The figures of two people could be seen racing through a dense forest, moving at a speed far too fast for the naked eye to follow.
They leapt from tree to tree, occasionally touching the ground only to launch themselves back into the canopy moments later.
The first of the two was a girl of average height with a slim build. Her skin was fair, and her long black hair flowed past her shoulders down to her waist.
She had almond-shaped green eyes and spruce eyebrows that gave her a naturally expressionless look.
**BOOM!
A thunderous sound rang out behind her. Glancing back, she saw several trees she had just passed toppling to the ground like dominoes.
Her eyes traced the direction of the falling trees, and upon noticing their collapsing speed steadily increasing, she clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Arthur, Basilisk at your 3 o'clock!"
She called out to the second figure moving alongside her, who was dashing through the trees at a speed matching her own.
That second person, the one she had called Arthur, was a boy with short hair that looked like a blend of silver and platinum blonde. His face was strikingly handsome, and his eyes were a deep obsidian black.
However, unlike most, his pupils weren't circular—instead, they were vertical rectangles.
"I know, Layla. We need to lead it to an open area. Fighting it here would be the height of stupidity."
Arthur responded to the girl on his left, Layla, before increasing his speed.
Layla nodded and matched his pace, darting through the trees even faster as the two of them continued to flee from the basilisk rapidly closing in behind them.
[HISSSS!]
The instant he heard the hissing sound, Arthur pushed more strength into his legs and launched himself off the branch he was standing on, snapping the thick wood beneath his feet as he soared through the air.
A moment later, a green blob splattered onto the spot he had just vacated, and within seconds, the entire tree dissolved into a puddle on the ground.
"Yeah... I really don't want to get hit by that."
"Less talking, more running. We're almost at the clearing."
Layla shot back, reprimanding him as she urged him to pick up the pace. The duo was only moments away from reaching the open area where they could face the basilisk without the forest getting in the way.
Arthur nodded and pressed forward, continuing to dodge the occasional blobs of green acid launched in his direction.
'Gotta conserve energy.'
It didn't take long before the two burst out of the thick forest into a wide clearing, a stretch of open space completely free of trees.
Touching down on the ground, they immediately prepared themselves for battle, knowing the basilisk was just moments away from catching up.
Layla snapped her fingers, and a sword bayonet materialised in her arms. She quickly loaded several bullets into it before glancing at the two pairs of holsters strapped to her thighs.
After confirming that her guns were still secured in their holsters, Layla looked up toward the forest ahead, silently counting down the seconds until the basilisk emerged.
Arthur extended his right hand, and a second later, a flash of light revealed a semi-transparent blade forming in his grip.
Holding it tightly, he narrowed his eyes at the treeline, ready for the creature to appear.
Moments later, a massive snake-like beast burst out from the forest, dissolving everything in its path as the trees melted beneath it.
Basilisks varied in form, some more lizard-like, others more serpentine.
This one clearly belonged to the latter, lacking legs entirely, its tongue flicking in and out. Its sheer size dwarfed even the largest of anacondas, making them seem tiny in comparison.
It was as hideous as it was terrifying, enough to cause any weak-minded individual to piss themselves from fear.
But the two standing before it were far from weak-minded. They kept their eyes on various parts of the basilisk's body, being especially careful not to look at its head.
"Layla, what do we know about it?"
"It's a child, so it won't be at full strength. But that doesn't mean it's weak."
"It has high physical strength. You saw how easily it flattened those trees."
"Basilisks all have high magic resistance, young or old. Our best bet are aura aura-based attacks."
"Its speed is also something of note."
"And its venom is definitely deadly. Not to mention, it's attacking us because a certain silver-haired idiot thought it was a good idea to poke it in the eye while it was sleeping."
"That was 50% accidental, okay? Still... aren't you forgetting something?"
The two turned to each other and spoke in unison.
""Do not meet its eyes.""
The basilisk, which had been preparing to strike, realised something and halted.
The two humanoid children who had dared provoke it were intentionally avoiding eye contact.
Intelligent enough to understand the implications, it quickly realized that they must have known about its petrification ability, which required direct eye contact to activate.
At once, the creature grew more cautious, shifting into a defensive mindset as it began circling them slowly, sizing them up.
Arthur, closely observing the basilisk's movements, turned slightly toward Layla and opened his mouth to speak.
"Is this—?"
But before he could finish his sentence, the basilisk lunged at him, attempting to devour him in a single bite.
Arthur hurriedly threw himself out of the way.
**BAM!
The creature's massive jaws slammed into the ground, leaving a deep crater behind, as if a bomb had detonated there.
[HISS HISSSS!]
The basilisk came at him again, tongue flicking rapidly. Its movements were both fast and precise!
But Arthur didn't just stand still. He raised his blade and pointed it toward the creature's open mouth.
"Lightning!"
**CRACKLE!
The electric blast went down the basilisk's throat, causing its massive body to tremble from the internal shock. However, the effect was short-lived, as moments later, it was already flicking its tongue as if nothing had happened.
"Are you an idiot or something?
First, you looked away when it was right behind you, and then you attacked it with magic, less than a minute after I literally told you it has high magic resistance.
Did you even hear a word I said?"
Layla spoke as she hopped lightly into the air, avoiding the shockwaves from the basilisk's strikes.
"Less talking, more helping."
Arthur replied, effortlessly sidestepping the basilisk's tail as it whipped toward him with barely perceptible speed.
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Layla disengaged the safety on her gun and opened fire on the creature.
***PAPAPAPAPAPA!!!!