The cave glowed with the silvery light of the illuminating potion, its radiance casting stark shadows across the jagged stone walls.
The floor was a patchwork of dried mud, cracked and uneven, dotted with scattered scales and small puddles of dark blood that shimmered faintly under the glow.
No other traces of the Black Horrall Snake remained—no slithering tracks, no shed skin—only an eerie stillness, as if the massive beast had simply dissolved into the ether.
"Hisssss!" The silence shattered as the air behind Leylin flickered, a ripple of distortion heralding the snake's return.
The Black Horrall Snake materialized in a surge of shadow, its colossal form dominating the space once more. From its gaping maw, a vicious ray of light flashed, amber eyes locking onto Leylin—the linchpin of the assault—as it lunged forward, jaws wide and dripping with intent.
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The Great Withering Mankestre reacted instantly, its serpentine summon form coiling with fluid grace. It slammed into the Black Horrall Snake, wrapping its spectral body around the beast in a constricting embrace, scales grinding against scales in a clash of titanic forces.
"Retreat!" Leylin barked, his voice sharp as he and the remaining knights pulled back, boots scraping against the muddy floor.
The two snakes wrestled, a tangle of writhing darkness, until the Black Horrall Snake tightened its coils and crushed the Mankestre with a sickening crunch. That, however, was its undoing.
Boom! A deafening explosion erupted from within the Mankestre's shattered form, a cascade of purple flames bursting forth to engulf the Black Horrall Snake.
The blast reverberated through the cave, shaking loose dust and pebbles from the ceiling, the air thick with the acrid scent of alchemy and scorched flesh.
Leylin had fed his summon a clutch of explosive potions, a calculated gambit now paying off as the energy wave surged outward, triggering wild alerts from the A.I. Chip's sensors.
"Now!" Leylin shouted, and the knights who'd taken the Berserker Pills—still alive, their frenzied strength waning but potent—charged forward.
Their movements were erratic, driven by the fading fire of the unstable potion, swords slashing wildly at the snake's flaming form.
Bang! Leylin waved an arm, a dozen fire-red potions arcing from his hand like blazing comets. They struck the snake's body, erupting in a series of bright, roaring flames that licked at its scales, the heat washing over Leylin's face as he squinted against the glare.
A flash gleamed in his hands, and a sleek black longbow materialized, its wood polished to a dark sheen.
"Black Runes!" he chanted, his voice low and resonant: "Corrosivus umbra, venenum aeternum!" A layer of corrosive black liquid coated the bow, seeping into the arrows notched within, turning them into acidic harbingers of ruin.
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The knights' frenzied attacks did little real damage, their blades glancing off the snake's scales, but they hemmed it in, blocking its escape. Leylin drew the bowstring taut, his aim steady as an arrow shot through the void, piercing the snake's right eye with a wet thunk.
"Hissssssss!" The beast shrieked, its mouth igniting as flames roared within, one eyeball bursting in a spray of resplendent, translucent fluid that sizzled as it hit the ground. Its cries echoed, a symphony of agony that bounced off the cave walls.
Leylin sheathed the bow and drew his cross blade, its steel glinting coldly. "Inferno Ruins!" he intoned—"Ignis vinculum, flamma aeterna!"—and a fiery red glow enveloped the blade, the Inferno Alchemy Runes flaring to life with a crackle of heat.
His acolyte summon, previously crushed by the snake's thrashing, shimmered back into existence with a guttural growl.
"Use your spell on me!" Leylin commanded, and the bear-man gestured, arcane runes flaring briefly as a red aura surged around Leylin.
Leylin's muscles bulged, his frame expanding as if inflated by raw power, veins pulsing beneath his skin.
[The Host has entered the state of an Overload. Strength and agility greatly boosted! Vitality decreased!] The A.I. Chip's report flashed in his mind, a clinical note amid the chaos.
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With his Grand Knight stats amplified, the Serpent's Requiem technique primed, and the acolyte's support magic coursing through him, Leylin leapt toward the weakened snake.
His blade pierced its scales with ease, driving deep into the beast's core—a vital point he'd calculated with precision. Blood gushed forth, red laced with black, frothing as it spilled onto the mud. The snake reared, its massive form straining against the knights' grip, their arms trembling as they held it fast.
"Hisssssssssss!" The giant snake bellowed, twisting in its death throes, blood splattering across the cave floor in dark, viscous arcs.
For a dozen agonizing minutes, it fought, its coils lashing out, its cries growing weaker until its left eye dulled, devoid of luster. With a final shudder, it collapsed, the ground quaking faintly beneath its weight.
[Target is severely injured, its life force waves are continuously declining!]
[Target's life force has fallen to the lowest!]
[Target's life force waves have completely vanished. Dead!]
The A.I. Chip's alerts confirmed the kill, a cold validation of Leylin's triumph.
One by one, the berserk knights crumpled, their bodies giving out as the potion's fatal flaw claimed them—life seeds shattered, leaving only husks. Three remained: the two knights and the Grand Knight who'd abstained, their breaths ragged but steady as they stood amidst the carnage.
Leylin approached the fallen snake, its massive body sprawled across the cave floor, a testament to their brutal struggle. Though the Black Horrall Snake matched a Level 3 Acolyte in strength now, it was a Rank 3 Magical Creature by nature—its energy once colossal, diminished by millennia of hibernation yet still formidable.
Scales glinted faintly, marred by gashes and burns, blood pooling beneath it in dark, sticky patches.
"A.I. Chip, is soulbound devouring possible?" he asked inwardly.
[Beep! Soulbound Devourer analysis: Both binding and devouring viable. Recommendation: Binding. Target, a Rank 3 snake weakened by hibernation, retains potential for future advancement. Devouring yields minimal essence due to degradation; binding preserves its lineage potential.]
Leylin mused silently. His studies of the Soulbound Devourer were nascent—he'd yet to unlock methods to strengthen summons—but binding offered long-term value.
Devouring, even if Black Horrall Snake Rank 3 powers are viable, risked overloading his spiritual force, potentially shattering his body under the strain of such raw power.
"Evaluate soulbound success rate," he commanded.
[Beep! Scanning the target...Cross-referencing past data..Calculating...Beep! Success rate 31%.]
Leylin's brow furrowed—low, but not unexpected.
Even Bosain Lilytell, a genius acolyte, had failed to bind this beast with a Rank 1 contract.
"And the backlash?"
[Beep! Target deceased, pre-death strength reduced to Level 3 Acolyte equivalence. Innate bloodline resistance diminished. Host's Level 3 spiritual force sufficient to suppress resistance with minimal backlash.]
"Process the soulbound," Leylin ordered, urgency sharpening his tone. Soul energy and essence dissipated swiftly post-mortem—he needed to act fast.
A low hum filled the cave as the A.I. Chip initiated the binding. Leylin sat down cross legged, adjusting his breathing and chanting his elemental meditation technique.
"Anima mea, vinculum eternum—liga te!"
Through various trails and error A.I.Chip concluded that entering meditation is the best way to stabilize his soulbound space and creates optimal spiritual state, especially during a challenging binding or devouring.
A swirl of dark energy spiraled from his palms, tendrils of shadow lashing toward the snake's corpse.
Its spirit resisted, a regal aura flaring—echoes of its serpent lineage, a former glory that once shook the world. Spectral scales shimmered, a phantom tail lashed out, striking at the binding threads.
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But it was dead, its strength a shadow of its prime, reduced to a mere Level 3 Acolyte's might. Leylin's spiritual force pressed down, a relentless tide that smothered its defiance.
The snake's essence yielded, drawn into his soul with a final, fading hiss, the bond sealing with a pulse of power that thrummed through his core.
"Now that I have a new summon, let's harvest the body," Leylin said, his voice steady as he gazed at the lifeless husk.
Blood still trickled from its wounds, pooling in the mud. He extended a hand, a spell forming:
"Sanguis!" he spat in Byron tongue. Hu Hu! The blood on the floor stirred, drawn toward his palms in thin, crimson streams. Countless droplets floated midair, converging into a glowing orb of red light.
Hua La La! An invisible force compressed it, hardening it into a small, blood-colored rock. The energy pulsed again, pulling more blood from the snake's wounds—minutes later, its body shrank, scales paling as Leylin held a dozen fist-sized crimson stones, each worth a fortune.
The snake's remains—scales, innards, brain—could fetch 100,000 magic crystals, a haul for Potion Masters and Alchemists alike.
Leylin turned to the Great Withering Mankestre, reformed beside him.
"Swallow it whole," he commanded, gesturing to the snake's corpse. The summon's jaws unhinged, engulfing the massive body in a slow, deliberate gulp, scales scraping against its spectral maw until it vanished within.
"Wait for my return."
He beckoned the three surviving knights with a tilt of his head. "Follow me." Their armor clinked softly as they fell into step, leaving the cave's blood-soaked silence behind.