Chapter 45: Aegis Serpent
Floating silently in the sky was a massive serpentine beast with dazzling scales that flickered with blue and silvery light. Its pair of serpentine eyes looked at Mary without emotion, and on its back were gorgeous wings that allowed it to glide silently through the air.
"It really is an Aegis Serpent," Mary muttered under her breath, her heart not fluttering like the last time she had faced this monstrosity.
The Aegis Serpent is a formidable creature, revered and feared across countless worlds for its unique ability to counter charm and enchantment.
David looked at the floating serpent, frowning. Mary was clearly in a disadvantageous position.
Sebastian, standing by David's side, looked at the Serpent with interest. Understanding David's thoughts, he patiently explained, "It could only use its wings for escape; other than that, they are mostly useless…" He stopped mid-sentence as the fight between Mary and the Aegis Serpent finally began.
"This will not be like the last time," Mary whispered, her eyes lighting up like torches. She extended her hand, and an invisible wave of charm surged toward the serpent.
"Here it comes," Mary thought, aware that the serpent was going to use its domain skill, Aura of Clarity, which rendered any charm or mind control ineffective in its presence.
As if she had prophesied, her words were proven correct. A hundred-meter domain around the serpent flickered with an invisible aura that rendered her earlier attack useless.
"If that is the only thing you can do…" Mary muttered in a low voice. Suddenly, her hair turned white, and an invisible charm power rushed towards the serpent like a devastating tide.
This time, the influence was too much. The Aegis Serpent's skill, Aura of Clarity, failed to negate it.
Even the spectators, David and Sebastian, who were not even targeted, felt the urge to bow down to Mary.
Rumble! Lightning flashed, expressing anger at Mary's audacity.
"Now! Die," Mary ordered in a plain voice, her white hair fluttering in the wind.
The next scene sent a chill down David's spine.
The fearsome serpent opened its giant maw and bit its own tail.
David watched this with some trepidation in his heart. What if someday his enemy also used such an attack on him? How was he going to defend against it? It was better to think about countermeasures before he encountered them.
While David was pondering ways to deal with such power, the Aegis Serpent continued to bite its own body and slowly fell to the ground.
Even then, the Aegis Serpent didn't stop. It continued to bite and swallow itself.
After some time, only its head was left on the ground, still trying to end its life but unable to.
Its struggle continued for some time before it died a brutal death.
Just after its death, the dark clouds disappeared, and the sun once again became visible in the sky.
Mary also returned to normal, her white hair turning black once again.
"Congratulations, Mary," David said happily, walking towards her while being careful.
"It was nothing really, Master. I can feel that you are also about to break through," Mary spoke while looking at him.
At her words, David raised his eyebrows. How could she tell? He just needed to comprehend laws, and he was good to go.
Both of them started chatting, and soon Sebastian also joined them.
David was curious about her process. Although he had watched her all this time, he didn't understand much.
His eyes unconsciously moved toward the bandit girl. It was time to deal with her.
He told the trio to wait for him while he took the girl with him.
Initially, he was worried that if he took the girl away, Mary's control over her would weaken, but she assured him it wouldn't change anything.
While he was taking the girl away, Mary looked at him encouragingly and repeatedly stressed being gentle.
He understood what was going on inside the rotten girl's brain and immediately denied it.
After some time, he gave up explaining and walked out with the bandit girl.
David and the bandit girl walked side by side. He asked Mary to change the bandit girl's clothes, which had gotten dirty, so that she looked neat and clean.
He was also dressed in a nice-looking black suit.
David patiently walked and waited for someone like the bandit girl to attack him.
Soon, an hour passed, and a few people who walked by looked at him as if he was stupid.
"Grandfather, look at the boy walking alone. We should help him," a beautiful girl around seventeen years old said, pointing at David and the bandit girl with a face filled with pity.
"Jena, my lovely granddaughter, he doesn't need our help. He is a strong man." With those words, the old man increased the carriage's speed and left both of them behind.
Such scenes were not uncommon, and David wasn't bothered by it.
Soon, David and the girl found themselves in front of a mountain pass. If they wanted to move further, they had to use the pass.
David's eyes instantly lit up. This was the perfect opportunity for someone to rob him and, at the same time, kill this bandit girl.
He ordered the Origin Guard to hide while he walked towards the pass with confidence.
Of course, he had brought the Origin Guard with him just in case something went out of his control.
Skeletons and bone fragments lay scattered across the pass.
In the distance, David even found signs of a heated battle that had taken place not too long ago.
A small smile appeared on David's handsome face. It appeared he was in the right place.
And David didn't have to wait long. After a couple of minutes, he was surrounded from all sides by bandits.
All of them were holding steel swords in their hand and looked at David menacingly.