Grand Olympia: Further Horizon - Chapter 17: Fall
That Beast Refused to Die
The air was thick with poison, a suffocating death fog that clung to their skin and burned in their lungs. Every breath felt like swallowing fire, every movement weighed down by the stench of blood, ash, and decay.
The battlefield—once an arena of relentless steel and fury—was now a graveyard of destruction.
The once-proud trees had been obliterated, the earth beneath them scarred and torn asunder. The very air itself felt wrong, heavy, as if soaked in the despair of all who had fought here.
And yet, despite it all—everyone is still alive.
The massive serpent, a creature that had endured the impossible, lay sprawled upon the battlefield. Its body was a tapestry of wounds—jagged slashes, shattered scales, deep punctures that oozes thick, dark green blood into the soil beneath it.
Its glistening black scales, once an impenetrable armor, were cracked beyond recognition.
Its flesh should have failed. Its bones should have shattered. Its life should have ended. But it did not.
The fighters, battered and bleeding, could only watch as something began to change.
The beast's crimson eyes, once dulled by pain, now blazed with renewed intensity. A deep, eerie red glow pulsed from within its pupils, spreading outward in slow, unnatural waves.
The wounds on its body shuddered, the muscles beneath its broken scales twitching violently—as if something inside of it refused to accept death. A new force—something beyond instinct, beyond nature—was driving it forward.
Hatred.
The fighters braced themselves, weapons clenched despite their exhaustion. A deep rumbling resonated from the serpent's chest, a sound that shook the earth beneath them.
Its massive coils tightened, muscles bulging beneath torn flesh, its body rising higher and higher like a specter of vengeance given form. The air thickened with an overwhelming presence.
And then—
It lunged.
With a speed that defied its wounds, the serpent exploded forward, its massive form blotting out the sky, its razor-sharp fangs bared to rip them apart.
Lapulapu, Yasuke, Musashi, Jeanne, Qin Liangyu, Fu Hao, George, and Billy were the only ones left standing. Edward and Zheng Yi Sao lay unconscious.
Every single one of them was exhausted. Cuts, bruises, and broken armor covered their bodies.
And yet—they held their ground. This was their final stand.
The serpent's massive body crashed forward, its jaws snapping open, large enough to swallow them whole.
It lunges towards Yasuke with tremendous speed.
Musashi reacts fast, his instincts screaming. His wooden swords flashed, striking at its maw just before its fangs could sink into Yasuke.
The impact forced the beast's head back—but only slightly. Yasuke followed, bringing his kanabo down with all his might, slamming the weapon right into the serpent's exposed skull.
The thunderous crack echoed across the field.
The beast screeched, thrashing wildly, its body slamming against the ground in pain.
Lapulapu didn't hesitate. With unshakable strength, he charged, driving his shield forward, slamming it directly against the monster's wounded scales.
A sound like breaking stone echoed as he forced the serpent back by sheer force alone. Its crimson eyes burned with malice. It twisted, tail whipping across the field, nearly sending them all flying.
Jeanne raised her spear just in time, blocking the impact, but the force still sent her skidding backward.
Qin Liangyu spun her segmented spear, its chained sections moving like a serpent of its own, striking at the monster's wounds. Her blows weakened it, slowed it—but still, it stood.
George, still high above, took aim. Lining up the crosshairs, he aimed for the beast's remaining eye
"Come on, you bastard…"
BANG!
The bullet flew true, striking the serpent's glowing red eye—but it did not blind it. Instead—the glow turned even brighter.
The serpent reared back, inhaling sharply.
Poison.
It was about to unleash everything left. A final, full-power exhalation of its deadly black fog. The poison that could finish them all.
But before it could—
A blur of movement shot forward. Before anyone could react—Fu Hao had already launched herself at the serpent.
Her feet pounded against the ruined earth, each step fueled by pure, unrelenting fury. Her companions barely had time to call out to her—but she was already gone.
The serpent's massive jaws stretched wide, its throat swelling as it prepared to unleash its final, killing breath. A tidal wave of poison—strong enough to consume them all in seconds.
But Fu Hao didn't slow down. She grinned. She ripped off her makeshift mask, baring her teeth like a wild beast.
With a single motion, she clenched her small jade axe between her teeth. And then—she jumped.
Her body twisted through the air, spinning like a comet, using the body of the massive snake her trajectory aimed straight for the serpent's face. Her hands found purchase on the beast's massive snout.
Her fingers dug into its flesh, gripping the monstrous fangs of the lower jaw. And then—The poison came.
A black, toxic smog erupted from the serpent's maw—directly into Fu Hao's face point blank. The thick, noxious cloud enveloped her entirely, swallowing her in death.
A lesser person would have crumbled.
A sane person would have retreated.
But Fu Hao was neither. Even as the poison burned her throat, flooded her lungs, tore at her body from the inside—
She laughed.
A deep, guttural laugh filled with madness. Her muscles flexed, veins bulging from her arms and shoulders, her entire body shaking with raw, primal strength.
She would not let go. The serpent shrieked, its head whipping back violently, trying to shake her off—but her grip was absolute.
Her feet dug into the beast's scales, cracks forming beneath her from the sheer force of her stance. Her arms trembled, her vision darkened—but she did not stop.
She would not stop. With one final, earth-shattering roar—Fu Hao ripped the serpent's lower jaw clean off.
RIP!
A sickening, wet tear echoed through the battlefield. The serpent's lower jaw was torn away in one monstrous display of brute strength.
A tidal wave of thick green blood exploded outward, drenching Fu Hao in the beast's lifeblood.
The serpent howled in agony, its body convulsing violently, thrashing like a creature of nightmares. Fu Hao stood there, drenched in green ichor, her breath ragged.
She swayed. Her vision blurred. The poison, the exhaustion, the shear strain—all of it crashed down upon her at once. Her legs gave out. And then—She fell.
Blood gushed out violently, spraying across the battlefield. The serpent's screech turned into a horrible, gurgling cry as it reared back in shock and agony.
It writhed, its entire body convulsing, disoriented, broken.
For the first time—it looked afraid. And that was when Musashi moved.
Musashi did not hesitate. He had one chance. With every ounce of his strength, he charged forward.
The serpent's exposed, bleeding throat lay open before him. His wooden swords have been sharper than ever. Feeling the familiar weight in his hands.
Musashi leaped. Higher than he had ever jumped before. The world around him slowed. For a moment—it was just him and the beast. He exhaled.
Then—he swung. A perfect horizontal slash.
The blade sliced clean through the serpent's neck. The moment his feet touched the ground, the beast's head was already falling. The sound of flesh tearing, bone snapping—Then—silence.
The massive onyx serpent collapsed, its lifeless body crashing against the earth, causing the ground to tremble beneath them. Its body is still twitching convulsively.
For a long moment—no one spoke. No one moved.
Musashi let out a breath.
"…It's over."
The fight was over.
The serpent was dead.
[You have obtained a golden medallion. For the first one killing a rank 6 monster.]