Chapter 715: A Sudden Attack

Third Person’s POV

Ethan narrowed his crimson eyes as he studied the two mountain peaks ahead.

’So this is the entrance to Death Valley...’

The group continued forward, climbing over a vast ice dune that obstructed their view.

When they finally reached its crest, the landscape beyond came into sight, revealing a large blue lake partially obscured by the drifting snow and icy mist.

Ethan’s gaze lingered on the lake as he took in the surrounding scenery.

Unlike the barren, frozen wilderness they had traversed for so long, the area around the lake was covered in a dense pine forest.

Countless trees stood close together along the lakeshore, their dark green branches contrasting sharply with the surrounding snow and ice.

The sight was so different from the desolate icy desert that it almost seemed as though they had stumbled upon an entirely different world.

’That lake must be something like an oasis in this realm...’

With their destination finally within sight, the group continued onward without wasting any time.

Up until now, they had not seen a single soul beside them, especially after the battle in the city, despite so many people entering the ice abyss with them from the academy.

Ethan had been observing this fact since the time they had left that ruined city, making him guess a cruel truth.

But he knew that the truly strong must have survived, and after his newest power boost, he needed strong enemies, like those demonic invaders, to grasp his new abilities better and fight for the opportunities to get stronger.

Another half hour passed before they finally reached the foothills of the two enormous mountains.

The icy slopes rose steeply on either side, while the passage ahead disappeared into a region shrouded by thick clouds and swirling snow.

It was at that moment that Ethan suddenly felt a dangerous premonition.

His instincts screamed a warning, and he reacted without the slightest hesitation.

"Move away, everyone!"

As his shout rang out, Ethan grabbed Eleanor and Aurelia by their collars and pulled them along with him.

At the same time, he poured strength into his legs and launched himself away from the spot where he had been standing, carrying both women with him.

His movements were so sudden that neither Eleanor nor Aurelia had time to question what was happening.

They could only follow his momentum as he leaped away from the ground, their expressions changing when they realized that Ethan had sensed something dangerous.

The others reacted almost simultaneously.

Edhan swiftly seized Arlene and transformed into a bolt of white lightning, shooting away from their original position and reappearing roughly fifty metres away in an instant.

The moment Ethan left the ground, the frozen earth beneath him erupted violently.

A gigantic purple snake’s head burst out from beneath the ice, its enormous jaws snapping shut around the space Ethan had occupied a heartbeat earlier.

Its fangs clashed together with a deafening crack, but its prey had already escaped.

At nearly the same instant, another enormous snake’s head erupted from the ground where Arlene’s group had been standing.

The yellow serpent emerged with terrifying speed, its gaping mouth lunging toward Reed and Pebba before either of them could fully escape its attack.

Although Edhan had managed to carry Arlene to safety, the other two were not nearly as fortunate.

Caught off guard by the sudden ambush, they barely had time to react before the serpent’s jaws descended upon them.

However, neither was willing to surrender without a fight.

Reed’s body abruptly stiffened as a gray sheen spread across his skin, covering him from head to toe until he looked as though he had been forged from metal.

The transformation gave his body a hard, metallic appearance just as the serpent’s fangs came crashing down toward him.

Beside him, Pebba had already summoned a massive, earthy-brown hammer.

Gripping its handle with both hands, she swung the weapon with astonishing force and smashed it directly into the serpent’s snout.

The impact produced a heavy, muffled crash that echoed across the frozen landscape.

The yellow serpent’s head jerked sideways, momentarily disrupting its attack, while Reed used the opening to twist his body away from its jaws.

Pebba followed immediately, dragging herself out of the danger zone as the serpent snapped at the space where they had been standing.

Despite their desperate counterattack, neither escaped unscathed.

The serpent’s fangs managed to pierce their legs before they could fully withdraw, leaving them injured as they staggered away from the creature.

Nevertheless, they had managed to avoid being swallowed whole, and under the circumstances, that alone was a considerable achievement.

Meanwhile, Ethan’s attention remained fixed on the purple serpent.

Its enormous head slowly emerged from the hole it had created, followed by a thick, elongated body that continued rising from beneath the frozen ground.

The creature eventually coiled itself into a towering mass of scales, its body stretching to an astonishing length of roughly twenty metres, with a thickness comparable to two large water tanks placed side by side.

Ethan’s expression grew increasingly grim as he examined its grotesque appearance.

What disgusted him most was the cluster of red eyes embedded across its head.

They were densely packed together, each one staring in a slightly different direction, giving the creature the appearance of some hideous abomination assembled from mismatched parts.

A long, barbed, forked tongue flickered in and out of its mouth as it hissed at him, releasing faint wisps of vapor into the freezing air.

Despite its immense size, the serpent did not immediately launch another attack.

Instead, it remained coiled before him, its countless red eyes fixed on his figure as though it knew that the most opportune moment to strike had already passed.

Ethan could sense the madness and cruelty radiating from those unnatural eyes.

There was something deeply wrong with the creature, something that made his instincts remain on high alert even though it had yet to strike again.

Without taking his gaze away from the purple serpent, he shifted his attention toward the other creature through his peripheral vision.