But could such bizarre words really convince his companions?
They would definitely see this as him picking a fight.
After all, this was a crucial moment for identifying their leader!
Frostnova was one thing, since she and Russell could be considered acquaintances. But Patriot had only met Russell twice, and he held a certain degree of hostility toward him...
Russell's joke had come at the worst possible time!!!
Talulah felt as though her brain were trembling.
But in the next instant, a violent cold current and a black-red aura erupted without warning.
They were Frostnova's and Patriot's Originium Arts. They glared furiously at the second Red Dragon, murder blazing in their eyes.
Talulah looked at her companions in disbelief.
No, did you two really fucking believe him?!!
Thousand Years of Death: Triple Combo!!
While Talulah was still lost in confusion, the rabbit's blizzard and the Wendigo's crushing strike had already landed on the second Red Dragon's head.
This was a combined attack from the Wendigo and his adopted daughter!
Among the people Russell knew, aside from the killer whale and The Penguin, not a single person could take this combo head-on.
Almost as if it were only natural, the Red Dragon-transformed Grand Duke Black Snake was crushed alive into a pile of meat paste!!
"Congratulations, Ata. From today onward, you're free."
Russell walked up to Talulah, removed half of the Tiger Talisman from her body, then went over to the pile of meat paste and dug out the other half.
Though he loved money just as much, Russell was not as careless as Valmont, casually throwing away talismans, masks, and the like.
Talulah stared silently at the young man who had distinguished her from her adoptive father based on femininity.
She wanted to say something, but her throat seemed filled with indescribable emotions, leaving her unable to speak at all.
She looked to the other side again.
Her companions—Patriot and Frostnova—had instantly struck the enemy after Russell said that Black Snake was more feminine...
Her chest felt so stifled.
Was it common knowledge that she had no feminine charm?
She had never thought femininity was particularly important, but being told she did not have even a trace of it...
Talulah tugged at her cloak and wrapped herself tighter. She felt that today's weather was so cold.
She wanted to crawl into a warm bed and never again touch this chilling world.
"Alright, Grand Duke Black Snake. Stop playing dead."
After recovering the Tiger Talisman, the young man did not relax completely. Instead, he spoke toward the pile of meat paste.
Koschei the Undying.
A monster from Slavic legend, also known as a shapeshifter. Sometimes witnessed as a monster and sometimes as a human, he liked to transform into a swift tornado and abduct women.
In the legends, this monster was extremely cautious.
Afraid of being killed, he removed his soul from his body and hid it in a needle. The needle was hidden inside an egg, the egg inside a duck, the duck inside a rabbit, and then locked inside an iron or crystal chest buried beneath a green oak tree on an island.
It was said that if the chest was dug up and opened, the rabbit would try to escape. If the rabbit was killed, the duck would try to escape. Only when his opponent obtained the egg would Koschei's life truly be threatened.
The original Koschei had feared death that much.
Saying he had died just because his vessel had been smashed was rather ridiculous.
As Russell pressed him, countless wisps of black mist drifted out from the frozen scraps of flesh...
Amid the Reunion Movement's terrified expressions, a long snake coiled through the air.
Koschei the Undying. Mental-type. Level: Two Inner Guards. Koschei is a genuine demon. He possesses no physical form, so physical attacks are ineffective against him. Adding spiritual attributes restores damage calculation and inflicts three times the pain.
As the long snake appeared, Patriot was the first to step forward.
He was the strongest person in this region. He had to protect his companions.
"Lord Bozkash, there is no need to take that stance. Without preparing an altar, you have no way to hunt me down."
"Of course, you may try activating your Originium Arts at full force. But if it comes to that, I will choose to flee. Once I escape, I will dispatch the Third Army Group into the northern frontier for a full purge. I imagine that is not something you wish to see, Captain."
Patriot raised his war halberd. He neither paused nor advanced, continuing to confront Black Snake.
"Leave this place... Snake Lord. If anything happens to the Reunion Movement... I will hunt you down... to the ends of the earth."
His voice remained hoarse and weak, yet it carried the majesty of a mountain.
At first glance, Patriot only possessed the power of one more Inner Guard than Black Snake. But the strength of Inner Guards was not as simple as one plus one equaling two. Patriot, with the power of three Inner Guards, was clearly not merely Black Snake plus one Inner Guard—he was ready to pin Black Snake to the ground and beat him senseless.
"...As you wish, Captain."
"However, before that, I would like to speak with a certain friend for a moment."
The black snake clearly feared Patriot's strength and retreated a step.
Patriot looked toward Russell. Russell nodded while coating a kunai with Capsaicin Extract.
I'm waiting for Enchantment. You're waiting to die.
We both have bright futures.
"What do you want with me?"
"Lord Russell, you truly possess remarkable abilities."
The black serpent coiled in the air and praised Russell.
"Talulah was a piece I invested much effort into. Yet you effortlessly destroyed my game."
"What, are you planning to blame me for it?"
Russell raised an eyebrow and asked in return.
"No, no, no. How could I become hostile toward you simply because one game of chess was ruined?"
Perhaps because his perspective had always been tied to that brain-monster Talulah, Black Snake held an extremely strong sense of wariness toward Russell.
Was this what one should expect from a race that had made an enemy of the Son of Heaven?
Whether in cunning or martial prowess, they were truly astonishing.
"I simply do not understand why you are assisting the Reunion Movement. Clearly, allowing Yan and Ursus to go to war would be the better choice for you... That way, you would have the chance to strike down the Son of Heaven."
What the fuck was he talking about?
Russell felt his head fill with question marks.
Why would he go and strike down the Son of Heaven?
No...
He was just a lousy miner.
Russell fell silent, but in Black Snake's eyes, that silence took on an entirely new meaning.
"Hehe, are you still considering Victoria's situation? That makes sense. If you support Talulah properly, you could command all of Victoria's armies. And Victoria's strength ranks among the very best even among the nations of the world."
"But Lord Russell, you must understand that Victoria has completely lost order. Both royal families have vanished, the Sarkaz control their capital, and the Eight Great Dukes who possess armies have no intention of fighting the Sarkaz. They are merely competing in secret, hoping the other dukes expend more strength so that they themselves may ascend the throne."
"Victoria is certainly wonderful, but that cake is too difficult to seize."
"Lord Russell, we should be comrades-in-arms."
The black snake's tone was gentle.
"You require blood to wash away the hatred of a hundred generations, while we require war to cleanse Ursus once. Strictly speaking, you are still a baron... If you are willing to join us, we will grant you the title of marquis and hand over command of the Third Army Group to you."
It was an almost perfect temptation.
Talulah's and Frostnova's expressions both turned ugly.
Russell's character was not bad, but he was still a noble by nature, and a Ya Zi thirsting for revenge.
From his perspective, he had no reason to refuse Black Snake...
The Reunion Movement could offer him only the legitimacy of Victoria's royal lineage, while Black Snake offered military power capable of destroying half a duchy.
Russell...
Would he become their enemy?
Talulah's expression could not help but grow grave.
The offer was excellent. If Russell had been an ambitious schemer, he should have dropped to his knees and said, "I heard you have no son. I would like to care for you in your old age."
But the problem was—
I really am just a miner who sells medicine!
My plan is to make money, then hold a Wallbreaker Conference in Victoria!
You bastard, what the hell did you figure out this time?!
So you understand Baron Russell better than I do, huh?!
"...Are you finished?"
Russell swung the kunai hard and found its feel just right.
He did not want to speak to Black Snake anymore. He had thought the national will of Ursus would have something profound to say, but this bastard kept imagining that he wanted to make enemies of the entire world.
"Lord Russell... Are you certain you wish to stand against Ursus?"
Even Black Snake was somewhat confused now.
He could not understand why Russell still intended to stand with Talulah at this moment.
"Have you taken a liking to Talulah?"
It asked in confusion, shaking its entire snake head.
"But Talulah does not seem to have much charm either."
Talulah, standing far away, froze completely. No, she was just standing off to the side and still got stabbed?!
She was furious, trembling, and freezing.
Why was this world always full of persecution against her, Talulah?
Could this world not just behave properly?
"Your imagined scenarios are way too damn many!!"
In Black Snake's slightly annoyed field of vision, the young man raised his kunai.
From Black Snake's perspective, that kunai was hardly a high-grade weapon. In fact, kunai truly were not anything impressive. Proper people used Jumonji spears on the battlefield, alright?
Who the fuck used kunai or katanas?!
But when the young man raised his weapon, the giant snake's expression abruptly changed.
Russell raised the kunai high, like a priest raising a ritual implement, then thrust it heavily upward.
In the next instant, the kunai in Russell's hand appeared beneath a certain part of Black Snake!!
It was a weapon carrying spiritual attributes, capable of restoring physical damage against spiritual bodies and inflicting three times the pain!!
The snake phantom floating in the sky instantly stiffened, its entire body convulsing violently.
Pain made the spiritual giant snake writhe, but before it could react further, the kunai that had dealt it a crushing blow returned to the Ya Zi's hand, held as though in ritual.
"No!!!"
Black Snake's eyes turned crimson. It swung its tail, trying to snap the hand Russell used to hold the kunai, but the distance between them was an impassable chasm!
Before the tail could reach Russell's arm, Russell had already raised the kunai in his hand once more!!
Before you continue