Chapter 98
Fwoooosh!
In an instant, a flaming sword shot upward.
The blazing blade stretched so high that it seemed to pierce the night sky. It looked like a straight, growing sun.
If the sword had been made of solid steel, it would have been more fitting to say it was “built” rather than “forged.”
That was how massive it was—almost like a structure.
But this huge flame had no weight at all.
Ludwig felt the fiery blade was lighter than a feather.
“Graaaah!”
The Serpent sensed the flow of mana and thrashed wildly. The instinct of a wild beast screamed at it.
But there was no escape.
The boiling sea was no refuge. Richmond and Ulken blocked every retreat path with persistence.
Ariella shouted.
“Now!”
Answering her cry, Ludwig swung the sword.
Light ripped through the air.
At first, it came down as a straight slash, but soon it spread in every direction.
The texture of the flames tore apart as they pressed down on the Serpent.
“Kyaaaaah!”
The monstrous heat melted its scales.
The condensed flames burned flesh and shattered bone.
The Serpent writhed in pain, screaming in agony.
But Ludwig did not stop.
He struck again and again, relentless.
Each blow forced the Serpent into spasms of rage and despair.
Crash!
Ludwig seized the moment the beast faltered, closing the distance. His sharp eyes gleamed.
He gathered his strength and delivered one last strike.
Swoosh!
The Serpent’s head was severed from its body.
“……!”
For a moment, time itself seemed to freeze.
Then, the beast’s cloudy eyes rolled lifelessly as the head dropped under gravity’s pull.
Moments later, the rest of its massive body collapsed.
Boom!
The ground shook violently.
Broken scales scattered everywhere like white foam.
The Serpent’s remains lay sprawled out, grotesque and alien, like wreckage dragged up from the depths of the sea.
Is it over? Truly?
It didn’t feel real yet.
Caution remained necessary.
Ariella studied the fallen body carefully.
It was a pitiful sight.
Smoke still rose hotly from the wounds where flesh had split apart.
The traces of her companions’ accumulated attacks were carved deep into its body.
But Ariella did not loosen her vigilance. She focused not only on the form she could see but also on what was within.
And then she felt it.
The mana that had once flowed through the Serpent’s whole body… had stopped circulating and was sinking into one point.
Her eyes widened. She quickly turned her head.
Her gaze met Ludwig’s.
No words were needed. Just the look on her face was enough for Ludwig to understand.
Whoosh!
He withdrew the flames.
“It’s over.”
Ulken circled around the fallen body.
“Sniff, sniff!”
He sniffed and listened carefully.
A moment later, the lycanthrope’s sharp senses reached the same conclusion.
Ulken roared with joy.
“The beast is dead! We finally killed it! Hahahaha!”
Only then did Richmond relax, scattering the mana in his hands.
He tapped his loose joints back into place.
“At this age, I couldn’t have done that twice. Ah, my bones…”
From the sky came the beating of wings.
Cutting through the darkness, Pi swooped down.
“Ariella!”
Her eyes were shining with joy and relief.
“Did we win? Really?”
Ariella smiled faintly and nodded.
Landing, Pi wagged her tail fiercely as she ran over.
Ariella spread her arms and hugged the hatchling tightly.
Victory’s joy spread cool and clear through the sea breeze.
“Of all the monsters I’ve faced, that was the most dreadful one.”
After catching their breath, the group prepared to return to the Demon King’s Domain.
Ariella nodded in agreement.
“It had already been Demon-King-class hundreds of years ago. Since then, it only grew stronger.”
“We should finish this properly.”
At Ludwig’s snap of fingers, flames burst forth.
Seeing that, Ariella flinched in alarm.
“What are you doing?”
“Burning it. I don’t want to look at this ugly thing any longer.”
The fire stretched toward the corpse.
“Wait!”
Ariella hurriedly stopped him, and Ludwig reluctantly extinguished the flames.
“Why?”
Richmond answered before Ariella could.
“You must not simply burn it. This is valuable research material!”
“You want to study this disgusting thing?”
“Of course. Didn’t you hear your contractor? Even normal Demon-King-class monsters are rare, and this one was beyond that level! With its bones, teeth, flesh, hide, and scales, the possibilities are endless!”
Ludwig hesitated.
“So… it could be useful for managing the domain?”
“Without a doubt!”
Finally convinced, Ludwig lowered his hand.
“Then we take everything. Not a single scale left behind.”
“Now you make sense!”
Ariella joined in.
She was already examining the corpse. She pried open its jaws to check its teeth.
“Because of the weight and bulk, we’ll have to make several trips. Let’s start with the most important part.”
“The most important part? The head?”
“No.”
Ariella raised her arm high and pointed to the Serpent’s chest.
“I can still feel mana there.”
“Ohh! Could it be?”
Richmond reacted first, while Ludwig tilted his head in confusion.
Ariella explained.
“Normally, when a creature dies, its mana disperses. But when you cut off its head earlier, something different happened.”
“How so?”
“The Serpent’s mana condensed into one spot and sank down. That means something is there!”
Her voice was filled with excitement.
Following her direction, Ludwig drew his sword again.
He cut deep into the Serpent’s chest.
Everyone’s eyes fixed on the spot.
“There’s something hard here.”
He shoved both hands inside and pulled something out.
“What the—why is this so big?”
Grunting, he dragged it free. It was a crystal as large as Ariella herself.
“My goodness!”
Ariella’s jaw dropped.
Ludwig studied the blue surface of the crystal carefully.
Then, a beat later, realization dawned.
“Wait, don’t tell me this is…?”
Nod, nod!
Clatter, clatter!
Ariella and Richmond both nodded passionately.
Ulken too shouted in disbelief.
“You mean this giant chunk is all magic stone?!”
There was good reason for everyone’s shock.
Magic stones of this size are almost never recorded, even in the Demon Realm!
Ariella’s heart leapt with joy.
Magic stones were minerals infused with mana, formed naturally in rare environments.
When found in monsters, they were even rarer—and known for their excellent mana conductivity.
The quality is guaranteed.
And the size was overwhelming.
Magic stones didn’t just double in value when they doubled in size. Properly processed, their effectiveness could multiply many times over.
Richmond couldn’t stop marveling.
“Truly astonishing! This must never be broken into pieces.”
“Exactly! If we can create something that uses it whole at this size…”
Ariella’s heart raced with excitement.
“Wait.”
Ludwig stared into the hollow where the stone had been.
“There’s… something else inside.”
“……?”
“……?”
Even Ariella hadn’t expected this.
They had already found the greatest treasure. What more could there be?
Ludwig pushed his sword into the cavity where the crystal had been.
“Hm?”
After a moment of concentration, he sliced through thick tissue.
Slash!
A large lump tumbled out.
“Gaaah!”
Ulken howled like a dog whose tail had been stepped on.
“Ughhh! That stench! What in the world is this smell?!”
A terrible stench burst forth.
So strong, so heavy, it felt like the smell itself had weight.
Ulken, with the sharpest nose, was the first to run, clutching his snout.
“Uweeek!”
Even Ludwig, who had pulled it out, was already vomiting.
“Ugh… this is unbearable.”
Though a skeleton, Richmond’s senses were still intact, and he immediately cast a flight spell to distance himself.
“Ariella, it’s awful! My nose feels like it’s rotting!”
Pi flapped her wings beside Ariella, creating gusts of wind to push the stench away.
But Ariella’s reaction was completely different. Her eyes shone wide, filled with shock and delight at once.
Her face looked as though she had just discovered a hidden treasure.
Could it be…?!
