A Giant Serpent (2)
A shadow rippled beneath the lake's surface.
Like a fish being reeled in on a hook, the shadow grew darker as it rose. Its size was enormous—so vast that for a moment it seemed as though storm clouds had swallowed the sun.
Then the lake erupted.
Water exploded upward in relentless bursts as the Hydra's heads surfaced one by one.
Serpent heads surrounded him from all directions, glaring.
Encircled, Woojin let out a sigh.
'So much for an easy day.'
He tightened his grip on the hilt.
At the same time, one serpent head blurred. Its maw surged forward like a tunnel rushing at him, filling his vision.
Woojin raised his blade high.
Thrust!
The honed tip pierced the serpent's upper jaw. Adjusting his grip with both hands, he drove his weight into the weapon and hacked downward.
The blade advanced without resistance.
The serpent's head split cleanly in two.
Crackling—
Flesh bubbled and surged at the wound. The meat, like melted gum, stretched in long strands and stitched the split halves together.
In an instant, the head was restored.
A sight that drained motivation.
'Now what?'
He needed time to think.
Another head lunged without giving him a moment's rest. Woojin leapt high, vaulting over the savage snout.
He avoided one attack—
But the Hydra did not have only one head.
Chasing him midair, the serpents opened their jaws wide, like baby birds waiting for food to drop.
Perhaps he should give them a gift.
Woojin gathered strength into his right hand.
Crackle—!
His palm glowed crimson.
Wrapped in lightning fire, he descended.
Each head reacted differently.
One sensed danger and dove back beneath the lake.
Another stared, entranced, at the lightning.
And one—foolishly bold—lunged straight at him.
Wherever you go, there is always one that fails to grasp the situation.
Gulp.
The reckless serpent swallowed Woojin whole.
Satisfied with its meal, it smacked its lips and licked around its mouth with its tongue.
Then—
Its neck began to glow red.
Light leaked from between its scales.
BOOOOM!!
A fiery blast erupted from within.
The serpent convulsed, unable to withstand the scorching force. Its head blackened as lightning fire seared it to ash.
"Krrk—Kyaaah!!"
The scream rose to a piercing pitch.
It might have suited a choir, but unfortunately its life ended there. The head drooped lifelessly.
Soon, the serpent's neck tore open. A small hole formed.
Smoke drifted upward.
And through the opening, Woojin's head emerged.
He inhaled the outside air—
Right on cue, another serpent thrust its snout toward him.
Woojin quickly ducked back inside.
Crunch!
The serpents tore into their fallen companion's neck. Blackened flesh ripped apart, exposing Woojin hidden beneath.
'No sense of camaraderie.'
He had planned to rest briefly, but the serpents did not hesitate to devour their own.
Forced out, Woojin resumed the deadly game of chase.
In the midst of it, a thought crossed his mind.
Why should he suffer alone?
Woojin glanced toward the lakeshore.
The Dark-Side priests stood gathered there, watching blankly as the Outer God battled.
They should have fled long ago.
But their judgment was gone.
The bishop, the High Priest, and even Number 1—every senior leader of the city had been wiped out in an instant. With all command figures dead, the priests were left floundering.
'Time to enlist my former colleagues.'
Woojin accelerated.
Running along the serpent's back as if it were a path, he dashed forward. Heads lunged to block his way, jaws snapping, fangs flashing.
In response, he reversed his grip so the flat of the machete faced outward—
And swung it like a tennis racket.
Clang!!
A dull impact rang out. The struck serpent bled from both nostrils and reeled back.
Cutting and stabbing only triggered regeneration.
So he wielded the machete like a blunt weapon, smashing aside the incoming heads. Infused with weighted force, each strike carried far more impact than it appeared.
'Definitely more efficient.'
A path opened.
Knocking heads aside, he surged forward and kicked off with all his strength.
His body shot through the air toward the lakeshore.
He landed.
Then immediately sprinted toward the Dark-Side priests.
"W-What?!"
They panicked.
Why was he coming this way?
They hurriedly prepared for combat—but Woojin did not even glance at them. He ran straight past.
Moments later—
The enraged Hydra crawled onto the shore in pursuit.
One relatively quick-witted priest shouted desperately,
"The Outer God approaches! Run!!"
Screams erupted.
The ancient being's fury descended upon the innocent priests.
As though venting pent-up stress through gluttony, the serpent heads devoured any life in sight.
The Dark-Side priests were plunged into a nightmare.
And Woojin finally gained a moment to breathe.
'How do I hunt that thing?'
The answer lay in old myth.
'Fire.'
When Heracles undertook his twelve labors, he used fire to slay the Hydra.
After severing a head, he cauterized the wound before it could regenerate.
Even the Hydra's regenerative power could not heal flesh burned by flame.
Woojin had already tested that old solution.
It worked.
'Lightning fire can prevent regeneration.'
The head scorched earlier had not regrown.
One head eliminated—a meaningful result.
But even so, nine heads still remained.
Earlier, he had cut off one head, which became two, then destroyed one of them.
In essence, he was back at the starting point.
'If I repeat that nine more times… I'll be bedridden for at least a month.'
The lightning fire technique carried severe backlash.
Using it recklessly again and again would ruin his health.
He needed a more efficient—and elegant—method.
Scratching his jaw, Woojin glanced down at the machete in his hand.
'…Maybe I can make use of this.'
A recent experience flashed through his mind.
Without hesitation, he acted.
Gripping the hilt tightly in his right hand, he placed his left hand against the blade.
Crackle—!
Red lightning burst from his palm.
Lightning fire coursed into the machete.
The blade began to tremble in resonance.
Gradually, the steel turned a deep, searing crimson.
The blade glowed red, as if freshly pulled from a furnace.
The power of lightning fire had taken root in the machete.
How strong would it be?
'Let's test it.'
Woojin stepped toward the Hydra once more.
He had intended to approach quietly and strike by surprise—but that was impossible. The lightning-infused blade was far too conspicuous. Like a lightsaber from a science fiction film, the machete blazed and scattered sparks.
Naturally, the Hydra noticed him at once.
Its pupils narrowed to needle-thin slits. A vicious glare locked onto Woojin, as if ready to devour him whole.
"Kiiiaaaah—!"
The enraged shriek pierced his ears.
One of the Hydra's heads shot toward him.
In response, Woojin drew upon his weight-amplifying technique, increasing the force behind his swing. He brought the machete down with full strength.
A crimson arc carved through the air like a comet.
The serpent's head met that arc.
Slash!!
As if it were a joke, the head split cleanly in two.
The power exceeded even Woojin's expectations.
Like a stream parting around a stone, the Hydra's head divided left and right. The cross-section blackened and charred.
"Kyak! Kyaaaah!!"
The Hydra's heads shrieked in chorus.
It had not expected to lose a head so easily.
The Hydra raised its remaining heads warily.
Woojin glanced sideways at the machete in his hand.
'Needs another charge.'
After a single swing, the crimson energy within the blade had visibly faded.
Even the cunning Hydra sensed it.
Several heads lunged at once, denying him any chance to recharge.
And so the deadly chase resumed.
'Persistent, aren't you.'
The Hydra possessed only one remarkable ability—its extraordinary regeneration. But its sheer size gave it overwhelming strength and weight.
Killing it was a marathon.
Evade attacks, charge lightning fire, land a decisive blow.
Repeat.
A tedious, exhausting cycle.
Just then—
A strange sound reached his ears.
Like splashing water mixed with the chirping of a sparrow.
Piiing—!
A streak of silver light shot through the air and gouged at one of the serpent's eyes.
It moved fluidly, as though molten silver had been suspended in the sky.
Woojin glanced toward its source.
There stood the flying squirrel-like demonic beast with the fluffy tail.
'Helping me, are you?'
When he had nothing better to do, he would toss it jerky or fruit.
Apparently, it had decided to repay the favor.
The silver light swam through the air like a trout, darting in to peck at the Hydra's eyes before retreating.
Not fatal—but more than enough to disrupt its focus.
'That helps.'
Woojin began charging lightning fire again.
He hooked his thumb against his index and middle fingers—the posture used to flick someone on the forehead.
As he focused, red lightning flickered at his fingertips.
Snap!
He flicked his index finger against the blade.
The condensed lightning transferred directly into the machete.
Woojin surged forward.
Three heads lunged to block him.
He amplified the weight in one foot, using it as a pivot.
Spinning like a top, he unleashed a sweeping slash.
Crimson arcs wove through the air like a net.
Four serpent heads were carved into pieces.
Four down.
Five remained.
Woojin flicked his middle finger.
Paang!
The lightning gathered at his fingertip leapt into the machete.
The fading embers flared back to life, the blade once more glowing red.
The Hydra hesitated.
Fear crept into its movements.
It seemed to realize it could not win like this.
The creature turned to flee.
Of course, Woojin had no intention of letting it go.
Only death awaited a beast that turned its tail.
He closed the distance and struck from behind, hacking as if kicking it forward.
"Kyaaaak! Kieeeek—!"
Its mournful shrieks echoed through the mountain range for a long time.
Its regeneration prolonged the agony, delaying death.
Even from the butcher's side, it was exhausting work.
'Stubborn thing.'
For a long while, Woojin continued his deadly dance of blades.
Finally, panting, he spat onto the ground and approached the Hydra's final head.
Its entire body was shredded.
Slowly—
The last head extended toward him on its own.
As if begging for release from endless pain.
"Should've done that sooner."
Woojin swung the machete.
The blade sliced cleanly through its neck.
At last—
Peace descended upon both of them.
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