The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1093 - 167 - The Lamia’s Tribe (2)

The pack reacted immediately. Two shielded their leader while another flung a volley of thin, needle-like spikes. I deflected most, but one caught my shoulder, burning like fire as it broke the skin.

Poison. Great. Well, it wasn’t going to kill me. But it was still a bit painful.

I clenched my jaw and flooded the wound with mana, burning the toxin out before it could take hold.

The leader straightened up, her eyes fixed on me. There was no rage in her expression, only curiosity.

"So, you have teeth," she said softly. "Good."

Her grip tightened on her spear.

"Show me what else you can do."

Then, the entire pack descended on me at once.

There was no signal and no battle cry. One second they were waiting, and the next, the area collapsed into violence. Tails whipped, blades flashed, and the air seemed to shred under the weight of their combined assault. My senses were pushed to the absolute limit as death came for me from every direction.

I shifted my footing immediately, forcing my body to stay loose instead of rigid. If I tried to meet their strength head-on all the time, I’d get overwhelmed. Their tails alone gave them reach and power that humans weren’t built to deal with.

A spear came in low from my right. I twisted, letting it skim past my hip, and brought Ayuru down hard on the shaft. The blade bit into the wood—or whatever material it was made of—splitting it halfway through. Before I could finish it, the Lamia yanked it back and recoiled smoothly, her tail propelling her out of range.

Another one lunged at me from behind, her tail slamming into my back like a battering ram. I felt the impact ripple through my body, knocking the breath out of me as I was sent skidding forward. I barely managed to roll before a blade stabbed into the ground where my neck would’ve been.

I pushed myself up just in time to block another strike. Ayuru rang loudly as she met metal, the vibration running straight into my arms. My muscles screamed in protest, but I held firm, teeth clenched as I forced mana through my limbs to keep them from giving out.

They were relentless.

No wasted movement. No hesitation. Every strike had intent behind it, aimed to cripple or kill. Even when I managed to land hits, they adapted immediately, shifting their formation, covering for each other without even looking.

Equal wasn’t an exaggeration anymore.

If anything, they had the advantage.

I ducked under a sweeping blade and countered with a thrust toward a Lamia’s torso. She twisted sideways, scales deflecting part of the blow, but Ayuru still drew blood. She hissed sharply and retaliated with a strike so fast I barely saw it coming. I raised my arm instinctively, the spearhead scraping along my gauntlet and cutting deep into the metal.

I felt the tremor in my arm.

Not fear but strain.

Ayuru pulsed in my hand, pulling more mana from me than before. Not violently, but insistently. Like she knew this wasn’t the time to hold back.

"Fine," I muttered under my breath. "Take it."

Mana surged outward, coating the blade in a faint, shimmering aura. The weight in my hand changed—not heavier, but denser, more real. The next time a Lamia rushed me, I met her head-on instead of dodging.

Our weapons collided, and this time she was the one forced back.

Her eyes widened just a little as she slid away, tail digging into the ground to stop herself. The others noticed instantly. Their formation shifted again, two pressing me from the front while the others tried to flank.

The leader stayed just out of reach, watching.

Always watching.

I could feel her gaze on me, cold and calculating, like she was waiting for something specific. A mistake. A moment of weakness. Or maybe just proof that I was worth the trouble.

A Lamia to my left feinted high, forcing me to raise Ayuru. The real attack came low—her tail snapping around my legs. I reacted too slowly. It wrapped tight, scales rough and unyielding, and yanked hard.

I hit the ground hard, the impact rattling my bones. Before I could recover, another Lamia was already above me, weapon raised.

I twisted and slashed upward with Ayuru. The blade caught her across the ribs, blood spraying as she screamed and recoiled. I rolled to the side just as a spear slammed down where my head had been.

I forced myself up, breathing hard now. Sweat ran down my face, stinging my eyes. My mana reserves weren’t empty, but they were being burned through fast. Fighting like this—constantly reinforcing my body, reacting at full speed—it wasn’t sustainable forever.

Neither was theirs, though.

I noticed it then. Subtle, but there.

Their breathing was heavier. Their movements, while still precise, weren’t as effortless as before. One of them was favoring her injured side. Another had blood dripping steadily from a cut along her tail.

We were wearing each other down.

Equal.

The leader finally moved.

She surged forward faster than before, spear spinning in her hands as she closed the distance. I met her charge, our weapons clashing again and again in rapid succession. Thrust, parry, slash, block—each movement flowed into the next, neither of us gaining ground.

Her tail struck, I dodged. I countered, she deflected. Sparks flew as metal scraped against metal, the sound sharp and constant.

She was smiling.

Not mocking. Not cruel.

Satisfied.

She twisted suddenly, letting my blade slide past her shoulder, and drove the butt of her spear into my ribs. Pain exploded through my side as I was knocked back several steps. I barely stayed on my feet, coughing as I forced air back into my lungs.

She didn’t press immediately.

Instead, she straightened, spear resting lightly against the ground, eyes locked onto mine.

"You’re still standing," she said quietly. "Most wouldn’t be."

I wiped blood from the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand and adjusted my grip on Ayuru.

"Didn’t plan on lying down just yet."

The other Lamias repositioned, not attacking, but not relaxing either. The tension in the air was thick, heavy, like a drawn bowstring.

The leader tilted her head slightly, studying me again.

"Interesting," she murmured. "Very interesting."

Her tail coiled beneath her, muscles tightening.

"This isn’t over."

And then she moved again.