’Alright then...’
With nothing behind him but empty air and a plunge into despair, Ash had only one option to keep the confrontation going.
If he let the serpent slide off the edge, it would probably retreat and fly away — something Ash wasn’t too keen on. He was dead set on seeing this fiend’s corpse, or at least the drops from it.
As the snake flapped its wings and lunged, Ash swept [Scrawler’s Fang] into its front fangs.
Its momentum abruptly halted. Its entire body coiled and writhed, its tail whipping upward behind it.
’Tch.’
Ash had stopped its retreat, but the impact left several more chips along his dagger’s edge.
Before the Spire Serpent could recover, Ash sprinted away from the ledge and across the landing, passing the princess as she brought her blade down on its neck again.
The sword’s thick edge struck the cracks left by her previous blow, splitting several scales further before bouncing away.
The recoil threw her arms upward, leaving her chest exposed.
Having regained its bearings, the serpent twisted toward her and lunged.
Thankfully, the wolf finally decided to do something.
It barreled into the serpent mid-lunge, catching it by the throat and driving it to the ground. The serpent’s long body twisted around the wolf, attempting to coil around it in retaliation.
A moment later, its coils passed harmlessly through the wolf’s body.
’Returned to spirit form?’
The spirit sprang back, leaving the dazed serpent thrashing against the stone. It quickly recovered and spun around, searching for its slippery prey.
Ash scowled, then called out to the wolf:
"You could have killed it, no?"
The wolf, now bounding alongside them, snickered and returned his question.
"That would defeat the purpose, no?"
At her words, Ash gave a wry smile.
"I wouldn’t have exactly complained if you had. But neither would I mind slitting the bastard’s throat myself."
"Kekeke. Despite those harsh words of yours, you still have it in you to joke."
Ash glanced at the wolf.
"Hmph..."
Sadly, all he could give in response was a huff before the serpent lunged again, forcing him to catch its fangs with his dagger.
With its momentum halted once more and its body flailing uncontrollably, the princess landed another clean blow across its scales.
And...
’[Focus]’
Ash took a deep breath, feeling the landing’s scorching heat wash freely across his skin, then jumped into the air.
’I’ve gotten used to the stats.’
Spinning, he slammed his dagger down into the fold of one of its wings, tearing another hole through the leathery membrane.
The serpent thrashed wildly, attempting to throw him off.
"Not happening!"
Ash planted his foot against its back to steady himself while gripping the base of one of its wings. Then, from atop its twisting body, he began mutilating its other wings as best he could.
When the snake realized it couldn’t dislodge Ash, it did the only thing left it could think of...
As fast as it could, it surged toward the ledge and dove off.
’Is it enough?!’
The princess raced to the edge and called out:
"Ashley!"
Ash had a choice...
But that choice had been made from the moment he saw the Seal Sentry.
With the last second of [Focus], Ash cut a tiny hole into the wing he gripped. Then, he thrust his arm through it.
The moment [Focus] ended, the leather membrane phased closed around his arm, virtually attaching him to the beast through the [Goblin’s Bracers], as long as he kept his sandal hooked against the far side of its body.
The Spire Serpent tried to fly away, but with its wings in tatters, it merely began to fall.
Wind roared past Ash’s ears.
The landing vanished above them as the Spire Serpent plummeted between the volcanic peaks, its ruined wings snapping and fluttering uselessly against the air.
Ash’s body streamed behind it.
His arm remained trapped through the torn membrane, the equipped bracer catching against the wing while the rest of him phased through whenever the serpent’s thrashing body struck him. His sandal, however, stayed hooked against its far side, keeping him from slipping free.
’Fast.’
The surrounding cliffs blurred into streaks of black stone and molten orange. Far below, rivers of magma wound through the mountain range like glowing veins through the haze.
The serpent twisted violently, trying to right itself.
One damaged wing opened.
The torn membrane filled with air for half a second before splitting and tearing further. Their descent tilted sharply, sending them spiraling toward the mountainside.
Ash’s stomach lurched as the world revolved around him.
The Spire Serpent shrieked and beat its remaining wings desperately. Each frantic stroke only slowed their fall for an instant before gravity dragged them faster.
Ash glanced below. He could see the visage of the scenery through the smoke.
A jagged ridge jutted from the mountainside directly beneath them, its surface littered with broken pillars of basalt. Beyond it lay nothing but another sheer drop into the glowing ravine.
’That’ll do.’
The serpent must have seen it too.
It arched its body and forced its head upward, trying to clear the ridge. Its chest rose above the stone, but its mangled wings could not lift the rest of it.
Ash let himself separate from the serpent, his body falling through it.
The serpent’s lower body struck the ground.
A thunderous crack split the air as its tail smashed across the ridge, shattering stone and folding the creature’s body around the impact. Ash was whipped forward, his sandal tearing free as the wing beneath his arm snapped sideways.
A heartbeat later, the rest of the Spire Serpent slammed into the mountainside.
The collision swallowed everything in stone, dust, and deafening force.
Ash couldn’t see, but in the next moment he heard a voice whisper in his ear.
[You have slain a Spire Serpent]
[First Kill Bonus]
[+66 EXP]
’Got the name right...’
’Though I am a little surprised it didn’t have Seal in then name.’
But...
[Conditions to reach level 5 has not been met!]
[Winter’s Blessing has faded.]
All around him, Seal Scralwers rushed to his location, drawn by the intense commotion.
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