Although the Pearl Spider’s attack capabilities were mediocre, its speed was alarmingly quick, often attacking in groups, even other beasts feared them. ‘These Spiders prefer to ambush in groups, so why is there only one?’ Zephyr thought as he quickly scanned the room for answers. The answer came in the eight or so Spider carcasses that littered the cave floor. It was obvious they had been cut down by a great blade. ‘It would seem Kerr did away with them, that blade of his sure is something…’ Zephyr grimly thought.

Zephyr let out an Earth-shattering fist, smashed the Spider to a pulp before he quickly picked up his pace. He summoned Lightfoot once again to ease his journey. After about 10 minutes of swift steps, Zephyr stopped, but not on his own accord. A large gust of energy had come suddenly, it crushed Zephyr’s fortitude, and halted his progress. The pressure felt like a waterfall h

Zephyr realized something, not only did Kerr seem unaffected, but he was also very energetic. “That’s it! It must be the nature of the Winged Serpent school!” The Winged Serpents were, by nature, focused on snake-like elements in their teachings. Naturally, snakes and dragons were similar in both shape and style. If one trained hard enough, they may transcend snake-status and evolve into a dragon-styled fighter. Through this method, one may bypass the Way to achieve dragon-hood. Whether achieving mastery over it in this school led to one becoming a dragon, Zephyr did not know, but what was clear was that Kerr, and potentially his kin are unfazed by this draconic power due to their innate training.

Zephyr squinted at Kerr, at his level, Kerr could focus his energy into venomous attacks, possibly even capable of corroding materials. Aside from that, Kerr was a Strength of level nine, Zephyr could not take him on lightly. He must weigh each of his moves, otherwise it could mean death! ‘Even if I may be able to defend myself against his techniques, his Blade would still be a problem!’ Zephyr thought about it a bit more. “If I combined the strength of Earth-shatterer with the speed and silence of Lightfoot, I may be able to take Kerr by surprise, finishing him in one blow!” Zephyr mulled over it a bit more. “I’ll only get one chance; I must time it wisely!”

Kerr stood there, eyes stared towards the ray of draconic power, laughing maniacally. “I, Kerr, will soon be unrivalled! Once I become a dragon, nothing, nobody can stop me!” Immediately, Kerr began the ritual to absorb the powers, his energy conjured and manifested into that of a great snake. Unlike his previous lackeys’ manifestations, Kerr’s serpent was lifelike, a great coiled beast reaching out slowly, with jaws agape towards the ray of golden light. The mere presence of the creature instantly plummeted the room’s temperature.

The golden plume reacted violently, roared and thrashed within, it sent ripples throughout the cave, the walls cracked with its power. It must have sensed the serpentine energy coming its way, posing as one of its own. Although it was mere draconic power, it had draconic pride! Unwilling to recognize the snake approaching it, it would not submit easily. Feeling the aggression, Kerr flashed wary looks. A great grasp of pressure wrapped around Kerr, which induced immeasurable pain. His snake manifestation, likewise, reflected its master’s agony, crumbling on itself. Kerr spat blood as his body was splayed open by the draconic powers. 

“Now!” Zephyr launched his move, his body as quick as lightning, sped towards Kerr. Zephyr summoned Lightfoot, his silhouette became untouchable. The closer he got, the more his Might reacted, this further enhanced his moves. He felt as though the draconic energy within him was being returned home, a great yearning to be reunited. 

‘All I did was get closer, and now my powers have surged… I need that energy!’ Zephyr thought, his heart pulsed with anxious excitement.

Suddenly, Zephyr slowed down, his steps were no longer speedy and silent. Lightfoot had taken too much, his energy reserves were not sufficient to maintain his movements. 

“You!” Seeing Zephyr appear before him, Kerr unsheathed the Ouroboros, and launched himself at Zephyr.

“Master Kerr sure is a lucky man… Who would’ve known such a great boon would befall him, I mean, draconic power! Master Kerr is definitely going to excel back home,” one of the guards lamented his jealousy. “Master Kerr will definitely be the new heir to the Winged Serpents, I mean come on! Draconic power! Who could top that?” the other replied. The first guard nodded in agreement and followed up excitingly, “Master Kerr likes us a lot doesn’t he? Maybe, when he becomes the patriarch, we’ll get special positions!” The two of them became more and more excited as they chatted away while fantasizing about their futures at Winged Serpents. They did not notice as a light blue gas cloud slowly drifted their way.

The gas was light, and easy to miss. It slowly wrapped itself around the two men. “What’s going on? I’m feeling real dizzy right now…” asked one of them while shaking his head. “Me to

Although the Pearl Spider’s attack capabilities were mediocre, its speed was alarmingly quick, often attacking in groups, even other beasts feared them. ‘These Spiders prefer to ambush in groups, so why is there only one?’ Zephyr thought as he quickly scanned the room for answers. The answer came in the eight or so Spider carcasses that littered the cave floor. It was obvious they had been cut down by a great blade. ‘It would seem Kerr did away with them, that blade of his sure is something…’ Zephyr grimly thought.

Zephyr let out an Earth-shattering fist, smashed the Spider to a pulp before he quickly picked up his pace. He summoned Lightfoot once again to ease his journey. After about 10 minutes of swift steps, Zephyr stopped, but not on his own accord. A large gust of energy had come suddenly, it crushed Zephyr’s fortitude, and halted his progress. The pressure felt like a waterfall had come upon him, putting great force upon Zephyr, outright stopping him in his tracks. Fortunately,

Chapter 23