"Stop dazing around. We need to keep moving."
Lynn's voice broke the brief silence. He looked around, signaling for everyone to follow. This was no place to linger; the wreckage of the two Abductor Virgins was still oozing magma, emitting a suffocating stench of sulfur.
The team set off again, advancing deeper along the corridor saturated with the scent of sulfur and blood. Lynn led the way, the Bloodhound's Fang ready to be drawn at any moment, while the Carian Knight's Shield sat on his back like a portable fortress. Aiz followed close behind, her golden eyes as sharp as a hawk's, scanning every shadowy corner of the palace.
The architectural style within grew increasingly bizarre. It was no longer simple stone; the walls were constructed from a dark red rock that seemed to pulse with a faint, bloody light. On the towering vaulted ceilings, coiled snake totems wound and spiraled as if countless giant serpents were climbing upward, seeking to swallow the dim light from above. The sulfuric smell intensified, now laced with a nauseating scent of decay.
Lining the corridor were various gruesome torture devices—rusted chains, blood-stained hooks, and machinery of indiscernible purpose—silently testifying to the atrocities committed here. They cast distorted shadows in the dim light, adding a layer of horror to the already oppressive space.
"Ugh..." Lefiya's face grew even paler. She gripped her wand, her body trembling slightly. As an elf, this aura of pure evil and bloodshed caused her extreme distress. She instinctively wanted to close her eyes but forced herself to stay alert.
"These guys... they're a bunch of total perverts," Tiona muttered under her breath. She glanced at the torture devices, her stomach churning. Even as an Amazon warrior, she felt disgusted by such blatant malice.
Suddenly, Lefiya, walking in the middle of the group, stumbled. She let out a cry of surprise, saved from falling only by Tione's quick reflexes.
"Be careful, Lefiya," Tione warned deeply, her eyes fixed on the ground.
Hearing the commotion, Lynn stopped immediately. He unclipped the lantern from his waist and shone it toward the floor. The yellowish beam cut through the darkness, illuminating dozens of shattered eggshells scattered across the ground. These shells were the size of washbasins, with jagged cracks and foul-smelling mucus still clinging to the inner walls, reflecting an unsettling sheen under the light.
"Wh-What kind of eggs are these?" Lefiya covered her mouth, her voice trembling, her pupils dilated with fear.
Lynn knelt down and touched the inner wall of a shell with one finger. A cold, slimy sensation met his touch. He snapped his hand back, his expression darkening as his pupils narrowed.
"Snakes," he uttered a single word, but it carried the weight of a mountain.
Bete frowned, stepping forward to sniff the heavy, fishy stench in the air. "What kind of snake lays eggs this big? This scent... it isn't normal." Doubt and alertness flashed in his wolf-eyes.
Lynn stood up slowly, his gaze sweeping over the field of eggshells. His voice was calm, yet it carried a heavy pressure. "Not ordinary snakes. Great Serpents. These eggs... were laid here."
Aiz's golden eyes constricted. She seemed to realize something, her voice carrying a rare hint of urgency. "You mean... something hatched from them?"
Before her voice had even faded, a skin-crawling "hissing" sound emerged from the darkness deep within the hatchery. The sound was dense and sharp, as if countless venomous snakes were flicking their tongues. Then, dozens of cold, vertical pupils ignited in the dark like eerie green phantom fires, slithering closer.
The pupils in the darkness grew nearer and clearer. These were no ordinary snakes, but half-human, half-serpent hybrids! Their upper bodies were human torsos covered in fine scales, while their lower halves were thick serpent tails that made a "shuffling" friction sound against the floor. They brandished scimitars that glinted coldly in the gloom, their icy gazes locked onto the intruders.
The Man-Serpents let out a piercing shriek, a sound carrying a strange magic that stabbed into the eardrums. They surged forward from all directions like a tide, moving much faster than any Dungeon monster the team had ever encountered. Moreover, they moved with a sense of coordination!
"Watch out!" Lynn barked. The Bloodhound's Fang was out in a flash, turning into a blur as it slashed toward the foremost Man-Serpent carrying a shield.
The shield-serpent reacted with terrifying speed, raising the round shield on its arm to parry. A sharp clang of metal followed. Its serpent tail coiled violently, twisting its body in an attempt to flank Lynn.
Immediately after, several whip-serpents lunged forward. The long whips in their hands moved like the wind, the tips dripping with scorching magma that splattered onto the floor, leaving charred marks.
"It's fire damage!" Lefiya cried. She quickly raised her wand, and a magical shield condensed in front of the group, blocking the splashing lava. However, her face grew even paler; the defense was clearly draining her mana significantly.
Worse still, standing at the rear of the swarm were several sorcerer-serpents wearing massive eggshells as helmets. Their wands hummed as they unleashed a barrage of Glintstone Pebbles, pouring down on the expedition force like machine-gun fire.
"These guys... they're too troublesome!" Tiona roared, her double blades moving in an impenetrable defense as she sliced a shield-serpent in two. But more serpents flooded in, forcing her into a desperate defensive struggle.
Tione remained steadier. Her greatsword swung with a whistling wind, every strike precisely shattering a serpent's guard, yet even she felt the strain against such numbers. Bete had become a silver whirlwind, his claws shredding serpent flesh as his howls echoed through the palace. His advantage lay in speed and burst power, but even he would struggle if pinned down by sheer numbers.
"Their attributes are only around Level 3, but their coordination is excellent and their numbers are high! Don't get pinned down!" Lynn warned deeply. His Bloodhound's Fang was a blur of lethal intent, decapitating every serpent that drew near.
Suddenly, a cunning shield-serpent took advantage of the chaos, lunging its long neck from the side toward Lefiya.
"Ah!" Lefiya screamed. She didn't have time to cast and could only instinctively raise her wand to block.
"Carian Retaliation!"
At the critical moment, Lynn appeared before Lefiya like a ghost. He swung the Carian Knight's Shield with a sharp ding, swatting the serpent's scimitar aside while three blue magical Glintblades shot from the shield, piercing the assassin like bolts of lightning.
"Thank you... Lynn!" Lefiya gasped, her face ashy with shock.
"Don't daze out, focus!" Lynn barked before diving back into the fray.
Aiz's blade was like flowing mercury. She moved fluidly through the swarm, every strike finding a serpent's vitals. She was a heartless killing machine, severing every serpent that lunged at her.
The fierce battle raged for a long time. The palace echoed with the clashing of steel, the sizzle of magma, the shrieks of the Man-Serpents, and the roars of the expedition members. When the final serpent fell, only the heavy scent of blood and char remained in the air.
Dozens of Man-Serpent corpses lay scattered across the floor—severed limbs and slime everywhere. It was a mess.
"Hah... hah..." Tiona panted heavily, leaning on her twin blades as sweat rolled down her face.
"That was... absolutely disgusting!" Tione's expression was grim. Her left arm had been grazed by a lava whip, leaving a charred burn. Though not lethal, it was incredibly painful.
Lefiya simply collapsed onto the floor, her wand falling uselessly beside her. She panted for air, the terror still lingering in her eyes. At the moment of the ambush, she truly thought she was finished.
Lynn looked at the wound on Tione's arm and frowned. He fished out the oil-paper bundle Patches had given him, containing the discolored, pickled livers.
"Here, this boosts fire resistance. Eat one," he said, handing it to Tione.
Tione looked at the liver emitting a bizarre, pungent stench. She made a face and waved her hands frantically. "No... no thanks, Lynn. I—I'm fine, the wound isn't that bad." The smell was even stronger than the rot in the palace; she couldn't bring herself to swallow it.
Seeing this, Lynn didn't push. He merely shrugged. "Suit yourself. I warned you." Without hesitation, he popped a piece into his own mouth, chewing it with apparent relish.
Aiz walked up, checked Tione's injury, then looked at Lynn with a searching gaze. "The Man-Serpents of Volcano Manor... they're much more troublesome than ordinary monsters."
"Yeah, they aren't normal monsters." Lynn swallowed the liver, feeling a wave of warmth spread through his body. He wiped his mouth and looked toward the depths of the palace once more. "These serpents are Rykard's kin. They possess intelligence, they know how to coordinate, and... they were born for the 'Great Serpent'."
"Born for the Great Serpent..." Lefiya repeated softly. Looking at the field of corpses, a nameless terror welled up within her.
"Correct." Lynn's tone became solemn. "These serpents are the guards of Volcano Manor and the tools of their 'usurpation.' We have finally entered their core territory."
He looked around, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. "From here on, we'll encounter more of these enemies—perhaps even stronger ones. Are you all ready?"
The expedition members looked at each other. Though exhausted, their eyes burned with a fierce fighting spirit. They were the elite of the Loki Familia; they wouldn't retreat here.
"Anytime," Aiz was the first to speak. She pointed her sword forward, the hesitation in her golden eyes completely gone.
Tione gritted her teeth against the pain in her arm and gripped her greatsword. "Of course. We are the Loki Familia!"
Tiona flourished her blades, gasping for air but with excitement on her face. "Bring it on! Let's show these stinky snakes what Amazons are made of!"
Bete snorted, cracking his wrists, his wolf-eyes full of bloodlust.
Lefiya took a deep breath and picked up her wand. The fear in her eyes was replaced by resolve. "I... I'm ready too!"
Lynn smiled in satisfaction. He knew the Loki Familia members never disappointed.
After the battle, the team retreated to a relatively safe stone room to rest. The humid, muggy air still held the stench of sulfur and charred rot. The atmosphere was heavy enough to wring water from.
Lefiya sat with her knees hugged to her chest, her small frame curled in the corner. Her voice trembled with a hint of disbelief: "They... they were born. That magma and flesh... I smelled the scent of life. That means there's a... a snake here that can give birth?"
Her question was like a heavy stone dropped into the already oppressive silence. Bete, for once, didn't mock her. He just kicked the wall in frustration. In his wolf-eyes was obvious confusion and a trace of indignation. He was used to crushing everything with power, but facing something so bizarre and beyond his understanding, even he felt an invisible pressure.
Tione, while tearing strips of cloth to bandage the burn on her arm, looked up at Lynn with a mix of certainty and inquiry: "Mr. Lynn, you know something, don't you? About that 'Great Serpent' you mentioned..."
Lynn was silent for a moment. He knew it was time to be clear. This information would be a shock to them, but deep within Mt. Gelmir, they needed as much intel as possible.
"In my homeland, there truly was a Great Serpent named Rykard. He was once a Demigod, a lord in the age of the Golden Order." Lynn's voice was low, carrying an ancient, weathered quality, as if he were telling a distant legend. "But he was later... consumed by greed. To gain power, he voluntarily allowed himself to be devoured by a colossal God-Devouring Serpent. In the end, he merged with that snake, becoming the Lord of Blasphemy—a god that craves to devour everything, including other gods."
He paused, recalling the bloody past, his tone turning even more solemn. "Volcano Manor is the organization founded by his followers. And those Abductor Virgins... they are Rykard's creations, forged of metal and flesh. The tentacles inside exist solely to devour living beings. Lefiya was right—the flesh inside them is a part of him. In a sense, they are things he 'gave birth' to."
"A god that devours other gods... the Lord of Blasphemy?" Tiona's face turned completely white. She gripped her twin blades so tightly her palms were sweating. She had seen countless monsters and fought alongside powerful deities, but a sinister existence like this was beyond her realm of understanding.
Aiz's golden eyes were fixed on Lynn, her voice urgent. "Rykard... is he here too?"
Lynn shook his head, a trace of uncertainty in his expression. "I'm not sure. I sensed the mark of Volcano Manor in the warehouse earlier—an aura tightly linked to Rykard. My guess is that if Tanith, the mistress of Volcano Manor, is here... then Rykard might not be far behind. At the very least, his will and power have already bled into this world."
The group fell into silence once more. A god-devouring serpent... the Lord of Blasphemy. The pressure brought by that name was heavier than any monster. They had thought their enemy was a sinister Familia or a group of fanatical cultists, but it seemed they were facing a terrifying existence that spanned worlds—something that perhaps even surpassed the gods.
This was no longer a simple Dungeon crawl; it was a war against an otherworldly, evil deity.
Aiz's gaze became even sharper. Her sword emitted a low hum—the sound of battle intent fully ignited. She looked at Lynn, and in addition to her existing trust, there was a new layer of resolve. "Whatever it is, we will stop it."
Lynn felt Aiz's determination and nodded slightly, a flame flickering in his own eyes. This was the Aiz he knew—always facing powerful foes head-on, never backing down.
"Damn right," Bete growled. He finished a quick patch-up of his wounds, his eyes returning to their usual ferocity. "Whatever stupid snake it is, I'll rip it apart whether it comes alone or in pairs!"
Lefiya took a deep breath and gripped her wand. The paleness in her face receded, replaced by sturdiness. "I... I'll do my best to support everyone."
Tione and Tiona shared a look, fighting spirit burning in their eyes.
Lynn looked at them, a wave of warmth in his chest. He knew that after this confession, their understanding of the enemy had upgraded from "cult" to "otherworldly invasion," and a fragment of his own past had been revealed. This undoubtedly deepened their trust—especially with Aiz, whose golden eyes seemed to see through everything yet chose to believe unconditionally.
"Good," Lynn stood up, his voice ringing out. "In that case, we move forward. Since we're already in the enemy's nest, let's show them we aren't to be trifled with."
He resumed the lead, the Carian Knight's Shield on his back and the Bloodhound's Fang at his waist. His pace was still light, but it held a new sense of composure and resilience.
As they pushed deeper, the palace structure grew more complex. Towering stone pillars and winding snake totems were everywhere. the sulfuric and bloody smells intensified, and faint roars and clashing metal could be heard in the distance, as if the entire massive underground palace hid something living.
Passing through a narrow passage, they reached a room that appeared to have been abandoned. It was scattered with broken tables and chairs, and some charred marks. Most notably, on a stone table in the corner, several pieces of parchment and a thick diary were strewn about.
"It looks like someone lived here," Tiona said curiously, picking up a piece of parchment.
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Danmachi: My Primary God is Hidetaka Miyazaki? (Simulpub – Ongoing)
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