Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 16 A Snake Swallowing an Elephant

Long, long ago, hunting saber-toothed tigers was a very difficult task.

Well, it would still be quite difficult even now, but it's clearly not as hard as it used to be. Back then, to hunt a saber-toothed tiger, without the help of mages, it would take at least ten warriors taking turns throwing spears at the beast to wear it down.

But as the war continued, the Ignis's combat skills became increasingly sophisticated. Like this young Ignis, a skilled hunter who had returned from the front lines, he had the confidence to challenge a saber-toothed tiger with just a spear.

"Just slide down when the saber-toothed tiger pounces, and raise the spear. The tiger's weight will allow the spear to pierce it."

The young Ignis thought so.

Of course, this was not some unfounded conjecture. On the battlefield in the north where he fought against the frozen giants, he had used this method of feigning weakness to kill the giants who thought they had victory in their grasp on several occasions.

Now, he was facing nothing more than a saber-toothed tiger.

Upon witnessing the saber-toothed tiger being gutted by a spear, the young Ignis felt a great release of the resentment he had been suppressing during his days of hiding and fleeing.

"I can still do some things."

Exhaling a breath of stale air, the young Ignis removed the bone knife from his spear, preparing to process his prey, taking the fattest parts as offerings to the serpent god.

But at that moment, his movements froze.

There, around the neck of the dead saber-toothed tiger, was a bone collar.

This is no wild saber-toothed tiger; it clearly escaped from the magicians' ranch!
"Varied……"

The young Ignis man immediately turned and ran.

The saber-toothed tigers kept by the mages all had marks left by the mages on their necks. Now that the saber-toothed tigers are dead, those mages will definitely come after them immediately!
But the young Ignis still underestimated the speed of the mages. He hadn't even run very far when a blazing fireball came crashing down from the treetops.

“I’d heard before that some deserters had fled into the holy mountain… You’re quite the runner.”

Atop the treetop, a mage cloaked in animal hide sneered.

"Now that you've come out on your own initiative, I'll use you to test how far my magic has progressed."

"I……"

The young Ignis took a deep breath.

Although unlike when he was being chased before, there was only one mage in front of him, he was now exposed to the other party's sight.

And now, the mage's hands were raised.

He closed his palms and unleashed a fireball. No matter how skilled he was, he couldn't possibly survive under such circumstances.

Right now, the only thing that can save his life is probably...

"The Serpent God has been resurrected! I'm searching for sacrifices for the Serpent God!"

The young Ignis took a deep breath and then shouted.

"You've delayed the serpent god from enjoying the offerings; aren't you afraid of the serpent god's wrath?"

Recalling the Serpent God's enormous body, and the terror of how the Serpent God could cause several mages to perish on the spot simply by rising up, the young Ignis felt a glimmer of hope to survive.

Yes, if it were that snake god, these people definitely wouldn't dare use such a reason...

"Heh, the Snake God?"

Upon hearing this, the magician on the treetop laughed instead.

"Even if it's a snake god, so what?"

"you……"

The young Ignis was dumbfounded. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Magicians wield power derived from the gods, yet right before him, the magician himself scoffs at the serpent god.

Could it be that the other party believes the Serpent God has not yet been resurrected?
Yes, that must be it. Because the Serpent God has not been revived for so long, many people think that the Serpent God can no longer be revived. After all, even he himself thinks that the Serpent God cannot be revived, otherwise he would not have dared to venture into the Holy Mountain to seek a way to survive.

But now, the Serpent God has truly been resurrected.

"The serpent god has truly revived. You only need to go into the mountains to see those traces."

Recalling the tracks left by the serpent god as he walked through the mountains, tracks that were far wider than the roads in the city, the young Ignis calmed down once again.

"If you lay a hand on me and delay the sacrifice to the serpent god, you will surely be punished by the serpent god! Do you know the consequences!"

"Of course I know."

To his surprise, the magician on the treetop laughed even more sneer.

"The serpent god has revived, causing such a huge commotion. My ranch is right next to the holy mountain, how could I not see it... But even if the serpent god has revived, so what?"

The mage on the treetop looked down at the young Ignis below as if he were an ant.

“You are just a mortal, and you have never used this divine power, so naturally you cannot understand everything… Perhaps in your eyes, that snake can be called a god, or perhaps a long, long time ago, that snake could be called a god.”

"But in today's terms, it's just a snake."

……

Upon hearing this, the young Ignis's expression changed drastically.

Those who wield the power of the Serpent God, these high-ranking magicians, are actually showing contempt for the Serpent God himself?

What are these mages trying to do?
"You should be able to figure out what we're going to do."

The magician on the treetop squinted.

"Speaking of which, you don't really think that you poachers could escape into the Holy Mountain so easily, do you? Why do you think that we, the royal family who are much stronger than you, would not have noticed your tracks at all?"

"you……"

The young Ignis was horrified.

The information the other party provided was so shocking that the young Ignis was momentarily unable to think straight—he had always believed that he had escaped into the Holy Mountain and found a way to survive through his own abilities.

But now...

This path to survival was actually part of the royal family's plan?

What exactly are these mages and royalty trying to do?
"So you know nothing."

The magician on the treetop shook his head and sighed.

Faced with someone who knows nothing about power, he finds it difficult to even show off.

"The importance of information... The words left by the ancient sage kings are indeed true."

Thinking this, the mage turned his head and looked into the distance.

That is the direction where this generation's Holy King is located.

"However, our king should already be ready."

"Prepare to devour the gods."

(End of this chapter)