Chapter 477: Leviathan Slain! Mission Complete!

Julie then reacted instantly, knowing it was useless to be shouting his name.

"Aisha, light it up! I need to see what’s happening down there!"

Without hesitation, Aisha raised her wand, muttering a sharp incantation under her breath.

The air shimmered, and dozens of glowing orbs burst into existence, illuminating the entire lake in a haunting, golden-blue glow.

The surface glittered like glass as the light refracted through the ripples...yet even with all that brightness, the water below remained an endless, inky black.

Aisha’s brow furrowed.

"Nothing...I can’t see anything." She bit her lip, adjusting her spell and sending the orbs even deeper, their light flowing downward in fading beams.

But no matter how far they sank, the shadows swallowed them whole.

"It’s useless. They’ve gone deep. The Leviathan must’ve dragged him far down...maybe to the bottom."

Skadi clenched her fists, tail lashing.

"Then I’ll go in after him!" She barked. "I’ll even tie a rock to my waist if I have to, I can hold my breath for long enough!"

"No, Skadi!" Julie’s voice urgently.

Skadi froze, her foot hovering above the water.

Julie turned to her sharply. "Listen to me, if you dive in now, you’ll just die. We’d all be easy prey in there, and you know it. That thing was a monster before it regenerated. Now, we don’t even know what it’s become."

Aisha nodded grimly. "Cassius is the only one who might stand a chance down there."

"Exactly." Julie’s voice softened slightly. "The best thing we can do now...is trust him. He told us to let him handle the rest, remember?"

Skadi’s eyes trembled, but she slowly lowered her hand. "I know." She whispered. "But still...Master..."

Behind them, Nala who had caught up stood silent, her eyes wide and glistening. Seeing that there was nothing they could do, she clasped her hands together, lowering her head.

"Cassius...please be alright." She murmured. "Please come back..."

The others fell silent, and together they all stared into the lake. The glowing orbs hovered in the air like ghostly lanterns, casting faint ripples of light across their worried faces.

Seconds passed. Then minutes.

The forest around them grew eerily quiet, no wind, no crickets, only the faint lapping of water and the pounding of their hearts.

And then—

A ripple.

Julie’s eyes widened immediately.

"Something’s moving!"

All of them tensed. Aisha raised her wand again; her mana flared to life, causing the orbs to burn brighter. Skadi dropped low, muscles coiling as she prepared to spring. Even Nala took out her dagger, gripping it with both trembling hands.

The surface of the lake began to churn violently, waves crashing against the shore as something massive stirred beneath.

"Brace yourselves!" Julie shouted.

And shockingly, with a violent splash—the Leviathan’s head erupted from the water, towering, monstrous, its fanged mouth open wide.

"It’s still alive—! I’ll kill that bastard!" Skadi growled.

But then she stopped.

Something was off.

The massive head tilted, motionless—before slowly toppling sideways in the water like a dead fish.

Julie narrowed her eyes. "Wait..."

Aisha stepped forward cautiously, her light following the massive form. "Captain...it’s not moving."

And then she saw it. The jagged edge. The cut.

"T-The head..." She stammered, her voice rising in shock. "It’s—It’s detached! It’s been torn off!"

The realization spread through them in stunned silence.

Blood, thick, dark, and steaming, poured out of the severed neck, spilling into the lake in red clouds.

"What the hell..." Aisha whispered. "What the hell is going on?"

Before anyone could answer, the water around them began to boil with movement.

One by one, more pieces of the Leviathan’s body began to rise to the surface—sections of its enormous tail, coils of muscle and scale, fragments of its body floating lifelessly.

The lake that had been calm and deep blue moments ago now turned crimson, filled with the remains of the creature. Severed flesh, torn scales, and splintered bones drifted across the surface.

The sheer brutality of it left them breathless.

Julie struggled to breathe, her voice low and disbelieving. "He...He did this?"

Aisha’s light reflected off the red water, her eyes wide. "H-He didn’t just kill it...He butchered it."

Nala felt dizzy seeing the Leviathan turned into sushi.

"Cassius..." She whispered. "What are you?"

The glowing orbs hovered silently over the lake, their light glinting on the bloody waves, as if even they hesitated to reveal the monster that had slain a monster.

And every passing second, more fragments of the Leviathan’s body drifted to the surface.

The once-clear water had turned into a bloody soup, its stench filling the air.

The ground around the shore was also soaked dark, the soil beneath their feet squelching with the sheer volume of blood pouring from the remains.

And yet—there was no sign of Cassius.

Julie grit her teeth anxiously.

"Where is he..." She whispered, eyes darting across the surface. "Where is Cassius?"

Aisha’s voice cracked as she joined in.

"Why don’t we see him yet?" Her gaze was wild, panicked. "He’s been under too long! Don’t tell me—" She stopped, clutching her chest. "Don’t tell me something actually happened to him! Maybe he’s hurt, or—"

"Stop." Julie snapped, her tone trembling. "Don’t even say it."

But Skadi’s expression had already gone pale, her ears twitching with anxiety.

"No. No way. I won’t let that happen!" She shouted, her voice breaking. "If something’s happened to Master, I’ll go down there myself!"

She kicked off her boots and stomped toward the water’s edge.

"I’ll find him—even if I drown!"

But just as she was about to jump in, along the other three who were also about to pounce—

A ripple spread across the surface.

"Something’s coming up!" Aisha gasped.

All of them tensed instantly.

The water began to churn, bubbles rising, foam spreading, and then something broke through the surface.

It was him.

Cassius!

But...he wasn’t moving. His body was face-down, his back floating lifelessly in the water.

Julie’s eyes went wide. "C-Cassius..."

"No..." Aisha’s voice cracked. "No, no, no..."

Skadi’s knees hit the ground. "Master...!"

They were frozen. None of them could move. Fear gripped them so tightly that even breathing felt impossible.

Julie opened her mouth to scream, when—

"Wait." Nala’s voice came through, calm and steady.

They all turned to her, stunned.

"Hold up." Nala said again, waving her free hand casually. "Don’t react, don’t shout, don’t do anything yet."

Julie blinked, half in disbelief. "Nala, what are you—he’s not moving!"

"I know." Nala said, her tone infuriatingly calm. "Just trust me for a second."

She then turned to Julie and held out her hand.

"Miss Julie, lend me your sword for a moment."

Julie stared at her, completely baffled, but after a second of hesitation, she handed the blade over.

"Fine. But if this is some kind of—"

Before she could finish, Nala took the sword, nearly staggering under its weight, and trudged into the shallows.

"Wow, this thing’s heavier than it looks..." She muttered, wobbling as she raised it over the water.

And then, to everyone’s utter disbelief—she poked Cassius’s butt with the tip.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then—

"OW, OW, OW!"

Cassius shot upright with a startled yelp, clutching his rear.

"Nala, what the hell?! Why would you stab my butt with a sword?!"

The look of pure confusion and horror on Julie, Aisha, and Skadi’s faces was almost comical. Meanwhile, Nala simply crossed her arms with a smirk.

"See?" She said casually. "I knew he was faking it."

Meanwhile, Cassius blinked, realizing all three women were staring at him like he’d just come back from the grave.

His laugh was sheepish.

"Hey, hey, I’m sorry, alright? The prankster in me couldn’t resist! You should’ve seen your faces, it was priceless! I wasn’t gonna drag it out, I swear!"

He lifted his hands defensively.

"Forgive me, please! No hitting! No magic! No—"

But his plea was cut short when Julie, Aisha, and Skadi all moved toward him at once. He flinched, bracing for impact.

"Oh crap, here it comes—"

He closed his eyes—

—but instead of pain, he felt warmth.

When he opened them, all three of them were wrapped around him, hugging him tightly.

"You’re alright." Julie’s voice trembled against his chest. "Y-You’re really alright."

"Don’t you ever scare me like that again, Cassius!" Aisha buried her face against his shoulder. "I thought you were g-gone for a second."

And Skadi, clinging to his arm, whispered through tears. "Master...I-I love you so much. Don’t do that again, please."

Cassius blinked, stunned into silence by the warmth of their words, and the way they held him like he was the most fragile thing in the world.

For a moment, he could only smile softly, wrapping his arms around them.

"I’m happy to be back too." He murmured.

Nala, watching from the side, sighed dramatically and crossed her arms. "Oh, come on! You’re just going to hug him? After that stunt?"

"He pulled the same trick on me once, you know! Nearly gave me a heart attack! He’s like a kid who hides in the house during a storm just to see if someone comes looking for him. You need to discipline this man before he gets worse!"

"Wha—hey, that’s harsh!" Cassius winced.

But before he could protest further, Nala’s glare softened, and she stepped forward, smiling despite herself.

"Still...I’m glad you’re alive, dumbass."

Then she, too, joined the hug.

Cassius blinked, feeling the weight of all four of them pressed close, their warmth surrounding him.

"I really don’t deserve you all, do I?" He smiled faintly.

For a few minutes, the clearing was quiet again, only the sound of gentle breathing and the soft lap of waves filling the air.

Then suddenly—

"OW, OW, OW, OW! What the hell?!" Cassius yelped.

He opened his eyes to find the "loving" embrace had turned into coordinated revenge.

Julie had him by the ear, twisting hard.

Aisha was tugging both his cheeks outward like elastic.

And Skadi—Skadi was biting his arm!

"Hey! OW! Stop! That’s domestic abuse!" Cassius cried, flailing helplessly.

"That’s for making us think you died!" Julie glared at him, twisting harder.

"And for the emotional trauma, you absolute buffoon!" Aisha huffed, pinching even tighter.

Skadi mumbled with her mouth still clamped on his arm. "Mmmph! Mafferr! No mowe fafe dyfing!"

Cassius struggled and laughed through the pain, voice muffled between yelps.

"Alright, alright! I surrender! No more jokes, I promise!"

But even as he pleaded, he couldn’t hide the grin tugging at his lips.

Because despite the pain, despite their scolding, he was surrounded by the people who cared enough to be angry that he’d scared them.

And that, to him, was worth every bit of it.

—

After a little more slapping, pinching, yelling and Nala even whipping him with her tail, the air finally felt lighter.

The adrenaline was finally ebbing, replaced by laughter and the faint hum of relief. Julie wiped a bit of blood from her cheek and exhaled

"Alright." She said, glancing at the carnage around them. "We should probably get some of the villagers to help drag all these parts out before the smell gets unbearable. And we’ll need to file a proper report, and maybe even—"

"Hold up, hold up." Cassius groaned dramatically, cutting her off with a wave of his hand. "You’re seriously talking about paperwork right after we killed a legendary beast? Come on, Julie. We just saved an entire region! I say we’ve earned a little break, don’t you think?"

Julie blinked. "Cassius—"

"Nope!" He interrupted with a grin, holding up a finger. "Don’t ruin the moment. We deserve a night off. And..." His eyes glinted mischievously as he looked over the group. "You know what else we need?"

"A nap?" Skadi tilted her head.

Cassius chuckled. "Close, but no. A bath. Have you smelled yourselves? You’re all drenched in snake blood."

Aisha sniffed her arm and immediately grimaced. "Okay...you’re not wrong."

"Exactly." Cassius said, pretending to look wounded. "If we go back to the village like this, they’ll think we’re the next monsters to slay."

He leaned closer, lowering his tone just enough for the tease to slip through.

"So, I say we head back to the hot spring. Wash off. Relax. Maybe...enjoy ourselves a little. Let the authorities deal with all this mess tomorrow."

That suggestion hit heavier than the Leviathan’s tail.

Julie, Aisha, Skadi, and Nala all went stiff at once. The moment he said ’enjoy ourselves’ their faces turned the faintest shade of red.

They knew exactly what he meant, and what he didn’t have to say.

"What? No objections?" Cassius raised an eyebrow, a sly smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Not a single ’but, Cassius, we should stay and help?’"

"W-Well...we are tired..." Aisha looked anywhere but at him, mumbling.

"A bath...sounds nice." Skadi nodded quickly. "I want to wash my tail as well."

Julie gave them both a look that screamed traitors, before looking at Nala

"Don’t look at me." Nala shrugged and tossed her hair. "I’m already halfway there. Hot springs sound perfect."

"See?" Cassius spread his arms dramatically. "Unanimous decision! The people have spoken."

Julie tried to look composed, but the slight quirk of her lips betrayed her. "You’re too selfish, you know that? Always doing whatever you want."

"Maybe." He said with a wink. "But I’m also right. Come on, ladies, we’ve earned the time of our lives tonight."

He started wading out of the water, and as the others followed, he stretched lazily, muscles rippling under the moonlight. Then, with a cheeky grin, his hands wandered.

"Cassius—! Hands off!" Julie gasped.

"Wait until the hot spring, you idiot!" Aisha flushed crimson, smacking at his arm.

"Master, n-not here!" Skadi squeaked, tail flicking nervously.

"What can I say? I can’t help it." Cassius just laughed, leaning in with that shameless grin. "I’m surrounded by four gorgeous women, I’m only human!"

"You’re not human, Cassius. You’re a damn horned dog." Nala rolled her eyes but was smiling all the same.

"A utter pervert." Julie snorted.

"The worst kind." Aisha nodded in agreement, while Skadi herself was more offended by the horn dog comment.

But even with all the verbal abuse, Cassius only laughed harder, sliding an arm around Julie and Aisa’s shoulder in one arm and Nala and Skadi in another before saying,

"And yet, you still follow me to the bath."

"I guess...that just makes us just as much perverts as you Cassius." Julie said with a wry smile.

"Then what are we waiting for, pervert?" Nala flicked her tail and gave Cassius one last playful swat on the rear. "Lead the way."

"Gladly." Cassius grinned from ear to ear. "Now come on, ladies. Let’s go make that hot spring even more steamier then it already is."