No joke, the sea serpent naga struck by the stone Azadin hurled had its skull caved in, an eyeball popped out, the scales of its neck ripped open, and its spine snapped.
It wasn't like it was hit by a rock, but rather by a cannonball—such was the horrific spectacle.
"If we cut down the nagas now, it'll be easier to fight them in Bruma later!"
Not exactly the sort of thing to say while the two of them were raiding the naga army's encampment tents, but the fight had already begun.
"The bow of Grimslawn, this thing is amazing, it shows no sign of breaking, bleeds its own sap for automatic maintenance, and thanks to the sap it doesn't get soaked in water. Compared to the Moon Horn Bow, it's far easier to use and its power is overwhelming."
Azadin fired volley after volley from his bow, bursting the heads of the sea serpent naga sentries posted outside the tents.
The nagas on guard duty toppled one after another, never knowing what hit them.
"Scott!"
"Yes, Captain."
Scott began animating the slain nagas with necromancy, and Azadin cleared the guards this way, opening a path to move on to the next tent.
And once more, he slew the naga guards posted around the tent with his bow, leaving them too in Scott's hands.
By the time they had passed three tents like this, the undead nagas under Scott's command numbered nearly twenty.
But things didn't go so smoothly with the fourth tent.
The disappearance of guards from the previous tents they had cleared finally stirred commotion.
Bwooo!
From the tents Azadin had passed, the sound of a horn echoed.
"Krreerr?!"
Nagas began pouring out of their tents.
"Alright. Scott, do it!"
Azadin fired volleys of arrows, commanding Scott. When Scott marched the undead nagas forward, the nagas rushing from the tents were aghast.
"U-undead?!"
The head of the one who spoke exploded instantly. Every time Azadin loosed a volley, fist-sized stones shot forth at impossible speed, smashing into naga skulls.
"Good!"
Azadin darted his eyes around, searching for more rocks fit for his bow.
But… there weren't many large ones. Perhaps because the gardeners and servants of Dehashuram had carefully tidied up this area, only small pebbles remained.
Azadin tried loading one of the small stones into his bow in haste and fired…
"Krreeerrr!"
Several nagas transformed into monstrous forms.
As they grew more ferocious, their shells and scales thickened, so the stones Azadin fired shattered against the surface without piercing it.
"Damn it. Their hides are too thick. Without heavier stones, it won't be effective."
What's more, some naga sorcerers summoned mud elementals from the ground, using them as shields against Azadin's projectiles.
"Not bad."
Impressed by the swift response of the naga sorcerers summoning mud elementals, Azadin strode forward himself.
The nagas reacted to Azadin's movements, but he spread Kazas Haeseo, Dusk Light, vanishing among the undead Scott commanded.
The very next instant—
Thud!
A great naga clad in a carapace felt a blue longsword burst through its chest.
Azadin's Azure Steel longsword, Bluey, had pierced the naga's heart, baring its fangs. Just moments ago he had disappeared among the undead, but now he emerged among the nagas, launching a surprise attack.
"Kwek!"
A naga sorcerer, struck by Azadin's kick, flew into the air and sprawled onto the roof of a tent made of canvas.
Another massive naga charged Azadin, but he thrust Bluey into the roof of its mouth, then slashed horizontally, the blue sword-light severing its lower jaw.
"Yikes. Captain's mad now."
Was it his rage at the nagas who had devoured human children and dogs without a thought?
Azadin cut down the nagas that lunged at him as though they were autumn leaves in the wind, then raised Grimslawn's cudgel to smash the jaw of yet another naga.
Crack!
Its jaw split in two, its front teeth crushed back into its skull, killing it instantly. It seemed Grimslawn's cudgel only carried its immortality-negating effect when thrown.
***
Dehashuram summoned Shati to the balcony of his mansion.
"What brings you here, Dehashuram?"
"How long have you been serving him?"
"Since he caught me after I fled from Salasma, so… a little over two months now."
"Have you slept with him?"
"…What?"
"Tell me the truth. I won't punish you either way. That was the promise."
"No, I haven't."
"Surprising. You mean he defended you even without lying with you? It seemed he cherished you quite a bit."
"That's the sort of person he is. Perhaps he thought that by doing so, even if not loyalty, at least some goodwill would sprout within me."
"And? Did it work?"
"No. My loyalty belongs only to my homeland, the Naga Empire, and to Queen Cobra."
"Good. As it should be. Hm."
Dehashuram gazed out toward the tents of the sea serpent nagas.
"Though it was my commission, I wonder if they'll be able to carry it out properly."
"You mean Azadin?"
"Yes. I know he has achieved great deeds, but can a human body truly face the sea serpent nagas who sold their souls to the Nether? Isn't this mission too harsh for just three humans? What if, when they're captured by the sea serpent nagas, they reveal that I was the one who sent them?"
"Forgive my boldness, Lord Dehashuram, but you need not worry about such things. In truth, your invitation to him turned out to be an excellent outcome both for you and for me."
"What? What do you mean by that?"
Dehashuram was taken aback by Shati's words.
For Shati, the lowest in rank, practically no better than a slave, to dare speak back to Dehashuram, a member of the royal family, was already unthinkable in naga society, but the content of her words was even more outrageous.
That it was fortunate to have invited Azadin and established a friendly relationship—that was what she was saying.
'Even if he belongs to the Herald Clan, hasn't she been far too influenced by humans?'
Even Dehashuram was derided among naga royalty for being too human-friendly, yet even for him, Shati's words and demeanor were intolerable.
However…
"Let's see then."
Using reconnaissance magic to observe Azadin's party in action, Dehashuram was stunned.
***
Bwooo!
With the sound of horns, sea serpent nagas poured out of their tents. Stealth was over—this was now a full-on battle.
And then…
A naga's head flew into the air.
Normally, nagas were about twice the size of humans… but Azadin was not losing in strength to them at all.
Instead, a subtle light radiated from his body, and with overwhelming might he crushed the nagas.
"Graaaah!"
A naga colossus appeared, gripping a massive ship's anchor in both hands, swinging it as it charged.
This enormous naga was only slightly smaller than the one the Count of Salasma had transformed into in the past. Even so, to see such a colossal beast in motion was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Though its immense size slowed its reflexes, the naga spat venom from its mouth, spraying it toward Azadin.
After blocking off his escape with venom, it hurled its anchor chain at him.
Either be drenched in venom, or be crushed by the anchor chain!
'Poison in the naga's mucus and blood… like an eel, perhaps?'
So thought Azadin, as he kicked off the ground.
The poison in eel mucus and blood isn't usually lethal unless it touches the eyes or mucous membranes.
For a moment he thought he could withstand it, but instead Azadin dodged the venom and leapt toward the chain.
And then—
Shuuk!
He seized the bow from his neck once more, dropping his Azure Steel longsword to the ground.
Twisting his body midair, he avoided the anchor and kept from being ensnared by its chain, and from that contorted posture he loosed an arrow.
Thud!
The arrow sank into the thick hide of the naga colossus. So great was the force that the shaft was buried entirely, vanishing into the flesh all the way to the fletching. It was no longer an arrow, but a parasite burrowing into living meat.
Driving in several more arrows like this, Azadin charged, reaching for his cudgel.
Grimslawn's cudgel flew of its own accord into his hand, and grasping it, Azadin smashed it against the very spot where his arrows had sunk into the naga colossus's flesh.
Thud!
The already fractured scales of the naga colossus split apart, its flesh tearing open. The shafts buried within splintered under the cudgel's blows, shredding together with meat.
"Kiieeeek!"
The naga colossus writhed in agony.
Enraged, it struggled to seize Azadin, but he moved too swiftly, hurling the cudgel around himself.
Like a pack of jackals circling their prey, the cudgel spun of its own will, orbiting around Azadin.
In that opening, Azadin slung the strung bow back over his body, retrieved the Azure Steel longsword he had dropped, and faced the naga colossus.
"With a body this huge, even light carving will yield several dishes!"
Blue sword-light danced as he slashed away, cutting through the colossus's legs, its tail fin, in rapid succession.
The naga colossus shrieked in pain, spewing blood and fluids deadly to humans, but Azadin stabbed his sword deep into the ground, prying up the paving stones to shield himself from the pouring ichor.
"Grrraah!"
The colossus hurled its body forward, shattering the stonework as it tried to swallow Azadin whole, but he dodged aside and instead sliced off its jaw.
'Similar in size to the Count, perhaps slightly smaller, yet strangely manageable. True, this one isn't as strong as the Count was then, but still… too easy. Have I become stronger?'
Was it from absorbing the mana of the copy of the Book of the Divine King every day?
Feeling his own growing power, Azadin slashed through the naga colossus with his Azure Steel sword.
But then—
Crack.
A sound came from the hilt.
The blade itself was unharmed, but the wooden peg fixing the tang to the grip was breaking apart.
"Damn!"
Azadin faltered as Bluey, his Azure Steel longsword, began slipping in his grasp.
The blade was still intact, so replacing the peg would fix it, but for it to fail at this moment—what poor timing. Fortunately, there were plenty of makeshift weapons at hand.
Azadin seized the anchor the colossus had thrown.
Even if it was only from a small coastal vessel, no lone man could ordinarily lift it. Yet Azadin hefted the iron mass, equal in weight to two grown men, and swung it down onto the naga colossus's skull.
The massive beast screamed, and in that instant, the anchor's hook pierced its cheekbone and lodged in its face.
The naga colossus struggled to rise, but Azadin tugged hard on the anchor chain, dragging it along like a mighty bull led by a nose ring.
"Hup!"
Azadin swung the chain, scattering other naga soldiers who charged him, and then hurled the colossus over the edge of the seaside cliff.
The great naga colossus screamed as it plummeted into the waters below, a towering pillar of spray rising into the air.
"Th-that's impossible!"
Among the watching nagas, those who still retained their reason cried out in terror.