The howl didn't fade out.
If anything the intensity only increased the more time passed.
A suffocating pressure descended, as though something vast had wrapped its fingers around the forest with killing intent.
The air thickened.
Trees shuddered sending deep tremors through the ground.
Even the corpses at my feet seemed to sink deeper into the earth as if trying to bury themselves before the arrival of the dire king.
Then…
It stepped into view.
And the first thing I noticed was white.
Not the gentle white of delicate snow, but a suffocating variant of it.
Its massive frame parted the trees like they were nothing more than tall grass.
Each step it took was slow and intentional, its presence heavy with authority.
Its fur bristled like sharpened frost as it carried itself with predatory grace, the same feeling a tyrant king would give off before beheading their enemy.
Crimson markings ran along its limbs in curling patterns while its eyes burned gold with veins of red outlining its exterior.
On its forehead was a tattoo of a crimson crescent.
Its eyes locked onto me.
Watching silently like a predator deciding how to hunt its prey.
I laughed.
'Hah… me, prey? That's absurd.'
"You're bigger than I expected." I muttered, rolling my shoulder as I stepped forward.
Bigger than I actually remembered, almost twice its original size, which was ridiculously enormous considering it had been the size of a mini van in the game.
Now it was the size of a house.
And that Aura…
'Did the dire king go berserk?'
The creature didn't attack immediately.
It simply stared.
And in that moment, I felt it from its gaze.
The dire king had marked me as prey.
Its lips peeled back revealing rows of fangs, each one thick and curved with crimson stains from the messenger it had killed earlier.
It was menacing.
Menacing enough that even blinking felt fatal.
My lips curled into a grin.
"This is it."
The chain in my hand rattled softly.
"This is exactly what I was hoping for."
There was no need to hold back.
I twisted my wrist.
The chained sickle shimmered, its form distorting like heat over a melting metal, then it collapsed. The curved blade shortened, condensing into something far crueler.
A chained dagger.
A weapon which was thinner than the sickle and perfect for thrusting.
This was one of the active effects of the weapon, shapeshifting silver.
The enchantment allowed the Fanged viper to transform into any chained weapon of my choice.
It was a highly versatile enchantment and it was the only reason people avoided this particular weapon, that and the fact that only two of such weapons were in existence.
Amongst the epic grade weapons it was among the highest rarity but only a few people could use such a weapon to its full potential.
Me and the top one global ranker.
The edge of the dagger gleamed like a shard of night silver with the chain coiled within my grasp. It looked less like a dagger and more like a long nail with a decorated hilt.
I licked my dry lips.
"Now… I wonder what color of blood is beneath that majestic frame of yours."
The moment I said that, the world snapped into focus once again.
The passive enchantment of the weapon recognized my desire for battle and flow surged through my being.
BA-DUMP!
BA-DUMP!
Everything suddenly felt clear and liberating, leaving only the desire to battle the strong opponent in front of me.
Perhaps it was because of the heightened perception of the flow state but I saw the dire King's muscle tense.
Then without warning.
It moved… no
It vanished.
The ground exploded where it stood as its massive body shot forward with impossible speed for something of its size.
I felt the air around me distort terribly.
My body moved before my mind could process it.
I ducked, then spun out of the way.
A claw the size of my torso tore through the air above me, splitting the air with a sharp crack, then the aftershock caved the ground where I stood a moment ago.
I moved, my chain snapping outward as the dagger shot towards the dire king like a lunging viper.
CLANG!
The dire king tilted its head at the last second.
My blade didn't meet its mark.
I had aimed for its eyes but the creature noticed the attack and it used its shoulder as a shield causing my blade to scrape against its tough hide hidden beneath a layer of fur.
"Tch!"
The dire king didn't give me time to collect myself.
Its tail swept in an aggressive arc.
I tried to jump away but my movements were a bit too slow.
The impact clipped my side before sending me skidding across the rough ground.
My body tore through dirt and shattered roots, then I slammed into a tree, hard enough to split it.
Pain bloomed beneath my vision.
I coughed, tasting the familiar metallic tang of blood as it trickled from the corner of my lips.
"Ahaha… that's it, more…" I muttered. "More… come at me."
The dire king didn't rush this time.
It circled slowly with claws digging into the earth.
Each movement was deliberate.
The fucker was toying with me.
The thought was so ridiculous I couldn't even bring myself to laugh.
"Hmmm, interesting, now I'm dying to see which one of us is the predator and which one… is the prey."
The dire King's eyes narrowed.
That was answer enough.
The mutt was really getting on my nerves.
I exhaled.
"Try not to die too early"
It growled slowly.
"Void lance."
The ground erupted.
Jagged spears of deep dioxazine purple burst upward tearing through the earth with the intent of impaling the massive creature.
But the beast moved.
It twisted mid-motion, dancing around the lances with terrifying precision.
Fortunately one managed to graze its thick hide.
The cut was shallow, but it was enough.
The dire king snarled and a hiss followed.
The flesh it touched darkened instantly turning a shade of midnight purple as the void began to corrupt its flesh.
Its movement faltered for a fraction of a second.
The beast looked down at the corrupted flesh then back at me, before revealing those eerie fangs.
It was grinning… no, it wasn't a smile.
It was finally getting serious.