Chapter 41: Great White Serpent
...
"Grab the children and women first!" I ordered sharply as Yuishiro and Kuro leapt from the rooftops, landing heavily on the burning streets below.
The smell of smoke choked the air.
Screams echoed through the Emilia Kingdom while crimson flames devoured homes one after another beneath the moonlit sky.
I lifted my scythe upward, spinning it in slow circles as silver mana crackled around the blade. Above us, the calm night clouds began to twist violently. The Wind roared as
The heavens darkened.
"Aqua, goddess of water… heed my call…"
Blue magic circles spread beneath my feet.
"Lend me your power to save those who may soon fall…"
The rain scent thickened in the air.
"From the strength of mighty mountains… to the crushing currents of the endless seas…"
Lightning flashed.
"I summon a mighty storm to drown my enemies!"
[Calamity Shower!!!]
BOOOOM!!!
Heavy gray clouds swallowed the sky as torrential rain crashed down upon the kingdom. The raging flames hissed violently before slowly dying beneath the storm.
"It's them! The White Lotus!"
A member of the Crimson Cross pointed at us in horror.
"Kill them!" another shouted fiercely.
"I won't let you lay a finger on Lady Ultamia!"
A flash of silver emerged from the shadows.
SLASH!!
Alex appeared behind one of the attackers, calmly wiping blood from his blade as the man collapsed.
The others— or rather, the Petals— burst into battle.
Ryu.
Kuro.
Yuishiro.
Fang
Labara
Eliot.
Haru.
Kyokota.
Dayama.
Alex
All clad in white robes and porcelain masks, they moved through the battlefield like ghosts beneath the rain.
Amongst the chaos, streaks of green light flashed across the streets, cutting down enemies one after another with terrifying speed.
"Thanks for your assistance! Whoever you are!"
I blinked in surprise.
"Prince Mark?!"
Our eyes met briefly.
His widened in recognition before narrowing with determination.
"We'll talk later!" he shouted before rushing back into battle to defend his kingdom.
"Well, well, well… if it isn't the little dog that's been barking at us this whole time."
I leapt down from a rooftop, landing lightly on the soaked ground. Several familiar cloaked figures approached from the darkness.
Their scent alone irritated me.
"It's you," I said coldly. "I recognize your scent from Advend Valley. You're the ones who sent that giant spider after us, aren't you?"
"And yet you defeated it," one of them mused.
More like obtained a yandere. 😒
"Why are you protecting them?" another asked mockingly. "Power? Fame? Recognition?"
"Don't be stupid," I deadpanned. "I couldn't care less about cliché things like that."
"Then why interfere?"
"My reasons are none of your business."
"Ha! So you're pretending to be some kind of hero?"
"If that's how you want to see it." I shrugged lazily.
One of them stepped forward.
"We have a proposal for you."
"Which is?" I raised a brow.
"Join us. These fairies are extraordinary creatures… useful ones."
"No thanks."
"I see…" the figure chuckled darkly. "Then perhaps this will interest you instead."
The air suddenly grew still.
"What if we return your brother to you?"
My body froze.
…Sanemi.
For a split second, my chest tightened painfully.
I could see him again. Hear his voice again.
But…
"I decline," I answered flatly.
The cloaked figures sneered.
"Wrong answer."
They lunged.
CLANG!!
CLING!!
CLASH!!
The sound of blades colliding exploded through the battlefield.
"Evil shall not go unpunished!" Ryu declared dramatically as he intercepted one attacker with overly stylish swordsmanship.
Show off. 😑
Another cloaked figure suddenly dashed toward me.
I prepared to counter—
—but he ran past me instead.
Huh?
My eyes widened.
The wagon carrying the fairy children.
"Oh no you don't!"
I pointed my staff toward him.
"Shadow Bind—"
CHOMP!!!
Everything froze.
The cloaked figure disappeared instantly.
My eyes slowly lifted upward, widening in horror.
Piercing crimson eyes.
Massive silver fangs.
A gigantic scaled body stretching endlessly beneath the storm clouds.
What the hell?!
"Oh no…" Prince Mark paled. "It's time for the sacrifice."
"Oh Great White Serpent! Have you come to save us?!" Marcus cried excitedly.
Idiot, that thing looks hungry. 😑
The serpent dove downward, smashing its massive tail across the battlefield and grabbing several cultists.
CHOMP!!
The fairies cheered in relief. the serpent struck again.
This time—
—it swallowed a fairy whole.
The cheering stopped instantly.
Screams erupted across the kingdom.
Panic spread like wildfire as people scattered in every direction, desperately trying not to get eaten.
"Where's Queen Anna?!" I shouted.
"Oh Great White Serpent, why are you doing this?!" Prince Mark cried out.
The serpent smacked him aside like an insect.
"PRINCE MARK!" Marcus yelled.
I dashed forward and plunged my blade into the serpent's scales.
SCREEEEECH!!!
The creature recoiled in pain, glaring at me furiously while Kyokota quickly carried the prince away.
"You think you can defeat me?" the serpent hissed.
…it can talk?! 😧
The serpent cackled loudly. Dark purple haze swirled around its jaws before launching toward me.
"These are the souls I've devoured over the years," it sneered. "And yours shall be next!"
Countless distorted spirits rushed toward me screaming.
I raised my weapon to block—
—but suddenly—
WHAM!!!
Its tail smashed into me violently. I crashed through several thick trees before hitting the ground hard.
Pain exploded through my body.
Before I could even breathe—
CRUNCH!!
Its massive fangs pierced directly into my abdomen.
"…ghk—!"
Blood spilled from my lips.
"SHIORI-SAMA!!!"
The Petals cried out in horror.
"Don't… mind me…" I muttered weakly.
"Protect… the children…"
Their faces twisted painfully.
But they obeyed.
Because that's what loyal followers did.
{⚠ Warning: You have been poisoned ⚠}
Purple veins slowly spread from the wounds.
My vision blurred.
…I can't lose.
…I still have things to do.
…I still need answers.
Darkness slowly swallowed me whole.
Then—
—the world suddenly turned gray.
My eyes snapped open.
…Huh?
Strange.
Compared to Kuro's poison, this barely felt lethal.
Painful? Absolutely.
But fatal?
Not even close.
…I underestimated my opponent again.
That was my mistake.
"In that case…" I muttered quietly while rising to my feet. "No more holding back."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Even the serpent flinched.
Fear entered its crimson eyes.
It leapt backward before firing another wave of souls toward me.
"Darkness deeper than black…"
Black mana erupted violently around my body.
"Confined within me… heed my command."
The darkness consumed everything around me.
The screaming souls were swallowed whole, their purple glow slowly shifting into brilliant violet.
The serpent stared in horror.
"T-This cannot be—!"
"I think this belongs to you," I said coldly.
I raised my hand.
BOOOOOM!!!
The spell reversed instantly, hurtling back toward the serpent itself.
"NO—! DON'T CONSUME ME!" it screamed desperately.
"I only wanted to eat… and evolve… just once…"
The explosion shook the battlefield.
When the smoke cleared, the Great White Serpent lay collapsed on the ground.
Defeated.
"Don't worry," I said while staring down at its weakened form. "I'm not going to kill you."
The serpent blinked in disbelief.
[Ryu. Kuro. Interrogate this reptile later.]
[Understood, Shiori-sama.]
I teleported the serpent away.
The crowd erupted instantly.
"So amazing!"
"Who is she?!"
"Please remove your mask!"
People crowded around me in awe.
…Too noisy.
Suddenly my vision spun.
Ah.
Right.
Poison.
Everything faded to black.
...…
I slowly opened my eyes. Kuro was staring directly at me.
"…You're awake!" the others cried in relief.
I sat up sleepily.
"Where am I?"
"We're still in the Fairy Kingdom," Yuishiro explained.
"Shiori-dono!"
Marcus and Prince Mark suddenly bowed deeply with tears in their eyes.
"We didn't realize you risked your life for us! Please punish us however you see fit!"
…Why do people always jump to punishment? 😑
Queen Anna entered shortly after, smiling warmly..
"You have my deepest gratitude, Lady Shiori. Thank you for saving our kingdom."
Heat rushed to my cheeks.
Too much attention.
Embarrassing.
"N-No problem," I mumbled shyly.
•••••••••••••••••••
Warm water rippled gently around me as I relaxed in the stream later that evening.
Using fire magic, I'd heated the water slightly.
Not bad.
I grabbed the soap Haru recently made and lazily washed my hair.
Nearby in the bushes—
Kuro and Kyokota were spying.
"Let's go, you pervert," Kyokota hissed.
"Then why are you here?" Kuro shot back.
"To drag you away, obviously!"
"What are you two doing?"
The two froze instantly.
Yuishiro stood behind them smiling dangerously.
Shiro's POV
My fox ears twitched as I watched Yuishiro dragging Kuro and Kyokota away by their collars.
…What the heck? 😑
After my bath, we met Queen Anna for breakfast.
Before we left, she handed me a rare botanical grimoire filled with information about magical plants.
Books. My weakness.
I thanked her immediately before we finally departed from the Emilia Kingdom.
...…
Now then.
The main issue.
I sat lazily upon my throne while the giant serpent remained restrained before us.
The Petals stood protectively beside me, weapons ready.
"Now," I began calmly, "why exactly did you go berserk in Emilia? Weren't you supposed to protect them?"
The serpent looked away awkwardly.
"…I was hungry."
Seriously? 😑
"…How were you able to defeat me so easily?" it suddenly asked.
"Oh," I replied casually, "I just used dark magic to consume your mana."
The serpent's jaw dropped.
"That's it?! Impossible!"
The Petals immediately aimed their weapons threateningly.
"We won't tolerate disrespect toward our master," Ryu warned coldly.
"Don't underestimate Shiori-sama just because you lost," Kuro added while reaching for his sword.
"Enough."
Everyone immediately lowered their weapons.
"As I said," I continued calmly, "I simply used dark magic."
"To think I lost to a mortal…" the serpent muttered bitterly.
"So what will you do now?" I asked..
"Well… Emilia no longer needs me. The dragon restored the barrier…" it sighed sadly
. "I suppose I'll search for another home."
"Then why not form a contract with our master?" Ryu suggested.
The serpent blinked.
"…Really?"
I tilted my head slightly
"You could help me gather books. I want to learn more magic."
The serpent stared silently.
"…You would truly have a use for a creature like me?"
"Why not?" I grinned. "The more the merrier."
After a long pause—
the serpent lowered its head respectfully.
"…Very well. I accept."
"Okay then," I smiled. "Let's begin."
[One contract ritual later…]
I watched curiously as light engulfed the serpent.
…I wonder what form it'll take.
A boy?
A girl?
The light slowly faded. Standing before me was an unbelievably beautiful man with long ivory hair flowing down his back and striking golden eyes that could make noblewomen faint on sight.
The room fell silent.
Then I smiled.
"Welcome to the team…"
The man bowed gracefully.
"My name is Shinso."
"