Final Lord

Chapter 291 The Minotaur's Defeat

Seven days passed quietly like the waters of an underground river, and a suffocating, chilling atmosphere permeated the Minotaur labyrinth.

The pale blue fluorescent moss, as if sensing the impending bloodshed, huddled listlessly in the crevices of the rocks. The slave race's huts were long gone—the cavemen huddled deep within their burrows, the Shadowscale Lizardmen had slithered into the underground river swamp, and even the crazed goblins had unusually put away their rope ladders and retreated into their goblin lairs. The only sound in the entire labyrinth was the muffled thud of the minotaurs' boots stepping on the stone slabs.

Before the obsidian altar, the Tauren chieftain Cairns raised his battle axe inlaid with a skull, his sulfurous breath spraying into the frenzied crowd.

The crisscrossing scars on his chest gleamed crimson in the torchlight, and the ruby ​​on his gold nose ring resembled a bloodthirsty eye.

"Men! Medusa's fangs can't pierce our armor!" Chieftain Cairns' roar exploded like thunder, causing rubble to fall from the cave ceiling and fluorescent moss to sway violently in the roar. His three-meter-tall body stood like an iron tower on the obsidian altar, the ruby ​​on his golden nose ring gleaming blood-red in the torchlight, and the crisscrossing battle scars on his breastplate seemed to pulsate with excitement.

"This time, we will crush their altars and plunder their fish!"

His rough fingertips traced the edge of the battle axe, sparks flying. "Every snake tail will be chained and dragged back to the labyrinth, and every head will be adorned with our nose rings as trophies! Let those serpents know—who truly rules the underworld!"

His response was a deafening roar. The minotaur warriors pounded their breastplates furiously, the clanging of the rusty metal like thunder rolling through the tunnel, making the rock walls tremble and vibrate.

They tore open the wine flasks with their teeth, and the murky liquor mixed with saliva sprayed from the corners of their mouths, dripping onto the blades of their battle axes and rising into a foul-smelling white mist.

Several young minotaurs even bit open their own arms, smearing their horns with scalding bull blood. Amidst their frenzied roars, the entire labyrinth seemed to transform into a boiling pool of blood.

"Cheers to victory." In the corner, Wang Bufu also raised his glass and clinked it with the old minotaur, revealing a meaningful smile.

Amidst the deafening battle cry of the Chieftain of Cairns, the Tauren army surged into the poisonous swamp like an iron torrent.

Their heavy combat boots rolled over the humus, splashing mud that drew murky arcs in the air.

These battle-hardened warriors wore scornful smiles; in their eyes, this was just another easy raid, just like when they hunted Medusa before.

However, when the first copper arrow pierced through the mist, the minotaur's beautiful illusion was shattered instantly!
"laugh--"

The arrow, glowing with an eerie red light, struck the breastplate of the front-row minotaurs with pinpoint accuracy. Instead of being deflected, the arrowhead pierced through the thick metal as easily as a hot knife through butter! The struck area began to melt, with molten metal seeping into the flesh through the wound, emitting a chilling sizzling sound.

"ah!!"

The wounded minotaurs let out heart-wrenching howls, frantically scratching at their burning wounds, only causing the molten metal to spread faster among their scales. A pungent stench of burning flesh mingled with the putrid smell of the swamp permeated the battlefield.

"Ambush! Watch out for arrows!" Keynes roared, raising his battle axe, but it was too late.

The Medusa warriors, who had been lying in ambush in the mist, emerged one after another. Their golden, vertical pupils gleamed in the poisonous fog, and their longbows were drawn to their fullest extent. A rain of arrows poured down, each one carrying a deadly coppery edge.

"Puff puff--"

The dull thuds of arrows piercing flesh echoed repeatedly, and the heavy armor the minotaurs had always relied on now seemed as fragile as paper. The front ranks of warriors quickly fell, writhing in agony on the ground, molten metal mixing with flesh and blood into a horrible paste. Worse still, as the minotaurs roared in agony, a deadly poisonous mist rushed into their lungs.

The minotaur's nose rings could only filter poison gas from the nostrils, but were completely ineffective against poison gas ingested. Soon, the symptoms of poisoning began to appear—the warriors' eyes became bloodshot, black blood seeped from their mouths and noses, and their strong muscles spasmed uncontrollably.

"Retreat! Everyone retreat!" Keynes shouted hoarsely, his bull-like eyes bloodshot with shock. This battle-hardened chieftain had never encountered such a dire situation.

Just as the minotaurs retreated in panic, Medusa chieftain Aisana led her elite warriors out from the depths of the swamp. Her silvery serpentine tail traced elegant paths through the mud, and the longbow in her hand gleamed with the cold light of vengeance.

"Mouth-men! You've bullied us for so long, today we'll make you pay with your blood!"

Aisana's shriek echoed through the swamp, and the serpent emblem on her forehead suddenly burst forth with blinding light. A grayish-white energy wave shot out from her palm, freezing the minotaurs in its path. Their skin petrified at a visible speed, eventually turning them into terrified statues.

The battle situation is completely out of control.

The Tauren's proud formation crumbled, and the warriors scattered like headless flies.

The copper arrows were too deadly; every twang of the bowstring meant another comrade fell, and every breath allowed more poison to erode their internal organs.

"roar--!!"

At the critical moment, Keynes unleashed a deafening roar. The ruby ​​on his golden nose ring shattered, and surging magic coalesced around him into a gigantic bull's head.

This colossal beast, made of energy, was ten meters tall. It used its illusory body to create a barrier for the remaining parts, and Medusa's rain of arrows struck the Dharma image, scattering countless sparks.

"Run!" Keynes' voice was like a muffled thunder. Despite bleeding from all seven orifices, he stood firm and used his body to create an escape route for the minotaur.

Under the cover of the Dharma Image, the surviving minotaurs stumbled and staggered out of the swamp.

After the minotaur escaped, Keynes' eyes turned bloodshot, and the ruby ​​on his golden nose ring shattered the moment the Dharma body exploded, spurting out a blinding bloody light.

A violent energy surged around him, coalescing into a phantom bull-headed beast ten meters tall. The beast roared to the sky, its sound waves causing the poisonous mist of the swamp to swirl back and the mud to boil like boiling water.

"Medusa—!" Keynes roared, his voice filled with bloodlust and resentment. His arms slammed into the ground, causing an instant earthquake. The shockwave from the explosion swept across the battlefield like a hurricane, forcing the pursuing Medusa warriors back dozens of meters. Debris and humus were hurled high into the air, then rained down like a storm, obscuring the entire battlefield.

Under the cover of the smoke and dust, Keynes staggered around, blood seeping from his seven orifices staining his hideous face.

He glanced one last time at the figure of Medusa Chieftain Aisana deep within the poisonous fog, and his fangs curled into a hoarse curse: "Today's shame... will be repaid in blood one day! I will nail your serpent tails to every stone pillar in the labyrinth—!"

(End of this chapter)