Atlas stepped forward.
The glow grew stronger with every step he took, pressing against his eyes like he was staring straight into the sun. Then the figure came into clearer view, and Atlas came to a halt.
It sat at the very center of the field of blooms, surrounded by a ring of enormous flowers that towered far above the height of a grown man.
It was a serpent. It looked incredibly strange, honestly, a snake that massive with scales of pure, polished silver. Atlas himself had never been particularly fond of snakes. That included this one.
"So that's the guardian?" he asked quietly.
"Yes," Kurogasa replied from just behind him. "They are among the rarest classified creatures in existence. Killing one through conventional methods is nearly impossible. Their scales can deflect most physical attacks completely, and any wound they receive will heal within seconds unless the attacker continuously suppresses the mana field around the injury."
