The serpent reacted the instant I charged. The Venom Head struck first, jaws snapping wide as it unleashed a torrent of corrosive green poison toward me like a living wave.
I activated Weapon Manifestation in tandem with Cryo Magic, forming several icy shields in front of me. The poison cloud slammed into them, hissing violently as it ate through the ice. Droplets splattered into the mud below, leaving bubbling craters in their wake. Direct exposure was clearly out of the question.
At the same time, the Tidal Head reared back and surged forward, summoning a massive wave from the lake. Water roared toward the shore with enough force to flatten entire buildings.
“Solana, use Holy Wing Shield!”
The dove let out a sharp cry as her halo flared. A golden barrier bloomed outward, phantom wings spreading wide as it shielded both the lizardmen and me from the oncoming wave.
Soon, it was the Storm Head’s turn. Bolts of lightning tore down from above like divine judgment, crackling through the swamp. My instincts screamed in warning, and I immediately cast {Gravity Launch}, propelling myself forward toward the enemy while dodging at the same time.
The lightning missed me by mere inches, slamming into the lake and surrounding mud instead of my body. Electricity danced wildly across the water’s surface, frying several unfortunate frogman corpses that still floated there.
By then, I was only a few meters from the serpent. I swung my spear overhead and brought it down with Brutal Smash, targeting the Tidal Head directly. To amplify the force, I cast {Mass Alteration} on the spear’s tip at the moment of impact, driving its weight to a brutal extreme. The strike crashed into the serpent’s head with a deafening crack, shattering scales as the massive head was smashed sideways into the lake, sending water and mud erupting skyward in a violent plume.
Brutal Smash has leveled up.
Your Strength has increased by 1.
That impact created an opening, and Ember seized it. The demon cat vanished in a flicker of shadow. A heartbeat later, darkness crawled up the Venom Head’s neck as Ember reappeared, claws laced with flame as he tore into the serpent’s softer scale gaps. All three heads recoiled, hissing and roaring as dark, fiery slashes ripped across their flesh. Unfortunately, the damage was shallow, more like scratches than wounds.
The Venom Head retaliated instantly. It snapped backward, jaws closing around Ember’s afterimage as he flickered away. Even though the attack was ineffective, the distraction created another opening for me to strike. Using {Gravity Launch}, I hurled myself upward, spear aimed straight for the Venom Head’s neck.
However, just before the attack could land, the Storm Head slammed into me from the side. I barely managed to bring my spear up in time, blocking the blow as lightning-charged force detonated against it. The impact sent me flying, my body tumbling through the air before I crashed hard into the mud below.
“Tch.” I pushed myself up, teeth clenched.
My current output wasn’t enough to deal decisive damage to this creature. At this rate, the battle would drag on far too long, and the moment it sensed real danger, it would likely retreat into the lake. Worse still, with three heads acting independently, it could anticipate my movements too easily, making chained attacks difficult to execute.
Three heads… “Wait, three heads?”
An idea clicked into place.
“Ember, use Minor Shapeshift and take my form!”
The demon cat did as I ordered. Shadows rippled violently as his body stretched and reformed, taking on my shape—or in this case, the Great Dragon God’s form. Simultaneously, I activated Echo Construct. A surge of energy rippled through me, and in the next instant, a third figure stepped into existence. Now, there were three of me.
The serpent recoiled on instinct, all three heads snapping back and forth as it tried to determine which presence was real. Though it possessed a measure of intelligence, a beast was still a beast; it couldn’t distinguish between the three of us. With its attention split, I advanced alongside my doubles, brandishing our spears against it.
“Let’s see how well you keep up now.”
The serpent struck back in confusion. All three heads lashed out at once—venom, lightning, and water unleashed in a chaotic barrage—but the attacks scattered uselessly as we split apart. One spear raked across the Storm Head’s jaw, another plunged into the Venom Head’s neck, and the third crashed into the Tidal Head’s skull. Bit by bit, we were chipping away at it.
“Bleh! I’m the real me!” one of us shouted, darting aside as lightning scorched the mud where he had stood.
“No, I’m the real one!” I yelled back, driving my spear deep between overlapping scales with Heavy Stab before wrenching it free in a spray of dark blood.
“Meow!” Ember’s voice rang out gleefully from the third figure as he blurred forward, slashing and stabbing with wild abandon.
The serpent thrashed in mounting confusion, its heads snapping back and forth, unable to predict where the next strike would come from. Every opening was seized without hesitation. While one of us drew its focus, the others struck from blind angles, carving into weakened scales and wearing it down relentlessly. One of the heads even slammed into another by mistake, and at one point, two of the massive necks coiled together in confusion.
Unable to endure the humiliation any longer, the serpent roared in fury, thrashing its massive body and churning the lake into chaos. Then it slammed its colossal form into the water, sending a violent shockwave and surging tide rushing toward us. Since we were too close, both Ember and my construct couldn’t escape in time.
The construct has lost energy and dissipated.
I was hurled away, landing a short distance off as my boots skidded through the mud. Ember, however, wasn’t so fortunate. His body was flung high into the air, leaving him completely exposed—an easy target for the serpent’s snapping jaws. If I did nothing, Ember would almost certainly lose his life.
“No, you don’t!”
One Who Conquered the Impossible → Serpent Slayer
The moment I switched my title to Serpent Slayer, an instinctive fear washed over the three-headed serpent. As expected, it froze for a brief instant, just long enough for Ember to vanish in a flicker of shadow and escape death.
Subsequently, I pointed my spear skyward and dumped mana and energy directly into it.
“Falling Star!” The spear detonated with compressed gravitational force, launching a straight, crushing line upward.
At the same time, I switched my title once more.
Serpent Slayer → Stonecurse Vanquisher
The Storm Head’s lightning discharged early, colliding with my attack in midair.
BOOOOM!
The explosion shattered the clouds above the lake. Lightning scattered wildly in every direction, but my attack punched through the chaos and slammed directly into the Storm Head. Its massive skull detonated into fragments, obliterated completely by the impact. This outcome was only possible thanks to the effect of the Stonecurse Vanquisher title, which dealt bonus damage to enemies with hardened or reinforced bodies.
Below, the lizardmen and the surviving frogmen watched in stunned silence. Awe was etched across the former’s faces, whereas terror twisted the latter’s expressions as they realized their god was being torn apart before their eyes.
The serpent howled through its remaining two heads, mana rapidly gathering within its gaping jaws as it prepared to unleash its attacks at me. That was my cue to act.
I raised my free hand and activated Weapon Manifestation, immediately weaving Cryo Magic into the construct. Dozens—no, hundreds—of icy blades materialized in the air above me, their edges gleaming coldly.
“Fall.”
With a sharp downward gesture, the blades rained from the sky like a frozen storm. They pierced into the serpent’s scales, shattered against reinforced plating, and lodged deep into joints and exposed flesh. The Venom Head shrieked as frost crawled up its neck, slowing its movements, while the Tidal Head thrashed violently, churning the lake in a futile attempt to shake off the barrage.
At the same time, a soft coo echoed behind me. Solana’s halo flared brightly as she activated Blessing Coo, and white feathers fell down around me.
You have received [Blessing Coo Lv.2].
Your combat power has increased by 12%.
Warmth flooded through my body, and I could feel myself getting stronger. Before the serpent could recover, I cast {Gravity Launch}, bending gravity beneath my feet and propelling myself forward. The world blurred as I closed the distance in an instant with my spear drawn back, mana converging sharply at its tip.
“{Mass Alteration}.”
The serpent’s massive body suddenly grew even heavier. The lake groaned as its bulk sank deeper, its movements slowing to a crawl while the remaining heads struggled to rise.
Seizing the opening, I unleashed the same decisive attack: “Falling Star!”
[Desperate Willpower Lv.9] has activated.
Your combat power has increased by 26%.
The spear detonated in my hands, unleashing a catastrophic line of compressed force as I drove it straight down. The attack tore through scale, flesh, and bone alike, punching cleanly through the serpent’s body before slamming it into the lakebed with apocalyptic force.
The impact split the water itself. Mud, steam, and shattered scales erupted skyward as the serpent released a final, broken roar—then fell silent, lifeless. With its mass magnified and gravity compounded, the devastation was far greater than it could ever have endured.
Slowly, I straightened, my spear dripping with dark violet ichor.
It was over.
You have hunted [Triarch Abyss Serpent – Lv.170].
You have gained 580 EXP.
Your Magic Power has increased by 1.
Basic Cryo Magic has leveled up.
As I canceled {Gravity Field}, a wave of dizziness hit me immediately. “Ugh… that used up far too much mana.”
Maximillian Anderson Lv. 60/60 (EXP 16,713)
HP: 93%
MP: 76/1,212
Rank: Gimmel [3]
Patron God: Istellia (Goddess of Imagination)
Class: Paradox Incarnate
Title: Stonecurse Vanquisher (12)
Status: Slightly Injured
Strength: 498 + 49 | Dexterity: 531 + 49 | Stamina: 456 + 45
Mind: 355 + 5 | Magic Power: 435 + 20 | Luck: 425
Plausibility: 1,664
Free Attributes: 0
Signature Skill(s): [Absorb Plausibility], [Fabled Vessel], [God!$# Creation], [Grant Plausibility], [Gravity Magic Lv.6], [Scenario Manipulation]
Skill(s): [Assassination Arts Lv.3], [Basic Alchemy Lv.10], [Basic Cryo Magic Lv.9], [Basic Dagger/Knife Mastery Lv.4], [Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat Lv.7], [Basic Neutral Magic Lv.10], [Basic Shield Mastery Lv.9], [Beast Pocket Seal], [Brutal Smash Lv.2], [Back Stab Lv.4], [Berserk Lv.4], [Blood-Fueled Frenzy Lv.1], [Calm Mind], [Chantless Casting Lv.3], [Desperate Willpower Lv.9], [Divine Sermon Lv.3], [Echo Construct Lv.2], [Extraordinary Fortune], [Extraordinary Harmonized Constitution], [Fast Equip], [Fast Reading Lv.5], [Flaming Fist Lv.1], [Heavy Stab Lv.8], [Inspect Eye Lv.5], [Intermediate Spearmanship Lv.6], [Intermediate Swordsmanship Lv.8], [Inventory], [Mana Manipulation Lv.8], [Mana Overclock Lv.1], [Mana Sense Lv.8], [Mental Tolerance Lv.5], [Miracle of Conviction Lv.1], [Negotiation Lv.7], [Night Vision], [Pain Tolerance Lv.6], [Phantom Blade Lv.5], [Phantom Slash Lv.6], [Poison-Paralysis Resistance Lv.4], [Projectile Defense Lv.3], [Predator’s Step Lv.5], [Reflection Counter Lv.1], [Shield Bash Lv.1], [Soullink Resonance Lv.1], [Stealth Movements Lv.6], [Sword Intent Lv.1], [Weapon Manifestation Lv.5], [Wind Rush Lv.6]
Spell(s): {Frozen Icicle}, {Graviton Pull}, {Gravity Field}, {Gravity Launch}, {Mana Arrow}, {Mana Bullet}, {Mana Shield}, {Mass Alteration}, {Spinning Mana Arrow}
This was the first time I had defeated an enemy far higher level than myself without relying on Fabled Vessel, Grant Plausibility, or Scenario Manipulation. It was proof that, even without leveling up, I was still growing stronger. Granted, I had received assistance from Ember and Solana, but they were my tamed beasts, which were extensions of my own strength.
At that moment, the watching lizardmen quickly knelt before me and shouted a single line:
“All hail Zha’Rath, the Violet-Scaled Dragon God!”