Chapter 57

Chapter 57

“What the hell?”

“Sandworms?”

“Fuck!”

Zahar, Darren, and Seido’s eyes widened.

They had never expected one of the desert tyrants, the Sandworms, to appear at this exact moment.

Among them, Zahar’s shock was especially great.

“Why Sandworms? Don’t tell me this is a Sandworm habitat?”

A single Sandworm was not especially terrifying.

The problem was that four Sandworms had appeared behind Zeon.

The Sandworms, which had stuck their heads out as if to draw in fresh air for a moment, disappeared back into the sand.

GRRRM!

Then an intense vibration could be felt.

The Sandworms were charging toward the three of them.

Felix moved urgently and said,

“Why are they ignoring that bastard......?”

Zeon was between them and the Sandworms. Yet the Sandworms had skipped over Zeon and attacked them instead, and he could not understand it.

“Fuck!”

Darren spat a curse and slammed his mechanical fist hard into the ground.

CRASH—!

With a single punch from him, the sand burst upward like an active volcano. But the force did not reach the Sandworms beneath the sand.

This was exactly what made Sandworms difficult to deal with.

They approached while hiding beneath the surface, so attacking them was not easy. On the other hand, they used the sand as a defensive wall and watched constantly for an opportunity.

There was a reason Sandworms were called the assassins and tyrants of the desert.

Zahar said,

“No one move carelessly. Those things detect our vibrations. When they reveal themselves, we have to end them in one strike.”

“Yes!”

“Got it, Captain!”

Seido and Felix answered at the same time.

Their answers were crisp, but confusion was plain on their faces.

KWAAAAH!

At that moment, one Sandworm suddenly raised its head.

Its gaping mouth aimed for Darren.

“You worm bastard, who do you think you’re targeting?”

Enraged, Darren swung his fist.

It was a fist made of machine parts.

Black aura rippled over his fist.

It was a color only those fused with machines could possess.

Black symbolized death and destruction.

Darren intended to burst the Sandworm apart and kill it in one blow. But just before Darren’s fist struck the Sandworm, a small variable occurred.

CRUMBLE!

Suddenly, a small flame flared up from Darren’s forearm.

And of all places, it was the drive axis of his mechanical prosthetic arm.

As the drive axis melted down in an instant, the mechanical prosthetic arm stopped moving. At the same time, the black aura dwelling in the mechanical prosthetic arm vanished immediately.

At that moment, Darren’s gaze turned toward Zeon, who stood some distance away.

He instinctively realized this was Zeon’s doing.

His suspicion proved true.

Zeon had raised his right arm.

The gauntlet covered his entire forearm and fist.

The red jewel embedded in the back of the gauntlet.

The center of the red jewel was split vertically like a reptile’s eye, and an uncanny light was radiating from between the slit.

It was the Red Dragon’s Eye that had been used as the power source of Iblis, the Chimera who had been forced to become the Gold Dragon Haieltun’s Guardian.

Once the Red Dragon’s Eye was combined with it, the gauntlet had transformed into the Ultra-Heat Gauntlet.

The Ultra-Heat Gauntlet allowed Zeon to use Flame Magic.

Although it was not as precise as handling sand, he could still use it intuitively to a certain extent.

He had concentrated Flame Magic on a single point and melted only the mechanical prosthetic arm’s drive mechanism.

He had not spread Magic over a wide area. Concentrating it onto one point, like gathering sunlight through a magnifying glass, was not especially difficult.

It was only a simple spell, but its aftermath was anything but small.

As the prosthetic arm stopped working, Darren flinched, and the Sandworm swallowed him whole.

CRUNCH!

Without even time to scream, Darren’s body was ground apart inside the Sandworm’s mouth.

“Darren!”

“No!”

Zahar and Seido shouted loudly at the sight of him dying so brutally before their eyes.

Sound caused vibrations, and the Sandworms that detected those vibrations attacked the two of them.

KWAAAAA!

A gigantic mouth appeared, pushing through the sand.

Zahar drove his fist toward the head of the Sandworm that had burst out.

CRASH—!

KIEEEEE!

With an explosive roar, the Sandworm screamed.

Its outside looked intact, but its brain had been completely crushed.

The Sandworm sagged limply and died.

After putting out the immediate fire, Zahar looked for the Sandworm that had eaten Darren. But the Sandworm, having filled its belly, had already disappeared.

“You......”

Zahar’s shoulders trembled with rage.

Then it happened.

“Ghk!”

Seido suddenly screamed.

Seido was staggering with a severe burn on his side. While he had been distracted holding the Sandworm in check, he had been hit by the Flame Magic Zeon had secretly fired.

The pain of his burning side made Seido’s mind go blank for a moment.

The Sandworm did not miss that opportunity and bit Seido. Then it disappeared into the sand in an instant.

Not even a scream could be heard.

“Uaaaaah!”

Having lost two subordinates in an instant, Zahar flew into a rage.

Zahar charged toward Zeon, the root cause of everything that had happened.

Now he no longer cared about the Sandworms.

Only the thought of killing Zeon and erasing him filled his mind.

“Don’t think you’ll get a clean death, you son of a bitch!”

The sight of Zahar charging while releasing fighting spirit was extremely threatening. But it was nowhere near enough to erase the smile lingering on Zeon’s lips.

SNAP!

Zeon snapped his fingers. Then the sand hardened in an instant and seized Zahar’s ankles.

Because of that, Zahar faltered for a moment.

In that gap, a gigantic Sandworm’s mouth aimed for him.

“How dare a mere worm......”

Zahar tried to unleash a Skill against the Sandworm. But Zeon was faster.

POP!

A small flame burst right before Zahar’s eyes.

The flame seared Zahar’s retinas.

“Kraaaagh!”

As darkness suddenly came with pain, Zahar screamed. In the meantime, the Sandworm’s enormous mouth swallowed him whole.

Zahar’s scream was eaten by the Sandworm and vanished.

Sssshhh!

The Sandworm that had swallowed Zahar disappeared into the sand just like that.

That was Zahar’s end.

Watching the sight, Zeon murmured,

“You don’t have to use a large Skill to kill someone.”

Zeon had realized long ago that even a weak Skill could easily eliminate a strong opponent if used in the right place at the right time. And he had also learned that the most perfect victory was one won without using his own strength.

Zeon turned his head and looked at Mandy.

After allowing Zahar’s strike to land, Mandy had been unable to escape from the defensive.

Felix and Anika attacked Mandy like mad.

“Fuck! Die. Just die.”

Felix poured out curses like a madman.

Curse of Decline.

Curse of Decay.

He poured every curse he could use onto Mandy. Yet for some reason, Mandy remained unharmed even by his curses.

Instead, Anika’s attacks drove her into a corner.

“Flash Bomb!”

POP!

Anika’s Magic burst right in front of Mandy’s eyes.

Mandy was flung away as if swept up in a storm.

Her appearance had become a mess.

Her clothes were torn to pieces, and her hair was tangled wildly.

Looking at Mandy like that, Anika screamed, her voice thick with malice.

“How’s that? How does it feel, you fucking bitch?!”

She too had seen her comrades get eaten alive by Sandworms.

Rage devoured her reason, and she resolved that even if she died, she would kill Mandy first.

“You’re dead. You’re fucking dead. I’ll tear your limbs apart and kill you.”

Anika was approaching Mandy triumphantly.

Then,

“Ha! Fuck! I knew this would happen.”

Mandy, who had been collapsed on the ground, spat a curse and rose.

Mandy swept up her blond hair and lifted her head. Yet somehow, her atmosphere had changed.

Mandy was undoubtedly a great beauty.

Deep blond hair in waves and blue eyes like sapphires embedded in them.

She possessed a kind of beauty that stood out anywhere. But she had seemed somewhat lacking in venom for surviving in the desert.

Yet now, the face Mandy raised held a delinquent expression and a venomous air.

She was clearly the same person, yet the atmosphere around her had completely changed.

What stood out most of all was her ears.

The pointed ears that had been hidden by her blond hair until now were revealed.

Anika pointed at her ears.

“What the hell? You’re an elf? No, a half-elf.”

“Where do you think you’re pointing, you fucking bitch? Ha!”

“What?”

“Should I cut your finger off and turn it into a chopstick? Huh?”

At Mandy’s unexpected venomous words, Anika’s mind went blank for a moment.

She stammered.

“What...... are you? What are you?”

“I’m a half-elf, as you can see. You cripple!”

“What?”

“Let’s deal with you first.”

Mandy took a small short staff from behind her waist.

SHING—!

When she pressed the handle, the short staff transformed in an instant.

The shaft extended longer than her height, and a spearhead appeared at the end of it.

“What the hell?”

“What do you think?”

TAP!

Mandy kicked off the sand and launched herself forward.

SHAAAK!

Mandy reached Anika in an instant and swung the spear.

“Eek!”

Anika hurriedly cast Aero Bomb. But Mandy’s spearhead ruthlessly split the Aero Bomb apart.

The air failed to explode and faded away in vain.

The spearhead had not only split the Aero Bomb. It also split Anika’s neck.

A red line seemed to appear on Anika’s neck, and then her head fell to the ground with a thud.

That was Anika’s end.

“Anika!”

Felix screamed Anika’s name until his throat nearly burst.

“Wow, that’s really loud.”

Mandy smirked and gripped the spear in a reverse grip. Then the spearhead split into nine strands.

Mandy threw the split spear as it was.

SWISH—!

“Kraaaagh!”

The spear pierced Felix’s chest.

The spearhead, split into nine strands, tore through Felix’s insides like a shredded rag.

Felix vomited blood and collapsed just like that.

Mandy clapped her hands together and muttered,

“His face was ugly enough already, and he kept sniffing around me so much I almost died of disgust. This is Mandy’s problem. Why does she leave them room to misunderstand? How long do I have to keep cleaning up after her?”

At that moment, a Sandworm suddenly stuck its head out from beneath her feet. But Mandy did not panic and lightly retreated backward.

The Sandworms soon dragged Anika’s and Felix’s corpses inside.

Zeon felt the Sandworms, their bellies full, withdraw.

Without paying any attention to the Sandworms, Zeon looked at Mandy.

Her appearance was the same, but her temperament, her atmosphere, and her gaze had all changed. It was as if her inner self had changed.

She was definitely Mandy, yet she was not Mandy.

Zeon opened his mouth.

“One body with two personalities?”

“Hmm!”

At that moment, Mandy made a strange nasal sound and looked at Zeon.

A bewitching expression and eyes filled with sensuality.

She was alluring enough to steal the soul of most men the moment they saw her.

With her hands clasped behind her back, she approached Zeon.

“You really are no ordinary young master. No wonder Mandy couldn’t handle you.”

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Eloy. As you can see, I’m Mandy’s protector.”

“Interesting. Being a half-elf is surprising enough, but dual personality too. Do other people know this?”

“You’re the first person to hear my name and still be alive. For now.”

“That sounds like you might kill me if things go wrong. Am I mistaken?”

“You’re not mistaken. I can do anything to protect Mandy.”

“Then you have even more reason to keep me alive. Without me, Mandy will wander the desert and die.”

“That’s why I’m thinking about it. How I should dispose of you.”

Eloy bared her white teeth and smiled.