The snake’s yellow eye remained fixed on him.
Noir froze, as his Dragon Senses screamed "Danger!"—a sensation that ran through his scales.
The enormous reptile continued to watch him from the center of the cavern, coiled up among mountains of whitish bones.
The little dragon was quite certain: this monster was different from the Stone Maw; there was no comparison, no fury or impassivity... only patience.
The patience of a predator who knew full well he didn’t need to rush.
’I don’t like that look.’
Noir didn’t know why, but he felt a bit angry; it was as if something inside him refused to accept being seen as prey... maybe it was pride, or maybe they were underestimating him.
He wasn’t sure.
But this wasn’t the time for him to start thinking about that.
The snake slowly opened its mouth, and a low hiss echoed throughout the chamber.
Sssssss...
And then it attacked, without warning or a roar... it simply vanished from its position, scattering bones everywhere.
’What?!’ Noir’s eyes flew open; his body reacted instinctively.
He leaped to the side just as the enormous head passed where he had been a moment earlier.
BOOM!
The wall exploded. Fragments of rock and a few bones were hurled across the cavern.
The little black dragon rolled across the bone-strewn floor and struggled to regain his balance, watching the monster.
’Damn! It’s fast!’
Too fast—much faster than a monster that size should be, and faster than Noir had imagined.
The snake slowly turned its head; its vertical pupils remained motionless, watching and sizing him up, as if calculating exactly how long it would take to devour him.
’That bastard...’ Noir took a few steps back; despite the rising anger he couldn’t control, he needed to think.
He needed to find an advantage, and fast.
The enormous creature glided forward again.
This time, Noir noticed something. Every time it moved forward, its body brushed against certain natural stone pillars jutting out of the ground... it avoided them with the utmost care.
’Why is it avoiding them?’
That set off a small alarm in his head.
The answer came seconds later.
The snake struck again, and Noir narrowly dodged it. His body brushed past one of the pillars, and, on reflex, he struck the rock with a claw.
Slash!
The pillar was riddled with cracks; several stone pieces fell onto the bones, and the monster avoided touching it.
’So that’s what they are...’
A rather risky idea began to take shape in Noir’s mind; he was willing to do whatever it took to prove that they couldn’t be seen as food.
The snakes lunged at the onslaught. This one was much faster and more ferocious.
The little black dragon, moving its legs, ran at full speed, straight toward the area where the cracked pillars were piled up.
The monster gave chase without hesitation. Its enormous body streaked through the cavern like a living arrow.
And a sound reached Noir’s ears that gave him a sense of satisfaction.
Sssssss!
In that hissing sound, he could sense anger... and a touch of fear; he no longer had the calm of a predator that he’d possessed at the start.
’Hahahaha, you weren’t so calm, you damn snake!’
Noir, his heart racing, darted between the rock columns with his small, beautiful body.
The snake continued to follow him, getting closer and closer and moving faster and faster, slithering its body over the bones.
’Just a little further!’
The little dragon’s heart kept pounding, and his Dragon Senses were going wild.
The distance between them was closing rapidly; he could hear the sound of scales scraping against the rock... and he could feel that monstrous presence right behind him.
And then Noir turned sharply to the right.
The snake tried to follow the move, but its body was too large, and it was already too late.
CRAAASH!!
The monster’s massive body crashed into one of the pillars. The pillar, already weakened, snapped in half.
Then another.
And yet another.
For a moment, it seemed as though an entire section of the ceiling was beginning to collapse, and tons of rock fell on the creature.
The chamber shook violently, then a huge cloud of dust covered everything.
Noir came to a stop several meters ahead, panting, his adrenaline still pumping. He glanced to the side, and his expression darkened.
That damn golden sphere was floating there, happily celebrating its victory!
’Don’t celebrate, you idiot!’
However, the sphere didn’t seem to pay any attention to him and continued flying happily, having seen that enormous, hideous monster defeated.
Noir just kept cursing the golden orb.
The silence lasted only a few seconds.
BOOM!
A shower of rock flew through the air.
The gigantic serpent emerged from the rubble, its green scales covered in wounds, dark blood dripping down its body.
But it was still alive... And now it was furious.
’...Damn it, that’s why you shouldn’t have celebrated, you damn glowing ball.’
The yellow eye turned back to the little black dragon; it was filled with hostility.
The monster opened its mouth, baring its fangs, which filled with a greenish liquid that began to pool.
Noir felt all his instincts screaming that danger was near, and without a second thought, he activated the Stone Hide ability. Mana coursed through his scales; a stony layer began to spread across most of his body.
No sooner had he finished
than the snake spat; a stream of venom shot out.
SPLASH!
The poison struck several nearby rocks, which began to melt at an alarming rate.
Noir felt a drop hit one of his protected legs. A hissing sound immediately followed; the stone layer held firm... But part of it began to erode.
His pupils contracted, and he glared resentfully at the golden sphere, which pretended not to notice.
’This is all your fault; if you’d just stayed still, none of this would have happened.’
However, it was clear that the situation had just taken a turn for the much worse, worse than he could handle.
In front of him, the enormous snake began to slither forward again, more cautiously—and more dangerously.
And this time, Noir realized something important: that monster no longer saw him as prey.
Now it saw him as an enemy—all because of the golden sphere, which wouldn’t stay still.
Noir swallowed hard, knowing that the real fight had just begun.