As it turned out, finding the entrance to the underground cavern was easy. Why? For the same reason why there were dinosaurs roaming the streets. The south gate of the castle was wide open, and the floor inside it had been caved in, and the opening leading down into the underground cavern was right under that spot.

  They had broken the floor and stacked the broken chunks like steps, so it was pretty easy for the dinosaurs to climb out. The south gate had been taken down, and a bit of the wall around it had been broken off too, probably to make space for the bigger dinosaurs to get through. As for the cavern entrance, it was pretty huge, more than enough for bigger dinosaurs like the T-Rexes to squeeze through.

  We then dropped down through the opening in the floor, descending till we were by the entrance. It was a wide opening, and the ground inside it was sloped downwards. We walked through it, entering a dark, spacious tunnel that went underground, and after a bit of walking, we reached the end of the tunnel. I'd say we were about two hundred meters below the surface now.

  "Woah……," Remarked Fuo in awe, as we walked through the opening.

  Plants as far as the eye could see, tall trees and heavy foliage, with visible signs that large creatures had passed by them. And past the treetops, I could see some large dinosaurs, the ones with long necks……welcome, to Jurassic P……well, anway……the ceiling was an incredible sight, it was covered in stalactites which were glowing bright blue, illuminating the whole place in a slightly dim glow.

  There were strange-looking birds flying about, I could see small dinosaurs scurrying about through the bushes, and the sounds of insects chirping echoed out all around us. And there were also massive pillars connecting the ground and ceiling at regular intervals, those pillars gave off a similar glow to the ceiling. Okay, that's enough sightseeing, time to hunt down my prey……

  "Alright, I'll focus on leading us to the Reptile King, you make sure to keep an eye out, alright? We can't be seen or heard, but this barrier can't phase through organic matter, except for plants, so we still have to be careful……"

  "Right, I got it, I'll make sure nothing bumps into us," She replied, scanning our surroundings closely.

  Well, Lazarus? We're underground now, which way to the Reptile King?

  "Turn a bit to your right and head straight for about eight kilometers."

  Got it.

  The ceiling in this underground space was really high, probably about a hundred and fifty meters above the ground we were standing on. Good, I won't have to hold back or worry about it collapsing, those pillars look pretty sturdy too. According to Lazarus, the Reptile King may very well be the strongest of the monster kings excluding the ones that were sealed in the Forbidden Zones.

  I should definitely be able to take him out with Vampire God Mode, but I'd really prefer to do so with regular Vampire Mode……God Mode would be a trump card if we happened to run into any Vampires when we leave, especially the stronger ones. Atticus confirmed that there were no Vampires here underground, which was definitely a good thing……because if one was down here, they'd almost definitely notice if I started fighting.

  This underground space stretched out for hundreds of miles, under the north of Platinberg, further beyond that under the sea to the north of Platinberg, and a bit further beyond that too, under part of the wasteland to the south of the Rustlands, which was where the sea north of Platinberg ended. Fortunately, we wouldn't have to cover even a fraction of that distance, because the Reptile King was under Platinberg.

  He'd probably have been a lot safer if he'd gone further north underground till he reached the wasteland and hid under there……after all, the only known entrance to this underground area was the one we'd used.

  Wonder why he stayed here……if I had to guess, the best explanation I can think of is that maybe the section of this area that's under the wasteland isn't suited for living in. Or maybe I'm just overthinking it, after all, before the last month or so, all the monster kings had been in hiding for centuries without people even knowing that they exist, let alone finding any of them.

  "Hey, instead of heading back to the Rustlands by going south through the mountain range and snowy area, wouldn't it be faster if we went north through this underground jungle?" Inquired Fuo, as we got within less than three kilometers of the Reptile King.

  "I considered that, and based on the maps I've looked at, it's definitely a shorter distance to the Rustlands from here than going south from here as we plan to, but it's a bad idea for several reasons."

  "Like what?"

  "First, we'll inadvertently be leaving the Imp King alive since we'll be going in the opposite direction……that's fine by me since I don't want that one's power, but you probably wouldn't be too happy with that, would you?" I pointed out.

  "Oh, right……yeah, I wouldn't want that……is that the only reason?"

  "No, of course not, there's three more reasons, off the top of my head at least. The second reason is that we have no idea what the terrain is like down here, it's probably never been explored by humans before. The third reason, we have no idea whether there's another exit, and for all we know, it may stretch on for much further than we think it does."

  "You could just make an exit, couldn't you?"

  "Sure, I could blast an exit through the ceiling, but what if we miscalculate and end up blasting a hole under the sea, flooding the entire place? As for the fourth and final reason……the wasteland is too toxic for humans to pass through, I might be fine, but you'll probably die. Think about it, it's a shorter route to the Rustlands, but even greedy-ass merchants have never dared to use it, that says a lot. Or who knows, maybe they have tried……and as a result, died."

  "True……also, was that an intentional rhyme? Because it sucked. Anyway, you've really thought about this, huh?"

  "Well, I have been making an effort to keep my thoughts occupied and my mind busy these days……cuz if I don't, I'll just start worrying, and that isn't going to help anything. Oh, looks like we're here."

  According to Lazarus, the Reptile King was about thirty meters straight ahead of where I was……and thirty meters in front of me, was a large waterfall. So, that means that he's just behind that waterfall, huh……

  "Uh……so where is he?" Asked Fuo, looking around.

  "Stand back, this might be a more challenging fight than any of the previous ones," I replied, as I entered Vampire Mode and blasted a large red fireball at the waterfall.

  A few seconds later, something emerged from behind the waterfall……a large monster, about twice as tall as I was, and a threatening look in its eyes. It had the head of a crocodile, it's tongue was a literal snake, it had long, powerful-looking arms with sharp claws on its fingers, it's lower half was that of a snake, and it had two rows of four snakes growing out of its back, eight in total.

  "Hey, there, Reptile King Basilisk. I'm Kuro, and I'm here to kill you, nice to meet ya!" I greeted him cheerfully.

  "I don't know how you know my name or how you found me, Vampire, but."

  "I'll be the one to die? Was that what you were gonna say? Yeah, I've already heard all that from the previous monster kings I killed. Oh, and I'm not a Vampire……I'm a human who consumed Vampires, and now, I'm gonna consume you."

  He let out a vicious hiss and rapidly slithered towards me with his fangs bared, swinging his claws at me. Woah, he's fast! I narrowly avoided his slash, before using Teleport to slip above him as his snake-tongue lashed out at me. I blasted him with Repulsion, striking his back and eliciting a hiss of pain from him, but it wasn't effective enough.

  The snakes on his back struck out at me rapidly, I used Teleport to get away again, but one of them grazed my shin. I reappeared and flew up a bit……based on how my Healing Factor is reacting, that was some pretty powerful venom. I think it's the same venom that Snow Serpents use, my foot felt a bit cold for an instant, before my Healing Factor kicked in.

  I drew out my blades, streaming flames, lightning and wind through them before swooping down at him again, slashing at the heads of the snakes on his back as they bared their fangs and struck at me. I cut off five of their heads, but the other three managed to bite into me, before I swiftly cut their heads off too, and then got away using Teleport as Basilisk reached for me with his claws.

  He showed no signs of pain just then……is he immune to pain? Or just highly resistant like me? Doesn't matter, his back will be wide open to attack now, that's what's great about fighting a larger opponent, they just had so many blind spots to exploit! I swiftly used Teleport to get away as he blasted out venom at me from the snake in his mouth.

  Hm, earlier, when those three snakes bit me, each bite felt different……does he multiple types of venom? He rules over Snow Serpents, Cobra-Giraffes, Lizardmen, Sea Serpents, Lindworms, Two-Headed Alligators, Lava Serpents and Hydras……yeah, makes sense that he has more than one type of venom.

  He's a bit stronger and faster than my Vampire Mode, but Teleport is giving me a slight advantage, so I should be able to finish him off without having to resort to Vampire God Mode. I put away my blades and used Teleport to appear above him, swiftly flying up as he immediately reacted and swung his claws up at me. Is he tracking my scent like Ekai? Or maybe it's my body heat, don't some snakes find prey by detecting heat?

  Well, the how doesn't matter, I'll just have to be too fast for him to react. I fired out a massive net of spiderweb from my fingertips down at him, restraining him……perfect, the more he struggles, the more it gets entangled around him, it's so sticky that it's almost impossible to peel off once it's stuck……my fingertips are just about the only thing that won't stick to these webs.

  I then blasted down my acid venom at him from my mouth, he desperately wriggled out of the way, letting out an excruciating hiss of pain as I struck his right shoulder, melting off his skin and some of his flesh, before rolling himself into the stream below the waterfall.

  That's a futile effort……I flew above the water and blasted down flames and lightning at it, boiling and electrifying the water rapidly. Sea Serpents can breathe underwater, so can Hydras, so he should be able to breathe right now……but there's no point in that if he's getting cooked alive.

  Suddenly, he emerged from the water's surface with a screech of pain, his body trembling and spasming violently, with steam coming from his skin. Oh, looks like my webs had weakened……was it the heat? Well, whatever, he should be significantly weakened now. I swooped down and slammed my fist down towards his midsection, swirling water, wind and lightning around it.

  Right before I could make contact, he got his left arm in the way, but my attack ripped through his flesh and bone, destroying his forearm and landing a solid hit just below his ribcage, rupturing something, as blood poured out of his mouth.

  I got away using Teleport as the snake in his mouth struck out at me, and he got back upright and slithered towards me rapidly with a look of fury. Both his arms are out of commission though, he's not a threat anymore. Time to go in for the kill.

  "I will not die here!" Exclaimed Basilisk furiously, when suddenly, dozens upon dozens of monsters appeared out of thin air.

  Crap, he summoned his monsters! I need to finish him off quickly, and take control of those monsters after consuming his life force.

  "Damn it, where did all these things come from!?" Cried Fuo in alarm, swiftly entering Vampire Mode and fending them off, but it wasn't much use, their sheer numbers would soon overwhelm her.

  "Now, you die-!" Basilisk began to declare triumphantly.

  "No, now……you die," I interrupted, as I entered Vampire God Mode and activated Beckon, rapidly pulling him up towards me, "I command you not to move."

  "Wh-what……are……y-you……?" He stuttered, fear in his eyes as I grabbed his throat and dug my claws in.

  "Who, me? Oh, I'm the last thing that you'll ever see."

  I then drained his life force as fast as I could, tossing his corpse aside after I was done. Lazarus, how long till the life force assimilates and I can control the monsters?

  "Yes, I am working on it, it should take ten more seconds."

  Alright, I'll go make sure Fuo doesn't die until then.

  I zipped towards where Fuo was, she was keeping the larger monsters like the Cobra-Giraffes, Two-Headed Alligators and Hydras at bay with an ice spear, but several of the smaller snake monsters had bitten her, and she wasn't looking too good, her expression looked like she was about to pass out.

  I fired a barrage of lightning blasts down at the monsters surrounding her, as she frantically and shakily pulled off the monster snakes that had sunk their fangs into her legs and back. I then swiftly swooped down towards her and landed next to her, firing flames and lightning at the monsters to keep them from closing in.

  Alright, the ten seconds are up! I immediately willed the monsters to scatter into the forest, ceasing their attack against us. I then returned to my normal state with a sigh, as the monsters swiftly disappeared into the trees and shrubbery. I used up seventeen seconds of Vampire God Mode, so I have forty-three seconds of the time limit left in case we run into any Vampires.

  "H-hey, I don't feel so good……," Muttered Fuo, her eyes drooping and her face pale.

  Crap, I need to hurry. I grabbed her shoulders, entering Soul-Eater Mode and sinking my fangs into her neck, healing her as fast as I could. Good, just in time, she had a ton of various kinds of venom in her, and if she'd been an ordinary human without Vampire powers, she'd have probably died already.

  "You okay, Fuo?" I inquired, smacking the side of her face a couple of times.

  "Cut that out, it hurts! And yeah, I'm fine……thanks."

  "Sure, no prob. Let's head back."

  "Yeah, I feel a bit tired, but I don't want to rest here," She agreed, standing up a bit unsteadily.

  Alright, Lazarus, what abilities did I gain from his life force?

  "Quite a few this time. You have four types of venom, and you can inject them with both your claws and fangs. From the Lava Serpents, a venom that makes the victim's blood literally boil in about a minute, burning them alive and melting their organs. From the Snow Serpents, a venom that will make the victim's blood and organs freeze to death within five minutes. And from the Hydras, an especially powerful venom that can kill a human in ten seconds……the fourth venom, from the Cobra-Giraffes, is a weaker version of the Hydra venom, it kills in two minutes."

  Woah, nice! Guess I won't need to buy poison anymore. What else did I get?

  "You can breathe underwater, you have a heightened sense of heat and you can summon the monsters he ruled over."

  Sweet! I think I can feel how to use the different venoms, though it'll take some practice before I can differentiate between which one I'm using……this heat sense is kinda tough to get the hang of, but I should be able to figure it out. Breathing underwater is pretty awesome, though I don't think I'll get a chance to use it against Shiro, there aren't large bodies of water near the Rustlands, after all.

  "Hey, Fuo, you look kinda woozy……you alright?" I inquired, as she stumbled and nearly tripped and fell several times.

  "I'm just tired, that's all……," She replied with a sigh, wiping sweat off her brow.

  I'd learnt how to use a person's own stamina to heal them when sharing my Healing Factor, instead of using my own stamina to heal them like I used to……but maybe I should have used my own stamina this time, I had much higher reserves than she did, and I was far from tired right now, I had plenty of energy to spare. But it's a moot point now.

  "Let's reactivate the Stealth barrier now. You can lean on my shoulder if you want."

  "……okay, thanks."

  Wait, what? She actually accepted my offer!? She was usually way too proud for that……she must really be fatigued. From my perspective, she's been getting tired a lot, but most other people would have fared way worse than she had……after all, we had been moving at a relatively quick pace from the moment we set off, we rarely took long breaks aside from when we go to sleep, and even then we kept it to about six or seven hours at most.

  We'd been moving almost non-stop for a month now, it was only natural that she was starting to get more and more worn out, as the fatigue accumulated. As I activated the Stealth barrier around us, she leaned against my shoulder with a grateful sigh, holding onto my forearm to support herself.

  "Could you slow down a bit, you're walking too fas- woah!" She began, before losing her balance and falling forward, her grip on my arm weakening.

  I swiftly reached out to grab her shoulder before she could fall onto the ground.

  "You okay? Be careful, I……oops."

  I hadn't grabbed her shoulder……I'd grabbed one of her boobs. Never thought this cliche would happen to me in real life……

  "Wh-wha……h-hey, let go!"

  "My bad, really sorry!" I immediately let go and raised my hands up, inadvertently dropping her, "Oh……sorry……again."

  "……it seemed like that was a genuine accident, so I'll pretend it didn't happen……," She groaned and grumbled, her face red as she stood back up and averted her gaze.

  She really does look exhausted, maybe it'd be in our best interest to take a full day or two to rest after leaving Platinberg……it'd give me a chance to think of a way to beat Shiro as well, I can't exactly break into the Rustlands and try to hunt him down, the resulting collateral damage would be pretty severe.

  "Get on my back, that should be more efficient."

  "Yeah, okay."

  If she wasn't so drained, she'd have probably lashed out the moment we had that pleasant accident……though unlike the cliche, I'd have no problem blocking or dodging if she tried to lash out. She climbed onto my back and held onto my shoulders, while I held onto her by her legs, just above the back of her knees.

  "Alright, we got what we came for……time to get out of here."

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  Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!

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