Chapter 499: 499. Poison Mark
"I am really sorry. For some reason, the people who were supposed to deliver the Melty Ashes never came," the Silver Mace Trader said, scratching the back of his head. His tone carried both apology and helplessness.
Tyler raised an eyebrow. "What happened to them?"
The man shook his head. "We don’t know. No word, no signs, nothing. I just hope they didn’t run into an accident down there. This place swallows people when they’re careless."
Tyler thought for a moment, then asked, "Is there any other way to get it?"
The man’s expression grew complicated. "Usually, visitors only come here looking for treasures or rare ores. But ever since the catacombs were divided under contract, the Melty Ashes have been strictly controlled. Only sects and trading companies who signed those century-long agreements are allowed to harvest and sell them. Everyone else—well, they don’t even get a crumb." He paused, lowering his voice slightly. "That said, if you head deeper—much deeper—you might reach the lowest floor. That’s where the Ashes are gathered. Try your luck there, though I don’t recommend it. The deeper you go, the stranger and more dangerous things become."
Tyler inclined his head. "Thank you."
The man waved his hands quickly. "Don’t mention it. I apologize for not being of much help."
After leaving the group behind, Tyler and the girls followed the narrow tunnels that stretched ever deeper into the catacombs. The air grew colder, damper, and heavier the further they went. Their footsteps echoed, mingling with distant drips of water and the occasional clatter of falling rocks.
"Is it just me," Zuzia muttered, wings twitching irritably, "or does this place feel a lot bigger than it should be? From the outside, Catacombs Island looked huge, but not this huge."
"It’s a compressed space," Tyler explained calmly. His sharp eyes glimmered faintly in the darkness. "When we flew above the island, I noticed how the mountains and rivers formed strange, chaotic patterns. That wasn’t random—it was an array. They’re using the entire landscape as the formation base to compress space inward. That’s why it feels endless inside."
"Mountains and rivers as arrays?" Lanny whispered, her voice carrying awe. "That’s incredible. Even in my world no one wouldn’t dare attempt something so vast..."
"Likely the work of immortals from the ancient days," Tyler continued. "Or perhaps even the ancient Titans whose skeletons now line these walls. It would also explain why there are no real cities or towns above the ground. They avoided disturbing the formations."
"So immortals once lived here..." Lanny’s eyes glowed faintly beneath her mask, filled with wonder.
Tyler smirked faintly. "What’s so great about immortals? I’ve even stomped one beneath my feet."
"Liar, liar!" Lanny immediately pouted, puffing her cheeks.
Tyler chuckled and spread his hands. "It’s up to you whether you believe it—"
But before he could finish, his words cut off sharply. His gaze shifted forward, scanning the darkness.
From the shadows ahead, thin glints of metal streaked toward them. A flurry of small, needle-like projectiles whistled through the air.
Clink. Clank.
They struck Tyler’s scaled body, bouncing harmlessly off as though they had hit steel. The needles clattered against the stone floor, releasing faint tendrils of greenish smoke that hissed like venom meeting water. The acrid scent of poison filled the air.
"Poison needles?" Tyler tilted his head, unimpressed.
"Tsk..." A voice slithered out of the darkness, low and guttural. "This Dragonion’s scales are too hard..."
The figure stepped into the dim light. It was another snake-man, though different from Slither. His body was entirely humanoid—arms, legs, chest—all shaped like a man, though covered in mottled brown scales. But above the neck, where one might expect a human face, there was only the elongated head of a serpent. Fangs glistened with venom as his forked tongue flickered out, tasting the air.
Myrtle’s eyes narrowed and used sound Transmission to Tyler "Another one from the Deep Valley Poison Sect."
"Why did you attack us?" Tyler asked, his tone calm, almost casual, as though the situation didn’t warrant anger.
The snake-headed man tilted his scaly neck, flicking out his forked tongue. His hiss carried a low menace, the kind that crawled under the skin. "You outsiders have guts. Killing our sect disciplessss... then walking around as if nothing happened?"
"Kill?" Lanny’s voice rose in protest. "Pretty sure we left them alive."
The snake-headed man’s vertical pupils narrowed into slits. "So you admit it. You attacked our sssect members."
"It was self-defense," Myrtle cut in, brushing off Lanny’s careless words. "We didn’t kill them."
The snake man sniffed the air, his nostrils flaring. "Don’t play dumb. I can smell the death mark on that Dragonion girl over there. Faint, but fresh. She’s slain at least two."
All eyes turned to Zuzia. Her tail flicked behind her, restless, while her gaze slid away, refusing to meet theirs.
Tyler’s sigh was long and weary. "Why?"
Zuzia’s lips curled into a grin that showed just a trace of fang. Her claws flexed as if eager for blood. "Finally. Something fun."
Tyler didn’t shift, didn’t even raise his voice. But his eyes glowed faintly, a glimmer of cold amusement behind them. "So, it comes to this." He tilted his head. "It’s only five. You can handle five, can’t you? Just... don’t kill them."
"Yes, I can handle five guys easily..." Zuzia paused, her grin growing sharper. "...In a fight."
More shadows moved in the dark passage. Four figures emerged—two snakemen, their scales a dull bronze, and two Dragonions, their slit-pupiled eyes gleaming. They fanned out cautiously, weapons drawn.
"Impossible," one of them muttered. "How did you find us? We concealed ourselves perfectly."
"Guess," Tyler replied simply, his smile unreadable.
The enemies hesitated, confused by his confidence. But before they could act, Zuzia lunged.
She moved like a crimson blur, her tail whipping behind her, claws flashing. The five assassins split apart instinctively, each darting in different directions, short knives glinting in their hands. They thought they had the advantage.
They didn’t notice the ground.
Red and blue squares shimmered faintly beneath their feet, like a chessboard blooming into existence.
Tyler’s voice was calm, almost detached. "There. Their physical defense has been reduced."
Zuzia’s eyes gleamed with a feral light. Her tail elongated unnaturally, lashing out with crushing force. One Dragonion didn’t even have time to scream before being slammed into the wall, the stone trembling from the impact.
Another crept behind her, dagger poised for a silent strike. But Zuzia spun in a vicious whirl, her orange eyes igniting like fire. Her fist shot out, connecting with his chest. Bone crunched. He hit the floor hard, gasping for breath.
Then she coughed.
A thin haze filled the corridor. Bitter, acrid.
The snake-headed man chuckled darkly. "Hahaha... The poison worked. These narrow tunnels make it easy to spread. Soon, you’ll choke, Dragonion girl."
"Yuck. That stinks." Zuzia wrinkled her nose, waving a claw dismissively. The irritation in her voice was genuine, but that was all. No gasping, no collapse.
The snake man froze. "W-What?"
Zuzia bared her teeth. Her arms shot out diagonally, faster than eyes could track. Her claws clamped down on the necks of two assassins hidden in the shadows, dragging them into the light. They gagged and thrashed, blades falling from their hands.
"Now!" the snake-headed man shouted. He seized the chance, lunging forward with his knife, his tongue flickering with anticipation of blood.
Zuzia’s eyes flared again, this time brighter, burning with inner fire. She opened her mouth—and exhaled.
Flame roared out.
The corridor erupted in a violent inferno. The fire devoured everything—the poisoned air, the walls, the men. The explosion tore through the confined space, shaking the walls with deafening force.
Tyler’s expression twitched. "The poison... was flammable."
Before the heat could reach them, he raised his hand. An ice wall crystallized into being, thick and gleaming, the frost spreading across the stone floor. The flames crashed against it, muffled to a dull roar on the other side.
Behind the ice, the girls shielded their faces, their hair whipping in the searing heat that still seeped through.
When the flames finally subsided, smoke curled and drifted through cracks in the ice wall. Tyler lowered it with a gesture, revealing the scorched battlefield.
The walls were blackened. Stone cracked and steamed. The five assassins lay sprawled, groaning, their bodies singed and broken but still alive—barely.
Zuzia stood in the center, her scales glowing faintly from the heat, her breath steaming in the aftermath. Her grin hadn’t faded in her blackened face "That was fun."
Tyler pinched the bridge of his nose. "What did I just say about not killing them?"
"They’re alive," Zuzia said innocently, nudging one twitching snakeman with her tail. "Proably."
Lanny peeked from behind Tyler, her pout visible even in the smoke. "So strong..." Her eyes shined.
"Then let me finish them," Zuzia offered quickly, her voice carrying an eager edge.
"No!" Everyone shouted at her at the same time.
"Ehhhh?" Zuzia was confused.