The First Men Chronicles

Chapter 41 – The Serpent's Test

Draven chuckled, his lips curling into a smirk. "Very well," he muttered. "Let's begin."

The atmosphere shifted instantly. Gansu and Kenzy's eyes transformed—serpentine, cold, and unblinking. Their pupils narrowed into sharp slits, exuding the essence of their snake-like abilities.

Kenzy moved first, stretching his hands forward as he murmured, "Slithering Snake Hands." His fingers split apart grotesquely, his arms morphing into gigantic writhing serpents, their massive heads hissing as they launched toward Draven with terrifying speed.

Draven didn't flinch.

His All-Creation Eyes flickered to life, reading the attack pattern. As the first monstrous snake lunged, he sidestepped effortlessly, twisting his body just enough for it to miss him by inches. The second serpent came crashing from above, its gaping mouth wide enough to swallow him whole.

Without hesitation, Draven leaped backward, the force of the impact shaking the entire battleground as the snake's fangs struck the ground, splitting it apart. Dust and debris erupted, but Draven moved like a shadow, dancing between attacks with ease.

Kenzy wasn't done. Another serpent shot from his palm, twisting through the air like a living projectile. But Draven reacted instantly, inhaling deeply, and with one powerful exhale—

FOOOOSH!

A blazing fireball erupted from his mouth, colliding with the snake mid-flight. The creature screeched in agony as flames consumed its body, reducing it to ashes in mere seconds.

Gansu, watching closely, smirked. "He's fast."

Kenzy narrowed his reptilian eyes. "He's moving like an actual snake…"

From above, Draven made his next move.

His neck elongated unnaturally, stretching like a serpent's body as he lunged toward Kenzy, his mouth open as if to bite. Kenzy's eyes widened in surprise, but before he could react, Draven's elongated neck coiled around him like a python, squeezing hard enough to crack bones.

CRACK!

But in the next moment—

Kenzy's entire body disintegrated into countless tiny snakes, slithering away in every direction.

From the fragments, Kenzy reassembled himself at a safe distance, his expression serious now.

Meanwhile, Gansu reacted swiftly, tilting his head back as his mouth opened wide.

SPLOOOOSH!

A stream of venomous liquid spewed forth, aimed directly at Draven.

Draven's eyes flickered, sensing the danger. In a fluid motion, he retracted his extended neck, dodging the corrosive venom just in time. He landed smoothly, his feet barely making a sound.

He straightened up. "Alright then," he muttered, stretching his hand downward.

A dark shape slowly emerged from the ground.

A sleek, deadly weapon began sliding out of the earth, as if being birthed by the shadows themselves.

It was a Shirasaya-style katana, its straight-edged steel blade gleaming under the dim light. The minimalist wooden handle and scabbard gave it an unassuming elegance, but the power radiating from it was undeniable.

Draven grasped the hilt and slowly unsheathed the sword.

The name came to him instinctively—

"Jörmungandr Shirasaya Blade."

His grip tightened around the hilt. "Now let's see how you handle this."

His pupils sharpened further, fully mimicking the legendary serpent, Jörmungandr.

Without warning—

BOOOOOM!

The ground beneath Draven exploded as he launched forward, his blade twisting effortlessly in his hand.

Gansu's eyes flickered. The attack was coming too fast!

Draven swung downward with a deadly precision. Gansu barely managed to dodge, his body twisting mid-air. But Draven reacted instantly, rotating his body and unleashing a brutal spinning kick—

BAM!

Gansu was sent flying, his body smashing into a stone wall, the impact causing deep cracks to spread across its surface.

Kenzy's eyes darted between them. He had barely followed Draven's movements, and that wasn't a good sign.

But Gansu wasn't finished. His lips curled into a smirk.

"That blade of yours…" he muttered.

Draven looked down, confused—

SIZZZZZZ!

The katana began to melt.

Draven's eyes widened. The venomous residue from Gansu's earlier attack had corroded the steel on contact. The once-pristine blade was now dissolving into blackened fragments.

A dangerous smirk formed on Gansu's face.

"Metal can't withstand my venom," he said.

Draven's fingers twitched, his excitement growing.

"Interesting," he muttered.

Then, before their eyes—

The blade began to regenerate.

The corroded parts peeled away, and new steel formed, reshaping itself into its original, perfect form.

Draven smiled. "Guess again."

A flick of his two fingers, and the blade floated into the air, levitating before him.

Kenzy and Gansu instinctively stepped back, sensing something ominous.

Draven gestured forward, and the sword shot toward Kenzy like a missile.

But before it could reach him—

A soft clink.

The blade froze mid-air, stopped by an invisible force.

Draven's gaze snapped toward the source.

Papa Tunde.

Standing with a calm smile, he held his talisman necklace between his fingers, emanating an aura of absolute authority.

Draven's expression darkened.

"You want them or not?" Papa Tunde asked, unbothered. "If you kill them now, they'll have no room to grow under your leadership."

Draven scowled but retracted his energy. The sword dropped to the ground, embedding itself in the dirt.

He exhaled sharply, his anger dissipating.

"Fine," he muttered. "I'll take them."

Huey, watching from the sidelines, grinned widely.

"Finally," he chuckled. "Now let's get down to business."

Meanwhile…

A lone figure moved through the wilderness, approaching Seoul City.

Gong.

His breath was uneven, his body still shaken from what he had witnessed.

But he kept moving.

The Hunter Association had to know.