Upon Oleg’s hasty return to the bounty hunters’ positions, he was astonished to find that they had nearly eradicated the two to three hundred rat demons!
“Fighters! Don’t let the small ones escape!”
“Heavy-armored soldiers! Continue releasing taunt skills in sequence!”
“Mages, cease fire and rest! Warriors, advance and crush the restrained enemies!”
“…”
Oleg noticed Banning, who was riding back and forth between the divided battlefields, issuing commands with unwavering decisiveness. It became clear to him that this young man was responsible for quickly gaining control of the situation.
—(Viviana, you truly brought me a savior!)
However, Oleg knew it was not yet time to celebrate. He had to get everyone out of there immediately.
Otherwise, once the Poison Blade Rat King appeared, no one would survive its deadly grasp.
“Everyone, listen to me! We must withdraw at once!”
Oleg shouted, immediately drawing the attention of the bounty hunters.
“Lord Banning, I leave the organization of the retreat to you! I’ll cover the rear!”
As he spoke, Oleg targeted a gathering of rat demons and swung his sword without hesitation, unleashing the skill “Blaze Steed” of the sword.
As the magic sword was swung, a blaze in the air transformed into a fiery stallion, which charged into the midst of the rat demons with a neigh.
The rats struck by the flame stallion were instantly incinerated by the high temperature, while those farther away couldn’t escape their fiery fate.
Oleg was initially reluctant to use the magic sword’s skill because it was said to hasten the user’s fate of backlash. However, he had no time for such concerns now, as he needed to ensure everyone’s swift withdrawal.
Yet, strangely, the bounty hunters seemed not to understand his words. Instead of retreating, they all stared at him in terror.
“What are you waiting for? If we don’t run now, the ‘Rat King’ will arrive!” 𝐎𝑽ℯ𝒍xt.𝔠𝑂𝗆
Oleg hadn’t wanted to utter that phrase, fearing it would incite panic and chaos. However, it seemed necessary now in order to emphasize the urgency.
As expected, his words stirred up the crowd, but still, no one moved to retreat. As Oleg stood in confusion, everyone shouted for him to look behind himself.
—(Behind me?)
Oleg glanced back and immediately understood the strange reactions. An ash serpent had appeared without notice, its upper body raised high as it slithered quickly toward him.
—(Splurt…is that you?!)
.
Gazing upon the colossal serpent, estimated to be twenty to thirty meters in length, Oleg deemed its danger level to be on par with the Poison Blade Rat King, or at least, it would not be inferior in terms of individual strength.
Furthermore, the demon’s crawling speed was remarkably swift, and it wouldn’t take long for it to catch up with the bounty hunters who were not on horseback.
If no one could stop the serpent, the retreat would prove futile.
“Branch Chief, I’ll lure it away while you lead everyone to safety,” Banning proposed, riding up to Oleg at this critical moment. Oleg was deeply moved by his offer, but he couldn’t possibly accept.
“Thank you for your kindness, but this is my personal vendetta, and I cannot let a young man with a future like you take my place.”
Oleg waved his hand in gratitude, then leapt onto a large rock and issued his final command to everyone.
“Listen up!”
“This is an order from the Branch Chief!”
“Everyone, retreat immediately!”
“I’ll handle the rest!”
It had been a long time since Oleg had uttered such bold and confident words, and in this moment, his passion surged.
Perhaps moved by Oleg’s resolve, Banning took the initiative to lead the group’s withdrawal. Once the vanguard started to retreat, the remaining members would naturally follow suit.
In fact, the bounty hunters were not disobeying Oleg’s command. On the contrary, they were all hesitant to leave the aging branch chief, wishing to stand by him in life and death.
Now, as he witnessed the bounty hunters beginning their retreat, Oleg’s determination to fight only grew stronger.
“So be it. Let me witness your true power, Secret Saber: Blaze Steed!”
.
Oleg brandished his magic blade, slaying the carrion rats with ease.
Even without employing his skills, the sword’s power was formidable.
Behind him, several mounted mages and archers provided ranged support.
Banning had mustered all available horses for the ranged bounty hunters, ensuring their swift retreat and alleviating Oleg’s burden.
As the Crimson Serpent King approached, the rats were nearly vanquished, and the bounty hunters had retreated to a safe distance.
What remained was a one-on-one duel between Oleg and Splurt.
“Splurt, I never thought you would degenerate so low!”
Oleg saw Splurt’s human face embedded on the brow of the Crimson Serpent King, signifying their fusion into a single entity.
“Hisss… Degeneration? I prefer to call it evolution. Can you not see the power in my new form? Hssahaha!”
Splurt’s voice emanated from the serpent’s maw, not through vocal cords, but as synthesized sound produced by magic energy.
“Ha, I don’t see how you’re any more powerful. You’ve lost your hands—what use do you have for the Blaze Steed?”
“Hisss… Ignorance is truly frightening, Oleg. I’ll have you know this isn’t the first time I’ve become the Crimson Serpent King. Hisss… Do you understand what that means?”
Oleg fell silent, realizing that during their decades apart, Splurt had grown into an unfamiliar realm.
Regardless of whether Splurt could revert to human form, Oleg’s determination to vanquish him remained unwavering.
“Ignorance or not, you will perish by the very blade you covet: the Secret Saber: Blaze Steed!”
Oleg channeled magic energy into the sword, swiftly striking the Crimson Serpent King with a blazing steed attack.
The flames engulfed the serpent’s body.
However, the fire quickly extinguished itself, leaving the serpent unscathed, save for wisps of steam.
—(How…?!)
—(What’s special with this Crimson Serpent?)
Oleg immediately altered his strategy, leaping onto the immense body of the Crimson Serpent King. He intended to first create a gash on the serpent’s body, then utilize the flames to invade and inflict internal damage.
However, the Crimson Serpent King afforded him no such opportunity.
Amidst the frenzied thrashing of the serpent, Oleg was rapidly flung away, barely managing to land a few blows during the dynamic assault.
The heated edge of his sword successfully penetrated the impenetrable crimson scales, but Oleg’s strikes lacked force and were too shallow to pose a threat to the serpent.
Inopportunely, at that moment, the distant cacophony of countless rats squeaking emerged. The Poison Blade Rat King, accompanied by its minions, had arrived!
—(Darn it, our retreat was too late!)
Oleg cast a glance in the direction of the advancing rat population, inadvertently exposing a vulnerability.
Seizing the opportunity, Splurt ensnared Oleg with the serpent’s immense coils in the blink of an eye.
“Hss… At long last, I’ve captured you, Oleg!”
The scales on the Crimson Serpent King’s body suddenly illuminated, releasing copious amounts of venomous fluid from the gaps between the scales, submerging Oleg in an instant…!