Chapter 93: Chapter 93

Once the Three-Headed Snake saw that the crows were aiming for her children, she recoiled her body, ready to pounce.

Dual-element magical beasts of Lightning and Wind, the Crows dove down, striking the snakes with a speed few could evade.

Their attacks were deadly, and their aim precise.

But the Three-Headed Snake, blinded by the desire to feed, no longer cared for protecting her children and, using them as bait, pounced at one of the Crow King’s wives as soon as one of her children was killed.

A chilling “Hisss!” from the snake was met by a defiant “Caw!” from above, followed by a ground-shaking “Rumble!!”

The serpent, a spring of muscle and malice, exploded forward.

One moment, it was a coiled mass; the next, a blurring arc of scales and venomous fangs.

The Crow, her lightning-wreathed wings straining, twisted mid-air, a desperate, valiant effort.

But it wasn't enough.

A searing pain erupted across her breast as a fang tore a shallow, burning furrow.

The force of the impact was immense, a sickening jolt that sent both combatants spiraling into the canopy, tearing through branches with a ragged scream of splintering wood.

Sokram and his family had already secured their haul of eggs; he’d even entrusted a sack to Oliver before seeking out more.

Leona, going back with a sack full of eggs, passed by him and joked, “Don’t get too greedy!”

Hilda, Miralyn, and Astrid, who had already passed him, each left a sack of eggs with Hannah and Oliver when a loud crashing sound reached their ears.

Hilda’s heart tightened, remembering Sokram had just returned down there to look for more eggs.

Her gaze snapped back to the cliff; everyone was already up there. Only Sokram remained in the nests.

Astrid's face, like the faces of all of them, turned into a grimace of worry and fear for her little brother.

Miralyn didn’t waste time and rushed toward her son.

But then she realized, Sayuri wasn’t there anymore. And she felt a little more relieved.

At the mouth of the first cave, Sokram pressed himself into the shadows.

He felt the tremor before he heard it, a strong rumble echoing through the rock walls.

Sokram had hidden once he sensed the impact, but just as he was about to rush back up, he heard a voice transmitted through intent.

In his ears, it sounded like a guttural hissing sound, but in his mind, a set of clear words, “Caught you little bird! Now tell me, where are your eggs? Your flash is not that good, but your eggs are always delicious!”

To Sokram’s astonishment, a defiant caw echoed in his ears, followed by a firm declaration that entered his mind, “I’ll never tell you, kill me if you will, but I’ll never give you my children!”

Sokram’s heart clenched.

That sharp maternally protective tone, the same defiance he’d heard in his past life, when his wife screamed against their enemies, now echoed in the snake’s victim.

Rage and grief twisted together, and then the vivid memory of his sons’ cries.

Before he realized it, his emotional turmoil had become will.

In a second, his will erupted into action: 'Dark Lightning – Storm Step!'

Before Sayuri could reach him, Sokram appeared in a flash, his katana stabbing the eye of one of the snake’s heads.

As he pulled back his sword, he cast once more, ‘Dark Lightning – Tetra Slath!’

Sokram, in a flash of dark lightning, appeared atop the left head.

Using two of the four slashes his technique granted him, he blinded the eyes in that head with two consecutive strikes.

Before the snake could even register the loss of her first eye, two more were destroyed by Sokram’s blade.

But by the time the snake realized it was under attack from someone else, Sokram flashed again, appearing above the right head, taking another two eyes with lightning-fast strikes.

Sokram used the momentum to gain distance; his feet kicked a tree as he lunged forward, preparing another attack.

But just when Sokram was about to cast a third spell, the snake’s remaining eye met his.

Like all Chaos Creatures, it was overwhelmed by killing intent upon sensing one of Nhiria’s children.

Feeling the danger, Sokram found himself still hovering in the air when a stone spear shot from the ground below him, intending to impale him while he was defenseless.

Now, without his lightning, he had no way to dodge.

But in the next second, just as the spear was about to reach him, his vision blurred for an instant, and Sokram found himself held by the waist. Sayuri was holding him with one arm and extending the other toward the snake while standing on top of the rock spear.

When the Three-Headed snake saw the six-tailed fox, her body froze.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Her instincts screamed for her to run, screaming that the enemy in front of her eyes was far stronger than she, but by then it was too late.

The Three-Headed Snake couldn’t move; an immense Force was holding it in place.

Before the snake realized what happened, a sharp hiss cut the air behind her, wind-empowered feathers slicing like blades.

Now completely defenseless, the three heads of the snake were chopped in an instant.

When Sokram saw who had launched the attack, his eyebrows widened in shock.

On top of the snake’s still-twitching bulk was a man of striking appearance.

Approximately 1.8 meters tall, his pale skin seemed to glow faintly in the dim light.

He was utterly naked, his lean physique on full display.

What truly captured the eye were his arms, which seemed not merely attached, but organically fused with a pair of sweeping obsidian wings.

On his forehead, three stark strands of golden hair gleamed, a bizarre contrast to the unruly cascade of black hair that framed his face.

His dark eyes, like polished obsidian, darted between Sokram and Sayuri.

While the great wings on his back twitched, the very sound was like the whisper of steel and silk.

“A dragon and a fox in my mountain? Why?” His voice was steady, but the tautness in his shoulders betrayed his fear.

Just then, three other figures appeared behind Sokram and Sayuri; it was Miralyn, Brunhild, and Margiory.

“An Elf and two humans, too? Are they your harem, young dragon?” The Crow King’s tone was still fearful, and his expression serious.

“Yes, elder. They are my women.” Still, in Sayuri’s grip, Sokram answered with a polite smile.

With a glance and nod, he signaled Sayuri to let him go.

Once he was on the ground, he saluted the Crow King as if he were saluting a noble, “I’m Sokram, elder. May I know your name?”

“I’m the Crow King, and this mountain is my nest. Can I know what you are doing here?”

Crow King didn’t make any hostile movements despite his instincts screaming for him to take his wife and run, because the elven woman and the fox were clearly stronger than he was.

Yet, he couldn’t abandon the eggs that were clearly approaching their hatching period.

“We’re here to steal your eggs,” Sokram answered honestly and unafraid. Miralyn and his grandmothers looked at him in disbelief.

The Crow King’s wounded wife froze in shock, hearing that, but the King only frowned.

Sokram flashed him a sheepish grin before he continued, “But I didn’t know you and your wives had already accepted the Records; there was no sign of those eggs being from an Evolved Species.”

The Crow King and his wife seemed to understand why he admitted so bluntly.

When an Evolved Species awakens, it receives knowledge from the Records about the world it lives in to aid its survival and evolution.

Much that they previously hadn't understood became clear, including the myriad reasons humanoids would steal their eggs or slay them and their young.

“Those eggs were laid before our awakening, but my wives didn’t want to part with them, knowing the children would not survive without us.”

The Crow’s tone became a lot calmer now.

But his gaze was still analytical, studying Sokram and his family with curiosity and caution.

Sokram was about to speak when the wounded crow released a sound that was half a groan and half a weak caw.

Sokram flashed beside her and placed his hand over her while using a diagnostic spell.

A frown deepening in his brows, “She’s poisoned. She won’t last half a day if she doesn’t get an antidote.”

Just then, the Crow King’s other wives appeared, flying above them.

They all cawed toward the Crow King, who answered them, not hiding his words, “The dragon was here to steal our eggs; he doesn’t have killing intent, but he knows how to find poison too.”

The Crow King’s gaze moved to Sokram, trying not to show hostility despite Sokram touching his wife without permission, “Can you heal her?”

“Sure, but as compensation, I want the bodies of these snakes. Can I have them?” Sokram smiled as he answered.

Sayuri, Miralyn, and the two grandmothers looked at him, stupefied again, all of them sharing similar thoughts, ‘This is no time to be greedy!’

But the Crow King just shrugged, “It’s yours, their meat is too bitter anyway.”

“Thank you!” Sokram nodded politely and moved toward one of the Snake’s heads nearby, seeing an opportunity, the Crow King flashed beside his wounded wife.

His other wives landed nearby, also turning into their humanoid forms.

Their feathers melted into skin, the sound of bones shifting soft but sickening.

Sokram didn’t dare to even glance at them, knowing they would be naked. If he lost his composure, that could be seen as a great offense by the Crows, and the Crows never forget an offense.

And Sokram, right now, was aiming to make friends, not enemies, especially with an Evolved Species, as that would come in handy in the future.

With careful precision, Sokram, with a Force empowered by Elemental Control, siphoned venom from the snake’s fangs, avoiding direct contact. Took out an alchemical table from his Void Glove and started concocting a serum. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novel•fire.net

Seeing that he was fully focused, the Crow King's wives rushed to their husband’s side while Sayuri and the others moved closer to Sokram.

The air hung thick with tension, a palpable weight that stifled even the crows’ restless wings.

Despite the palpable tension, Sokram remained remarkably at ease.

A faint, almost mischievous grin played on his lips.

Brunhild and Margiory looked at him, both thinking: ‘Why is he so calm right now?’

After thirty minutes, Sokram finished the serum, and turning around, he almost dropped it.

The seven winged beauties, completely naked in front of him, their forms gleaming under the moonlight, a dazzling, disorienting sight.

But he quickly averted his gaze, suppressed his bodily responses, and stepped forward.

One of the other wives narrowed her eyes, suspicion sharpening her tone. “What is that? I saw you pulling poison from the snake. You want to poison my sister instead of curing her?”

Sokram calmly shook his head, “This is a serum.”

He clarified, “It’s used to combat the poison. There are other ways to make serums, but the most effective uses the poison that caused the infection.”

The Crow King nodded, “I sense no lie in his words, but before you touch my wife again, ask for permission first. I didn’t touch any of your wives, young dragon.”

Sokram, understanding the unspoken warning, gave a small, apologetic smile.

“I saw her in pain and acted too quickly,” he admitted. “May I proceed with the healing?”

The Crow King studied him for a moment, his sharp gaze flickering over Sokram as if he could see beyond just his form, “Your words are truthful. Please heal her, young dragon.”

Sokram nodded and approached carefully but without fear, asking the wounded crow, “Can you turn to your humanoid form?”

“Caw…” The crow cawed, but the meaning reached Sokram’s mind: ‘No, it hurts too much.’

“Then don’t spill it. Otherwise, I’ll have to inject it straight into your heart. And don’t resist my mana, I must guide the serum through your body to cleanse it from the poison.” After Sokram spoke, the wounded crow glanced at her husband seeking confirmation, and the King nodded.

Seeing that, Sokram confirmed, the Crow King had awakened with an ability that allowed him, at the very least, to detect lies.

Sokram fed the serum to her and injected his mana into her body, not hesitating to probe her core whenever the serum passed through her heart.

He spent another two hours cleansing her body as the poison had seeped into her core, but also because he was healing her wounds.

He gained valuable insight into their anatomy, something he would put to good use soon.

Once he was done, he asked her again, “Can you turn into a humanoid now?”

Without replying, her body shrank and transformed instantly, and a beautiful woman with dark, almost black almond eyes and sleek raven hair appeared naked in front of him.

Seeing her, Sokram once again suppressed his bodily reactions and then asked the King, “Can I touch her? I need to check if her body is fully cleansed.”

The Crow King raised an eyebrow but nodded, but his suspicious look didn’t disappear.

Seeing the Crow’s expression, Sokram confirmed it, ‘Yep, it’s an intent detector. Maybe he can even detect the feelings of those around him. Truly amazing.’

This time, Sokram was faster, simply checking her pulse and scanning her body with his mana.

Seeing that she was fine, he turned to the Crow King, “She’s in perfect health. Not even a scar.”

The tension in the crows' expression eased immensely.

Yet, the Crow King looked at Sokram with much more curiosity than hostility as Sokram walked toward the body of the Three-headed Snake to store it.

The Crow King's voice sounded sharp and direct, “You said you wanted to steal our eggs, why?”