Chapter 116: The Spider and the Snake
The Imoogi Bird was anxious.
Her plan had faltered from the very beginning.
Even so, she managed to control the situation somehow and succeeded in isolating the lizard, her primary target.
Now, all that was left was for the Beihj Bird to take care of the lizard.
They would show the dead body of the lizard to the Snake Queen.
That was the purpose of this ambush.
However, for some reason, the body of the lizard still hadn’t appeared.
“That idiot…”
The Imoogi Bird barely dodged numerous attacks, including the petrifying gaze, as she spat out a curse.
She had emphasized multiple times how important it was to subdue the target quickly.
Yet, seeing how long it was taking, it was clear that the Beihj Bird was fooling around.
Otherwise, there was no way it would take this long to deal with a mere first-rate-level lizard.
At this rate, she would be the first to fall.
The surroundings of the gourd were being fiercely protected by rock statues created by the power of the Snake Queen.
There was no option to steal it and escape.
And if they left the gourd behind and retreated, the Snake Queen would undoubtedly use some method to retrieve the lizard.
In other words, she had to hold the Snake Queen down with the Fiery Phoenix until the Beihj Bird finished its task.
Facing her with brute strength was impossible.
Maybe if the Beihj Bird joined forces and attacked all at once, it could work. But with the petrifying gaze, there was nothing the two of them could do.
Even though they had some resistance, the moment they stopped moving, their bodies would be shattered.
The only gap they could exploit was likely a mental one.
Had the lizard not attacked so abruptly, the Imoogi Bird might have had more fun using her transformation ability.
So, the Imoogi Bird changed her tactic.
In simpler terms, she decided to talk.
To shake her opponent’s psyche.
“Surprisingly calm, aren’t you? Do you know what’s happening to your companion?”
Pang!
Crackling!
The giant tail of the Basilisk whipped around like a lash.
Sweat poured down the Imoogi Bird’s body like rain.
Just brushing against it would mean death.
“That trap earlier—do you know who set it? It was the Beihj Bird. That weirdo. Hundreds of beasts are probably tearing your companion apart right now.”
Barely dodging the attack, the Imoogi Bird hurriedly spoke.
“Uooooh!”
Fwoosh.
The Fiery Phoenix relentlessly shot fireballs to block the petrifying gaze.
The Imoogi Bird swallowed hard.
She needed to observe the Snake Queen’s reaction to decide her next move.
With her companion close to death, emotional agitation was inevitable.
“How sad.”
Had she fallen for it?
The Imoogi Bird’s face lit up.
“To think that I hate myself so much for just standing by and watching.”
She wondered if it was an act, but that massive snake’s voice couldn’t possibly be lying.
The Imoogi Bird had an excellent ability to discern others’ emotions.
“Ahaha. Right? That lizard will keep calling out to you.”
It was a voice laced with anger, resentment, guilt, and sorrow.
“Oh, my dear Snake Queen. Please, save me. Even as it dies, it will call out for you.”
The Imoogi Bird exaggerated her tone, carefully watching the Snake Queen’s reaction.
The Snake Queen covered one of her eyes as if she couldn’t bear to see it anymore.
Was she blocking her petrifying gaze?
Was she surrendering?
No, the Snake Queen wouldn’t be that easy to defeat.
“Calling out for me?”
But it was true that her emotions were shaken.
She had to push harder.
“Blood pouring down, those beautiful black scales all falling off, its head dangling loosely… being eaten alive by the Beihj Bird… it will call out to you like that.”
Using raw, vivid language, the Imoogi Bird provoked the Snake Queen.
Once shaken, it couldn’t be completely ineffective.
“My companion… calling out to me…”
The Snake Queen lowered her head.
The Imoogi Bird cheered internally.
Things were going far too smoothly.
Swish!
The Imoogi Bird’s black feathers shot toward the Snake Queen.
Not to be outdone, the Fiery Phoenix’s massive fireball also flew at her, intending to burn her body.
Pop!
Fwoosh.
An ambush targeting an emotionally weakened opponent.
It was bound to work.
That’s what the Imoogi Bird thought.
“Unfortunately, it seems my companion is a bit of a flirt.”
The massive body of the Basilisk moved.
Rumble!
Clang!
The steel feathers were effortlessly deflected.
The Fiery Phoenix’s flames suffered the same fate.
No, that wasn’t all.
The Snake Queen’s body had indeed moved significantly.
Enough to extinguish all the fire the Fiery Phoenix had laid across the ground.
The Imoogi Bird realized this only when her eyes met those of the Snake Queen.
Crack.
It was too obvious what happened to those who looked into the Basilisk’s eyes.
“You’ve brought in not one, but three anchors. Isn’t that a bit too shameless?”
Muttering something incomprehensible, the Snake Queen charged at the Imoogi Bird.
***
Nephila Jurassica was deep in thought, despite her terrifying appearance.
Her spider sisters were whining incessantly.
That human female cried all the time.
Being separated from the lizard meant that she had to lead his followers.
She felt a bit sad and already missed the lizard who left right after they had reunited.
But she couldn’t stand in his way.
He did his best where he was, and she, as his wife, had to do her best with what she could to fulfill her duty.
Thus, she couldn’t help but have many thoughts.
But having many thoughts didn’t mean she was troubled.
The lizard she loved wasn’t someone who would easily die anywhere.
If there was something to worry about, it would probably be about managing his lower half.
Even in that aspect, she wasn’t overly concerned.
The female from the Tang family, who could be called her rival in love, was at a level that could be handled by the two small spiders.
Though the spider sisters kept growing larger, they couldn’t compare to her, who had once evolved into a human-like form.
There was a beautiful woman with black hair, but she was more like the lizard’s mentor or parent than a rival.
Since she would likely become her future mother-in-law, Nephila acted politely.
Though Nephila Jurassica, who had not yet fully assumed a human form, could only weave webs depicting him, her mother-in-law adored those drawings.
Thus, Nephila spent her time doing trivial tasks, receiving treatment as the lowest in rank, and waiting for the day she could reunite with him.
She, who seemed to have no worries, found herself troubled by something.
It was because of the sudden appearance of two female snakes.
Being separated from him, she couldn’t do anything about it.
She had desperately tried to convey her thoughts to him, but lately, that hadn’t been going well either.
Nephila speculated that the mother snake had done something underhanded.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t reach him at all, but it had become much harder to communicate with the lizard.
She couldn’t talk to him, but she could immediately see what he was up to.
It was a spectacle.
While she was away, he was fooling around with snakes, dancing wildly with small lizards, and even putting some strange bird in his mouth.
Nephila was troubled over how to manage the lizard’s lower half.
What bothered her the most was the existence known as the Snake Queen.
Why did a snake have to carry such unnecessary lumps of fat on its chest?
Nephila thought back to her own human form.
She became somewhat gloomy, feeling as if she was being compared.
Though that lizard had an oddly suspicious fondness for those bizarre lumps of fat, it probably didn’t mean much.
Nephila recalled a saying she had heard somewhere.
“Childhood friends always win.”
She wasn’t sure if it came from the lizard’s subconscious or from someone in the Tang family.
Though she didn’t fully understand its meaning, Nephila liked that saying.
Either way, she would win.
So, no matter how audacious the snakes were, she could just laugh it off.
Though her smile had momentarily disappeared when the Snake Queen declared herself his mate.
Of course, that was a one-sided claim without his consent.
Still, Nephila couldn’t help but feel a bitter taste in her mouth.
Even so, she could somewhat accept it.
It seemed that, in her own way, the Snake Queen was treating him well.
It was a bit frustrating, but it looked like she was even giving him better elixirs than the core Nephila had given him.
But licking him all over with her tongue? That was going too far!
That was what Nephila Jurassica thought.
The Snake Queen had crossed a line.
She had put him in her mouth and rolled him around, and it wasn’t even his regular form, but a tiny lizard!
Childhood friends always win.
Nephila believed in that saying, but as time passed, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
What if he really was devoured?
What if he drifted away from her again?
What if he couldn’t come back?
As time went on, she grew more depressed.
Would childhood friends really win?
With their bodies separated, would their hearts grow distant too?
Time continued to pass, leading to the current situation.
He was in danger.
It was an unprecedented crisis.
The proud Snake Queen couldn’t save him.
Only she, his childhood friend, could save him.
The internal energy she had saved without spending lavishly.
Her power as a shrine maiden.
And the believers who always trusted him.
She sent all the experience she had accumulated to him.
She had seen that lizard recover several times in the middle of battles as if he had been reborn.
This time, she wanted him to be able to recover as well.
She didn’t stop there.
There were countless enemies of the lizard.
As the shrine maiden of the Gecko Faith, wasn’t it her duty to stay by his side?
And,
Childhood friends always win.
Even though her body had no physical form, she decided to stay with him.
Of course, she didn’t have the ability to do that.
To be precise, it was like not knowing how to use it.
Despite that, she could do it because the Snake Queen lent her strength.
She had never met her or spoken with her before.
She had more negative feelings toward her than positive ones.
But their goals aligned.
It was an unprecedented situation where the shrine maiden of one religion and the divine beast of another faith joined forces.
At the center of it all was the lizard, a reckless playboy.