The Snake God with SSS Rank Evolution System

Chapter 357: Void Pursuit

Ignis’s voice cut through the rush of footsteps, sharp and defiant even as they fled. "If we’re just running, we might as well turn and fight! At least that way we’d go down swinging!"Lilith’s response came smoothly, almost amused. "That’s not entirely unreasonable. I’d rather face an enemy I can see than run blindly through a labyrinth of darkness."

Alice let out a long, exasperated sigh, her cat ears flattening against her skull. "I just woke up, and I’m already dealing with this. Of course I’d wake up to complete chaos."

Isolde’s voice was tight, her eyes scanning the shifting shadows as they ran. "Is this even the right way? Do you actually know where we’re going?"

Alice blinked. "Eh? I was following you. I assumed you knew the way out."

Isolde’s pace faltered for half a step. "You’re joking. We’re running without a destination?"

Alice’s tail flicked. "Why wouldn’t you know the way? Didn’t you come in through a door?"

Azrynn’s voice came out strained, her breath short. "I don’t remember! It was dark, there were no landmarks and no signs, everything looks the same!"

Alice’s ears flattened further. "So we’re lost. Great."

Ignis’s voice cut through, bright with sudden insight. "Then why don’t you use your senses? You found us, didn’t you?"

Alice’s tail lashed. "I can’t sense a destination if I don’t know what I’m looking for. This place is too vast—it’s like trying to find a single grain of sand in a desert."

Lilith’s voice was calm, measured. "Then we use the compass. Focus on the exit, and it will guide us."

Alice reached into the shadow sphere containing Adam’s unconscious form, her fingers brushing against the familiar shape of the Compass of Desire. She pulled it free and tossed it to Lilith.

"Here. You actually saw the entrance. You lead."

Lilith caught it without looking, her crimson eyes already fixed on the needle as she focused on the memory of the door they had entered through. The compass hummed, the needle spinning once before locking onto a direction.

"There. That way."

The group shifted direction immediately, their footsteps pounding against the cracked stone as they followed the compass’s pull. But behind them, the darkness was surging faster, the void creature’s wave was closing in, hungry and relentless.

Ignis’s golden eyes darted back, her flames flickering with urgency.

"It’s gaining on us! We’re not going to outrun it on foot!"

She didn’t wait for a response. Her body began to shift—scales rippling across her skin, bones cracking and reforming, her form expanding into its full draconic glory. Within moments, a massive crimson dragon stood before them, her wings spreading wide, her golden eyes blazing.

"Get on!"

Alice didn’t hesitate. She vaulted onto Ignis’s back, her claws finding purchase between the scales. Lilith followed with fluid grace, settling behind Alice. Isolde and Azrynn scrambled up after her, gripping the ridges of Ignis’s spine.

Ignis’s wings beat hard against the oppressive air, her massive dragon form cutting through the void as the Compass of Desire pulsed in Lilith’s grip. The needle held steady, pointing toward the exit but behind them, the darkness was growing.

The void creature’s wave had not stopped. It was rising, swelling, condensing into a massive maw of jagged shadow that lunged after them like a living beast, its hunger palpable even from a distance.

"It’s getting closer!" Azrynn shouted, her voice barely audible over the rush of wind.

Isolde’s crimson eyes blazed. She forced herself upright on Ignis’s back, her hands already raised, blood swirling around her fingers. Her voice was sharp, commanding.

"[Blood Dominion: Crimson Veil]!"

A massive wave of blood erupted from her palms, spreading outward in a wide, shimmering curtain. It met the advancing darkness head-on, and for a moment, the two forces clashed—crimson against void, life against emptiness. The blood didn’t destroy the darkness, but it confused it, disrupted its flow, tangled its advance.

The void creature’s wave faltered, its momentum broken as the blood veiled its path. It thrashed, shadows writhing as it struggled to reform, to push through the crimson barrier.

But the effort took its toll.

Isolde’s body swayed. Her breathing grew ragged, her face pale. The Crimson Blossom Crown on her brow flickered, its petals wilting as the energy drained from her. Her hair, which had turned crimson during her transformation, began to shift back, streaks of white spreading through it like frost creeping across glass. The vibrant red faded, replaced by the pale silver-white she had worn before. Her eyes, still sharp, began to fade from crimson back to their original pale blue.

She collapsed forward, gasping, her hands falling limp at her sides.

"Hahh... haa... haa..."

Azrynn caught her before she could slide off Ignis’s back, her yellow eyes wide with alarm. "Isolde! Are you okay?!"

Isolde’s voice came out weak, but steady. "I’m fine... just... tired..."

Alice glanced back, her dark violet eyes narrowing. "Your hair..."

Isolde’s lips curved into a faint, exhausted smile. "It seems... using too much blood magic... has its price..."

Lilith’s voice drifted from ahead, calm but carrying a note of approval. "Your effort wasn’t wasted. The darkness is still trying to reform, it’s slowed down significantly."

Ignis’s wings beat furiously as she pushed through the void. Isolde’s sacrifice had bought them precious moments, and Ignis intended to use every last one.

"Hold on tight! I’m going to push as fast as I can!"

Her massive form surged forward, cutting through the darkness like a comet of crimson and gold. The group tightened their grips as the wind howled past them.

But the reprieve was short-lived.

A thunderous roar echoed from the ground itself. The stone beneath them trembled, and from the darkness, massive figures emerged.

Titans. Dozens of them.

They surged forward in a coordinated wave, their forms towering and grotesque, some with spears of solidified shadow, others with bows of twisted bone. Their burning eyes locked onto the fleeing group, and they attacked without hesitation.

Spears shot through the air, whistling as they cut through the void. Arrows followed, dark and gleaming, aimed directly at Ignis’s wings and the riders on her back.

Azrynn’s yellow eyes sharpened. She drew her bow in one fluid motion, her fingers already nocking an arrow as she tracked the incoming projectiles.

"[Twilight Shot]!"

She released, and the arrow split into three, each one intercepting a spear mid-flight. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the air, and the spears shattered into fragments of shadow.

Lilith’s threads moved in perfect synchronization, silver strands snapping out to catch the arrows before they could reach Ignis’s wings. The arrows stopped, suspended in mid-air, before Lilith flicked her wrist and sent them clattering uselessly to the ground.

"Tch. Persistent," Lilith murmured, her voice flat.

But more projectiles were already coming—a second volley, faster and denser than the first. The Titans were adapting, their attacks growing more coordinated.

Ignis’s golden eyes blazed. "They’re not giving up! Hold on tight! I’m going to try something!"

She angled her wings, descending toward a cluster of jagged stone pillars that jutted out from the void like broken teeth. The Titans behind them roared, their footsteps shaking the ground as they adjusted their course to follow.

But Ignis didn’t slow down.

As she approached the pillars, her flames flickered, gathering around her jaws. She opened her mouth wide, and a torrent of golden fire erupted from her throat, striking the pillars directly.

The flames hit the stone, and the pillars exploded.

Massive chunks of rock and debris scattered in all directions, creating a chaotic storm of jagged fragments that filled the air between the group and the pursuing Titans. The spears and arrows that had been launched moments before were either deflected or destroyed, their momentum broken by the sudden, violent barrier.

Ignis’s wings beat hard as she shot through the gap, leaving the Titans to struggle through the debris.

"That should slow them down!" Ignis called out, a fierce grin in her voice.

Azrynn let out a breath of relief, her bow lowering slightly. "That was... actually really smart."

Lilith’s voice was smooth, almost amused. "Impressive. You’re not just a pretty fireball, are you?"

Ignis’s draconic laugh echoed through the void. "I have my moments!"

Alice’s dark violet eyes narrowed as she sensed the shadows closing in again—the void creature’s wave, relentless and hungry, was already reforming beyond the debris field. Her cat ears flattened, and her tail lashed once.

"Don’t celebrate yet. It’s coming back."

Ignis’s draconic voice rumbled with irritation. "You’re no fun, Alice."

Lilith glanced back, her crimson eyes gleaming with dry amusement. "It seems the creature is rather determined. Perhaps it simply grew bored of its eternal confinement."

Alice’s voice cut through, sharp and focused. "That’s not our concern." She raised both hands, shadows beginning to coil around her fingers. "I’ll buy us time. Ignis, don’t stop."

Dark violet energy surged around Alice’s form as she reached out with her will. The shadows around them responded, twisting and thickening, forming a barrier that spread outward behind them, a wall of writhing darkness that pushed back against the void creature’s advance.

The creature’s wave slammed into the barrier, and for a moment, the two forces clashed, locked in a struggle of wills.