Great Withering Mankestre Snake

The group kept walking silently through the narrow corridors for some moments until Leylin spoke up. "There's a vast chamber ahead, it's probably where the nest is located. That's the last thing I saw with my spell."

"Good. Let us finish this once and for all. Advance!" -Jackson gripped his large sword with both hands and was the first to rush in. The rest followed suit.

Eye-piercing light rays shone downwards from above. Everyone's eyes were stinging; tears flowed down uncontrollably. Some of them used their hands to cover their face, but a piercing scream forced them to look in horror. The only calm persons at this point were Leylin and the grey-robed aide.

A couple of the Black Iron Guards had been shredded into a gory puddle just 2 meters away from the Viscount. Not even he could react in time. The pieces of armor from the soldiers rolled across the floor near their lifeless bodies.

The creature moved so fast that it was impossible to discern its characteristics, but it was far bigger than the previous lizard. It resembled a gargantuan anaconda.

Jackson wanted to chase the larger creature, but a few dozen mutated lizards started pouring in from the cracks in the ceiling and walls of the chamber. In a matter of seconds, three more guards perished, their attacks only inflicting mild damage on the lizards.

"The monsters are already upon us! Defensive formation! Acolytes, stay behind our shields!" -Jackson commanded his squadron.

Various more shouts of trained orders resounded, and weapons were brandished quickly.

The soldiers formed a circle formation, the same as they did back in the woods. Most of the acolytes stayed with them, including Murphy. However, the most inexperienced acolytes were scattered around the chamber trying desperately to escape the beasts. They were now officially regretting joining the expedition.

Meanwhile, Leylin was far from the group. He was evading a myriad of vicious attempts to slash him with different sets of palm-sized talons. Once he got out of harm's way, he jumped back several meters to stand in one of the many ubiquitous giant rocks.

He threw a couple of explosive potions at the lizards that rushed him, blowing them away from his position. Obviously, they wouldn't die from that, but he didn't go for the kill. He was just playing with them. Thanks to the ESP Matrix, even though he wasn't a Grand Knight, Leylin's reaction time and movement precision were spot-on. In his field of view, the cave was divided by a holographic grid that revealed any lizard hiding spots and pitfalls. Nothing the creatures did went unseen by him.

The beasts seemed to understand that he was a stronger target than the rest and consequently decided to withdraw, causing Leylin to relax his posture.

Amidst the wails of combat and death all around, Jackson's fierce howling could be heard.

Thanks to his enhanced senses, Leylin could perceive that the critters were making use of their familiarity with the terrain to attempt a massacre of Jackson and his squad of guards.

The sneak attack was so brisk that when Jackson and the rest finally suppressed it, the whole group already suffered heavy casualties. The acolytes outside the formation, minus Leylin, had already fallen victim to the giant snake-like monster.

As Leylin swept his gaze across the scene before him, he grinned when he noticed that the floor was already littered with corpses and half-torn limbs. Many of the bloody organs had traces of having been chewed on by the strange monsters.

'Leave it to a mutated creature to create such raw yet beautiful pieces of art. Honestly, after witnessing such a pathetic display of talent from both Jackson and his forces, I can only rejoice when they are butchered by mere animals.'

At present and not counting the acolytes, only the 2 Black Iron Guard lieutenants, the captain, and the enigmatic grey-robed figure were all that remained of Jackson's party. Leylin yawned when the acolytes began trying to use their spells on the lizards. In theory, the monsters stood no chance. But in reality, they moved so fast that the projectiles missed 8 times out of 10.

In his mind, everything about this battle and its result were already laid out perfectly. He did not even need Aralis for this.

When Leylin positioned his gaze on the top of the cave, he noticed white jellyfish-like beings suspended in the air close to the rocks.

'The surge of light that affected us earlier was radiated from these Flash Jellyfish. The chemicals they produce react violently with the oxygen in the air and produce an effect similar to a flashbang grenade. The coordination demonstrated by them and the lizards definitely hint at some intelligence governing their actions from behind the scenes...' -Leylin analyzed.

After that light burst from the jellyfish, they seemed to have become a little dispirited as they floated around in the air. Although there was still some light emanating from their bodies, it was not piercing to the eyes. It seemed like the flash from earlier was a one-time attack.

Suddenly, Leylin's prediction on how this battle would unravel had been altered. There was a chance that whoever was behind the crisis was in the shadows, protected from Aralis' detection. Biding his time to strike. Nonetheless, instead of annoying him, it sparked a bloodthirst in his soul that would not be easily quenched. He couldn't wait to encounter the Magus responsible for this whole withering/lizard crisis and fight him.

Given his change of plans, Lyelin all but teleported using his Knight speed next to the group of Jackson and the surviving acolytes. The grey-robed aide was using elementary Fire element spells to keep the lizards at bay, but he was beginning to show signs of tiredness. He was consuming his Mana Energy at a frightening pace, and would not be able to keep this for long.

"Those are Flash Jellyfish, a kind of subterranean creature. The blinding attack they used against us can only be used once a day... We're surrounded by these monsters and our retreat is compromised thanks to the sheer amount of enemies!" -Murphy appeared close to Leylin, clutching a book to his chest.

[How useful, giving you the information you already possessed beforehand. Will you kill them all, leave, or play along, Doctor?]

'For now, I'll stay in character. If I don't help these braindead trashes, I would be left alone for the final showdown with the Magus. I'd rather not be without meatshields just in case, so I'll have to give them a nudge in the right direction.'

"What we need to deal with are not these lizards, but that snake in the middle. It is controlling them using parasitic organisms. That is the 'parent' I suspected was guiding the monsters." -Leylin pointed to the center of the cave and smiled bitterly.

Inside the chamber, there was a mass of mutated lizards numbering over 20. They looked to be older and fiercer than those Jackson and his squad were endeavoring to kill at the moment.

In the centermost of the lizards, there was an enormous 40-meter-long yellow snake with red eyes, whose head was big enough to devour a human in a single bite. It seemed to be the alpha monster, as it was coiled around the largest rock in the cave and was guarded by the other creatures.

"Heavens, it's a Mankestre! A Great Withering Mankestre Snake!" -Murphy's book fell from his hands to the ground, letting off a thud.

Without a need to voice his order, Aralis brought out the stats of the creature in Leylin's blue holo display.

//

Species: Great Withering Mankestre Snake (Half-adult body)

<Power Scaling>

Peak C-Class threat

<Physical Stats>

Strength - 7.90

Agility - 9.51

Vitality - 15.23

<Mystical Stats>

Spiritual Force - 8.0/8.0

<Abilities >

1.- Parasitic microorganisms || The Mankestre Snake is able to develop an extremely strong neural parasite in its body and spread it to other organisms, making them its underlings.

2.- Withering aura || In any areas where a Mankestre Snake has passed by, the plants will die and become a type of nutrient for the beast.

//

[The unknown noble gas turned out to be the means by which the beast spread its parasites. Apparently, humans are immune to it but still suffer from dizziness and poisoning symptoms. This is presumably due to the snake not being fully mature yet... Do you think that perhaps the Mankestre is the true operator behind the scenes?]

'No. The neural parasites allow it to issue simple orders like attack, defend, pursue, and the like. This was a set-up ambush. The whole withering situation was designed to lure Jackson and the acolytes to this place. They were impediments to the mastermind's objective. Whoever wants them dead is probably thinking he can get away with taking something from Extreme Night City undisturbed...'

[What do you think it could be?]

'I don't know, but whatever it is, it's worth going through all this trouble to get it. That means I'll have to interrogate my victim and then seize the benefits he sought... This just keeps getting better and better.' -Leylin chuckled softly, and when Murphy turned to him with a raised brow, he put a hand up.

"Good Murphy, I just realized something! Don't be fooled by its appearance; this is but a half-grown Mankestre. We still have a chance to win!" -Told Leylin with fake enthusiasm mixed with regained hope.

The geezer observed the brown-yellow color of the huge snake and eventually recovered from his shock. "Indeed! You're right, good Leylin! An adult Mankestre is at least 100 meters long, and this snake is obviously not of that length. Furthermore, its head is too small."

"Is that huge snake the cause of the withering woods?" -Jackson asked with an exhausted voice while decapitating the last monster of the current wave.

"That is correct, my Lord. A Mankestre uses the juices of plants as their sustenance. They are rather crafty and lazy, and also hate to move about. Basically, it uses the parasites to manipulate lesser fauna to gather food for itself." -Murphy, who had bountiful academic knowledge, was extremely aware of the habits of the huge Mankestre Snake.

"Then, if we kill it, the herb production in Dark Night Woods can recover again!" -Jackson used his long sword and pointed at the huge yellow snake that was protected by its parasitic mutated creatures.

"In theory, it should be the case as long as you kill it or drive it out of the region. Although its death cannot revive the withering woods, it can still allow the wildlife to slowly recover back to what it once was." -Murphy said in his usual scholarly demeanor.

Suddenly, the snake coiled higher in the rock. It hissed and produced a series of low and unintelligible whispers. It was a kind of sound comparable to those made by the friction of two pieces of rotten leather, which was extremely unpleasant to the ears.

However, Leylin found he enjoyed the sound and was soothed by it. This was mainly because of the memories it evoked. He used to have some anaconda pets in his past life, and sometimes he fed them with buckets full of meat belonging to his failed human test subjects. Over the years, he learned to see them as a part of his daily routine, which is as close as it got to endearment with him.

The creatures surrounding the group seemed to have received orders when the Snake made its sound, and they screeched loudly as they charged forward. Thirty more lizards crawled out from their hiding spots in the ceiling and shortened the distance between them and the humans.

'I underestimated how fast these things would breed under the leadership of a mightier being. The Magus built himself a nice army of mutated lizards here. Useless in the long run, but at least he tried harder than my so-called colleagues here.'

Jackson activated one of his Secret Skills and his growing muscles broke the fastenings of his plate armor. Murphy ran to the back of the formation, and the secret aide stood in front of the other acolytes to lead them. Leylin just gave a casual look to the lizard mob approaching, his expression blank.

'Finally tired of playing games, huh? Unfortunately, I cannot indulge in a purge. I must preserve my Mana Energy and combat potions for the hostile Magus. Also, I want to see Murphy or the grey-robed aide finally employ their trump cards when they feel pressured.'

The Farlier Baron unsheathed his enchanted cross blade slowly from its scabbard and assumed the Black Cobra stance. 'Nevertheless, I must demonstrate some degree of involvement in the fight, lest my mask falls entirely.'

Leylin's feet moved like water as he dodged a lizard's attack by a millimeter. The cross blade in his right hand drew a strange trajectory and parried the sharp talons, as it directly pierced through the creature's skull.

The huge yellowish corpse of the lizard fell dead to the ground, and even the Mankestre Snake had taken notice, looking at Leylin.

'Caught your attention, have I? Don't worry, snake. I'll get to you soon enough.'

"Nicely done, Lord Leylin!" -Jackson shouted in admiration. His body seemed to turn into a gust of wind, and continuously ravaged the mob of creatures, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

[Seems like his Grand Secret Skill is remarkable in giving him the upper hand against such a large number of foes. The difference between a Knight and a Grand Knight is quite impressive.]

'I suppose it is.' -Leylin did not really care much for the mundane powers of a Knight. He naturally would not ignore them should they be within his possibilities to acquire, but they were not his main priority at all. Magic it's what he truly craved.

The few surviving acolytes also cast their best Rank 0 spells that they had prepared and assisted in killing the critters.

Leylin only dispatched four more lizards and then he did not bother to retaliate. He simply dodged their attacks until someone else killed them.

The corpse of the first lizard that Leylin had killed rapidly decomposed. From the bones, many veins appeared, which turned into the creature that Leylin and the rest had been chasing earlier. The creature then climbed into the Mankestre's mouth.

The Mankestre Snake opened its mouth and revealed 7 rows of razor-sharp teeth. Its forked tongue twined from the inside, as it swallowed the strange red-veined creature into its belly.

[It has retrieved its parasites. They must serve to boost his stats temporarily since I am getting readings of its Vitality going through the roof.] -Aralis chimed in.

After swallowing the parasites, the Mankestre Snake finally uncoiled from the rock and descended onto the ground level.

It stared at Leylin and the group, who were unrestrainedly slaughtering the creatures. Its crimson eyes showed signs of rage.

The huge body of the snake shot out, and the entire cave trembled violently.

The huge Mankestre Snake's body moved at an alarming speed, charging toward Jackson.

"It's too quick! I can only see its afterimage!" -Yelled the Viscount, as sweat beads dripped from his forehead.

A surge of immense force came rushing over, and the longsword that Jackson held onto flew in the air, completely shattered. The Viscount rolled to the side and tried to regain his bearings as his captain threw him a backup sword.

'Such a mighty bite, and it's only a casual swipe.' -Leylin's pupils constricted, as he analyzed the duel from a safe distance.

The Mankestre Snake opened its jaws wide, and its razor-sharp teeth snapped at Jackson, bringing about a fish-like smell. If Jackson were to be caught, he would definitely die without a corpse left to mourn.

"Lord Viscount!" -The remaining Knights and the grey-robed person shouted.

"Hah! Good try!" -Apparently on the brink of death, Jackson finally released all of his inner energy, and his replacement sword pierced at the crown of the snake with a speed that was hard to track by eye.

The counterattack, however, only left a white spot on the scales of the snake. As for Jackson, he used the kinetic force from the impact to recuperate and he rotated his waist, evading the snap of the snake's jaw.

"Protect our Lord!" -The two lieutenants and the captain rushed forward, brandishing their swords at the maw of the great beast.

The Mankestre Snake let out a ferocious roar and directly gobbled them one after the other without even flinching. Only Leylin could see how and when it did it.

"Secondary Fireball!"

"Acidic Aqua Shot!"

At this moment, the other acolytes also cast their spells, striking the body of the huge snake.

One black arrow with a yellow flame exploded as it slightly pierced the body of the huge snake, revealing two scorched gashes that began to regenerate immediately.

The huge snake let off a roar, which carried a tinge of agony. Its scales shook, and it sent its tail flying toward the few acolytes, killing two of them instantly and leaving another with a fractured spine.

"The Vitality of the Mankestre is too high, any normal Rank 0 spells would not be able to affect its movement at all!" -Murphy declared, still cowardly taking cover behind the survivors.

The huge snake swatted its tail once again, and three more acolytes who were unable to dodge in time were turned into meat paste as blood oozed from beneath the snake's body.

"No...! Decker! Lance!" -Murphy cried hoarsely in anguish.

Watching this, Leylin only grinned like a madman. Nobody was looking at him, so he could allow himself this.

"There's no choice, we have to retreat! Back to the tunnel!" -The grey-robed figure behind Jackson spoke in a deep growl, as the small group of acolytes and Viscount got together and moved for the entrance.

"No! This damned worm dared to kill Decker and the rest! I will definitely not let it go!" -Murphy's eyes turned bloodshot in pure wrath.

"I have a spell that can temporarily restrict its movements! The rest will be up to you..." -Murphy stepped forward with an erect posture and fully discarded his anxiety and pretended feebleness.

He took the monocle that he always wore and recited a brief incantation that caused a faint silver glow to encompass it. Forthwith, he tossed it towards the huge snake with all his strength.

The glass shattered on the scales of the huge snake, and many dark red runes surfaced from the broken pieces.

The dark red runes multiplied, and turned into the shape of a long chain, binding the snake within it.

[A one-time-use magic artifact. Capable of an instantaneous arcane binding and effective against entities up to low A-Class. The snake will not be able to move for at least half a minute.] -Aralis promptly notified her Master.

'Is this the true Murphy? Disappointing, to say the least. I was half expecting to see a master forbidden spell or something. Oh well, I guess his appearance did match his power level.' -Leylin mused, as his smile had now been reduced to a discreet contented smirk.