NOVEL NEXT 187 – Dark Serpent’s Breath
Chapter 187 - Dark Serpent's Breath
Ricardo:
I was regaining my consciousness, having blacked out from physical exhaustion and mana depletion.
Eliza’s Fire Salamander attacked furiously, trying to crush the boy, but he dodged skillfully, launching thunder strikes as he sped toward me. I was still lying on the ground, nearly out of mana and exhausted from maintaining that spell for so long. Just as he was about to hurl a bolt of lightning at me, Eliza jumped in front and deflected it with her mana-infused dagger.
"Ignoring me, you little bastard?" Eliza yelled, charging at him aggressively.
"Harsh words for a beautiful lady," he replied, skillfully blocking her strike.
The two began exchanging blows in a deadly dance of blades and powers.
"You know that if I kill you, the golem disappears, right?" he taunted, dodging and countering her attacks.
"Try to kill me, then," she retorted, spitting a jet of fire that forced him to retreat.
Damn… I thought, struggling to get up.
"Eliza, I’ll support you from a distance," I managed to say, trying to gather what little mana I had left.
The Salamander lashed out at the boy, who quickly raised a wind barrier to protect himself, while Eliza tried to strike him from another angle. He was under attack from all sides, his right hand maintaining the wind barrier against the Salamander, while his left hand parried Eliza's attacks.
He suddenly dropped both barriers, pointing downward and creating an upward force that launched him into the air, allowing him to kick the Salamander’s jaw. He then started circling the creature, trying to stay out of reach.
The golem’s flaming tail whipped toward him, but the boy dodged with agility, sliding underneath it.
"Time to kick things up a notch!" he shouted, jumping into the air as a column of water surged beneath his feet, lifting him as if he were walking on it.
Water? How many elements does this boy have? I thought, stunned.
"Sea Serpent!" he yelled, and the column of water morphed into several massive serpents, a forbidden spell known for its destructive power.
The water serpents crashed into the Salamander, which roared furiously, spewing fire toward him.
The boy stood directly in the path of a colossal fire ray—a blazing, relentless inferno that threatened to consume him entirely. Yet, his expression was one of unwavering determination. With a resolute gesture, he unleashed a spell of devastating power:
"Storm Art: Dark Serpent's Breath!"
He exhaled a dense, pitch-black mass, as dark as the deepest night. It rapidly expanded into a sinister, pulsating cloud that writhed like a living entity. The Salamander's gigantic fire blast collided with the dark cloud, generating an explosive impact that shook the ground beneath them. Azure lightning crackled within, as the cloud turned into a chaotic elemental battleground.
The Salamander roared in fury, launching relentless waves of searing fire, desperately trying to break through the dark barrier. The boy, his gaze fierce and his hands steady, commanded the growing cloud with absolute precision. The black mass expanded further, morphing into a stormy prison that enveloped the creature in a vortex of wind and electricity, as if nature itself were at war.
With a bold move, the boy extended his hands forward, condensing part of the cloud into a sphere of raw, black power. He then blew on the sphere, causing it to rapidly expand into a colossal serpent with scales made of dark clouds and eyes glowing like lightning in the darkness. The serpent rose, majestic and terrifying, and with a thunderous roar, unleashed a titanic jet of water directly at the Fire Golem.
"GRAAAAHHH!" the storm serpent roared as it coiled around the Golem, squeezing it with crushing force. The torrential water clashed violently against the creature while lightning bolts erupted within the storm prison, creating waves of vapor and raw energy. The air became saturated with electricity, and the ground cracked under the immense pressure of the clash.
The boy channeled all his mana with relentless intensity, his aura radiating a dark glow as he maintained the serpent and the storm in full fury. The Fire Golem, now completely immobilized, writhed in desperation as the lethal combination of water and lightning devastated it, corroding its fiery essence and reducing it to a mere shadow of its former power.
He launched an elemental fusion of three elements! What kind of boy is this!? I wondered, feeling a growing sense of dread as I witnessed his power.
"Thunder Art: Sphere of Electrical Rupture!" he shouted, slamming his hand onto the ground amid the howling winds and pulsing dark clouds. The air seemed to freeze for an instant before the clouds exploded in a brilliant, blinding blue light.
‘KABOOM!’ A massive boom echoed as lightning spewed from the black clouds like spears of pure electricity, striking with unrelenting fury. The surrounding space was instantly filled with a radiant blue light, and the deafening noise was like the sky itself being torn apart.
"AAAAAAARGH!" the Soul Golem bellowed in agony, its flaming structure trembling violently as it was overwhelmed by the brutal storm. Sparks intensified, enveloped in a whirlwind of uncontrollable power that lashed the air with explosive bursts.
The boy, his eyes burning with determination, moved his hands as if dancing with chaos itself. He manipulated the wind with relentless precision, shaping it into a massive rectangular prison of cyclonic barriers. The air condensed into towering walls of swirling winds that roared like a wild tempest. Water, generated by the dark clouds and the raging serpent, flooded the enclosed space, creating a chaotic torrent that overflowed in every direction.
The Fire Salamander, now trapped within the terrifying vortex, was fully submerged in a sea of water and electricity. The crushing pressure broke down its form, as electricity surged through its body with devastating waves of energy.
The boy’s aura was a pure display of raw power as he poured all his mana into sustaining the colossal barriers of wind. It was an apocalyptic spectacle, a demonstration of unstoppable destruction, where nature itself seemed to bow to his command. I stood frozen, unable to act, watching him face the Soul Golem alone amidst the chaos.
I saw Eliza rushing like a shadow towards the boy, her daggers gleaming with lethal intent. The two clashed fiercely, exchanging blows in a deadly dance of blades, each attack filled with savage intensity. The wind barrier shattered with a thunderous burst, and water began to spill freely, flooding the forest around them and turning the battlefield into a chaotic aquatic scene.
I couldn’t stand still. Despite my mana being nearly depleted, I gathered what little remained and formed a massive column of earth beneath my feet, propelling me forward like an arrow. The force of the ascent nearly toppled me, but I remained determined to join the fight.
Suddenly, the Soul Golem re-emerged from the turbulent waters, a monstrous and ravaged sight. Much of its body was burned, riddled with gaping holes from electricity and fire. One of its limbs was completely destroyed, and one of its eyes was now a charred crevice, evidence of the relentless damage it had suffered. Yet, with sheer force of will, it reignited in flames, its fiery essence dancing fiercely around its body, ready to continue the fight.
The boy and Eliza continued their brutal battle; she unleashed rapid, deadly strikes with her daggers, trying to break through his defense, but the boy blocked each attempt with precise, calculated movements. The clash of blades sparked with light amidst the chaos.
Suddenly, the boy leaped into the air, spinning, and delivered a brutal kick to Eliza’s face. The impact resounded like a muffled thunderclap, powerful enough to send her sliding back several meters, her eyes burning with renewed rage and determination.
"AAAAAAARGH!" the soul golem roared, swinging its flaming tail and striking the boy, sending him flying.
"We need to kill him, fast!" Eliza shouted at me as we charged toward him, determined to end this battle.
"What the hell did he just do?" I asked, trying to comprehend the situation.
The boy used wind to cushion his fall, landing softly in mid-air before jumping again, now standing before us, ready for another round.
We rushed at him, and as I advanced, I swung an extra axe, retrieved quickly from my storage bracelet. Concentrating my mana, I exploded an earth pillar beneath me, propelling myself forward to strike him with speed and force.
I aimed directly at his neck, but he blocked with precision. As our blades clashed, I looked into his face, shocked by what I saw.
THE SON OF A BITCH IS LAUGHING!?
He seemed to be enjoying himself despite the intensity of the fight. We continued exchanging rapid strikes, and Eliza, seizing the moment, attempted to stab him from behind.
"That won’t work on me," he said, without even turning around, blocking her attack effortlessly.
"How did you know, damn it!?" Eliza shouted, frustrated.
The boy wielded a yellow sword in one hand and a metal sword in the other. With a disdainful tone, he explained, "I always maintain a massive wind shield around me, infused with electricity. It’s an invisible protective field that keeps me aware of anything approaching."
"That's impossible," I said, in disbelief.
He shrugged, uninterested. "Are you going to stay impressed, or are you going to try to kill me?"
"You bastard!" Eliza screamed, lunging at him with all her might. "Maximum Attack!"
At her command, Eliza's soul golem began to swell, sucking in the surrounding air. I recognized the imminent danger.
I lunged forward, trying to strike him with the axe, but he blocked it with his metal sword, showing no signs of weakness. The pressure increased as Eliza readied her dagger for the final blow.
"I see, you’re immune to your golem’s fire. Looks like that thing is going to blow, taking me along with it," he said to Eliza, his voice eerily calm as he pushed my axe downward, preparing for the next move.
I began to back away, well aware of how devastating Eliza’s spell could be. Her golem was swelling rapidly, on the verge of unleashing a massive explosion of energy.
"It’s a pity your contractor won’t be able to kill me in person," he added with an ironic smile.
Eliza leaped at him, screaming, "As long as you’re dead! I don’t care if it lowers the contract’s pay!"
The golem was about to detonate, and the tension in the air was palpable.
Is she really going to blow this place up!? I thought, running as fast as I could to escape the imminent explosion, as her golem swelled even more, ready to unleash its overwhelming power.