True Magician

Chapter 88

An unknown place.

The teleportation circle transported me to some place. Or rather, it really was, once upon a time.

Giant holes, at least several dozen meters in diameter, gaped in the hard stone of the rocky mountains. Trees, bushes, and the ground itself were ablaze with an ominous scarlet and black flame, the heat of which could be felt even where I stood. Huge craters and cut marks marred the ground, and anything near them died almost instantly.

Dark clouds completely hid the sky, plunging everything around it into darkness, scarlet lightning bolts running every now and then creating a mesmerizing yet terrifying sight.

And in the middle of it all, on four clawed paws that were bigger than some skyscraper, stood a black beast. Terrifying, grotesque, and partly majestic.

Its entire body seemed to have been molded from the parts of all sorts of animals. Scales that glistened with red light every time a bolt of lightning ran across the sky. A lion's head, with several rows of fangs of different shapes and sizes in its mouth. The muscular and strong body of a bull, whose skin shone with cracks. The hooves were covered in fur, and the lizard's long tail, at the end of which a giant blade was present, danced from side to side.

The most prominent parts of the body were the wings and eyes.

"Wings" were formed by an inordinate number of thin, eyeless and scaleless black snakes with toothy mouths that came straight out of the beast's back. They danced and intertwined with each other, giving the impression of a living blanket, as if capable of outshining the sun itself. And if the beast opened its "wings" fully, anyone would really believe that such a thing could happen.

The eyes, on the other hand, there were three of them, arranged in the same manner as in the magic circle of the sectarians who had attacked Anma's village. The black sclera contrasted strongly, yet matched the scarlet vertical pupils.

Around the beast's body went a dark glow, causing anything that came close enough to die. True, this only applied to mortals, and there were none here. Only the beast and the gods.

The latter had physical bodies, though they definitely felt somewhat inferior. They shot beams of pure energy and divinity at the beast, jumping at it with weapons in hand, but there were no results. The beast's scales simply absorbed all the attacks. But if there were any wounds, they were quickly healed, and after a second, there was no trace of them.

There were about ten gods in the camp, but I only recognized Hardy, who was holding a staff. And she looked tense, albeit purposeful.

Strangely, the beast itself didn't attack. It simply absorbed the attacks, waited and watched the futile attempts of the gods to defeat it. There was only coldness and patience in his eyes, which, given the information about him, is rather absurd. I was sure that he would immediately try to tear them apart since he had discounted humans to the critters of this world.

On top of all this, there was a barrier placed around it, forbidding one from leaving it from the inside. I sensed it when I was already here. I guess it's some kind of plan.

- Observing, otherworldly?

I, still cloaked in magic, slowly turned my head to the side where the voice was coming from. There was a rather tiny black snake hovering there, looking at me indifferently.

- You're pretty calm, I see," I grinned, "Aren't you afraid I'll attack you?

- That would be pointless. Your eyes clearly see the futile attempts of these pests, and I don't think you can do better. - Monotonously said the snake, snapping its jaws.