Chapter 253: First Target: The Cromwell Barony
The giant scaly python was several meters long. Its long, stretched body coiled around Doombringer's neck, then, with immense strength, it attempted to pull Doombringer down.
Roar! Roar!
The wyvern roared as it flapped its wings wildly, seeing the hungry beasts all baring their fangs, waiting for the hateful wyvern that had killed many of their brethren to descend so they could tear it apart.
The giant python was a powerful magic beast at the King rank, just like Doombringer. Naturally, its tail was very sturdy and powerful, capable of crushing a brick wall. With such immense strength, the python tightened its hold on Doombringer's neck.
Grrrr! Grrrr!
Due to the intense grip on Doombringer's neck, the wyvern now struggled to let out a roar; even the powerful flame surging inside its mouth began to dim before eventually being extinguished, turning into fumes of smoke that slithered out from its fangs.
Though Doombringer's flames had been extinguished, it still had a lot of fight left in it. Yet, if one looked closely, they'd notice that the initial ferocity Doombringer had displayed had reduced greatly.
Now, it was only fighting a losing war. With each second that passed, even its wings became dull.
Growl! Doombringer let out one last defiant groan, but it sounded more like a whimper—a far cry from the majestic roar that was capable of stunning even powerful Awakened.
Doombringer's red eyes were filled with pain as it drew closer to the ground. Was this the end of it?
In a distant mountain, two cloaked figures with the flaming rose emblem were watching everything unfold. One of them had strands of long hair sticking out from her hood, indicating that she was a woman.
The other had a slightly muscular build and was taller, suggesting a male.
"The drop of Ivor is much more powerful than I anticipated," the woman spoke in a quiet voice, her tone filled with surprise and fascination. "To think it would not only force them to grow powerful but also increase their intelligence."
The man nodded. "Yes, I overheard a rumor that the high-ups ordered the elven and dwarven alchemists to make the serum much more powerful compared to the one used in the southern region."
"Hmmm. That explains that python's intelligence to hinder that overgrown lizard wyvern's fire breath." There was a slight disdain in the woman's voice as she thought back to the times she and her squad had been forced to take cover whenever Doombringer was patrolling the western region.
That had hindered a lot of their plans, as they feared the beast would report back to its owner about their activities.
At that moment, the cloaked figure pulled out a small vial with murky water and shook it slightly. A clinking sound reverberated in the air, attracting the attention of the woman, whose gaze was still fixed forward. Hearing the sound, she glanced at the vial, and a smile appeared on her face.
She could already tell what was on the man's mind.
Hiding a smirk, the man said, "I wonder what faces these people would make if the friendly neighborhood wyvern started attacking everyone."
"Hahaha, it would be quite a hilarious sight." The woman's pleasant yet wicked chuckle echoed in the air. "We don't have powerful aerial beasts in our monster ranks—a fire-breathing lizard will be very helpful."
Then the two shared a knowing glance and jumped down from the mountain. The wind blew fiercely against their robes as they jumped from rock to rock before landing expertly on the ground.
In the distance, Doombringer had already collapsed to the ground. Several more vines and reptilian creatures had wrapped around all of Doombringer's limbs, maw, and even its wings, rendering it completely helpless. It could only let out a soft growl as the furious beasts approached with triumphant gleams in their eyes.
However, before they could pounce on the wyvern, they suddenly sensed the presence of the cloaked figures. Frightened, all the beasts immediately shuffled back, creating a path for the two. However, the giant black python still held Doombringer in place.
Step! Step!
The two cloaked figures walked up to the beast, the ominous bottle in their grasp.
As Doombringer's gaze settled upon the vial, its body trembled in fear. Its instincts screamed at it to stay as far away from that thing as possible, but it had already exhausted a considerable amount of energy resisting the black python in the air.
"It will all be over soon, big guy." The cloaked woman knocked the lid of the vial open, releasing a trail of whitish energy. As soon as the other beasts caught a whiff of the contents, their eyes grew fiercer, and guttural growls filled the air.
Yes, this was how powerful the drop of Ivor was. A single whiff could stir the primal instincts within any beast, driving them into a frenzy.
Doombringer's body quivered even more as it caught scent of the contents as well. Its body began to react strangely to it. The cloaked woman displayed a smile as she emptied the vial's contents into Doombringer's mouth through the gaps in its fangs.
As soon as the liquid slithered down the wyvern's throat, something strange happened.
The beast's eyes went black.
Then several images appeared in a black space.
In these images, there were Nathan, Nox, Nyx, Serena, Aina, Celine, Hans, Elvin, Gordon, and Camila, along with several more people from the barony.
One by one, the images started to disappear in bursts of dark flame.
A couple of seconds later, all the images disappeared, leaving only one.
A single bony figure with broken teeth.
Unlike the others, this image didn't disappear swiftly.
A pair of voices sounded in the background.
"This one is a tough one."
"Hmph, let's see how it can handle two doses of the drop of Ivor."
As soon as these words were shared, the sound of a vial being opened was heard.
After a moment of silence, even that image was engulfed in flames.
"Good... it's done," the man said as he looked at Doombringer, whose gaze had now somewhat turned lifeless.
"Your first target is..." The woman paused as a cruel smile appeared on her face, then she added, "the Cromwell Barony."