Awaken

Shwet's body convulsed violently as the Fairy Lotus Serum coursed through his veins, sending fire and ice through every nerve. His vision blurred in and out, flashes of light and darkness merging together. He could barely feel the cave floor beneath him—his senses slipping between unbearable pain and numbness.

Above him, the battle had already shifted.

The Serpents, realizing he was no longer a threat, moved with unhurried arrogance. One turned towards the unhatched eggs and non-combat Taratects, its predatory gaze filled with cold amusement. It slithered forward, ignoring the desperate screeches of the weaker Taratects as they formed a fragile last line of defense.

They fought with everything they had—fangs, silk, legs scrambling for grip as they tried to push back against the impossible strength of the serpent. But they were small, weak, insignificant.

The first strike sent limbs and shattered carapaces flying.

The second strike crushed an entire cluster in a single swing of its massive tail.

The Titan Taratects shrieked in rage and agony. Their kind—one of the last remnants of their ancient species—was being slaughtered. But they were too far, too occupied with their own battle to stop it.

A horrific realization struck them.

They couldn't protect their own kind. They were failing.

Fury overtook them, their movements turning reckless, desperate. Their strikes against the Great Serpents became wild and deadly, no longer focused on self-preservation, only revenge.

A Great Serpent's hiss turned into a guttural scream as a Titan's razor-sharp limbs tore through its scales, impaling it straight through the skull.

Victory. But it lasted only for a second.

The second Great Serpent, enraged at its fallen kin, retaliated instantly. Its fangs sank deep into the Titan's massive body, its venom rushing into the beast's bloodstream. The Titan Taratect thrashed violently, refusing to go down quietly. Even as death claimed it, it used its remaining strength to tear the flesh from the second serpent's throat.

Both behemoths collapsed together.

Their massive bodies hit the cave floor with a thunderous crash, sending tremors through the battlefield.

Thelast twl Titan Taratect remained, still fighting the great serpent, wounded and ragged, pushing through their limits.

They had lost everything.

The last thing they could do was to slaughter the serpents and avenge their fallen brethen.

Shwet's body still refused to move. He was a prisoner within himself, his mind screaming, thrashing against his own useless flesh.

Then—

A shadow leaped over him.

The Assassin Taratect, wounded, bleeding, but still standing, blocked the serpent's path. Its body was shaking, its attacks desperate but unrelenting. Its blades carved through the air, slashing at the serpent's scales, but they barely left a mark.

His mind reeled in frustration.

"What are you doing, stupid spider?!"

He tried to yell, but his throat betrayed him. No sound escaped.

"You have to protect your friends! What are you doing here?!"

The Assassin did not answer. It did not move away.

It stood its ground.

A terrifying realization struck Shwet, piercing deeper than any blade.

"It's… protecting me?"

The Great Serpent tilted its head, amusement flickering in its reptilian eyes.

> Pathetic.

Its massive body coiled before launching forward.

The Assassin, already at its limit, couldn't dodge.

CRACK!

Its fragile body caved under the crushing weight of the serpent's attack. Its legs crumbled, its once-proud stance shattered into the dirt.

Barely alive.

The Great Serpent slithered back, watching the creature's broken form with amusement. It turned its gaze back to Shwet.

> As if saying, 'This is all you had?'

Shwet's body refused to move, but something inside him snapped.

> "Youuuu bastards!"

The words tore out of his throat, raw and filled with pure hatred.

> The Serpent's grin widened.

"You bastard!!!! I will fucking murder you, bastard!!"

Then—

A new kind of pain exploded through him.

As if every bone in his body shattered at once.

> 'Thud.'

Another heartbeat—louder than before.

His mind twisted in agony, his body breaking down, being torn apart and remade all over again.

Something at his left shoulder burned, a sensation unfamiliar, but masked by his overwhelming rage.

His fingers twitched.

> Move… MOVE!!

He used every ounce of his strength, desperation clawing at his soul.

> 'MOVE, BODY!'

His body collapsed again.

Motionless.

A corpse.

The Great Serpent loomed over him, its mouth opening wide—the final strike.

The Assassin Taratect, though barely alive, tried to crawl forward.

Still trying to protect him.

The serpent, irritated to end it first. It prepared for a attack, and came for it in an instant, but...