Chapter 84: Little Serpent

Professor Crosp was just as stunned as the rest of them. He turned, and the judges signaled they were discussing it. But this wasn’t some impulsive decision. Sen had spoken to Sikar ahead of time. As long as Snake agreed, these terms would likely be considered acceptable. After all, if he could beat the strongest student Brightsail Academy had produced over four years, then how could they claim he wasn’t more than fit to graduate as well. 

“There is precedent for refusal of resurrection, though…never before as an incentive. I fear it sets a bad tone, but that alone is not the problem.” Crosp turned to Snake. “You understand that if you accepted these terms, and the judges find them acceptable, you’d throw away all of your progress here? Magic concerning memory is particularly fickle. There’s a chance you could lose more than just your time at the academy. You could lose memories from before as well. Are you really okay with that?” he asked.

Snake waved his concern off with a hand. “I’m not going to lose, dean. I accept the terms.”

Crosp frowned. He turned, and the judges signaled their consent. “The judges have accepted. Your agreement is upheld. Are both of you ready?” 

Snake nodded. Sen did so as well. 

“The duel will start in sixty seconds. You may prepare an opening spell if you’d like, or lay enhancements over yourselves. As soon as the sixty seconds are over, the duel will begin.”

An illusory countdown appeared in the air between them. 

Snake started layering wards and enhancements immediately. Sen didn’t pay attention to them. He wasn’t just here to win. He was here to humiliate his opponent. “Oath of the Duelist Maxima,” he said. 

Snake looked up with rage in his eyes.

Crosp looked at him as if he were mad. 

“I vow to achieve total victory. If my opponent sheds even a drop of my blood, I lose and I die. I vow to force my opponent to acknowledge true and utter defeat. If I fail to make him surrender, I lose, and I die. I vow to thoroughly convince the audience that I deserve victory. If a single member of the audience is not convinced I deserve my victory, and their doubt holds up to a high-level seek truth spell, I lose, and I die. I vow these things by the Oath of the Duelist,” Sen said clearly. 

Snake shook his head. “I’ll never surrender to you,” he spat. 

Sen smiled. The oath wrapped around the core of his being, ensnaring his soul to ensure the fulfillment of his conditions. This was a practice from his time, and from what he gathered, it wasn’t used much anymore. But it was perfect for truly embarrassing Snake, and he wanted to keep things interesting. He inhaled a deep breath and readied himself.

He turned and looked at the audience. The Tower family stared at him. The Flamelord watched from above. There were others, even more powerful individuals hidden among the crowd, though he couldn’t place their exact whereabouts through the powerful barriers of the stadium and spells that masked their presence. The audience had heard his oath. The Oath of the Duelist was a spell that made itself and the conditions set known to anyone watching. They all knew the terms Sen had thrust upon himself. It would make it all the more embarrassing for Snake. They were going crazy even now at Sen’s boldness. The barrier muted the worst of it from getting through, but he could still hear the roar of excitement.

The countdown reached the ten-second mark. 

He called upon the power of Encapsulation and Aggression, raising his stats to enhance his speed and strength. The stats Snake would be most focused on. 

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

At zero, it all began. 

Snake 

Scales climbed up his arms as he dashed toward Sen. His opponent wore simple white robes that offered little protection and didn’t move as Snake approached. His scales culminated where they always did, his shoulders, and strength coursed through his body. His movements were easier, his strikes would be quicker. This was the power he’d been given and honed to perfection. He grabbed the hilt of his sword with one hand and poured venom into it. The deadly liquid was absorbed as fast as he could make it, and his sword drank the physical manifestation of mana greedily. Through a special sheath, the venom entered his armor and filled the mana channels spread throughout. He’d tested this extensively and mastered the correct output. Before his first strike, he’d have stored enough to completely fill his armor’s channels. 

The sword and sheath had been a gift from Marrow; the armor he’d paid for from his own pocket. Though it’d cost him all the artifacts in his possession, it was worth it. It made up for that lost power and then some. He didn’t have a choice anyway; it wasn’t like he could trust Sikar. The only professor with any experience forging favored Sen. Snake had to use his own resources, as always. That’s life. 

If you don’t hunt, you don’t eat. 

He flexed his claws and swiped at Sen. White hair flowed like wind as Sen dodged, jumping backward annoyingly fast as usual. The coward liked his speed stat, that much was obvious. Snake delivered several blows in rapid succession, each one narrowly missing Sen. With a grunt, Snake reared back and prepared a stronger attack, infused with mana. “Serpent Strike Venom!” His fist dashed forward, claws glowing a green spectral color. Around his strike, five spectral serpents manifested and lunged forward, looking to strike Sen.

Sen planted his feet and returned a punch of his own. “Mana Punch Echo Maxim!” 

For each snake, a blue hand appeared and intercepted it. The two techniques crashed into one another, a perfect match, and the two of them separated. 

Snake sneered. He reached down and drew his blade. Venom coursed through it. Green drops fell from its tip and landed on the solid stone of the arena. The stone hissed as the venom slowly ate through it. Snake smiled at that. He couldn’t wait to see the same thing happen to Sen’s body. 

A single drop was enough to paralyze magicians up to the knight-commander level. Two drops enough to kill. 

Sen yanked on his necklace in response. It wrenched itself free of his neck and rapidly melted into a new form. Sen now had a sword of his own. 

“This is Malleore,” Sen introduced his weapon. “What might I call yours?” he asked. 

Snake’s lips twisted. “Serpentsfang.” 

“It’s sharp. It could definitely make me bleed,” Sen said. “I best avoid that.”

Snake bared his teeth, and long fangs poked through his gums in response. He was going to take so much more than a single drop of blood. He was going to wipe this insolent first-year out of existence. When he was finished, Sen would be so full of venom that even his soul would melt. 

Snake shot toward Sen and brought his sword forward. 

Malleore rose to meet Serpentsfang. The introduction of the two blades was a fury one. Serpentsfang sought to melt through Malleore. Malleore sought to absorb Serpentsfang’s very essence and usurp its power for itself. But neither blade would easily overcome the other. Their masters’ wills forced them together. Again and again. The clanging of two high-grade magic weapons resounded all throughout the arena at high speed. 

Snake swung wildly. He purposely drew his sword short, giving Sen plenty of time to back out of danger. At the same time, he released a deluge of venom from the blade’s edge. Sen’s eyes widened. He realized he’d fallen for Snake’s trap.

Too late. Far too late. Snake grinned.

An artifact erupted from Sen’s pocket. A blue shroud that flew and expanded quickly to cover Sen from the venom. 

Snake’s brow furrowed. What was that? Some kind of portable barrier? 

His venom landed on the barrier and hissed like water on a hot pan. 

Sen skidded to a stop and looked down with a nod of approval. “I knew my Mana Barrier would come in handy. It’s nice, isn’t it?”

The acid may have dissolved on the barrier, but Snake knew the blow would weaken the artifact. The technique was just as effective against mana as it was against people. It might not destroy the artifact permanently, but it would eat through its protections. Artifacts, like people, needed time to recover after being pushed to their limits. 

Sen had used a secret artifact too quickly. It was the downside of his cockiness. Vowing not to lose a single drop of blood meant he needed to be extra careful. 

Snake could take advantage of that. 

He redoubled his efforts. “Serpent Strike Sixfold-Venom!” Thirty-six spectral serpents shot forward with Serpentsfang at their center. 

Sen held Malleore out defensively and pressed his other hand against the blade itself. Snake’s blade met Malleore’s and the spectral serpents stabbed against Sen’s wards. Each one striking with the power of venom, further weakening his opponent’s defenses. He pulled his sword back and spun, kicking his leg towards Sen’s side all in one movement. The venom in his mana channels exploded outward, coating his foot. 

Sen jumped back. But venom shot forward and coated his wards again. 

Snake smiled. Over the next few minutes, he took control of the fight. He delivered blow after blow. Punches, spells, kicks, slashes of Serpentsfang, each one whittling down Sen’s defenses. Finally, he saw it. The effects of venom compounded over time, and most magicians didn’t fully realize how damaging it was to their wards until it was too late. Snake had developed a sense for it. That perfect moment to strike. When their defenses were still up, but at risk of shattering with just enough force. If he applied that force, then some part of his strike would break through. He could kill Sen before he ever realized what happened. 

Snake smiled. He readied his blade and channeled as much mana into it as it could stand. “Strike of the Viper King Venom!”

He felt Sen’s barriers collapse from the sheer surge of mana within his attack. Snake smirked and moved forward, closing the distance between them. A spectral serpent as long as his whole body wrapped around his arm and continued up his blade as he drove it toward Sen’s core. 

With his other defenses shattered, Sen was forced to rely on his own magic sword. But the Viper King serpent shot forward and intercepted the blade. Malleore recoiled from the impact, leaving Sen wide open. 

With his blade coated in venom and the force of his mana, Snake pressed on.

Mere inches from Sen’s core, reality seemed to slow to a halt around Snake. It felt as if the world were moving in slow motion. As if Sen had stepped outside the flow of time. The white-haired boy released Malleore. Its form returned to that of a simple necklace and disappeared inside a slit in reality. A portal of some kind. 

Sen held his palm out and chanted. “Mana Gate.” The power of a high-grade artifact manifested. Snake was still so close. Despite Sen’s speed, he hadn’t moved from his spot. Another inch and Snake could stab clean through him. With all his might, Snake tried to force his arm forward, hoping to break through this spell with sheer force of will. 

From Sen’s palm, a burst of mana shot out and took form. Sen gripped it as a long handle formed in his hand. A scythe swirling with purple energy. Sen spun it and then it flashed by in an arc. 

Time exploded back to normal. Just in time for Snake to watch his own arm fall to the ground. Serpentsfang clanged loudly. Snake looked down at the stump left behind. His hardened scales should have been able to block that. “How?” he asked aloud out of pure shock. 

Sen moved again. 

Snakes’ instincts screamed danger. He jumped back, trying to create distance between them while he figured out how to approach this new artifact. But he was too slow. His body rose several feet into the air as the scythe impaled him through the stomach. He clutched at it, trying to free himself, but the pain was unbearable. The armor around his core shattered.

In that moment, Snake noticed a shimmer of blue around Sen. He hadn’t broken the barriers after all. Sen had released them. He’d baited Snake into thinking there was an opening. Hatred coursed through his body in equal parts to the pain. 

Sen stared at him, devoid of emotion. “They’ll resurrect you. Even if I rip out your heart. But I do wonder…how will that affect your relationship with her? 

Snake gasped. His eyes widened. He pushed through the pain and used the only spell that could help him here. “Shed Skin Venom!” 

Sen frowned. 

Shed skin was a unique ability that Snake had only mastered recently. It was like ripping yourself from your own body. He tore away, leaving behind his enhancements, armor, and even his sword. He burst free and landed in a flip. His body fully restored. Only the undamaged armor covering his waist and legs had followed him. The copy of himself at the end of Sen’s scythe faded away. It looked like a serpent’s shed skin. A white husk. 

The technique was powerful, but he was only able to use it once before he needed to recuperate. One day he might get more uses out of it, but he was already casting high above his rank when using it. Trying that again would take him out of the fight completely. What mattered now was that he was still in it. 

He tested his arm. It felt fine. Even if he’d only lost it for a moment, he hadn’t liked that feeling at all. He panted, struggling to catch his breath. The sheer exhaust of mana had pushed him to his limits. 

“Do you see the difference in our power, Snake?” Sen asked. The arena flooded with mana. 

Even the weaker members of the audience, those who weren’t mages, could feel that something had changed. Everyone turned to look at the wild display. 

The barrier around the stadium began to crack.

Snake shook his head. “How?” It wasn’t the strength of Sen’s magic that surprised him. It was the depth of it. Why did it seem so endless? Almost infinite. How could one person contain so much power? 

That was when Snake’s goal shifted. I don’t need to crush him, he thought. I just need a single drop of blood. Just one. That mental shift should’ve told him how dangerous the situation had become, but he pushed that thought from his mind.

He moved forward, with his desperate goal in mind. A relentless assault. One more attack. 

Sen stared at him, unflinching as Snake approached. 

“Your journey ends here, Snake.”

The words were infused with mana. Not to amplify them, but to mask them. Only Snake could hear or perceive what was being said. 

“In a way, losing your memories will be a form of death. Years of your life gone. The person you’ve become, gone. You’ll forget her.” 

“Rise of the Viper—” Snake’s voice caught. His perspective suddenly shifted. The audience appeared to be leaning to the side now. As if gravity itself had been altered. Shouldn’t the barriers have prevented that? He went to steady himself, but his body didn’t respond. 

Had he been struck again? 

For some reason, he remembered the drawing Mori had brought him. An image of a snake with its head cut off. Reality hit him with that thought moments before his decapitated head slammed into the ground. 

Snake hadn’t even seen him move. He heard someone call for a resurrectionist in the distance. “I—lost?” he mouthed.

“Snake,” a woman called out to him. 

Snake blinked, and he was standing again. His head swiveled, trying to understand what was happening. He stood in a void of black. Behind him something hissed. 

He spun and looked up. There she was. 

“Mistress,” he whispered.

She was as tall as Brightsail Academy itself; her scales were a deep, beautiful green that reminded him of the forests where he’d lived as a child. He found comfort in that color. He found comfort in her. She was a giant serpent, his namesake, the one he lived and fought and drew breath for. 

Serpia, the Goddess of Serpents.

She was glorious. 

“Snake,” she said again. “Are you okay with this outcome?” she asked him.

Snake shook his head. “No. I lost…”

Her face saddened. “He’s going to take you away from me now. With your memory gone, so shall our bond disappear.” 

Snake’s heart threatened to beat out of his chest. He couldn’t be alone again. He couldn’t go on without her. If there were any way to avoid this. Snake had to…do something.

“He’s the one who sealed me,” she said mournfully. He’d never seen her so sad before. She was rarely happy, but he’d never seen her like this. 

Snake didn’t understand her words. “But you said a god had sealed you?” 

“I don’t know how, but I believe that man is the reincarnation of the God of Magic,” she said. Her tongue shot out of her mouth quickly and back in.

Snake blinked. “The god of magic was the one who sealed you?” He realized now why he’d been so angry at the illusion Crosp had created during the invasion of the academy. The instincts and power given to him by Serpia had reacted that way for a reason. He understood why he disliked Sen from the moment he laid eyes on him. 

They were natural enemies.

A thousand years ago, Sen…or…the God of Magic that had reincarnated into Sen had sealed Serpia away from the world. “He was the one?” Snake asked, rage boiling inside him.

Serpia nodded. “And now he’s defeated my chosen in this time as well.”

“I can beat him!” Snake roared. “Our match was a farce from the start! He defeated me with the power of a god!”

Serpia lowered her head to stare at him more closely. “It was. You couldn’t have beaten him as you are. That’s true. But if you fight with my true power, there is a chance. I know him better than most, and I can tell his power has not grown significantly since we last fought. It has improved, but not as tremendously as mine has. If you’re prepared to do what is necessary, then—”

“Anything! I’ll do anything!” Snake insisted. 

Serpia blinked. “If I choose you, our fates will be one. If I choose you, and you fall, I won’t be able to raise another champion free from their influence. If we do this, you’re it for me. I won’t have another chance at freedom.” 

Snake fell to his knees. “I won’t let you down, Lady Serpia. I’ll repay you for saving me. I’ll repay you for the strength you’ve given me!”

Serpia smiled. “I believe you, little serpent. That is why I will commit to you. I’ll place my faith in you, Champion of Serpia. Now go forward as my avatar.”