Chapter 132: The Final Act

Dick, Roger, Tom, and Grey watched in stunned silence as the Treant pummeled the pyro-hydra. It took several seconds for them to regain their senses, after which they seized their weapons and joined the fray, quickly hacking and smashing off all seven of the monster’s heads.

Joao noticed the pyro-hydra lying on the ground, no longer able to struggle, yet its severed necks were still sprouting flesh in an attempt to regenerate its heads. He terminated his transformation and returned to human form. Checking the remaining magical energy in the "Branch of Yggdrasil," he saw he had enough to maintain the transformation for another 30 seconds. He temporarily stowed the secret weapon and invoked a "Mythic Power" to activate the Mythic Archmage's special ability, "Energy Substitution." He pressed his thumbs together, spread his fingers outward, and pushed his palms toward the seemingly unkillable beast.

"Uré!"

Joao chanted the incantation for "Burning Hands," but instead of flames, plumes of brown acidic mist erupted from his fingertips. The highly corrosive mist expanded in a fan shape, enveloping all seven severed necks of the pyro-hydra. The wounds hissed, and as Joao had anticipated, the regeneration ceased, oozing foul-smelling pus. The pyro-hydra's near-infinite vitality reached its end.

The blood of a seven-headed pyro-hydra, rich in fire elemental magic, was a valuable spell component. Joao rummaged through his backpack for a heat-resistant ceramic vial, leaned over to the severed necks, and drew a full vial of fresh, scalding blood before sealing it and putting it away. He looked around; the lizardman legion had split into two camps. A small faction loyal to Kotal was still putting up a desperate struggle against the knightly order and the militia, while the majority of the lizardman commanders had led their troops away from the battlefield, watching Viss’s revenge battle against Kotal from a distance. It was not hard for Joao to guess the mindset of these onlookers—they preferred Viss, not Kotal, to be the winner of this war. This would give the cold-blooded nobles, who did not support the war against humans, a reason to retreat to the Great Swamp and resume their peaceful lives, and those who valued tradition would no longer have to feel ashamed of serving a "half-man, half-demon" chieftain.

Initially, the situation on the battlefield indeed developed in the direction the onlookers hoped. Although the "Demon Spawn" Kotal was powerful, he could not withstand the combined assault of Viss and the three paladins—Vasa, Grey, and Daniel. Worse still, his demonic black wings were tightly bound by Viss’s 2nd-circle natural spell, "Earthbind," leaving him temporarily unable to fly or even flee.

Kotal swung his "Cold-Blood Trident," struggling to parry the holy-glowing blades of the three knights. His body was soaked in blood from his wounds, and he had to divert his attention to the spells Viss kept throwing his way. Knowing he could not hold out much longer, he shouted for his confidants to help. However, his loyal guard had already been scattered by the knightly order, and the stragglers were barely able to look after themselves, let alone help him shoulder the pressure.

Kotal’s cries for help were met with only one response: the final, mournful shriek of his mount, the seven-headed pyro-hydra, as it breathed its last. This sound chilled Kotal to the bone, forcing him to face the brutal reality that his followers had abandoned him; if he wanted to save his life, he would have to rely on himself.

"Stop!" Kotal suddenly roared, plunged his trident into the ground, raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, and solemnly addressed George Vasa: "It is time to end this war! I surrender in the name of the Cold-Blood Tribe chieftain and commander-in-chief. Noble knights, you are obligated to grant me the courtesies befitting my status, guarantee my life, and preserve my dignity!"

Even as he surrendered, Kotal’s gaze remained fixed on Viss. The three paladins lowered their weapons one by one. Their code of chivalry, military honor, and religious faith forbade them from refusing an enemy’s surrender, let alone cruelly killing an opponent who had laid down their arms.

Viss, however, cared nothing for that! Consumed by thoughts of revenge, he still prepared to cast a spell to attack his father’s murderer, who now stood unarmed.

"Calm down, Viss! We cannot kill someone who has abandoned resistance!" Captain Daniel turned his horse, blocking Viss’s path with his own body and forcing the lizardman prince to pause his attack.

"But are we just going to let this demon go? I am not reconciled to this!" Viss growled in frustration, tears welling in his eyes.

"I fully understand your feelings, and I fully support you in seeking justice for your father’s murder. However, Viss, my dear friend, killing a prisoner who has laid down his arms is not a righteous way to exact revenge! Trust me, Kotal will receive a public and fair trial and will suffer the punishment he deserves for his crimes. We just need a little more patience; justice will be served in the end—"

The most tragic reality in this world is that baseness is the passport of the base, while nobility is the epitaph of the noble. Just as the kind-hearted Captain Daniel believed with all his heart that Kotal’s surrender was genuine and tried his best to soothe Viss’s rage, the "Demon Spawn" betrayed his trust. He suddenly flicked his cloak and vanished into thin air, replaced by a dying lizardman soldier who had been lying on the ground.

George Vasa hurriedly warned everyone to be careful, but it was already too late. Kotal appeared where the soldier had been, right behind Viss. Grinning hideously, he chanted an incantation and spat out countless runes condensed from pure, evil magic.

The blood-red runes, transformed by "Blasphemous Word," swarmed like locusts, instantly engulfing the agitated Viss and, further away, Vasa and Grey. As the magic penetrated their bodies, Viss was paralyzed, standing there like a stone statue, unable even to blink. Major Grey was drained of his strength by the "Blasphemous Word" and fell weakly from his horse. George Vasa’s situation was no better; the blood-red runes trampled through his mind like an army of thousands, leaving him dizzy and his vision darkening. He tried to tighten his grip on the reins to steady himself in the saddle, but his warhorse was instantly slain by the "Blasphemous Word," vanishing in a flash of white light as it returned to the celestial realms, throwing its master heavily to the ground.

"You bunch of fools! Die, all of you!!"

Kotal laughed maniacally, snatched up his "Cold-Blood Trident," raised it high, and hurled it with all his might at George Vasa, the greatest threat among his enemies. The trident whistled through the air, its blade flashing with an eerie, blood-red light. When this magic weapon pierced flesh, it would not only kill the victim but also drain their life energy to nourish Kotal, healing his wounds.

Major Vasa, slumped on the ground and still suffering from vertigo, was unable to dodge the treacherous and lethal attack. Just then, a figure lunged forward, using their own body to shield him from the incoming "Cold-Blood Trident."