The Primal Hunter

Chapter 1010: A Proper Greeting The Lord Protector observed the sky as the aura of the human recognized as the War God bore down on him. The pressure was intense, but he did not submit despite the evident power difference. He was the final vanguard of the Order of the Malefic Viper, and as long as his master had yet to make his appearance, the Boundless Hydra was responsible for ensuring none would cause their members harm.

Dealing with Yip of Yore was already a matter the Lord Protector wasn’t confident in, but now, even as it looked even more hopeless, he decided to go on the offensive. Hundreds of heads emerged from the living barrier and flew toward the many gods and Valdemar himself. Yip of Yore simply looked down as Valdemar smiled as he lifted his axe.

“This is not your fight, Guardian,” his words echoed as he lowered his weapon slowly. The hundreds of heads were instantly crushed as the Lord Protector felt the shockwave from the impact permeating through his entire body. It hadn’t done any real damage, as losing a few hundred heads meant nothing… however…

I shall-

“You’ve done enough, Snappy,” a voice suddenly echoed in the Lord Protector’s mind. The comforting words of his master. As these words were spoken, a lone figure appeared in the air between the Boundless Hydra and the attackers, emanating an aura surpassing that of the Lord Protector by a fair margin.

“Quite rude to come knocking without a proper invitation,” the Malefic VIper spoke in a confident tone as Valdemar retracted his own aura. The Viper’s words were addressed at not just Yip of Yore, but Valdemar and everyone else present.

The Lord Protector observed his master as he sighed internally, trying to squash the insecurities in his heart. For so many eras, he had trusted the Malefic Viper to handle things… what was one more time?

The Malefic Viper basked in the auras of the many gods who looked down upon him. He saw Eversmile stand next to Yip of Yore, aware the god would not interfere personally. He was the kind to prefer indirect involvement, after all.

Finding the right time to appear was always a tricky matter, but he believed things had worked out fine. He couldn’t wait too long as that risked Snappy deciding to go all-out, which could risk everything, including Snappy potentially taking severe damage.

No, as the Viper said, the Lord Protector had done enough, and from here on out, it was all on the Malefic Viper.

“To think you’d come out on your own… I’ll admit, I’d assumed we’d have to drag you out of your little hole by causing a bit of damage first,” Yip of Yore spoke as the Viper felt himself be measured up. “Almost admirable for you to come out and save your pet hydra.”

“Or perhaps I’m just tired of dealing with this annoying rat that’s been gnawing at my ankles for a few years now,” the Viper shot back as he shook his head. “You’re far from the first who’s come here, trying to make themselves a Primordial Slayer, and I wonder where you got this much confidence from… but I guess arrogance is a trait of the young.”

Truthfully, the Viper saw little meaning in all this grandstanding and bantering, but he knew it was important for the story being told. What good villain wouldn’t act a bit like an asshole when confronted? And it was for certain that Villy was the villain of this story, a role he embraced wholeheartedly as it quite frankly fit him far better than that of the hero.

Yip of Yore responded as he launched into yet another annoying speech. “For them to be willing to do what none has truly dared to do before. To go where none have gone before. Look beyond the status quo and what the older generation believes is impossible. For too long has it been an assumption that the Primordials are infallible beings, unreachable by all. The Truth? All you have is age. For the Primordials who’ve continued to struggle and continued to reach for more power, I understand

audience this time around. The Viper could vividly see the conceptual

now, he had reached a level few gods ever could… and he was only growing stronger

good and used your reputation to make the multiverse a better place, things would be different. But what did you do? What have you done since your return? The moment you stopped hiding away, you became a tyrant. You killed weaker gods and had your faction expand, crushing anyone indiscriminately who dared stand in your way. For so many eras, the Order of the Malefic Viper had been a mostly peaceful organization that kept to itself, and only with your return

coming here, spouting nonsense to justify making a move on me just to prove that you are a strong boy in front of all your little pals. Pals that will only end up dying alongside you once you realize how big of a

time, I saw no meaning in having a faction. I didn’t need one because I didn’t have a good reason to have one… but you inspired me. I knew you were a negative influence in the multiverse from the very beginning, a being of

allowing the guy to

original to ensure

I found my answer, too. It’s to make sure beings like you cannot roam free and keep destroying everything in their Path. You’ve done so many horrible things I cannot even begin to cover them all. Today, that will all end. If no one else is willing, I’ll become the force for good that counteracts

for someone hiding behind two other Primordials while claiming he is here to prove he’s equal to a Primordial,” Vilastromoz scoffed, playing into his role. “Or is this your definition of good? To have others do your dirty work while you take all

Valdemar spoke, his words almost having a physical weight to them. “I’m here to ensure the duel between you two happens and that no one else

feel a bit bad about leaving Snappy in the dark, but it was truly for the best. The Viper knew his

Eversmile?” the Viper

in a calm tone. “This is not my battle. Instead, view it as a chance to prove you are still worthy of the title of Primordial… or if twelve shall

followed up to reclaim the flow of conversation. Or maybe because he really liked to hear himself talk? Either way, it didn’t matter much. “How does it feel? Knowing that

recognizing you as one,” Vilastromoz scowled. “It does sadden me that they are willing to side with a new upstart, and it makes me question their

funny is that you believe anyone is willing to put up with you anymore. Nearly as funny as you thinking you are walking away from this. Actually, tell me, how many of your so-called loyal Hidden Ones have abandoned you the moment things got tough? How many allies have turned their back? From what I see, the only ones who remain are those with no choice or other evil entities who share

a withered husk of what you once were. Your isolation has

multiverse that the Chosen of the Malefic Viper and Valhal had entered some kind of agreement in the mostly closed-off ninety-third universe. No one knew the exact details of this deal, but the fact

where a Chosen of a Primordial had renounced their Blessing, much less turned into a heretic, so the mere thought it could happen still didn’t seem believable to many. Yet… the Chosen of the Malefic Viper was a rather

a very low grade, and he’d displayed a level of talent that was near-unprecedented. This wasn’t just about his Nevermore performance, but his title of Harbinger of Primeval Origins. The C-grade human held

who once stood at the top as one of the first gods – would reclaim his position. The Chosen Ceremony was still fresh in people’s minds and had been a major boost to the Viper’s reputation among the many