Chapter 91: Clearing out-2

Samuel crashed hard into the tree, groaning in pain. But the serpent wasn’t done.

With a sharp hiss, its massive tail whipped forward like a giant whip, aiming straight for him.

Snap!

Just before the tail could strike, Azhriel dashed in, grabbing the back of Samuel’s collar and yanking him away in time. The tail struck the tree instead, smashing it into splinters with a loud crack.

Raymond took the opening. He raised his hand, and a glowing orb of sun-fire appeared above his palm. With a flick, he sent it flying straight at the serpent’s head.

Boom!

The explosion lit up the battlefield, fire and smoke rising. For a second, it looked like the attack had landed clean. But when the smoke cleared...

The serpent was still standing. Its face was slightly scorched, the scales singed, but not much else.

If anything, it just looked angrier.

"Whew... that was close. Thanks, man," Samuel said as he caught his breath beside Azhriel.

"It’s fine," Azhriel replied calmly, eyes never leaving the serpent. "But it seems normal attacks won’t even leave a scratch."

"Yeah... it’s an Advanced-rank beast. Taking it down won’t be easy," Samuel said as both of them began moving again, circling the serpent.

"That’s for sure," Azhriel agreed. "But we don’t have a choice but to fight."

He raised his hand as the temperature around him dropped. Ice gathered from the air, forming sharp arrows that shimmered with cold energy.

With a flick of his wrist, the arrows launched at high speed toward the serpent.

The beast noticed them instantly. With a low growl, it swung its thick tail and shattered the incoming ice like they were nothing.

The serpent stood tall again, unharmed and furious—ready to strike once more.

The serpent lunged without any warning. Its black-scaled body whipping through the broken trees, as its hiss echoed like a curse through the battlefield.

Every inch of its enormous frame shimmered with a thick aura of dry energy, the force pressing down like a mountain on anyone nearby. The air turned heavier, the ground shuddered beneath its advance.

Azhriel didn’t blink.

Crack!

With a single stomp, a web of frost spread out from his feet.

In his right hand, lightning sparked alive with a violent hum, coiling around his blade like a hungry serpent.

His left hand held a sphere of icy mana, condensed into jagged spears that hovered, ready to fire.

To his side, Raymond readied his spear, its tip gleaming with golden light.

A miniature sun floated above his palm, the flames radiating unbearable heat and raw energy.

Behind him, Samuel’s form seemed to melt into shadows, his eyes glowing a faint violet under the hood of dark energy building around him.

The serpent reared its massive head, yellow eyes burning with instinctual bloodlust. With a deafening screech, it struck.

The ground cracked as it lunged toward Raymond, its jaws open wide, fangs sharp as blades.

Raymond didn’t flinch.

"Now!" Azhriel shouted.

Samuel struck first.

Dozens of black spears erupted from his shadow, shooting forward with sharp whistles. They weren’t meant to pierce, but to distract.

The serpent’s massive body twisted mid-air, it’s tail lashing behind it to counter. Samuel’s spears were batted away, but they did their job.

Because Raymond moved.

With a step infused with light, he vanished from sight and reappeared above the serpent, the orb in his hand crackling violently. He hurled it down with a roar.

BOOM!

The mini sun exploded on the serpent’s skull, the shockwave blasting apart the trees and flinging smoke into the air. But even through the blazing light, they could see it.

The serpent’s scales were burnt... barely. Its body quivered, then it roared in rage, slamming its tail into the ground and shaking the entire clearing.

"You’ve got to be kidding me..." Raymond muttered, landing beside Azhriel. "That much heat didn’t even crack it."

"It’s strong," Azhriel said quietly, eyes sharp. "But not invincible."

Samuel appeared beside them, breathing a bit heavy, the last strike had done some serious internal damage. "We need to break that armor—those scales are too thick."

The serpent didn’t give them time to plan.

With a flick of its enormous tail, it swept across the field like a living hurricane. Trees snapped like twigs, the wind itself howled.

Azhriel dashed forward instead of back. He ducked under the tail and jumped, his eyes glowing brighter.

"Freeze!"

The ice spears from earlier fired with deadly accuracy, slamming into the serpent’s lower body. Frost spread rapidly across its belly.

Then, thunder cracked.

Azhriel’s blade, now glowing with vibrant lightning, sliced along the creature’s side. Sparks danced, mixing with the spreading frost as the serpent screeched in pain and recoiled.

A line of blood splattered across the dirt.

"Nice one!" Raymond called out.

But the snake was far from done.

It vanished in a blink, diving into the ground like a swimming fish. The terrain rumbled. Dust flew.

"Shit, underground!" Samuel yelled.

Too late.

The ground beneath him erupted. The serpent burst upward, its mouth wide open.

Samuel was sent flying, blood splattering as the serpent’s tail smashed into him mid-air. He crashed through two thick trees, landing hard with a grunt.

"Samuel!" Raymond shouted, eyes wide.

"I’m fine," a weak voice came, but it was clear he wasn’t.

The serpent turned its eyes on Raymond next, tongue flicking.

Raymond narrowed his gaze.

Golden light exploded from his body as he stepped forward, spear clenched in hand. He raised it high, then slammed it into the ground.

Gold Flash.

A radiant wave burst forth—pure sunlight mana spread like a dome, burning the grass beneath and blinding the beast momentarily.

But still—it didn’t fall.

Instead, it coiled up, mana pulsing around its entire body. Then it roared.

From its mouth, a breath of raw energy shot forth. It wasn’t fire or ice—but a compressed beam of destruction.

Raymond barely had time to raise a light barrier as the golden light clashed with the beam.

Crack! Crack!

The barrier cracked.

Azhriel moved in instantly.

Lightning surged through his feet, and he soared toward the beast like a thunderbolt. Mid-air, he conjured a freezing gale, slamming it down on the serpent’s back.

The moment the gale hit, the temperature plummeted.

The serpent flinched again as ice formed along its back—but its rage overpowered the pain.

It swung wildly, tail smashing into Azhriel and sending him skidding across the dirt, blood trailing behind.

"Ugh..." Azhriel groaned, trying to stand. "Damn thing hits like a boulder."

"Fall back," Raymond ordered. "Let me try again."

He raised both hands.

Two golden orbs appeared, spinning. His body was trembling slightly now, sweat dripping down his chin.

The orbs compressed further—growing hotter, smaller, deadlier.

Raymond took one step forward.

The snake roared and charged.

Twin Whisper

He hurled the first orb. Then the second.

BOOM!

Two deafening explosions lit up the area. The shockwaves flattened trees, and smoke covered the sky.

Everyone waited, their breathing held.

But when the smoke cleared—the serpent still stood.

It was injured now, breathing heavily. Its left eye was gone, scorched out. Scales burned and blackened along its side.

But it still moved.

"No way..." Raymond’s voice trembled from the strain.

The snake coiled again. This time, it moved faster than before—driven by rage.

Raymond raised his spear in defense—

—but he was too slow.

The serpent’s head slammed into him, sending him crashing into the ground with a brutal force. Dust flew. Blood painted the grass.

"Agh!" Raymond choked.

He couldn’t move.

The serpent slithered toward him, mouth wide open.

And everything... slowed.

Just as the head of the snake, came upon him to bite.

A sound reached his eras. Raising his head, he watched as Azhriel clashed with the serpent.

"Now," Azhriel shouted, as a jutted spile rose from the ground and peirced, through the snake’s tail.

Staggering Raymond stood up, this was an opportunity.

Sun, wrapped around his spear like paint. He ducked low, his hand tightening on the spear, as cracks appeared on it from the art’s power.

While, Samuel also didn’t miss rhe chance.

Black, utter pure darkness, wrapped around his blade, like the ink colouring a paper.

The ground trembled, as he also used his arts.

"Blaze Arts- First Form."

"Death Arts- First Form."

"White Slash."

Appearing just above the neck of the beast, Raymond slashed his spear, as a trailing arc of orange and gold slit through the air.

"Nether Divide."

Samuel blinked, as moved towards the beast, appearing just before the beast eyes, he slashed as black trails of shadows, came out of his dagger.

Boom.

The, surroundings were covered in dust and smoke, as the blast took all the sound away for a moment.

Raymond and Samuel appeared just beside Azhriel who had moved back, as they fell to their knee.

"Haa, haa. Did we get it?" Raymond said.

Kreee

However to their horror, as the smoke reduced, the serpent’s pale yellow eyes, pierce through them.

Screen.

It screech through the area, as it’s neck was severely burnt and one of it’s eyes had been slashed.

However, it didn’t fall.

Instead, a greenish smoke came out of its mouth. It was poison.

"Fuck."