The Moonlight Swordsman



Aizel's destination, the Fangspire mountain, was drawing closer and closer with each passing moment.

The mountain loomed in the distance, it's top penetrating the sky and its jagged, boulder-studded slopes casting a menacing shadow.

As he got closer to the mountain's snake catacombs, the area around him seemed to grow darker, as if the mountain were casting a shadow over everything.

I wonder how many snake monsters will be there," he thought.

Aizel dismounted and tied his horse to a sturdy tree before setting off for the foreboding peak.

His mana senses were on full alert, reaching out to pick up on any danger that may be nearby. He was cautious, never letting his guard down, and was aware of his surroundings at all times.

"Now that I think I didn't name my armor, let's see what could be a good name for it."

"Hellfire roaring armor?"

"Well, for now, I will keep that."

The bracelet on his arm gave out a sharp humming sensation. Suddenly, the bracelet began to float, and it changed into a suit of black armor that covered his entire body. The armor made a low humming sound as if it recognized Aizel's voice and was responding to it.

*pshh*

A slight puff of steam released from his shoulder as the black armor settled onto his body.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight before he began to head deeper into the depths of the mountain.

As Aizel made his way over the difficult, rocky landscape, he couldn't help but notice the dead trees and scattered skeletons.

He kept his eyes peeled for snakes despite the unsettling sight, but none appeared.

"Isn't this place supposed to be swarming with snakes? Then why can't I see or feel any?"

*HISSSSS*

The hissing of snakes reverberated off the rocky landscape, confirming Aizel's suspicion.

The massive serpents, each as huge as an elephant and covered in green scales, emerged from the surrounding area and began advancing toward Aizel at a considerable pace.

Their sharp fangs glistened in the light as they hissed menacingly, showing no signs of slowing down.

The ground shook under Aziel's feet as the large, elephant-sized snakes slithered toward him in a hissing, angry horde.

"These are all Grade I monsters, but their size is so big," he thought.

Aziel stood his ground, a look of calm on his face, as the giant snake-like creatures approached.

Though their size was intimidating to most, he remained unfazed.

With a wave of his hand, the creatures started to burst like bubbles, one by one, their green blood flying everywhere along with their remains.

To him, they were mere pests, no match for his magical prowess.

Aziel ran into multiple Grade I creatures as he ventured deeper into the mountain in his ascent, but easily dispatched them.

Even though he had plenty of storage rings on him, he continued climbing without stopping to gather their remains.

He planned to gather everything at once later on.

Even as dusk fell, Aizel continued his climb up the mountain, easily killing any Grade I snakes he encountered.

However, the lack of stronger snakes made him wary, and he suspected that they were likely concentrated towards the peak.

As he made his way closer to the peak, the weaker Grade I snakes were replaced by the stronger Grade II snakes with red scales.

They were slightly larger than Grade I and more hostile. They mixed in with the Grade I snakes at first, but as Aizel progressed, their numbers increased and the Grade I snakes diminished.

These snakes had a unique ability that set them apart from the Grade I monsters he had encountered earlier.

They had the ability to spit an acid poison from their teeth, which was quick and lethal. Aizel's reflexes, however, were incredibly quick, and he was easily able to avoid the poisonous spits.

Even if some drops landed on him, his black armor shielded him from harm, effortlessly sliding off the corrosive acid without leaving a scratch.

Aizel eliminated the Grade I snakes one by one as he avoided their venom by weaving in and out of their ranks.

Their skins were no match for the venom, and they hissed in agony before being quickly dispatched by Aizel.

Once the Grade I snakes were out of the way, Aizel focused on the more dangerous Grade II foes.

Because they were of the same grade, he couldn't simply explode them to death with his magic like he could with lower-grade snakes.

He was cautious not to overexert himself, as he knew he had a limit before his headaches became unbearable.

To combat the Grade II snakes, Aizel called forth the Dragonfang blade and began to drain their life energy.

After each blow, the dagger glowed from the energy it had absorbed.

Aizel proceeded to store as much energy as he could because he knew it would be essential for the upcoming raid.

He fought the Grade II and Grade I snakes for hours, slaying them relentlessly as he made his way to the peak.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake more violently, and Aizel's heightened senses alerted him to the approach of five powerful Grade II snakes.

Their scales glimmered in the night, revealing a rainbow of hues from red to blue to purple to brown and green.

"Here comes the magic user monster," he thought.

*HISS*

One of the purple snakes hissed and swung its head quickly, unleashing two purple lightning bolts from its fangs. The lightning bolts, targeted squarely at Aizel, sped through the air with a crackling sound.

Aizel's muscles contracted and expanded with lightning speed as his body reacted.

The first purple lightning bolts blasted out of the snake's jaws, and he jumped to the side to avoid them.

But the danger didn't stop there. More bolts followed, forcing Aizel to keep moving to avoid them.

As he dodged, he noticed the other four snakes beginning to fan out around him, clearly intending to corner him.

If I am not mistaken, their scale color indicates their element. The blue must be water or ice, red must be fire, purple is lightning, and the green must be wind"

"Bring it on then," he said with a smile creeping on his face.