Chapter 103: Desperate Pursuit
The giant snake was over twenty meters long. Its massive frame coiled around a solitary tree, slowly strangling it in its hold as it began to fracture the bark.
Its menacing gaze slowly settled on the only human standing before it.
Elizabeth met its gaze unfazed. Extending a hand, the temperature around her dropped.
"Ice Spikes."
She conjured numerous ice projectiles, all of which shot toward her adversary.
Leaving a chilly trail in their wake, they collided with the crimson scales of the snake. Sadly, they failed to pierce the creature’s hide in any meaningful way, shattering into pieces upon contact.
Tilting its head to the side, the Crimson Snake flicked its tongue outward as if mocking her. The creature’s eyes narrowed before it lunged forward with terrifying speed.
"Ice Walls."
Elizabeth raised several ice walls between herself and her adversary.
However, the creature wasn’t deterred in the slightest. Using its head like a battering ram, the snake effortlessly broke through the fortifications, heading straight toward her.
Boom!
The snake found its jaws locked around the trunk of a tree. Elizabeth had acted in time and managed to dodge the deadly strike, even if only barely.
Pausing on the spot, she observed the giant Level 40 creature. She was realistic and knew her chances of defeating it were slim to none.
Still, she had to secure victory at all costs. Her eyes darted toward her Dimensional Storage Ring. She hesitated for a few seconds until the stirring of the snake’s body forced her to act.
"Mother, please watch over me."
She took out the heirloom of the Starlight household, the one and only thing her mother had left for her daughter before perishing. It was a war scythe made of pure ice, with blades on both ends of the staff, their edges menacingly sharp.
When her fingers closed around it, her expression turned somber. An excruciating pain surged through her body, forcing her to bite her lower lip to suppress the pain.
Although she knew she wasn’t ready to use the weapon, Elizabeth tried anyway. Shattering the ground beneath her, she charged forward.
She rotated the scythe in her grasp, the weapon’s blades forming a semi-transparent circle before they lashed against the snake’s scales.
Roar!
This time, her attack worked. The weapon’s blades pierced through the snake’s body like butter, drawing blood.
But the wounds were too shallow to seriously affect such a colossal creature.
With a flick of its tongue, the snake shot out acid poison.
Elizabeth avoided the attack by moving to the side. The acid fell onto the ground, sizzling as it slowly ate away at the earth.
"Getting hit by this will spell my end." She came to a grim realization.
"I need to fall back for the best chance of survival."
There was no hesitation in her movements. Dashing between the trees, she ran with all her might while keeping her eyes locked on the creature to make sure it didn’t escape her sight.
Growing irritated, the Crimson Snake followed her relentlessly, its body curling around the trees as it shot acid after acid, slowly eroding the surroundings in an attempt to kill her.
Whenever the opportunity presented itself, Elizabeth inflicted injuries upon the creature with her scythe, pushing it further into its bloodlust.
Slowly, they neared the city, where along the way Russell was waiting.
"HAHAHA! See that? I have no equal!" He declared proudly, puffing out his chest.
Before him, three Minotaurs lay dead.
Russell had single-handedly managed to subdue the creatures.
He was beyond exhausted, with most of his attire damaged beyond repair.
Regardless, he had faced the three creatures simultaneously and came out on top. He was certain that, besides him, nobody had managed to achieve such a feat!
"I bet Leonard ran away the moment he saw one of them. Or even better, he got overconfident and was easily eliminated!" Russell laughed out loud, surveying his surroundings.
He imagined himself being watched by the supervisors, who would already be starting to argue over who would get to recruit him into their unit!
"Things are finally starting to align the way they’re supposed to!"
A few moments later, the approaching sounds of combat shattered his fantasy.
Peering deep into the forest, his eyes widened upon seeing the snake.
[Level 40 Crimson Snake.]
"Level 40?! That’s ridiculous!" Russell bellowed in fright.
He didn’t even get the chance to notice Elizabeth, who was in the midst of her chase.
"I need to get out of here! Otherwise that will be the end of me!" Russell came to the horrifying realization.
Yet by the time he sprang away, it was already too late.
The Crimson Snake noticed his presence, its eyes flicking briefly toward his trembling figure before lashing out with its tail.
Russell felt his heart stop. He knew that once the strike connected, he would die on the spot. There weren’t any healing skills capable of bringing him back from the dead.
Fortunately, Christopher arrived at the last moment and saved him, getting Russell out of harm’s way faster than he could perceive.
"A—Am I alive?" Russell asked, his voice trembling.
"More or less." Christopher shrugged, dropping him to the ground.
"S—Sir, I owe you my life! Thank you so much for saving me!" Russell bowed so low that his head hit the ground.
"Mhm..." Christopher replied calmly, barely acknowledging him. "Just make sure to replace your underwear later, okay?"
"..."
Russell’s face instantly flushed red, realizing that he had lost control over his bladder in front of his hero of all people!
’No! No! No! My image! My debut! It’s all ruined!’ He thought, suppressing the desire to cry.
Back with Elizabeth, she was still slowly leading the Crimson Snake away. Russell wasn’t the only scholar who had crossed her path, nor was he the only one to be eliminated by accident.
She panted heavily, having trouble maintaining that level of exertion for such a prolonged period.
Her grip around the scythe tightened, the jolt of pain keeping her focused and awake.
Sssss!
Noticing that she had slowed down, the snake pushed onward, accelerating its speed before lashing out with its tail.
A cold shiver went down Elizabeth’s spine as she noticed the impending strike.
Yet rather than dodge, she prepared to meet the blow head-on.
She froze the ground beneath her feet and conjured the thickest, most durable ice wall she could to protect herself.
When the snake’s blow connected, the momentum of the attack propelled her backward, allowing her to effortlessly slide even farther away.
SSSSS!
Not one bit happy about its mistake, the snake leaped high into the air, clearing the treetops before plunging downward like a missile.
Boom!
Given its heavy weight, the moment it crashed into the ground, the resulting shockwave erupted outward. The powerful impact swept Elizabeth off her feet and flung her like a ragdoll.
Her lungs burned, and her vision darkened. She tried to use her scythe to catch onto a tree and slow herself down, but her efforts were futile.
She came down hard, skidding across the ground several times before finally emerging into a wide open space.
"Ugh..."
She groaned softly. The sunlight overhead illuminated her breathtaking face. When she opened her eyes, she thought she had failed and reached the city before killing the snake.
Then, a second later, her eyes narrowed as she saw Callum, the familiar Griffin, staring at her with innocent eyes from above.
Ga! Ga!
Callum screeched happily in a voice she couldn’t understand. Then, he stuck out his tongue and began to lick her face.
"Callum?" Elizabeth asked weakly, slowly getting up. She used the scythe for support, her hand already growing numb to dangerous levels.
Turning around, Callum called for Leonard.
"Master! I don’t think she will taste that good!"
Hearing his familiar call out to him, Leonard soon arrived and noticed Elizabeth.
For a moment, he was shocked. They had been in dangerous situations before, but he had never seen her in such a battered state. It was obvious just how far she had pushed herself.
"What happened?" He asked in concern, drawing closer.
The last thing he wanted to hear was that something had gone amiss and the Void Believers had attacked once again or something similar.
Elizabeth didn’t answer immediately, her eyes observing the cleared area in the middle of the forest, alongside the strange wall that split the wilderness in two.
Combined with the monster blood that had seeped into the ground, she thought she had stumbled upon the work of a large party.
"I have the same question." She replied at last, meeting Leonard’s gaze.
"I just cut a few trees and made a wall." He gestured toward the axe resting on his shoulder. "There’s nothing special about that."
A second later, his eyes landed on Elizabeth’s scythe.
’This is my first time seeing her wield a weapon. Besides, it feels eerily similar to Titanic Oath. Is this a Soul Weapon? Why has she kept it a secret and never used it until now?’ He pondered.
He didn’t have time to ask. Just then, the Crimson Snake emerged from the trees.
The creature raised its head high, let out a deafening roar that shook the entire forest, and charged toward them.
Leonard observed the boss monster, his eyes shifting toward Elizabeth.
"Need a hand?"