Immortality

<How is this possible?!>

Issei couldn't believe it, he didn't want to believe it. All their efforts were in vain. Rather, they brought the enemy to the village.

<Ahaha! I'm immortal!>

The snake cheered.

The object that goblin gave him! Is that what gave him the power of immortality? Is he really immortal? Is there a way to kill an immortal person?

Issei filled his head with questions and no answers.
Meanwhile, Sylphiette had returned. She was shocked too. She paused for a moment, then took Issei's hand and ran away.

<Woh! Where are you taking me?!>

<To get your hand healed, otherwise how will you fight that monster?!>

Sylphiette was right, but that left Shirou and Josuke alone. Wasting no time, the two headed for the house of the old sorceress, Sylphiette's grandmother and the village healer.

In the hut, the battle going on outside could be heard. The sorceress calmly took Issei's hand.

<Please, old woman, hurry up! We don't have much time!>

The old woman stopped. Sylphiette kicked Issei.

<Young man, haven't they taught you manners?>

Issei sighed.

<I'm so sorry. Now can you continue? Maybe a little faster, please.>

The old woman sighed and brought the knight's hand close to her chest. Issei felt a little embarrassed. A blinding green light burst from the old elf's chest.

<How long will it take?>

Issei, standing close to the prince, was feeling his impatience. But at that moment, he was quite justified; he wanted to save everyone as quickly as possible.

The old woman sighed.

<It could take an hour.>

<An hour?! I don't have that much time!>

The old elf sighed again, clearing her throat, and explained.

<If you want to speed up the process, there's a solution, but I don't know if it works across species. Plus, I don't think you appreciates a drooling old woman, hahaha!>

Sylphiette looked from the old woman to Issei.

<What are you talking about, grandma?>

<Using bodily fluids, I can increase the potency of the cure.>

The old elf took a moment to think.

<But I can also transfer the cure into your body, and like that... well...>

Sylphiette took a step back. Blushing, she covered her body with her arms.
Then she let her arms fall to her sides.

<All right, we can do it. If that's okay with you, Issei.>

The knight was confused.

What are they talking about?! Bodily fluids?!

<You don't need to do the whole thing, although I would have liked to see what this big guy is capable of. Even just saliva is enough, girl. Hahaha!>

The old woman laughed, while Sylphiette turned increasingly red. She approached Issei, took his hand, and put it in her mouth.

Issei blushed; not even his wife had ever licked his hand. It was a very strange sensation; he couldn't feel his tongue properly; his fingers were dead, after all.

At that moment, the old woman, with a disappointed expression, cast her magic on the girl. Issei's black fingers slowly returned to their normal color. Then they moved.

<My fingers! I can move them!>

Ugh!

<Don't move them while they're in my mouth, though!>

<Sorry!>

Slowly, the various wounds on his body also healed. The knight could finally show off his true strength.

Issei emerged from the hut gloriously, his sword in hand. Ready to slice the snake a thousand times.

Shirou was cornered; some goblins held him down while others pricked him with the tips of their swords.

Issei lunged at his enemies, swinging his sword left and right, then striking the ground. Although he seemed to have missed, spikes of earth erupted from the ground, knocking the goblins away.

<Welcome back, Issei!>

The knight held out his hand to help Shirou get to his feet, then they smiled and charged at their enemy.
They sliced ​​him continuously; snakes leaped out of his body, then returned.
The snake was truly immortal.

<What are we going to do, Issei?!>

<Don't ask me!>

No one knew how to face an immortal opponent. The two continued to strike the monster, searching for a weak point.

<I want to try something. Can you hold it off one more time?>

Shirou was once again fighting the snake alone. But Issei had a plan: Destroy its entire body with a single blow.

Issei stopped, his breathing heavy, closed his eyes, and then began to dance. The coachman was confused, but trusted the knight.

The snake, however, understood what the knight wanted. With powerful blows, it knocked Shirou backward. The monster rushed towards Issei to stop him.

Issei opened his eyes and with a battle cry, threw himself on the snake. With a powerful blow, he cut off the monster's body. Nothing remained but its eyes.

But the small snakes immediately returned to recreate the snake's body.

<We must prevent it from reforming!>

The two of them passed the snake's eyes, tossing them from hand to hand. But then the red bulbs began to glow. They couldn't touch them anymore.

An elf then brought a vase. They closed their eyes inside, but the snakes rushed in and shattered the vase.
The snake reformed again.

<Damn, this can't happen!>

<Fools. I'm immortal! You'll never defeat me.>

<You cheap villain, shut up!>

Josuke butted in. Issei let out a laugh.

<I'm not a villain! I'm a scientist! I needed immortality to continue my experiments. So if you don't mind, I have to return to my lab.>

Issei questioned what the snake was saying. But he lowered his sword, unsure whether to continue fighting or not.

At that moment, the snake attacked Issei and bit him. A greenish liquid dripped onto the knight's body. Then he lost consciousness.

Meanwhile, Sylphiette prepared a huge crossbow and positioned herself on the roof of the military base. Despite the distance, the elf's aim was exceptional. And the crossbow fired arrows with far greater force than a normal bow.
She positioned a special arrow, crafted from the hardest rock on the continent.

Meanwhile, the coachman, enraged, lunged at the snake. He continued to slice and dice the snake to no avail.

<You bastard! What have you done to him?!>

<I gave him a dose of my special poison. It'll kill him in less than ten minutes!>
<Do you know? The only way to kill me is to wait! You know, immortality has no effect on aging. In fact, it wasn't I who wanted immortality, but a certain magician. What was his name? Oh yeah: Zouken!>

Shirou didn't know who the magician was; he continued fighting, ignoring the snake's words.

Soon after, all the preparations for the crossbow were ready. Sylphiette pulled the trigger.
The arrow shot out violently, the speed and power with which it traveled unimaginable.

The arrow struck the snake squarely in the right eye, shattering it to pieces.

AAAH!

The snake slithered backward.

<Bastards!>

The monster turned and fled at an absurd speed.
The crossbow was too slow to load, and by now the snake was hidden among the leaves of the forest.

They failed to defeat the enemy. Issei lay on the ground in pain, Josuke paralyzed with fear, and Shirou continued to defend Langlebig Village from the remaining goblins for the rest of the day.