Chương 52: 51. Emperor's Dominance

The arrow split, the air hitting the sleeping phoenix-hawk right in the chest. Before the creature could let out a peep, it was engulfed in orange flames. Transforming into a clump of smoldering coal, it fell straight down, making its way to the floor, where Carl caught it. That made twelve. The collecting method was proving to be quite productive. It couldn't be called hunting by any stretch of the imagination, but it got the job done. No doubt Harlequin was displeased.

I could imagine him sending a group of elves just to stir things up. Alas for him, by the time any of them got here, it would all be over. Standing below, Eleonor waved and pointed to my next target. The system was elegantly simple. When the rest of the group had entered the dome, they had seen me standing on the monster dozens of feet above. As it happened, that was the perfect spot for me to catch phoenix-hawks already there.

Once I got them, I'd toss them in the open for Cathy to use her arrows on, then someone would catch the coal. Carl had volunteered, naturally, though in the end it had been decided that everyone would take turns, with Cathy having first pick. I could see that she wasn't thrilled with the idea of getting special treatment, probably because she already owed me a few favors. Even so, the burden of her goddess was too great. Cathy had no choice but to play along.

As things stood, the three of them had gathered four "hawks" each. That meant the next one would mark the first person to complete the trial. Remember our deal, I thought as I looked at Eleonor. Understanding my concerns, the goth nodded. Slowly, I made my way to the next section of the centipede. The insect pheromones seemed to be doing their job, though there was always a risk that the monster might wake up. The hawk was half-buried in the moss. I could see it draining aether from the centipede even while asleep.

Gently, I put my hands around it, then briskly pulled it out like a vegetable and tossed it into the air. Cathy's reaction was immediate, piercing the creature with her arrow barely a second later. Below, I saw Calm take a step in the direction he shouldn't have. A single glance from Eleonor made him not do another. The crackling piece of coal hit the floor ten steps away from Cathy. The girl went up to it, as previously agreed, and picked it up. Immediately, a red glow covered her entire body.

A moment later, she was no more.

"Congratulations, participants," Harlequin's voice boomed.

"We have our first winner." Crap! This was something I had completely miscalculated. It was obvious that Harlequin would make an announcement—that was part of his job as rule-master. However, I did not think that he would use it to get back at me. His voice, deliberately amplified tenfold, continued partially complementing Cathy and going into great detail what shit everyone else was. The phoenix-hawks instantly woke up. Flying out of the centipede, they darted towards all the openings in the dome. Serp!

I summoned the saber as I tried to maintain my balance. The monster stirred beneath my feet like a living earthquake. I quickly performed a power thrust, but the attack barely went through the layer of earth and vegetation. Aether attacks came from below, drilling holes in the dome. That wasn't aimed at helping me. Eleonor was targeting the fleeing phoenix-hawks. Two of them proved too slow, transforming into coal as they were hit. For a split second, I saw the goth smile.

Her lips moved, forming the words "good luck" as she grabbed the final bird of the set, promptly vanishing moments later. A second lump of burning coal hit the dome floor. Like a rat scurrying through a sewer pile, Carl dashed towards it. Leaping forward, he grabbed it, completing the trial as well.

"Shit!" I shouted. Now, only I was left. The hawks had dispersed, leaving the dome. In a matter of seconds, they would be beyond reach, moving away from the ruins, likely towards the remaining participants. Restrict! I thought, slashing the ground beneath my feet. The ground stopped tumbling as the Gatekeeper card came into effect. Twelve of Rings! Eleven of Chalice! Like a madman, I slashed the air as many times as I could. Aether threads wrapped in green flames struck the centipede.

Mossy earth peeled off an entire section of the monster, falling off like mud from a shovel. For the first time, part of the centipede's real body became visible. Massive segments, dozens of feet each, linked together like pieces of humongous chain mail. I proceeded with another attack only to watch it bounce off.

"Serp, do you know how to kill it?" I asked. Beneath me the ground moved again. While I had restricted the centipede from shaking, that didn't prevent it from uncoiling. Its head—resting in the higher area of the dome until now—moved towards the empty space in the middle.

"Serp!" I shouted. This was the worst time for the sword to act out. Through the head, he replied. It's fastest through the head. That was all I needed to know. I closed my eyes for half a second—enough to blank my mind—then opened them again. All the fear and hesitation had gone. Fifty feet away, the head of the creature continued on its way down. I could see the disgusting mouth that could swallow anything in its way, along with the dozens of eyes right after.

The major ones were the size of a large car, surrounded by clusters of smaller ones. Each looked like a magic gem. The amount of aether they contained alone was worth a fortune, not to mention all its other qualities. A single question passed through my head: should I go for the mouth or the eyes? Since I had never fought such a beast before, I chose the eyes. Holding my breath, I dashed forward as long as the width of the centipede would allow, then jumped. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road.

If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Time seemed to slow down. I felt every instant of myself flying through the air. In front of me, the giant head got closer, while simultaneously continuing down. Just like the Blade Serpent, I thought as I put in all my strength in a single power thrust. The tip of the blade struck the hardened chitin. I could feel the shock of the strike all the way up my hands and arms. The chitin had the consistency of stone, yet the serpent blade had no intention of being stopped.

A single crack formed on the centipede. It was so small that the monster wouldn't even notice, but it was enough to let the sword push through. Half the blade sank in, then stopped. Even such an attack was incapable of chipping through all the centipede's armor. I held on, pulling myself onto the monster's body again. Unlike the Blade Serpent, the monster didn't hit the floor. A few feet away, the head changed direction, turning towards the temple entrance.

From there it would go through the section of the columns and into the jungle.

"Did you reach its flesh?" I asked. No, Serp replied. It's all shell. Restrict! I used the Gatekeeper card again to limit the monster's mobility. As long as I didn't fall off, it could be argued that I would be relatively safe. The centipede didn't have the ability to twist its body like the Blade Serpent. Its legs couldn't attack me, either. Unfortunately, it didn't seem that I could do any additional damage. Planting my feet against the chitin, I gripped the saber with both hands, then dashed forward.

Vanish, I thought, unsummoning Serp as I ran over the hole that the blade had made. The distance to the head was less than a hundred feet. By the time I had halved it, the centipede had already burst into the jungle. Concentrating, I drew the divine swords from my inventory and combined an arc attack with a thread strike. An aether thread emerged, slicing through the trees ahead of us. There was no time to admire the view.

I returned the swords to the inventory, then summoned Serp again and slammed it into the chitin. The thrust was slightly weaker than before, though still managed to pierce through. That was all I needed. Hardening my bones, I clung on. Leaves and branches flew over, grazing me in the process. I waited for the wave to pass, then charged forward again. Another twenty feet and I repeated the process. The head was almost within reach. I could see two of the massive eyes, glittering in the sunlight.

From what I could remember fighting parasites of lesser size, cutting off the head didn't obligatorily lead to death. In some cases, the remaining segments of the monster continued living on as if they were missing a hat.

"Are you sure you can kill it?" I asked. There was no answer.

"Serp! Are you sure you can kill it?" I can kill it! The voice rang in my mind. I just need to reach something soft.

"Then, get ready. You'll have it." Gouging out an eye was my best option. Not the big ones—that would make the monster too erratic. One of the smaller ones was fine. Once I had plucked it out, I would just thrust Serp into the hole and let him handle the rest. A sudden, high-pitched sound filled the air. Less than a roar, though more than a scream, it caused my entire body to freeze up. A wave of helplessness gripped my very soul, draining every thought of hope.

Restrict, I thought, before the effects of Dominance took hold. That was one of the Emperor's skills. Stronger than intimidation, it gripped people and monsters by their souls, forcing them to accept the dominance of the one using the skill. I had seen armies, enemies and allies alike, freeze in awe. I felt my hands lose their grip, sending me flying back towards the tail of the centipede. It's just a stupid creature! My mind rebelled. It can't have any dominion over anyone!

My senses snapped back as I broke through its hold. I could still feel a crushing burden on my chest, but it was more important that I didn't lose time. Unsummoning and summoning Serp, I thrust the blade into the chitin yet again. The strike failed to break through the hard surface. Unwilling to give up, I tried once more. The tip of the blade struck the hard surface, and this time continued further. You okay, old man? Serp asked. He sounded more concerned than I had ever heard him before. What happened?

My will was far weaker than I had imagined. It was fortunate that I hadn't fallen off completely. Leave it to Harlequin to grant such a devastating skill to a brainless creature. Maybe he found the contrast amusing. It certainly explained how the centipede managed to eat the phoenix-hawks. In any other circumstances, they would have flown off long before it had a chance to devour them. Sweat drenched my clothes as I held onto the sword.

Gritting my teeth, I let go with one hand, then drew a divine blade with the other to clear the approaching jungle ahead. This was hardly optimal. Serp had made it clear how much he hated the divine blades, and they too demanded to remain a pair. Right now, I didn't care. I was going to win this, no matter what the centipede, Harlequin, or the deities themselves threw at me!

"You're nothing but a glass cannon!" I shouted. I took a few seconds to shake off the lingering effects of dominance. That was the other nasty thing about it—it never really went away. If I didn't kill the creature in the next few minutes, I'd go through a relapse. My hope was that the insect was too stupid to know how to use the Emperor card adequately. Using the Two of Chalice to heal as much of my body as possible, I restarted my journey to the head. It was excruciatingly painful.

My muscles were already at their limit. Now they felt like they were being torn in real time. Only determination and spite kept me going. Dash. Unsummon. Summon. Strike. The process became a routine. Every now and again I'd use the divine blade to send an aether thread ahead and clear more of the jungle. Thanks to the restrictions I had placed, the monster couldn't turn or use Dominance again. That should have made things easier, but I didn't feel they did. Just a bit more, Serp encouraged me. Just a bit more…

I would laugh if I had the strength. All I had done was get back to the spot I had started from. Less than fifty feet remained, but those fifty feet felt like infinity. SPONSORSHIP OFFER! A deity is willing to boost your strength in exchange for a pact. There they were. The vultures had seen that I was at the end of my strength and were circling for the kill. A logical person would have accepted. A pragmatic person might have as well.

Yet, it was the anger of getting an offer that gave me the final boost of strength. Using the same holes I had created before, I ignored pain and fears to thrust myself to the front of the head. At this point, I didn't even want the eye. Power thrust! My saber struck the almost invisible line between the eye and the rest of the chitin, letting the blade slide in. Great strike, brother! I heard Serp say. I'll take care of things now! I was a "brother" now? My vision blurred, but I still held on.

The fight wouldn't be complete until the monster lay dead in the jungle or had vanished from existence. Serp vibrated. Getting a taste of a living creature, he was no doubt growing within the centipede. Soon, he would devour its entire head from the inside, then continue further down. If I let him, he would well become as large as the insect itself. You really are a monster, I thought. His voice and the fact that I owned him had blinded me to the fact, but he remained a Grand Arcana card.

Even at his current state, no Major Arcana holder even came close.

"I'm leaving it all to you," I whispered. A moment later, darkness consumed me.