Dan was in a tense situation. He wasn't sure what he should do. The whole ground beneath him trembled violently, a deep rumble vibrating through his bones. Dust and tiny rocks danced in the shaking air, making it impossible to even breathe peacefully for a second. Soon, the cave shattered into fifteen jagged fragments, cracking and splintering like brittle glass under pressure. Before he could react further, new holes yawned open across the trembling earth. Without hesitation, Dan leapt into one of these dark chasms and dashed forward, his heart pounding like a drum in his chest.
He ran from one gaping hole to another, the cold, damp air of the underground pressing around him, until he finally emerged into the chilling embrace of a pond. Water rippled wildly where he surfaced, droplets sparkling like shattered crystals in the pale light. He glanced back. The Dragon Snake was still thrashing against the cave's entrance—its scales glinting ominously—its massive form slamming into stone with a thunderous clash that echoed like a crashing storm.
Dan didn't waste a second. He knew the moment the snake reared up and locked eyes with him, everything would be over. Yet, when he met its gaze again, something in him recoiled, a strange distance flickering in his mind. He steadied his breath, narrowed his eyes calmly, and a sudden glow flickered before him—an ethereal notification appearing like a spectral hologram:
Mutated Dimensional Snake
[Primordial Level Being]
Shock rooted Dan in place. He understood, it was due to the two shimmering balls of ice—the natural power source fused to the beast. They pulsed softly, radiant with a crystalline glow, and he realized they were the source of this arcane information. With just a glance, he could see any being's status and power level. The realization thrilled him; this was no mere strength—it was knowledge incarnate, a hidden weapon now embedded in his vision.
Without wasting time, he surged out of the pond, sprinting as far and as fast as his limbs could carry him. His sole thought was escape—escape this cursed planet and the relentless Dragon Snake that would never forgive him for seizing its natural power source. Speed was his only hope.
He neared the gnarled roots bursting from the earth, nearly breaking the pond's surface, when the snake's thunderous pursuit drew closer. With a fluid leap, Dan vaulted from the water's edge to the roots, fingers clutching the rough bark. He unleashed his Thousandfold Grasp, muscles straining and sinews pulsing, his hands gripping tighter and climbing faster.
He wove his first Event with the ghostly swirl of Sky Drift Mirage—both powers flowing in harmony like a storm and the wind—propelling him forward with supernatural speed. He didn't dare look back, but the roar of the Dragon Snake and the shattered destruction trailing him was an unrelenting drumbeat of dread.
Every seed in his body had been purged to unleash his full potential. A roaring aura surged through him, thick and electric, the residue of devouring rare fruits that promised power beyond measure. This was his moment—a desperate dash for survival. Being devoured by that monstrous serpent was unthinkable.
Suddenly, the snake unleashed a terrifying roar, its voice like a volcanic eruption, and fired a blazing beam of light toward him. The beam tore through the air, a searing lance of white-hot energy that obliterated everything in its path, leaving only silence and smoldering ash behind.
Dan twisted his body just in time to avoid the attack, feeling the heat ripple past his skin. Whatever the beam touched simply vanished—consumed by some impossible force.
Ironically, this destructive fury cleared Dan's path. With the way now open, he summoned Sky Drift Mirage once more, the wind whipping around him, lifting him almost effortlessly. The pond's surface blurred beneath him in a rush of chilled air and spray. But he didn't need to reach the surface; there was enough room to produce his spaceship from a pocket dimension. Without hesitation, he summoned the sleek vessel, its polished hull gleaming like liquid silver under the faint light.
He slipped inside and ignited the engines, the hum of advanced technology thrumming against his skin. The craft tore away with incredible speed—the most expensive, cutting-edge ship anyone could find in the Leion Dukedom.
Dan kept his eyes on the Dragon Snake as it tore across the planet's surface in relentless pursuit. At last, he allowed himself a breath, the tightness in his chest easing briefly. But just as hope stirred, the snake shifted—leaping into the void of space behind him with terrifying ease.
It didn't need a vessel or aid; it moved through dimensions as naturally as breathing.
"No wonder it's dimensional," Dan gasped, horror tightening his throat. Now he was truly lost.
Despite all the Leion Dukedom's might, no power here could stand against this mythical creature. He was utterly clueless, cornered by a force beyond reckoning.
Running was futile. Sooner or later, the Dragon Snake would catch him, and nowhere would be safe.
It knew the secret pathways between dimensions, slipping through unseen cracks in reality. It could vanish into one dimension and emerge in another, making any hiding place irrelevant.
His heart sank as he thought of the dimensionals.
Still, a spark of hope flared—there had to be some way out.
Suddenly, a bold idea ignited in his mind.
Instead of fleeing, he turned to face the beast. He charged forward, launching attacks despite knowing they would barely scratch such a mythical leviathan.
His purpose was not to win, but to provoke—to bait the creature into drawing the attention of every power scattered across the universe.
A mythical-level beast like this was a nightmare incarnate—a monster capable of extinguishing humanity itself. Yet it was also the rarest and most coveted prize in all existence.
Countless beings would seek to claim the remains of such a creature.
Dan's strategy was clear: lure the eyes of the universe, gather allies or enemies, and turn the hunt for the Dragon Snake into a cosmic event.
As he faced the mutated dimensional snake, he saw it anew. Once a mere dimensional serpent, it had absorbed the God Sight's power—the natural power source—becoming something far stronger and more terrifying. This was no ordinary dimensional.
Amid the ash and chaos swirling around them, Dan caught glimpses of tiny diamonds and snowflakes—fragments of ancient power shimmering faintly. They weren't strong, but they were incredibly resilient.
He remembered the last of these relics had been found ten thousand years ago, vanishing again into the folds of time as it leapt between dimensions, unseen and untouchable.
This was the dimensional snake—an enigma, a force impossible to pin down or capture.
Dan smiled to himself, the edges of his mouth curling with quiet confidence as he thought, If you cannot defend yourself against the enemy, then sell your enemy. Now, standing face to face with the Snake Dragon, the creature before him was no ordinary serpent. Its sinuous body gleamed with an otherworldly sheen—pure white scales rippling along its length, streaked with vibrant yellow stripes that flickered like molten gold in shifting light. The underbelly was a deep, matte black, as if dipped in shadow. This was no simple snake; the limbs that sprouted at odd angles suggested the embryonic forms of wings or claws, features caught midway in a terrifying metamorphosis. It was in the painful, raw throes of becoming a true dragon. But Dan knew better — he had stolen the very power that would complete this transformation, leaving the creature caught in an incomplete, strained state.
As the battle unfolded, Dan's eyes narrowed with growing frustration. No matter how fiercely he struck, not a single scratch marred the Dragon Snake's gleaming scales. Its body was an impenetrable fortress. The two matched each other move for move; speed, grace, and precision locked in a deadly dance. The Snake Dragon's movements were fluid yet predatory, a blur of white and yellow slashing through the air, but Dan was just as swift, his own form a streak in the dim light. His hand instinctively flicked to the radar screen aboard his ship, its soft hum and glowing dots the only assurance that allies might soon arrive.
From the Dragon Snake's gaping maw erupted a steady beam — a pale, light blue ribbon of energy that shimmered like liquid ice under a fractured moon. It did not explode or cause fiery destruction, but it held a cruel power: whatever the beam touched simply vanished into nothingness, erased from existence without a sound or trace. Dan tried to meet this eerie weapon head-on, launching his attacks into the beam's path, only to see them dissolve the instant the beam flickered out. Now, he was forced to abandon offense and rely solely on evasive maneuvers, weaving and darting around the creature with a mix of irritation and tactical patience. But he knew this cat-and-mouse game couldn't last much longer.
As the fight dragged on, Dan's sharp mind parsed the creature's capabilities. The Snake Dragon lacked the arsenal of devastating spells or skills he had expected. Its only weapons were its nearly indestructible body and that ghostly beam of oblivion. Beyond those, there was nothing remarkable, no hidden tricks — just brute endurance and relentless offense.
Suddenly, on the horizon, countless ships materialized like shadows emerging from the river's mist. The soft glow of their engines flickered against the twilight sky, a metallic swarm closing in. A slow smile crept across Dan's face. He recognized one ship in particular — the insignia of the Dukedom gleamed proudly from its hull. The Duke himself would soon arrive. Granting this mythical power to the Duke will be advantageous, Dan thought. For now, all he needed was to keep the Snake Dragon engaged for just a few more minutes — long enough to escape.
A minute ticked by, heavy and tense. Then, Dan noticed the Snake Dragon's demeanor shift; it had sensed the approaching fleet too. With a thunderous roar that seemed to shake the very fabric of space, the creature opened its mouth wide. From within, a swirling Minocycline began to coalesce, its form vague but immense. Dan braced himself, expecting a beast to emerge, but what came next was stranger — a pulsating orb, marbled in stark black and white, hovered in the creature's maw like a celestial body poised to descend.
The orb floated toward Dan, moving with deliberate slowness as if testing him. He tensed, ready to dodge at any moment. Yet, the orb halted midair, suspended in the vast emptiness of space, doing nothing. Dan's eyes locked onto it, a mixture of unease and fascination twisting inside him. It was like staring at a cosmic anomaly—an impossible sphere that defied all logic.
Then, with a shift so sudden it stole his breath, the orb transformed. It darkened until it was an abyss—a black hole, pulsing with silent hunger. Around it, space itself seemed to warp and twist, stars bending toward its center as if caught in an invisible whirlpool. The black hole began to suck in everything nearby, a slow but inevitable pull that dragged light, matter, and even the air itself into its merciless core.
Dan lunged to escape its grasp, but the force was relentless. It felt like being caught in a suffocating tide, a gentle yet irresistible pull that left no chance of breaking free. He was drawn forward, helpless, the void whispering promises of oblivion. His eyes darted to the Dragon Snake—helpless too, it was succumbing, its massive form bending and twisting as it too was consumed by the growing darkness.
Still reeling from the shock, unable to comprehend what was happening, Dan's last thoughts were cut off abruptly. Before he could utter a word, the black hole swallowed him whole.