Living As the Villainess Queen (Web Novel KR)-Chapter 421.2

A few moments later, Riner emerged, clinging to the serpent’s massive body as it began to rise from the pit. Struggling to stay balanced on the writhing surface, he staggered and wobbled, his movements wild.

"Always in a rush," Akil muttered from a distance, brushing the dust off his clothes. He shook his head, his expression one of mild disapproval. In his opinion, it would have been wiser to wait until the creature fully emerged. Rushing in like that would only make escape more difficult.

Riner, apparently struggling to keep his footing, drove his sword deep into the serpent’s body, using it as an impromptu handhold to steady himself.

Akil’s eyes widened as he sensed the serpent’s venomous tail beginning to stir. The distance was too far to shout a warning.

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"Watch out!"

Without hesitation, Akil drew his uniquely shaped sword, angling it in preparation. He hurled the royal blade, passed down through generations of the Sovereign King, its design perfected for precision.

In the dense forests of Delano, where thick underbrush often hampered hunts for the lark, quick and efficient clearing was essential. To navigate these dense woods, the Sovereign King had developed a swordsmanship technique that involved throwing the curved blade like a boomerang.

The crescent-shaped blade spun rapidly, glowing green as it tore through the air, heading straight toward Riner.

Akil intended for the blade to pass just above Riner’s head. However, the serpent’s sudden movement threw a wrench into his plan.

As the snake’s body arched upward, Riner was carried higher along with it. At the exact moment the boomerang blade was about to graze Riner’s neck, he ducked sharply.

With perfect precision, the sword struck true, slicing off the venomous stinger from the descending tail. The green-glowing blade followed its arc and returned to Akil’s waiting hand, landing smoothly in his grip.

From afar, Riner waved at him, and Akil couldn’t help but smirk.

"This feels… oddly reassuring," he muttered to himself.

The feeling was unlike any past hunts for the lark alongside his warriors. Despite their lack of prior coordination, Akil trusted his comrades' instincts to adapt effortlessly. Even when unforeseen variables arose, he didn’t worry about the risk of injury.

These weren’t subordinates he had to protect—these were comrades he could trust to watch his back. For the first time, he fought alongside equals, warriors capable of handling themselves. Facing the monstrous creature head-on no longer felt overwhelming. Akil was confident the other three kings would do their part—and more.

Let me deal with that pesky tail. Akil’s emerald-green eyes gleamed with determination as a dense mist of Praz began to swirl around him. He surged forward, charging toward the creature’s rear.

Meanwhile, Riner gripped the sword embedded in the serpent’s body with both hands, a sinister smile curling on his lips.

"You bastard, let me show you some real pain."

Without direct access to the core, Riner decided to leave the serpent’s body in ruins.

Though the lark’s core allowed it to regenerate wounds indefinitely, severe injuries took longer to heal. Strikes to vital organs—like the heart or brain—could incapacitate it, even if temporarily.

Riner’s body blazed with flames of Praz, his muscles pulsing with power as he poured his strength into the blade. He drove the sword deeper, the hilt barely protruding from the creature’s flesh, then leveraged his weight and yanked the blade downward. The sword tore through the serpent’s body with brutal force, exposing raw sinew as it cut its path. The deeper the wound, the brighter the flames surrounding him blazed, propelling him downward. The sword carved a gruesome trail, revealing the serpent’s insides in grotesque detail.

At the same time, Pered unleashed a storm of Praz, his body coiling like a spring before he leapt high into the air. He angled his sword, eyes locked on the creature’s glowing red eye, and aimed for the fatal strike.

— Dark King!

Mahar let out a shriek, startled by Pered’s unexpected assault. The blade sliced through the thick eyelid and embedded itself deep into the eye, becoming caught in the dense, rubbery skin.

Mahar’s scream cut through the air. Normally, larks felt no pain, even when parts of its body were severed. It simply expended life force to regenerate. But the King’s Praz didn’t just wound—it disrupted the very energy that sustained the creature, amplifying its agony.

As Mahar thrashed its head violently, Pered released his grip on the sword, leaving it lodged deep in the serpent’s eye. In mid-air, he adjusted his body with a series of precise rotations before landing smoothly on the ground.

"The core!"

Kasser’s voice rang out as he dashed forward. He finally spotted the creature’s core when the serpent lifted its head. A faint light flickered at the junction of its jaw and neck but disappeared again, concealed beneath layers of thick, folding skin.

Not an easy spot to reach.

If it had been a smaller serpent, Kasser mused, decapitating the neck would have been simple. But this creature’s size made such an approach impossible.

Mahar’s remaining red eye glowed with venomous resolve. Despite its battered state—tail severed, back gouged open, and an eye impaled—the escalating pain only fueled its rage. Mahar calculated that if humans were caught in the destruction, the kings would tread more carefully.

The enormous serpent thrashed wildly, rolling and twisting its massive form. The debris of shattered buildings crumbled against its body, sending clouds of dust into the air with each thunderous impact.

Sensing the pressure from the kings easing, Mahar seized the opportunity to flee. Its movements, surprising for such a massive creature, were shockingly swift. Riner, who had been waiting to climb onto the serpent’s tail, was forced to retreat as the tail lashed out with destructive force.

Kasser leapt upward, his blazing-blue serpent companion twisting alongside him. Mahar turned its head sharply, baring its fangs and lunging at him with its mouth wide open. Though it had exhausted most of its venom, traces of poison still clung to its fangs.

Just one bite to a limb!

The sound of Mahar’s jaws snapping shut echoed menacingly as it narrowly missed Kasser with each strike. Riner’s sharp eyes narrowed as he analyzed the pattern in Kasser’s movements.

"The core must be in its head!"

Realizing the critical information, Riner abandoned his position and charged forward, whistling sharply to signal his approach.