Ch.97EP 4 Jormungandr

The sudden earthquake was caused by Jörmungandr.

For some unknown reason, Jörmungandr was enraged and using its massive body to destroy the terrain. Despite the considerable distance between Seoul and Daejeon, we could detect its movements due to its enormous size.

The situation was serious. If we weren’t careful, its tail might extend all the way to Seoul.

I immediately gathered the second-generation users together with Aurel.

With no time to be surprised by the sudden earthquake, the second-generation users quickly assembled with confused expressions when the summons was issued.

Perhaps we would have to fight that creature sooner than expected.

I spoke to Aurel with a serious expression.

“Aurel.”

“Yes!”

“Send your little chirpers to check what that thing is fighting with.”

“Understood!”

Aurel even gave an awkward salute at my command.

She sent her subordinates flying toward the sky.

-Tweet tweet tweet!

Aurel’s sparrows flew away very quickly.

After some time passed, Aurel’s sparrows came fluttering back.

Aurel immediately began conversing with the sparrows.

-Tweet tweet!

“Yes!”

-Tweet tweet tweet!

“Really…?”

-Tweet tweet!

After a while of talking with her sparrows, Aurel turned to me.

“She says humans were attacking it!”

“Humans…? You mean wild humans?”

“Yes!”

I sighed at her words.

I had wondered if there were second-generation users who hadn’t listened to me, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Of course, discovering that those who attacked Jörmungandr were wild humans didn’t change the situation.

I kept all second-generation users in Seoul on standby in combat-ready status, waiting for Jörmungandr to calm down.

Jörmungandr’s rampage was truly tremendous.

Whenever its black body, which had soared into the sky, fell back to the ground, tall buildings would inevitably collapse.

Roads split open, and even the entrance to the Underground Ruins collapsed.

After some time, Jörmungandr’s massive head rose high into the sky and then stopped moving.

“Gasp… I think it’s over now.”

“Is it…?”

It seemed like Jörmungandr’s rampage had ended, just as Aurel said.

But at that moment, its head began to turn and looked directly toward Seoul where we were.

Its large, torn yellow eyes showed no emotion, just like other bosses.

And right after that, Jörmungandr began to move.

Rumble-!

Its massive head, moving as if bouncing its enormous body, approached rapidly.

It had begun advancing toward Seoul with that gigantic body.

I contemplated whether to fight and defend Seoul or to flee with everyone.

If we abandoned Seoul, everything we had accomplished would be lost.

The slave facilities would collapse, we wouldn’t be able to increase the number of vampires, and the turbines running underground would explode.

It meant losing electricity and returning to the wild.

“W-what should we do…!”

“Grrrr!”

I needed to make a decision.

Clenching my fist, I shouted:

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

I had made my choice. We would defend Seoul.

I couldn’t lose everything we had worked so hard to build.

I began preparing to lead the second-generation users out of Seoul to confront Jörmungandr.

We needed to fight as far away as possible to minimize the impact on the city.

To protect Seoul, we had to move away from Seoul.

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at the irony of the situation.

Jörmungandr moved very quickly. Before we could completely leave Seoul, its massive head reached the outskirts of the city.

Thud-!

[Hissssss!]

The moment Jörmungandr let out its snake-like cry, the second-generation users’ eyes glazed over slightly, and they collapsed to the ground.

Both Hwang-gu, whom I was riding, and Aurel were affected by that cry. Aurel cowered behind me in fear, while Hwang-gu tucked her tail between her legs.

“Everyone, snap out of it!!!”

At this rate, everyone would die.

I shouted loudly and rushed forward.

It was a snake. If we could get on top of its head, it wouldn’t have direct means to attack us.

“Chaaaarge!”

The second-generation users, seemingly regaining their senses at my shout, began to run.

I pulled Hwang-gu’s leash and leaped toward Jörmungandr’s body.

Tap- tap- tap-!

We needed to use everything at our disposal.

The second-generation human users had already begun their attack.

Numerous bombardments rained down on the giant snake, filling the sky with brilliant lights.

I passed through all of that, leading Hwang-gu onto Jörmungandr’s body.

Jörmungandr was the boss of the fourth episode in Blood Carnival, but no user would have fought it directly.

In the story, Jörmungandr was killed by a nuclear bomb attack from the human race.

But there were no nuclear bombs in this world. That meant we had to defeat it ourselves.

“Run!”

“Woof woof!”

Riding Hwang-gu, I used the Manticore’s tooth sword to scratch Jörmungandr’s body.

When the smooth black scales met the pure white tooth sword, fierce flames erupted.

Clang!

Hwang-gu continued running without stopping. And following behind us, second-generation users climbed onto Jörmungandr’s body.

As we ran fearlessly along the giant snake’s path, something happened.

Jörmungandr’s movement paused momentarily, and then the smooth scales beneath our feet began to sharpen and stand on end.

Whoosh!

As blade-like snake scales suddenly began to rise, Hwang-gu hurriedly spread her wings and flew up into the sky.

Thanks to this movement, Hwang-gu was safe from the attack, but the second-generation users following behind had their bodies torn by the blades.

“Aaagh!”

“Ch-Charlotte…!”

The situation was dire. My wrong charge order had caused a tremendous number of second-generation users to die.

Of course, not everyone died. Those who survived were still following me toward Jörmungandr’s head, riding its body despite their skin being cut by the blades.

Those who couldn’t attack from a distance had no choice but to ride on this back covered with blade-like scales.

I pulled Hwang-gu’s leash, ignoring the second-generation users.

“Let’s go!”

“Woof woof!”

Hwang-gu quickly flew toward Jörmungandr’s head.

Its head was also covered with sharp blade-like scales, and landing there would result in cuts all over my body.

But there was no choice. I jumped off Hwang-gu’s back and shouted:

“Try not to get hurt!”

“Woof woof!”

“Charlotte!”

Thud-!

As expected, when I landed on Jörmungandr’s head, sharp blades dug into my skin.

However, with my regenerative abilities, I could still fight despite these wounds.

“Hiyaaaah!”

Every time I swung my sword, my skin was cut and regenerated repeatedly.

When the flowing blood began to soak Jörmungandr’s face, my sword finally reached its eye.

[Hissssss!]

Jörmungandr let out a painful scream as its large eyeball was torn.

It twisted its enormous body in all directions, turning everything into chaos.

The writhing of this gigantic creature was truly a disaster. When it struck the ground with its tail, the surface rippled like waves, and tsunamis of dirt spread in all directions.

“Urrrgh!”

In such a situation, it was impossible to launch a proper attack.

The second-generation users who were providing supporting fire from a distance were scattered in all directions due to the earthquake.

And at that moment, Jörmungandr swung its head violently.

It was only natural that I was thrown off by the impact.

“Urrrgh!”

Just as I spread my wings to regain balance, Jörmungandr’s huge mouth opened wide and lunged at me.

Snap!

The dim moonlight disappeared, and my entire body was covered in wet, sticky mucous membrane.

I flailed my whole body and stabbed my knife into Jörmungandr’s gums.

Stab-!

“Ugh…”

It seemed to be trying to swallow me, but that wasn’t going to happen.

I would continue to endure and kill this creature.

Jörmungandr’s mouth muscles moved endlessly, trying to swallow me.

But as I continued to resist, it eventually began to move its tongue.

Its rapidly moving tongue lashed out like a whip and wrapped around my ankle.

The creature’s tongue was as large as its massive body and moved freely like some kind of tentacle.

Crack!

“Urrrgh…!”

My ankle made a chilling sound as it broke, wrapped in the tongue. The wet, sticky tongue began to tighten strongly, and my body couldn’t withstand it.

In this state, enduring was all I could do. I immediately summoned my children.

They would be uncomfortable in this hot, wet, and sticky space, but there was no other way.

“Come out!”

-Hiyaaak!

-H-hieek!

-It’s stickyyy!

As I expected, my children screamed as they appeared, rolling around in Jörmungandr’s mouth.

However, they quickly regained their composure and rushed toward the large tongue.

“Cut off the tongue!”

The white, cute girls moved according to my orders.

Some wielded their weapons to stab Jörmungandr’s tongue repeatedly, while others used their teeth to bite down hard on the tongue.

Then, when Jörmungandr’s tongue was cut off, an enormous amount of blood began to pour from the severed surface and fill the mouth.

Even though I absorbed the blood using shadows, it filled up faster than I could drain it.

And there seemed to be poison in the blood. My vision began to blur, and strength began to leave my hand holding the sword.

“Ugh, urgh…!”

-H-hieee!

-Bloooood!

Hundreds of my children began to disappear beyond Jörmungandr’s throat, swept away by the blood.

Only then could I realize the creature’s strategy.

At this rate, I would be eaten. But even knowing this fact, there was nothing I could do right now.

Eventually, my hand lost its strength.

I tried to use shadows to hang onto something else, but the constantly squirming mouth muscles made even that impossible.

I slid beyond Jörmungandr’s throat along with my children.

“Urrrgh…!”

The throat was quite narrow compared to its large body.

The sticky flesh walls pressed against my body, and the mixture of sticky bodily fluids and blood made my body slippery.

At this rate, I would go straight to the stomach. I quickly called my children into the shadows and then brought them out again.

The children who came out all at once filled the narrow flesh walls and got stuck in the middle with me.

My body was pressed so tightly that it was hard to breathe, but it was better than sliding down.

-H-hieek…

-Can’t breathe…

-Slippery… sticky… hate it…

At that moment, Jörmungandr’s body began to thrash wildly.

It was understandable. If food got stuck in the middle of your throat while eating, it would be quite painful.

“Hold ooooon!!!”

I bit into the sticky flesh wall and shouted to my children.