Chapter 74 – Serpent Sage Mode vs. The Severing Angel
A deep, guttural laughter echoed through the frozen wasteland. Draven stood there, his breathing ragged, his teeth clenched so tightly they could shatter. His lips curled into a manic grin, his eyes wide with unbridled rage.
"You think you're invincible, huh?" His voice was hoarse, trembling with fury. He stomped forward, his boots crushing the icy ground beneath him. CRACK. Tiny fractures spiderwebbed outward with each step, the earth groaning beneath his rising power.
Shiki remained still, meditating as though this fight wasn't even happening.
"You think you're invincible!?" Draven roared again, this time his Shen aura turned abyssal black, flickering like flames. Rocks around him began to float, defying gravity as pure destructive energy seeped from his very core. His breathing quickened, his rage overflowing past his mortal shell.
Then, Jörmungandr moved.
The massive snake coiled around him, its monstrous form merging into his flesh. Dark emerald scales began to spread across Draven's skin, his arms elongating, his fingers tapering into razor-sharp claws but remained human. His legs bent slightly, shifting his balance like that of a predator ready to strike. His pupils became nothing but thin slits, glowing faintly with golden radiance, and a crown of blackened horns erupted from his head.
SFX: BOOOOM—!! A violent shockwave burst forth as the transformation completed, hurling debris and ice outward. The sheer pressure of Draven's newfound form caused the very sky to darken.
This was The Serpent Sage Mode.
Shiki finally opened his eyes, his irises shimmering as he took in the sight before him.
"Enough of this play, little brother," he sighed, rolling his shoulders. "I was only holding back in case you came to your senses, but I see now—there is no reason to anymore."
One of his golden langur monkeys perched on his shoulder, baring its fangs. "Master, if you go all out… you know what will happen."
Shiki nodded, his face solemn. "I know. But I won't need to go all out. Just… enough."
Draven wasn't listening. His Sitra Achra Warrior emerged behind him, towering and darker than ever before. Its Bow of Judgment gleamed ominously, and its hollowed eyes stared forward with cold indifference. Draven let out a low, animalistic growl.
"I'm going to erase you from existence," he snarled.
The Sitra Achra Warrior pulled back its bowstring, manifesting two arrows simultaneously. CRACK—BOOOM!! The air vibrated violently as both arrows coated themselves in divine lightning, arcs of red electricity slashing through the air like divine wrath. The heavens rumbled, and for a split second, the world stood still.
Draven named this technique…
Thunder Arrows of Death.
The two arrows shot forward like judgment from the heavens themselves, obliterating everything in their path. The ice landscape dissolved instantly, replaced with scorched rock. The very fabric of space seemed to warp under the sheer force of the attack.
Shiki exhaled.
His gaze sharpened.
His lips moved, a single word slipping through the air like a whisper of doom.
"HaKaret."
And then, he summoned it.
The Severing Angel.
A skeletal, abyssal entity descended from the void, its elongated limbs draped in celestial darkness. Two curved, obsidian horns crowned its head, and its hollow, piercing eyes radiated an eerie glow—seeing beyond the mere concept of existence itself.
And in its hand, it held the Gehinnom Blade.
A massive, cursed greatsword, its center an infinite abyss—a portal to Sheol itself. This blade did not just cut flesh. It did not just kill. It severed souls.
The Severing Angel raised the Gehinnom Blade.
SHRIIING—!!
The first Thunder Arrow collided, and the Gehinnom Blade deflected it to the right.
The moment the deflected arrow reached a certain distance, an overwhelming explosion erupted.
KA—BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!
The sky itself rippled.
The heavens howled.
The land itself shattered.
A wave of energy tore through the battlefield, disintegrating anything in its path. The sheer shockwave was felt even in Antarctica's hunter headquarters, shaking the entire facility.
But before the second arrow could reach, the Severing Angel rotated its blade.
SFX: FWOOSH.
The arrow vanished into the void of the Gehinnom Blade, its existence completely erased.
The Severing Angel's mere presence was so overwhelming that even Shiki's Golden Langur Guardians disappeared, unable to withstand its might.
Draven clutched his chest, his breath ragged.
Something… was wrong.
He gritted his teeth, stumbling forward as his Serpent Sage Mode trembled.
His body was losing control.
His Shen was burning out.
His soul itself was struggling.
But Draven didn't care. He willed it to keep going.
With sheer rage, he manifested all six Heavenly Gates of Messiah at once, bending them into golden spears of absolute destruction.
Shiki's eyes widened slightly, impressed.
"I see what they saw now," he muttered.
Meanwhile…
Back at the Hunter Headquarters in Antarctica, Marcus, Akebi, and Boris had rushed outside, drawn by the catastrophic battle unfolding in the distance.
BOOM—!! Another explosion erupted far ahead, illuminating the darkened sky.
Marcus' eyes narrowed. "That level of power… this is beyond anything we've ever seen."
Huey chuckled, leaning lazily against a structure. "Impressive, isn't it?" he mused. "Draven and Shiki have reached a critical point in their battle. You won't be able to interfere now."
Akebi's grip on her sword tightened. Her fury boiled as she locked eyes with Huey.
She remembered.
She remembered the way he had humiliated her in Bartoni's office.
She remembered the way he killed Bartoni without hesitation.
Her rage ignited.
"Arise…" she muttered, her voice filled with cold fury.
"Sword of Yama."
Huey raised an eyebrow, smirking.
But before Akebi could move, Huey clapped his hands together.
"Wood Tree: Great Wall."
RUMBLE—!!
Gigantic wooden trees erupted from the ground, towering above them and forming an impenetrable barrier.
The massive trees twisted and intertwined, completely sealing off the battlefield and cutting off Akebi, Marcus, and Boris from reaching Draven's fight.
Huey let out a small chuckle, placing his hands in his pockets.
"Well then…" he mused, tilting his head. "Shall we play a little?"
End of Chapter