Staring at her sleeping form, flashes of images filled my head…each differing to the last.
Last night, she had fought so hard to save and protect me.
But I was certain the Lyrielle of before would never do such a thing.
My eyes turned cold at the thought and I considered ending her right there and then for all the atrocities she had done to me.
My hands inched more closer to her neck and then I finally had her neck in my grasp, it would do me so much good to just go through with it.
No one would know I did it, not her father, not her matriarch and definitely not the tribe.
Memories of when she had run away from me at that river filled my head and my face flamed up as I recalled how ethereal she had looked bathing there.
I hadn’t thought for a second that she was the one, until I breached the surface…she had smelled so good and her humming sounded so sweet, unlike the noise made by those merfolk beasts who thought they had the best music.
And yesterday, she had fought that Tier-striped serpent, a violent breed of rogue snake beastmen that had lost control of their evolution and descended into bloodthirsty madness.
One of my pursuers.
A foul scent suddenly filled my nose and my head snapped to the side, staring out the cave as I tried to make out what it was.
Then, I finally realized what was emitting such scent.
They had found me, or they were close…I needed to end this.
At least, I needed to end this away from her.
I might hate her and want her dead so much that it pains me to say this but for the life saving debt I owed her, I won’t use this to repay her.
Shaking my head, I forced my hands away and stood up to my feet and with one last look at her sleeping form, I swiftly left the cave and transformed into my serpent form.
Shaking my head, I forced my hands away and stood up to my feet and with one last look at her sleeping form, I swiftly left the cave and transformed into my serpent form.
Massive black coils burst through the forest, crushing rocks and snapping apart trees as I moved deeper into the darkness.
The scent grew stronger as I got closer and I instantly knew that there were nine of them.
My cold eyes narrowed at the thought.
Persistent filth!
The forest suddenly fell silent as I arrived and then— HISSSSSSS!!!!
A gigantic striped serpent burst out from the trees ahead of me, its pale yellow eyes filled with madness as venom dripped from its exposed fangs.
Another appeared to my left….then another…and another.
Until enormous serpent bodies surrounded the entire area, their massive coils crushing the earth beneath them as they slowly slithered closer.
Tier-striped serpents.
All of them.
Each carrying the same sickly silver markings across their scales and each one powerful enough to massacre entire beast tribes.
Their gazes locked onto me greedily and I knew that they could sense it.
Star Tier Seven.
I had successfully advanced and now they wanted to devour me.
Might sound strange, but Tier-striped serpents advanced more easily and safer by consuming a beast male serpent that had advanced a Tier above them.
Unorthodox but they prefer this way to the normal way, using cores to advance.
Cores are extracted from rare beasts and mutated beasts, it had different uses but beast males make use of it in their advancement.
The largest serpent suddenly hissed loudly at me, its silver stripes glowing brighter than the others.
“You’ve made us search for you for so long.
Now, hand yourself over or face the cons—” My eyes remained cold.
“Why don’t you come take it?” Something feral flashed in its eyes right before the forest exploded and the enormous serpent lunged first, jaws wide enough to swallow half my body whole, but before it could touch me, my tail whipped through the air.
BOOM!!!
Its skull shattered instantly and the massive body flew across the forest and crashed through several trees before going still.
Silence.
The remaining serpents froze and for one brief moment—fear appeared in their eyes.
And then all hell broke loose.
Five serpents attacked simultaneously from different directions, their giant bodies tearing through the forest like monstrous waves.
I moved fast….far faster than before my advancement and their attacks suddenly felt slow to me, pathetic and almost predictable.
One serpent struck from behind and I twisted around instantly, my jaws sinking deep into its throat before ripping the entire thing apart violently.
Black blood sprayed across the trees as another wrapped its massive body around mine in an attempt to constrict me.
Foolish.
The pressure around me exploded outward.
CRACK!!!
Its coils shattered apart like brittle branches and the serpent screamed as I crushed its skull beneath my tail before it could escape.
The earth trembled violently as another two charged together.
Venom shot through the air toward me and I dodged effortlessly…then lunged forward.
My claws tore through scales stronger than iron as I ripped open one serpent’s stomach completely before slamming the other into the ground hard enough to create a crater.
Their blood flooded the forest floor and the remaining serpents hesitated now.
There was fear in their eyes….
real fear.
Good.
I smirked internally.
They should fear me.
After all, I was no longer Tier Six.
A terrifying pressure slowly spread from my body, suffocating the entire area and the weaker serpents began trembling violently beneath it.
One even started backing away instinctively as if it already knew it shouldn’t be messing with me Cowards.
“You came hunting me,” I hissed coldly, my massive body towering over the blood-covered battlefield.
“Why are you trying to run now?” The strongest among them roared furiously and suddenly charged toward me with terrifying force, its enormous body tearing apart everything in its path.
I narrowed my eyes.
Finally, something mildly entertaining.
Our bodies collided violently and the forest shook.
The ground beneath us cracked apart as the gigantic serpent wrapped its coils around me, trying to crush my body apart through brute strength alone.
Its silver stripes glowed wildly as power surged through it, but my expression never changed.
Slowly…I began tightening my own coils and the serpent’s confidence vanished instantly at the unnatural way my coils were working.
Star Tier Seven sure has its perks of course.
CRACK.
CRACK!!
CRAAAAACK!!!
Its bones began collapsing one after another beneath my strength and a horrifying screech tore from its throat as panic finally filled its eyes.
Too late.
I tightened harder and harder, until— BOOM!!!
Its entire upper body exploded apart in a rain of blood and flesh and silence descended over the forest.
The remaining serpents turned to flee immediately and I sneered.
Pathetic.
I moved like black lightning through the darkness.
One died, then another and another.
None escaped my coils.
By the time the forest finally fell silent again, enormous corpses littered the ground while blood soaked deep into the earth beneath me.
My breathing remained calm and steady as I raked my eyes all over them with a detachment to me that came with battle.
So this…this was the strength of a Star Tier Seven serpent.
I turned to leave when something caught my attention and a memory filled my head, was this the same thing she had been so joyful about?
Serpent Pearl?
Why am I even thinking about that good for nothing vile female?!
Shaking my head, I turned to leave but stopped with a sigh as I turned around and quickly gathered the nine of them before leaving.
It’s not for her, I…I will sell it for money.
I nodded at my thoughts before heading back to the cave.