Chapter 125: The Strange Creature and the Serpent Beast

One never truly knows until one tries—and upon trying, one is shocked to discover just how many serpentfolk have hidden within Nather.

The warriors carried buckets of diluted, inferior "Realgar Water," going door to door. Whenever they encountered a person, regardless of acquaintance, they would splash the liquid in their face without hesitation.

Surprisingly, the realgar's snake-repelling effect was quite effective. The serpentfolk, not daring to drink it, would instinctively react with stress simply upon nearing the substance. A little more of the realgar water poured over them would immediately give them away.

This was no game with health bars; the vital points of pureblood serpentfolk were similar to humans’, and their talents were focused on disguise. Even with the prowess of professional warriors, they could not withstand being outnumbered.

Each squad was led by a mid-level professional warrior. Upon spotting a suspicious figure, the leader would draw his sword and pierce them, creating an opening. Then, the soldiers would swarm in, hacking the creature to death on the spot in a scene of brutal carnage.

Within less than a day, over thirty serpentfolk were slain, and seven or eight captured alive—most uncovered through purges conducted by various administrative departments. Even the noble houses had serprentfolk hidden among their servants.

This count did not include those who caught wind of the operation early and escaped as smaller serpents!

For a time, a shadow of dread enveloped the entire city of Seventon.

The legion assembled, and Hussein swiftly issued commands.

“Notify all high-ranking professionals to stand by, ready to provide support at a moment’s notice,” he commanded loudly.

“Attention to all squads: among the serpentfolk lurk corrupted entities. Upon encountering high-level serpentfolk, sound the alarm immediately. Adopt defensive countermeasures, and hold the enemy as long as possible while awaiting reinforcements!”

“Yes, sir!”

The clamor was deafening, and even Born, a rookie, could sense the murderous resolve radiating from the legion’s morale.

A cruel smile flickered across Hussein’s face as he raised his hand. “Commence operation!”

Ha!

The soldiers dispersed swiftly and took their positions. As the sky magic signal flickered, they began pouring the realgar water uniformly into the sewers below. Though the realgar liquor was pungent and irritating, the diluted mixture’s odor was tolerable.

The once bustling Seventon now lay under an eerie, unnatural silence.

The gurgling sound was distinct.

A bead of sweat trickled down a soldier’s forehead as an entire barrel of realgar water was poured out.

“Hurry! Next barrel!”

A soldier shouted, and another barrel was hoisted aloft.

“They’re coming!”

By the time the fourth barrel was being poured, several high-level warriors with keen senses felt faint tremors beneath the ground.

“Prepare for battle!”

A warrior clad in chainmail barked.

The tremors intensified rapidly, and all could feel the earth trembling beneath their feet.

“Clear the way! Incoming!”

The warrior shouted, leaping forward with sword raised.

At his shout, the ground seemed to bulge upward as something struck from below. His greatsword plunged into the earth, and instantly, a torrent of fresh blood seeped from beneath.

A hiss and roar echoed...

“Clear the way! Move quickly!”

The warrior bellowed.

With the monster’s roar, the earth cracked like shattered stone slabs, and enormous heads emerged one after another.

The warrior’s sword was embedded in one such head, which writhed and howled in pain. It was a grotesque skull adorned with dagger-like teeth and exuded a foul stench.

Other serpentine heads surfaced, ravenously devouring nearby trees and bushes.

A warrior too close was clamped by one creature’s jaws and swallowed whole, blood spurting from the monster’s mouth.

Witnessing their comrade’s gruesome death, the troops launched a counterattack, aiming for the monsters’ heads before they fully emerged. But the creatures ignored attacks around them, focusing only on slow or stationary targets—such as corpses or vegetation.

A slick, oily mucus coated the monsters, absorbing most blows with little effect. As the creatures crawled upward, the soldiers realized they faced a six-headed aberration resembling a serpent.

“Damn it! It’s a carrion multi-headed serpent-lizard!”

A mid-level warrior recognized the beast and shouted, “Everyone, fall back! Send out a distress signal! Now!”

The carrion multi-headed serpent-lizard was a hybrid of a carnivorous multi-headed serpent-lizard and a carrion beast.

Carrion beasts were said to consume anything, serving as the otherworldly equivalent of a gluttonous fiend.

This serpent-lizard bore six snake-like heads, each an abyssal maw with dagger-like fangs capable of crushing nearly everything. Its insatiable hunger and sickening stench meant no other species could coexist with it. It was unthinkable that such a creature mingled with the serpentfolk.

Weighing at least six thousand pounds, its stomach could digest any organic matter—trees, bushes, and any living being, humans included.

Two tentacles reminiscent of carrion beasts extended from its body, capable of seizing moving prey and feeding them into its six enormous mouths. Once caught, nothing could escape—be it tree or shrub.

The nearby soldiers carefully avoided the tentacle’s sweep. Some tossed various vials into the serpent-lizard’s mouth, but to no avail.

Similar scenes unfolded throughout Seventon.

Giant serpents, serpent monsters, and powerful corrupted serpentfolk erupted from the underground, turning Seventon into a bloody battlefield. Nearby, people watched the carnage with unsettled expressions, surprised to find so many aberrations lurking beneath their city.

Born glanced toward Hussein, who stared coldly at the battle without a flicker of emotion. Even with heavy casualties at the outset, not a trace of doubt marred his demeanor.

Yet as the legion endured the first wave and adapted to the monsters’ attack patterns, their long training and coordination soon turned the tide. Born’s eyes sparkled with admiration.

Several highly trained warriors coordinated flawlessly, managing to suppress corrupted serpentfolk with professional-level abilities. This was the famed fighting force of Nather’s First Legion!

As high-level professionals rapidly joined the fray, the situation reversed dramatically. Only a few large aberrations remained.

Besides the carrion multi-headed serpent-lizard stood undead creatures—the bone serpents.

As the name implied, bone serpents resembled skeletal snakes, with skulls adorned with burning eyes at both head and tail.

Their bodies were propelled forward by a series of connected ribs, and they wielded two pairs of clawed bony arms for attack.

Most surprising to Born was the presence of spectral nagas among the aberrations.

(These nagas were unlike the alluring serpent-women of World of Warcraft.)

The spectral nagas resembled serpentfolk, with slender, ghostly shimmering scales covering serpentine bodies and somewhat humanoid faces.

Most importantly, spectral nagas were chaotic evil beings.

Pure chaotic evil creatures rarely appeared in the prime material plane; such beings generally manifested only in one place:

The Infinite Abyss!

Born sensed that these spectral nagas were not summoned entities but native creatures developed within the prime material plane itself.

Carrion multi-headed serpent-lizards, undead bone serpents, spectral nagas, and countless giant serpents—how could so many species infiltrate Seventon?

The city had become a cesspit. Even small serpentfolk slipping in was one thing, but such formidable beasts—obviously for more than a day or two—meant the court mages charged with defense had grossly failed.

This was a serious matter. A very serious matter indeed!

While purging the aberrations was the court mages' responsibility, their grim expressions betrayed their displeasure.

“Damn resilient creatures,” Born muttered.

The daily food intake for these aberrations was enormous. Born couldn’t help but marvel at the mastermind behind this plot—clearly a grand design, unexpectedly uncovered prematurely by Born himself.

Though powerful, the aberrations were no match once the prepared forces combined spellcasters, warriors, and a host of high-level professionals. Before long, all were wiped out.

Though over two hundred soldiers fell and some unfortunate souls were caught in the crossfire, the outcome was remarkably favorable.

Had these monsters struck without warning, how many would have perished?

Though the army, city guards, and court mages cooperated to eliminate the threat, everyone knew who deserved the greatest credit.

Many gazes turned green with envy at Born, who felt helpless—he had no idea so many things were unfolding, yet now he was thrust into the spotlight.

The mastermind behind this operation was evidently powerful, capable of smuggling such a variety of aberrations into the city. Regardless of rank, their strength surely rivaled Hussein’s—or at least was no lesser. Being targeted was an unpleasant feeling.

“Count, there is a tunnel beneath leading outside the city, with many serpentfolk tracks along the way!”

A scout reported.

“Hmph, they really fled,” Hussein snorted coldly.

Indeed, during the purge it became apparent something was amiss. Except for some corrupted serpentfolk, most serpentfolk never surfaced. It seemed some had escaped.

“Ah... not only resilient but adaptable too. Villains these days are clever—makes life truly difficult!”

Born sighed, his face heavy with regret.

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