Chapter 411 - 328: Feathered Serpent Evil God (2)
Chapter 411: Chapter 328: Feathered Serpent Evil God (2)
’Good thing I was standing far away. If that had hit me just now, I probably would’ve been blown to bits.’ Shire clutched the object in his hand, a few beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.
Annoyed that its lightning had missed, the Feathered Serpent God lowered its head slightly before lunging forward. It charged toward Shire with its massive maw wide open, about to swallow the goblin in a single gulp.
"Pazani!" Shire yelled as he saw the Feathered Serpent charge.
Immediately, the Naga Prince, hiding in the distance, poured his Water Magic into Rune Language: Frosty Winter.
FWOOSH! In an instant, the entire plaza was frozen solid. Debris floating in the air turned to ice crystals and drifted down. The foul, burnt smell was swept away by the frigid wind, and amidst the white mist, a massive ice sculpture now stood in the center.
The Feathered Serpent God’s entire body was encased in a thick layer of ice. Its body was coiled on the ground with only its head held high, the fangs in its massive maw glinting coldly through the ice.
Shire scanned the Ice Rink before him, a wave of lingering fear washing over him. Not far away, the Feathered Serpent God had been turned into an ice sculpture. Its red body, faintly visible within the ice, looked surprisingly beautiful.
’I hope this can hold it.’ Shire slowly exhaled. His understanding of the Rune Speech ability was limited; he had only ever used it against Petrifying Lizards. The Feathered Serpent Evil God was far more powerful than they were, so he wasn’t very confident that it could truly be frozen solid. But from the looks of it, the effect seemed quite good.
Shire glanced over at Pazani, who was "swimming" toward him from a short distance away. The Naga Prince’s face was beaming with delight, looking extremely pleased with the Ice Array he had just activated.
"Bro—" he yelled, but before he could say more, Shire raised a hand to cut him off.
CRACKLE... A faint sound echoed. Shire frowned and looked toward the Feathered Serpent, his eyes widening in the next instant. Beneath the solid ice, several bolts of lightning were "flowing" across the surface of the Feathered Serpent God’s red body. The flashing light shining through the ice was so bright that Shire had to squint.
Then, with a resounding BOOM, countless shards of ice exploded outward. A cloud of white mist billowed up, and Shire was struck in several places by the shrapnel.
"So, a Naga is involved in this as well." The Feathered Serpent God’s body crackled with electricity as it slowly raised its head.
Shire struggled to get up from the ground. Thanks to his Leather Armor and the [Mother Tree’s Blessing], the damage from the ice shards had been limited. However, his leather Trench Coat was now torn. He didn’t know if this would affect its invisibility function. His earlier plan, if the Feathered Serpent God proved too ferocious, had been to grab the Small Magic Crystal Stone on the coat’s collar to turn invisible, then use an Acceleration Technique and an Oiled Feet Scroll to escape. But now, Shire had no idea what his chances of success would be.
The Feathered Serpent Evil God ignored Shire for the moment, observing Pazani with great interest instead. He had also been hit by the ice shards but was mostly unharmed. The Naga Prince now stood proudly before the Feathered Serpent. He slowly extended his clenched left fist, a smile touching his lips, causing his four fleshy whiskers to twitch.
He raised his middle finger. It was just that, because of the webbing between his digits, the gesture didn’t look quite as crisp.
The Feathered Serpent God tilted its head. Even if it didn’t understand the gesture, it could read the contempt in Pazani’s eyes. It flicked its forked tongue, white electricity crackling around its maw.
ZAP! A bolt of lightning flashed out, blasting Pazani off his feet. His body flew backward, vanishing into the darkness of the night.
"Pazani!" Shire yelled, but it was no use. He held up the mirror in his hand. Although its surface was already cracked, that didn’t stop him. "Forest God, help me! The Feathered Serpent Evil God is too powerful!"
He kept shouting, but the mirror only showed his own anxious reflection—a tragic image, fragmented into several pieces by the cracks.
"Help my people! There might be something you want here!" Shire continued to yell, but the reflection in the mirror remained unchanged. Still, Shire knew Lust was here; the marker on his Domain map showed it clearly.
"I almost forgot about you." Hearing Shire’s shouts, the Feathered Serpent Evil God whipped its tail without even turning its head.
THWACK! Shire was struck by the serpent’s tail, which was as thick as a tree trunk. For a moment, time seemed to stand still. He watched the mirror in his hand shatter, countless glass fragments scattering into the air. Then, he tasted sweetness in his throat as blood surged up.
’That kinda hurts,’ the thought flashed through his mind. Then, with a loud CRASH, the tail sent him flying. He slammed into a nearby tree trunk, and his limbs went limp.
...
In the darkness, Shire shook his head. He heard an aged voice ring out, "It is not yet time."
"Not yet time? What does that mean?" Shire asked aloud.
But in the endless darkness, no other sound came, only the echoes of his own voice.
’What’s happening?’ Shire’s head throbbed. He reached up to clutch it, and then his eyes snapped open.
"I’m still alive?" He looked down at his hands, then at the rest of his body. The last hit had destroyed his equipment; even the clothes underneath were in tatters.
’This... Little John’s [Heart of the Brave] must have activated.’ Shire looked at his panel. [Heart of the Brave] was now on cooldown. The Ability’s cooldown was only 25 days now. That was what had blocked the Feathered Serpent Evil God’s attack just now.
’As reliable as ever. Not even a scratch.’ Shire quickly got to his feet. The distant Feathered Serpent God didn’t seem to have noticed him; it must have been confident in its tail whip and assumed he was dead.
’What do I do now...?’ Numerous thoughts raced through Shire’s mind. The Skeleton Warriors must have suffered heavy casualties, Pazani’s fate was unknown, and he had no idea how many of his people had managed to retreat safely.
Just as Shire was rapidly considering his next move, the Feathered Serpent God raised its head again. Electricity sparked from the gaps between its scales, then instantly turned red. To Shire’s astonishment, a red liquid began to pour out, rapidly coalescing on the ground into two solid forms.
’This is the cloning technique Caocao learned.’ Shire immediately recalled the Clone Skill mastered by Giant Demon Caocao: [Evil Energy Clone]. The difference was that the Feathered Serpent God’s Clones were also giant, winged serpents—and there were two of them.
"What is it doing?" As Shire cried out, the two giant Evil Energy Clone serpents charged directly toward the goblins who hadn’t yet escaped in the distance. Despite their massive bodies, they were incredibly fast, reaching the goblins in the space of a few breaths.
Agonized screams filled the air. Shire watched as goblin after goblin was sent flying into the air. It was unlikely any of them could survive such a violent impact.
"My people!" he cried out. Then, without a second thought, he rose and charged toward the Feathered Serpent God.
Unfortunately, the Feathered Serpent Evil God paid Shire no mind. It held its head high, flicking its forked tongue, seemingly savoring the agonized screams of the goblins.
The ceaseless screams made Shire’s brow tighten. He glanced at the shards of the mirror on the ground, each one reflecting his own desperate face.
"Lust, I know you’re here! I command you, come out now!" Shire shouted, throwing all caution to the wind.
He failed to notice that at this very moment, two beams of white light were spreading out from behind him like a pair of shining wings. Within that white light, a pair of black pupils slowly opened, their gaze sweeping over the mirror shards on the ground.
WHOOSH! A figure swelled up from one of the shards as if it were an inflating balloon, quickly taking on Shire’s appearance.
"Y-You... What are your orders?" Lust asked, trembling, as it bowed slightly toward the white "wings" behind Shire.
"Kill the Feathered Serpent God," Shire said.