Chapter 103: United in Slaying the Serpent

As the Medusa’s massive form slowly emerged from the swamp, Han Shuo realized it was even larger than he had imagined. The serpent heads atop its crown writhed and fluttered incessantly, while its snake-like lower body was as thick as a water bucket. When fully extended, its length stretched five to six meters.

“Everyone, be alert! It looks like the Medusa is planning to leave the swamp to hunt,” Han Shuo warned sharply, having observed the creature’s movements through his spiritual perception.

“Villain! Villain! Great villain!” A sudden shout from Han Shuo was followed by piercing screams from the pure and delicate elf cradled in his arms. She suddenly struggled, panic etched across her face, her small fists pounding repeatedly against Han Shuo’s chest.

Seeing the elf return to her senses, Han Shuo ceased holding her. Gripping the Demon-Slaying Blade firmly, his eyes scanned the surroundings with cold calculation, seeking a suitable place to confront the Medusa.

“What… what are you trying to do?” The elf gasped in shock, misinterpreting Han Shuo’s intentions as a threat. Stepping back, she suddenly summoned a magic staff and began chanting an incantation. A razor-sharp wind blade shot toward Han Shuo’s head.

“Damn it! Why are you attacking me?” Han Shuo dodged swiftly and glared fiercely at the elf.

Yet, the elf seemed even more enraged, glaring at Han Shuo with hostility and huffing angrily, “What did you just do to me?”

The starving Medusa, seeing no prey entering the swamp, grew visibly impatient. Its massive form moved swiftly through the marsh, inching closer to Han Shuo and his group.

At this critical moment, Han Shuo had no time to argue with the elf. Spotting Nia, the elven archer approaching from afar, he beckoned her over and gestured toward the confused elf. “You explain to her,” he said before swiftly withdrawing.

Han Shuo hurried to join Tranks and Afra’s group, speaking urgently: “The Medusa can no longer endure its hunger and is attempting to leave the swamp to hunt. It’s heading this way. Everyone, stay alert.”

“Two mages, quickly take positions behind the big tree beyond the trap. The two swordsmen, spread out and avoid alerting the Medusa to your presence. Han, you and I will temporarily withdraw. When the Medusa appears, we’ll block its escape. It’s tough to deal with inside the swamp, but outside, one-on-one, even the Medusa might not stand against me, the Scorpion Lion. We have a good chance to kill it, but be careful not to reveal our presence. If it escapes back to the swamp, it will be much harder to handle,” Tranks commanded, his voice sharp and authoritative as he directed everyone into position.

Even those adventurers who had previously harbored hostility toward Tranks fell silent, acknowledging the seriousness of the Medusa threat. One by one, they nodded and moved according to his orders.

After a brief nod to Tranks, Han Shuo withdrew, skirting the Medusa’s likely path. His spiritual perception far outmatched the others, and he noticed the Medusa was cautious. After slithering ashore, it paused near the marsh’s edge, seemingly contemplating its next move rather than rushing away.

The recently appeared magical beasts had been stripped of valuables and discarded into the giant trap they had prepared. The Medusa’s beautiful but formidable head turned slowly, its moist eyes clouded with confusion, unable to grasp why no beast or human had approached this time.

After a moment of indecision, the Medusa finally left the swamp, heading toward the ambush set by Afra and the others. Han Shuo observed through his spiritual sight that, under Nia’s persuasion, the previously furious elf had calmed down. She looked on with curiosity, reluctantly retreating but unwilling to move far.

Guarded and wary, the Medusa advanced slowly after leaving the swamp. Han Shuo and Tranks circled around from another angle to completely block the creature’s rear escape. Sharing a knowing glance, they silently closed in, ready to strike.

When the Medusa had moved several dozen meters from the swamp, its sinuous body suddenly neared the trap. Using the strength of its lower limbs, it tilted its body into the pit, only to be gradually pulled outward by its writhing motions.

At that moment, a sudden torrent of water dragon lightning burst from the sky, crackling as it struck the Medusa. Nearby, Nia drew her bow and released several sharp arrows that sliced through the air toward the creature.

Beside them, two swordsmen named Gordon collaborated, felling a massive tree trunk with a thunderous crash. The heavy log’s tip crashed down toward the Medusa.

Instantly realizing it was trapped, the Medusa’s lower limbs coiled around a nearby sturdy tree. Just as its body seemed about to fall into the pit, it leapt high and landed back on solid ground with a sharp slap.

The fallen tree trunk crashed into the pit’s base where the Medusa’s neck had hovered moments before, creating a deafening roar.

Afra’s water dragon struck the Medusa’s body but failed to inflict significant damage; the creature shook its head and tail, scattering the watery assault into a spray of droplets. However, the lightning strike caused a sharp, agonizing cry.

Only one of Nia’s arrows embedded a few inches into the Medusa’s soft neck, but it did not prove fatal. The creature writhed violently, clearly unshaken.

After the initial volley, the Medusa whipped its body and turned sharply, choosing not to retaliate but instead crawling back toward the swamp to reconsider its next move.

Unfortunately for the Medusa, Han Shuo and Tranks had long been prepared. A piercing roar accompanied the dazzling white fighting aura and the shrill wail of the Demon-Slaying Blade as both struck the creature’s neck and cheek in an instant.

While the Medusa had easily shrugged off earlier attacks, the combined assault from Han Shuo and Tranks made it keenly aware of the threat to its life. The fierce killing intent embedded in their strikes forced the high-level beast to unleash all its energy.

Its massive body suddenly became incredibly agile. The countless small snakes atop its head writhed wildly, hundreds twisting in the air to form a vast network of tentacles, seeking to block the attacks from Tranks and Han Shuo.

The white fighting aura and the Demon-Slaying Blade pierced the sea of serpents, instantly splattering blood mist across the sky. Severed snakes fell and writhed on the ground with sharp cracks.

Though their strikes were hindered and failed to reach the Medusa’s vital spots, the fallen snakes slithered toward Han Shuo and Tranks, attempting to overwhelm them.

“Hmph, courting death,” Tranks snorted coldly. A new longsword appeared in his hand, no longer the broad blade marred by the Demon-Slaying Blade’s notch.

Encased in milky white light, Tranks moved forward amid flying sand and debris. The small snakes approaching him shattered explosively, and he charged fiercely toward the Medusa. Meanwhile, a lightning-fast figure—the Scorpion Lion—burst forth, matching Tranks’ speed as it lunged at the beast.

Han Shuo stood still, eyes closed, focusing his spirit to wield the Demon-Slaying Blade. One by one, the small snakes atop the Medusa’s head screamed and were sliced into a dazzling crimson dance. The blade’s relentless sharpness severed most of the serpent heads in moments.

Other adventurers, seeing the Medusa’s escape cut off and its injuries mounting, surged forward from behind. United in their assault, their attacks intensified.

Tranks and the Scorpion Lion pressed in closely. Tranks transformed into a blur of milky-white light, his every strike tearing at the Medusa’s flesh and scattering blood. The Scorpion Lion, a high-level beast itself, darted nimbly around the Medusa on the open ground, its razor-sharp claws raking deep, bone-exposing wounds.

As Han Shuo’s Demon-Slaying Blade severed the last of the small snakes, the Medusa’s resistance waned dramatically. Its twisted body gradually stilled, sinking into a heavy silence.