"How dare you hit me!" Kigen shouted out loud, the rage building up in his heart. Suddenly, Kigen was washed with a warm glowing light, growing ever so brighter, until he became dazzling. Even the basilisk, despite itself, had to turn away from the offending fairy. It was still very badly hurt in its one eye.
Meanwhile, Kigen felt a sudden burst of healing in his body. However, it was not just healing he was feeling. As he ran this ability, he could feel his body was breaking through some obstacle he was not even aware of.
Suddenly, the quantity and density of the wood element he could control seemed to grow exponentially, and his magical ability more than quadrupled. In mere moments, he was back in full health.
This time, he did not hurry. Just standing there, the brilliant light he was exuding made him the center of attention. Every eye, be it basilisk or fairy, was on him as he seemed to undergo a metamorphosis.
The forest was suddenly engulfed in silence. After several moments of this, the light on Kigen started to fade away. Finally, everyone had a first glance at Kigen.
Flying there in the forest, his wings did not even seem to be fluttering around, yet he was in the air. He seemed slightly taller, and his body looked quite dense. His wings had a slightly denser sheen of green, indicating they had become much more powerful.
Kigen fluttered his upper wings slightly, making him rise majestically, overlooking the stunned basilisk. In his hand, a powerful rod was beginning to form. As he was breaking through, Kigen understood certain concepts ingrained in the lessons downloaded from mother.
His rod continued to elongate as well as thicken. As it did, the wood elements built up in the rod, increasing its density. By the will of his mind, Kigen made the thing suspend. He could even remotely cast this spell, or technique, or whatever it was, from a distance.
Seeing this, the basilisk's face turned pensive. The rage and destruction from before seemed to wash away, and a look of seriousness descended upon it. It seemed to understand, the tables had turned. Time for the counterattack.
Swooping down faster than he had ever done, Kigen brandished the rod down on the basilisk's head. The serpent was sent sprawling down on the forest. Without skipping a beat, Kigen transformed the rod into a pike.
Flying in with speed and precision, he tore through the beast's back, stabbing the rod deep into the basilisk's back. A well-aimed attack from the tail of the basilisk, the culprit responsible for the multiple attacks, was easily avoided by Kigen.
The next moment, he grabbed the tail. Flying high up in the air, he lifted a sizable chunk of the serpent in the air. Seeing this, the serpent looked visibly scared. It had broken the cardinal sin and swam out of the water.
Kigen wanted to test the limits of his newfound power. He did not feel as though he was struggling even as he continued to lift hundreds of kilograms of basilisk in the air. Meanwhile, he was eyeing the head of the snake.
It was looking at him with murder and hatred but also fear. he could tell, it was about to strike, so he readied himself. This was the moment he had been waiting for.
Meanwhile, the fairies watching was blown away. They could not believe all this was happening. For a moment there, things were turning dicey, but then, they became overwhelming. How could a single fairy muster such strength.
Nina was watching closely, staring at Kigen. She could see where his focus was. She tried to understand what he was looking at, so she too turned to see the serpent. That was when she saw it.
With a lunge, the huge head of the basilisk shot towards where Kigen was. The sudden increase in weight caused Kigen to falter for a bit, but he had also achieved it, the entire thing was off the ground.
Mustering every ounce of power, Kigen suddenly flew in a roundabout way. At first, no one understood what he was doing. However, the next moment, the huge basilisk came slamming down on the ground, shaking the entire forest.
The giant serpent slammed headfirst into the ground, knocking much of its fangs out. It looked dizzy, barely able to rise up.
Kigen realized that it was time to make the final move. He did not want to give the monster some time to recover. He might have the advantage now, but it was hard won and easily lost.
Once more, he raised his palm, generating another rod. This time, he did not rush to attack. Just standing there midair. However, he was not just simply standing. As he stood, more and more wood element started stacking up inside the rod.
This time, he wanted to see how far he can push this spell. Massive amounts of wood element were pumped into the rod, making it so long that it seemed to be three times his height. Moreover, it was growing thick as well.
By now, Kigen could feel the drain in his body. To make such a rod, it needed time and energy, as well as much of his magical reserve. However, he loved the results. Time to put them to the test.
Swish!
A powerful impact resounded. The poor serpent was sent careening through the jungle, in the direction of river basin. Kigen wondered if it was still alive. If it was, it would be disastrous, hence, he decided to go in.
Holding onto the rod, he started converting it into a javelin. If he saw any movement, he would instantly impale the beast. He was also remembering that there was another basilisk, and it could be lying in wait.
The dust settled. Kigen hovered above the basilisk, ready to dodge at a moment's notice. Below him, the basilisk lay, barely moving. However, it was still alive.
Nina was beyond shocked. She had never imagined a fairy could wield such strength. Even the worship in her eyes had sharpened. Kigen was a god to her, a guiding light to illuminate the path she would take. Now, seeing Kigen's performance, she felt her horizons were broadened.
Beside her, the various fairies were also staring in shock. Even the proud Luita and the strong Tande were unable to tear their eyes away. They had just watched Kigen lift a gigantic serpent, smash it to the ground, and then, just because he could, smashed the head and sent it across the forest. Which fairy could claim to have done the same?
The juniors had always looked up to the various seniors, shocked and enamored by their antics. However, they had seldom seen Kigen act personally, especially now that there were such talented seniors in their ranks. Even when he did act, he never seemed to give his full power.
Now they had seen him act. While they were not sure if this was his all, they understood just how wide the chasm is. Now, they understood why even the seniors looked up to this enigmatic fairy, seeking his validation. This was why he called the shots.
The fairy in question, Kigen, continued hovering above the basilisk. He had several chances to skewer it by now, but he needed it for something. Kigen planned to use this basilisk as bait to pull out the other basilisk.
However, after a long wait, he realized the hidden basilisk did not have any intention of coming out. Saddened by this, he knew there was only one thing he had to do.
Lifting his javelin, Kigen aimed for the throat. He wondered if he could one-shot the basilisk, especially in its vulnerable state. It was coming to, and when it did, it would be disastrous for him.
"Enough!" A loud sound echoed across the entire expanse, shaking both trees and rocks in the forest. Turning around, Kigen saw the hidden basilisk. However, behind the basilisk was another, bigger, more terrifying creature.
It had three horns, powerful glowing eyes, and a fierce stare. Its fangs were longer than Kigen's full height, and they seemed to be dripping with poison.
"Noble fairies, what brings you all here?" The great beast spoke out loud. As it did, it drew away from the shadows and basked into the light. Just the part of it that was exposed showcased what a massive monster it was.
Hearing this question, Kigen did not know how to respond. Firstly, he didn't expect to start a conversation with the basilisks, nor did he even expect them to be smart enough to converse.
Secondly, what was he going to answer? Say that he had come looking for trouble? Looking at the sheer size of the beast, Kigen did not think that was an option.
Another worrying thought came to his mind, the beast addressed multiple fairies, not just one. That meant that the beast had detected his brothers.
"We are on a training expedition," Kigen replied, trying to look dignified.
"Training? Yet the guardian attacked personally?" The beast asked, chuckling.
"You seem to know much about fairies," Kigen observed.
"And you seem to know nothing," The beast answered as it drew closer, "Tell me, where do you come from?"