Ju jumped backwards and stared at Aron with movement as nimble as a monkey. Zabel’s body fell to the ground, maimed and unrecognizable.

“A few more inches, and I would have already died.”

His mind grew cold at the thought; just one mistake was all it took, the boy thought as he tasted the blood running down to his lips; the attack by Zabel left a small dent right at his temple.

Because of the nature of the battles he had fought back then, even before he used Essence, Ju knew the advantage of instant attacks; the young boy’s every move aimed to kill or permanently maim. Zabel and Aron had let their guard down for an instant, and Ju did not let go of that chance.

It all happened so fast that even Aron with his combat expertise was not able to do anything, Aron looked at Zabel mutilated body and muttered with grief.

“What have you done?”

Aron’s aura was gradually growing berserk, showing the immense pain the man was experiencing. He had Zabel had planned for so long, and right when they were about to enjoy the benefits together, she had been killed with such brutality.

Ju did not care about the turbulent emotions Aron might have been feeling at that moment; he felt zero regret for what he had done. Zabel had tried to kill him, that was debt he had to pay back. Nothing more, nothing less.

“She did not have any mercy when she killed both Oberon and Tylen.”

However, that was not why Ju targeted her for his ambush. Due to the nature of her fighting style, the young woman was helpless in physical combat and did not have the instincts of a seasoned warrior. Ju was sure he would not have succeeded if he had gone after Aron instead.

Ju remained indifferent, his gaze steady, unfazed by Aron’s emotional breakdown. “I want half of those eggs.”

His voice was cold and pragmatic, mirroring the harsh reality of their situation. The eggs were a prize too valuable to ignore.

“Only those eggs are a guarantee that I might leave here alive.” Ju’s mind was racing at the situation's urgency.

“I refuse!” Aron spoke sharply—his pride battled against the despair flooding through him. The thought of bargaining with Ju, who had robbed him of Zabel, twisted his insides. There was a simmering tension and electricity in the air as both faced each other in that dark, dangerous nest.

But Ju was unyielding. “If you don’t comply,” he threatened, stepping closer, “I will delay you long enough for the Mother Snake to show up, and then we’ll both be dead.” His threat hung heavy in the air, stark against their grim reality.

Aron’s heart raced as beads of sweat trickled down his brow. The truth of Ju’s assertion gripped him.

“Give me half the eggs, and we will go our separate ways; if you refuse, I will fight you to the death right here, right now,” Ju said again.

Aron looked at Ju silently with hate-filled eyes and laughed evilly.

“Good…good. Very Good! I admit I underestimated you.” Although he was somewhat surprised about Ju’s strength, Aron did not think much of it back then. Instead,d he saw Tylen as a much bigger threat.

Who would have known that young teenager Ju was this cunning and vicious?

Aron took a deep breath and, with a resigned grimace, dropped the eggs onto the ground, the thud resonating in the stillness like a funeral drum. Each egg shone with potential, glimmering under the nest’s twilight,

However, he understood Ju’s reasoning. If Ju remained alive and Aron escaped with the eggs, Master Pike would kill Ju in his rage before looking for Aron.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

As he saw Aron drop the eggs, Ju did not move; instead, he watched his opponent cautiously. Although the young boy seemed calm, his mind worked at maximum speed. Ju was unsure if Aron still had a trump card to leave, but time was running out fast.

A flow of sweat mixed with blood streamed down Ju’s face as he took one step closer. Aron’s face was passive and unreadable, except for the occasional flashes of hatred in his eyes.

“What? Are you scared?” Aron taunted with a sneer.

Ju did not say anything; instead, he looked at Aron calmly. Some time passed, and Aron got impatient; he did not want to waste time here any longer, but he did not just want to leave the eggs for Ju.

It was obvious that the young boy was stalling him, testing his bottom line. There were two roads to life and death; however, the road to life was much narrower. A slight misstep could cost the two remaining party members dearly.

Aron made a decision, as he said harshly.

“Humph, I know what you are doing, Brat. I would leave you here, and I hope you die a violent death!” he cursed as he began to walk away.

Suddenly, the entire nest began to shake; Ju and Aron knew what was coming.

“Oh no,” Aron muttered. Ju remained silent, but he clenched his left hand tightly.

The spiritual pressure outline of the creature was already surrounding them. Ju did not waste any time again. He quickly grabbed the eggs and dashed past Aron. He pointed his index finger to a stone wall with his free hand and blasted it apart to reveal the other side.

While he was in a standoff with Aron, Ju also channelled Essence from his spirit source and immediately used Dark Assault without hesitation. Instinctually, Ju reached for the essence surrounding him, activating the power he had harnessed—an energy he hadn't accessed since the mining area. Black tendrils coiled around his body, surging forward with lethal intent as he prepared to retreat.

The young boy willed all his essence into his legs and moved with the fastest speed he could muster. Aron was a bit slow to react, and his proximity to the snake was a disadvantage. But Aron made a vicious roar as he quickly performed a hand seal; tendrils of essence extended from his back and shot towards Ju.

A cold feeling surrounded the cave as the Mother Snake’s hiss rang out. Ju felt the attack on his back, but the young boy did not make an effort to dodge; instead, he used dark assault even further; a black coloured aura surrounded him as it managed to defend against Aron’s attack, albeit with difficulty, as a stream of blood ran down from Ju’s mouth.

The Mother Snake was already inside the cave, her spiritual pressure was so heavy it felt like she wanted to pull down the entire place, the beast had set its eyes on Aron first, but it was not about to let Ju go either. The Mother Snake slammed its body heavily on the ground, creating craters on the ground, aiming to slow down Ju, because of the innate technique it had used earlier, the Mother snake was much smaller than before, but that didn’t mean its power had weakened by much.

Aron was in dire straits; he did not think that the Mother Snake would arrive so fast, coupled with the delay that Ju caused. Never had Aron hated anyone so much in his life.

“Ju, I would never let you go!”

Aron thought viciously while clutching two eggs. He quickly brought out a parchment of paper glowing with yellow light. Another vast aura soon appeared, and there was no doubt it was Master Pike. Aron’s face showed urgency as he muttered some strange words. Then suddenly, his entire figure glowed yellow. This was when the Mother Snake directed her full attention to him, but it was too late.

Master Pike was just in time to catch Aron's mock expression before he disappeared in a flash of light.

“Teleportation talisman.” Master Pike thought grimly, with his heart full of murderous intent.

Seeing one of the culprits who had taken her eggs suddenly vanish, the Mother Snake had completely gone berserk. She immediately locked onto Ju and rushed towards him.

“Master Pike, help me. I have two of the eggs!”

The young boy yelled so much for the first time in his life that his voice echoed throughout the nest, even amidst all the chaos. Ju once again pushed the dark assault to its limits as he sought to buy more time for his life.

Master Pike'se eyes shone, and he gave a light chuckle.

“Of course, my dear boy. There’s no way I would leave you to die.”

Master Pike's right hand glowed as he used his technique. Once again, a large ocean seal appeared on the Mother Snake. However, the snake was much faster than before, evading the move before it could be restrained.

The Mother Snake was now just a few meters away from Ju, so close that the boy could smell the scent of plants and blood surrounding it. The snake didn’t use any of its lethal moves from the start because it was trying to protect the eggs from harm.

Unlike anything Ju had felt, a massive spiritual pressure descended upon him so much that he could feel his bones cracking. The mother snake also let out a loud hiss, aiming to destabilize Ju so that he could drop the eggs.