Chapter 209 - A New Challenger

"The fog…Maybe the fog is playing tricks with my eyes…"

Pushing himself forward, he tightened his grip on his blade as he bounced from spot to spot, now being on the receiving end of an array of the husk-cannonballs. 

Each flesh-projectile launched at him let out a repulsive squelch upon landing harshly from the massive speed at which it traveled through the air. Evading just the bodies wasn't enough; a blast of highly-pressurized fog collided against his torso, throwing him back as his metallic boots dug into the soil for balance. 

"Shit…I was too focused on the husks, I forgot about those."

Patting his chest a few times as the sound of steel clashing echoed through the foggy forest, he coughed up the force stuck in his throat.

Even in my Mode Silver, the fog-blasts aren't much of a threat. All it really does is blow me away and take the air out of my lungs for a bit. It feels more like it's just a stall move—which means the suspect must not be very strong! He thought. 

It didn't take much for him to sprint forth again with maximum vigor. 

Kicking up patches of grass and soil alike with each high-speed step, Sora pressed his palm forward as mama condensed in the space in front of his gauntlet. 

"Prometheus: Gift of Ash!"

Sorry, forest, he thought. 

Launching from his hand, a wall of flames manifested from embers newly born into the misty winds, shifting the bountiful green into lifeless black as the fire propelled onward. As it gained airtime, the conjured, formless flames coalesced into the head of the king of the jungle, unleashing a roar of cackling, burning orange that trembled the twigs around. 

The launched bodies of balled-up husks intercepted the traveling, viscous flame, being charred after meeting the warm embrace of its form.

It wasn't just some random offensive magic I decided to fling forward!—Roar of Ash targets the biggest source of mana in my immediate area. The fact it didn't stop at the flung husks means it's close! He smiled.

Even if even the brightness of the roaring, prominent flame became hidden by the thick, unnatural fog, he could still track the presence of his own mana signature as it burrowed past nature. 

"Ah…hot…want to dodge…but, troublesome…"

The melancholic voice was heard once more, followed by the roar of the flame meeting it's desired targets dissolving into an explosive impact that unleashed a shock wave through the nearby area. 

"Found you!"

Kicking forward with a triumphant smirk, Sora launched himself into the vicinity where the explosion occurred.

"…Found…I've been…"

It was right above his head, the troublesome voice he'd endured within the fog all this time. 

Seeing it, he questioned whether or not he was really happy with the result his stubbornness brought him.

Though it's torso was similar to that of a human, covered in pale, it's lower half resembled that of a serpent. As thick as two tree trunks put together, it's sable, slimy-seeming serpentine lower half smacked against the ground as it was seen by eyes. 

Looking down at him, the completely white head of the inhuman creature didn't seem to possess any eyes, instead staring at him only with its lipless, wide-grin as it bore its black gums. As it had no legs to stand on, it instead seemed to support its enormous body with its colossal arms, digging its obsidian claws into the dirt as a sharp breath left its maw.

"I'll…kill…then, sleep…"

During this entire time adjusting his eyes to the odd features before them, Sora had not yet moved a single muscle.

Move! Why…Am I so damn scared?—It's this damn fog, it's so much heavier around this thing! It's intoxicating, I can feel it making my mind fuzzy! Sora thought.

Puffing its chest out, the daunting entity took in an inhale of the fog, sucking it into its lungs like a powerful vacuum as the ground beneath rattled.

I'm going to be hit…Shit! Shit!

Unable to twitch a finger while standing directly in front of it, he could only watch as it then lowered its head down to his level, its cheeks puffed out as it held the malicious air within. Preparing to face the sheer, full-impact of the blast of fog, Sora felt a force suddenly tug on his back.

"Huh?"

Another tug came before he was then flung backwards, narrowly avoiding trees not by his own dexterity. After a half-minute of the stomach-jolting way of travel, he landed harshly on his rear.

"What the hell?"

"Welcome back."

Looking up at the source of the voice, a familiar gloved hand extended down towards him. Smiling down at him, Sirius' blue eyes stood out within the dull atmosphere of the ground-level clouds. 

"I saw it. That damn thing isn't normal."

"Scared?"

"Yeah…but that doesn't mean I'm backing down!"

Being hoisted back to his feet as Sirius held onto his forearm, the vermilion-crowned man turned his gaze back to the direction from which he came back from. 

"Yeah, that's what I thought. So, what're we dealing with here?"

"It's definitely a monster, but…it was speaking."

Brushing the sediment from the shoulders of his otherwise pristine armor, Sora cracked his joints as he dismantled his helmet without the touch of his own fingertips. 

"That really was it talking earlier? Creepy."

A rumbling could be heard in the distance, originating from within the maw of the forest from which Sora retreated from. 

"It also used the fog to hit me, sort of like blasts of air. That and…"

"And?"

"Damn thing was throwing husks at me like it was dodgeball."

The way Sora said it, he sounded as if he was half-expecting his companion to immediately doubt the validity of his claim, but Sirius only let out a quiet chuckle to himself. Tapping the toe of his boot against the ground below, Sirius stretched his arms above his head, swaying side to side before settling himself back to his two feet. 

"Oh, right!"

"Huh?"

Stopping mid-stretch, Sirius turned his gaze back to his companion as he spoke up. Sora found it difficult for a moment to find the words hanging above his tongue as he saw the look in Sirius' eyes--absolute focus, he was preparing for a real bout. 

"When I got close to it, the fog hanging around its body made it hard for me to move!"

"Got it. I won't stick around long enough for that to happen then."

It was an expression every Outlander was painstakingly familiar with; an electric sparkle glimmered in his azure irises, a smirk that sent volts through the hearts of all--it was the pristine, indomitable confidence of the man who proclaimed himself the strongest--the shining radiance of Sirius Federov as he prepared for a real battle. 

"I think I've shared enough of the spotlight, it's time to show-off a bit."

As vexing as it was to be sidelined, the vermilion-haired man couldn't help but smile at this development. 

It's been awhile since I've seen him really in action. Even during the Monster Hunt, it was just a bit of roughhousing--when he's intending to give it a serious effort, I don't know what can stand against him, Sora thought. 

The booming, echoing sound of trees being uprooted and sent to the embrace of the soil traveled through the fog-covered forest. A low, reverberating groan could be heard as the pillars of the maze of evergreen were sent crashing. 

"It's coming. Sorry...I can't really move well right now...That damn fog..."

As Sora clenched his fist, even that small action required him to fight his rebellious nerves as they twitched against his will, giving his companion a trembling smile. 

"Yeah. Just hang back."

Tapping his foot against the ground once more, a layer of static formed in the small space between the sole of his boot and the soil below. 

If I can keep the fight within the forest, I won't have to worry about friendly-fire. I'm sure the monstrous bastard won't mind keeping the battle in its advantageous terrain, Sirius thought.