Hero Devourer. The moment Jormungandr fixed its gaze on us, the air in the room seemed to freeze, and no one dared to speak.
The door to the BOSS room, which originally appeared to be over 10 meters high, seemed cramped in front of this enormous black serpentine creature. Four scarlet eyes flashed, and its massive body was densely covered with arthropod-like long legs—that monstrous form would freeze anyone who witnessed this being, which was definitely not of this world.
Although both were Hero Devourers, the eeriness and danger I felt now were on a completely different level compared to Erebos, whom I had defeated earlier.
"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp! What the hell is that?!"
"Crazy! Crazy! How could this be…!!!" As Jormungandr let out an ear-piercing scream, the serpent's fangs frantically raised their weapons. I instantly switched to my Marlborough form and shouted to Lisbeth, "Lizbeth!!!" The moment she heard my voice, Lisbeth pushed aside the man beside her and rushed towards me.
But the man who was pushed aside didn't fall; instead, he steadied himself and reached out to Lisbeth…
"W-Where are you going, you bitch… Ugh!"
"Screech! Screech! Screech! Screech! Screech!" Just as he reached out, a giant arthropod's leg slammed into the man's body, instantly piercing his torso.
The movement was as easy as piercing a human body with paper.
That thing was impossible to fight. I had to absolutely avoid it.
"Squeak! Screech! Screech!"
"Wh-What the hell…! Ugh!"
"Don't fight back, get out of the way! Hurry!" After Jormungandr went berserk, several members of Serpent Fang were torn to shreds.
As if to slaughter every living being before him, Jormungandr frantically stomped its legs on Serpent Fang, tearing their bodies to pieces.
But it didn't matter. "That guy's dead or alive doesn't matter."
As soon as Lisbeth approached after I loaded Claire onto my back, I immediately tensed my leg muscles to warm up my body.
"Lizbeth! Hurry!"
"Ha, ha...! We're on! Master!... Oh no! The luggage!"
"Everyone hold on tight!" Just as I felt Lisbeth jump onto my back, I yelled at the two of them and sprinted forward with all my might.
The Serpent's Fang should buy some time, right?
Thinking this, I desperately rushed out, but...
"Eeeeea ... "Liz! Can you stop that thing!?"
"It might make it hesitate a little... but it can't go any further!" Turning to ask Lizbet, she gave the regretful news as Jormungandr caught up.
She was clutching her luggage, my armor, and the horse's bit tightly; it seemed she had packed everything and mounted.
—Gurgle! Thud! Clang! On the other side of the completely collapsed wall, there was a feeling of dark, shimmering space, impossible to see clearly.
Jormungandr, in a sticky, rustling, terrifying form, opened its massive mouth and smashed through the wall in pursuit.
Damn, disgusting.
It looked even more terrifying than those venomous fanged bastards we had just faced!
"Crea! Are we going the right way!?"
"Yeah! Just keep going straight!"
"Liz! How's the speed!?"
"Almost the same...! No, it's slow, but the distance is getting shorter!"
Damn it. That thing is huge...! I used every ounce of strength I had, my usually imperceptible heavy breathing became obvious, and I ran with all my might.
Thankfully, before Jormungandr caught up, a portal began to appear in front of me.
"Tch! Get out of the way!" Lisbeth behind me kept using Aether's telekinesis and magic, but it seemed to have no effect.
But we were almost there. Right in front of me!
"We're going out!"
"Ouch! Master's tail!" Just as I rushed towards the portal, Jormungandr seemed to rip off a few strands of fur from my tail.
Ugh…! One of the few cute things about this muscular physique…! But at least we're out! We're outside!
"We're out!!!" After rushing outside, I saw a group of people gathered in the distance.
They seemed to be having a meal. No. This isn't the time to be leisurely.
"Run!!!"
"Mr. Se-Mr. Semo!? What happened suddenly…!" Just as Paul noticed us standing up in surprise, a deafening explosion came from behind us.
"Eee ... ...There's no other way. Just taking care of me and my females is already exhausting enough.
Sorry, everyone. We're retreating now.
Paul.
It's regrettable, but it seems I have to say goodbye here...
"Kingdom Knights! Charge in large-scale subjugation formation! I'll be the first to kill that guy!" Just as I was convinced Paul was finished, a familiar voice came from afar.
At the same time, a dazzling light suddenly burst forth, and someone rushed towards us at incredible speed.
The Hero Knight. It was Brandy Malt.
Malt was enveloped in a dazzling blue light, passing by me with astonishing speed, then leaping off the ground like a rocket, heading straight for Jormungandr.
He leaped to an incredible height, soaring towards Jormungandr's torso. Jormungandr seemed to sense Malt's presence and nimbly dodged to the side...
But this dodge was utterly meaningless—the instant Malt passed through Jormungandr's torso, the blade's slashing range far exceeded the sword's length, and the giant serpent's body snapped in two.
"Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp!!!"
"Tsk, got it! The Kingdom's Knights, seal off its movement!" Malt shouted to his rear as he flew over Jormungandr's body, and fully armed knights immediately charged forward at high speed, surrounding the giant serpent. Jormungandr, with about a quarter of his torso severed, spotted them and lashed out with his terrifying legs. But the fully armed knights, unlike the fangs of a viper, parried or dodged the attacks and began severing the legs.
Meanwhile, Malt, having landed, charged again, unleashing a slash at Jormungandr as if shooting out a sword beam.
That guy… is a true hero… "Eee-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya! Gaa! Eee-ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"
The unusually agile Jormungandr, despite his size, wasn't fatally wounded, but as time passed, more and more legs were severed, and the wounds Malt had inflicted on his torso multiplied.
The light shimmering around Malte surged and danced, unleashing a breathtaking, fantastical slash that mirrored the light's color.
The fully armed knights, with practiced skill, severed Jormungandr's legs, taking turns in a standard defensive and offensive stance.
The black smoke gushing from Jormungandr's wounds grew thicker and thicker, just when it seemed the end was near.
"Eee ... "...Master. The dungeon hasn't disappeared..." Lisbeth and Claire, after getting off me, took a cloth from their bag and wrapped it around me.
That's right. The bone that guy had in his mouth when he appeared. That was probably the boss.
The boss was captured, but the dimensional portal didn't close when we escaped... The Serpent Fang, which we thought was wiped out. This means there are survivors among them.
"Sister Claire, and all the Divine Beasts, could you explain what happened?" Malte, sheathing his sword, approached us, asking seriously.
Great. Bring it on, you bunch of scum.
......
"Ah...I'm exhausted..." I barely made it back until late at night, threw my luggage in the dormitory, and collapsed onto the bed.
After conveying the information about the Serpent Fang to Malte, the Knights and Malte immediately searched the dungeon... They discovered that Jormungandr had disappeared and found six corpses.
Although I'm not entirely sure... I guess Erebos used a similar method to create other dimensional portals to escape before.
More problematic than the vanished Jormungandr is the supposed presence of seven corpses.
Luckily, I was driving at full speed with Malte and two knights, barely managing to retrieve the corpses before the dungeon absorbed them.
After confirming the six retrieved corpses, I discovered the only missing one was... Bivora.
Tch. If only they were all dead. What a pity.
However, since these guys were confirmed to be members of the Serpent's Fang Guild, the Kingdom Knights have issued emergency arrest warrants for nearly a hundred Serpent's Fang members.
Their company is doomed. They'll reportedly conduct a thorough investigation and bring all those involved to justice.
Of course, if, as Bivora claims, no evidence was left behind, it will be difficult to apprehend them... Their methods are truly ingenious.
How did they manage to escape from that situation?
They slipped away at some unknown time. After the knights who had entered confirmed that nothing else was found inside the dungeon and all left, the dungeon vanished.
Sneaking away midway... even with invisibility, that's impressive.
"What will happen if Bivora gets caught?"
"Hmm... confiscation of property and the death penalty are certain, and many around her will probably lose their heads too."
"Clarice too?"
"If a connection is confirmed... probably?" Although Clarice's involvement was mentioned beforehand, the Goddess Cult clearly didn't believe it at all.
However, they somehow concealed the evidence, desperately defending themselves by saying that there was absolutely no trace of such behavior in Clarice's usual actions.
Some even said that Clarice, widely known for her work in the capital involving relief for the poor and monster extermination, couldn't possibly have done such a thing, and instead questioned whether our Serpent Fang was framing her.
Damn it... these senile old geezers.
"But today was truly a stroke of luck. I never expected something like this to happen..."
"That's right. When Master was injured, I really wanted to burn even one of them to death, no matter what."
Right. Encountering the Hero Devourer back then, I don't know if it was lucky or unlucky.
...I must rethink my goals in Esendia. My females must never experience something like this again... "...I'm sorry. Master. Liz. I'm sorry..."
As I silently made up my mind, Kleia, head bowed and trembling, apologized again, tears streaming down her face.
Kleia had been crying and apologizing to Liz and me all day.
It wasn't Kleia who should apologize...it was all those viper cubs' fault...I don't know how many tears she shed; her once beautiful face was now swollen.
"Kleia. It's alright. It wasn't Kleia's fault. I'm the one who should apologize. I should have gathered my strength earlier..."
"No. If I hadn't taken the Saintess Exam..."
"..." Lizbet approached and embraced Kleia, gently stroking her hair.
At the same time, Lisbeth wore a thoughtful expression. Hmm… she's thinking about something, isn't she?
After briefly gazing at the two of them, I walked over and lifted them up, wrapping my arms around their thighs.
"Ah, M-Master…?"
"The serpent's fangs are almost completely under control, and Bivora is like a fish in a barrel. There's nothing to worry about. With the Cult of the Goddess and the Kingdom in such a state, what can that guy do?"
After pressing my face against Claire's, Claire's expression, which had been filled with sorrow, softened slightly. "The next steps will be announced after the Goddess Church discusses it. Just wait. We've been through so much today, everyone should get some sleep. Taking a bath is tiring enough. How about we sleep together, cuddling?"
"Ah... ♡Master. Good idea.
♡While spending the night with sex is nice, this is good too.
♡"
"...Hehe. Hmm. Tonight, then..."
Finally seeing a smile return to Claire's face, my frustration with those guys, Viper Fang and the others, seemed to calm down.
And so, my females and I took off our clothes and pounced on the bed.
We hugged tightly, as if feeling each other's body heat, while my females stroked my Сock as if feeling the warmth.
The two buried their faces in my body, inhaling my scent, and soon, seemingly exhausted, they fell asleep.