MTLNOVEL Chapter 354: In Trouble
Zach's eyes hadn't recovered enough for him to see the details of the gargantuan monster that had risen from beneath the ruins of Basilia. But he could see clearly enough to tell that it looked like an overgrown snake, though that undermined the power and majesty it exuded as its upper body hung in the air, its large head pointed straight at the Academy.
He could also see clearly when the snake's head turned and angled downward.
They were the only students out and about and not inside the Academy's protective circumference. Compared to the Academy with the principal, the nearby students who looked like they were ready to fight were a little more interesting, especially in the snake's eyes.
When it looked toward the Academy, all it saw was an infinite void of darkness. It was like there was nothing there. However, when it glanced downward, it saw a bundle of colorful flames in front of the darkness, standing in stark contrast to the grey ground.
A few of the flames were exceedingly bright.
To the snake that had been sleeping with its eyes closed, those bundles of lights were both annoyances and interesting.
Its mind was still muddy, and the snake wasn't sure why or how long it had been sleeping. But it could feel that it had been a long time. That was the only explanation for the searing hunger in its stomach.
The flames, only a couple stretching more than a few meters into the air, were far from enough to satiate the snake. But it would be a good appetizer to soothe its hunger until it could find worthy prey.
"...DODGE!" Zach shouted and grabbed Nessa before throwing himself to the side and into the forest away from the road. The others were quick to react.
Even with the snake's gaze locked on them, pressuring them, they could still move.
But if it had been before the principal's familiar looked at them with a similar stare, they would have been frozen in place.
They would have turned into monster chow as the snake with a speed that did not match its size rammed its head and open mouth into the ground to swallow the students. Now, the only injury was part of the Millipede getting caught up in the attack.
It was a little too big for its own good sometimes, the poor thing. But the injury wasn't serious enough to hinder its movements as it fled off the road and into the forest to join Nessa. Still, thanks to the Millipede's involuntary sacrifice, the rest of the familiars were all fine. Some of them even had the room to try and counterattack.
'"Don't!"' Zach and Nessa shouted at the same time as Anerias' Darkwing and Dukiel's Sentinel were about to attack the snake.
Fortunately, the familiars were close enough with the other summoners to listen. They held back and circled around to their masters, who were on either side of the road.
Zach and Nessa got up and started running with their familiars spreading out as soon as the snake started pulling its head up again. It felt like the snake pulled the air along with it as it moved.
They regrouped with Anerias on the way and regrouped with Dukiel and Violina. All of them were smart enough to realize that Zach and Nessa weren't spreading out their familiars and running in zig-zag patterns because it was fun, so they did the same. But they stayed close enough to hear what Zach and Nessa were saying.
"It's a—" Zach started.
"Basilisk!" Nessa finished.
To Zach, it had just looked like a big snake at first since he couldn't see clearly. Nessa had been suspicious. But when it came close to them by diving into the ground, they could both confirm that the color of its skin wasn't just from lying underground for decades or centuries. The outcroppings on its head and neck also weren't rubble clinging to its skin.
They were horns and spikes that looked like someone had dribbled molten stone on its skin and then pulled on gently to stretch them out before letting them harden. With the size and stony theme, the snake monster could only be one thing.
Unfortunately, the others weren't as interested in big, thought-to-be-extinct monsters as Zach and Nessa were. They had heard 'Basilisk' before, but that didn't mean they knew what one did, why they should spread out, or why they shouldn't attack it.
Zach and Nessa sighed and rolled their eyes a little too synchronized.
"Their eyes can see what scholars think is a person or being's power!"
"So, we're spreading out to make it harder for it to see us?" Anerias asked.
"No! It's to improve our odds of one of us surviving since it won't be able to go for more than one at a time," Zach explained, uncaring for the looks on the others' faces. This wasn't the time to beat around the bush or sweeten the truth.
Basilisks weren't as famous as dragons, but it wasn't because they were weaker. They just didn't like attention.
Of course, Zach didn't feel confident enough to talk about the status of dragons in the world after seeing one just a few months ago. But he could tell that the Basilisk currently slithering after them was strong enough to play with a dragon that wasn't as strong as principal's familiar.
In Zach's mind, it was natural that a dragon belonging to the principal was stronger than a wild one. So, even if the principal's familiar was more powerful than the Basilisk, it didn't mean all dragons were.
Still, to an ant, the difference between a tiger and a wolf didn't matter. They would be trampled just the same.
"Why can't we attack it?!" Dukiel shouted after a few steps. While it sounded like they had stumbled upon a foe they couldn't defeat, he didn't want to go down without a fight.
"We'll turn to stone!" Nessa answered.
Dukiel's eyes widened.
He had an idea.