I just wanted to watch TV! But now, I'm in a Fantasy World!-Chapter 68: The Harmonic Snake (3)

The desperate battle raged on.

The Captain rushed toward the serpent, boots pounding across blood-slick stone. The great Snake was now spewing blue fire and whipping its tail at the scattered Red Chains, who were desperately trying to land whatever damage they could.

BOOM.

Another torrent of azure flame crashed into the front line. The shield bearer’s tower shield glowed red and appeared to be melting at the front, metal sagging like wax. However, the shield did not break completely. He dug his heels in, teeth gritted, muscles trembling as he held the line. The barrier he kept up allowed the others behind him to stay in position and continue hammering at the wounded monster.

The Captain fought at the very front, his face smeared with soot and blood. He barked orders with sharp, practiced clarity, forcing his exhausted team into a pure defensive posture.

"Front line, tighten up! Shields, triangle! Archers, hold fire until I call it!"

The shield bearers responded instantly. They formed a triangular formation, locking their shields together at the edges. Within that steel wedge, the remaining barbarians pressed forward, using the shield wall as a mobile fortress. The tower shields blocked tail strikes and deflected fireballs, while the barbarians behind them focused on bracing the formation and pushing against the serpent’s weight instead of chasing risky strikes.

DING.

Claws scraped against steel. Fangs bit against iron. The shield bearers dug in, absorbing blow after blow. The serpent’s tail slammed into their barrier, but the formation bent instead of breaking.

The other barbarians and archers worked in tandem. When the serpent coiled to strike at the shield wall again, one archer moved to the side, squinting as he drew a Power-infused arrow to his cheek.

"Now!" the Captain shouted.

The archer loosed. The arrow whistled through the air and flew directly into the serpent’s lower jaw.

DUNK.

The arrow embedded itself deep into the flesh. The serpent’s mouth spasmed, its next blast disrupted. The blue flames erupted prematurely and exploded inside its maw, scorching its own teeth and tongue. Smoke poured from between its fangs as it shrieked in pain.

"Good shot!" the Captain roared.

He seized the opening. With his shield bearer still holding the front, he vaulted around the formation and rushed forward, great axe raised high.

SLASH.

The axe bit across the serpent’s snout, tearing through already cracked scales. The creature recoiled violently, wrenching its head to the side. Its enraged flailing sent a storm of air bursting through the chamber.

The serpent raged.

It flung its head wildly, and the broad side of its skull smashed into the Captain, hurling him backward.

He bounced off the rock, rolled once, and dug his weapon into the ground to slow himself.

"Attack!" the Captain roared hoarsely, even as blood trickled from his lips.

His men obeyed.

The barbarians surged forward. They did not see what he saw in that brief moment when he glanced toward the exit.

There, at the far side of the cavern, his two mages lay dead on the ground, necks twisted, eyes vacant. The stones they had been breaking were half-shattered.

And in the newly opened path, a small shadow stood.

A Groundling.

"A... Groundling...?!" the Captain spat. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

He saw the stubby figure bracing its body and pulling the stone club back into place, sealing the last hope of escape.

He trembled for a bit... He knew that they were trapped.

He looked back at his last remaining allies. They had landed several good blows on the serpent’s body. Wounds bled along its flanks, and scorch marks marred its scales. Yet the monster still moved with vicious strength.

"Men!" he shouted, pushing himself upright despite the agony in his ribs. "Kill it!"

Thane watched from behind the boulders and could not help but feel a spark of respect.

The Red Chain Captain braved the battle with grim resolve. His allies did not even know that the path was fully sealed now. The Captain alone had seen the dead mages and the Groundling blocking their escape. And still, he did not call for surrender. He chose to drive his men forward, to die buying time and striking back.

The barbarians drank what little potion they had left, the faint glow of regeneration flickering along their veins as they charged.

SLASH! STAB! THUD!

Axes hacked into wounded flesh. Hammers slammed against ribs. Arrows thudded into the thick hide, some piercing between scales. The shield bearers pressed forward in a phalanx, their shields now riddled with burn marks, cracks, and dents. From narrow openings along the rims, they jabbed short javelins, using the gaps in their own defenses as stabbing points.

Each javelin thrust found its mark. Several shafts stuck out of the serpent’s side, quivering as it roared.

But the Blast Serpent was simply too strong.

It writhed with incredible speed, its coils slamming across the floor. One barbarian was swept off his feet and smashed into the wall, his skull cracking against the rock.

"To the death!" the Captain shouted, voice breaking, and charged again toward the serpent’s head.

The Blast Serpent’s throat blazed blue. It was ready to unleash another breath.

BOOOOM.

The blast erupted.

The Captain’s left shoulder was swallowed by the flames. Armor warped and blackened. Flesh burned. Pain lanced through him like molten iron, but he did not slow.

HACK.

His axe crashed down into the serpent’s right eye.

The blade dug deep. A spray of blood and burning fluid burst across his face. The serpent recoiled in a frenzy of pain and rage.

It lunged, slamming its massive body forward.

The Captain had no time to dodge.

The serpent tackled him, its skull smashing into his chest. Bones cracked. He was launched backward and sprawled beneath the beast’s shadow.

"Captain!" his men shouted, rushing to intercept.

"ROAR!"

The serpent’s howl exploded in the cavern like thunder. It gnawed at whoever came close, slapped others away with its tail, and spat blue bursts of flame across the floor.

"Surround the Captain!" one of the shield bearers shouted, despite his own fear.

The three shield bearers forced their broken bodies to move. They crashed down around their fallen Captain, planting their shields to form a cramped triangle. The serpent did not hesitate. It coiled around them, constricting.

The crushing force pressed inward from all sides.

"Hold!" one shield bearer gasped, his arms shaking.

The serpent’s massive body tightened.

Bones groaned. Armor snapped.

"AHHHH!" one shield bearer screamed and, with the last of his strength, slid his arm through a gap in his shield and plunged a knife into the scaled flesh pressing against him. The blade sank in, drawing another pained roar from the beast.

The Captain lay in the center of the triangle. His lungs barely worked. Each breath felt like inhaling knives. He heard ribs crack. He could feel something grinding inside his chest. His vision pulsed with red and black.

Yet his eyes remained fixed on the enemy.

The serpent’s head loomed above the piled shields. One eye was blinded by his earlier strike, the other now narrowed with hatred. It raised itself back, coils tightening, preparing for the killing blow.

The Captain stared right back at it, refusing to look away.

The Blast Serpent arched its body and lunged forward, jaws gaping wide.

At that instant, something inside the Captain flared.

A final surge of Power burst through his body, tearing apart what little remained unbroken. He forced his right arm to move, ignoring the scream of his shredded muscles. Through the gap in the shields, he raised his axe one last time.

Half of the shaft was already splintered, nearly broken. The blade was chipped and blackened. But he positioned it, not to swing, but to brace.

The serpent’s skull came crashing down.

STAB!

The axe blade met its target. The impact drove it deeper, stabbing right into the serpent’s face between its nostrils.

The force of the blow snapped the remaining shaft. The broken handle drove itself into the Captain’s own chest, cracking his bones. But despite that, he did not feel the pain.

His hands locked around the back of the axe head, fingers tightening as wood split in his palms. He pushed. The broken weapon sank deeper into bone and cartilage.

The serpent jerked back instinctively, taking the embedded axe with it. Blood gushed down its snout as it tore free, shaking violently to dislodge the weapon.

The constriction loosened.

The Blast Serpent finally released its coils, letting the mangled bodies of the shield bearers and the Captain fall to the ground in a heap of broken shields and limbs.

The Captain collapsed onto the stone floor along with them. His breath came in ragged gasps. He could no longer move, but his eyes remained open.

The serpent’s tail lifted, as if to crush what little remained of him.

It struck.

The Captain saw it coming from the corner of his eye. He snatched up a fallen javelin with his only working hand and thrust it upward.

STAB.

The tail smashed into him, flattening his body against the ground, breaking what little remained unbroken. But the javelin, driven by that last desperate effort, pierced deep into the thick flesh before snapping in half.

The serpent roared, its tail flailing wildly. Its body thrashed in pain and rage.

It glared down at the Captain, who was still breathing faintly. Blood leaked from his nose and mouth, yet he was laughing weakly, a hoarse sound like grinding gravel.

"ROAR!"

The Blast Serpent raised its head again, ready to end it.

"Let’s go!" Thane shouted as Esau stood ready for the planned attack.

Thane rushed towards Esau, who now stood outside of the narrow path, and Big Bonky was nowhere to be found.

Thane leaped up, and Esau caught him.

One kicked to fly, and the other threw.

The usual notification appeared in front of Thane as he summoned the two staff.

One was the staff he had acquired from the Battle Mage, and the other was from the Battle Mage he just killed, who tried to open the path he was blocking with Big Bonky.

[ENEMIES DETECTED.]

[Celestial TV shutting down...]

[5]

The magic soared as Thane gathered the magic from both staves.

Thane went in for the kill with his eyes on the beast that would net him the Harmonic Core!