After hearing this, the man took several deep breaths as Baal had instructed. Only then did his fear ease slightly.
"Don't rush, take your time," Baal reminded him.
"I'm a villager from Himuki Village. I was so eager to attend the founding ceremony that I got up early."
"Everything was fine at first, but suddenly there was a loud noise from the west. When I looked over, I saw a giant snake head in the distance."
"At first, I thought I was seeing things. But after looking closely for a while, I'm sure—it was Orobashi. And it seemed like he was fighting with Lord Sasayuri."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zebul transformed into lightning, tore through the void, and vanished on the spot.
She moved so fast that Chiyo and the others didn't even have time to react.
"Let's go."
Chiyo and the others immediately followed, rushing toward Yashiori Island at full speed.
Meanwhile, the lightning streaked across the sea, heading straight for Yashiori Island.
When Zebul arrived and saw that the serpent was already dead, her heart suddenly trembled, and she froze in place.
She knew Orobashi's power—and she also knew Elliot's strength very well.
She understood that Elliot shouldn't have had the power to kill Orobashi.
Now that Orobashi was dead, then Elliot must have...
The thought tightened her chest.
She began frantically searching around the serpent's body for any sign of Elliot.
"I want to bring a friend with me to the founding ceremony."
She suddenly remembered what Elliot had said on Yashiori Island three days ago.
Maybe it was Elliot and that friend who killed the serpent together!
If that was the case, then Elliot might still be alive!
She followed the serpent's body all the way to the coastline.
When she saw the scene before her, her entire body froze.
She...
had stumbled upon a living hell.
The entire shoreline was littered with corpses, waves stained crimson with blood, and bodies floated in the sea.
At the very center stood a figure, soaked in blood, gripping a blade—like a demon risen from the depths of hell.
Blood still dripped from the tip of the blade.
"Sasa...yuri...?"
Zebul whispered in disbelief.
At the sound of her voice, the blood-covered figure slowly turned around.
When that familiar face came into view, Zebul's eyes widened in shock.
"Sasayuri! What happened?!"
She rushed forward and grabbed Elliot's shoulder, but as soon as she touched him, her whole body shuddered as if struck by lightning.
Zebul's pupils shrank. She reached out again to touch Elliot's left shoulder, her expression filled with disbelief.
"Sasayuri..."
"Your..."
"Your left hand...?"
Zebul looked up at Elliot in despair. Her eyes turned red in an instant.
"It's fine... General..."
"It's just one hand..."
Elliot struggled to speak, forcing out each word.
Though his face was drenched in blood, his smile remained as gentle as the sun.
"Don't... hurt... the people of Watatsumi Island..."
With those final words, Elliot lost consciousness due to massive blood loss.
...
Several days later.
Elliot slowly opened his eyes.
Gone were the mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. In their place was a quiet, tidy room.
He tried to sit up, but even the slightest movement made it feel like a thousand needles were stabbing into his body—an unbearable pain.
He could only raise his head slightly. His entire body was wrapped in bandages. Except for his head, he looked like a complete mummy.
He vaguely remembered that after slaying the serpent, he had carried out its final wish and turned to face the intruders—slaughtering every last one of them.
But he had also been gravely wounded in the fight with the serpent. During his battle with the invaders, a brief lapse of focus had led to the loss of his left arm.
"You're awake!?"
Chiyo had just entered the room and saw Elliot with his eyes open.
"General! Sasayuri's awake!!!" she immediately ran out and shouted.
Soon, Zebul and the others gathered around.
"How do you feel? Are you in any pain?" Zebul asked with concern.
"Yes, I hurt all over," Elliot replied.
"Good, that means you're not seriously hurt."
Elliot: "???"
"Why did Orobashi suddenly attack Yashiori Island? Did your friend die? Why didn't you notify us? And what did you mean by 'don't hurt the people of Watatsumi Island'?"
Zebul rattled off all her questions in one breath.
"He just woke up. Let him rest a bit before bombarding him with questions," Baal said with more understanding.
"How's the founding ceremony going?" Instead of answering, Elliot asked about the ceremony.
"You're in this condition and you're still worried about the founding ceremony?! Are you stupid? Orobashi was a god! How could you even think of fighting him?!"
Chiyo looked at his missing left arm. Her eyes welled up instantly.
"But I... still won," Elliot said with a smile.
"But... your hand..."
Tears streamed down Chiyo's face, pain and sorrow written all over it.
"With one hand, I protected the people of Yashiori Island."
"It was worth it..."