The serpent roared in frustration and launched an attack on the duo. It raised it's head and gave a powerful strike at them while also replicating two clones of itself to confuse Koby and Kai.
The tactic worked. For a breathless moment, both boys were frozen, eyes darting back and forth, unsure which one was the real threat.
Just as the serpent launched another attack, Koby tried to move out if the way but his leg caught in underbushes which proved to be a fatal mistake for him. The serpent rushed at him, it's jagged teeth sinking deep into his shoulder. Pain shot through his body like wildfire.
Nervous system screaming, muscles convulsing.
Koby could feel his muscle fibers shatter at the sheer force of the bite and felt the excruciating pain of his shoulder blade being crushed. He screamed, the agony shooting violently throughout his body as the serpent tossed him around like a ragdoll while still biting down on his shoulder.
Bleeding from his wound, and with strength fading fast, Koby launched an attack targeted at the serpent's eyes as a last resort.
"Dual Bite." He roared thrusting his hatchet into it's eyes.
The attack landed—barely.
It deterred the serpent, causing it to shriek and rear back in pain, loosening it's hold of Koby. He struggled his arm out of the jaws of the serpent and rolled to his feet in a broken heap, clutching his shoulder in pain. The serpent encircled him again, about to strike, only to be struck by a beam of light shot from Kai.
"Moon Whisper." Kai muttered to himself as he fired another beam aiming for the creature's eyes again, this time causing it to recoil.
"Are you alright, Koby?" he asked, breathing ragged.
"I'll live. Urgh." Koby groaned in pain as he tore up his shirt to make a makeshift bandage to wrap up the gash on his shoulder. The cloth soaked red within seconds but after administering that quick first aid, he still took up his hatchets again.
"Hatchet Fury." the energy radiated through his body in small glow as he rushed at the serpent.
"What are you doing?" Kai yelled as he saw Koby's advance while trying not to get hit by the serpent himself.
"Take the rest and run for the smoke. I'll handle this." Koby said as he sent slashes towards the serpent, drawing it's attention from Kai to himself.
"What are you trying to prove, you fool!!" Kai shouted.
"I'm injured and I have hope that whatever tried to possess me before wouldn't let me just die." he said voice strained but determined.
"Are you crazy?!!" Kai yelled firing more shots at the serpent to distract it from Koby but it had already sensed Koby's blood and wanted more of it. The bloodlust driving it crazy. It whipped a tail at Koby, but he jumped out of the way in time and regrouped with Kai.
"We don't have a choice, Kai!" he said as he held Kai's head. A look of seriousness in his brown eyes. He knew that Kai knew that this was the best thing to do. But they were friends and he understood Kai's unwillingness to abandon him. But one look at his shoulder and he knew he was already a goner. Right now he was moving on pure adrenaline and once that wore off he knew he wouldn't make it because of the severity of the injury.
Kai cursed out in frustration before firing a barrage of shots at the serpent because he knew Koby was right. Koby tried to push him away and in that moment, Kai was whipped away by the serpent's tail with enough force that made him unconscious.
Looking at Kai's body, he felt dread curl up in his gut.
No movement.
No sound.
Just silence— and the growing, unbearable weight of failure and regret.
Koby felt extreme anguish. Frustration over the fact that he might just have led his friends to their death.
"Why couldn't I have just stayed at the mansion?!" he yelled at the windows that displayed the secret scenario. The system that displayed his darker trials— glowing in this incoming doom. No response came. The serpent sensing Koby's despair slid in quietly as if stalking him.
It knew it had won.
And it was now savouring it's hunt. But Koby's despair turned to anger immediately. He didn't know who or what he was angry at, he just needed to be angry.
Pure, unbridled rage.
Using Hatchet Fury, he dashed towards the serpent. The serpent shocked, struck a blow but Koby weaved to the side, taking in a deep breath, he felt his aura glow and subconsciously forced a heavy amount to his arm as he struck the serpent successfully injuring the serpent. The serpent jerked around, destroying more surroundings.
Landing on his feet, Koby's right arm which he had used to strike was now numb— as though it was non-existent. He couldn't feel anything except the burning of his veins. But he didn't have time to dwell on that. He dashed forward and repeated the same action with his left arm. This left his arm in the same state as the right arm.
The serpent seemed to notice Koby's inability to use his arms as it began attacking more ferociously. Koby ran, jumped and dodged attacks that came from the serpent. Leaping up, midair, Koby weaved an attack and using the serpent's body as a step, leaped up and slashed at the serpent. The serpent dodged it and counterattacked by hitting Koby square on the chest with such a force that sent him flying and coughing up blood violently.
Koby's vision started to blur as he started to lose consciousness. He saw the serpent making it's way to him. Little by little. Time seemed to slow as he saw the serpent approach in his fading vision. It was all over. The only thing he could feel all over his body was pain. It was as though pain were his limbs as he couldn't feel them.
But more than the pain was regret— guilt filled regret.
"Looks like the odds wasn't in our favor." he said as he looked at his friends laying unconscious before facing the serpent that stood towering over where he sat with his back rested on a tree stump.
Just as he was about to lose consciousness, a figure jumped up from the shadows into the moonlit sky. It was a man. He moved like mist— silent and swift. Clutching his sword, the man spun quickly and came down, using the momentum to slice down the serpent in half in one strike.
The stranger didn't speak. He didn't breathe.
The man simply wiped off the serpent's blood from his sword before sheathing it and approached Koby.
The man had no presence. No aura.
No weight in the air.
There was no sound of footsteps or any noise emanating from the man. It was as though, he was one with the world.
"Who are yo...?"
Koby slipped into the darkness.