Chapter 138: The Fat Whale Crushes All!

Ramen let out a shrill cry under the heavy blow. Vinigo quickly recalled it, or rather, released it to return to the Elemental Plane of Air.

The lich, once grounded and stripped of its dark aura protection, had its attempt to invoke the Dark God forcibly interrupted. If this wasn't enough to defeat the lich, Vinigo might as well give up her career.

She waved her hand, signaling Akana and Hida to stand down. Stepping forward, she gripped Chichi-ushi with both hands and began to chant a song of the Ainu tribe dedicated to nature.

The song, clear as a mountain spring, seemed to make the surrounding flora and landscape dance with joy. A light, like that of fireflies, ignited upon Chichi-ushi, instantly transforming into a sharp, lethal blade of light.

*Stab!*

Vinigo knelt before the lich, as if all strength had drained from her body, yet Chichi-ushi, as if drinking in every ounce of her remaining power, sank naturally into the lich’s withered, ancient heart.

A burst of light erupted—Fantasy End: Ultimate Execution!

The lich seemed like a massive pile of dry wood being set ablaze. Black flames erupted from his body as the magic within him was purged by the power of nature, purified into harmless fire. This dazzling blaze roared toward the sky, engulfing the lich’s body until it was reduced to nothingness.

Total annihilation. Body and soul were erased, leaving not even a fragment of his essence behind.

Where the lich had stood, an inconspicuous little vial lay quietly. It was a Soul Jar, a vessel used by liches to store their souls. Only the Dark Council of Deyja possessed the knowledge to craft such artifacts. They were exceptionally durable, almost impossible to destroy, allowing a lich to potentially reincarnate after their body was obliterated.

Yet now, while the vial remained intact, the soul within had been completely corrupted by the power of nature, reduced to harmless soul energy.

Vinigo tilted her head in thought. After the "Fantasy End," she had naturally returned to her original state, though she felt slightly drained. After a brief rest, she used her "Fantasy Construction" ability to perform a "Purification Alchemy," refining the soul energy from the jar into several small, iridescent diamonds.

Meanwhile, Yuri and his two subordinates were locked in a bitter struggle.

Since Vinigo’s battle had involved dragon-breath spells and ultimate techniques, the reinforcements from the Temple of the Moon could not remain unaware. Yuri had made a split-second decision: he and the two scouts would incessantly harass the incoming forces, forcing them to slow their advance.

This had not come without a price. By now, both scouts had been severely wounded and forced to withdraw, leaving only Yuri to hold the line.

His genetic modification had granted him an iron stomach; he could digest almost anything edible, converting it into energy to push his physical potential to the limit. Some things that would be fatal to ordinary men acted as catalysts for Yuri.

At this very moment, Yuri was happily chewing on a few Black Demon Scorpions he carried as snacks. These creatures, native to the edge of the Dragonfly Desert, possessed stingers potent enough to fell a bull instantly, yet they were packed with high protein. They were the perfect snack for him.

The toxins allowed Yuri to generate a massive surge of energy in a short time, granting him explosive power akin to the little Wolf Princess.

He flashed behind a dark monk, smashing his elbow into the man’s neck and snapping the vertebrae. Almost simultaneously, he leaped away, dodging a "Cloud of Death" cast by two dark priests, and vanished into the brush and rocks.

The Cloud of Death was powerful but cheap to cast; however, it was far too slow. The two dark priests clearly lacked the ability to lead their targets. Trying to hit the explosively fast Yuri with two head-sized clouds of death? A pipe dream!

With a rustle, three dark monks, covered by the priests, charged into the brush after Yuri. But as they entered, one stepped on a four-pointed bamboo caltrop Yuri had scattered, howling in pain as he clutched his foot.

His cry served as a beacon for Yuri. A lit stick of white dynamite flew through the air, ending his suffering.

His two companions, however, tasted the true agony of Yuri’s handiwork. The dynamite was Vinigo’s design: a core of white nitrate explosive wrapped in layers of gravel and oil-soaked burlap. Upon detonation, the high-temperature blast wave would ignite the burlap while simultaneously turning the sharp, brittle gravel into shrapnel.

Though the stone fragments were small, they were hard enough to pierce armor and fragile enough to shatter inside the body. The unburnt, oil-soaked burlap would also remain in the wounds, making them difficult to extract and complicating medical treatment.

The two monks each took seven or eight fragments. Though the wounds were minor, the pain sent them into a rage.

By the time the monks vented their fury on the brush and rocks, Yuri had long since fled.

His targets were the two dark priests. *Target locked, throw!*

The hissing fuse caught the priests' attention, and they rolled aside. At the very least, he had separated them!

Yuri tore open another pack of explosives, swallowed the white nitrate core whole, and tossed the gravel and burlap aside. He whimpered, cursing, "Tastes like garbage!"

The next second, Yuri launched himself like a cannonball. He grabbed the priest who had just regained his footing, hoisted him high with brute force, and leaped into the air. He rained down a barrage of fierce punches, kicks, and elbow strikes before executing a crushing shoulder throw.

If Vinigo were here, she might mock Yuri for being slower and weaker than the little Wolf Princess. But in the eyes of the dark priest currently being pummeled…

*Where the hell did this middle-aged mercenary get such explosive power!*

*Skull fractured. Dead.* Yuri passed his sentence, discarded the mangled corpse, and turned toward the second priest.

Mimicking Vinigo, Yuri wiped the fresh blood from his face, raised the corner of his mouth, and bared his white, jagged teeth.

Perfect. That was it. The eerie, blood-soaked grin struck fear into the heart of the remaining priest.

Fear led to a lapse in judgment. The dark priest began to chant at breakneck speed, gathering a massive ball of dark energy and blasting it forward.

*Dragon Breath!*

A curious trait of the magic and divine arts in the Enroth Kingdom and the Antagarich Continent was that while the origins of Light and Dark differed, the manifestations were identical. Thus, a lich and a dark priest might use dark magic or dark divine arts, but they shared the exact same names and effects.

The same, of course, applied to Archmages of Light and Priests of Light.

The dark priest of the Temple of the Moon could also use Dragon Breath. While Vinigo would consider this version a child’s toy compared to the lich’s blast—which could have leveled a small hill—to Yuri, it was still enough to turn him into dust finer than sifted flour.

He dived to the side without a second thought.

A deafening roar erupted behind him. Before he could even turn, Yuri charged straight at the dark priest.

*You’re dead!*

In the absence of protection from his peers, using a high-end technique like Dragon Breath meant being unable to move for a significant time afterward. Would his enemy wait patiently for him to recover?

Of course not. Especially not for Mr. Yuri, a subordinate of Vinigo’s who was notoriously lacking in morals. His creed was that if a shameless method led to victory, it was a good method.

Of course, Vinigo seemed to share that sentiment…

*Shhh…*

The sharp, thin "Blade of No-Light" sliced softly through the dark priest's neck. Although the priest’s ring triggered a magic barrier to deflect the attack, the power of that spell was instantly shredded by the blade's keen edge. Even weakened, the short sword had enough force to sever the priest’s carotid artery.

*Direct hit!*

By the time Vinigo and Akana arrived, Yuri had wiped out the enemy and was busy tending to his two subordinates. Vinigo nodded silently, stepping forward to pat Yuri on the shoulder.

"Lady Young Fox," Yuri saluted. "Apologies, the command failure was mine."

"It wasn't great, but... it passes," Vinigo nodded. "After all, you were outnumbered, and they are scouts, not warriors."

Vinigo rummaged through her pocket and produced two colorful gummy candies and a bottle of multi-colored liquid that looked like a cocktail, handing them to the injured scouts.

"Eat the gummies, spray the potion on your wounds," Vinigo explained. "Use them sparingly; the materials for these are hard to find. Yuri, I have something good for you."

As she spoke, she handed Chichi-ushi to him.

Having lost the ability of Nakoruru, Chichi-ushi was now just a sharp, ordinary short sword with anti-evil properties.

Even so, it was vastly superior to Yuri’s old Blade of No-Light.

Vinigo then took out a ring, an amulet, and a belt. "Spoils of war. They’ll boost your speed, strength, and precision. Consider it a reward for your hard work."

Yuri took them with both hands, looking at Vinigo for a long time without speaking.

"I’ve always favored that guy Iru; he speaks little, does much, and seems reliable," Vinigo explained. "By comparison, a slippery character like you needs time for one to see your true heart."

"And so, my Lady?"

"Though you are a schemer, you are actually better suited than Iru to lead the Prism Mercenary Company," Vinigo said. "You understand—I will not be confined to this mercenary group forever. My goal is the distant, vast world beyond."

Yuri remained silent. He looked up at Vinigo, eyes lingering on her for a long, quiet moment.