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Chapter 115
🕑 Added 2025-07-28 13:11:21 +0000 UTCWarren took a steadying breath, forcing his mind to focus despite the danger lurking above. He nocked an arrow with practiced precision, watching as white energy slowly coalesced along the bowstring. The forest had fallen into an unnatural silence—even the fire-horned rhinox seemed to sense something amiss.
The massive beast raised its head, ears swiveling as it searched for threats. Finding nothing but the whisper of wind through leaves, it began to turn away from the clearing. That's when Warren struck.
Thwip!
The energy arrow streaked through the air like a bolt of lightning, finding its mark with surgical precision.
"MOOOOOO!" The rhinox's agonized bellow shattered the forest quiet as the arrow pierced its eye.
The commotion startled the phantom snake coiled in the canopy above. Its serpentine head swiveled toward Warren's position, forked tongue flicking out to taste the air. Frost-cold pupils fixed on the hunter with predatory intent.
Before the creature could move, a dull whistling sound cut through the air above its head.
WHAM!
Aidan materialized from a portal directly above the snake, his enchanted sledgehammer crashing down with tremendous force. The impact drove the serpent's skull against the thick branch with a sickening crunch. Both snake and broken limb plummeted to the forest floor in a tangle of scales and splintered wood.
Not giving the dazed creature a moment to recover, Aidan raised his hammer again.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Each thunderous blow echoed through the trees as the phantom snake's massive body thrashed wildly across the ground. Every impact from its writhing coils made the earth tremble, but Aidan's relentless assault kept the creature pinned and disoriented.
"Uncle Warren, I need covering fire!" Aidan shouted as he noticed the snake beginning to adapt to his attacks.
Warren snapped back to awareness, drawing his bow in one fluid motion. The energy arrow found its mark in the serpent's flesh with a wet thunk, eliciting a pained hiss that seemed to clear some of the creature's confusion.
Though more alert now, the phantom snake found itself trapped between Aidan's crushing hammer blows and Warren's precise arrows. Wounds accumulated across its massive form, dark blood seeping into the forest floor. Escape seemed impossible with Aidan's weapon raining down like clockwork and deadly projectiles forcing it to constantly dodge.
As its injuries mounted, the snake's icy pupils flashed with desperate cunning. Warren drew back his bowstring once more, aiming for the creature's eye to end the fight quickly.
The arrow flew true, sinking into the serpent's pupil with a sharp whistle.
Too easy, Warren realized with growing horror.
Before he could close his eyes or look away, the phantom snake's hypnotic gaze flooded his mind. The world went dark, then blazed with warm light as his beloved wife appeared before him, cradling their infant daughter in her arms. The illusion was perfect—every detail exactly as he remembered from their happiest days.
Meanwhile, Aidan's hammer had transformed into the blazing Sword of the Vishanti. A third eye—the Eye of Agamotto—gleamed from his forehead, having predicted the snake's desperate gambit. In the brief moment while the creature maintained its illusion, he struck with decisive force.
SCHLIK!
The mystical blade severed the phantom snake's head in one clean stroke. The massive skull hit the ground with a final, earth-shaking thud.
Aidan approached the severed head, fighting back revulsion as he examined the creature's remains. One pupil was dark and lifeless, but the other still glowed with an inner light like a polished emerald. Reaching toward the mystical organ, he channeled his magic carefully, coaxing the supernatural essence from its physical housing.
A gem-like vertical pupil materialized in his palm, pulsing with captured illusion magic.
"Not a bad day's work," he murmured, pocketing the valuable trophy before turning to Warren.
The older man lay sprawled on the forest floor, his face radiating pure bliss as he lived within the snake's final gift. But darkness was approaching, and the mountains held far worse dangers after sunset.
Aidan knelt beside the entranced hunter and shook his shoulder firmly.
"Uncle Warren, time to wake up!"
In the illusion, Warren felt his perfect world suddenly shake violently. Through the dissipating dream, he saw Aidan's raised hand approaching his face with obvious intent.
"No, no! I'm awake, I'm awake!" Warren scrambled upright, waving his hands frantically to forestall the incoming slap.
"Pity," Aidan said with mock disappointment, lowering his arm.
Warren's eye twitched at the younger man's obvious regret. As awareness fully returned, he remembered their situation and spun to check on the phantom snake. The severed head lay nearby, one socket empty and bloody while the other stared sightlessly at the sky. The serpent's body still twitched with residual nerve activity.
"You actually killed it?" Warren asked, genuine surprise in his voice.
"Of course," Aidan replied with a casual shrug.
"I may have underestimated you," Warren admitted, reassessing his young companion's capabilities.
"Save the praise for later. We need to move—darkness in these mountains is exponentially more dangerous than daylight."
"Agreed. What should we do with the bodies?"
Aidan gestured at the two massive carcasses. "Just drag them through a portal. Nothing easier."
"Then let's go." Warren nodded as Aidan tore open a shimmering red gateway back to Ivy's house. "Hurry—I can't maintain this for long."
Warren heaved the fire-horned rhinox through the dimensional rift, followed by Aidan with his collection of exotic creatures and the snake's remains.
Moments later, they stood in the familiar courtyard behind Ivy's lighthouse home, surrounded by their hunting spoils.
"You wizards certainly have life easy," Warren said, marveling at the convenience of magical transportation.
"I could have stored everything in my dimensional pocket, actually," Aidan mentioned casually.
Warren stared at him. "Then why did you make me drag those things?"
"You haven't exercised in a week. I thought you could use the workout."
"Your consideration is... overwhelming," Warren replied dryly.
The sound of their return had carried into the house. Ivy emerged, taking in the scene of her father and Aidan standing beside two enormous carcasses.
"You went hunting?" she asked, walking over to examine their kills.
"Indeed! Quite the successful expedition," Warren said proudly.
Aidan selected one of the Bligh Rabbits from his floating menagerie. "This is for you," he said, offering the creature to Ivy.
She fixed him with an accusatory glare. "We searched all of Asgard for you, and you were off hunting?" But her anger evaporated the moment she saw the adorable rabbit with its glowing forehead gem. "Oh my goodness, it's actually a Bligh Rabbit! It's absolutely precious!" She cradled the creature gently, entranced by the emerald crystal adorning its head.
Comments
KingSpy25i .
Thank you for the wonderful chapter 🙏
