Chapter 104: ¹⁰⁴Trap In The Snake’s Nest
The moment the first Hollow Thrall roared and shot forward like a bullet, the temperature in the stone room instantly plummeted.
The show of blood officially began. Razor-sharp obsidian claws cleaved the air with a terrifying whistle, aiming straight for Ethan Valen’s neck.
The young man didn’t even shift his footing.
A fraction of a second before the tips of the claws touched his skin, Ethan merely tilted his neck a few millimeters. The lethal strike purely tore through empty space.
Without a pause, Ethan’s right wrist flicked. Velcrasia shot out from the void. The dark red demon whip instantly coiled tightly around the monster’s right ankle.
One hard yank backward. The giant’s balance was shattered.
CRASH!
The stone floor cracked as the massive body slammed down. Before the monster could even crawl, a follow-up lash laden with Sin Mana struck straight down from above.
CRACK!
The Hollow Thrall’s thick skull exploded like a clay jug. Brain matter and black blood spewed profusely. The experimental monster died without any meaningful resistance.
Ethan stared at the corpse beneath him with absolute coldness.
Seeing their comrade perish in a single breath, the two remaining Thralls roared in unison, making the stone pillars vibrate.
The largest monster—nearly three meters tall—pounced wildly toward Valera. Meanwhile, the second Thrall took a flanking route, aiming for Ethan’s blind spot.
Valera bared her fangs. The female knight leaped lightly to the side, evading the lethal pounce. The Zweihander in her hands instantly glowed brightly. Golden Beast Aura flowed intensely, turning her steel blade into blinding gold.
"Come here, you deformed monster!"
Valera twisted her waist, slashing her sword squarely at the giant Thrall’s neck.
SLASH!
The thick skin and black muscles were torn open. The monster’s head was nearly severed, hanging at a horrifying angle. However, unexpectedly, the creature didn’t collapse. Its thick arm swung its obsidian claws blindly toward Valera.
"Tch. You’re pretty tough!" Valera grumbled in annoyance.
She ducked to evade the slash, pulled her sword back, then slashed twice in a cross formation.
Thud! Both of the monster’s arms were chopped off and fell to the floor.
Without mercy, Valera thrust her broadsword straight through the Thrall’s chest. The giant shuddered violently, vomiting black blood, before finally collapsing lifelessly.
At the same time, the last Thrall trying to ambush Ethan from the side met its end without ever touching its target. A single slash from Velcrasia decapitated it cleanly. Its stiff body stood for two full seconds before crashing onto the stones.
Three prized monsters were dead. Yet, the stage was not empty.
The sound of chaotic footsteps echoed. From behind the dark corridors, alcoves, and stone pillars, the elite forces of the Serpent’s Tongue swarmed out like moths to a flame.
Around twenty assassins in shabby black uniforms now surrounded Ethan and Valera. Their eyes projected a mix of terror and blind obedience. Poisoned daggers and spears were drawn.
Near the obsidian altar, The Hollow stood tall. The face behind his white ceramic mask thought he had taken control.
"Welcome to your grave," The Hollow boasted. "No matter how strong a monster is, it will die bleeding out from a thousand cuts."
Ethan looked up. His intonation was extraordinarily flat. "I already knew that you knew we were coming. This trap of yours is pathetic."
Along with those words, Ethan’s dark brown eyes slowly ignited. A dense crimson radiated, carrying absolute terror. Full slaughter mode.
Beside him, Valera twirled her Zweihander and rested it on her shoulder. Her smirk widened. "Let me help you clean up, My Lord."
Three assassins charged Valera simultaneously. Their daggers aimed for her neck and chest.
Valera moved faster than her own shadow. She ducked, launching an armored leg sweep at the enemies’ shins. The sound of cracking bones followed by shrill screams echoed.
Without pausing, her Zweihander swept the air. One horizontal slash split the stomachs of the other two attackers simultaneously. Fresh blood instantly spilled, polluting the pools of the Thralls’ black blood.
The first enemy with broken legs tried to crawl away, but Valera ended him with a casual stab to the back of the neck.
On Ethan’s side, the main wave of attacks arrived. The troops were naive, hoping quantity could cover the chasm of quality.
Velcrasia danced like an executioner. The tip of the whip mowed down skulls, shredded chests, and snapped necks with lethal precision.
From a hidden stone balcony, five archers drew their bowstrings, locking their targets onto Ethan’s back.
Ethan’s crimson eyes glanced upward. [Abyssal Stride].
His body melted into the shadows. In the blink of an eye, he appeared right behind the five archers. Before they realized their target had vanished, one horizontal pull of Velcrasia cut four necks cleanly. The last archer choked to death as the tip of the whip pierced his throat.
Ethan kicked the corpses down to the main floor.
Below, one desperate enemy sneaked into Valera’s blind spot, preparing to stab the knight in the back.
But before the dagger touched her armor, Velcrasia shot down from the balcony and decapitated him. The head rolled to Valera’s feet.
Valera clicked her tongue in annoyance, flicking the blood off her sword blade. "I can take care of myself."
"Prove it," Ethan replied coldly without breaking his stride.
In less than two minutes, only a quarter of the elite forces remained. The giant room now reeked heavily of metallic blood. Its black stone floor was incredibly slippery from the spills of two different colored bloods.
Near the altar, The Hollow took a step back. The crack in his mask couldn’t hide his panicked, heaving chest. His eyes bulged in disbelief.
Ethan strolled casually past the piles of corpses. His shirt wasn’t stained by a single drop. His eyes locked onto the cult leader.
"Your turn."
The Hollow trembled violently. His sanity was at its limit. Realizing he couldn’t win a physical brawl, the man pulled a dagger from his robe.
Instead of attacking, he pressed his own left wrist against the altar, then swung his dagger with all his might.
SQUELCH!
The Hollow’s left hand was severed. Fresh blood spewed heavily like a fountain, flooding the obsidian stone.
The Hollow’s body slumped. He plunged his dagger into the floor as a crutch to keep from passing out from shock.
"Come out! I’ve paid my contract!" The Hollow shrieked desperately.
The altar hissed, gulping down the blood greedily. However, from within the black stone, only a deep, lazy voice was heard.
"Not enough."
The Hollow’s eyes bulged wildly. He turned to the back corridor. His six remaining members were hiding there, trembling in fear.
"Step forward! Surrender your lives for me! NOW!" The Hollow roared madly.
The five soldiers wept while shaking their heads. However, purple magic engravings suddenly ignited on their necks. An absolute subjugation contract. Their bodies moved on their own, completely out of their control.
With tears streaming down, the five of them plunged daggers into their own necks. They collapsed in unison. The essence of their souls and blood evaporated into a red mist, sucked straight into the altar.
The Hollow laughed bitterly, relishing in his pain and madness.
The obsidian altar erupted in a dense red glow. The room temperature plummeted drastically. From the swirling shadows above the altar, a figure stepped out.
It was two meters tall. Its skin was a pale blue. Its eyes burned yellow like rotten lanterns. Two small horns protruded from its forehead, complete with razor-sharp obsidian claws on every finger.
The Contract Demon.
The creature cracked its neck, staring at The Hollow who was still clutching the stump of his arm on the floor.
"Just to kill two mortal humans, you severed your own hand and sacrificed your slaves?" the demon mocked, its voice condescending. "You piece of trash."
"K-Kill them! Tear their flesh apart!" The Hollow screamed hysterically.
The demon turned its head. Its yellow eyes scanned Ethan and Valera. Due to the absolute [Sin Concealment], it only saw two ordinary humans. No dangerous residual energy.
"Boring prey," it snorted.
Valera needed no cue. Her feral instincts boiled at being underestimated. She leaped forward, draining the rest of her Golden Beast Aura into her sword, and slashed with a force capable of cleaving a coral mountain.
However, the Demon merely raised its left hand casually.
CLANG!
The giant steel blade was stopped purely by the demon’s bare palm. Not a single scratch. Its pale skin was as hard as diamond.
Valera’s eyes bulged.
Before she could pull her sword back, the Demon gripped the Zweihander’s blade and yanked it roughly. Valera stumbled forward, losing her balance.
The demon’s right hand swung like lightning.
Slash!
The black claws slashed Valera’s right arm, tearing through her leather armor and ripping flesh from shoulder to elbow. Fresh blood sprayed, drenching the floor.
Valera hissed, enduring the stinging pain. Her survival instincts made her quickly shift the weight of the Zweihander to her intact left hand. The wound on her right arm gaped wide.
Just as the demon raised its claws to decapitate Valera, a black shadow cut into its path.
Ethan stood there. Serving as the absolute shield for his knight.
"Step back, Valera," Ethan ordered without looking back.
Ethan stared at the pale demon. The corner of his eye cast a brief glance at the blood dripping from Valera’s arm. A storm of darkness slowly gathered in his eyes.
"She’s mine," Ethan hissed lethally. "This is none of your business."
The demon actually laughed arrogantly. "You’re just a lowly mortal. How dare you—"
That nonsense was never finished.
Ethan unlocked his seal. Pure Sin Mana, ancient and utterly corrupt, exploded outward like a tsunami from the deepest hell.
Its pressure was so absolute that the torches on the walls died instantly. The stone pillars creaked and cracked. The corpses on the floor vibrated as if trampled by supernatural gravity. The Hollow immediately plummeted flat against the floor, unable to draw a breath.
Ethan’s eyes were now fully glowing crimson, radiating a glow like embers from the bottom of an abyss of suffering.
The blue-skinned demon stumbled backward. Its smirk vanished without a trace, replaced by raw terror choking its veins. Its body trembled violently.
"T-This aura... i-impossible!" the demon stammered, its eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. "Y-You... you’re not—!"
Panicking, the creature lunged in despair. It swung its black claws blindly at Ethan’s face.
Too slow. Ethan shifted millimeter by millimeter like a ghost, letting the slash miss entirely.
The moment the demon’s defenses opened up, Velcrasia—now pulsing wildly tasting the blood of a lowly demon—shot out and coiled around its neck.
With a numb face, Ethan yanked his whip.
CRACK!
The Demon’s neck bone snapped loudly. The creature fell to its knees, clutching its own neck, staring at the power before it with absolute despair.
It tried to beg, but Ethan stepped calmly and plunged the hilt end of Velcrasia straight through the demon’s left chest, tearing its magical heart to shreds.
The blue body collapsed, dead with its eyes bulging in horror.
The room suddenly fell silent. Only the sound of heavy breathing and drops of blood falling into puddles could be heard.
Near the altar, The Hollow knelt in resignation. His stump of an arm stained his black robe. He had lost everything. His army was leveled, his Thralls were dead, and his contract demon was beheaded like a deformed chicken.
"You... who are you exactly?!" The Hollow roared, his voice cracking through tears. "Why are you doing all this?! I never even bothered you!"
Ethan didn’t bother replying to that pathetic roar. He turned around, stepping toward Valera.
The female knight stood leaning on her sword, her left hand clutching her right shoulder that continuously poured blood.
Without a word, Ethan pulled Valera into his embrace. His right hand wrapped possessively around the knight’s waist, pulling her flush against his chest. Ethan rested his chin relaxedly upon Valera’s uninjured left shoulder.
Valera’s body tensed briefly, wincing slightly when her wound was bumped. Yet shortly after, a faint red blush crept onto her cheeks. She let her master support her body weight, having no intention to resist that dominance.
From over Valera’s shoulder, only then did Ethan stare at The Hollow with a condescending gaze. There was no gentleness in that posture, merely a pure declaration of absolute ownership.
"I came all the way out here purely to pick her up," Ethan stated flatly. "You and this rat nest of yours... just happened to be in the way."
The Hollow’s mouth fell wide open behind his cracked mask. His brain failed to process reality. All his hard work, his organization, and his arm were destroyed simply because he happened to stand in the path of a man who was picking up his knight.
A discordant laugh slowly escaped his mouth. That laugh turned hysterical, then shattered into heartbreaking sobs. His sanity was finished.
The scene around them was nothing short of an exhibition of hell. Piled corpses, pools of blood, a sprawled demon, accompanied by the mad weeping of a masked man.
Valera looked up slightly from Ethan’s chest. She stared at her enemy’s destruction with a mixture of stinging pain in her arm and feral satisfaction.
"You truly are an annoying demon, Ethan," Valera muttered softly, hiding a smile at the corner of her lips.
Ethan turned his head slightly, inhaling the scent of blood and sweat from his knight’s neck. "I know."