Vermis Nocturne
A colossal serpent born of the remains of arcana within the void of the Silver Willow.
Its scales shimmered with streaks of black and silver, reflecting faint moonlight as it slithered through the misty darkness.
Twin emerald eyes glowed like dying stars, cold and intelligent, watching all that entered its domain.
With every movement, the ground trembled, and the air thickened with killing intent.
A single hiss from its fanged maw carried the echo of countless souls — the sound of the Hollow itself breathing through its ancient guardian.
"I just knew this won't be easy"
Looking to his right-hand side, Elior noticed Aria with the corner of his eye
Her legs shook like a leaf as she trembled at the sight of the Vermis
'Can't blame her'
Elior too shook in fear but he had to put up a front
Not for himself but for Aria and his goals.
"Aria, I need you to stay away from the tree and one more thing avoid it's eyes"
Elior shouted with caution
"All right"
Aria responded as she ran to the tree nearest to her
'Okay, this thing is a grade VII and considered the king of this place'
Elior thought to himself as he inhaled and exhaled
"An awakening was due for the MC, and this fight with his friends was what led him to it."
"The Vermis Nocturne was pivotal to such"
Click
Clicking his tongue ferociously, Elior spoke lightly as a smirk appeared on his face
"Can I get one too here"
Huff
Swiftly turning his head to the side, Elior noticed the tail of the Nocturne moving
Screaming, Aria turned to meet his gaze as he spoke
"Shoot some spikes towards it Aria, it's moving".
"All right,"
Curling its tail, the Nocturne struck it towards Elior
The attack came swiftly as a missile.
The tail crashed into the ground; the debris gave away as trees erupted from the spot they once stood
"Elior"
Aria shouted as she clutched to a tree as the immense wind followed the strike
But-
Elior did not wait idly either.
As the tail came crashing down on him with swift precision, he used it as a springboard, launching himself into the air.
'Nice'
Sprung into the air, Elior stared at the Vermis Nocturne which did not seem to notice
"Arc veil"
Channeling Kurotsume with a faint layer of aura around the blade, Elior prepared for the attack
"Siskom"
Using the air as a propeller to propel himself downwards at incredible speed, Elior aimed at the tail with a single thought in his mind
"Chop it down"
The sword and tail met each other ferociously
Clank
The sword and the tail connected harshly, the sound roaring round the shadow willow but no audience but Aria to hear as it echoed right back
"Tch"
"Damn scales, why do they have to be as hard as titanium"
Despite that, no damage had been inflicted whatsoever on the tail
The Vermis Nocturne roared in anger
Landing on the ground, Elior averted his gaze
Noticing Aria who silently chanted spells at the far corner
His lips curved in excitement
"Look here fucker", Elior screamed.
Hearing the voice of Elior, the Vermis Nocturne turned its head
Its eyes met Aria head on who shot ice spikes at it
Crack
The spikes scratched against the tail like against metal
All to no avail or effect on it
"Damn it"
"Sorry Elior", Aria screamed
Running towards the Vermis Nocturne, Elior thought to himself as Aria focused on recharging the mana
'Got to keep her safe, she is one of the mc in my book'
The Vermis Nocturne positioned itself for an attack before abruptly halting itself
This stunned everyone especially Elior who was quite puzzled at such development
'Why is it not looking at me again'
Swish
Before he could recollect his thoughts, the Vermis Nocturne lunged its tail towards Aria
This caught Elior by surprise.
Screaming as he ran as fast as his leg could take, Elior shouted
"Block it Aria"
BAM
The tail connected with Aria sending her across several trees
His pulse raced as he ran
Fear sunk in
'Please don't die'
'Please don't die'
'Please don't die'
'Please don't die'
That was all he could think about as his eyes were bloodshot red
Arriving at the tree, Elior dropped all his weapons completely ignoring the Vermis Nocturne
Checking his pulse, Elior spoke calmly
"Don't die, pls don't die"
She did not react which seemed to send Elior mind into disarray
Burying his head into her body, Elior tried to fight back tears
Whissh
Fortunately
Specks of arcana shimmered quietly prompting Elior to raise his head
Those specks of arcana shimmered from Aria hand
A prove she was still alive
The specks of arcana all lifted into the air before dissolving into nothing
That had acted as a last line of defense
Placing her calmly on the ground, Elior had a hint of relief in his voice
"A last-minute defense huh"
"I got to give you credit"
Elior said as he patted her head.
Resting her calmly against the tree, Elior picked up Kurotsume
"Just leave it to me, I promise"
Swoosh
He moved quick creating strides on the ground as he moved
Clank
Every slash connected with the tail yet not dent on it which infuriated him as it progressed on
'Why didn't our plan, I would attack it face headed and she attack it when it was distracted'.
'That is how the mc and his friends beat it the first time according to my writing'
Dodging an attack, Elior hid himself amongst the tree
'Huh'
A quiet pause filled Elior mind
'Unless it is adapting which was what it was not meant to do'.
The Vermis Nocturne scattered its tail amongst trees in search of Elior
Dashing away from the trees using arcana as a booster, Elior struck the Vermis Nocturne off guard
Not noticing on time, Elior sword connected with the body of the Vermis Nocturne
Splat
Blood trickled from the Nocturne
An open wound
"Kssshh—!"
The Vermis Nocturne screamed in horror
The sound echoed throughout the Silver Willow as it threw its body in a random motion
Destroying the ground with the impact from its body colliding with the ground, everything was thrown into chaos
Dashing in zig-zag motion, Elior dodged the attack swiftly
Surveying the Vermis Nocturne, the emerald once eyes slowly turned crimson
It was enraged
In an instant, it swung its tail towards Elior
Sidestepping, Elior tried to capitalize but it was futile
Bam
The tail which had missed Elior spun back, slinging into him
Thud
Flying and hitting the tree trunk hard, Elior coughed up blood
"Shit"
His body ached terribly
His rib cage which worked in perfect condition felt out of commission
"How do I defeat a monster like this?"
Steading himself against the tree trunk, the Vermis Nocturne stared at Elior
Bam
With his eyes bloodshot and his mind in a haze, the Vermis Nocturne struck once more
Ensuring its prey was dead
As blood poured from his face, Elior coughed
"It hurts"
His chest burned, breathing became difficult
It felt like his organs had been crushed
Averting his gaze, Elior noticed Aria in the far corner as she laid there
'Fuck this novel'
'Fuck me, the author'
'Let everything burn to hell'
Yet-
His gaze never wavered from Aria's
'Ugh'
Standing up as he staggered to get a footing on the ground, Elior spoke up
"I have to fight; I got to stand up"
His voice carried nothing short of resolve
A foolish one at that
His grip on Kurotsume was not strong as his hand shook like a leaf
"Calm down"
With bloodshot eyes, the Vermis Nocturne slowly moved itself towards Aria
"Hell no, fucker", Elior said in anger
As Elior tried to run, his legs gave up
'No'
'No'
It edged closer to Aria
'Move dammit'
Its body slithered against her skin
'Move'
Crackle
As its fangs were about to launch into Aria's body, an ominous pressure bore itself down on it
Moving its body in a defense, the Vermis Nocturne noticed Elior who just stood in a far corner
His presence screamed danger
Chim
A notification appeared as Elior looked with red eyes
[Kurotsume has responded to your current emotional state]
[Temporary boost in stats for about 30 seconds]
Cackle
Laughter echoed the Silver Willow
Elior with a half-hearted smile looked at the Vermis Nocturne with a glare
"Boost".
The Vermis Nocturne moved its tail in attack
But-
Elior moved beautifully as he dodged the attack
His brain went into overdrive
"30 seconds to kill this seconds, 30 seconds of hell for you"
He screamed as he laughed like a mad man
Striking the scale, a sharp cut appeared on the body of the Vermis Nocturne.
"Kssshh—!"
Screaming, the Vermis Nocturne moved trying to regroup
The hunter had become the haunted
"Oh no"
"I ain't giving you that chance anymore"
Elior said as he leapt directly into the air
Using Aura to temporarily boost his jump, Elior leapt into the air
Although small, it was enough as Elior met the Vermis Nocturne head on
The Vermis Nocturne's crimson eyes suddenly locked onto Elior.
"Ksssssshhhhh…"
A low, unnatural hiss escaped its throat.
The crimson glow within its eyes intensified.
Thud
Elior fell as his body crashed into the ground.
Making eye contact with the crimson blood eyes of Vermis Nocturne eroded one's mind
Noticing Elior's lifeless body, the Nocturne ignored him
As it refocused its attention back to Aria
A sudden groan escaped from someone's lips
Standing up slowly, Elior rose up
Shifting its attention back to him, Elior screamed
"Now, Aria"
Abruptly turning its head, Aria mustered every ounce of strength in her left in her
"Glacial Shard barrage"
Two big massive balls of ice hovered over the Vermis Nocturne
"Now"
Unable to react on time, the balls of ice fell directly into its eyes
Splat
Blood splattered everywhere as it rained on the trees, dyeing them red different from their original color
Yet-
A man stood completely unfazed or rather unconcerned
Standing on his feet shakingly, Elior made sure his grip on Kurotsume was firm
The Vermis Nocturne attacked wildly, without awareness of its surroundings
Destroying everything in its wake, Elior moved quickly
In a blink, manipulating wind to aid his movement, Elior moved like the wind
Chim
[NOTIFICATION: 28 seconds had passed, 2 seconds left]
"Yeah, I know"
Elior moved quickly
2 seconds to kill the Vermis Nocturne
2 seconds to survive
2 seconds before this power wore off
As the Vermis Nocturne screamed, it moved without caution
Turning its body over, it moved away its scales exposing its slithering unshielded body
"Good"
A curve appeared on his lips
Jumping into the air, Elior coated himself with Aura
His body, his sword; his mind and soul all moved in sync
"Arc Veil".
Just like the petals falling off the tree, Elior landed on the ground
"Finally,"
Thud
The Vermis Nocturne stood behind Elior
The throat and neck which was attached on its head fell as it decapitated it in an instant.
The head fell as it made a loud thud on the ground.
Staring into lifeless body, Elior stood
Looking away, Elior moved away from the body as he slowly carried himself towards the Aetherseed tree.
Gradually getting to the tree, Elior looked for the fruit on the tree
"Found it"
With his sight on it, Elior plucked it.
"Finally,"
Elior said as he pocketed it
Shifting his gaze towards Aria, Elior took a step forward
Kah
Blood escaped his lips as he coughed it out
His head spun in circles as his gaze was fixed on Aria
She looked at him with tears in her eyes
"Oh, I am fainting,"
Thud
Escaping his mouth as a mutter, Elior body collided with the ground
"Elior",
Aria screamed as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her