"Ready all ballistae!" Song Chen ordered. "Range?"

"Three kilometers!"

"Keep me updated!" Song Chen studied the Cyan Python Lord through his spygla.s.s. "Load explosive bolts!"

"Explosive bolts!" the order was echoed from s.h.i.+p to s.h.i.+p. FDF personnel set bolts inscribed with explosive runes into the ballistae.

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This was going to be an expensive affair. Explosive bolts, unlike those fitted with runes like Penetration or Impact, were one-use items. Once they hit their targets, they would explode and the bolts themselves would be shattered into countless shards. Song Chen hesitated for a moment, wondering if all this was going to be worth the cost, but George had been quite clear; spare no expense to take down the Cyan Python Lord.

"Fire at five hundred meters!" Song Chen barked.

"That close, sir? But the range of our ballistae can easily hit it from thrice the distance!"

"That close! Those scales on that snake are strong! We need to get in closer, hit it with as much kinetic force as we can muster!"

"Then… should we go even closer sir?"

"No, it can spit venom. We want to hit it as hard as we can while still being safely out of its range."

"And if it chases us, sir?"

"Kite it! We're in airs.h.i.+ps, for crying out loud! Just fly straight upwards! Under no circ.u.mstances are you ever to put your s.h.i.+p, your crew, and yourself at risk in this operation!"

The Cyan Python Lord seemed to notice them as they neared it. The huge snake reared up, hissing, eyes glowering at Song Chen.

"Hey, hissy! Remember me?!" Song Chen raised his hand. "I've got a present for you!"

There was a short, dubious silence. Song Chen turned around to see his entire crew looking at him sideways.

"What are you waiting for?" Song Chen barked, feeling a bit embarra.s.sed. "FIRE!"

"Fire!!" yells rang out through the fleet, and then twelve ballistae launched explosive bolts into the body of the Cyan Python Lord.

The explosions rang out in rapid succession, combined with a roar of fury and pain from the Python. Globs of venom went soaring upwards, but the FDF Corvettes all scrambled for alt.i.tude and managed to get out of range in time.

"How high up are we?" Song Chen asked, once he saw those globs failing to reach them.

"Six hundred and thirty meters!"

"Good! Stay at this alt.i.tude! Ready second barrage!"

"Another one, sir?"

"Another one! Load explosive bolts!" Song Chen grimaced even as he said it. This attack was definitely going to cost.

The ground shook. Smoke filled the air, almost obscuring the bleeding and torn body of the Cyan Python Lord. Its previously blue-ish scales now dripped red.

"Is that enough, sir?" his crew asked.

Song Chen shook his head. "Once more. Explosive bolts."

Now even the crew had grimaces on. Everyone had at least some idea of how much explosive bolts cost, along with the fact that they could not be re-used.

Still, they rained fire down on the snake.

The snake roared at them, but it was visibly weakened now. Song Chen finally nodded. "Okay. It's time. Load Penetrating Bolts!"

"Seriously? On top of everything else…?" His crew gaped.

"Fire!" Song Chen ordered. "Keep reloading Penetrating Bolts and fire at will! Don't stop until I say so!"

There were a lot more doubtful looks cast his way then, but the FDF did as he ordered. Bolt after bolt lanced down, spearing the snake until it began to resemble a hedgehog, and finally, it stopped moving entirely, just laying there as bolt after bolt nailed into it from above.

"Stop!" Song Chen ordered at last. The FDF breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's finally over…" one of them said.

"Ready the c.o.c.ktails." Song Chen said, then.

Jaws dropped. "STILL going to bomb it? With firebombs, no less?!"

"Ready!" Song Chen raised a hand.

Hurriedly, his troops scrambled to prepare the Molotov c.o.c.ktails while Song Chen waited with his hand still upraised.

"Rain fire!" Song Chen barked.

Bottles of flaming alcohol rained down from the sky onto the already badly impaled and burnt snake.

The python caught fire. It roared, squirmed, thrashed around in pain.

"See? That's why I said it wasn't enough. That thing can still move!" Song Chen declared.

To that, his crew could only shake their heads wordlessly.

"Do we return now, sir?" one guy asked.

"Return?" Song Chen blinked. "We're just getting started."

"Then what shall we do now, sir?"

"Now, we wait." Song Chen said, eyes narrowing at the snake.

They waited as the oversized barbecue went on below. The flames crackled on, and smoke rose up, and the crew of the airs.h.i.+ps could smell roasted meat…

"Okay, wait for me. I'm going down there." Song Chen said, picking up George's glaive.

The rest of the operation was really more like butchery than battle. With most of its scales practically blown off, the snake was a lot easier to cut into with the glaive. Even so, given the size of the snake's neck, Song Chen took quite some time to behead the creature.

"Bring the carca.s.s back!" Song Chen ordered. "We could use the scales and the meat. Some of it might be overcooked, but perhaps our wolfcat friends wouldn't mind."

***

Something similar happened to Mindy's group on the way back.

Out of the blue, Tim said, "Can you drop me off there and wait for me for about an hour?"

"What? Why?" Mindy blinked.

"Just trust me. I have an idea." Tim grinned.

They set him down at the Blood Lands, then blinked as he sank into the ground.

"Tim? Tim? Where are you? h.e.l.lo?" Mindy called.

But there was no response.

"Fine! One hour! After that, we're leaving!" Mindy grouched.

Ten minutes later, a shady figure burst out of the ground right next to the Scarlet Viper Lord and stabbed it in the left eye.

There was a powerful explosion, and then blood and pieces of snake eye went flying every which way.

The Scarlet Viper Lord roared and went berserk, but by then, the shady figure had already sank back into the ground.

"What was that?!" Mindy gaped.

Tim would have to explain it later, but the short story was, he'd simply used some Sneaky Earth Magic and ambushed the napping Scarlet Viper Lord with a rather powerful sword. It was a rapier popularly known as Starburst, about a meter in length and equipped with high level explosive runes. Using it cost a whole blue mana crystal, which, in today's prices, was expensive enough to make even Tim wince.

Nevertheless, he paid the price not once, but twice. Ten minutes after the first attack, after a whole lot of thras.h.i.+ng around, the Scarlet Viper Lord stopped for a break, and suddenly lost his other eye to the same trick.

This time the thras.h.i.+ng and roaring went on for half an hour, but at this point the Scarlet Viper was already blinded. Tim simply waited out the storm until at last, the big snake fell to the ground exhausted, bleeding from both eyeholes, miserable and distraught.

Tim put it out of its misery with a direct thrust deep into the brain, straight through the left eye hole. For the third time, the explosive runes lit up.

From then on, the Blood Lands belonged to Tim, the newest Lord of the Wilds.