Shaa!

The Snake Queen roared menacingly with her mouth wide open.

And...

Kyaa!

Another head roared soon after.

"T-Two snakes?"

"No way!"

They hadn't expected the Snake Queen to have two heads! Thus, the entire task force was in a state of panic.

Anyhow, the Snake Queen's twin heads spewed green liquid once more.

Ptoo! Ptoo! Ptoo!

They fired at random!

"Dodge first, think later!" Aman yelled.

Everyone moved in a hurry.

In the midst of all that, Kang Oh read over the system message that popped up.

[You have discovered the Two-Headed Snake Queen, Cassio.]

'She's a two-headed snake!'

It was a polycephalic snake, not two separate snakes.

Normally, a two-headed snake possessed two heads that jutted out of their body like a Y, but Cassio was different.

Her neck was so long that neither of her heads got in the other's way.

"We're not dealing with two snakes! She's a two-headed snake!," Kang Oh yelled.

"A two-headed snake?"

"What's going on?"

"Spread out!"

Kang Oh made his way towards Aman while dodging the green liquid.

"It's not normally a two-headed snake I take it?"

"No, it's not. It's usually just a huge snake," Aman replied, keeping his eyes fixed on Cassio.

"You're right about the 'huge' part."

Cassio's body was shrouded by the hill, so he couldn't tell how large she was. But based on the size of her heads, she had to be about the size of a legendary serpent. Not to mention she had horns on her heads as well.

"A two-headed snake... It must be a mutant."

Aman kept calm.

He was the leader. If the leader panicked, then the team was sure to follow. Thus, the leader had to remain calm at all times.

"Bardona!"

"Yes sir," Bardona immediately replied.

Bardona had been assessing the progress of the battle whilst shielding himself.

"Divide the tanks into two separate groups. We'll take down one head at a time."

"Understood. Altu, you and me will take on the left head! The rest of you will be in charge of the right head!" Bardona yelled.

"The healers will also split into two teams and support the tanks separately."

"Understood," the Yupir representative, Shila replied.

"Focus fire on the left head!"

"Yes sir!"

Once Aman gave the order, the chaos in the battlefield leveled off.

"It's a mutant Snake Queen. You never know what kind of abilities it'll have, so keep your wits about you! We'll still win either way!"

* * *

The two heads relentlessly spewed green liquid, preventing anyone from advancing.

'I have to distract it.'

He should be able to get through the bombardment using his Hyper Intuition.

If he broke through and forced her to concentrate on him, then the warriors would be able to advance.

He needed speed, so he swapped Ubist with Blood!

Boom.

Kang Oh forcefully kicked off the floor. The green liquid mercilessly rained down on him, but he weaved through it and advanced regardless.

He just barely made his way through the barrage! The ground behind him had become filled with globs of green liquid.

'I did it!'

Once he got in close, the right head, which had gobbled up the veteran warrior, opened its mouth and charged at him.

It felt like a derailed subway train was rushing towards him.

Then again, being devoured by its mouth was more like an express train to hell.

Kang Oh forcefully leapt to the side.

Boom!

The right head created a giant ridge in the ground.

Kyaahk!

The Snake Queen angrily turned her head and charged at him once more.

Thud.

Kang Oh rolled onto the floor.

His distraction allowed the warriors to advance.

"Leave this to us!"

The tanks responsible for the right head took over.

"Bring it on!"

"We're over here!"

They readied their shields and drew the right head's attention.

"Attack the left head!"

Aman swung his greatsword, aiming for the left head.

Shaaa!

The left head couldn't just keep spitting green liquid anymore. After all, her enemies had already closed in.

Cassio swung her left head and occasionally spat out liquid.

'So that's what she looks like.'

Once he got to the top of the hill, Kang Oh could see Cassio's body in its entirety.

The two heads were attached to a long body, which was protectively coiled around Winged Snake eggs.

Her silver wings were both folded and oversized!

'Alright. Let's play.'

He wasn't supposed to be bait; he was supposed to be a damage dealer.

Kang Oh swapped to Ubist.

Kuheong!

Baramut's Roar!

He swelled with power, and swung Ubist with his enhanced strength.

"Huahp!"

His jet-black sword gracefully cleaved through the air!

Swish!

Kang Oh sliced her neck.

Shards of light burst out, but the size wasn't anything to write home about.

'As expected, it's tough.'

Cassio was a raid boss, so it followed that her defense would be extremely high.

Slash!

First, Kang Oh used Slash to leave behind a wound.

'I'm going to aim for the wound!'

However, her skin was tougher than a whale's tendons, so Slash only left behind a 10 centimeter long wound.

Not only that, but she kept moving her head around, which made her a moving target!

Despite the adverse conditions he faced, Kang Oh used his intense concentration and peerless skills to strike at the wound.

Cut, slash, cut, slash!

Bam, bam, bam, bam!

Dark red shards of light flew through the air. Every attack was a critical hit because he struck the wound time after time.

Unwilling to be outdone, Aman began attacking Cassio's left head using his herculean strength.

Whack, whack, whack, whack!

His giant greatsword was like a bat. He was having a blast bashing on its head.

Rio and Riesen used combination attacks.

Rio swung his scimitar downwards, while Riesen swung his blade horizontally.

Their cross cut formed a gigantic cross!

Cross Brand!

Normally, the skill required a single person to land a horizontal and vertical strike.

But by working together, the two brothers had activated the skill instantaneously.

Krohn's cape fluttered through the air as he moved. His movements were more akin to a dance than martial arts.

His dual swords looked ornamental, seemingly more fit for an ancestral rite than a battle. Even so, underestimating him would be a huge mistake.

Sonic Dance!

Swish, slash!

Krohn quickly hacked at the snake's skin; his speed was such that he couldn't be tracked by the naked eye.

"Altu, let's switch!"

Bardona stood in front of Altu. They would take turns drawing the left head's attention and blocking its attacks.

Bam!

Bardona gritted his teeth and blocked the Snake Queen's charge!

Stardust glittered in the sky and descended upon them. Upon contact, the warriors' wounds were healed and their HP went up.

Prayer to the Stars!

The healers of the Yupir Tribe had cast an AoE healing spell.

'The wheels are starting to turn.'

Kang Oh saw what was happening around him. They truly had gathered only the best of the best. Everyone knew their roles and they performed them admirably.

'But I don't think this is it.'

Cassio was a raid boss! Moreover, it was a two-headed mutant.

It wouldn't just end like this!

* * *

Guatan was an elder of the Nedav Tribe.

Aman had left with the task force, so he'd left Guatan in charge of their remaining forces.

The expedition force moved away from the entrance to the Snake Queen's home and made camp.

"The elite task force will have started fighting the Snake Queen by now. Everyone prepare for battle!"

Once it noticed Aman's party, the Snake Queen let out a bizarre cry!

It didn't simply plant fear in the hearts of its enemies; it was also a message to the other Winged Snakes to reinforce her.

Slither.

They saw Winged Snakes beginning to make their way towards them out of three separate passageways.

"Long-range attacks!" Guatan's old, hoarse voice rang out.

"Tch."

Sephiro clicked his tongue and notched an arrow.

Kang Oh was off hunting a raid boss right now, but here he was taking care of the mobs. It really wasn't fair.

'All this anger is going into this arrow!'

Whizz.

Sephiro let loose an arrow. The expedition force's archers followed suit, and shot their arrows simultaneously.

The Winged Snakes flew towards them with outstretched wings.

They rushed at the expedition force like moths to a flame.

"Keep your guard up! If you don't, then you'll be sure to hear from me! Reinforce the left side! Shamans, what are you doing!? Are you loafing around!? AoE heals! Hey, you. The one with the skull shield. What the hell are you doing!? Swing your mace as hard as you can! We haven't eaten yet!"

It sounded as though he were badgering them. Their ears might hurt a little, but Guatan's leadership was undeniable.

They continued to kill the Winged Snakes that sought to get through them and save their queen.

* * *

Kyaahk!

The Snake Queen's right head rammed into one of the warriors.

He'd been completely focused on the left head, so he was caught with his pants down.

"Ugh."

The warrior flew into the air and rolled onto the floor below.

Green drops began to gather nearby.

Raise Life!

Shila cast a single person healing spell. Due to his quick intervention, the warrior hadn't died.

One of the archers came over and helped him back to the rear.

The warrior had just barely survived, but was unconscious, so he couldn't fight anymore.

"Keep the right head from coming over here!" Aman demanded.

"I'm sorry!"

"Get a grip! Our comrades will die!"

"Yes sir!"

Clang, clang, clang!

The tanks bashed their shields with their respective weapons, emitting a loud 'clang'. They were trying to draw the Snake Queen's attention.

"We're over here, you worm!"

"You're nothing!"

They continuously cursed, enraging the Snake Queen.

"Kula, check its HP!" Aman shouted.

The shaman, Kula, then cast a spell allowing him to see Cassio's HP.

"...Life Seeing Mysterious Lenses!"

Lenses appeared over Kula's eyes. By peering through these lenses, he could check an opponent's HP.

"82%!" he yelled.

"Good. It's gone down a lot."

Aman forcefully swung his greatsword. Things were progressing smoothly.

But a battle could take a turn for the worse at any moment. Cassio raised its two heads up high.

'The 2nd phase.'

Kang Oh shielded himself with Ubist. He wasn't sure what would happen, so he decided to be cautious.

Cassio's eyes glowed red as her tongues darted in and out. Of course, this happened with both of her heads!

Demon's Eye!

These eyes drew out one's fear, preventing them from moving!

"Don't look at its eyes! Keep your eyes down!" Aman shouted.

Demon's Eye wasn't a skill that solely belonged to Cassio. The past Snake Queens had used it as well. Thus, the hunting party was somewhat prepared for it.

The warriors looked downwards, and Kang Oh did the same.

Shaa!

Cassio opened her left mouth wide, and attempted to devour Rio in a single bite.

Rio was an exceptional warrior, so there was no way he'd be defeated so easily. He threw himself out of the way as soon as he realized that she was attacking him.

Ptoo!

Her left head angrily spat out dirt.

Ptoo! Ptoo! Ptoo!

Her right head spat out green liquid like a machine gun; it came at them indiscriminately! Even if the tanks drew its attention, it wouldn't matter.

The healers and the long-range DPSers were targeted too. The warriors fighting the left hand weren't excluded either.

'It was going so smoothly, but it seems like this is where things will go astray.'

Kang Oh quickly assessed the battle.

Demon's Eye restrained their vision, the left head had tried gobbling one of them up, and the right head shot a barrage of green liquid.

They couldn't look up, so they didn't know where the attacks were coming from. He couldn't blame them for losing their composure. After all, they were busy protecting themselves first and foremost.

'If I want to get through this, then I'll have to take center stage.'

Kang Oh began his one man show.