Starting as a Prince, I Don’t Even Know How I Could Lose Chapter 131 : Chapter 131

Chapter 131. A Terrifying Scene — The Magic Serpent Fortress Must Be Evacuated

The scene shifted to the depths of the underground mine beneath Magic Serpent Fortress, where the ghostly blue glow of magic crystals illuminated the focused faces of twenty alchemists.

Holding specially made detection rods, they inspected the stone walls inch by inch. The occasional red flash at the tips of their rods signaled so kind of concealed energy fluctuation.

“Here.”

An elderly alchemist suddenly barked in a low voice as the detection rod in his hand began to tremble violently in front of an unremarkable section of rock wall.

Working together, the group dispelled the concealnt magic array on the surface. With a low, muffled hum, the rock wall slowly shifted aside, revealing a bottomless cavern.

A thick, bloody stench filled the cavern. When they looked inside by the light of the crystals, everyone inhaled sharply in unison.

Dozens upon dozens of abyssal magical beasts, Hydras, were curled up inside in deep sleep. Their bodies, covered in dark purple scales, were piled together. The vertical pupils on each of their heads were shut tight, yet they still radiated a suffocating pressure.

“Quick, inform the people above.”

Before the elderly alchemist could finish speaking, two low growls suddenly ca from the depths of the cavern.

Two slightly smaller Hydras had already awakened. Their scarlet eyes locked onto these uninvited guests, and their massive bodies shot forward like lightning!

“Watch out!”

The screams instantly tore through the silence of the mine.

As the giant jaws of the Hydras opened and closed, corrosive saliva dripped from their mouths. Eighteen alchemists were swallowed in an instant before they even had ti to cast defensive magic.

The knights following behind them drew their blades and counterattacked, but their Sword Aura only threw off a few scattered sparks when it struck the serpent scales. In the span of just a few breaths, more than half of them had already fallen.

“Retreat!”

The last young alchemist was shielded desperately by two knights as he rushed outward, stepping through the blood of his companions.

A Hydra’s tail lashed toward them. One knight forcibly blocked it with his own body, and the sound of his bones shattering was horrifyingly clear.

The other knight seized that brief opening and shoved the alchemist out of the cavern, only to be coiled up by a serpent head and dragged into the darkness.

By the ti the young alchemist stumbled and crawled out of the mine, thirteen powerful figures had already gathered at the entrance.

They were the fortress’s Legendary combatants, all of them staring solemnly into the depths below.

“Inside... inside, there are over a hundred Hydras.”

The alchemist’s voice was hoarse, and his entire body was sared with blood.

“They’re sleeping. Do not disturb them, no matter what.”

The mont he finished speaking, two deafening roars erupted from the bottom of the pit. Two enormous black shadows burst out of the earth, and twelve heads spread open in midair as a foul stench instantly flooded the area.

“Form up and trap them. Do not kill them, no matter what, or all those Hydras will wake up!”

Keli shouted sharply. The magic elents around her erupted at once, and a pale golden barrier enveloped the mine entrance.

All thirteen Legends attacked simultaneously. Sword Aura, magic, and Dou Qi wove together into an enormous net that descended upon the two Hydras.

However, the defense of these abyssal magical beasts far exceeded all expectations. Even when the attacks landed on them, they could only barely cut through the scales and draw out dark green blood.

“It’s abyssal aura. They’ve been nourished by magic energy for a very long ti.”

A Legendary Knight spoke in a deep voice, his longsword humming in his hand.

“Send word to the Royal Capital. This is not an ordinary mine. It is a nest where Hydras are slumbering.”

The two Hydras were clearly enraged. One of them suddenly spat out corrosive venom, instantly eating several large holes through the golden barrier.

Though the two awakened Hydras were ferocious, they gradually ran out of strength under the combined suppression of thirteen Legends.

Sword light and magic intertwined into an airtight web, exploding constantly against the serpent scales in showers of sparks, until at last the two beasts were pinned firmly to the rock wall, unable to move.

“Let’s go in and take a look.”

Keli stepped forward first, magic power gathered in her palm, ready to erupt at any mont.

The thirteen Legends spread out in a fan shape and carefully entered the cavern.

The mont they reached the entrance, an even more overwhelming fiendish aura rushed at them head-on, making everyone’s breathing stop abruptly.

By the light of magic, the sight deep within the cavern made every one of them suck in a cold breath.

Hundreds upon hundreds of Hydras were coiled inside. The largest among them possessed an aura as deep and steady as an abyss. They were unmistakably emitting Domain-level pressure.

There were also dozens more radiating Legendary auras on the sa level as the people present, and dried dark red blood still stained their scales.

The air seed to freeze solid. No one dared make the slightest unnecessary sound.

If these sleeping magical beasts were fully alard, then forget the thirteen Legends—even the entire Magic Serpent Fortress would likely be crushed in an instant.

Keli gave a hand signal. Everyone tacitly slowed their breathing, their footsteps as light as cats as they retreated little by little.

Only after they exited the cavern and stood once more beneath the sunlight did they finally let out a collective breath of relief. Their backs were already soaked with cold sweat.

“This is madness... Silver Oakleaf has truly gone mad.”

The voice of one Legendary Knight trembled.

“Legendary Hydras, and those Domain-level Hydras... These were never ant to deal with us. They want to destroy the Kroll Kingdom.”

Keli’s face was ashen, and her fingertips had gone white from how hard she was clenching them.

“They haven’t fully awakened yet. They’re still bound by biological instinct.”

“What do we do now?” soone asked urgently. “Leaving them alone is an even bigger ti bomb.”

Keli took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

“Send a ssage to the Royal Capital. Report the situation here to His Majesty exactly as it is—there is a pack of Domain-level, Legendary-level, and Sky-level Hydras inside the mine, numbering over a thousand, and they may break free of their restraints at any ti.”

She turned to the Legion Commander beside her, her tone heavy as iron.

“Order all Legions in the fortress to evacuate imdiately. Take the necessary supplies and the wounded, withdraw a hundred li, and regroup at Komoro Fortress. Set up defensive magic arrays there overnight.”

“Lady Keli, but this place...”

The commander looked troubled. Magic Serpent Fortress was a vital border stronghold, and he was unwilling to hand it over so easily.

“Leaving an empty fortress to the Hydras is still better than burying the entire army with it.”

Keli cut him off and swept her gaze toward Silver Oakleaf’s military camp in the distance.

“Silver Oakleaf would be delighted if we stood our ground and fought to the death.”

After a brief pause, she added, “Have the seal masters leave behind one final temporary seal to slow the rate of their awakening.”

“All Legendary combatants will remain behind to cover the retreat. Once the Legions have withdrawn safely, we will retreat in groups to Komoro Fortress.”

“Yes.”

The commander no longer hesitated and turned to relay the order.

The fortress instantly burst into activity. The blare of horns rang out in urgent succession as the soldiers packed their belongings in orderly fashion and pushed cannons and supply wagons toward the eastern gate.

The wounded were lifted onto horse-drawn carts. Magic crystals were carefully dismantled and packed away. Though the evacuation was urgent, there was no chaos to be seen—this was the result of the Kroll Legions’ long years of training.

The thirteen Legends spread out around the fortress, their eyes fixed warily on the direction of the mine while also keeping watch on Silver Oakleaf’s camp.

They knew that the greatest danger at this mont was not the Hydras that were about to awaken, but the possibility that Silver Oakleaf would launch a surprise attack and take advantage of the situation.

Sure enough, just as half the Legions inside Magic Serpent Fortress had withdrawn, the Legends on the opposite side began to make their move.

At the sa ti, after receiving his orders, a young nobleman imdiately headed toward the mine without the slightest hesitation.