"Didn’t you just see me heal ourselves instantly?" Isaac asked.
"So what? There is no way you can heal the entire Ashfang Tribe before a lot of them fall from the poison!" the Grand Elder snarled, poison mist leaking from between his teeth.
The Grand Elder’s mind was overtaken by fear.
Never had he dreamed he would see Overlords of Crawling Serpent tribes be defeated instantly. It left him unable to think clearly.
While the Grand Elder was distracted, Isaac used Mirror-Eclipse Prison skill, which created a mirror dimension and trapped the target with him in it.
Now Isaac didn’t have to worry about collateral damage.
"Don’t defeat him instantly. Try to match his stats and only use your sword. It will be good training for you," Sword Empress advised him.
Isaac glanced back at her. She stood behind him, arms folded, watching like this was a lesson instead of a battle. He nodded once.
"You think you can win against me while holding back!? Preposterous!" The Grand Elder hissed.
His body twisted, bones cracking as he grew, scales thickening and shifting colors. Clouds of poison mist bloomed around him, each one shimmering differently. Isaac could feel the debuffs brushing against his skin even before they touched him.
"Let’s see how long that confidence lasts."
He lunged.
Their first clash shook the mirror world. Steel met hardened scale, and the sound rang out like a bell.
The battle dragged on.
Minutes passed, and the battle came to a close.
Isaac subdued the Grand Elder. He ripped his Core from his body. The Grand Elder quickly began to die, but Isaac healed him enough for him to continue living.
"Is this enough?" Isaac asked, looking to the side.
Professor Catherine stepped forward, her smile thin and satisfied. "Yes. He shouldn’t be able to fight back now, so I can get the antidote out of him."
She waved them away. "Leave the mirror world. I’ll handle the rest."
Isaac didn’t argue. He knew what came next. Professor Catherine would use her ’methods’ to make the Grand Elder talk.
Knowing she liked to inflict pain on her enemies, and there was a reason why she was called ’Evil Sword’, Isaac had no doubt about her capabilities.
When they returned to reality, the Crawling Serpent Tribe’s settlement felt like a ghost town. Burrows were sealed. The central structure, what passed for their ’meeting hall,’ lay half-collapsed from the earlier fighting.
Fear hung in the air.
Isaac rose into the sky and pulled out a simple relic, one that amplified his voice.
"People of the Crawling Serpent Tribe," he said, letting his voice carry across the entire settlement. "Your leader attacked me not once, but twice, even though I came to speak about peace. As punishment, I have eradicated Grand Elder Sathraxis Ven’Kael and the Elders who served him."
There was movement now. Eyes peered out from cracks and doorways.
"I will give you two choices," Isaac continued. "Serve me, or perish along with your Elders."
The silence that followed felt longer than it was.
One by one, serpents emerged. They lowered their heads. Some hesitated. A few turned away.
Isaac dealt with the ones who resisted quickly. He didn’t draw it out.
The rest were marked by Vale, curse engravings burned into their scales. They flinched, but they didn’t fight it.
"Reveal all poison and alchemical recipes. And stop any actions that would harm me or my people."
They agreed. They didn’t have the will left to argue.
The system messages appeared in front of Isaac’s eyes.
[You have subdued a Monster Tribe serving ’Heavenly One’ through force.]
[You have gained a stack of Mark of Enmity x1.]
[Upon gaining three stacks of Mark of Enmity, Heavenly One will be allowed to use one attack against you!]
[Please be careful!!!]
A sigh escaped Isaac’s lips upon reading the messages.
Whenever one destroyed or subdued a tribe serving a God, they would gain enmity with the said God.
After gaining three stacks of enmity, the God could perform one attack against you.
The methods with which Gods could interfere in the mortal world were greatly limited. This was one of the rare methods through which Gods could crush their enemies.
Isaac would’ve liked it if he hadn’t gained the enmity with Heavenly one, but he knew this was bound to happen this time.
After all, he had no intention of allowing the Crawling Serpent tribe to go after they antagonized him.
"Well, stacks of enmity can be reduced by serving tributes to the Gods. I will ask the Ashfang Tribe to give tributes to Heavenly One in my place and see if I can erase the stack through this method."
He sent the message later, once things were stable.
Not long after, Emily replied. The Dragon Maids were already on their way. They would take the children out of the Pit of Trials and raise them properly in a way that didn’t involve throwing them into fights to see who survived.
Vale stayed behind, pacing near the pit entrance. Even though he didn’t say it, Isaac could tell he was worried for the children trapped there.
After the Dragon maids arrived, Isaac had someone from Crawling Serpent Tribe open the Pit.
The Crawling Serpents seemed reluctant, but there was nothing they could do.
As soon as the pit opened, the poison and monsters trapped beneath rushed out.
Vale, Isaac and Crimson Sky Wyrm took care of the escaping monsters. They had already been given antidotes of most poisons by Crawling Serpents, and Isaac could heal them against known poison, so the battle was not too life-threatening.
After taking care of all monsters that had jumped out.
Isaac and Vale jumped into the pit.
The pit was too big, and it had many dangers as well as valuable herbs that could be used to improve one’s constitution.
Isaac and Vale ignore the valuable herbs. They could be taken out later. Their focuses were monsters that were still inside the pit.
It took several hours to clear everything, due to the sheer size of the pit.
Afterwards, they rescued the children after putting them to sleep. The children in most critical stages were healed by Isaac, and the rest were injected with healing potions.
"Can you teach them all?" Isaac asked Celeste who had come there.
"Yes, master. We have been trained to raise children, that naturally include children of draconic species that gain sapience later. Even though these Crawling Serpents are not dragons, they are still descendants of them. We can raise them," Celeste said.
Isaac nodded, leaving the children in her and other Dragon Maids’ care.
He called several people from the human city, hoping they could learn from Celeste by observing how she was teaching the Crawling Serpent children after they woke up.
Soon Isaac received another message.
A group of Crawling Serpent warriors reached Isaac’s city, still trying to carry out their earlier orders.
They didn’t get far.
Qlippoth’s vines rose from the ground and crushed them before they could even see the walls.
Professor Catherine returned later with the antidote. She handed it to Isaac without ceremony.
Isaac took it to the Ashfang Tribe. The ogres were furious when they learned they had been poisoned without their knowledge, but that fury turned into something closer to gratitude when the antidote worked.
"...."
That night, Sword Empress stayed behind.
"I want to check the Purple Bridge Dimension. The name feels familiar. I think I visited it in my previous life, so I stay here tonight. I have to come here for negotiations tomorrow either way," she said.
"Alright," Isaac nodded.
Before leaving, Isaac asked her about Emily’s talent.
"Don’t wait for Grim Reapers to come to you Talk to them first. Negotiation should be possible," Sword Empress said. "There should be a way to contact Hell from the Florathi Tribe. Since you’re going there soon, use that chance."
Isaac filed it away. Another problem for another day.
Back in the city, Emily was buried in work, overseeing the construction of the wall and several new buildings. Isaac didn’t interrupt her for long. Instead, he went to Selene.
They cooked together in her small kitchen, passing ingredients back and forth, talking about nothing important. The city. The noise. The weather. It was quiet, and comforting.
After dinner, Selene smiled at him and sat down.
"I’m ready," she said.
Isaac nodded and watched as her evolution began, light gathering around her like a slow sunrise.
Later, he found Alice.
He told her about everything that had happened today.
"There’s going to be a fight tomorrow. Ashfang Tribe will attack the Tyrannical Golden Hens," he said.
Her eyes lit up, even though her face stayed neutral. "I’ll be there."
Finally, he went to get Emily from the Eltari Tribe.
The walk back to Fortified City 89 was quiet. Emily didn’t say much, but she didn’t let go of his hand either. Her face was red the entire way.
She was looking forward to the ’reward’.
Isaac noticed the devil that was following them while trying to hide. He ignored her, and entered their home.