After creeping forward another dozen or so meters, hunched low, the stench of blood grew thick and pungent. Sergash pushed aside some damp, fan-leafed bushes, and the sight that greeted her was horrifying.
A dozen or so human corpses lay strewn across the ground. Judging from their shattered emblems, they appeared to be Adventurers hired by a merchant caravan.
Chipped Two-Handed Swords, broken spear shafts, and round wooden shields covered in cheap cowhide... The equipment scattered about confirmed their identity as Adventurers.
The worn-out chainmail they wore had been utterly shredded by inhuman claws. Twisted metal rings hung from their bodies like tattered fishing nets, exposing the shredded leather lining and raw flesh underneath.
And in the distance, the faint sounds of battle and curses could be heard.
"These wounds... It was those Corrupted Lizardmen."
Having grown up in the Swamp Forest, Sergash was accustomed to bloody scenes. She didn't panic, though she was a little concerned.
"They're hunting something."
'Let's sneak over and have a look.'
Chen Yu was the type who enjoyed a good spectacle and didn't mind a bit of chaos. It would be even better if he could teach a lesson to these Corrupted Lizardmen, who were obstructing his efforts to open up a smooth passage.
As Sergash carried him past, he curiously examined the human corpses on the ground. They had curly, chestnut-brown hair, high-bridged noses, and freckles, giving them a distinctly foreign look.
'These are definitely humans. In fact, they look even more human than I expected.'
'A head, a face, two eyes, a nose, a mouth... all in the right spots. Yep, that's pretty human.'
'That's a relief. At least Zeyarira isn't some bizarre world.'
Sergash hugged the Slime in her arms tightly and crept cautiously to a patch of high ground with a clear view, perfect for seeing what was happening ahead.
...
Deep within the marsh, in an ancient banyan forest, a thick fog lingered. The smell of rotting wood mingled with the stench of blood. Massive buttress roots, like twisted walls, carved up the battlefield.
The Rot Moss Tribe's hunting party was steadily losing ground in a fight against the Corrupted Lizardmen over food supplies.
Their original plan to rescue the human merchant caravan had failed; they had walked into an ambush.
"Hold the line! For the ancestors! For the tribe!" an experienced Warrior roared, swinging his bone blade at a lunging Scale Claw Warrior.
CLANG!
Sparks flew! The bone blade only managed to leave a faint white scratch on the enemy's shoulder, which was covered in thick Gray Scale.
The Corrupted Lizardman sneered, and with a backhanded swipe that whistled through the air, he easily batted the Rot Moss Warrior's weapon aside. Then, his other claw shot out and tore viciously into the warrior's abdomen!
SHK!
The claws sank into flesh, and blood gushed forth.
The Rot Moss Warrior's eyes bulged as pain and despair washed over him. The immense force of the blow sent him flying into a slippery banyan root, where he fell silent.
The Scale Claw Tribe's hunting party surged forward, a gray tide of death closing in.
It was a force they were powerless to resist.
The Corrupted Lizardmen were generally a full size larger than the Rot Moss Warriors, their muscles knotted and bulging. In the murky light, their dull scales glinted with a cold, metallic sheen.
Their claws were exceptionally sharp, easily ripping through the Rot Moss Warriors' leather armor and their softer green scales. Every pounce was wild and powerful, every bite accompanied by the agonized cries of their comrades.
"Fall back! To the Stone Pillar District!"
The Rot Moss Tribe's captain, a veteran Warrior with jagged claw scars across his face, gave the order in a hoarse voice.
But their path of retreat was blocked by two Corrupted Lizardmen. A murky, ominous, dark-red light flickered in their eyes—the frenzied power bestowed upon them by the corrupted Morgul.
Despair fell over the remaining Rot Moss Warriors, but the will to fight had not yet left their eyes. It was as if they were waiting for something.
Back on the high ground, Sergash tightened her grip on her Magic Staff, her eyes fixed on the battlefield. "Lord Emissary, should we intervene?"
The battle had already been raging for some time before their arrival.
She recognized the Corrupted Lizardmen's opponents: they were Lizardmen from the Rot Moss Tribe, a tribe from further north.
'Those Rot Moss Lizardmen still have an ace up their sleeve.'
"An ace?"
The look of confusion didn't linger on Sergash's face for long, for just then, she saw a figure slowly emerge from the dense fog.
Her eyes widened, filling with delighted surprise.
Just as the Corrupted Lizardmen were sneering, readying a final attack to crush the last of the Rot Moss forces—
WHOOSH—!!!
A piercing shriek suddenly split the thick fog! The sound was as shrill as the Death God's own whistle!
A crude spear, yet infused with terrifying power, shot from the side of the battlefield like a blurry black shadow, its trajectory impossibly precise!
THUNK!
The Corrupted Lizardman at the forefront, who had been about to tear a wounded Rot Moss Warrior to shreds, suddenly froze mid-action.
Like a hot knife through butter, the wooden spear pierced through his prized, thick Gray Scales and sank deep into his chest!
The immense force of the impact sent his burly body staggering back two steps before he crashed to the ground, leaving only a horrific hole in his chest from which vile blood endlessly poured.
The battlefield fell deathly still! Both the despairing Rot Moss Warriors and the frenzied Scale Claw hunters stared in stunned silence in the direction the spear had flown from.
At the edge of the shadows and fog, a tall, intimidating figure slowly emerged.
Semia.
Deep olive-green Scale Armor, looking as if it were forged from cold iron, clung to her explosive physique. Several bone blades hung at her waist, glinting with a deathly white chill, and a blowgun was slung over her shoulder.
And in her hand, she carried a dripping, bloody head.
She uttered no war cry, merely stepping onto the battlefield in silence. Each footfall was like a heavy, fatal drumbeat, landing in time with a racing heart.
Her amber, slitted pupils swept coldly across the battlefield. As her gaze passed over the stunned and uncertain Corrupted Lizardmen, her pure, soul-freezing killing intent became almost palpable, sending a chill down the spines of even the most ferocious Scale Claw Warriors.
"Lady Semia!"
"Our Valkyrie is here!"
She ignored the fearful yet hopeful gazes of the Rot Moss Warriors. She had only one objective: to crush the corrupted beings before her.
"It's that monster!"
"Kill her!"
One of the Corrupted Lizardmen, the first to snap out of his shock, roared and charged, claws extended, attempting to overwhelm this sudden threat with brute force.
Semia didn't even draw her blade.
She angled her body slightly, dodging the sharp claws, and her powerful tail lashed out like a steel whip!
THWACK!
A dull thud echoed. The Corrupted Warrior had been struck solidly in the ribs. His thick Gray Scales shattered and caved in, and he was sent flying like a broken kite, snapping a low branch before crumpling to the ground. Blood streamed from his mouth and nose; he wasn't getting up again.
Then, Semia moved!
Her movements were swift as lightning, precise as a striking viper!
A bone blade left its sheath in a cold arc of light, instantly slitting the throat of another Corrupted Lizardman attempting a sneak attack. The movement was clean and decisive, without an ounce of wasted motion.
Then she drew a short spear and, with a precise throw, pinned a distant Corrupted hunter to a tree trunk just as he was nocking an arrow.
She was like a highly efficient killing machine, forging her way upstream against the gray tide.
Before her, the powerful Corrupted Warriors seemed clumsy. Their prized Gray Scales might as well have been made of paper, crumbling beneath the precise strikes of her bone blades.
Her arrival single-handedly turned the tide of battle. Hope flared anew in the eyes of the Rot Moss Warriors, and they launched a counterattack.
"Sergash, you're telling me that's your sister?"
Chen Yu's voice was laced with doubt.
'This lizardwoman's combat power is completely off the charts.'
'She really lives up to her reputation as an Elite Lizardman.'
'But I'm having a hard time connecting this incredibly powerful warrior with the dopey Shaman currently holding me.'
'Forget sisters, they hardly even seem like the same species.'
Sergash blushed, knowing exactly what Chen Yu meant.
"I... I'm very capable, too."
She tried brandishing her Magic Staff to demonstrate her strength, but her slender arms were hardly convincing.