The massive serpentine creature lunged forward with frightening speed, its body moving like a living avalanche of vegetation and scales. Rudra dove to the side, barely avoiding the creature's initial strike. The impact of its head against the cave floor sent tremors through the entire cavern, causing loose rocks to rain down from above. The sound of cracking stone echoed through the chamber like breaking bones.

"Are you insane?!" Jaipa screamed from above, his spiritual form flickering with anxiety as he circled helplessly. Being a spiritual entity, he could only watch—his ethereal nature prevented him from engaging in physical combat. "You need to run! You can't fight that thing!"

But Rudra was already trying to run from it ,

just the serpentine was fucking fast his dead eyes fixed on the rudra before him. The monster's body pulsed with an inner light, similar to the glowing stones that lined the cave walls, but far more sinister. Its scales seemed to absorb the ambient light, creating patches of unnatural darkness.

The serpent struck again, this time sweeping its massive tail in a horizontal arc. Rudra jumped, but he wasn't quite fast enough. The edge of its tail caught his leg with a sickening crack, sending him spinning through the air. He crashed hard against the cave wall, the impact so violent that spider-web cracks spread across the stone surface. Blood sprayed from his mouth, painting the wall with a crimson mist.

"Kid!" Jaipa's voice cracked with genuine concern, his spiritual essence trembling at the sight of such violence.

Rudra pushed himself up, ignoring the sharp pain in his now-shattered ribs. Blood cascaded down his face from a deep gash above his eye, the red liquid mixing with cave water on the floor. His right leg dragged uselessly behind him, the bone visibly protruding through torn flesh and fabric. Yet his expression remained unchanged—cold, calculating, even as his body betrayed him.

The creature reared back, its body towering above them like a living mountain. Small plants and vines that covered its form swayed and writhed, creating an unsettling display of motion. It opened its mouth, revealing rows of teeth that looked more like sharpened branches than traditional fangs. A viscous, green fluid dripped from its maw, sizzling when it hit the cave floor.

Rudra attempted to dodge the next attack, but his broken leg buckled beneath him. The serpent's strike caught him full in the chest, its teeth tearing through muscle and scraping bone. The impact sent him tumbling across the rocky ground like a ragdoll, leaving a trail of blood and torn clothing. When he finally rolled to a stop near the underground lake, his body was a mess of deep lacerations and protruding bones.

"This... isn't working," Rudra muttered through blood-stained teeth, struggling to rise. His right arm hung at an impossible angle, the shoulder completely dislocated and the elbow bent backward. The creature's raw power was beyond anything he had encountered before. Each movement it made carried enough force to shatter stone, and its organic armor seemed impervious to his attacks.

"I can't manifest enough power to fight it!" Jaipa called out in frustration, his spiritual form passing harmlessly through the creature as he tried to create a distraction. "My abilities... they're useless against something this powerful !"

The serpent's eyes fixed on Rudra, glowing with an ancient light , terrible intelligence. It moved forward methodically now, as if savoring the sight of its broken prey. The plants growing from its body reached toward Rudra, like hundreds of grasping hands thirsting for blood. Some of the vines had thorns that dripped with the same caustic fluid as its fangs.

Rudra attempted to stand again, but his mangled leg gave out. He fell hard, face-first onto the rocky ground. Fresh blood pooled beneath him as broken ribs shifted inside his chest. His vision blurred, the glowing stones on the cave walls seeming to dance and spin around him.

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The serpent struck again, this time catching Rudra's already injured leg in its jaws. The sound of crushing bone and tearing flesh echoed through the cavern as the creature shook him like a toy. When it finally released him, Rudra's leg was barely attached, hanging by threads of muscle and skin.

"STOP TRYING TO FIGHT!" Jaipa screamed,

rudra slowly muttered I am not trying to ,

form pulsing with helpless rage and fear. "You're going to die! Please... please just run!"

I can’t even fly because of the cave, he thought in his mind. He didn’t have the energy to spare on talking at that moment. As for hunger and thirst, they were like another disaster weighing him down. He had spent more than a day—from a normal world perspective—without a drop of water or any food. And the cave... it was too small, for him to be able to fly.

Through sheer force of will, Rudra dragged himself toward a narrow tunnel opening he spotted in the cave wall. Blood poured from his countless wounds, leaving a wide crimson trail on the stone floor. His ruined leg scraped against the rough ground, sending waves of agony through his body with each movement.

The serpent, perhaps enjoying the sight of its prey's desperate struggle, followed slowly behind. Its massive head swayed from side to side, tongue flicking out to taste the blood in the air. The plants covering its body seemed to shiver with anticipation.

Jaipa flew frantically around Rudra, his s form passing through stone and air alike. "There's a tunnel ahead that's too narrow for it to follow! Just... just a little further!"

Rudra's progress was agonizingly slow. Every inch forward was a battle against his failing body and the excruciating pain that threatened to consume him. Blood loss had turned his skin a deathly pale, and his breathing came in wet, ragged gasps. Still, his expression never changed—remaining empty, emotionless, even as death itself seemed to reach for him.

The serpent, perhaps growing tired of the chase, made one final, devastating attack. Its head shot forward like a missile, catching Rudra in the back. The impact sent him flying into the tunnel entrance, where he collided with the stone wall with bone-crushing force. The sound of his body hitting the rock was like a wet sack of meat being slammed against concrete.

Rudra crumpled to the ground, his body twisted and broken. Blood pooled beneath him, spreading across the stone floor like a dark halo. His breathing was shallow and irregular, each intake of air producing a wet, gurgling sound.

The serpent tried to follow, but the tunnel was indeed too narrow for its massive form. It roared in frustration, the sound so powerful that it caused more rocks to fall from the ceiling, partially sealing the entrance. The creature's angry thrashing could be heard even through the wall of fallen stone, but they were, for the moment, safe from its reach.

Jaipa landed beside Rudra's broken form, his spiritual essence dimming with distress. He could only watch helplessly as blood continued to seep from Rudra's numerous wounds. Despite his usual sarcastic nature, genuine fear and concern radiated from his ethereal form.

"You stupid, stubborn fool," Jaipa whispered, his voice trembling. "I can't even help you... I can't stop the bleeding or ease your pain. What good is a spiritual being who can't even save their own master?"

Rudra's eyes fluttered, consciousness slipping away as his body shut down from the massive trauma. The last thing he saw before darkness claimed him was Jaipa's ghostly form hovering above, the spiritual being's essence flickering like a candle in the wind. The serpent's frustrated roars echoed through the cave like distant thunder, a reminder of the monstrous power they had barely escaped.

It was like Rudra's last thoughts...

"I can't die just yet..."

He hadn’t found the reason, nor the answer to his question.

At that moment, he wasn’t regretting anything. What he felt was hatred—hatred towards himself.

It wasn’t because he was about to die. It wasn’t even because of the immense pain coursing through him. No, what consumed him was the crushing realization of just how weak he truly was. He had once believed he had grown stronger than before—but now, in these final moments, he saw the truth: he had been wrong all along. A foreign feeling surged within him—a burning rage directed solely at himself.

And sudden shift of thoughts

“I deserve to die…”

He coughed violently, blood splattering onto the floor as droplets continued to trickle from his mouth.

As for his belief, he had always clung to one unyielding truth:

"In this world, only the strong survive, and the weak are devoured."

But now, at the end, he realized the bitter irony—he wasn’t strong at all. The very beliefs he had built his life upon crumbled beneath him. He couldn’t stand on those convictions anymore because surviving in a world ruled by the strong required more than just strength—it demanded being stronger than everyone else. And he… he had fallen short to it

At that moment, a single thought surged through him—but it wasn’t just a thought. It was more than that. It was a desire, a burning, visceral craving that consumed his very being.

If I live… if fate dares to let me breathe another moment,

I will be the one to stand atop the pinnacle of this world. And when I reach the peak, I will step on them and laugh like a maniac, staring down at them from the heights of heaven

As Rudra lay there, broken and bleeding, one question lingered in his fading thoughts Why am I here? What purpose do I serve in this world? But even this near-death experience hadn't changed his expression—his face remained as emotionless as ever, a mask of indifference even in the face of devastating injury and possible death with A sudden flip—the air around him changed completely, and so did the atmosphere. The setting sun’s rays hit his face, and through his blurry eyes, what he saw was a place resembling the training ground he had came from. With one last glance at the sky, he closed his eyes...