Chapter 42 - 41 : White Guardian (3)

The air crackled with tension, thick with acidic steam and scorched stone. The floor, once a polished arena, was now a war-torn ruin of craters and claw marks. Volt roared—a sound that shook the tower’s very foundations—as its three heads charged another beam into the Snakeborn’s chest, searing through scale and sinew. The Snakeborn screamed in pain. Its skin, once a polished white, had been torn and blackened by thunder.Long gashes lined its chest and shoulders, purple-black blood oozing and steaming. Its slit pupils narrowed, locking onto Volt as its mouth peeled open unnaturally wide. With a sickening hiss, it hurled forward, blade-like claws glowing green from venom magic, slicing into Volt’s middle neck. "VOLTT!!" Ye-Rin screamed, as blood splattered the ground and Volt reeled back, crashing through a chunk of wall. But the dragon wasn’t alone. In that split second, the Guardian Spirit—lugged in from the side. A giant wooden scythe,cleaved down on the Snakeborn’s side. The creature snarled, twisting its humanoid torso unnaturally to evade, but the blade caught its right arm, slicing through the shoulder and severing it clean. HISSSSAAAAAGHHHH!! The Snakeborn dropped to one knee, its form trembling. But instead of bleeding out, it hissed out a curse in some ancient tongue and pulled venom from its own blood.It picks up Song-woo’s spear from the ground. With a flick of his remaining hand, it hurled the spear at Eun-ha. "NO!" Ye-Rin growled, sprinting forward. She yanked her axe up with both hands, and the blade ignited—swirling with burning embers and red-hot runes. "INFERNAL BITE!!" The thunder exploded from her axe as she leaped high and brought it down onto the airborne spear. Electricity and force clashed with toxic energy, combusting mid-air with a detonation that lit the entire floor in white and orange flame. The backlash flung Ye-Rin across the arena—but the spear never reached Eun-ha. Volt screeched once more, climbing back to its feet, all three heads battered but intact. One of the necks twisted around to Ye-Rin and gave a brief, grateful snort before turning back to the Snakeborn. The Guardian Spirit raised higher into the air using its roots, raising its scythe for a second strike—but the Snakeborn wasn’t done yet. Its body started convulsing, scales shedding like ash. The white, human-snake hybrid form began bloating again, almost as if it wanted to evolve once more. Its tail flailed wildly, slamming the ground like a berserk wrecking ball. Ye-Rin forced herself to her feet, panting. She could barely move her arms now—burns licked across her side and cuts tore at her thigh. "I’m not letting this bastard evolve again..." she muttered through gritted teeth. But the snake reverted to its original shape. It wraps itself around the ground spirit. Anaconda’s constriction.Their natural way of killing their prey. It exerted it’s full force on the guardian spirit. Woods started to break under its pressure and force. "In-Ji!" Ye-rin shouted across the battlefield. He didn’t respond with words. In-Ji had been watching. Waiting. Calculating. Ever since the Guardian Spirit severed the arm, he had been reloading special bullets into his pistol—bullets made from volt’s scales and chimera’s remains. He steadied his aim. Through the scope, he saw it—that same reverse scale, glowing faintly under the monster’s jawline. The Snakeborn’s chest bulged again. Something was happening inside—something that looked like it could wipe out everyone here in a final death burst. Green light built in its remaining hand. In-Ji inhaled. He didn’t need anything but a little luck. He whispered to himself, "For Sang-Woo". He pulled the trigger. BOOM. The bullet soared. Not just an ordinary shot—it had weight, it had intent. The world slowed. The bullet struck. Right under the chin. Where it was already damaged by Song-woo and volt. The reverse scale cracked. Then shattered. And with a chain reaction, the entire skull began to unravel. Bone split. Skin tore. The Snakeborn opened its mouth to scream one final curse— —but instead, its head detonated. Purple-black gore burst into the air like a firework of death, spraying across the battlefield. The Snakeborn’s body twitched once, then slumped. The arena fell into silence. Only the hiss of steam rising from the corpse remained. Ye-Rin collapsed on one knee, sweat pouring down her face. Seo-yeon was still unconscious, cradled gently by the Guardian Spirit’s glowing arms. Volt lowered its wings, curling slightly to shield Eun-ha with its battered body. In-Ji slowly walked toward the others, his gun still smoking. "Is it....over?" Ye-Rin gave him a weak thumbs-up and a crooked smile. "Hell yeah, you did." From above, the system voice finally returned. "White Tower Guardian: ELIMINATED. Remaining team members: 4. Proceed to the top floor for mission completion." In-Ji stared at the remains of the Snakeborn, then toward the scorched walls. "How the hell did we survive this?" Ye-Rin chuckled bitterly. "We didn’t. They saved us." But they knew that not everyone survived. She looked toward Volt—bruised, breathing heavily—and the Guardian Spirit, whose form was already beginning to fade, its job done. And then she looked at Seo-yeon. Even unconscious, her fists were still clenched, her expression still twisted with wrath. Then her eyes falls on Song-woo’s spear which was his only remains left. She picked it up and tugged it behind her back. In-ji picks up unconscious Seo-yeon on her back. Eun-ha climbed on Volt’s back. This wasn’t over yet. The tower had yet to be destroyed. Ye-Rin took a deep breath and stood up. "Let’s get ready. We have a job to finish."