Chapter 159: Post-battle Inventory
The tall snake head reared up, the entire giant python’s body forming an ‘S’ shape, its snake pupils cloudy, dark yellow with vertical slits. When it stared at the group, everyone felt varying degrees of stiffness.
Even though they were all Second Order, this giant python still brought them considerable pressure.
The dark red scaled snake tail slithered through the grass, flattening the grass along the way, then lifted again, striking down like a residual shadow. This time, its target was not the front-line Yarn, but the weakest Bona in the team.
The few seconds of staring earlier allowed the giant python to quickly judge their strengths and weaknesses. It directly ignored the front-line Yarn in heavy armor, sweeping its snake tail horizontally, the tip whistling as it lunged toward the chestnut-haired short-haired girl.
At this moment, Bona couldn’t react at all. Fortunately, the captain Bad Apple reacted quickly in the crisis, kicking Bona away and taking the snake tail whip strike in her place.
When it struck Bad Apple, his body tilted, angling himself to receive the blow, dissipating much of the snake tail’s force. He was sent tumbling, but if he hadn’t adjusted his posture earlier and taken the heavy strike straight to his waist, he would probably be unconscious with broken bones all over by now.
Seeing the rear team member attacked, Yarn no longer held back. He raised his sword and shield and charged directly at the giant python to draw its attention.
The sturdy broadsword hacked into the giant python’s body, sparking and dislodging a few scale fragments. Though it had some effect, compared to the massive python body, these scratches were truly negligible.
The giant python slithered again. Its seemingly massive body was not sluggish; the snake body, thicker than five Xilutiyas combined, moved quickly around Yarn’s position, then the snake head lunged at Bona once more.
The bloody giant maw opened, revealing two pairs of curved saber-like fangs, ferocious and terrifying. At this moment, Xilutiya loosed the arrow she had been charging, striking the snake’s upper jaw.
The arrow embedded shallowly in the flesh, the seeds within quickly sprouting, sawtooth vines growing inside the snake’s mouth.
Feeling the foreign sensation and stinging pain in its mouth, the giant python no longer entangled, lifting its snake head and shaking violently to dislodge the spreading thorny vines in its mouth.
At this moment, with it not attacking, it gave the people on site time to strike.
Yarn discarded his shield, gripped the sword with both hands, and slashed down with full force. The sturdy broadsword gleamed with a silver edge, finally cleaving deep into the snake’s body, tearing a huge gash.
The captain Bad Apple gripped his dagger with both hands, dashed forward, stepped on the snake’s body for leverage, then plunged the dagger into the center of the snake’s heart.
Wounded, the giant python went utterly berserk, its head and tail thrashing and sweeping wildly, flinging Bad Apple off. It then bit at the isolated Karl nearby. This wizard could only summon a ghost to block, but it couldn’t stop the giant python’s fierce attack. He was hooked by the open fangs on half his arm, visibly paling. Fortunately, Xilutiya arrived, hacking off the fang with her sword in a spray of blood. With the sealed tube broken, the snake fang could no longer suck blood and released him.
The enraged and irrational giant python coiled its body, glaring fixedly at Xilutiya, then the python head dove down again, opening its bloodstained maw to try swallowing the maiden whole.
Facing such an attack, Xilutiya couldn’t withstand it and could only dodge quickly, sent flying by the python’s side. Fortunately, she avoided the snake fangs’ assault.
On the other side, Yarn and Bad Apple rushed over. One helped Karl retreat quickly, while the other attacked again to draw the giant python’s attention.
Under this interference, the giant python gained more wounds. It instinctively sensed the danger of defeat and death, beginning to harbor thoughts of retreat, burrowing into the tall grass nearby, body low, slithering swiftly away.
At this moment, Xilutiya raised her compound bow, aiming at the fleeing giant python, eyes focused.
She had only one archery chance now; any farther, it would be hard to hit, and the force wouldn’t penetrate.
She quickly embedded a seed into the arrowhead, aiming at the fleeing giant python, gaze drifting to the wounds on its body.
Constantly calculating its slithering trajectory, Xilutiya forced herself to concentrate, fine-tuning the direction repeatedly, finally loosing the arrow just before the giant python escaped.
The black arrowhead whistled faintly through the air, crossing nearly a hundred meters of trampled grass, embedding in the running snake’s body wound, after which demonic blood vines grew.
Slender tendrils threaded through the snake’s body, spreading along the blood vessels, while outside, the vines wrapped around the snake body.
The giant python rolled and thrashed. After several minutes, demonic blood-colored vines overflowed from every wound, piercing through the scales.
Finally, its body slowly stopped moving, and under the vines’ blood-sucking, it grew gaunt, as if only a layer of snake scales wrapped its skeleton, lying motionless in place.
Is it over?
The group watched the dead giant python from afar, still shaken.
After a while, the captain Bad Apple quietly approached, checked it, and nodded to the others before they came over.
Everyone examined the giant python’s corpse. Xilutiya followed her senses to one side of the body, where the demonic blood vines protruded, blooming tiny flowers outside before forming bright red fruits.
【Blood Red Fruit】（First Order·Blood Law）: Demonic fruit containing ‘Blood Law’ essence. Consuming it enhances physique, very effective for First Order and Second Order beings. （Quality, Excellent）
The maiden plucked a fruit with her fingers; it was about the size of an egg, with bright red skin.
“This is the fruit condensed from demonic blood vines after killing a monster?” Bad Apple walked over and inquired.
“I’ve heard them talk about it before, but this is my first time seeing it in person. Gardeners truly aren’t to be trifled with.”
“Though this time, we’ll have to take an advance on part of the harvest, Tiya.” He glanced back as Yarn supported the weak, pale Karl walking over.
“I know.” Xilutiya plucked 10 fruits, carried them over, and handed them to Karl.
“Thank you.” He had no strength to refuse now; if Xilutiya hadn’t interrupted the giant python’s blood-sucking just now, he would probably have died on the spot.
Biting into the bright red fruit and swallowing, Karl regained some color and strength.
After eating 10 fruits, his face flushed red, then he detached from Yarn’s support and sat aside to rest.
On the other side, Bona returned, curiously assessing the snake body and searching for other usable things.
“The flesh is mostly gone; seems only some scales and snake fangs are usable.”
“Trading flesh for fruit is way more worthwhile.” Bad Apple walked over and counted the remaining fruits.
“23 left.” He nodded.
“We really have to thank Tiya properly this time. Without you, Karl would’ve been in big trouble just now.”
The others also felt a sense of surviving a disaster, somewhat fortunate.
In a one-on-one fight, Yarn could probably kill this giant python with minor injuries. Captain Bad Apple might not defeat it, but escaping unscathed would be no problem. But for Bona and Karl, it was different.
Bona’s combat power was low, and she couldn’t escape. Karl had many means against strange creatures, but against this pure stats monster, he was especially powerless, lacking high-burst output methods.
As for Xilutiya alone against the giant python, as long as she could find an opening to wound it and sow seeds, victory was assured. Even if fleeing, the giant python couldn’t catch her.
After the battle ended, the group began cleaning up, clearing the surrounding grass, then stopping to rest.
Gains:
‘Blood Red Fruit（First Order·Blood Law）’ 23
‘Vampiric Snake Fang（Second Order·Blood Law）’ 1
‘Snake Scale Hide（Excellent）’ Intact portions approx. sixteen meters
