Two or three more strikes were enough to make the barrier tremble violently on the verge of collapse. Fine cracks began to spread across its transparent surface like lightning trapped inside a sheet of glass. Each new attack widened those cracks further, and faint ripples of energy trembled through the formation.
The sages could already feel victory approaching.
Suddenly-
A sharp "Hissssss—!" echoed through the cave.
The sound was cold and terrifying, as if it had come from the depths of an ancient abyss.
Before anyone could react, a colossal serpent tail burst out of the darkness like a living pillar of scales and fury. The massive tail whipped through the air with unimaginable speed and slammed directly into the sage who had been attacking the barrier.
BOOOOM!
The impact shook the entire cavern.
The sage was hurled nearly a hundred meters away like a rag doll. His body crashed violently into the stone wall of the cave, and the wall shattered instantly under the terrifying force.
The impact did not stop there.
His body smashed through the wall completely, bursting out of the cave and sending chunks of stone and dust flying in every direction.
A moment later, he was thrown out of the cave entrance and down the steep rocky hillside outside.
The ground trembled when his body finally struck the earth below. Dust exploded into the air while fragments of shattered rock rained down from the broken cave entrance like falling hail.
Inside the cavern, silence suddenly fell.
The sages stood frozen for a moment.
Then slowly…
Something enormous began to move inside the darkness.
A pair of gigantic golden eyes opened deep within the shadows.
Those eyes were cold, ancient, and filled with a terrifying killing intent that made the air itself feel heavy.
A massive serpent head slowly emerged from the darkness, rising like a mountain awakening from slumber. Its scales shimmered faintly in the dim light of the cavern, each one reflecting a dull metallic glow.
Every breath it released carried a faint mist of venomous energy that slowly corroded the nearby stones. Wherever the mist touched, the rock surface blackened and cracked.
The serpent's body stretched endlessly into the depths of the cave, coiling and twisting like a living mountain of scales that seemed to fill the entire cavern.
For several seconds, none of the sages moved.
They were completely stunned by the sudden appearance of such a terrifying creature.
Then realization struck them all at once.
"Attack!" one of the sages shouted.
In an instant, every sage unleashed their spells simultaneously.
King Ronan raised his hand and roared in a commanding voice,
"Thousand Swords!"
High above the cavern, a thousand radiant swords suddenly materialized in the air. The blades shimmered with sharp white light as they hovered in formation.
Then, like a deadly storm, the swords shot downward toward the serpent, raining destruction upon it.
At the same time, Arin and the other sages began casting their own spells.
"Fire Explosion!"
A massive sphere of blazing fire surged forward and burst toward the serpent like a miniature sun.
"Sea Tide!"
A roaring wave of condensed water energy surged through the cavern like a tidal flood.
"Storm Rising!"
Violent winds mixed with crackling lightning, forming a raging tempest that rushed toward the gigantic creature.
Flames, water, wind, lightning, and countless other attacks filled the cavern as the sages launched a coordinated barrage powerful enough to destroy armies.
But the serpent moved with terrifying agility.
Despite its colossal size, its body twisted and slithered through the air like flowing water. It maneuvered between the incoming attacks with unnatural grace.
Most of the spells completely missed their target.
Only a few attacks managed to strike the serpent's scales.
Yet even those barely slowed it down.
The creature wasn't even trying to fight them.
It was simply ignoring their attacks and moving directly toward the trident standing behind the barrier.
If the serpent had truly focused on battle, landing a single hit on it would have been incredibly difficult.
Just as the massive creature was about to reach the treasure-
A single lotus petal suddenly appeared in the air.
The delicate petal floated silently for a brief moment before shooting forward at incredible speed.
It moved so fast that it was almost impossible to follow with the naked eye.
Slash!
The petal sliced cleanly across the serpent's scales.
For the first time, the serpent was wounded.
A deep cut appeared along its body, and dark blood began to drip slowly onto the stone floor of the cavern.
This time, the attack had truly injured it.
Because the attacker was not an ordinary sage.
It was another Mythical being - the Pure Lotus.
Drops of blood fell from the wound and sizzled slightly as they touched the ground, but the serpent did not slow down at all.
Its cold golden eyes remained fixed on the treasure ahead.
The serpent's plan was simple.
Ignore the wounds.
Seize the treasure.
Escape before the situation became worse.
If Mythical Garuda and the Lotus did not attack together, the serpent was confident that it could still take the trident- even if it had to endure several serious injuries.
But at that very moment-
A powerful wind suddenly erupted inside the cavern.
The air trembled as a vast shadow spread across the ground.
Garuda's enormous wings slowly unfolded in the sky above.
And then-
Garuda attacked.