The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 182

It was no joke; the sea serpent Naga hit by Azadin’s stone had its skull caved in, its eyeball popped out, its neck scales torn, and its neck bone broken. It was a gruesome scene, as if it had been hit by a cannonball, not a stone.

“If we thin out the Nagas a bit now, it’ll be easier to fight in Butuma!” It didn’t seem like something to say while raiding a Naga army’s encampment with just two people, but the fight had already begun.

“Grimslaw’s bow, it’s too good, isn’t it? It shows no signs of breaking, and it automatically maintains itself by secreting sap. Thanks to the sap, it doesn’t get wet, making it much easier to use than the existing Moon-Gazing Bow, and its power is also stronger.” Azadin continuously fired the slingshot, blowing the heads of the sea serpent Naga guards who were watching outside the barracks one after another. The sea serpent Nagas on guard duty fell one by one, not knowing what was happening.

“Scott!”

“Yes, Boss.”

Scott began to move the dead Nagas with necromancy, and Azadin cleared the way to the next barracks, killing the Naga guards as he walked. And again, he shot and killed the guard Nagas patrolling around the barracks with his bow, leaving them to Scott as well. After passing through three barracks, Scott had about twenty undead Nagas under his control. However, things didn’t go so smoothly at the fourth barracks.

As the guards disappeared from the other barracks they had broken through, a commotion began to arise.

-Poo-woo-woo!

A horn sounded from the barracks Azadin had passed through.

“Krr-rrr?!” Nagas began to pour out of the barracks.

“Good. Scott, do it!” Azadin commanded Scott while continuously firing the slingshot. As Scott advanced the undead Nagas, the Nagas who had rushed out of the barracks were horrified.

“U-undead?!” The head of the Naga who said that was instantly shattered. Every time Azadin fired the slingshot, a stone the size of half a fist flew at an unbelievable speed, smashing the Nagas’ heads.

“Good!” Azadin looked around, searching for another stone to shoot with the slingshot. But… there weren’t many large stones. Perhaps because Dehashuram’s gardeners and servants had diligently groomed the area, there were only small pebbles. Azadin hastily loaded a small stone into the slingshot and fired it.

“Krr-rrr!” Some of the Nagas transformed into giant forms. As the Nagas transformed ferociously, their skin and scales thickened, and the stones fired by Azadin failed to break the surface and shattered.

“Damn it. Their skin is too thick. It won’t be effective unless I shoot stones with more weight.” Moreover, some other Naga sorcerers summoned mud elementals from the ground, using them as a barrier against the stones Azadin was firing.

“Not bad.” Azadin admired the nimble response of the Naga sorcerers summoning mud elementals and stepped forward himself. The Nagas reacted to Azadin’s movement, but Azadin used Kazas Haze [a technique that makes him invisible], the Twilight Veil, and disappeared among the undead controlled by Scott. The next moment.

-Thwack!

A blue longsword emerged from the chest of a Naga who had transformed into a giant form with a carapace. Azadin’s Azure Steel longsword, Parang, had pierced the Naga’s heart, baring its teeth. Azadin, who had clearly taken refuge among the undead, had somehow appeared among the Nagas and launched a surprise attack on them.

“Kwek!” A Naga sorcerer was kicked by Azadin and sent flying into the air, landing on the roof of a tent-like barracks. A giant Naga lunged at Azadin, but Azadin pierced the Naga’s palate with Parang and swung the sword horizontally, severing the Naga’s lower jaw with a blue flash of light.

“Oh my. The Boss is angry.” Was it anger at the Nagas who had unlawfully captured and eaten a human child and a dog? Azadin knocked down the Nagas attacking him like falling leaves, and this time, he tried to strike another Naga’s jaw with Grimslaw’s mace.

-Crack!

Seeing the jaw split into two pieces and the front teeth caved into the skull, killing it instantly, it seemed that Grimslaw’s mace’s non-lethal effect was only activated when thrown.

*********

Dehashuram called for Shati from the observation deck of his mansion.

“What brings you here? Dehashuram.”

“How long have you served him?”

“It’s been a little over two months since I was captured by him while escaping from Salasma.”

“Did you sleep with him?”

“Pardon?”

“Tell the truth. I won’t punish you anyway. That was the promise.”

“I didn’t.”

“That’s unexpected. He defended you even without having a physical relationship? He seemed to care for you quite a bit.”

“That’s the kind of person he is. Perhaps he thinks that if he does that, I will feel goodwill towards him, if not loyalty.”

“So. Did it work?”

“No. My loyalty is only to my country, the Naga Empire, and the Cobra Queen.”

“Yes. That’s how it should be. Hmm.” Dehashuram watched the direction of the sea serpent Naga’s barracks.

“But even though it was my request, I wonder if they can do it properly.”

“Are you talking about Azadin?”

“Yes. I know he has achieved great feats, but can he, with a human body, fight against the sea serpent Nagas who have sold their souls to the Nether? Isn’t it too difficult a task for just three humans? I’m worried they might say I ordered it if they get caught by the sea serpent Nagas.”

“Excuse me, Dehashuram-nim [a respectful title]. You don’t need to worry about that. In fact, Dehashuram-nim inviting him was a very good result for both me and Dehashuram-nim.”

“What? What are you talking about?” Dehashuram was taken aback by Shati’s words. For Shati, who was of the lowest status, almost a slave, to dare to talk back to Dehashuram, a royal, was something that could not happen in Naga society, and the content of her words was also outrageous. It was fortunate that he invited Azadin and formed a friendly relationship. That’s what she was saying. ‘Even if he is from the Messenger Clan, has he been too influenced by humans?’ Dehashuram was also criticized among the Naga royals for being too human-friendly, but Shati’s words were something that even Dehashuram found hard to tolerate. However…

“Let’s see?” Dehashuram, using reconnaissance magic to watch the activities of Azadin’s group, was startled.

*********

-Poo-woo-woo!

With the sound of a horn, sea serpent Nagas rush out of the barracks. It was no longer a stealth operation, but a full-scale battle. But… A Naga’s head flies into the sky. Usually, Nagas are about twice the size of humans, but… Azadin is not at all overpowered by these Nagas. Rather, a faint light emanated from his body, overwhelming the Nagas with tremendous power.

“Kuaaaaaa!” A Naga Colossus appeared, wielding a huge ship’s anchor in both hands and charging forward. This giant Naga was slightly smaller than the Naga that Count Salasma had transformed into in the past. Even so, seeing such a huge beast move was a truly magnificent sight. Although its reaction speed was slower due to its size, this Naga spat venom from its mouth, scattering it towards Azadin. After blocking any space to move with venom, it threw an anchor line at Azadin. A situation where he had to either get covered in venom or get hit by the anchor line!

‘The Naga’s mucus and blood are poisonous… is it like an eel?’ Azadin thought so and kicked off the ground. The poison in an eel’s mucus and blood is not strong enough to kill a person unless it touches the eyes or mucous membranes. He briefly thought that it might be okay to get hit, but Azadin avoided the venom and instead jumped towards the anchor line. And…

-Whoosh!

Azadin grabbed the bow he had been wearing around his neck and dropped the Azure Steel longsword to the ground. And in mid-air, he twisted his body to avoid the anchor and, while being careful not to get caught in the anchor line, he shot an arrow in that twisted posture.

-Thwack!

Azadin’s arrow pierced the thick skin of the Naga Colossus. The force was so strong that the arrow shaft disappeared, the arrow going all the way to the tail end. It was no longer an arrow but rather a parasite burrowing into flesh. After embedding several arrows like that, Azadin charged forward and reached out his hand to the mace. Grimslaw’s mace flew on its own and was sucked into Azadin’s hand. Azadin grabbed the mace and struck the skin of the Naga Colossus, where he had just embedded the arrows.

-Thwack!

The scales of the Naga Colossus, which had already been cracked, broke off, and its flesh began to tear. The arrow shafts buried in the flesh were crushed by the mace strike, tearing through the flesh. “Kieeeek!” The Naga Colossus writhed in pain. The enraged Naga Colossus tried to grab Azadin, but Azadin moved too quickly, throwing the mace around his body. The mace flew around Azadin like a pack of jackals hunting for prey. In that gap, Azadin put the bow with the string on his body and picked up the Azure Steel longsword he had dropped on the ground again, facing the Naga Colossus.

“Since it’s so huge, even a light cut will yield several servings!” A blue flash of light danced, repeatedly cutting the Naga Colossus’s legs and tail fins. The Naga Colossus, in pain, scattered blood and bodily fluids that were poisonous to humans, but Azadin stabbed the ground with his longsword and used the upturned paving stones to catch the pouring blood.

“Kwo!” As the Naga Colossus charged with its body, breaking the paving stones and trying to swallow Azadin, Azadin dodged to the side and instead cut the Naga Colossus’s jaw.

‘It’s about the same size as the Count, maybe a little smaller, but strangely, it’s manageable. Of course, this guy isn’t as strong as the Count was back then… but it’s still too easy. Is it because I’ve gotten stronger?’ Was it because he had been absorbing the magic of the Divine King’s Scripture replica every day? Azadin felt his strength increasing as he cut down the Naga Colossus with the Azure Steel longsword. But…

-Crack.

A sound came from the hilt. The blade was not damaged, but the wooden pin that fixed the tang of the hilt could not withstand it and began to break. “Oh no!” Azadin was flustered, holding the Azure Steel longsword, ‘Parang,’ which had begun to spin loosely in his hand. Since the blade was not damaged, he could just replace the pin, but why did it break now? Fortunately, there were many things around that could be used as weapons. Azadin picked up the anchor that the Naga Colossus had thrown. Even though it was an anchor from a small coastal sailing boat, it was not something a single person could lift. Azadin, who was carrying a lump of iron weighing as much as two average adult men, lifted it up and swung it, smashing the Naga Colossus’s skull. The giant Naga Colossus screamed, and at that moment, the anchor’s hook pierced the Naga Colossus’s cheekbone and got stuck in its face. The Naga Colossus tried to get up, but as Azadin pulled on the anchor line, it was dragged along by the anchor line Azadin was holding, like a huge bull being led by a nose ring.

“Hup!” Azadin swung the anchor line, repelling the other Naga soldiers attacking him, and threw the Naga Colossus off the sea cliff. The giant Naga Colossus screamed and fell below the sea cliff, causing a pillar of water to shoot up.

“N-no way!” Those among the Nagas who still had their sanity screamed.