Chapter 563: Slaying the Snake-King
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Wang Liang and the other evolvers greatly admired Han Sen. No-one they had served under could command with the talent he did. Battles were instant, moment-to-moment affairs that morphed and changed every second. To command people ahead of time in such a way was remarkable, because if anyone else had issued commands, by the time the evolvers performed what they were told, the opportunity to do anything more would be gone.
But Han Sen had just commanded ten people with amazing efficiency. He was quick in issuing his commands, that was to be expected, but his words were never rushed. Taking such impeccable orders relieved Wang Liang and his people from a great deal of stress, so they were able to do far more.
Wang Liang and his people admired Han Sen with the respect usually reserved for a religious deity. In the army, powerful people typically gained the respect of others, but for genuine admiration, one had to command others calmly and with grace, leading their troops on to victory.
They had all served in the army, but none of them had been under the command of someone with such a talent for it.
In theory, it should be impossible for Han Sen to individually command the actions of ten people in a battle. But there he was, disproving it. The most amazing thing about Han Sen's Dongxue Sutra was the layout, as he didn't command the others what to do, nor how they should react.
All Han Sen did was predict. The orders he issued came through his foresight and were therefore prepared beforehand, so what he did was relay his pre-emptive script of actions. He would lead his men into various positions, and like the forming of a jigsaw, an opportunity for them to strike would reveal itself to them just when they obeyed the command. But how they should attack was not specifically told to them.
It was like Han Sen was using his Dongxue Sutra. Every move would lure or force an opponent into the exact position he wanted them to be. The people at his command were now like extensions of his own body, and it was as if he had ten hands.
The key to doing this, however, rested in the fact that Han Sen knew the limits of his troops. He knew what they could do, and what they could not. If Han Sen had misjudged them, whenever they got into the position he told them to, they could not do anything and they would fail.
That is why Han Sen had made sure to take a step back and observe their abilities thoroughly from the beginning. When he leapt back into the fray, with his great grasp of what his comrades could do, he could confidently start to issue commands.
Under Han Sen's command, the ten people were fighting more calmly. They trusted Han Sen with an indomitable faith. This belief in one another had been forged through this experience of battle together, and it made their bodies and spirits accept it.
Although Wang Liang and his people had not been injured any more, the snake-king refused to submit and they still could not kill it. Their foe was not slowing down, and it would only be a matter of time before they got tired. If that happened, losing the battle would be inevitable.
Because of this, a nagging concern tugged at the minds of Wang Liang and his troops. After all, humans were not creatures, and their vitality and stamina were limited. To engage in a fight that was as rough as this, even the most experienced people could only last one or two hours.
But Han Sen did not worry about this. He was using these ten people to push the snake-king exactly where he wanted it.
At last, the snake-king's head had practically been delivered to Han Sen. This was his long-awaited opportunity. He jumped to the snake-king's head with a fist fuelled by a power that could shatter a mountain. With his Yin Force, Han Sen used his fist to drill inside the monster's head. The damage he inflicted to the skull of the snake-king was the critical hit he had been waiting for, and it was terribly injured as a result.
Roar!
The snake-king screamed and writhed in agony. When he lowered its head, its body's shape was all wrong. Although the creature looked just as strong and fierce as before, its composure and form was not as solid as before the hit.
Han Sen's heart was gladdened, thrilled that the Yin Force seemed to work. The blast must have rattled the snake-king's brain, ruining its form.
Han Sen continued to issue his commands to Wang Liang and the other evolvers to fight. Before long, the snake-king's head was in front of Han Sen once more. He delivered another Yin Force punch.
Following the second hit, it was as if the snake-king was drunk, as it began to lose control of its body.
Wang Liang was surprised at how things seemed to be turning out and he too was happy. Now, feeling assured of victory, and under the impeccable leadership of Han Sen, they put even greater efforts into the fight. Their admiration of the man did nothing but rise.
Pang!
When Han Sen struck the snake-king's head for the third time, the beast could no longer resist. It collapsed to the ground, writhing, twisting and contorting in pain.
For all intents and purposes, the battle was over. Han Sen told Wang Liang and his men to go and finish off the rest of the group of ice-snakes. Han Sen walked over to the helpless snake-king and pounded its head another dozen times, until its brain was exposed and he smashed it into bits, finishing the beast off completely.
"Please give me your beast soul. I have to get a beast soul... Hallelujah! May the sweet mother of baby Jesus bless me!" Han Sen was cheering in his heart and soul. To spend so much effort and get nothing out of it would be quite crushing.
"Sacred-Blood Creature Hunted: Silver-Eye Ice Snake King. The beast soul has been acquired. Consume its flesh to obtain a random numeric amount of sacred-blood geno points, ranging from zero to ten."
Hearing that sound, Han Sen wanted to scream aloud in merriment. "I love you, Saint Mary!" But he only shouted in his heart.
Once the snake-king had been killed, the other ice-snakes did not want to give their lives to fight the evolvers. Quickly, they raced back to the ice valley.
Wang Liang and his men chased them to the entrance of the ice valley and when they turned around, they were quite surprised at the sight. The results of the battle in which they had just been victorious were strewn everywhere, with countless corpses of ice-snakes and the snake-king itself. There were even a few mutant class creatures piled up.
Following the battle, they each received a couple of ice-snake beast souls. Although most were an ordinary class, a lucky few received mutant beast souls.
They had killed far more ice-snakes than they had expected, but their haul of loot was their greatest ever.
"I will leave them for you. But go and find someone to help transfer the bodies of the snake-king and the ice-snakes back," Han Sen hurriedly said, and then left.
Wang Liang and the rest of the evolvers had no problem obeying Han Sen's commands, because his leadership abilities had earned every ounce of their faith, trust and respect.
Han Sen walked in a circle, returning to the top of the snowy mountain. The little silver fox was still patiently awaiting his return, and its hopeful eyes made Han Sen wonder whether the little thing would have waited there forever, if he had not come back.
Seeing Han Sen return, the silver fox elegantly approached his legs again. The big fluffy tail hooked his legs like it had before, and the fox rubbed his head up and down against them again, too.
Han Sen was beginning to grow fond of the silver fox. He secretly wished that it was just an ordinary creature, though, so he could have it by his side with relative ease. He didn't yet know whether it had the intelligence or will to distinguish friend from foe.
He held the silver fox in one arm and used his other hand to summon the silver-eye ice snake king sword.
The thin silver sword was in Han Sen's hand, and it was about three feet long and about as wide as a finger. The white silver of the sword gave it the feeling of having been forged from ice, and its composition was sure to leave a lasting impression on others. It looked as strong as it really was.
The handguard was shaped like the wings of the snake it once belonged to, and the blade itself was plated with the scales of the creature. It looked beautiful.
Although it was thin, the silver-eye ice snake king sword was still wider than the silver-haired lady spirit sword, which was thinner than a cicada's wing. But the snake-king sword felt solid, having been built in an entirely different style.
Han Sen swung it twice, and felt a certain splendor in splitting the air with it. Overjoyed, he said, "I only need one more sword. Once I get it, I can visit the Royal Shelter and battle the Twin Spirit."