Chapter 22 - Fierce Battle

The moment the golden eyes blinked open in the shadows, Sid knew—this wasn't just any beast.

A huge black python.

Ten meters long, coiled in silence, muscles tense with coiled malice. Its scales shimmered like obsidian oil, every movement graceful and deadly. Those golden eyes locked onto his, and a slow hiss escaped its throat. Its mouth opened slightly, revealing fangs long as daggers.

Drip.

A bead of dark green poison fell from its fang and landed on the cave floor with a soft sizzle.

The stone melted.

Sid didn't move. Neither did the snake. Time felt suspended—just two predators locked in a silent standoff, instincts whispering danger.

Then, like lightning—

It struck.

Sid barely dodged in time. The wind howled from the force of the blow as the snake's head slammed into the cavern wall. Rocks exploded. Dust clouded the air.

He dashed to the side, drawing his sword with a sharp whisper of steel. The snake whipped back at him with terrifying speed. He parried, but the force nearly tore the weapon from his grip. A second strike. A third.

The cave shook with every clash.

He weaved through the serpent's strikes, slicing when he could, but its hide was like armor—thick, unyielding. His blade only scratched the surface. It wasn't enough.

Minutes passed. Or was it only seconds?

The snake showed no signs of fatigue. In fact, its strikes were growing sharper—more deliberate. More intelligent.

Sid noticed it—how the beast was adapting. His feints didn't work twice. His dodges were anticipated. This was no mindless creature. It learned.

Damn it. If this keeps up…

His breath grew heavier. Muscles began to ache. Each movement slowed just slightly—just enough to matter.

He rolled to avoid another strike and caught a glimpse beneath its head. Just for a heartbeat, he saw it—

A faint scar.

An old wound, half-healed and hidden beneath armored scales.

That's the spot.

From then on, everything changed. His dodges became tighter, his attacks more calculated. He stopped wasting motion and focused everything on that scar. But the snake sensed it. It guarded the spot, twisted its body unnaturally to keep it hidden.

Sid's lungs burned. His legs screamed. Still, he pushed.

There would be no second chance.

Then came the moment—the gamble.

The python reared back for a final, crushing lunge.

Sid didn't dodge.

Instead, he stepped in.

The snake bit—fangs sinking into his side, injecting a searing torrent of venom. But he didn't scream.

Gritting his teeth, He flashed his blade—arcing upward in a single, desperate strike.

Steel met flesh.

The sword pierced the scar, ripping through scale and bone. Straight into the brain.

The snake convulsed violently, its massive body thrashing and slamming against the cave walls. A final, broken hiss escaped its mouth before it slumped to the ground, motionless.

Dead.

Sid collapsed beside it.

His hands trembled. His vision blurred.

The venom raced through his body like fire.

A searing, molten heat.

He tried to breathe—but every breath felt like swallowing lava. His veins felt like they were boiling. His muscles twitched uncontrollably. His teeth clenched so hard they nearly cracked.

He lay there, twitching, shaking violently on the cave floor.

Eyes unfocused.

Mind drifting.

"I can't die like this," he thought.

And yet, even through the agony—

He clung to life.