Chapter 229: The Venom’s Kiss

Zahliver’s POV

The smoky snake gave one last slow loop around Venom’s broad shoulders before vanishing completely into thin air.

His handsome face returned to normal smooth and pale as ever as he casually stepped right over the lifeless corpses and made his steady way toward where I stood.

I looked down at the trembling form of the so-called war goddess. Her face had gone completely white as bone, the raw horror trapped in her eyes so intense it almost made a cruel smile touch my lips.

She began to crawl backward through the dirt, her limbs shaking uncontrollably, desperately trying to flee now that she finally realized what kind of monster she was dealing with.

Pathetic.

Before she could drag herself very far, I brought my heavy boot down firmly on her remaining leg not too hard at first, but just enough to stop her escape.

Crunch.

A bit too hard, apparently. The sharp, sickening crack of breaking bone made my inner beast stir with deep satisfaction.

Her pathetic whimpers filled the damp air, forming a broken melody of pain and total defeat.

And by the gods, I thoroughly enjoyed the sound.

"This is my good friend, Venom," I said coolly, my voice barely audible over the distant sounds of ongoing carnage. "He is exceptionally skilled in many things, but today, I specifically asked him to use one of his more unique talents. Just for you."

I handed him the severed leg without a single moment of hesitation. He accepted it smoothly, opening his mouth wide to reveal two glinting fangs long, sharp, and deadly. As he sank them deep into the bleeding flesh, I turned my full attention back to the wretched creature groaning painfully at my boots.

Alstha. Bloodied, broken, and completely clueless.

The dark anticipation that had brewed deep inside my chest for centuries coiled like a storm waiting to break over her. I had waited so terribly long for this exact moment.

Her low whimpers suddenly faltered as she caught sight of Venom and what he had just done to her limb. Her frantic gaze locked onto her bitten leg, her eyes fluttering rapidly in and out of focus. Her pupils expanded, then shrank in a fast, erratic rhythm. Pure panic had set in.

"W-What have you d-done..."

She never got the chance to finish her sentence.

Her entire body convulsed violently, jerking around at unnatural angles as if something toxic inside her blood had suddenly turned fiercely against her. Thick greenish foam burst rapidly from her mouth, heavy and acidic, the foul stench alone strong enough to make any ordinary creature retch in disgust.

I crouched down low beside her trembling form, tilting my head with cold amusement. "You see, Venom did not get his nickname because it sounds intimidating. He is literally venomous in the most physical way possible. But lucky for you," I smiled darkly, "I only requested a very specific dose of his poison."

She did not respond to me she was already too far gone into shock. But that certainly did not stop me from finishing my thoughts.

"Right now, your nerves are lit up like raging fire. And because you are immortal, your physical body will not just shut down and give you peace. It will simply keep bringing you back to life... over and over again. Every single time you die from the agony, the venom will still be waiting right there in your veins. And each time you wake, you will feel it twice as badly." I leaned in close, my voice dropping down to a harsh whisper. "I have heard it is a lot like being burned alive from the inside out except you never actually get the sweet release of death. You just feel every second of it."

I stood up straight, brushing some nonexistent dust from my dark pants. She was twitching weakly on the ground, barely conscious.

"Oh, and if you want all of this excruciating pain to finally stop, you will need to extract the venom directly from the original wound." I cast a quick glance back toward Venom. "Why don’t you go hide that leg somewhere fun, hm? Maybe deep down at the bottom of an active volcano?"

Venom gave me a brief nod and vanished smoothly into the thick fray of battle, melting into the rising shadows like curling smoke. I turned my back on Alstha without a single shred of sympathy left in my heart. The road ahead of us was finally clear no more annoying mental games, no more cheap illusions, and no more frustrating delays.

It was finally time to move.

I had not gone very far into the camp before I felt it a sharp blade pressing lightly against my ribs. One of Alstha’s foolish soldiers, clearly under the delusional illusion that he could stop me all by himself.

Without even turning my head to look at him, I reached backward and grabbed him firmly by the throat, my black claws digging deep into his skin. He made a sharp choking sound as I yanked him forward and held him up high in front of me. His boots dangled uselessly in mid-air.

He was very young. Brown hair, with wide green eyes trembling with sheer terror. Brave, but incredibly foolish.

"Give me one good reason not to crush your windpipe right now," I growled, my voice low and deliberate, letting my sharp canines show in the dim light. His panicked gaze dropped straight to my bared fangs, and he began to writhe frantically, struggling desperately to pull in some air.

I loosened my grip slightly just enough for him to suck in a ragged, desperate gasp.

"T-There is something I can actually do!" he choked out, his hand tapping frantically against my tight wrist. "I-I can be... useful to you!"

I narrowed my eyes down at him. Maybe he could be. Maybe he could not. But something about his desperate willingness to live piqued my dark curiosity.

I dropped him abruptly to the ground and grabbed a thick fistful of his hair, yanking his head back sharply as I dragged him along behind me like a ragdoll. I moved through the chaotic battleground like a sharp scythe cutting through tall wheat. Any enemy soldier that dared approach me got the exact same brutal treatment bones cracked, necks snapped, and bodies dropped to the dirt without a single hesitation.

Eventually, the message got through to the rest of them. They stopped charging at me.

Cowards.

"What is up with the kid?" Fern called out loudly, jogging over to me with that damn black pistol in his hand. He fired a quick shot clean through an oncoming enemy’s head before raising a skeptical brow at the young soldier I was dragging along.

"I needed a useful distraction," I muttered shortly, not really in the mood to explain my reasoning. That modern gun still felt a bit like cheating to me quick, easy, and entirely impersonal. It completely lacked the raw satisfaction of feeling your enemy fall directly beneath your own claws.

Still, I could not deny that it was remarkably efficient.

Fern gave me a knowing look but chose not to press the issue further.

I kept moving forward.

Because now that Alstha was officially dealt with, nothing was standing between me and what I came here to claim.

And absolutely nothing was going to stop me now.