Chapter 103: Flaming Giant Snake
Although the plans Duane had settled on were projects that would take a year or two—perhaps even longer—to complete, that didn’t mean their start date could be postponed.
Without a quick start, seeing any results in a year or two would be impossible.
So he specifically instructed Owington to relay the order to Julian and the others to finalize the plans and push forward with the work as quickly as possible.
He also requested that all the skilled craftsmen in town be requisitioned, which would, in turn, create jobs and increase their income.
The discussion lasted for over half an hour. Afterward, the group prepared to set off and return to Broken Wave Bay.
Edwin finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been terrified the Baron would suggest they stay for a meal; if that had happened, he would have had no idea what to serve.
But as fate would have it, the group had only taken a couple of steps when the sound of frantic footsteps echoed from the woods.
Everyone turned to look. The newcomer was none other than Iron Hammer, one of the surrendered members of the Broken Wave Gang. He was the same Middle Level Warrior who had achieved his breakthrough during his earlier fight against Duane.
Gaius frowned. "What’s with all the panic?"
Iron Hammer was panting heavily, clearly on edge. He hesitated, unsure whether he should speak.
"Go on, Iron Hammer," Duane said. "Did you encounter a Demon Beast?"
"Y-yes, Baron!"
Iron Hammer finally answered, "We found two Blazing Giant Snakes, each nearly ten meters long, in the northern woods! Hardy and the others are holding them off, and they sent me to find Captain Gaius for reinforcements as fast as possible!"
Blazing Giant Snakes were a relatively common type of Demon Beast in the Hot Spring Mountain Range, with most reaching lengths of five to six meters.
These two ten-meter behemoths were likely a bit stronger, but they probably didn’t exceed the scope of Level 2.
Still, Demon Beasts relied on their innate talents, making them generally comparable to Mid-Late Stage Middle Level Warriors and not easy to handle.
Gaius said hurriedly, "Baron, the situation is urgent. I’ll go reinforce them now to prevent casualties."
"Let’s go together!"
Duane hadn’t seen a proper Demon Beast yet on this trip to the Hot Spring Mountain Range, and now was the perfect opportunity.
"This..."
Gaius didn’t want the Baron to come along. It wasn’t because he had any secrets; he simply felt the Baron should be living a life of comfort. Why should he suffer through trekking in the mountain forest?
But he didn’t dare protest further. "Well... Iron Hammer, lead the way! Hurry!"
"Right!"
Iron Hammer immediately took off into the woods, with Gaius close behind.
"Everyone, keep up!"
Duane shouted, taking the lead to follow them.
A Middle Level Warrior’s running speed was quite fast. Even in the mountain forest, Duane could nimbly weave around obstacles.
Though Iron Hammer was running at his top speed, he realized the Baron’s footsteps were already right behind him.
The pressure made him grit his teeth. Fighting Qi surged through his legs, and he pushed his speed up another notch.
"Is it that urgent?"
Duane thought Iron Hammer hadn’t told him the whole truth and subconsciously assumed the situation was more dangerous than described, which was why he was now using Fighting Qi.
To prevent anything from going wrong, he also circulated his Fighting Qi, and his speed exploded. "Iron Hammer, just point us in the right direction. We’ll go on ahead."
"Uh..."
’Was this little secret race with the Baron over before it even started?’
"Um... You’ll see them once you’re over that small hill up ahead!"
Duane called out, "We’re going on ahead."
Kaelon and Simone immediately sped up to keep pace. Gaius, however, lagged a beat behind. "You brat," he said to Iron Hammer. "Were you actually trying to race the Baron?"
He had overseen Iron Hammer’s training for some time, so he had a good read on the man’s thoughts.
Iron Hammer sounded helpless. "No... I was just afraid the Baron would think I was too slow."
Gaius chuckled to himself. "The Baron’s progress has been astonishing. Even if you’d used a burst of Fighting Qi, you couldn’t have shaken him."
He said no more and hurried to catch up.
’Watching the Baron’s speed from behind,’ Gaius thought, ’He’s probably already at the level of a Mid-Late Stage Warrior.’
’Just over three months ago, the Baron was only a particularly strong Basic-level Warrior. How could he have reached the Mid-Late Stage so quickly?’
’As expected of a Celestial Tier Warrior’s descendant. His strength really does increase at an incredible rate!’
Soon, Duane crested the hill and saw a chaotic battle unfolding in the valley below.
Several Guards lay fallen at the base of some trees, apparently injured.
And in the center of the clearing, Kubatu and Hardy were each locked in combat with one of the giant snakes.
The giant snake’s tail was like a steel whip, felling a swath of surrounding trees with each crash.
Even the Fighting Qi Slashes from Hardy and the others only managed to chip off a few of the giant snake’s scales; they had no hope of actually cutting it.
Simone explained, "A Flaming Giant Snake’s defense is top-tier among Level 2 Demon Beasts. Even though Hardy and Kubatu are both Middle Level Warriors, they’re clearly having a hard time against a Flaming Giant Snake of this size."
Just then, Gaius caught up. He scanned the battlefield, quickly assessing the situation.
"Sir," he said, "those two are losing ground. They can’t hold on for much longer. Let me intervene!"
He didn’t act rashly, a show of respect for the Baron.
"Fine," Duane replied. "But leave one for me. I want to test myself against it!"
Gaius glanced at Kaelon, waiting to see his reaction.
After all, if the Baron were to be injured here, he would be responsible.
Far from objecting, Kaelon was actually very supportive.
"With your strength, you should be able to handle it!"
Duane accepted a Longsword and charged down the hillside. "Hardy, fall back! I’ll take it from here!"
Hardy, on the verge of defeat, was overjoyed to hear the voice of a rescuer. But when he saw it was the Baron, he froze for a second.
"Sir, you..."
WHOOSH!
The Flaming Giant Snake’s tail swept toward him. All Hardy could see was a black shadow rapidly growing larger.
He snapped back to his senses and hastily raised his Shield to block.
BANG!
The Shield was sent flying, and the immense force threw him to the ground.
Duane felt a bit awkward. ’I shouldn’t have shouted,’ he thought.
"Let that be a lesson about losing focus in a fight!"
He rushed forward to prevent the Blazing Giant Snake from attacking Hardy again.
Hardy felt a little aggrieved. ’Wouldn’t anyone be stunned for a moment if they realized the Baron himself had come to save them?’
But he had no intention of complaining. In fact, he felt quite proud.
’Siding with him early really paid off,’ he thought smugly. ’Otherwise, why would the Baron save me instead of telling Kubatu to fall back?’
Duane was oblivious to Hardy’s thoughts. His body flashed like lightning as he closed in on the Blazing Giant Snake.
The massive creature seemed to sense the threat, its crimson eyes locking onto the new enemy.
It opened its cavernous maw and spat a jet of scorching flames.
"Sir, be careful! Those flames are incredibly hot!" Hardy shouted a warning.
Duane immediately circulated his Fighting Qi. With a swing of his sword, he unleashed a Fighting Qi Slash. The wide arc of Sword Aura split the jet of fire in two.
FWOOSH~
The two streams of fire roared past him, and the wave of heat they carried instantly scorched the surrounding vegetation black.
The Flaming Giant Snake let out a hiss, a low, unnerving sound that set everyone on edge.
Its massive tail swept out again, kicking up a gale-force wind.
Duane’s eyes narrowed. He flashed to the side, easily dodging the attack, then kicked off the ground and launched himself into the air.
"Slash!"
The Longsword in his hand carved a sharp arc through the air. He unleashed another Fighting Qi Slash, bringing it down—along with the blade itself—on the giant snake’s head.
The giant snake reacted with incredible speed, jerking its head aside to dodge the strike.
However, the Fighting Qi Slash and the edge of his blade still scraped across its scales, sending up a shower of sparks as if metal were grinding on metal.
The blow landed solidly. While it wasn’t a fatal strike, it left a deep gash on the giant snake’s body.
The massive force of the impact slammed the creature to the ground.
As an apex predator in the Hot Spring Mountain Range, the giant snake was not cowed by pain, nor did it freeze up.
Acting on pure predatory instinct, it thrashed its body wildly, coiling toward Duane with astonishing speed.
It was using its signature technique: constricting its prey with its body and squeezing it to death.
Unfortunately for the snake, Duane had practiced the Cyan Snake Breathing Skill. He was intimately familiar with a snake’s attack patterns, so how could he possibly fall for such a move?
Relying on his agile Body Skill, his movements became as sinuous as a snake’s, allowing him to deftly evade the creature’s attempt to ensnare him.
At the same time, he used another Fighting Qi Slash to force the creature to cease its coiling attack.
During the fierce back-and-forth, the positions of man and snake constantly shifted. Duane’s eyes, however, remained fixed on the wound he had just inflicted.
Finally, he saw his opening.
SWISH!
He shot off the ground, rapidly closing in on the giant snake’s reared-up torso.
"Get in there!"
With a sickening squelch, his Longsword plunged precisely into the exposed flesh of the wound.
With no scales to block it, the blade sank in without resistance.
Fighting Qi surged from the Longsword into the giant snake’s body. He channeled it into a frenzied vortex, utterly destroying the creature’s internal organs.
Blood gushed out like a fountain. The giant snake’s body convulsed a few times before it collapsed limply to the ground. It let out one final, dying hiss and then moved no more.
"As expected of a Level 2 Peak Demon Beast. It really was a tough opponent," Duane muttered to himself.