"No, you helped yourself. You stole them from their world, their friends, their families, and for what? To give them the “honor” of being your spare bodies? I'm sure they really appreciated that, didn’t they?”
"That came later! I very rarely had to change out my body before you came along and even then, I wanted something close to my original body. No, I gave them something to fight against—a monster in the dark to ally with their fellow mortals against. And you know what? Probably for the first time in the history of their people, there was no war, no sickness, and no starvation. The strong protected the weak, the rich fed the poor, and no god could torment them. There was peace."
"I can't tell if you see the irony in that statement and have chosen to ignore it, or if you're just full of shit. Actually, now that I think about it, you’re probably just so insane it makes sense to you."
"Am I insane? AM I!?"
"Yeah, you kinda are."
"And what does that say about you, “the snake that challenged god”? Are you insane?"
"Most definitely. You'd have to be to think a mortal could win against a god."
"Then why do it if you know it's insane?"
"Simple. I don't care if it's insane. A god took something from me a long time ago and now—now, I'm going to make sure they all regret allowing it to happen."
"And you have the gall to call me insane," Rajah scoffed.
"Yes. Now, shut up before I eat you."
"You just ate a planet! How the hell could you still be hungry? What, do you have some kind of parasite or some shit?"
"You're still talking."
"You can't expect me to keep quiet after you forced me to watch that!"
"Sure, I can. Watch." I created a gravity well inside my mouth, then sucked Rajah inside.
*Ding!*Ding*Ding*Ding*Ding*
ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ
Congratulations!
Due to the absurdity of devouring a planet, you have earned “The Devourer of Worlds” title.
(Error) Y—You you you, have reached max level—level.
You have unlocked the following evolutionary path
Tier 10 ascension
This evolution is automatic and has already been applied.
Name: Torga
Race: Gluttonous Dark Naga Hydra
Classification: Tier 10
Level: 100(?)
Experience: N/A
Titles: Destroyer of Asgard, The Dark Serpent, The Unwavering One, Royal Serpent, Free, The Devourer of Worlds
Stats:
Physical Strength: 8,482,629
Endurance: 8,482,629
Dexterity: 1,051
Speed: 1,201
Mental Intelligence: 60
Wisdom: 45
Charisma: 21
Resistances Elements: 60%
Divinity: 80%
Mental: 20%
Immunities Mind Control
Illusions
Skills: Major Stealth, Heat Detection, Absolute Gluttony, Absolute Growth, Greater Petrifying Gaze, Superior Acid Venom, Detect Concealment, Energy Breath, Fly, Magic Enhancement, Elemental Manipulation, Gravity Manipulation, Size Control
Traits: Divine Gluttonous Aura +40, Growth +70, Venomous, Aquatic, Forever Growing, Indomitable, Supreme Regeneration
ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ
I dismissed the popups and began following the branch to my next destination.
*Ding*
ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ
Due to the rules of the King’s Challenge being broken, translocating to the Neutral Zone in 10 seconds.
ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏ
“Wait, what!?”
I ARRIVED IN THE NEUTRAL Zone approximately eleven seconds after reading the pop-up. I looked around at the frozen wasteland and immediately noticed a problem. The pillars were missing.
I don’t like this. Something’s wrong. I slowly spun in place, taking in my surroundings and trying to find anything out of the ordinary, anything I could use to confirm my suspicions.
The sight of Naunet standing off to the side with a completely unreadable look on his face cemented the “trap” theory in my head. I plastered a fake smile on my face and approached him. I had no way of knowing if Naunet was involved in some way, but the last I’d seen him, he was supposedly going to sacrifice himself to delay the gods. Since I hadn’t seen them since the explosion, I’d assumed it worked. But what if he sold me out after all?
It would certainly hurt to find out that Naunet had betrayed me. But, at the end of the day, I’d known from the beginning that one of us would need to die in order for the other to live. I honestly couldn’t blame Naunet for looking out for himself. After all, it’s what I was best at.
"Naunet, you’re looking good for a dead guy. What’s your secret? " I asked.
"You don’t sound happy to see me, Torga. I’m hurt."
"Oh, no, I am happy to see you again. You’re one of the few friends I’ve made in this life."
“Likewise,” Naunet responded with an awkward smile on his face.
“So—what happens now?” I asked, never once taking my eyes off of him. “I suppose we can’t just go our separate ways here and be done with it?”
Naunet's magic came to life, a transparent dome appeared around him, and he bowed his head. "I'm not against you, Torga. I meant what I said about you being my friend. Those years with you were some of the best I’ve had in a long time. But, I’m with them now." Naunet pointed up.
"Them?" my gaze inched upwards until I was staring at a moon—a moon that was getting closer by the second.
“Is that your moon?” I asked incredulously.
“Yes.”
"Are you throwing your moon at me?"
"Yes."
"You know this will destroy it as well, right?"
"That’s the idea."
"Oh, well in that case,” I laughed, “bring it on."
Chapter 26
THE MOON CRASHED INTO the surface and crushed Torga beneath its mass. Naunet, on the other hand, was teleported away just before it made contact. He reappeared on the branch and was quickly surrounded by eleven people. Five were serpents of varying sizes and the rest were gods.
The first serpent was Amatzin, the basilisk, said to be older than any "mortal” god. While he wasn't the largest of the serpents and was technically blind, even Naunet feared both his venom and his control over the element of earth. His pale white scales, eyes, and spines were littered with scars from battles long since forgotten by all but the oldest god.
Next was Shabaka, the Sun Wyrm. He was the largest fire wyrm to ever exist. He’d grown much too powerful, and his flames too potent, to live on a planet like the rest of them. So, he spent his days within the depths of a young star at the center of the system. After spending who knows how many millennia inside a star, his scales had turned a deep crimson, his beady eyes had turned pitch black, and his body constantly gave off enough heat to melt granite.
Then came Dragar, the Titan Serpent, whose defenses were said to be unbreachable by even the most powerful weapon. His onyx-colored scales and violet eyes were a stark contrast to the almost transparent Amatzin.
The fourth serpent was Sereath, the Lamia Queen. Her exposed chest, long black hair, and kind blue eyes sent shivers down Naunet's spine—not of fear, but excitement. How long had he dreamed of holding her to his chest? How long had he dreamed of once again feeling her supple skin against his scales?
And the last was Rajah. He was back in his true body, thanks to last minute interference from Carlas. His golden scales were in the same state of grotesque rot as always.
"While I understand your surprise and excitement over seeing her again, need I remind you that we are currently pressed for time—" Carlas, one of the only two gods to appear in their physical form, was interrupted when a cataclysmic *boom* sent waves of kinetic energy racing along the branch and almost caused some of the weaker beings to lose their footing.
"If you throw one more moon at me, frie
ndship or not, I'm going to get really cross with you." Though Torga had dirt and debris all over his body, he didn't have any visible wounds. And the absolutely furious expression on his face said he was already beyond angry.
"Hello Carlas, Arkos, fancy meeting you here. Who're your friends?" While Torga's words were normal enough, his tone was anything but. The venom and murderous rage in his voice sent cold chills down everyone's spine.
“Do not fail Mother. You know what awaits you if you do,” Carlas said. He grabbed Arkos by the arm and the two vanished in a flash of golden light.
"You all know the plan. Go!" a violet-colored god ordered.
Sereath removed the barrier around Naunet, allowing him to dash at Torga with Dragar and Shabaka following closely behind. Amatzin used his magic to create three humongous boulders and threw them at Torga's back, and Sereath reluctantly began to remove the rot from Rajah’s body. While the serpents faced Torga, the gods began chanting in a strange language.
Torga did a one-two combo on the boulders. His right fists broke through the first two, then his left shattered the last one on the spot.
Naunet knew he was the better fighter between the two of them, but that was only if he could keep Torga from using his stupid strength. Naunet slid under a haymaker aimed at his head, then kicked Torga’s torso. If Torga felt it, it didn’t show.
While his heads attacked Shabaka and Dragar, Torga chased after Naunet. Each swing of his fist could’ve torn Naunet’s head from his shoulders, which is why Naunet made doubly sure that wherever Torga’s fists flew, he didn’t stick around for long.
"He's gotten stronger!" Naunet hollered.
"No shit, fuckface! I could have told you that!" Rajah yelled.
"Why didn't you, then!?"
"Because fuck you, that’s why!”
"Shut up and move!" Naunet hollered again.
Naunet dodged out of the way as Torga hurled the five-hundred-foot body of Dragar back at him.
"We need to keep him still! The spell is almost complete!" a yellow-colored god yelled.
"That's easier said than done!"
"Well, if you'd stop complaining and focus maybe it wouldn't be!"
"Oh yeah? Swap places with me then!"
"Are you crazy!? He'd kill me!"
"Then shut the fuck up!"
Naunet charged at Torga, while Rajah and Amatzin used their magic to slow him down and Sereath waited for the right moment to strike. She only had one chance to pull her spell off, and if she missed, Torga wouldn’t give her another chance.
Torga swung his fist at Naunet, but it seemed to just pass right through him as Naunet twisted his body slightly to the side and slammed a palm into Torga's stomach, with nary a grunt from Torga. "That didn’t happen the last time we sparred," he said.
Torga’s eyes flared, as did his temper. It was a gamble pissing him off, but Naunet needed something to keep him occupied while the gods finished their preparations. Suddenly a serpent head came out of nowhere and sunk its teeth into Naunet’s shoulder.
Naunet screamed in pain as the acid venom poured into his system. "You son of a bitch!" Naunet hissed. "Now, do it now!"
Rajah grabbed Sereath and threw her onto Torga’s back.
Naunet pulled Torga's head down to keep her away from his fangs and Sereath gently placed her hands on either side of his head.
"Sleep," she ordered.
Despite Torga's will, his eyes slowly closed and within moments, he was asleep.
"It's done! Hold on everyone!"
Every living person on the branch was suddenly teleported away.
I OPENED MY EYES TO see a gray-tiled ceiling and a fan slowly rotating.
"Where—am I?" I asked.
"Oh, thank God you're awake!"
I recognized the voice. Even after all these years, that was the one voice I remembered above all others. I blinked the sleep from my eyes and quickly sat up in bed. "Sarah?"
A blonde-haired bullet slammed into my chest, knocking me onto my back, and began sobbing into my shirt. "Don't you ever do something that stupid again, do you hear me?"
"What did I do? What happened?" I asked. I couldn’t remember doing anything bad. Actually, I couldn’t remember much of anything at the moment.
Sarah sat up and glared down at me. "Pretending not to remember won't save you."
I gave her a blank stare.
“You remember, don’t you? You saved that boy's life and got hit by a truck in the process. You've been in a coma for two weeks."
"Oh..."
Sarah leaned down and gently kissed me on the lips. "I'm glad you're back."
"I'm glad you're back," repeated Sereath as she stood in front of Torga with her hands on his head and her eyes closed.
"Sounds like he's having a pleasant dream," Naunet said.
"If all goes well, it’ll be a dream he'll never have to wake up from," the violet-colored god replied. “I assume your master will hold up his end of the bargain?”
"Watch your tongue, and do not doubt my master. He will always do right by his allies,” Naunet sneered.
"Hey, Naunet, old buddy, old pal, how’s it going?" Rajah asked, a manic smile on his serpentine face.
"Shut up."
"Aw, don't be like that. Can't you just let bygones be bygones and forgive me? You’ve gotten yourself a new broad, after all."
"Do not speak of her!"
"Boys, enough. Your voices are making it incredibly difficult to keep him under."
Naunet wisely shut his mouth at Sereath's warning.
For the next few hours, the only sound they could hear was Sereath whispering sweet nothings into Torga's ear and the gods chanting.
"Jealous yet?" Rajah whispered.
"Shut. Up."
"Yeah, you're jealous," Rajah snorted.
"I'm going to kill you when this is over."
"You'll have to find me first."
"Boys!"
Naunet and Rajah's mouths snapped shut and the silence returned.
Several hours later, a whirlwind of magic appeared outside the circle of pillars. The magic slowly turned into a massive black Hydra with eight heads and eight tails. Each of the heads had an oriental helmet made from Yggdrasil's wood with a long-forgotten language inscribed onto it, and each tail was lined with spikes.
All sixteen of Orochi's eyes opened at once and looked down at the gathering. Then, almost instantly, the Hydra was replaced with a fifteen-foot-tall man with sixteen arms. The gods, Naunet, Rajah, and Amatzin all “kneeled” at Orochi's feet while Sereath nodded her head.
"Finally," Orochi sighed.
"Sire," Naunet began.
“Now, Naunet. Is that anyway to speak to your older brother?”
“Right,” Naunet said contritely. “Hello, brother. It’s good to see you again.”
“Oh ho,” Orochi murmured as his eyes landed on Sereath. “Who might you be?”
“My name is Sereath, Sire. I am the current Lamia Queen.”
“Interesting.” Orochi eyed her up and down. “What of Sharlaska—does she still live?”
“Grandmother? Yes, she lives.”
“Grandmother, eh? You hear that, Naunet? Sharlaska is her grandmother.”
“I’m aware, Sire,” Naunet replied, clearly uncomfortable with Orochi’s statement.
"Excuse me, Orochi?” the violet-colored god interrupted. “We have long researched ways to free you from your prison and, as you can see, we were successful. By anchoring a serpent of similar power to you here, we can trick the enchantments into believing you are still trapped, and—"
“I do not care for the specifics, godling. Just get on with it.”
"Er—Right away." The god gave out orders to the other gods, then got back to work while Orochi walked over to Naunet’s side.
“She your woman?” Orochi quietly asked, never taking his eyes of Sereath.
“Unless Sire wishes to claim her.”
“No,” Orochi chuckled. “She’s all yours, dea
rest brother. Consider it my gift for releasing me.”
“You’re too gracious, Sire.” Naunet managed to reply without venom coloring his tone. It would not be wise to upset Orochi now.
APPROXIMATELY FIVE hours later, the gods finished setting up the ritual to bind Torga in Orochi's place and the serpents were preparing to leave, as their parts in this plan were over.
The first to go was Orochi, as he had a meeting to attend with the mother of these godlings.
However, before Naunet could activate the spell to send the rest of them away, he spotted Rajah hanging off of Torga’s shoulder.
Since the day prior, Sereath had locked Torga within his dream where he was free to rest. Neither she nor anyone else was close enough to stop the insane bastard from whispering who knows what in Torga's ear.
"Rajah, get your ass over here!" Naunet called.
Rajah held up a clawed digit, then continued whispering into Torga’s ear.
Suddenly Torga’s eyes snapped open and everything went straight to hell.
A burst of aura exploded out of Torga’s body and instantly absorbed everything within arm’s reach, including Rajah.
Most of the gods and serpents managed to escape this fate by teleporting away, but Amatzin wasn’t so lucky. Naunet and the other survivors were now several hundred feet away and were staring in mounting horror at the wave of abyssal blackness creeping towards them.
"What about the spell? Did it work?" Naunet asked the violet god.
"Yes, it worked! He's trapped here!" he yelled back.
"Then we need to leave! Now!"
Out of the blackness echoed a voice that would haunt Naunet’s dreams for the rest of his life. "You can't escape me. No matter how far you run or how well you hide. I will find you." Two glowing orange eyes appeared out of the blackness and stared at Sereath. "You. I'd like to thank you for what you did to me. Thanks to you, I got to spend time with my wife again. For that, you’ve earned a quick death.”
A Snake's Path (A Snake's Life Book 2) Page 23