The Deathfly flapped its massive wings, releasing another wave of shimmering dust that warped the very air around them. The illusion deepened—the sky darkened, the ground cracked apart, and spectral figures of the dead crawled up from the abyss, whispering in distorted voices.
"Sleep. Rest. Give in."
Serena gritted her teeth, shaking her head to resist the lull of the illusions, but her limbs felt heavy. Every breath she took was laced with poison, sinking her deeper into the hallucination.
"Asher—!" she called, but when she turned to look at him, she froze.
Before her, dozens of Ashers stood in a circle, surrounding her. Each one bore the same smirk, the same glowing crimson eyes. But only one was real.
The Deathfly had already infiltrated her mind.
"Which one is your ally? Choose wrong, and you'll die." The whispers clawed at her thoughts.
Serena's heart pounded. The weight of the illusions pressed down on her, trying to force her into unconsciousness. If she passed out now, the Deathfly would consume her entire existence.
But Asher… Asher wasn't stopping.
He moved like a crimson blur, weaving through the distorted battlefield. Every illusion, every shifting shape—none of it fazed him.
Because he wasn't seeing them at all.
"Hah. Cheap tricks," Asher scoffed, snapping his fingers. A pulse of blood energy erupted from his body, sending shockwaves through the illusionary realm. The false Ashers flickered and vanished instantly.
Serena gasped. "You—How?!"
Asher tilted his head. "I told you. I don't fall asleep."
The Deathfly screeched, realizing that its mind tricks weren't working on him. It flapped its wings frantically, shifting its strategy.
Suddenly, the air itself began to shift—gravity twisted, and the battlefield turned upside-down.
Serena's footing wobbled as she suddenly found herself falling into the sky.
"Your mind is mine now." The Deathfly's voice echoed through the void.
Serena screamed as she plummeted into the abyss—until Asher's hand grabbed her wrist.
She looked up, eyes wide. Asher was floating in midair, completely unfazed by the shift in gravity. He smirked down at her.
Then, with a single pull, he yanked her back to reality.
The illusions shattered like glass. The battlefield returned to normal. The Deathfly reeled back in shock, its glowing wings flickering, its power weakening.
"Enough of this." Asher's voice was calm—but his eyes gleamed with a crimson light.
He stretched out his hand, and suddenly—his blood moved.
The crimson mist surrounding him shot forward like a spear, piercing straight through the Deathfly's translucent wings.
The creature shrieked in agony, its body twisting as Asher's blood invaded its system.
Serena's breath caught in her throat. "Did you just—?!"
Asher smirked. "Yeah. I'm poisoning it with its own toxins."
The Deathfly convulsed violently. Its own deadly poison was now coursing through its veins—turning against it.
Within seconds, its massive body withered and crumbled, dissolving into the very mist it had once controlled.
The once-mighty King of Illusory Death was dead.
Serena collapsed to her knees, panting. "That… was insane."
Asher shrugged, wiping his hands. "Told you. Nothing to worry about."
Then, without hesitation, he reached down and ripped off the Deathfly's severed head.
Serena stared. "You—You could at least wait until I catch my breath!"
Asher simply chuckled, holding up the head like a trophy.
"Two down," he said. "Two more to go."
"Next are the Eastern Million Spike Worm and the Southern Purple Mist Lion," Asher said.
Serena nodded, adding, "One is armed with poison needles, and the other is armed with a poison mist." She shivered slightly. "Both are dangerous."
"I choose the needle one," Asher decided without hesitation.
Serena sighed but nodded, accepting his choice. Without wasting time, they began their journey toward the eastern side of the 10,000 Poison Land.
The Eastern Wastelands – The Lair of the Million Spike Worm
The land here was a vast, cracked wasteland, covered in jagged rock formations and deep burrows. The sky was tinted a sickly green, and the ground itself seemed to pulse with a toxic aura.
Serena covered her nose. "The air is… thick with venom."
Asher, on the other hand, breathed it in without a care. "Perfect place for a nap," he said lazily.
Serena glared at him. "We're in a death zone, Asher."
Before he could respond, the ground trembled.
A deep, guttural rumble echoed through the wasteland, and then—the earth cracked apart.
Something massive began to rise from the depths.
A monstrous worm, easily the size of a castle, burst out from the ground, its entire body covered in shimmering, needle-like spines. Its segmented body twisted unnaturally, and as it moved, its spikes quivered—each one dripping with a thick, black poison. New novel chapters are published on Novel~Fire. (n)et
Serena clenched her fists. "That thing is covered in millions of poisoned needles. How do we even get close?!"
Asher smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Easy."
Without another word, he vanished.
Serena barely had time to blink before Asher reappeared above the worm's head, his fist glowing red with concentrated blood energy.
"You're not the only one with spikes."
With a snap of his fingers, countless crimson spears erupted from his body, shooting toward the worm at terrifying speed.
The Million Spike Worm screeched as the blood spears clashed against its poisoned spines, breaking some on impact but failing to penetrate deep enough to do real damage.
"Tch. Tough shell." Asher muttered.
The worm lurched forward, its body spinning at high speed. A storm of poison needles rained down like a deadly barrage.
Serena's eyes widened. "Asher, move—!"
But instead of dodging, Asher raised his hand.
A thin layer of crimson mist spread around him in an instant.
The moment the poisoned needles entered the mist—they stopped.
No, they didn't just stop. They floated midair, trembling, before slowly dissolving into red liquid.
Serena gasped. "You… absorbed them?!"
Asher grinned. "Why waste good poison?"
The Million Spike Worm screeched in confusion, realizing its own weapons were being turned against it.
Asher clenched his fist—and his own blood turned dark.
"Time to see how you like your own venom."
With a single motion, he sent the absorbed poison hurtling back at the worm.