Chapter 792: The Great Serpent, Ameris (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 792: The Great Serpent, Ameris (1)
Jin had originally planned to bring Valeria for a recorded investigation if the excavation uncovered anything special. However, the voice echoing from beneath the earth seemed to have no intention of giving him that luxury.
Creeeak, rumble…!
As the owner of the scales began to move, a violent vibration erupted, as if the entire pit were about to collapse. The ground itself writhed, seemingly a part of the creature’s own body.
Its size was so immense that it was impossible to estimate. Jin and Hedo leaped toward the surface, deflecting the cascade of falling debris with their swords.
“Jin, have you ever heard of a dragon that lives underground?”
“I haven’t. Don’t Earth Dragons and Soil Dragons usually live on the surface? I’m not even sure if that thing is a dragon.”
“It does feel a bit too large to be called a dragon.”
[I asked who it was that woke me!]
The voice followed them, shaking the heavens and the earth once more. Had they been ordinary warriors, the mere act of hearing that voice at such close range would have been enough to make them faint.
“It is Jin Runcandel.”
Having reached the surface, Jin replied in the calmest voice he could manage, infusing it with his energy. Although the creature had questioned them sharply, Jin was the one who had disturbed its deep slumber, so he felt it was only right to respond politely.
“Hedo of the Barmul Alliance. I have no surname.”
The scene on the surface was an utter disaster. While the two of them were responsible for tearing up the ground during the excavation, the swirling vortices of earth spreading in every direction were not their doing. These whirlpools, which were now sucking in all the debris, were a phenomenon caused by the movement of the scaled creature below.
The vortices were swallowing the surface at a terrifying speed. The ground had already caved in, and Jin and Hedo’s first priority was to check on Shuri’s location.
Fortunately, a green signal flare shone in the distant sky, indicating her safety. Jin and Hedo exchanged a glance and waited for the owner of the scales to reveal itself.
Swaaaaah!
Finally, its face and a portion of its neck emerged from the ground.
A dragon? No… it looks more like a snake.
The owner of the scales was a colossal black serpent. Its forked tongue flicked in and out, just like a common snake found in the wild.
The sight immediately brought a certain dragon to the minds of both Jin and Hedo.
Zephyrin. It resembles that Demon Dragon, though this one is incomparably larger.
As the serpent looked around, the whirlpools tearing the surface apart subsided. Jin felt a distinct Authority dwelling within its gaze.
[Jin Runcandel… Hedo… Names I have never heard before. And… you are human?]
The serpent licked its lips, as if finding them to be human was particularly intriguing.
[To think that humans dug through the earth to reach my domain! It seems the world has changed a great deal while I slept. Hehe, I suppose the potential of mortals truly is infinite.]
“First, I am deeply sorry for waking you. While excavating the earth to find the Gate of the Demon World, my sword happened to catch on what I presume was the crown of your head.”
[Oh. My, my. In that case, our meeting is not an auspicious one. My mind is not yet clear, as I have only just awakened, but I am a being sworn to protect the boundary of the world. Ameris—that is my name.]
Naturally, neither Jin nor Hedo had ever heard the name Ameris.
“Does that mean we must defeat you to go any deeper?”
[Well, since more of my heads might remain further down, that is a question I cannot answer with certainty. However, even without the heads, you cannot pass.]
“…More heads?”
[Hehe, since I have awakened, I wish to enjoy a fight. Even if you are human, you have come this far. You should provide sufficient entertainment.]
As Ameris finished speaking, the ground began to sink.
The entire area suddenly plummeted to the depth of the pit they had dug. Jin and Hedo took their stances as they fell back into the depths.
Looking up, the sky seemed impossibly high. In an instant, the underground space had been transformed into a massive arena.
The head of Ameris, which had cast a giant shadow just moments ago, had vanished as if it had never been there. Neither its head nor its torso was visible in the depths.
Instead, the two saw a woman standing in the center of the arena, holding a single sword. It was Ameris, now in a human form.
[Do not resent me if you die. Arrogance and ignorance carry a heavy price.]
“Do you have any intention of speaking further before we fight?”
[Unlike mortals, immortals are subject to destiny. That is the weight of immortality. And the destiny of this body is to block those who seek the Underworld. If you possess the strength to defy my destiny, perhaps then we can talk.]
“Well, if that’s how it must be, I have no choice.”
Ameris’s power was impossible to predict.
However, Jin did not feel like he would lose. The intuition he had honed by fighting countless transcendent beings and powerhouses told him so.
I must not kill her.
There was too much information he needed to get after subduing her. Though she blocked their path like a troublesome gatekeeper, Ameris was a treasure they had stumbled upon while digging. Therefore, he had to exclude the use of Eternal Fire for now.
Jin struck first.
The Runcandel 5th Secret Technique—a Light Speed Thrust imbued with the power of the Pluto Tribe—shot toward Ameris.
[…Is this not the power of the Pluto Tribe?]
Ameris parried the Light Speed Thrust without much difficulty and instantly closed the distance.
“You know of the Pluto Tribe?”
Clang!
As Jin and Ameris’s swords clashed, Hedo swung his Colossal Strength toward her back. Ameris rotated her body to evade the attack and positioned herself between the two men.
[Of course, I know them. They are the ones who killed several of my heads. I see now… you possess a Heart of Light.]
“That isn’t the kind of story I was hoping for.”
[There is no way you could know the Pluto Tribe of that era, so I shall not project my grudge onto you.]
Even after the fight began and she realized Jin was connected to the descendants of her enemies, Ameris showed no hostility.
Perhaps because of that attitude, Jin felt a strange sense of goodwill toward her. It felt as though he were engaged in a dignified duel with a true immortal.
For a while, the three swords clashed in silence.
Even though she wasn't using her full power, Ameris did not seem particularly pressured by the two men’s assault. Likewise, Jin and Hedo were also holding back.
All three were inwardly admiring one another’s swordsmanship.
But why does Ameris’s swordsmanship feel so familiar?
Hedo didn't seem to notice, but as the battle dragged on, Jin was overwhelmed by an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
“Ameris, how did you learn the sword?”
[I was taught.]
“By whom?”
Ameris did not answer, instead hammering fiercely at Jin’s sword. By now, her body was covered in minor wounds; she did not possess the super-regeneration common among transcendent beings.
In a sense, she fought like a human swordsman. Excluding the Authority she had shown when churning the earth with a mere glance, she was engaging them with pure swordsmanship alone.
It was an act of maintaining her dignity as an immortal.
She believed it would be beneath her to go all out while the mortals were still controlling their pace.
Above all, Ameris was using her insight during the battle to read their fundamental nature. She sought to understand why they were trying to find the Gate of the Demon World.
They do not seem to be mortals with rebellious or dangerous inner natures. Yet, it was no accident that they woke me. They clearly stated they were looking for the Gate of the Demon World.
For that reason, Ameris had no cause to use every means at her disposal to kill them.
In any case, it has been a truly long time since I enjoyed the pleasure of a sword fight. Mortals, especially humans… how can they reach such a realm with a lifespan of barely a hundred years? And Jin Runcandel is on the younger side, even for a human.
Crack!
[Ugh!]
Ameris spat out a mouthful of blood as she blocked Hedo’s sword, which had descended toward her forehead.
And the monstrous strength of this human named Hedo… this is surely an ability imbued with the lingering will of the Broken Sun. He must have possessed it since birth. Did he endure without falling into corruption? Or is it because it has not yet been fully released?
Ameris felt an even greater interest in the two.
The tide of battle had clearly tilted in Jin and Hedo’s favor. While Ameris had fought on equal terms at the start, the two-on-one dynamic was slowly pushing her to her limits.
Had it been one-on-one, she might have lasted three hours against Jin and five hours against Hedo. Of course, that too would have been different had she been in perfect condition.
[I admit defeat in this duel of swordsmanship. If we clash any further, this body will only become unsightly. It seems I was the arrogant and ignorant one, and now I pay the price.]
Ameris spoke as she widened the distance and sheathed her sword.
“It was a good match.”
[And from what I felt while we crossed blades, you possess the qualifications to defy my destiny.]
“Does that mean you’ll talk with us and guide us?”
[The former is a promise, but the latter can never happen. If you wish to continue toward the Gate of the Demon World, you must face me in earnest. Why are you seeking that place? Do not dare weave a fabricated tale. You cannot deceive me.]
Jin pondered for a moment. He wondered if it was truly alright to reveal information like the Altar of the Sun God to this giant serpent he had just met.
“Before I answer, I wish to hear one thing first. As a reward for winning the duel.”
[Hmm, as the loser, that is a request I have no choice but to grant. Ask.]
“Ameris, you said you are a being who protects the boundary of the world. If so, you must know what lies at the Gate of the Demon World, and what exists even deeper underground.”
[I do.]
“Then, were you sleeping here to prevent the resurrection of the Sun God?”
[I was.]
“Truly?”
[I said I was.]
“If you could just make an oath…”
[You persistent…! Fine! I swear it on my name, Ameris. Are you satisfied now? Your speech grows shorter by the second. The audacity of mortals knows no bounds!]
Jin grinned and extended a hand toward Ameris.
“In that case, I shall show more courtesy from now on. It seems Ameris-nim and we share the same goal.”