The moment the black python suddenly appeared in his sight, Draven felt utterly hopeless.

  The already troublesome Black Serpent was now accompanied by an even larger black python! The situation instantly spiraled out of control.

  He knew in his heart that this battle would be a tough fight with almost no chance of victory.

  Clutching his giant axe tightly, Draven deeply missed Ragnar.

  If Ragnar were here, one simple order would have made him rush in to help.

  But reality was cruel. He couldn't truly let this little girl Liliana go to her death.

  The Eyebrow-Patterned King Serpent was small in size—agile and suitable for ambushes, but not qualified to charge into battle.

  Draven gritted his teeth, letting out a low roar as he dragged his long axe with one hand and charged full speed toward the black python.

  His target was clear—the Black Serpent perched atop the black python's head. Once the Black Serpent was dealt with, the python would naturally be no problem.

  "Is the Black Serpent really that easy to handle?" he sneered inwardly.

  The Black Serpent's curved blade moved incredibly fast, its edge slicing through the air with a whistling sound.

  Invisible force blasts struck one after another at the charging Draven.

  He dodged left and right; although agile, the blasts still grazed his body, hitting the ground and leaving scratch marks.

  Finally, he raised his long axe, preparing to deliver a decisive blow to break through the Black Serpent's defense at close range.

  Approaching the black python, Draven leapt with force, gripping his axe with both hands, poised to strike downward.

  At the critical moment, the black python beneath the Black Serpent suddenly opened its blood-red maw wide.

  Draven was suspended in midair, with no time to dodge.

  Strangely, a weird smile appeared on his face as if he had anticipated this scene all along.

  He went with the flow and dove straight into the open mouth of the python.

  "It's over, Draven's been eaten!" Liliana screamed, her eyes full of fear.

  But at the crucial moment, she didn't dare to retreat anymore. The massive brown bear swung its heavy body and charged fiercely toward the black python.

  As Liliana anxiously watched the bear's charge, suddenly the Black Serpent atop the black python roared fiercely.

  The curved blade swung sharply, directly slashing at the python's head.

  The brown bear's eyes were round, clear, and bright, seemingly curious as it watched the scene unfold.

  The Black Serpent clearly wasn't trying to harm its guardian beast.

  But when the tip of a spear suddenly pierced out from inside the python's head, the Black Serpent's reason was almost drowned in anger.

  At the moment Draven was swallowed by the python, he quickly pulled out the spear that once belonged to the troll leader Garruk from within his body.

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  The python tried to close its jaws, but the spear was forced through its body.

  Taking advantage of the opening, Draven swept his long axe horizontally, cleaving open half of the python's head from the inside.

  This black python was much stronger than Green Serpent's green python. Draven knew relying on strength alone would hardly break its defense.

  But he could rely on his intelligence. This surprise attack unexpectedly killed the python.

  Draven escaped from the python's mouth and put away the spear.

  Faced with the Black Serpent's furious assault, he chose to dodge constantly, letting the bear take the most dangerous blows.

  Liliana kept screaming under the strikes of the Black Serpent's curved blade.

  Strangely, no matter how the Black Serpent swung, the curved blade never left a single scratch on the brown bear.

  Nearby, Draven—covered in the black python's blood—showed a strange smile.

  He had bet correctly! Earlier, he had noticed that when Liliana was attacked by the Black Serpent, not a single hair from the bear had fallen.

  She was merely a low-tier beast at the Chieftain rank. By all logic, there was no way a magical beast of that level could emerge unscathed from a strike by a high-tier Chieftain. A question surfaced in Draven's mind.

  He thought of Liliana's teacher—someone whose power nearly rivaled that of a demigod—and a storm of suspicions began to swirl in his head.

  Sure enough, the Black Serpent's attacks failed to harm Liliana at all.

  However, the sight of that massive brown bear fleeing in a panic made Draven wonder—Was it really unharmed?

  There was no time to think. Seizing the moment as the Black Serpent focused solely on chasing Liliana with wild swings of his blade, Draven raised his great axe and launched a sneak attack from behind.

  But how could a high-tier Chieftain be caught off guard so easily?

  Just as Draven struck, the Black Serpent spun around as if he had eyes on the back of his head.

  A blade of light met him head-on, sharp and violent, aiming to slice Draven clean in two.

  With a furious shout, Draven blocked the strike with sheer force, relying on the strength of his axe.

  At the same time, an indescribable surge erupted from within his body, and he roared, "Now!"

  Though he blocked the blade's strike, the force behind it was immense. It sent Draven flying backward.

  The moment he hit the ground, he launched a desperate counterattack. The Black Serpent froze for a split second—just long enough.

  If someone had followed up with a killing blow at that moment, the Black Serpent would've met certain death.

  But, frustratingly, the ally who should have delivered that blow was now behaving like a child avoiding trouble—rear in the air, head practically buried in the ground.

  Draven saw this as he tumbled back and didn't find it the least bit amusing. He felt only a deep, bitter sorrow.

  He staggered to his feet, blood involuntarily spilling from the corner of his mouth.

  Wiping it away, he raised his trembling arm to lift the great axe again.

  Their only chance had just been wasted—squandered by Liliana's lack of battle experience.

  Draven had no one to vent his frustration to. He clenched his teeth, swallowing down the blood rising in his throat, his eyes locked on the Black Serpent, dreading another attack.

  In truth, the Black Serpent was feeling rattled as well. That moment of stillness had made him realize why the Green Serpent—despite having the upper hand—had suddenly fallen in defeat.

  He thought he too was about to meet the same fate.

  But when he snapped out of it, he was shocked to find himself completely unscathed.

  The rage and frenzy within him vanished in an instant, replaced by a strange, icy calm.

  "I actually almost got hurt…" he muttered, a cold smirk curling his lips.

  His eyes flicked to the trembling, cowering brown bear, then shifted to the werewolf chieftain. Slowly, he said, "Not bad. You're something else."

  Draven pulled out a ceramic wine jar from his storage ring and smashed the clay seal on top. A rich aroma of fruit and wine wafted through the air.

  He took a long swig, then stood with the axe in one hand and the jar in the other, his voice low and resolute: "Dare to wait till I finish this jar?"

  The Black Serpent stared silently at the young werewolf before him.

  He hadn't expected Draven to maintain such composure at this critical moment—nor had he expected a seemingly simple task to spiral this far out of control.

  Draven didn't care what the enemy was thinking. He took the opportunity to gulp down a few more mouthfuls. After transforming, a werewolf's mouth was huge—he could nearly down half the jar in one swig.

  But this wasn't ordinary wine. It was Monkey Wine, specially brewed by the little octopi, with healing properties.

  Though Draven appeared fine, blocking the Black Serpent's strike had inflicted serious internal injuries. As the wine coursed through him, its potent vitality slowly mended his damaged organs.

  Clenching his jaw, he gripped his great axe tightly. He knew—at most, he had one last powerful strike left in him. His bloodline energy was nearly exhausted.

  A deep sorrow rose in his heart.

  "Farewell… my Viola."

  "Farewell… my people."

  "Farewell… my homeland."

  He murmured quietly, eyes filled with unwavering resolve.