Thank you for all the subscriptions, comments, and coupons! Chapter 81
27. The Magical Beast and the Snake of Sanctuary 080 – The Magical Beast and the Snake of Sanctuary #2
━ Took you long enough! Was the problem too tough?
Leaf greeted me as I stumbled across the swaying bridge, waiting on the other side.
I shrugged it off, glancing towards the misty expanse where I couldn’t see a thing.
━ It’s just that the big ones take their time to deal with.
━ Hm?
Leaf made a curious noise, sounding like a mix between a cat and a purring engine.
I couldn’t help but think of the Sasquatch Sphinx I’d just fought.
‘The twins at the entrance, and those monkeys—too much spice! They were tasty when I was hungry, but now? No thanks, I’m stuffed!’
As much as I loved my veggies, I wasn’t too fond of flavors that hit harder than a freight train.
There’s a gene that decides if you can stomach cilantro, and apparently, it doesn’t mix well with the pizzas I’m cooking up in this magical beast body.
I wiped the congealed bl**d from my front claw and spat on the ground.
━ If it’s about solving problems, forget it. I’ll just muscle my way through whatever comes next.
━ You don’t need to do that anymore. We’re almost at the Sanctuary!
With those cheerful words, Leaf pushed aside the branches and brush that were blocking my view.
In front of me stood a colossal, gnarled tree, its thickness looking as if it could wipe out entire cities.
━ That’s supposedly the root of the World Tree.
━ Oh.
I expected something more like a thin stick poking up from the ground, but this magnificent sight left me gaping in awe.
The roots soared as high as a fancy apartment building.
The hollowed-out bits along the trunk resembled apartment windows, and now and then, a few monkeys peeked their heads out.
‘Talk about a condo for beasts!’
Having enjoyed nature documentaries, I was oddly fascinated by this bizarre animal community.
Grinning at the sight, I turned to Leaf.
━ So, where’s Judah?
━ Over there, chatting with the others.
Following Leaf’s finger, I spotted Judah standing at the root of the World Tree, shouting at other monkeys.
━ We will NOT be slaves to the Snake Witch, Kaah! No needless bloodshed here!
━ Coward!
━ Traitor!
Rocks and sticks sailed through the air toward Judah.
But the red-furred monkey, Judah, wouldn’t back down, growing even louder.
━ Are we just gonna sit here and d*e, you fools? Do you really think our kind can take down that ferocious Yan-Mite? You’d just be stuffing his belly!
━ We haven’t even fought yet!
━ You’re a cowardly peacenik!
━ Hiss!
Amid the ruckus of angry monkey calls, a scream pierced the air. A sinister wind began to blow, and the monkeys shut up.
━ Ssssss.
A sound like a plastic bubble filled with sand shook ominously in the air.
━ Ka, Kaah!
━ You think that witch heard him?
━ Let’s grab him before Judah keeps talking nonsense! Get him back in the rocks!
━ Let go, LET GO!
Judah wriggled his way out of the grasping paws of the monkeys.
At that moment, a loud thump echoed from high up in the roots.
━ Oh, foolish prince. How did you escape my magic?
It was a snake covered in red scales.
An enormous serpent, moving silently like a giant anaconda.
But instead of a serpent’s head, it had the upper body of a beautiful woman.
She had serpent-like eyes sharp enough to slice, and her long red hair flowed down to her waist.
━ Oh.
I couldn’t help but admire her bold and provocative figure.
The red scales seemed to be a makeshift outfit, precisely covering what needed to be covered, but not quite hiding those abundant curves.
A perfect harmony of a big bosom, tiny waist, and wide hips that nature should never allow to coexist.
Skulls of some unknown animal hung around her neck and on her head like a crown.
Additionally, jewels dangling from her ears and rings on her fingers were made from the bones of creatures I couldn’t identify.
‘This is getting shamanistic.’
While Eve, the Wildling Witch, exuded a vintage witchy or goddess vibe, Kaah presented an aura that screamed ancient sorcery and dark deities.
The Snake Witch Kaah slithered through the crowd of monkeys, approaching Judah.
Only moments before, the monkeys were raving mad, but now they were frozen like deer caught in the headlights, staring at the ground in fear.
━ Foolish prince, if you had stayed under that rock, you might have at least died peacefully. But here you are, hastening your own demise.
Ssssss, the chilling sound escaped as Kaah coiled her body, tightening around Judah.
The sound of bones and joints cracking echoed loud and clear in this sanctuary of the World Tree.
━ Ugh, Kaah!
While Judah looked like he was about to burst from the strain, Kaah smiled with a calm and oddly maternal air.
━ Sometimes, a snake in front of you is scarier than a dinosaur far away. Why did you come back here, knowing you fear war and d*ath?
━ To k*ll you, who are deceiving my father!
━ Hmph. Hee hee.
Kaah chuckled lightly, as if she’d heard a hilarious joke.
But soon, her face turned cold, devoid of laughter as she taunted Judah.
━ Look at you, so pathetically captured.
━ I’m not! It’s those guys!
━ Who?
Kaah’s sharp gaze finally landed on Leaf and me.
━ Hiss!
Just being glared at made Leaf freeze in fear, crumpling to the ground like a limp fish.
━ S-snake…!
I’d heard that small animals often freeze up in terror when confronted by snake-like predators, and it seemed Leaf was experiencing that at the moment.
I nudged the fallen Leaf with my foot.
━ Hey, get up. It’s not like she’s going to eat you!
Leaf groaned like he was having a seizure, barely coming to.
━ Heh heh, what cute little beasts. You think those tiny babies could k*ll me? This lovely Lamia, Ekidna Kaah?
━ Y-you won’t be laughing for long. Look at that white beast over there. Those thick furs and claws…
━ What about it?
━ That white beast is definitely a Ratel! Ugh, it’s spiky, but it’s clearly a Ratel’s characteristic.
━ That white beast is a Ratel? The one that was too stupid to control its rage and got killed off?
━ Not just any Ratel. A Ratel smart enough to solve the various problems in the Bewitching Forest. It’s the enemy of snakes, and no matter what you say, you can’t win!
Judah’s confident shout made Kaah’s brows furrow slightly.
Soon after, with a dull thud, Judah’s body rolled feebly on the ground.
━ Hey, you’re not dead, are you!? You can’t d*e until I collect my rewards!
I shouted at the crumpled Judah on the floor.
His fingers twitched slightly, so at least he wasn’t in the fatal zone.
━ Ratel, Ratel. I thought they were all dead at Yan-Mite’s hands two hundred years ago.
Kaah, suddenly slithering towards me, circled around in an inquisitive manner, like animals often do when they spot something new.
━ Are you really a Ratel?
━ What does that matter? You’re about to d*e, by the way. I heard you’re a horrible beast.
━ k*ll me? You featherweight baby beast… cough!
I smacked the serpent’s body hard, causing it to writhe in pain like a worm sprinkled with salt.
━ Cowardly! What is this!
Kaah, now keeping some distance, scrunched her beautiful face in a way I’d never thought was possible.
I felt chills run down my spine.
━ With that attitude, you must indeed be a Ratel! I will personally flay your skin and avenge all the snakes that have died thus far!
Kaah let out a sharp screech baring her fangs, lunging at me.
Using her long body like a spring, she launched herself at me like a rubber band fired at high speed.
I quickly leaped back to dodge her attack.
‘I’ve fought a giant snake before.’
As long as I avoided its body slams and the squeezing muscle, there was no way I could lose.
‘If Kaah is worse than that El-Gasa, I’m not at much risk.’
Keeping my distance from the snake, I lowered my stance, ready to pounce at any moment.
━ Karrrrrrr.
━ Hiss.
My growl seemed to make Kaah feel anxious; suddenly, she turned her head and began to flee.
━ What are you dummies doing? Chase that white thing out of my sanctuary! Use the power I entrusted you!
With Kaah’s sharp cry, the monkeys that had been silently watching the battle suddenly screeched, their calls filling the air.
They charged at me, wielding sticks and stones.
━ Strike Technique!
━ Wind Strike!
They shouted incomprehensible names of techniques, hammering away at my body.
Thanks to the thick fur coat I evolved into as a Ratel, it didn’t hurt at all, but this many of them? A nuisance, to say the least.
I swung my front claws and tail, battening the monkeys away as they piled up on the ground like a heap of unfortunate debris.
About the time their bodies had piled up messily, Judah finally mustered the strength to shout.
━ Everyone was just enchanted by Kaah’s spell! It doesn’t help to take these guys down!
━ I know that.
I glanced at the endless wave of monkeys pouring out from the holes in the roots like ant colonies.
‘Come on, Riff, you can handle a few more. I’m starting to get annoyed here!’
They weren’t exactly powerful, but getting hit over and over was starting to wear on my patience.
I lifted my gaze, tracking Kaah’s movements up the roots of the World Tree.
━ Take down Kaah! That will end the enchantment!
━ I’m already planning on it. Hey, Leaf, get up!
I jabbed my foot at Leaf, who was squirming beneath me.
━ Huh, h-has the snake gone? Is it over?
Finally coming to, he wiped the drool from his mouth and got to his feet.
I plucked two short thorns from my back and handed them to Leaf.
━ Use these to poke at her! Try not to d*e!
━ W-what’s going on? Hey, Whitey, where are you going?
I left behind a frantic Leaf as I dashed with all my might.
My gaze and pace were directed toward Kaah, who had climbed to the uppermost layer of the World Tree roots, the room that awaited me.
Driving my claws into the thick roots, I scurried up the tree like it was flat ground.
━ Exks, Kariba!
Monkeys bursting out of the root holes tried to block me, but I swung my tail and front claws to chase them off.
Finally, reaching the tippy top of the roots, I squeezed myself into a spacious hall.
The intertwined fine roots and vines on the floor looked like an expensive carpet.
Standing up high in the air like I was on the upper floors of a skyscraper, I felt a rush of exhilaration.
My eyes busily scanned for Kaah in the wide hall.
‘Oh, there she is.’
━ Hiss, worthless monkey brats! Can’t even buy me some time! I swear, you furry things…!
In the corner of the hall, Kaah was angrily shouting while stuffing various items into a beastly leather bag.
I shrugged my shoulders and approached her slowly.
━ You’re dealing with weaklings. You think they can fight an actual Yan-Mite?
━ They were just for stalling.
━ You have a secret weapon, huh?
━ Secret weapon… what a fancy phrase. Well then, your majesty, in our upcoming battle against Yan-Mite, I’ll need you to put in some effort for me.
The moment Kaah’s lips twisted into an unsettling grin, something burst from the floor, grabbing my ankle.
I frowned, staring at whatever was clinging tightly to my leg.
━ What are you now?
Something beneath the vine-covered floor was flashing its red eyes at me.
[Author’s Note] If you enjoyed reading, please hit the recommendation button at the top of the mobile screen! With just a 2-second click, you can make a writer’s day sunny!
