Chapter 272 The Armored Serpent
Northern's breath caught in his throat, the air around him thick with tension.
This terrifying horror, shifted ever so slightly, its overlapping glossy plates clinking like the sound of a distant thunderstorm.
The swamp beneath it bubbled and hissed, as some liquid seeped into the murky waters.
Northern's azure eyes darted across the monstrosity, taking in every detail.
The creature's numerous legs, each tipped with a razor-sharp point, moved in a slow, rhythmic pattern, causing the ground to tremble subtly.
Each step seemed to carry the weight of doom, pressing down on the marshland with a palpable sense of dread.
Its antennae, long and sinuous, twitched incessantly, as if tasting the very air, searching for any sign of threat or prey.
A soft, eerie glow emanated from the creature's eyes—multifaceted orbs that gleamed with an otherworldly light.
They scanned the surroundings with a cold, calculating precision, missing nothing.
Northern felt a shiver run down his spine as those eyes briefly locked onto his, a silent promise of pain and destruction.
The creature's head, crowned with deadly mandibles, moved slightly, dripping green, corrosive liquid onto the swamp.
The air around it seemed to sizzle and warp, a visible distortion that spoke of the potency of its venom.
Northern could smell it from where he stood, a sharp, acrid stench that stung his nostrils and made his eyes water.
Using [See] he could deduce how strong it was:
[Monster Profile]
Name: [Armored Serpent]
True Name: [Unattained]
Soul Rank: [Hellion]
Danger Level: [Disaster]
Attributes: [Curse Of The Damned]
Northern for once wished he could peek into the details of attributes but he doubted if that was possible.
To put it in a way, he has been breaking the rules so much, he wasn't sure if that much wouldn't be an overdo.
Not that he mind, he just wasn't optimistic.
He could feel the weight of his weapons—Mortal Blade and Soul Taker—in his hands.
The blades felt heavy with the gravity of the impending battle.
He knew that one wrong move could be devastating, so he had to be cautious, however, not that he was scared.
He had faced horrors before, and this... this wasn't any different. It's imposing size and aura hinted at a different idea though.
But Northern wasn't at all scared of doing away to this one. If anything he looked forward to it, albeit with intense caution.
He didn't have a life to spare after all.
Northern adjusted his grip on his swords, the metal cool and reassuring against his armored hands. His eyes narrowed, focusing intently on the Armored Serpent.
The Armored Serpent let out a low, rumbling hiss, the sound reverberating through the swamp like a death knell.
It shifted its weight, its many legs digging into the soft ground, preparing to strike.
Chaos Eyes could see the muscles beneath its armored plates tensing, the creature coiling slightly as if to spring forward.
A bead of sweat trickled down Northern's forehead, but he remained still, waiting for the perfect moment.
The swamp around them was eerily silent, the usual chorus of before now were muted in the presence of the Armored Serpent.
Northern could almost hear his own heartbeat, a steady drum that kept him anchored.
He took a deep breath, feeling the air fill his lungs, and steadied his resolve.
And suddenly, the Armored Serpent lunged.
It was a blur of black and green, its mandibles snapping forward with terrifying speed.
Northern reacted instinctively, throwing himself to the side, rolling across the murky waters.
He felt the rush of air as the mandibles missed him by inches, the surface where he had stood moments before now a sizzling crater of acid that separated the water bodies.
Northern sprang to his feet, both swords at the ready.
Chaos Eyes gleamed for a second as they saw something —a brief moment where the creature's head was low, the armored plates slightly separated.
Northern dashed forward, his movements swift and fluid, and brought the Mortal Blade down with all his might.
The blade struck true, hitting the gap between the plates with a satisfying crunch.
The Armored Serpent roared, a sound that shook the very waters beneath them.
It reared back, its body writhing in pain and anger.
Northern was thrown off balance, barely managing to stay on his feet.
The creature's body whipped around, crashing into him and sending him flying backward.
He fell down into the water hard and tumbled away, the wind knocked out of him, but he quickly scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain.
The creature let out another defeaning roar—more like a screech, now its movements was more erratic and violent.
It thrashed its head, sending splatters of venom flying in all directions.
Northern dodged as best he could, thinking that they would bite into the armor.
However, when a few drops landed on the Night Terror armor, they were no different from any other regular liquid—even seemed to be more inadhesive, easily sliding off the lustrous black surface of his armor.
Shocked, but he did not allow that delay him. He darted to the side, keeping his eyes on the creature's movements, looking for another opportunity to strike.
The creature turned to follow him, its eyes glinting with malice.
Northern lunged forward, Soul Taker shimmering with a ghastly glow in his hand.
He aimed for the same gap in the armor, hoping to exploit the weakness he had found.
The blade struck true once more, sinking deep into the creature's flesh, this time not only its flesh was wounded.
His eyes sparked as an idea entered his head in that quick moment.
They gleaned wicked as he muttered to the creature—that now wriggled, fiercely screaming,
"Burn"
From his hand extended to the sword and to the entire body of the Serpent, black flames licked everywhere, clothing the monster in a dancing black silk of vicious darkness.
The Armored Serpent howled in pain, its body convulsing.
Northern stood and watched the creature thrashed around, spreading its venom around everywhere.
After a while, the words he has been waiting for, appeared before his face.
[Congratulations, you have slain a Disastrous Hellion, Armored Serpent]
[You have gained 4 talent fragments]