Chapter 1206: Only One Way
Somewhere in the depths of Mabi, Adam vaulted from one tree branch to another, quickly making distance from his pursuers.
After several minutes of high-intensity sprinting, he finally found a relatively safe spot within the crown of a towering tree. Then, he quickly poured mana into the Stealth Cloak and the Stealth Boots and activated their enchantments.
He had never been so grateful for acquiring these artifacts in his early days on this island-continent. If it weren’t for them, he might have long since been devoured by the beasts being controlled by that hateful serpent.
"Gege!" the mimic, who was in its rucksack form, spat the water flask out, offering it to Adam.
The youth grinned from ear to ear as he grabbed the flask. "Good boy."
As he greedily drank the water, he expanded his Sphere of Resonance to the maximum output and observed his surroundings.
In the far distance, from the treeline, flocks of birds scattered all at once. They burst forth into the air in every direction, their wings beating frantically. They were in a complete state of panic as they fled. The sky above was filled with their chaotic movements.
A deep rumble spread across the ground. It grew louder with each passing moment. Dust rose into the air, forming thick clouds that reduced visibility over the horizon. Bestial silhouettes moved within the haze. There were hundreds of them.
And behind them... loomed the colossal body of the one-eyed snake! Its gray scales caught the light of the sun, and its serpentine head towered above the horde of beasts. Every movement of the serpent pushed the beasts forward, as though it was driving them with its will alone.
In a way, it was. In the two months that Adam had spent running away from the serpent and its horde, he had realized a few things about it.
First, the serpent was a mighty beast with strength equivalent to a Mana Core Magus. Second, its main magical ability was derived from the School of Enchantment. This ability was what allowed it to compel lesser beasts and make them do its bidding.
That was the reason why all kinds of different beasts were following the serpent’s orders. These creatures would happily ride into a suicidal charge. Worse yet, they would obediently offer themselves up as food for the serpent if need be.
Third, the serpent was utterly adamant about capturing Adam. More precisely, it was interested in the Staff of Calamity. Or else, it would have never bothered to pursue him for two months straight, traveling hundreds of miles away from its lair in the Forgotten City.
And lastly, no matter the circumstances, the serpent was always able to accurately pinpoint Adam’s location. Otherwise, just based on the stealth-related artifacts he wielded, the youth would have long since disappeared from the beast’s clutches.
"Damn it!" Adam cursed under his breath. He figured he only had a couple of minutes to rest until the horde arrived. Then, once again, the game of cat-and-mouse would begin anew.
He knew that the serpent wanted the Staff of Calamity, and he also had a theory as to why. But there was no way Adam was going to part with it. It was a highly valuable artifact that was second only to the Eternal Soul Lotus.
Besides, Lord White had gifted him this artifact, so he couldn’t bring himself to abandon it. But more importantly, he was simply too greedy to part with such a valuable artifact. So the only thing he could do now was run and hide, and repeat the process over and over again.
"If only I could use spells..." he muttered in grievance.
But, right at that moment, the strangely familiar voice scoffed, "Even if you did have access to spells, you wouldn’t be able to defeat such a mighty creature. Neither could you exile it to the spirit world. It’s simply too big in size. Your best option is to flee—spell or no spell."
Adam’s lips curled into a wide grin. Right as he felt the urge to burst into laughter, he viciously bit the tip of his tongue. Cursing inwardly, he grimaced in pain.
"Then there’s only one way..." he murmured.
"Indeed," said the familiar voice belonging to the white-robed Adam.
Adam took a deep breath, steadied his emotions, and pressed on with his escape.
***
Several days later.
Adam arrived at the edge of a vast swamp. The air was thick and humid, filled with the smell of wet earth and algae. Shallow pools of murky green water were scattered across the marsh, surrounded by reeds, floating plants, and fallen logs.
The type of trees that grew here changed drastically. Instead of towering trees with verdant leaves and thick trunks, Adam found mangrove and cypress trees growing here, their shapes making it difficult for Adam to vault across.
However, he had already achieved his objective by making it to the edge of the dark swamp lands. He observed his surroundings and noticed insects buzzing and tiny frogs croaking, their faint sounds echoing across the wetlands.
Beneath the normal sounds, however, a low and steady vibration hummed through the murky waters. When Adam expanded his Sphere of Resonance to locate the source of these faint tremors, his lips curled into a wide, maniacal grin.
At the largest pond, the surface rippled relentlessly in a slow, steady rhythm. Underneath the surface, Adam could feel a titanic presence. Its size alone made it clear it was far more than an ordinary creature. And the mana fluctuations radiating from it made it the perfect target.
The sound of the beast horde approaching from behind grew louder and louder, prompting Adam to act quickly. He took a deep breath and summoned the Staff of Calamity.
"This better work," he mumbled.
Gathering strength into his upper body, he hurled the staff straight towards the largest pond in the swamp. While it was mid-air, he commanded it to expand, transforming it into a towering pillar.
With a huge splash, it crashed into the pond and began to sink. Slowly, it submerged deeper and deeper until it finally stopped, part of its massive form still visible above the water’s surface.
A few moments of tense silence descended upon the wetlands, and then...
The surface of the pond rippled violently as something massive moved beneath the water. With a sudden surge, a colossal frog’s head broke through the surface of the pond, its cold eyes scanning the swamp.
Finally, its gaze settled on the giant one-eyed serpent leading a horde of beasts into its territory.
As for Adam...
He had long since disappeared.