It was a giant snake. The sharp slits in the creature’s bright yellow eyes were like swords, and its eyes could clearly be seen even though the creature was far away. In addition, the creature’s body was covered with dark gray scales, and dozens of semicircular-shaped fins lined the tip of its tail. The snake was about twenty meters long, and upon its inverted triangular head were five white pointed horns. The creature looked as if it were the king of all snakes. Moreover, unlike regular snakes, the creature did not slither across the ground but raised about half of its body from the ground as it traveled. It was imposing and intimidating.

The creature was humongous as well. The drake Eugene had faced in the past could be considered a child compared to the size and aura of this monster.

“S-sir. I’m scared!” Mirian squealed while trembling and dug herself deeper into Eugene’s arms. It was quite rare for the spirit to show fear toward monsters. Eugene became certain once more that the giant snake wasn’t an ordinary monster, but a demonic creature.

“What is that?” Eugene asked while turning toward the two vampire high lords.

“I’ve never seen such a monster before.”

“It’s entirely possible that… it’s a basilisk,” Christian answered.

“Basilisk?” Eugene asked.

Christian responded immediately, “Information regarding the monster has only been passed down by word of mouth. I heard that a basilisk had made its appearance during the time when evil lands first started appearing in this world. There is a legend that several territories had gotten destroyed because of a basilisk.”

“What? And they left it to run havoc until then?” Eugene asked.

“That’s just how powerful it was. In the end, several heroes of the time stepped forward and finally drove it out,” Christian said.

“Drove it out? They didn’t kill it?” Eugene asked.

“It’s only a legend that has been passed down by mouth, so I’m not entirely sure about the details… I apologize,” Christian said while dropping his head.

However, some information was better than none.

Shhhhhh…! Slurp… Slurp!

The basilisk came to a stop at the other side of the underground lake. It gazed across the surface of the water while making a chilling sound. There was a strange energy contained in the creature’s eyes, which made its eyes look like yellow flames. As the highest-ranking members of the Dark Clan, the three vampires could sense the ominous energy.

“Getting rid of it… Even though it was a long time ago, those heroes couldn’t have been weak.”

“And all of them couldn’t have been human either,” Eugene commented. Everyone nodded their heads in affirmation. They were facing a monster that a group of outstanding warriors from various different races in the past had only succeeded in driving away but failed to kill.

“Judging by its scales, I don’t think we can even leave a scratch on it with ordinary weapons. Do we have to get close and aim between the scales?” Galfredik suggested. As an outstanding knight, he was evaluating the current situation accordingly.

“Wouldn’t that be the most optimal way? The two of us will approach it first.”

Although the basilisk was a legendary monster, the two of them were vampire high lords. Christian showed his determination by emanating his Fear. Rohime took his place next to Christian while holding a longsword and a dagger in each hand. The two were confident in killing the basilisk by using their vampiric abilities.

“Poison,” Eugene muttered.

“…?” The three vampires turned their heads toward Eugene with puzzlement.

“That creature must be poisonous. It’s evidenced by the fact that there are no living creatures here. It even looks like a big viper, right?” Eugene continued.

“Ah!”

“T-that’s right!”

Why did they seem so amazed at such a simple deduction?

“It doesn’t matter how strong the monster’s poison is...”

Rohime and Christian were still confident. One of the greatest strengths of vampires was their strong resistance to poison. There was a good reason why vampires above the lord rank were feared and respected by the nobles of other races.

However, Eugene shook his head. “There are no monsters here but that snake. And did you both forget the identity of this place’s original master?”

“Ah…”

The two vampires hesitated. As Eugene hinted, the underground lake was originally a water source guarded by a spirit of water. It was clear that the spirit had been defeated by the snake, and there weren’t even any signs of other monsters, even though monsters were naturally resistant to poison. These facts indicated that the basilisk’s poison was strong beyond imagination.

“Moreover…” Eugene continued, and all gazes turned to him once more.

“If the snake is so great and powerful that warriors in the past had failed to kill it, then it doesn’t make sense for it to only have poison, right? If the snake’s poison is the only thing to watch out for, then any member of the Dark Clan around your levels could just approach it and attack between the gaps in the scales, right?” Eugene said.

“Hmm.”

Indeed, vampires possessed strong resistance to poison. If they equipped themselves with sturdy armor and engaged in close combat, even the king of snakes wouldn’t stand a chance. Moreover, all vampire high lords were capable of utilizing one or two powerful mysteries of the Dark Clan. And yet the outstanding heroes of various races had to be satisfied with simply driving the monster away?

“Then there is only one answer. They couldn’t get close. We should assume that one of the powers it hides prevents enemies from approaching it,” Eugene concluded.

“That makes sense...”

“It certainly does.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Eugene’s reasoning was solid and difficult to refute.

“Then that leaves us with long-ranged attacks. Should I try throwing a spear?” Galfredik asked. The heroes of the past had obviously attempted to use spears or bows. But since there was no harm in trying, Eugene allowed it.

“Yes, do your best.”

“Hehe,” Galfredik stepped forward with a grin. He was overjoyed to leave Brantia and accompany Eugene. A knight’s fate lay in battle, and he was a knight who was more true to his destiny than anyone else. However, the pleasure he felt had somewhat faded over time. And it was all because he had never found a single opponent that could give him a challenge. It was still the case even though he only used his skills as a knight without revealing any of his abilities as a vampire.

For Galfredik, who was desperate for true battles between life and death, fighting those weaker than him was bound to grow dull over time. But now, he was faced with a monster, or rather, a demonic creature that even heroes of the distant past had failed to defeat. It was only natural that his blood was boiling right now.

Galfredik took out three javelins and thrust two into the ground before loading one into his spear thrower.

“Phew…” He exhaled lightly before extending his arm to the fullest. A red glow flamed in his eyes. Simultaneously, Fear climbed down his shoulder and flocked to the spear as cracks began to form on the weapon’s steel surface due to the pressure.

‘W-what?!’

‘Nonsense! I’ve never even heard of anything like that!’

The two high lords were stupefied. Although they weren’t as skilled as Galfredik, the two were also capable of utilizing Fear. Vampire nobles usually used customized weapons. It was especially true for bannerets, who specialized in combat, and the highest-ranking aristocrats—the high lords. In particular, those who belonged to clans would try to obtain the most suitable weapons for themselves by giving the best materials to outstanding craftsmen. Although a part of it was to boast of their status, it was also to let stronger vampires have better control over their Fear.

Similarly, Galfredik’s weapons would have been designed for such a purpose as well. But now, the spear was about to break without being able to withstand its master’s Fear. Judging by the sound, it was clear that the cracks weren’t only on the surface of the weapon, but in its entirety.

Craccck!

Another crack appeared on the surface.

“Huaaaaaaaap!” Galfredik threw the javelin with a powerful roar.

Kwaaaaaaaaah!!!

The spear sliced through the air along with a powerful gust of wind, threatening to tear apart anything in its path, even the king of snakes. However, as the spear split the shallow lake in half, the basilisk opened its large maw.

Fwoosh!

Black flames sprang from the mouth of the basilisk.

“Keugh?!” The two vampire high lords faltered. Even though they were almost a hundred meters away from the monster, they could still clearly feel the terrifying energy contained in the flames. Soon, the two vampires widened their eyes in shock. The javelin containing Galfredik’s powerful Fear had disappeared without a trace.

Thack!

However, they quickly realized what happened when they saw a black lump falling into the water.

“Ha! What is that…?” Galfredik muttered as if he were flabbergasted.

“I-it melted?”

“Is it because of the heat?!” The two high lords expressed their shock.

Eugene responded, “No, the poison melted it.”

Longbows or crossbows would obviously not leave even a scratch on its scales. Moreover, if the creature were capable of melting even Galfredik’s javelins, then long-range attacks would be ineffective as well.

‘No wonder they had so much trouble.’

Kiiiiing…

Eugene could feel Madarazika’s quivering. It was begging Eugene to throw it.

‘Should I throw it?’

Eugene stared at the basilisk for a minute, then gave up on his thoughts. The basilisk was standing in place like a king.

Until now, monsters had reacted in one of two ways when they came to face Eugene. They either attacked or fled. Moreover, Galfredik openly engaged the monster by throwing a javelin. A fierce monster fit to be called the king of snakes should have reacted by now with a counterattack, but the basilisk remained motionless.

‘Something’s off.’

If the enemy were a person, it could have been dismissed as great patience. However, the opponent was a monster and a demonic creature at that.

‘I’m sure that it’s up to something. It’s almost as if it’s wanting us to come at it.’

Ziiiiiing!

His spear cried out once more, but Eugene gently pressed down. His intuition, which had been completely accurate until now, was warning him not to throw Madarazika. He couldn’t lose a precious weapon just to fight against a demonic creature.

“Hmph! In the end, the only answer is to fight up and close. Hehe. A little snakey bastard is making us go through all this trouble,” Galfredik said before drawing his longsword energetically.

“We will assist you,” The two high lords took their places by his sides.

“Master, can you leave this to me? No, let me be the one to kill that bastard,” Galfredik said with eyes full of killing intent.

Eugene hesitated for a moment before nodding. Galfredik was his vassal. At times like these, he had to have faith in his vassal and build him up.

“Fine. Don’t get too close, though. I’m worried that it’s just waiting for us to attack,” Eugene responded.

“Hehe. Don’t worry,” Galfredik responded with a vicious smile before turning to the two vampire high lords.

“you two have the ability to change into that weird thing, right? Use it. Distract that bastard,” Galfredik commanded.

“Yes.”

“Let’s go.”

The three hit the ground at the same time.

Papapapapapapa!

The three vampires crossed the shallow water with draping energies of crimson behind their backs. The basilisk’s eyes glowed even darker. The creature’s purple tongue slithered before it opened its maw once again. Simultaneously, the bodies of the two high lords became engulfed in Fear. In an instant, the two transformed into black smoke, and hundreds of bats formed from the smoke flew toward the basilisk on both flanks.

Each of the basilisk’s bright yellow eyes spread to both sides, and at the same time, the creature exhaled a venomous breath from its maw.

Kwaaaaaaa!

“Hmph!” Galfredik dodged the breath with beastly movements.

Ssshhhh!

However, the powerful fumes of the poison melted a part of Galfredik’s armor. Even a portion of his helmet was starting to dissolve.

“You bastard!”

The distance between them was about ten meters. Galfredik revealed a side of his face, which had turned purple, and pushed his Fear to the limit before attempting to charge forward.

“…!!!”

Galfredik came to a sudden stop. He was a veteran knight and a vassal of an Origin. His instincts were warning him not to approach any closer. Unfortunately, the two vampire high lords were still flying toward the basilisk’s flanks. No, rather, it was already too late when they attempted to stop.

Tututututututung!

It was both a shock and a mystery. Hundreds of bats fell to the ground in unison.

“Petrification?!”

Eugene started moving as soon as Galfredik cried out. He had finally realized why the monster had simply been waiting for them without moving. And it was all because whenever anyone approached it past a certain point, its bright yellow eyes would transform its enemies into stone.