Kael plunged into the dense, humid embrace of the Brazilian jungle, his blue eyes fixed on the source of the frantic vibrations. The air grew heavy with the musky scent of reptilian scales and the metallic tang of fear. Ahead, the desperate cries of the fleeing survivors pierced the night, growing louder with every pounding step. His Energy Sight painted the darkness with shimmering outlines: the frantic, erratic pulses of the five individuals, and the immense, cold, predatory glow of the Basilisk Serpent, a colossal ribbon of dark energy weaving through the trees.
He burst into a small clearing, illuminated by the pale, filtered moonlight and the terrified eyes of the five survivors. Three were mutated, their forms subtly distorted—one with elongated limbs, another with patches of shimmering, iridescent skin, and a third with eyes that glowed faintly. The two humans were pale with terror, stumbling, their faces streaked with dirt and tears. Behind them, a living nightmare erupted from the foliage.
The Basilisk Serpent was a creature of terrifying majesty and brutal power. Its scales, the colour of ancient jade, were thick and overlapping, forming a natural, armoured hide that shimmered with an oily sheen. Its head was a blunt, powerful wedge, dominated by two immense, serpentine eyes that glowed with a malevolent, emerald light, tracking its prey with chilling precision. Its body, thicker than a tree trunk, moved with impossible speed, a living battering ram of muscle and bone. It was already coiling, preparing to strike the terrified group.
Kael didn't hesitate. A surge of pure adrenaline, amplified by his Apex System, propelled him forward. He slammed into the serpent's side, a desperate, powerful tackle. The impact was like hitting a moving wall of stone. A dull thud resonated through his body, and the Basilisk, momentarily diverted, hissed, its head whipping around with blinding speed. Its emerald eyes, now narrowed into slits, fixed on Kael.
The serpent struck. Its armoured head, propelled by immense neck muscles, lunged with the force of a trebuchet. Kael, relying on his Agility and the enhanced reflexes from his last absorption, ducked, the wind of its passage tearing at his clothes. He felt the crushing force as the Basilisk's head slammed into the tree behind him, splintering the trunk with a deafening crack.
He retaliated, driving a powerful punch into the serpent's flank, aiming for the softer underbelly. His Strength was considerable, and the blow resonated, sending a visible ripple across the serpent's scales. A low, guttural growl rumbled from the beast, a sound of annoyance rather than pain. Its armoured hide was proving far more resilient than the Minhocão's.
The Basilisk whipped its tail, a scaled muscle blur sweeping through the clearing. Kael twisted, but the sheer speed and power of the strike caught him, sending him sprawling. A searing pain erupted in his side as he skidded across the rough ground, a sharp impact against a fallen branch. He gasped, his breath knocked from him, and a hot, spreading ache bloomed beneath his ribs. His Resilience dulled the worst of it, but a sharp, undeniable pain told him he was injured.
The serpent coiled, its immense body rising, preparing for a decisive strike. Kael pushed himself up, his muscles screaming, his vision momentarily blurred. He could feel the Basilisk's energy signature, a malevolent, focused pulse, gathering for its final attack. He had to hit it where it was vulnerable.
He activated Minor Earth Manipulation, slamming his fist onto the ground. A localized tremor rippled outwards, causing the earth beneath the serpent to briefly shudder. It wasn't enough to stop the beast, but it momentarily threw off its balance, creating a fraction of a second's hesitation.
That was all Kael needed. With a desperate surge of Stamina, he launched himself at the serpent's head, aiming for the glowing emerald eyes. His Energy Sight showed him the concentrated energy pulsing within them, a vulnerable point. He drove his fist forward, aiming to blind it or to disrupt its core.
He connected. A sickening crunch, a wet tearing sound, and the Basilisk shrieked, a sound of pure, unadulterated agony that echoed through the jungle. One of its emerald eyes exploded in a shower of luminous, viscous fluid and shattered chitin, its energy signature flaring wildly before dimming. The serpent thrashed, its immense head whipping wildly, disoriented and enraged.
But the Basilisk was not defeated. As Kael's fist connected, the serpent's remaining eye, now burning with a singular, furious intensity, snapped to him. Its jaws, lined with razor-sharp fangs, opened impossibly wide, and it lunged, not to bite, but to crush. Kael felt the immense pressure as the serpent's powerful jaws clamped down on his leg, a bone-jarring impact that sent a wave of agonizing pain through him. He heard a sickening crack and felt the tearing of muscle and fabric. His Chitinous Resilience and Accelerated Healing immediately began to work, but the injury was severe. He cried out, a raw, involuntary sound of pain.
From the camp, a guttural roar tore through the night. Jax's crimson skin flaring with an aggressive, almost predatory glow had seen Kael's injury. The sight of his companion in peril, combined with the raw power emanating from the struggling Basilisk, ignited a primal fury within him. He launched himself forward, a blur of red, his powerful legs eating up the ground between them.
Estelle's purple eyes, wide with a sudden, horrifying clarity of what was to come, snapped to Jax. "Jax, no!" she shrieked, her voice tearing through the humid air, sharp as a blade. She moved a desperate, almost futile blur of motion, her hand outstretched, a silent plea, a telepathic push that slammed against his unyielding momentum. But it was too late. His rage, a crimson tide, had already consumed him. He was a force of nature, a living projectile, too fast for even Estelle's quickened senses to fully intercept. A raw, guttural cry of pure desperation tore from her throat, "Nooooo!"