Shadow Slave novel Chapter 3205

Chapter 3205: Three Heroes Faced a Dreadful Worm

"No, no! You are telling it wrong, blind fool! You weren’t even there, so what do you know? But I! I saw it all! I was standing atop the wall when the three heroes faced the horrid beast of the Underworld, the ghastly spawn of appalling Corruption, the great and hideous abomination, devourer of human souls... the Giant Red Skull Centipede!"

The streets of the city were lively today.

In the early morning, when Shadow and Noctis stopped to enjoy one last cup of tea before leaving the city to resume their journey, they had no choice but to hear people retelling the story of the recent battle.

Despite being praised as a valiant hero, Noctis wore a sullen expression. Cursing quietly, he threw a resentful glance at Shadow, then raised his cup and used the wide sleeves of his colorful robe to hide his face.

Shadow smiled faintly.

The soldier, meanwhile, continued his story.

"Hear, hear! There I was, standing atop the wall and drawing the string of my bow when the ground shook, and a ghostly chill permeated the air. The soldiers of Lady Irian’s army below the wall all scattered and fell, their horses foaming at the mouth and going mad from terror. At that moment, all of us felt the icy breath of Death, and our limbs grew weak and feeble. Only three courageous heroes endured it — our wise ruler, Arelen the Altar Sage, the brave and beautiful Lady Irian, the Blade of Dawn, and young Noctis, Child of the Moon... the Beast of Twilight!"

Shadow glanced at Noctis and said in a low tone:

"Did you hear? He’s talking about you, Child of the Moon!"

Noctis lowered his head and groaned.

"What was that? I didn’t hear anything!"

Shadow chuckled.

The soldier slammed his cup, sending drops of tea flying into the air, and looked around with wide eyes.

"And there, in the distance, was the Great Creature of Corruption — the ancient horror who crawls below the world, the corpse eater, the guardian of the Abyss. The Giant Red Skull Centipede! Surely, you must have heard of the infamous calamities it had caused throughout the ages!"

A few of the listeners nodded hesitantly, their faces pale.

"Right... right. Giant Red Skull Centipede? Of course, I heard of it! I am not some ignorant fool, after all. Isn’t it... uh... isn’t it that thing Heart God once cast into the abyss after it gnawed on the insides of the Heart Tree’s fruit?"

"No, you’re thinking of the Spirit Worm, Abundance! The Giant Red Skull Centipede is a different worm; it’s the corpse worm that devoured the flesh of Beast God’s first avatar!"

"That’s right! Not only that, but I also heard that it was the bane of First Humans. White Abyss herself had once battled the Giant Red Skull Centipede, but the creature’s profane carapace could not be burned even by her flames!"

"Goodness... such a terrifying abomination..."

"To think that it actually burrowed under our city. Gods, I am still trembling!"

The soldier looked at his listeners with contempt.

"Indeed! That is how harrowing that abomination was. I saw it with my own two eyes — as long as a mountain chain, its head reaching the heavens... no, not simply reaching the heavens! It was so enormous that clouds were like its crown, surrounding the scarlet skull and spilling out of its terrifying eye sockets. It had a myriad of bloody maws! Ten myriads of dreadful legs! When it moved, it was as if the rivers of the Underworld spilled from the depths of earth, consuming the world like a tide of darkness!"

He took a deep breath.

"All of us were ready to leave for the Shadow Realm... except for the three heroes. Undaunted by the horrid visage of the ancient curse, they rushed across the plain to meet it. Ah, the sight of them! The majesty of the Altar Sage, the breathtaking beauty of the Blade of Dawn, the thoughtless brashness of the Beast of Twilight..."

Noctis turned his head and hissed through gritted teeth.

"Did he just call me a thoughtless bastard?!"

Shadow gestured for him to calm down.

"He did not. And keep your voice down."

They were sitting in a corner, far from the gathered crowd. However, drawing attention would still be troublesome.

From Shadow’s pocket, Snuggle squeaked quietly:

"Even if he did, so what?!"

Noctis hid his face, while the soldier continued:

"When the three heroes clashed with the hideous abomination... the sky quaked! The ground shattered! The winds screamed in agony, and the furious thunder of that dreadful clash echoed across all mortal realms, reaching even the blessed reaches of the six Divine abodes. Lady Irian struck first, her spear shining like a ray of sunlight... but, alas! Oh, woe! The creature’s carapace, forged from adamantine darkness, was too tough to be pierced! With not even a scratch left on it..."

The tale continued in the same manner.

"And that was when our wise lord assumed his Transcendent form, his wings reaching toward the heavens. His talons sank into the cracks between the plates of the abomination’s armor, and his beak fell upon the scarlet skull as a hammer falls on an anvil, like an owl snatching a snake from tall grass..."

"The abomination bellowed then, its voice scattering all hope! Not even valiant Lady Irian could withstand the horrid power of that call, falling to one knee and spitting a mouthful of blood. Each drop was like a precious ruby, and her porcelain face turned to pure alabaster, making it even more tantalizing..."

"And it was then! When all hope seemed to be lost! That the Crimson Beast of Twilight rushed forward like a torrent of pale moonlight, like a ghostly wolf woven out of bravery and bloodlust, his vicious fangs sinking into the black carapace of the ancient horror. He tore at the creature with his claws, shredding its neck in his jaws, completely fearless!"

Eventually, the soldier ran out of breath. As his listeners leaned forward, he gulped down his tea and let out a long sigh.

"And that was how the three mortal heroes slew a monster as old as the gods themselves! The Altar Sage held its skull in place, the Beast of Twilight tore apart its neck, and the Blade of Dawn delivered the decisive blow, severing the skull from the abomination’s endless body. The Giant Red Skull Centipede writhed then, hills and forests perishing in the violence of its death throes. By luck, the warriors of Lady Irian’s army had retreated to the city wall by then — if not, all of them would have perished, as well."

He shuddered.

"And once the abomination lost its life, its body turned into a tide of darkness, flowing back into the depths of earth — not even the ghastly skull remained. All that remained were two enormous soul shards. Our lord took one, while Lady Irian took the other — young Noctis, meanwhile, being a humble and modest youth, simply bowed to his elders, saying that protecting humans from the horrors of Corruption was already a worthy reward."

A lone tear rolled down the soldier’s weathered face.

"Such virtue!"

The soldier’s tale was quite engaging. In fact, similar stories were being told all around the city at the moment — wandering rhapsodes were already writing songs about the battle, each competing in who could exaggerate it more.

Noctis, however, gnashed his teeth.

"Says who?! I wanted a soul shard, too! They just snatched them first!"

Shadow looked at him and raised an eyebrow.