Chapter 7 Jormungandr (3) I've prepared a completely...

Jormungandr lifted Xia Ying's body from the lake and gazed at her face with tender and affectionate eyes.

The human girl seemed to be sleeping in his arms. He leaned down, his long, curly hair, wet with lake water, cascading down her shoulders, neck, chest, and abdomen. His lower body, now completely transformed into a snake tail, intimately coiled around her body, as if dancing together or hunting.

He reached out to comb the girl's disheveled hair, but before his fingertips could touch it, Xia Ying's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and the [Kusanagi Sword] suddenly thrust out, its blade piercing Jormungandr's chest.

The [Kusanagi Sword] unleashed its magical properties, which were exceptionally damaging to serpentine abyssal creatures. The wounded serpent demon let out a low groan of pain, and its tail suddenly relaxed. Xia Ying forcefully flipped it over and straddled Jormungandr's waist.

Now the situation has been reversed.

Xia Ying gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands and slowly pushed the Kusanagi Sword a little further in, lowering her gaze to carefully observe the snake demon's reaction.

Jormungandr's breathing became rapid and uneasy, his chest heaving violently. The pain caused his snake tail to twitch and thrash uncontrollably, until it could only helplessly coil around Xia Ying's body... But human body temperature was too hot for a snake. The spread of this temperature was like an infection and an invasion, causing the tip of his tail to spasm almost involuntarily.

“Abyssal species are born from endless desires; we are born for this, and we die for it.”

Jormungandr gasped for breath, tilting his head back as if suffocating, his eyes burning with thirst as he took in every subtle change in Xia Ying's expression and demeanor.

“I have lived for so long that I have gradually forgotten what it feels like to be driven by desire… But the moment I saw you board the Charon train, I was suddenly struck by that feeling again.”

Xia Ying asked him, "So what exactly do you want to do to me?"

“I don’t know… Maybe what I want is touch and embrace, but invasion and killing are equally attractive.” A smile appeared in the snake demon’s eyes. “The desires of abyssal creatures are always chaotic, let alone me, a snake.”

"I think I can understand."

Xia Ying thought for a moment and then answered.

“Our Cerberus was like that at first too. You abyssal creatures always mix desires together. Even if you really like something, you can’t help but eat it or break it.”

The serpent demon listened quietly to her explanation.

“But what can I do? I’m a very good master.” Xia Ying smiled slightly. “Although it took a long time to make him understand, Ker is now a completely good boy.”

"Perhaps he has indeed become smarter and more restrained, but in my opinion, the patience of creatures from the abyss often hides a greater desire."

Jormungandr scoffed.

"Xia Ying, you must be careful of every abyssal creature around you, no matter who it is."

She pressed further, "Just because I'm human?"

Jormungandr did not answer.

He gazed at her, blinked slightly, and his pupils instantly turned cold and narrow, his eyes taking on an extremely vibrant emerald green.

Jormungandr gripped the hilt of the sword, covering Xia Ying's hand as well, and with irresistible force, pulled the Ama-no-Kurakumo sword out inch by inch.

The serpent demon's bluish-purple blood gushed out, staining the golden tattoo on his body. The beautiful and mysterious patterns suddenly broke off from somewhere, and a crisp sound like metal breaking rang in Xia Ying's ears.

Click.

The sound suddenly reminded Xia Ying of the shackles on the horned giant in the maze.

The Kusanagi Sword is not only a sword for slaying serpents, but also a sword for breaking curses. When it pierced through the flesh and blood of the serpent demon, it also broke a part of the shackles imposed on his soul.

Jormungandr found a weakness in the loosened restraints, and his form began to change. He was enveloped by ominous magical particles, which then erupted into a towering black pillar of light.

The lake shore began to tremble, and Xia Ying immediately fled into the distance. As she stepped onto a rock, the ground suddenly collapsed and caved in. Xia Ying quickly sped up and jumped to higher places.

Only when she was sure she had escaped far enough did Xia Ying stop. She looked back and saw that the ground behind her had cracked and collapsed into a huge pit. The wind howled and the lake water overflowed. In the terrifying pillar of light that shot straight into the sky, there appeared a very, very, very... very huge snake.

The giant serpent raised its head from the pillar of light, its hard, iron-like scales slightly opening and closing, gleaming with a deep blue luster like the ocean abyss. Its eyes were like emerald moons, its chasm-like pupils constantly expanding and contracting, as if searching for something on the ground... Xia Ying unconsciously took a step back. The enormous creature could accurately detect even such a slight sound and immediately turned its gaze toward where Xia Ying was.

When her tiny figure was reflected in those enormous, chilling snake eyes, a voice involuntarily rose in Xia Ying's mind:

Oh no, we can't escape now.

She began to truly believe that she was doomed to die in the belly of a snake, and in this apocalyptic scene, a black feather suddenly drifted past her in perfect stillness.

The next moment, a hand gently pressed on Xia Ying's right shoulder, and magnificent six wings suddenly unfolded, then folded up in front of her like a feather shield.

The voice of the Demon Lord rang in Xia Ying's ears: "Take off my gloves, Xia Ying."

There was no time to be surprised. Without hesitation, Xia Ying placed her hand on Tartarus's palm, inserted her fingers into the gap of the glove opening, and quickly and smoothly peeled off the black silk glove.

The giant serpent lunged at the two, its scales scraping against the air currents at high speed, creating a terrifying howl. The six-winged demon simply stood still, not even a single hair of its head was stirred by the wind.

He raised his right hand, which had been ungloved, and snapped his fingers.

As if time had frozen, the giant serpent's movements abruptly halted, and dazzling golden threads appeared on its body, instantly extending into sturdy chains that dug deeply into its scales.

The giant serpent collapsed, the pillar of light dissipated, and Jormungandr, bound by the golden tattoo, transformed back into human form, with fine scales still remaining at the corners of his eyes.

Jormungandr grinned, the restrictive runes flashing and dancing like arcs of electricity across his skin: "Tartarus, I didn't intentionally break the restriction, so does that count as breaking the contract?"

The movement of the tattoo gradually stopped, and Jormungandr's mental rampage slowly subsided. He raised his face and met Xia Ying's gaze.

Jormungandr took a restrained step closer to the human girl and knelt down in front of her: "I'm sorry... I'm really not good at dealing with the feeling of losing control."

He carefully touched Xia Ying's fingers, and after gaining her tacit consent, the snake demon placed a kiss on her knuckles without any evil intent.

“You said you were a very good master,” he said. “If we meet again, please teach me how to do the same, okay?”

Jormungandr's figure dissipated in the wind. The Demon Lord looked towards the devastated lakeshore in the distance, took out a black scepter from the void, and lightly touched the ground with the tip of the scepter.

The life essence that had been hiding due to the riots quietly resurfaced, the damaged areas were rebuilt, and everything returned to its rightful peace.

“Jormungandr mistook you for the forbidden fruit hanging high on a branch…” He turned slightly, his gaze calmly falling on the human girl, “but you are actually more like a serpent that tempts and manipulates desire than he is.”

“I don’t always do this, and besides, I’ve learned my lesson this time.”

Xia Ying smiled and tucked a strand of hair that had been blown away by the wind behind her ear.

“Mr. Tartarus, I am just a weak and harmless human being.”

The Demon Lord sneered, "Jormungandr is right about at least one thing, Xia Ying. Never let your guard down around any abyssal creature, no matter who it may be."

Xia Ying lifted the hem of her non-existent skirt and gracefully curtsied: "I will remember your advice, Mr. Tartarus. Thank you for saving me again."

Tartarus flapped his wings, and a wind of magic enveloped him, a sign that the Demon Lord was about to leave this place.

As his figure gradually disappeared, Tartarus suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, in order to hide your human identity, I have prepared a flawless disguise for you... This is for your safety."

He paused strangely for a moment, then emphasized, "This is entirely for your safety."

What kind of disguise have you prepared?

Before Xia Ying could ask any further questions, the Demon Lord had already completely disappeared. Only then did she remember that she was still holding a glove in her hand. However, the spot where the Demon Lord had been standing was now empty, so Xia Ying had no choice but to put it away.

Now she was all alone. Xia Ying recalled the direction Jormungandr had indicated and continued her search along the lake.

This time, she did not encounter any unexpected changes.

Noticing the commotion in the distance, Xia Ying immediately started running. She leaped over several lake rocks, jumped into the pure lake water, and found the one she longed for among the many abyssal creatures that had just recovered from death.

The other party also sensed her arrival. He suddenly turned around, and the reflection in his crimson eyes continued to expand. Xia Ying leaped into the air and was caught by the demonic dog, who laughed loudly.

Xia Ying clung to Cerberus like an octopus, sniffing hard: "That's great, I thought Cerberus was really dead."

“Didn’t I tell you? You didn’t still cry, did you…” Cerberus suddenly lowered his head. “What’s this lump of mud in your pocket?”

"Ah, this is the ashes of Cer's bones that accidentally got wet."

"...What are you doing carrying this?"

"Throw it away."

"oh."

A note from the author:

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Cerberus: Didn't I tell you I wouldn't die?

Xia Ying: I don't think it counts as saying anything at all.

Xia Ying even considered that resurrection might require props, so she quickly grabbed a handful of ashes and stuffed them into her pocket. Ke Er, you really raised a good person.