Charging straight at it, he shouted, "I can only it hold for a minute..!"
Then, with a powerful burst of wind—strong enough to crumble a building—he slammed into the snake, sending it flying out of the monster group while also clearing away the poisonous fog.
The duo looked surprised, finally able to breathe more freely now that the venomous fog had cleared. The woman wielding a massive hammer gave a quick nod.
"Thanks, that's enough," she said before leaping into the air, the ground beneath her cracking from the sheer force.
Her target—a towering bear-like beast, larger than any building or tree in the village—stood menacingly below. But she had already soared far above its height. As she descended, her black stone hammer gleamed under the dim light, then came crashing down toward the beast's skull.
The bear let out a thunderous roar, shaking the surroundings as the soil beneath its feet surged upward, forming a thick mud shield in a desperate attempt to block the devastating blow.
But the shield wasn't strong enough—it shattered into countless shards as the hammer struck the bear's skull. Blood splattered from the impact, and the massive beast collapsed, though not completely dead.
The woman didn't have a chance to follow up, as the remaining monsters immediately unleashed a barrage of attacks on her. Meanwhile, her male companion, wielding a long sword, managed to cut down one of the wolf-like creatures, killing it in a single stroke.
This gave Cassian some hope. If they could thin out the monsters enough, he wouldn't have to engage them directly. Just standing near these creatures was already a struggle—his Domain sizzled as the snake continued to flood the area with its venomous fog.
The last time he fought someone who used a fog-based attack was back in the arena against that gooey monster. But that fight had been nothing compared to this. The previous fog only induced pain, while this one could actually melt him alive.
Wasting no more time, Cassian surged forward, brandishing his crimson sword. Since no one was paying attention to him, he briefly considered donning his war armor, but that would undoubtedly draw too many eyes. His blood-red sword was already flashy enough.
Still, it had advantages over his usual weapon—it was tougher, had a sharper edge, and, most importantly, was far better suited for his Killing Domain. With just a little effort, he could envelop the blade in his Domain, though only for a few seconds at a time. And that was exactly what he did.
Cassian launched his attack against the snake, which had only a few but deadly methods of offense—it could either try to swallow him whole with its massive jaws, lash out with its whip-like tail, or spew venom in two terrifying forms: a thick, suffocating fog or a corrosive liquid that melted through glass in seconds before evaporating into the air.
Even with his healing abilities and immunity to pain, Cassian had no intention of letting that venom touch him. He fought hard, dodging each attack with precision, focusing not on killing the beast but on pushing it farther away from the main battle. The last thing he wanted was for it to rejoin the other three-star monsters.
Behind him, the Second-Circle Warriors were working as fast as they could, cutting down the monsters one by one. Cassian just needed them to kill a few more—three were already down, and if they could take out one or two more in the next few seconds, his fight would become significantly easier.
Unfortunately, they couldn't finish in time, and Cassian's red Domain was already darkening, tainted by the venom that even burned through Domains. He could feel the heat creeping closer, the toxic smoke threatening to seep from his own skin.
Gritting his teeth, he shouted, "Guys, I've held onto this wiggly bastard longer than I said I would! How about we call it quits now?"
"Just hold it for another minute, young lad," the man called back, blocking an attack from a bloodied, gorilla-like monster. Meanwhile, the hammer-wielding warrior was still locked in combat with the massive bear. Despite its skull being nearly crushed and one of its arms hanging limp, the beast refused to go down. If things went well, they'd both manage to kill their opponents soon—but right now, neither of them had the upper hand.
Cassian's Domain shield wavered as the venom's corrosive effects burned through it, puncturing holes in the once-solid barrier. The crimson aura flickered, struggling to hold its form before finally shattering apart like fragile glass.
The venom wasted no time. It clung to his exposed skin, eating away at it instantly. The outer layers sizzled and peeled, revealing raw flesh beneath. Despite his body's rapid healing, the damage was relentless—the moment his skin mended, the venom burned through again, locking him in a brutal cycle.
The only silver lining was that he couldn't feel the pain. His movements remained sharp, unaffected by the agony his body should have been experiencing. But that didn't change the fact that his Domain was gone, and now, the snake had the upper hand.
With a sudden, whip-like motion, the beast lashed its tail at him. Cassian barely had time to react before the force sent him flying. He crashed hard against the rubble of a collapsed building, the impact shattering bones in his arms and legs. As his limbs twitched, already beginning to heal, he tried to push himself up—only to realize he couldn't. His body wasn't fast enough this time.
And the snake knew it.
With a rapid, slithering motion, it lunged at him, its massive maw stretching open, ready to swallow him whole. Cassian could see the slick insides of its throat, the pulsing flesh of its gullet, and most terrifying of all—the dark green venom building up at the back of its mouth, preparing to be sprayed.
It was slow motion, a trap he couldn't escape. If he dodged at the last second, the venom would still coat him. If he didn't move, he'd be devoured.
Gritting his teeth, he tried again to move, but his limbs were still healing—still broken. His legs refused to support him, his arms twitched uselessly at his sides. He was completely vulnerable, and the monster was closing in fast.