngh!"
[KEEEEEEE!]
Lamia went berserk more violently still.
The Ancient Undead wrapped their bodies around Simon to shield him. Pier and Akemus covered him, taking the water torrents in his place, while Herseba raised golden walls to catch the debris raining from the ceiling.
Erzebet held back the Dead Nagas swarming in to defend their commander with spiderwebs, and Prince sent them flying with punches.
And so an eternity-like stretch of tens of minutes passed.
"Haah... hah!"
Simon sank to one knee, drenched in a flood of sweat. He'd wrung his jet-black out so hard that his body had no strength left, and his vision was tinged yellow.
Fortunately, Lamia's state was gradually stabilizing. She was no longer firing those wild torrents of water, and had gone quietly still.
"Did it... work?"
Simon raised his head and looked at her.
Her eyes, which had blackened and warped from the frenzy, had turned a soft blue. They blinked slowly, dreamily.
Shff—
Just then, the Goldification ran out of duration and Lamia's restraints released her. Erzebet yelped in alarm and tried to capture her in spiderwebs again, but Simon raised his arm to stop her.
Bob, bob.
Lamia came drifting over like something floating on the open sea, then pressed herself flat against Simon's face. And then —
Smooch, smooch.
She began licking his cheek with her tongue. Before long she was nuzzling her face against his, showering him with affection. Every Ancient Undead watching wore a look of dumbfounded disbelief.
And on top of that —
Clang!
Thud!
The Dead Nagas threw down their weapons all at once and lowered their bodies, bowing before Simon as if in submission.
Simon took Lamia in both hands and looked at her straight on.
—Kkiyung?
Lamia tilted her head.
A bluish-green magic power emanated from her. A familiar jet-black flowed out of this unfamiliar undead.
Without a doubt, this was Simon's own jet-black.
"R-really, just like that...?"
Simon murmured, his strength utterly drained.
"Am I allowed to get her this easily?"
When he came back to his senses —
A new Ancient Undead was in Simon's hands.