Shock! Jabroot was the second to lose? All around the ground, the serpents were wearing shocked expressions.
Anyone who knew Jabroot understood how arrogant and proud the serpent was. However, it had earned the right to be proud and arrogant since it had the power and prestige. Even the elder had praised it several times, especially the talent and potential.
Now, mister talented and going places had been tossed out of the circle. Not even the elder could believe this. It seemed as though the fairies were much more threatening than he had expected.
Meanwhile, Sabrina, who had been supporting her sibling, found herself surrounded by three fairies. Fidha, Safi and Asha ganged up against her, while Sawe and Medina, the other two, were engaged in a gruesome one-on-one battle with the other basilisks.
Sawe's stamina and powerful attacks had proven quite strong in holding back a basilisk by himself. He was even more powerful than his counterpart, Fidha. However, the opponent was also just as powerful and unrelenting. The two seemed well matched.
Medina, after her first attack, kept swooping in and out, trying to find any opening she could. Unfortunately, her opponent this time would not let off. Pursuing her with her tail raised high, the opposing basilisk kept swatting the air, trying to take down the little fairy. Too bad, the fairy was too fast.
While she managed to continue escaping her opponent, Medina felt restrained. She found it hard to build up speed, which was her most effective asset. Eventually, she ended up in a passive position.
Just as the two were struggling, Sabrina, the basilisk taking on three fairies, let out a painful yelp as another one of Asha's arrows found her face. She had received quite a few of these attacks, but the most annoying of them all was Fidha.
He relentlessly pursued her head, seeking to give her a concussion or something. Sometimes she would succeed in dodging, but most times, she would get a powerful whack on her face.
The worst threat though, was Sifa. Powerful, unconstrained, and very agile in the air, he would swoop in with powerful fists. His target was the body. Every punch he brought down was immensely powerful, and it would fling her through the air.
Worse still, since his punches were so small compared to the bulky body, the attack would feel extra painful, and they would break away her precious scales. By now, she was quite battered.
Sabrina was no walk over. She was second among the juniors, and she too had captured the elder's attention from an early age. She used her powerful horns to deflect and take on Fidha's rod, while using her tail to counter Sifa's attacks.
This left her wide open to Asha's attacks, which would inflict such pain that she would end up leaving herself exposed to the other two. Suffice it to say, she was barely holding on.
Just as Sabrina had received another shot, something changed. Fidha and Sifa moved in very fast, inflicting heavy damage on the serpent. However, she was still in the fight, but not for long.
In a brave twist of events, Medina, who had been entangled with another opponent, suddenly managed to throw off her attacker with some trickery. Since she was quite some distance from Sabrina, she had ample time to build up speed and momentum.
Suddenly engaging her hind wings like a jet engaging afterburners, Medina shot forward like a bullet. In a single breath, her body had made it to Sabrina's blind side, swooping in with a hefty punch that carried all the momentum with it.
Boom! Before the serpent could react, she found herself out of the circle, marking the end of her fight. She was still shocked as how things had happened. Some part of her felt wronged, not even Jabroot had faced off four fairies.
With three of their fellow contestants out, the remaining basilisks looked awkward. However, they wouldn't have to wait for long.
In a desperate attempt to regain some prestige, the serpent that had been fighting with Medina, the one that was abandoned mid-fight, suddenly saw an opportunity.
Sifa had just delivered another punch. This left him wide open. His entire focus was on the serpent standing before him. He was not aware of the actions of Medina and his fellow fairies. The fight was so intense, and the two seemed to respect each other as fighters.
However, just as Sifa was trying to dodge his opponent's tail, coming from his backside, a powerful tail reamed into him, sending him flying through the forest. By the time he hit the ground, he was several dozens of meters away from the circle.
Nina quickly followed, worried for her champion. He was the first of the fairies to take significant damage, even being knocked out of the competition. However, no one could claim him to be weak. Rather, he should have paid more attention to the field, or played well with others, as Fidha did.
Seeing this, all the fairies were enraged. Sifa was still a part of them and seeing one of their own being flung away so mercilessly, the fairies were not going to take it. Even without coordination on their part, all fairies rose to the air, increasing the distance between them and the serpents on the ground.
Seeing this, Kigen smiled brilliantly. He could almost predict what was coming next. He almost danced with excitement. His feeling seemed to be reflected among the fairies, who were also jubilant about their impending victory.
The basilisks looked on, a forlorn mood falling on their side. How could they not tell what move was about to be unleashed? The charge by the fairies had proven to be quite devastating, and they were preparing to do just that.
"You two go right, we'll go left," Once they were at a suitable height, Fidha issued final instructions. Not that he needed to, but he felt he had to so as to prevent some confusion on the matter. It would seem to suggest that he considered himself the leader of those of his generation.
Medina frowned, but she still picked out the target pointed out. Sawe and Asha did the same.
Suddenly, as everyone watched, the four fairies shot down from the sky, moving in extremely fast speeds. Even some of the spectators could not follow them properly.
Boom! Boom! Upon impact, the two remaining serpents were hurled out of the fight, into the air, before pitifully landing in the river basin they called home.
Just like that, four fairies were left standing triumphantly in the battlefield. All their enemies tossed out of the fighting circle. Meanwhile, their brethren, Sifa, had returned, and he joined them, as did their kin.
The fairies danced around in what was the circle victoriously. The battle had been so electrifying and compelling, but also, they had won. The serpents, despite their massive bodies, could not take a hit from their champions, how awesome was that?
Meanwhile, something else was happening. A human seemed to finally manage to descend the steep cliff. Mistress Kering seemed quite exhausted, but also happy, she had made it.
From the look he gave her, it was clear that Erebus did not welcome this intrusion. However, the fairies, especially the younger ones, crowded around the human, regaling her with stories of what just happened. It became clear that she was with the fairies, hence, Erebus held back, but one could tell, something was going on in his mind.
Seeing this, Kigen immediately stepped forward. He bid the serpents farewell, and he, together with his kin and the human, began the long climb back home. In consideration for the human, they decided to take a longer route, rather than just directly flying up.
As they did, the fairies described the events of what had happened, and the epic fight that ensued. She listened, quite engaged with the fairies, which enhanced her bond with the fairies.
When he saw how natural she was with the fairies, Kigen remembered she was quite used to raising children. He was not sure whether it was a good idea to have her around. Who knew what kind of thoughts and ideas she might plant in the juniors?
Finally, they were back home. Kigen went off to see the resident human, who resided in a makeshift tent nearby. When they were alone, the lady asked, "Did those beasts really claim to be basilisks?"
Hearing her question, Kigen knew that a lot of his suspicions were confirmed. "Not really, I don't think. I was the one who made the assumption," Kigen mused as he tried to remember the details. "They did not try to stop or correct me though." He added.
"Just a bunch of river serpents trying to pretend to be basilisks," she said with a sneer. "At best they have python blood in them, and the horns suggest a more ancient ancestry, but they are a far cry to a basilisk. None of you can take on even a young one yet." she added.
Kigen had been convinced that he was dealing with some powerful ancient race of monsters, which was why his mind went to the basilisks. From the tales he heard in his youth, it seemed to match the beast in front of him then.
However, after fighting with one, and seeing the elder, Kigen was not so convinced. He maintained the facade since he was unsure of his suspicions. He also felt there was a lot the basilisks were hiding.
Kigen hated having such an unstable element so close to his home. He vowed that he had to get strong enough to protect the mother tree and his kin. Even thoughts of going to that faraway city were long gone.