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"Well, it's time to gain some understanding."

Just as I was about to activate the "Yuezhe Octagram Formation" and mobilize my army of half-orcs, an unexpected upheaval occurred. The magical stone in my hand suddenly displayed an intense aquatic oscillation, followed by a resounding roar echoing from within the formation. Through the turbulent air, I witnessed a colossal, menacing head emerging from the swamp, and then a second, a third, all the way up to the ninth.

"Well... I understand that plans often fall short of unforeseen changes, and that life's disappointments are all too common. Yet, this time, the joke seems excessively cruel. I only intended to deal with a human army, so why did a Hydra suddenly appear?"

Chapter XIV: The Capricious Will of Heaven – The Nine-Headed Fiend

In general, magical creatures are categorized into Low, Intermediate, High, and Supreme ranks. For more precise differentiation, a twelve-level scale is commonly used. Creatures from Level 1 to 3 are considered Low Rank, those from Level 4 to 6 are Intermediate Rank, Level 7 to 9 are High Rank, and anything above Level 10 is classified as Supreme Rank.

Before its evolution, the Icewind Beast was only at the second level, but after evolving, it miraculously reached the seventh. Iceberg Beamon, Military Luminous Beamon, were at the eighth level; Earth Beamon ranked ninth, while War Beamon and Dragons stood at the tenth. Generally speaking, the magical creatures that intelligent life on the Xinghai Continent encountered were limited to this strength. Currently, there were no known eleventh-level magical creatures.

Stronger magical creatures exceeded the understanding of all races in terms of intelligence and combat power. They never intervened in conflicts between nations or races. Legendary beings like the Golden Beamon King and Ancient Sacred Dragons were speculated to be at the twelfth level, but their actual strength, intelligence, and even age remained entirely unknown to humans. Some had hypothesized that they might be the disguised forms of gods secretly descending to the mortal world, but without any evidence, these theories became mere jokes.

In other words, the tenth level was the strongest confirmed magical creature on the Xinghai Continent.

However, unfortunately, unlike the diverse Beamon species, the Hydra was a singular race. All adult Hydras were—tenth-level magical creatures.

If we delve deeper into history, tens of thousands of years ago, the land beneath our feet was once a vast wetland, which happened to be the birthplace of the Hydras. As the natural conditions gradually changed, this place became unsuitable for their survival. Thus, the entire Hydra clan, along with their subspecies—the two-headed, three-headed, four-headed, up to eight-headed snakes—migrated southward along the then-sea-reaching Green Scaled River, now known as the Red River, to settle in the southern ocean. After that, the land here rose, transforming into the Green Fields Grasslands. The ancestors of the Beastmen entered and became the new rulers of this land.

Until four hundred years ago, the "Twilight of the Gods" reshaped this land once more. However, this transgression breached the tolerance threshold of the Ancestor of all Gods, the Earth Mother Gaia. For the first time, the sentient races across the Starry Continent witnessed the divine might of this Creatress of the World, who had remained obscure since the dawn of creation, with neither temples nor devotees. The Twelve Sages were utterly eradicated by divine punishment, and the perilous Half-Elves were cursed. All prohibitive spells were rewritten, transforming them into suicidal incantations that demanded the life of the user.

Setting aside previous events, the appearance of a Hydra in the Half-Orc Steppes was rather peculiar. While the Hydra clan was amphibious, it was implausible for them to reside undetected in the grasslands of Greenfields for thousands of years without any major bodies of water. The Red River had transformed into an inland river, making it impossible for the Hydras to return here from the sea. Truly, an oddity. However, compared to speculating about the Hydra's origins, dealing with this Level 10 behemoth, comparable to a dragon, was of paramount importance.

The appearance of the Super Magic Beast triggered a tremendous fluctuation of water elemental energy. The sixty-four "Yin-Yang Ba Gua Stones" that composed the "Tui Ze Octagram Formation" were originally gathering water elements. Upon encountering this intense vibration, ripples akin to water waves spread through the surrounding space, causing the initially enclosed formation space to start crumbling gradually.

However, Lanster and his companions were oblivious to the shifting environment, for the Hydra had emerged right in the heart of their gathering spot. With insatiable hunger, its nine massive heads struck simultaneously - some biting, others lashing out with lengthy tongues like spears, while still others emitted powerful suction forces. In a single exchange, dozens of people were swallowed by the monstrous beast.

An adult Hydra, with its nine heads the size of carriages, had a neck stretching a hundred yards, and its serpentine body extended another two hundred yards. Even coiled up, it towered above city walls. When an ill-assorted detachment, already lost for four days amidst growing paranoia, had suffered a 20% casualty rate, and suddenly stumbled upon a super monster rumored to be capable of annihilating nations and razing cities, their reaction was predictable. It was unclear who let out the first shriek, but almost everyone scattered in panic like a swarm of bees.

By now, the Eight Trigram Array had crumbled, and the scattered humans suddenly realized that the exit they had been searching for days was right before their eyes. They were faced with either a phalanx of thousands of orcs or an unobstructed path to safety, so naturally, they all rushed towards the latter. However, the Hydra had no intention of letting its prey escape. Nine beams of blue light flickered from the foreheads of its massive heads. The water that had been trembling on the ground suddenly rose up like a forest of spears, impaling scores of mercenaries running at the forefront from below. At the same time, the nine gaping mouths sucked wildly, swallowing all the corpses into their bellies.

Mercenaries who eked out a living on the edge of death were no novices. Once they saw the magic of a super monster, they immediately scattered in all directions. Even the Hydra's Water Cannon Forest was unable to cover such a vast area, making dispersal the best strategy against magical attacks. However, the abilities of a super monster didn't end there. Nine beams of blue light flared again from the Hydra's heads, tearing apart the water-based mana gathered by the "Tai Zé Eight Trigram Array." In the most densely packed area of mercenaries, it created nine semicircular barriers, each nearly 70 meters in diameter, trapping over a thousand people within.

The massive Hydra rose from the swamp and swam slowly towards the nearest barrier. Its nine heads effortlessly penetrated the barrier, each using different tactics to devour the over a hundred mercenaries inside. It then turned its attention to the next barrier. By this time, those fortunate enough to avoid being trapped by the barriers had already fled deep into the marsh, leaving only a dozen experts behind. Led by Lanster and two other Sword Masters, they surrounded the Hydra. Unfortunately, as a super monster covered in scales, the Hydra's defense was ten times stronger than my Twelvefold Golden Bell Shield. Even the Aura Sword Slash of a Sword Master couldn't leave a mark on its body. The Hydra completely ignored these pesky insects, focusing solely on devouring the humans trapped within the barriers.