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Freeze.

The rabbit stopped moving. At the same time, the black stains on its paws surged, threatening to swallow it whole…

Crack. Cra-crack!

Darkness overflowed as if erupting from the rabbit’s body.

“……Eh?”

Ono and most of the party stood dazed. Only Hamel and Daniel watched the spectacle with indifference. In an instant, Azidahaka swelled in size until its eyes met those of the ‘Nine-Headed Serpent’ at the same height. Faced with this sudden adversary, the ‘Nine-Headed Serpent’ could not easily make a move.

“What on earth is……”

As Ono stood with his mouth agape, Hamel spoke.

“That is the real Azidahaka.”

“……The real one?”

“Yes. That is why it can use its power even within this domain.”

Hamel had brought Azidahaka along specifically for this moment. A Divine Domain is a space that grants advantages to the corresponding god while penalizing others. Clearly, the ‘Nine-Headed Serpent’s’ domain was a space where it was meant to be the sole protagonist. But what if its opponent was the very Azidahaka whose name it had borrowed?

In the West, the ‘Nine-Headed Serpent’ was currently recognized as the same deity as Azidahaka. Hamel had predicted that the serpent’s domain would be unable to restrict the power of the true Azidahaka, and he was correct.

Daniel muttered with a hint of regret, “We should have shown this form to that bastard Leo Benedictus.”

“It couldn’t be helped. We weren’t exactly in an advantageous position.”

“……True enough.”

Daniel smacked his lips. If they had shown the real Azidahaka, Leo Benedictus’s expression would have been quite a sight. However, as just mentioned, the situation wasn’t entirely favorable for Hamel’s group.

Currently, Azidahaka had become a servant of Apophis. On the other hand, the ‘Nine-Headed Serpent’ was an Old God—a divinity itself. Since their status was fundamentally different, a head-on clash wouldn’t result in an easy victory.

‘Still, it’s a relief the Nine-Headed Serpent isn’t a god known for its raw physical might.’

Though it possessed versatile abilities—enough to share dozens of supernatural traits with its family members—its own martial prowess as a divinity wasn’t at the top tier. If it had been, the Ashitaka family would have taken over the West long ago.

The elements of a surprise attack and its relative weakness compared to other divinities made this a fight. Under these conditions, they could at least buy some time. Therefore…

“We must eliminate Ashitaka Ren in the meantime.”

“…….”

“Ashitaka Ren is the one currently maintaining the domain as the apostle and priest of the ‘Nine-Headed Serpent’.”

Ren stared back with empty eyes. The Crow Worshippers, standing guard like a wall around him, seemed flustered by the unexpected turn of events.

“I’ll take the lead.”

Just as Hamel started forward, Daniel gripped his shoulder.

“Wait, Hamel.”

“……?”

“Leave this to us.”

At Daniel’s words, Lena also stepped forward, nodding.

“Yes. Save your strength, Priest. The real fight is waiting for you after this.”

“…….”

As they spoke, the ‘Nine-Headed Serpent’ and Azidahaka slowly closed the distance, circling each other warily. Then, in the next moment—

Crunch! Tear!

Their heads tangled together as they began to tear at each other. Blood and flesh scattered on the ground like a fountain, and a pressure that made breathing difficult filled the air. Hamel’s true opponent was that ‘Nine-Headed Serpent.’

“I’m counting on you.”

“Naturally.”

As Hamel nodded, Daniel gave a sharp grin. Lena pointed toward Antonio and Ono.

“Priest, please stay with those pieces of baggage for a moment.”

“What? Baggage?”

“Th-that’s too much, Lady Lena!”

Leaving Ono and Antonio’s complaints behind, Daniel and Lena sprinted toward the enemies. Seeing this, the Crow Worshippers quickly drew their daggers. They were not few—nearly fifty in number. They charged as if resigned to a desperate struggle.

“Buy time!”

“It’s a winning fight as long as we protect the Ashitaka brat!”

They, too, grasped the context of the battle and shouted. Indeed, if this turned into a war of attrition, Hamel’s group would lose. One side was chased by time, while the other only needed to hold out. Naturally, the advantage lay with the Crow Worshippers.

However…

Slice.

“Eh……?”

In the blink of an eye, a worshipper’s head flew into the air. Simultaneously—

Thwack!

Worshippers’ heads were smashed like bursting watermelons. The thought processes of the other worshippers came to a halt. What was happening? But before they could realize the answer…

Slice, slice, slice!

Thud, thud, thud!

Lena, chanting as she swung her staff, and Daniel, sprinting as he lightly flicked his sword, were far faster.

“What is this……”

In an instant, over a dozen worshippers collapsed to the ground. It was an overwhelming martial force they couldn’t even stand against. For those who considered themselves elites, it was a staggering realization.

“Ah.”

The leader of the worshippers finally realized. Leo Benedictus—their head—had placed his faith in the ‘Nine-Headed Serpent,’ not in them.

Slash.

The head of the last remaining worshipper flew off. Only one remained: Ashitaka Ren. Just as Daniel raised his sword to approach him—

Crack!

With a dizzying surge of pain, Daniel’s body was slammed into the ground.

“Kiririririk!”

One of the ‘Nine-Headed Serpent’s’ heads shrieked at Daniel. It had finally realized its apostle was in danger. On the other hand, Azidahaka, who had successfully drawn the serpent’s attention even for a short while, was already drenched in blood. If Azidahaka hadn’t bought them time, Daniel and Lena wouldn’t have even gotten close to Ashitaka Ren.

“You must hurry!”

“Urgh!”

At Hamel’s shout, Daniel grit his teeth and stood up. Blood trickled from his helmet. He had taken only one hit, but his internal organs felt like they had been put through a blender.

‘This thing is supposed to be one of the weaker divinities?’

Daniel, who had reached the rank of Sword Master—the pinnacle of human achievement—felt like let out a hollow laugh. How weak humans were. No matter how much they struggled, could they never face such beings without borrowing divine power?

Mana and Aura—humanity’s unique strengths—were so powerless before a divinity. But precisely because of that:

“Now I’m pissed off.”

He wanted to prove it. Daniel grinned and readjusted his grip on his sword. The head that had just struck him surged toward him again. The other heads lunged at Azidahaka simultaneously, as if to finish it off. It was as if one head was more than enough to handle a mere human.

“Come.”

A blue aura coalesced on Daniel’s sword. And in the next moment—

Slice.

“……Kirik?”

The head of the giant serpent, large enough to swallow a horse in one gulp, fell to the ground. The fallen head writhed as if unaware of what had happened, while the decapitated neck twisted in agony.

“Kiriririririk!”

“……Gasp.”

On the other hand, Daniel, having squeezed out every ounce of his power, staggered. It looked like just staying upright was his limit. Just as the ‘Nine-Headed Serpent’ lunged toward him in a rage—

Slash.

Ashitaka Ren, who had been standing like a wooden statue a short distance from Daniel, had his head fall to the floor with a thud.

“My apologies.”

Lena withdrew her staff with an expressionless face.

Thump.

Immediately, the ‘Nine-Headed Serpent’ stopped its movement. And then—

Whish!

The power covering the mountain vanished. The ‘Domain’ had been dispelled.

“Shiriririririk!”

The ‘Nine-Headed Serpent’ let out a roar of absolute fury. Just as it roughly dragged its body forward to crush Daniel and Lena—

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Step.

Hamel took a step toward the beast. That was all it took for the serpent to stop its charge toward Daniel and turn its heads toward him.

“From now on, I am your opponent.”

It had no choice; an overwhelming presence had seized the monster.

One of the nine—well, now eight—heads spewed toxic gas. Anything the green smoke touched, be it rock or building, melted into a mushy slush. However, as Hamel reached out, the Blue Flame he fired incinerated the toxic mist entirely.

“Kiriririk!”

While the head swallowed by the Blue Flame writhed, another head surged forward from the side.

Clang!

Hamel’s sword clashed with its fangs, sending sparks flying. As Hamel’s body was knocked into the air, a tail slammed down like a thunderbolt.

Boom!

Like Daniel before him, Hamel was driven into the ground. However—

“Kiriik!”

The serpent withdrew its tail as if burned. A long gash appeared on the tail, and blood poured out. Hamel had swung his sword to part the flesh even as he was being pinned.

Crunch.

Hamel stood up, pushing off the ground, his body now covered in black armor. The flames rising from the seams of the armor sizzled as they burned the serpent’s blood away.

“……Th-that’s the Priest from earlier?”

Azinos of the Bremen Musicians spoke while trembling. He had regained his senses only because of the faint grace of the Three-Tailed Cat. In his eyes, he saw a pitch-black giant serpent monster and a black knight facing it. The knight, venting blue flames from his body, stood against the monster with the momentum of a hero from myth. He couldn’t believe it was Hamel. To Azinos, this battle looked like a scene straight out of a legend.

Daniel, watching from the side, smacked his lips bitterly. “He wasn’t that much of a monster originally. He’s gotten even stronger.”

Daniel had thought he himself had grown significantly, but Hamel’s growth rate was even steeper. He seemed to have evolved once again since his fight with Vlad Tepes.

“Kiriririririk!”

The Nine-Headed Serpent—no, the serpent with only eight heads remaining—roared. Judging by the vibrations in the earth, its might was still formidable. The serpent used each of its heads in different ways to corner Hamel.

“Hiss!”

One head flickered its black tongue, and the ground Hamel stood upon caved in. A powerful force pressed down on him—pressure so intense that stones were crushed into sand. Even under a force that would have crushed a normal person’s bones, Hamel ran without concern.

“Shiririririk!”

Another head blocked his path and opened its maw wide. Dozens of sharp iron spikes manifested in the air and rained down on Hamel. However, Hamel lightly swung his sword to deflect them while simultaneously creating hundreds of blue spears behind his back.

It was the technique he called ‘Immeasurable,’ the one he used to capture Lamia. Those spears of Blue Flame pierced the serpent’s body.

“Kiriririririk!”

As the Nine-Headed Serpent writhed in pain, Hamel didn’t miss the opportunity and severed one of the serpent’s necks that had been scorched by the Blue Flame earlier.

Rip!

It wasn’t as clean as Daniel’s cut, but Hamel tore through the massive neck with overwhelming, brutal strength.

“……Seven left.”

Seven necks remained. Hamel leaped back to avoid the heads lunging at him. Daniel, watching the scene, muttered with slight concern.

“This is tricky.”

Hamel was pushing it back for now, but the ‘Nine-Headed Serpent’ possessed incredible regenerative abilities. Just like most demons or divinities associated with snakes. Already, the stump of the neck Daniel had severed was beginning to heal—flesh was already sprouting. To a divinity, a head is nothing more than a decoration. Given enough time, it could create as many new heads as it pleased.

Of course, Hamel didn’t lose when it came to regeneration, but the issue was endurance. The longer the fight dragged on, the more the disadvantage shifted to Hamel. There was only one way: sever all the heads before the opponent could recover.

‘But how……?’

Just as Daniel’s worry deepened—

Flash!

A bright light erupted from behind him. A light he had seen once before in the Rengbaster estate. It was…

“Antonio.”

The blind priest began to walk forward, tapping the ground with his staff.