Meanwhile in the deeper parts of the forest, Seig woke up as he found himself lost in the middle of nowhere.
Seig: "Where'd Miki and that dweeb Aturia go? It looks like i was separated by that strong wind earlier.
He turned back as something hissed behind him he looked back and was shocked to see a giant snake staring down at him.
Seig: "Huge...I've never seen a snake this big, what's up with this forest.
Before Seig could react the huge snake coiled his with it's tail as Seig struggled to escape
Seig: "hey let go of me you stupid reptile!!!
Then the snake opened its mouth as it swallowed Seig whole.
Seig: "Bleh it's so disgusting. He said going down it's slimy throat
"If you don't want to spit me out then I have no choice.
He channeled Mana throughout his body as he started to radiate releasing extreme raw heat burning it inside out.
Within a few minutes the giant snake stomach began to glow bright red before bursting into flames. As Seig crawled out from the inside completely covered in mucus and slime.
Seig: "I'm the magic knight who's going to become king of knights one day, I got better things to do with my life than end up as snake food. Now to find Miki and Aturia.
He immediately runs along a bush path.
Meanwhile
Jiao: "Then I guess you two girls have no choice but to fight me for it.
Then suddenly Aturia and Miki collapsed on their knees sweating heavily.
Aturia's thoughts: What... what's happening? Why is my body shaking? I've felt this before... It's... fear.
This overwhelming, inhuman bloodlust... Just looking into his eyes is enough to make my body freeze.
Who the hell is this guy?
Her eyes immediately darted toward Miki.
"Miki... are you okay?"
She turned to check on Miki beside her, only to find tears streaming down her face as overwhelming fear consumed both her body and mind.
Aturia thought: "Damn it's no good... forget about stealing the gemstone. If we don't make it out of here alive it's over.
But my body still won't move.
Jiao: "Heh..i imagine you're paralyzed by now, the only other option left right now is death.
Jiao pointed his fingers at them and suddenly two snakes sprung out from the bushes to attack.
Aturia's mind raced. Move...! Move, damn it! I can already see the attack with my Hex Eyes. Why won't my body move?!
Desperate, she forged an ice spike in her hand and drove it into her own thigh. A sharp jolt of pain surged through her body, overriding the paralyzing fear.
The instant her body responded, she lunged forward and shoved Miki out of the way. As she carried her body and ran away to hide behind a tree.
Immediately the fear that overwhelmed Miki body disappeared as she came back to her senses
Miki: "Uh... what happened? Aturia, your leg—you're hurt! Let me heal you."
She reached out with both hands, but Aturia quickly grabbed her wrists.
Aturia: "There's no time for that right now, Miki. I'll be fine. First, we need to find a way to get away from him."
Miki's thoughts: Aturia's so on edge... I've never seen her like this before.
Her eyes suddenly widened as she spotted a massive snake slithering along a tree behind Aturia.
Without warning, it lunged forward.
Miki: "Aturia, get down!"
She screamed as she yanked Aturia to the ground.
In the next instant, the massive snake's fangs sank into Miki's arm.
She let out a silent cry of pain, her face twisting in agony as she endured the bite.
Aturia: "Miki... you saved me. Are you alright?"
Miki: "Yeah... I'll be alright. I can heal myself before the poison spreads, so don't worry."
She clutched her bleeding arm and gave Aturia a reassuring smile.
Miki: "You protected me... so now I'm protecting you."
The huge snake raised its head again preparing for another attack.
Aturia: "Get lost."
She thrust out her hand, instantly conjuring a massive ice spear. With a sharp flick of her finger, she launched it straight at the giant snake.
The spear struck dead-on, sending the creature crashing to the ground with a thunderous thud.
Jiao: "Found you. Running away? How disappointing."
He stood above the tree branch above them and grinned, his long black tongue flicking between his lips.
Jiao: "A good prey knows when to stop struggling. You should've stayed still."
Suddenly, Jiao's body stretched unnaturally as he slithered down the tree at incredible speed.
Before he could reach the ground, a blazing fist crashed into his jaw, sending him tumbling across the forest floor.
Seig: "Aturia, Miki... I'm sorry, but I just can't remember that stupid password."
He scratched the back of his head, grinning sheepishly.
Aturia: "Finally you dufus you're here. But now would be a good time to run for your life this guy is way out of our league.
Jiao: "Heh...my compliments for defeating that huge snake Seig.
Aturia thought: "This guy is a freak... he's a man alright but all i can see when I look at him resembles a snake. His magic element is probably serpentine magic based on what I've seen.
Seig: 'Hey why don't you pick on someone your own size..?
Aturia thought: "I've gotta do something before Seig gets us all killed with his hot blooded antics.
Aturia deactivated her Hex Eyes and quickly reached into Miki's pocket, pulling out their white Heaven Gemstone while Miki was still focused on healing herself.
Miki: "Aturia...?
Aturia: "If it's our gemstone you want then come and get it, just take it and go.
Miki: "What?!
Seig walked toward Aturia: "Aturia what do you think you're doing? Is this some clever way of beating the enemy by handing them our gemstone?!
Aturia: Shut up you dufus, this is the only way for us to make it out alive.
She throws the stone towards jiao as Seig immediately catches it mid air.
Aturia: "Stay out this Seig... anymore reckless behavior will get us killed!!!
Without warning Seig suddenly punched Aturia as blood spilled out from her lip.
Seig: "What do you think you're doing? What's gotten into you, Aturia? Why are you acting like a coward all of a sudden? The Aturia I know would never accept defeat. Her pride is too great for that."
He took a step forward, his expression hardening.
Seig: "And even if we hand over our gemstone, there's no guarantee he'll spare us."
Jiao: "Ding, ding, ding... We have a winner."
A wicked grin spread across his face.
Jiao: "You're right, Seig. Where's the fun in bargaining when I can just kill all three of you and take the gemstone?"
Seig: "Keep your mouth shut!"
He took a deep breath before unleashing a massive fireball straight at Jiao.
With a casual wave of his hand, Jiao summoned a colossal snake—twice the size of the ones he had been controlling before. It burst from the ground and intercepted the attack, taking the full force of the fireball.
Seig was caught within its range.
The giant snake's massive tail whipped into him, launching him through the air before he crashed through several trees.
Aturia and Miki both screamed: Seig!!!
Jiao: "Excellent my my pet but let's not take any chances, eat the boy right now.
The giant snake lunged in to finish Seig.
Slowly, Seig opened his eyes and rose to his feet.
Seig: "Fire Magic Dragon Flame Fist" he yelled.
Just as the snake closed in, he drove a devastating punch straight into its head.
The impact slammed the massive serpent into the ground with such tremendous force that a crater erupted beneath it.
Jiao was surprised as he thought "That brat where did he suddenly get that power from?
Suddenly, Seig's body began to go minor changes.
His emerald-green eyes shifted to a predatory crimson, while his teeth and fingernails lengthened into razor-sharp fangs and claws. At the same time, his mana surged dramatically, sending a powerful shockwave through the surrounding forest.
Miki: "Aturia... do you have any idea what's happening to Seig?! His mana pool just suddenly increased?!
Aturia: "I'm just as shocked as you are, Miki. Is... is that really Seig? He doesn't even look the same anymore.
Jiao: "Ho... now this is getting interesting."