The cave's oppressive darkness pulsed with tension, the air thick with the damp scent of stone and the faint metallic tang of blood.
A sharp Sssii! Sssii! sliced through the silence—the rhythmic spitting of a snake's tongue, a harbinger of imminent danger.
Then, Bang!—a massive black shape exploded from the shadows, its serpentine form hurtling toward Leylin's knights with lethal intent, the ground trembling faintly under its weight.
"Team Alpha, take the Berserker Pills!" Leylin's command rang out, crisp and authoritative, cutting through the chaos.
Five of his slave knights—save for one Grand Knight and two Knights who formed a protective cordon around him—reacted instantly.
They fumbled briefly at their belts, retrieving the small, crimson pills Leylin had provided. With a unified motion, they tossed the pills into their mouths, chewing swiftly as the alchemical concoction took hold.
Their life seeds ignited with unnatural vigor, an explosive surge of energy radiating outward in a shimmering aura of white laced with streaks of red. Faint red inflammation erupted across their skin, a web of angry, pulsing veins that glowed beneath their armor.
Their eyes turned a vivid crimson, pupils dilating into wild, frenzied stares, and their faces twisted into crazed, almost inhuman expressions—lips curling back to reveal gritted teeth, brows furrowed in a mix of agony and exhilaration.
Their muscles swelled, straining against the confines of their gear, as they let out guttural roars that echoed off the cave walls, their bodies now avatars of raw, volatile power.
Leylin raised his hands, his voice steady and resonant as he intoned a summoning chant: "Soulbound summon!"
A ripple of spiritual force pulsed from his core, the air shimmering as two ethereal figures coalesced into being.
First emerged the astral form of a Level 3 Acolyte, his ghostly silhouette aglow with a faint blue luminescence—the remnant of a foe Leylin had felled, a master of body modification and strengthening magic.
The summon let out a low growl, his form twisting and expanding as muscle and sinew reshaped into a hulking half-bear, half-man hybrid. Thick, coarse fur sprouted across his broad frame, claws glinting like steel as he lumbered forward, joining the five berserk knights with a primal roar that reverberated through the cavern.
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Next came the Great Withering Mankestre, its serpentine body materializing in a swirl of dark mist, scales glinting with an otherworldly sheen as it coiled protectively near Leylin, a silent sentinel at his side.
To banish the cave's stifling gloom, Leylin drew an illuminating potion from his pouch—a slender vial filled with a luminescent liquid that glowed faintly even in its sealed state.
With a flick of his wrist, he hurled it skyward. It shattered midair with a sharp crack, the contents igniting into a brilliant burst of light that cascaded downward, bathing the cavern in a stark, silvery radiance.
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The jagged walls came into focus, stalactites dripping with moisture that glistened like dew, and at the center of the scene loomed their adversary.
Leylin squinted, his sharp gaze assessing the creature.
The Black Horrall Snake dominated the space, a colossal beast stretching over a dozen meters, its sleek black body clad in rhombus-shaped scales that shimmered faintly under the light. A vivid red line traced its spine, running from head to tail like a bloody seam. Atop its head jutted a small, stubby horn, crackling with faint energy waves that pulsed through the air like a heartbeat.
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Beneath it, amber-yellow eyes glowed with a predatory intensity, triangular pupils narrowing as they fixed on Leylin and his party.
The five berserk knights, the Grand Knight, and the bear-acolyte summon encircled it, their weapons raised in a tense standoff, while the Mankestre lingered near Leylin. The summon snake's head dipped toward him as he gently placed several potion bottles into its astral maw, the vials vanishing into its spectral form with a faint ripple.
"A.I. Chip, scan the stats of the Black Horrall Snake!" Leylin ordered inwardly, though its nature was no mystery to him.
[Beep! Target stats: Strength: 18, Agility: 15, Vitality: 20, Spiritual Force: 22. Abilities – 1. Scales Defence: The Black Horrall Snake's rhombus scales generate a defensive force field, granting immunity to physical and magical attacks under 5 degrees, with significant resistance to attacks above 5 degrees. 2. Shadow Stealth: Inherits the Kemoyin Serpent's shadow powers, enabling stealth mode with suppressed energy signatures. 3. Lightning Blaze: Emits lightning flame from the horn. Estimated degree of attack: 12-15 degrees. Status: Extremely weak!]
"Attack, everyone!" Leylin's voice echoed, a clarion call to action.
"Hisssssss!" The Black Horrall Snake reared back, unleashing an ear-splitting hiss that rattled the cave's stone walls. Its massive coils writhed, muscles flexing with terrifying power, and its tail lashed out like a whip.
The ground shuddered as the tail smashed into one of the berserk knights, his armor crumpling like tin under the force. His body folded inward, a lifeless heap collapsing in a pool of blood and shattered steel.
Leylin watched impassively—he'd anticipated this. The knights, even enhanced, couldn't harm the beast; their purpose was to distract, to buy him time.
He took cover behind his vanguard—the three remaining knights and the Mankestre—his fingers tightening around the Fallen Star Pendant, its cool metal a steadying presence. With his other hand, he retrieved a cluster of attack potions—vials of volatile green liquid swirling with latent energy—and lobbed them toward the snake.
Bang! They struck its scales, erupting in a series of concussive blasts that sent acrid smoke curling through the air, the sharp scent of burnt alchemy stinging his nostrils.
The explosions crackled, but the snake stood firm, its scales gleaming defiantly. It lunged, jaws gaping wide, and clamped down on the bear-acolyte summon, swallowing him whole with a wet, guttural gulp.
A bulge formed in its throat, the summon thrashing briefly within, only to still as it slid into the beast's stomach, the struggle snuffed out in mere seconds.
The Grand Knight, eyes blazing with berserk fury, charged forward, broadsword raised high.
"Summon!" Leylin chanted again, expending another point of spiritual force to recall the acolyte. The bear-man reformed, snarling as his form coalesced anew.
"Reinforce the Grand Knight!" Leylin ordered, and the summon gestured, arcane runes flaring briefly in the air as a red aura enveloped the Grand knight, amplifying his strength with a surge of magical power.
Bang! The Grand Knight's blade slashed across the snake's flank, carving a jagged gash through its scales. Palm-sized fragments clattered to the ground, dark blood oozing from the wound like ink.
"Hisssssssss!" the snake roared, its tail whipping out in retaliation. Bang! Like a streak of black lightning, it struck another knight, sending him hurtling into the cave wall with a sickening crunch.
Mud and rock rained down, revealing a smear of pulped flesh and twisted metal where he'd landed.
"Go, distract it!" Leylin commanded the acolyte, who lunged forward with claws bared, tearing at the snake's side.
Leylin's hands moved swiftly, channeling his strongest spell: "Serpent's Shadow!" A massive adder head emerged from the snake's own shadow, its spectral form a dark, razor-sharp blade that slammed into the Black Horrall Snake's body.
The beast wailed, crushing the spell with a thrash of its coils, but a nasty scar bloomed where it struck—deepening the gash the Grand Knight had left, the wound now a gaping testament to their combined efforts.
The snake's amber eyes dimmed, its movements growing sluggish under the onslaught.
"All together!" Leylin shouted, and the knights and acolyte surged forward as one.
Bang! The beast stumbled, collapsing in a cloud of dust and rock shards that stung Leylin's skin. The Grand Knight leapt onto its head, driving his sword downward with a frenzied yell, aiming for its skull.
The Black Horrall Snake's gaze flashed with a human-like ferocity. Bang! A wave of spiritual force erupted, slamming into the Grand Knight like a battering ram. He flew backward, blood spraying from his mouth in a crimson arc, his chest caving inward as he hit the ground, twitching faintly amidst a pool of his own gore.
Leylin drew a blade at his waist, its steel glinting coldly in the potion's lingering light. With a whispered incantation—"Ignis vinculum, flamma aeterna!"—he invoked the Inferno Alchemy Runes, a fiery red glow coating the blade in a shimmering layer of flame.
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The enchantment, a temporary surge akin to a low-grade magic artifact, would shatter the weapon after use, but its power was worth the sacrifice. He hefted the blazing sword, its heat singeing the air, the faint crackle of fire blending with the snake's labored hissing.
"Lock its movement!" he roared. The snake writhed, its energy surging chaotically after the spiritual outburst, the cave trembling under its spasms.
"Serpent's Requiem!" Leylin's muscles swelled, his own Grand Knight strength surging as he leapt skyward.
Two fiery crescent blades arced from his swing, slashing toward the snake's neck with a searing Chi! Scales scattered like autumn leaves, a swath of flesh charred black as blood—red mingled with black—gushed forth, the fire spreading across the wound's surface with a hungry crackle.
"Hisssssss!" The snake shrieked in agony, thrashing wildly, the cave quaking as stalactites loosened and fell, shattering against the floor in a rain of stone. Then, abruptly, it stilled.
A black light pulsed across its scales, a shroud of negative energy Leylin recognized it—a prelude to its Shadow Stealth.
Without warning, its body began to fade—scales, skin, flesh, bones—all turning transparent, layer by layer. In moments, the dozen-meter-long beast vanished, leaving only a faint shimmer in the air, the cave falling eerily silent save for the drip of water and the labored breathing of his men.
'Good, time for the final strike,' Leylin thought, his composure unshaken despite the beast's disappearance.
"Hurry! Defensive formation!" he bellowed, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. The remaining knights and the acolyte summon rallied, joining the three guardians and the Mankestre to form a tight circle around him, weapons poised outward, their armor clanking softly as they shifted into position.
This was the moment Leylin had engineered. The Shadow Stealth spell drained the Black Horrall Snake immensely, and with the wounds inflicted by him and his expendable knights, its reserves were nearly spent.
At best, it might claim a few more lives before succumbing. Leylin stood at the circle's heart, the Fallen Star Pendant warm against his palm, its faint pulse a steady rhythm beneath his calm exterior.
His mind was a steel trap, calculating and serene, ready for the beast's inevitable return.