"Snake monster!" Akari screamed, her voice cracking as she ducked behind Rei. Both of them clung to each other, screaming in sync as the creature slithered closer.
The thing before them was horrifying and strange. Its upper half looked like a woman with long black hair, but her lower body was a massive snake's tail, coiled and glistening. Sharp fangs jutted from her mouth and her tongue flicked the air as she hissed.
The air smelled cold and damp, and Rin just stood there, frozen for a second, before muttering under her breath.
"Wow. Monsters in this manga. Cool and terrifying. Also, definitely smells like another one of Selene's plans."
The giant snake woman moved toward them, her claws scraping the stone ground with an awful sound. Her body twisted, and her yellow eyes glowed like lanterns in the dark.
Rin suddenly blinked and turned toward Rei and Akari, who were still pressed against her back, using her as a human shield.
"Wait. Don't you guys have powers? Like fire and water or something? Hello?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
Rei's eyes widened. "Oh… yeah."
Just like that, Rei straightened her back and conjured a crackling fireball in her palm. Akari shook herself out of her fear and raised her hands, water swirling and dripping between her fingers.
"Finally," Rin muttered.
The snake monster reared back, baring her teeth. Rei hurled her fireball straight at its face. Akari followed with a blast of water, shooting it like a sharp arrow of ice and mist. Both attacks slammed into the creature's scaly body, but when the smoke cleared, it was still standing.
The snake woman grinned, her scales unburned and unbroken.
"Your powers are useless on me," she said in a mocking voice, her tongue curling between her teeth. She slithered closer, her massive body dragging behind her. "You two are just too weak to fight me. Don't worry, though. Your souls will still be tied for eternity."
Rei and Akari exchanged nervous glances but kept firing water and flame, filling the air with steam. It didn't matter. The monster just laughed and batted the attacks aside as though they were nothing but sparks.
Then the snake's glowing eyes locked on Rin.
Rin froze and stepped back, raising both hands. "Hey. Don't even look at me. I don't have powers. No fireballs, no water waves, no magical sparkles. Don't expect anything."
The creature tilted her head slightly and studied her.
"You," the snake said in a low hiss, "you don't even look like you belong to this world."
Before Rin could answer, the monster lunged forward so fast the air whistled. Her jaws opened wide, revealing rows of dripping fangs.
"Wait, what?" Rin gasped.
But it was too late. The snake's mouth snapped shut around her, and in the blink of an eye, Rin was gone, swallowed whole.
Silence fell for a moment. Akari and Rei stood there, mouths open, staring at the spot where Rin had just been standing.
The snake slowly closed her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh. Her tongue flicked lazily in the air.
"You two are next," she hissed, her voice cold and sharp like broken glass.
Akari gritted her teeth. Water swirled around her hands, dripping and hissing as it struck the floor.
"Give me back my cousin!" she yelled, shooting a powerful jet of water straight at the snake's face.
At the same time, Rei's entire body flared with fire, her hair whipping in the heat she created.
"Yeah! Give me back my friend, you ugly excuse of a snake!" she shouted, sending fireballs one after another until the walls started to blacken.
But nothing worked. The snake didn't even flinch. Her scales sparkled under the flames and water, unharmed, her grin widening as she crept closer.
Akari and Rei backed up to the cracked wall, their breaths coming fast and heavy.
"This… this isn't working," Akari muttered, panic seeping into her voice.
The snake raised her head high, her mouth opening wide again.
"Now, be good girls and let me devour you too," she mocked, her shadow falling over them.
But just as the snake lunged — something silver shot out of nowhere.
A long, shining strand of silver hair wrapped around the snake's neck. It tightened with a harsh snap and yanked the monster backward.
The snake shrieked as her massive body slammed into the stone wall, hard enough that the wall cracked from the impact. Dust rained down from the ceiling.
Akari and Rei froze, blinking through the haze as a figure stepped into view.
Long silver hair glowed like moonlight, spilling over her shoulders and sweeping the floor behind her. Her eyes gleamed pure silver white, colder than ice and sharper than steel.
"Selene," both Akari and Rei breathed at the same time, their voices shaky.
The woman glanced at them briefly and gave a faint smile.
"Hello, girls," she said simply, her voice smooth but distant.
She took a step closer, her hair sliding over the stones like living threads. First she stared at Akari and Rei, as if silently judging them. Then she turned to the snake, who was already coiling and struggling to stand.
"Let me fix this," Selene murmured, her gaze hardening as she raised a hand toward the creature.
Akari leaned sideways toward Rei and whispered without moving her lips.
"What is your ex doing here?"
Rei shot Selene a wild look, waving her hands frantically and mouthing:
"I don't know!"
The giant snake hissed, coiling tighter, its scales gleaming like polished stone.
"What is this nonsense," it growled, baring its fangs.
Selene's silver eyes narrowed as she raised a shimmering ice sword, her long hair whipping around her like a banner. She planted her feet and pointed the blade at the monster.
"Spit the girl out," she said coldly, "or today will be your last day."
The snake let out a deep, mocking laugh.
"Your powers won't work on me. My scales were blessed by the mountain gods. Nothing can pierce them," it hissed.
Selene tilted her head slightly, her lips curling in a faint smirk.
"Well, let's see about that," she replied.
Then, in the next instant, she vanished.
Her figure blurred like smoke, her form dissolving into the air. In a blink, she reappeared in front of the snake, her blade flashing as she swung it with terrifying speed.
The snake froze. A clean line appeared across its thick body before it could react.
From its sliced belly, Rin slid out in a slimy mess, landing on the ground with a wet thud. She coughed and gasped, eyes wide with shock.
Selene stood over the writhing creature, her sword now glinting with frost.
"You should have taken my first offer," she murmured.
With another blur of movement, she struck again. And again. Each slice faster than the last. In a storm of slashes, the snake's body shattered into countless icy shards before exploding into a fine mist.
Rei and Akari stood frozen, their mouths hanging open, unable to believe what they just witnessed.
Then Rin slowly blinked, her senses returning, and she let out a sharp scream. She scrambled to her feet, stumbled toward Rei and Akari, and threw her arms out protectively in front of them.
"Stay away from them, you icy pervert!" she shouted, her voice cracking as she glared at Selene.