The Serpent, beast of corruption stood at front of them.
Its big eyes were observing the movement of its prey~ Draves, Riya, Kira and Stok.
They stood speechless but little they realize, the air was feeling heavy as they breathe.
Every breathe they took was itching their lungs. It was like a poisonous gas had inhabited the air.
Cracked earth. Shattered stone. Poison hissing in the air like a living thing.
And at the centre of it all— Beast of Corruption.
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Draves stood still, observing his surroundings and then he took a heavy breathe.
"Ah..., what the heck is this situation.", He spoke and in a next second he pulled his sword from it sheath.
The blue mana followed it and surrounded it.
He shifted his eyes for few seconds to his students to see they are alright and then looking at the eyes of beast he muttered "Pierce....second phase."
And then his body blurred.
A single step. A single swing with his right hand—
—And world spilt behind him.
A slash released to cut through the existence, Blue but turns reddish red as it gets its momentum. Overwhelming yet absolute, carved through the Serpent's massive body. The air screamed as the attack tore through scales.
A slash tore through the Serpent's scales, ripping flesh open, not clean—but violent. Meat split. Blood sprayed in thick arcs, hissing as it hit the poisoned ground.
The blood spilled, skin tore but it was not enough for a absolute mythical beast. Even if it is fake... artificial... It was still a big threat.
And thus, looking at the threat it possesses, Draves decides to use his best cards from his deck. The slash which he released was the second capability of his blessings called as pierce.
Looking towards the giant size of serpent it was logical that it was unable to move and dodge.
The serpent screamed—
And then~ The scream turned into a laughter.
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"Draves!", Stok called as he noticed something within the lie of future.
But it was late.
Its massive body twisted violently, and suddenly— hundreds of pores across its scales opened.
and then it fired.
Thousands~ No
tens of thousands of poison stings exploded outward from its bodies like a rain.
No, not like a rain but like a storm of blades.
For a few seconds sky was filled with numerous poison stings and then each one of them tore through the air with enough force to shatter stone on impact.
The ground cracked the stings make contract with it.
Chunks of earth were ripped apart as stings buried deep, spreading black veins of poison that corroded everything they touched.
"ICE Wall", Riya said in a loud voice and in the next moment a frozen wall emerges from the ground acting as the shield for all of them.
For a few seconds the stings fired, ground erupted and then a silence spread.
The ice wall which Riya created was also there but there was something beyond logic. The poison stings which can even explode ground did not make a single crack into the wall.
Kira noticed it but it was too late.
A massive tail slammed onto the wall separating the four of them.
Kira pulled Riya sideways to dodge it but it was ineffective as the tail moved towards them following.
In that moment a thousand of stings came piercing through the air with their trajectory aimed at every organs of Kira.
It was clearly a checkmate situation for Kira as he saw himself onto the ground and getting attack by both tail and stings.
Kira was helpless and as he accepted his death a wall emerged at front of him from all the directions.
"Hey, are you alight", Riya spoke as she swinged both hands in two different directions.
One aiming at the tail and other at the ground.
Boom! - Boom!
The tail slammed onto the frozen wall and stings formed the cracks into the wall this time.
"…Tch—!", A voice came through Riya as she closes her one eye struggling.
And in the next movement the tail emerged breaking the wall and crashing onto them.
CRAAACK—!!
"Wha...", Riya froze, her expression change to shock.
In the midst Kira stood and rushed and pushed the Riya.
A frozen witch who was in shock fell onto the ground becoming more surprise to the actions of Kira.
Her eyes look into Kira eyes and as they met eye contact Kira vanish.
The tail engulf him with itself as it vanished.
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"Why man", Stok scream as he dodged the tail and using his future sight to dodge the stings.
His eyes hovered but eventually stop as he sees Draves guarding himself as he sat behind the rock.
Their eyes met.
"Stok, where is Kira and Riya", Draves spoke.
"Don't know", Stok spoke as he ran towards the rock.
"This is why, I don't want them to...Ah..", Draves spoke looking at the ground and then stood.
His minds overwhelmed but as he looked at his front his eyes narrowed.
"…Still playing tricks."
Around him stood illusions.
The illusion of serpents looking at them.
and then his graze shifted towards at his back.
The beast of corruption vanished.
Gone.
"Shit...", Stok whisper as he noticed the snake surrounding them.
"Help me Stok", Draves said looking towards Stok.
"Yeah, let's do it", Stok agrees.
and then Draves marched with his eyes glowing.
A line going through the serpent's body.
A indivisible line passing through the bodies of illusions, but it scatters.
His vision breaks but he stood looking at them.
"I thought so"
He then shifted his graze towards the Stok and spoke "Can you see my future one, Stok."
hearing the sentence Stok smile and spoke
"Yay, I can see your future self-killing these fucking things, Mr Arcanists"