Angel Monarch-Chapter 534: Ouroboros

A deep shiver passed through each of the ten members of Sera's group. They felt as if a powerful figure judged their souls.

For Sera and Bea, this feeling was familiar, since they'd met its owner before. However, knowing the inherent terror's origin only skyrocketed their fear.

"Hmm... We meet again, Angel and World Tree..." said an ancient, deep voice. Each word reverberated through their bones as everyone turned towards the sea.

An enormous white snakehead with serpentine yellow eyes stared down at the group. The shoreline proved too shallow for the massive body, which stuck out of the ocean.

"It seems you've led me to Yggdrasil, little ones... Thank you for your guidance... As payment, I'll grant you all a quick death instead of the eternal torture I planned."

Jörmungandr's voice stayed even during his speech. He didn't seem to care about the damage they'd caused during their escape. The World Serpent simply looked bored and uncaring about Sera's group.

However, while his voice didn't sound threatening, the words, echoing through reality, didn't make anyone optimistic either.

The attack came faster than they could've anticipated. He wasn't aiming at anyone in particular, as his yellow eyes began glowing.

The entire group began feeling weaker, as if life was seeping out of their bodies. Vicky and Henry soon fell to their knees and watched in horror as their hands began shrinking.

Sera and Bea both appeared beside their daughter simultaneously, and what they saw sent shivers down their spines. Vicky and Henry both looked a few years younger, and kept de-aging with each passing second.

Vicky looked similar to the nine-year-old girl Sera found in Havel, while Henry seemed just as young. Both children panicked and couldn't use their abilities, which left Sera with little to no options.

The Angel took flight as Astrid and Cass fell towards the ground too. A liquid golden armor covered her body, while a crown made of branches appeared around her head. The large greenish-gold gemstone glinted as Bea moved her consciousness into the crown.

All three pairs of wings spread behind Sera, propelling her faster towards Jörmungandr. The shadows of the night also gathered around her body, forming a fourth, black-feathered wing... Faith's wing...

Sera's eyes burned brightly as her soul became alight with hatred. With her thoughts, she crushed her own soul, then resurrected without breaking her momentum. However, once she reached the World Serpent's head, she let the powerful kinetic energy spread around her.

A wave of pure golden-white wave of destruction consumed the Ethereal's head. It wasn't powerful enough to kill such a creature, yet it still screamed in pain.

The blinding light and fire began dissipating, but in the momentary confusion of the World Serpent, Sera attacked.

She jumped out of the all-consuming fire, right into Jörmungandr's left eye. The serpentine pupil widened and began glowing when it saw the Angelic Metal curved blades, burning with golden flames and green energy, covered in a layer of sharp shadows.

The Angel screamed at the top of her lungs as a cloud of tiny, needle-like Angelic Metals flew towards the serpent's head. Her sword also rapidly approached the enormous eye, and with all the unique powers on her blade, it could've killed even an Ethereal.

Sadly, Jörmungandr also recognized the threat. As his eyes glowed, the entire planet slowed.

Sera blinked in surprise as suddenly, the entire group of ten found themselves back in their original position, before Jörmungandr's attack.

Vicky and Henry both went back to their actual ages, but they also passed out. While Sera attacked Jörmungandr, they must've de-aged so much, their minds shut down entirely.

A sigh of relief escaped Sera's mouth as she saw the gentle rise and fall of her daughter's chest. However, knocking them out made escaping impossible, and they also lost their lifeline, since Henry couldn't turn back time anymore.

Jörmungandr also healed from all injuries, leaving the group of now eight fighters unsure of their next move. Strangely though, the World Serpent didn't attack them. Instead, his yellow eyes turned towards David, of all people.

"Hmm... Ouroboros... A rare sight indeed, meeting one of my kind... It's sad you won't reach strength... Death is inevitable and with our power, it's also eternal..."

Suddenly, a pale tail rose out of the ocean, near Jörmungandr's mouth. Its massive maw opened wide as he planned on biting down on its end. But just as his maw began closing, the great trees began growing below the group.

Bright green grass took over the sandy shoreline as corals pierced the ocean's surface. Vines danced across each tree and they congregated right before Jörmungandr.

The vines connected at a single point and formed a mesmerizing woman. Her skin was green as the great trees' leaves, while her long brown hair reached the soles of her feet. She didn't wear any clothes, but other than a feminine appearance, she didn't have any genitalia or other sexual parts.

A bright green glow appeared around Yggdrasil's skin as she stared up at Jörmungandr. Her green eyes held no recognition or emotion as she reached forward.

Throughout a few kilometers from the shoreline, the corals shot forward. They pierced Jörmungandr's skin like powerful spears. The World Serpent's blood mixed with the saltwater, yet the creature didn't make a single sound.

Its yellow eyes stared down at Yggdrasil with pity. They began glowing, and the next moment, all the corals disappeared.

The World Tree tilted her head in confusion and curiosity. She raised her hand again, but before she could've attacked, the World Serpent's voice reached her ear.

"I see you've lost yourself to Madness... Truly a shame... You could've achieved your goal finally... You could've ruled a Realm, instead of just birthing one... Don't worry, young one... I'll free you from the suffering..."

Jörmungandr's voice echoed through the entire coastline, but Yggdrasil didn't seem to pay attention. She took whiffs of the air, as if in search of something. Her head suddenly snapped towards the branch where the group stood.

Bea changed out of her crown, back into human form, and that's when Yggdrasil finally located her exact position.

"Bea, move your consciousness to the dress under my armor!" shouted Sera, and luckily Bea acted without a second thought.

The branch they stood upon exploded as hundreds of spikes pierced Bea's empty husk. Sera jumped away, flying high into the sky, just as vines shot out towards her.

A moment later, another pair of wingbeats appeared behind her, as Yggdrasil grew a pair of leaf and branch wings. She flew after Sera while staring at her body with determination.

"Faith, can you hear me?" asked Sera, while trying to increase her speed. When Jörmungandr changed their position, she kept her resurrected state, which at least gave her a chance to keep away from the fast-moving World Tree.

The Shadow waved once before Sera's eyes, then went back into the darkness. Sera took a deep breath, and said, "Get back to the group. Figure out a way to kill Jörmungandr until I distract this Abomination and the Ethereal!"

Faith didn't answer, but Sera knew how reliable her Shadow was. She would never let her Goddess down.

Under a single second, they flew dozens of kilometers away from the shoreline. However, a moment later, they found themselves right at the race's starting point.

The World Serpent's serpentine eyes glowed, moving Sera's position back to the race's starting point. Luckily, she had expected this teleport, and with a quick direction change, she flew straight towards Jörmungandr. Yggdrasil followed the Angel close behind.

Sera's plan was simple. She wanted to pit the Ethereal against the Abomination, and hopefully they could steal Jörmungandr's kill... or maybe they could kill him too...

However, these were the best-case scenarios. In reality, their chances of survival took a swift dive, since escape became impossible.

The Angel flew above Jörmungandr, and as Yggdrasil followed, the enormous snake snapped his maw down on the flying World Tree. For a moment, Sera thought Yggdrasil had died, but knowing how powerful Bea's regeneration was, killing a World Tree wasn't that simple.

Indeed, just as Sera moved away from the World Serpent, his entire body exploded. Vines grew all over his skin, piercing every portion of his pale length.

Sera blinked again and found herself back at the race's starting point with Yggdrasil. Jörmungandr's destroyed body appeared healthy as ever, which caused Sera to growl in annoyance.

It seemed killing him wasn't possible through normal means, since he could just bring reality back to a certain point. They needed to learn the exact extant of his power; otherwise, this battle is already lost.

She beat her wings again as the tree exploded with vines. They tried grabbing her limbs, but liquid Angelic Metal tendrils grew from her armor. The sharp appendages easily destroyed all the vines, but since the tendrils were liquid, grabbing them was impossible.

The Angel flew high up into the sky. Yggdrasil followed close, but never quite caught up. When they reached a certain height, Jörmungandr's power kicked in, moving them back to their starting point.

This continued for a few minutes. Each time Sera tried escaping, towards a different direction, and she never even tried fighting against the World Tree. Instead, she used vaporized Angelic Metal to nuke the beach, but Jörmungandr brought everything back instantly.

Sera also tried attacking Jörmungandr in a mad rush, but she just got swallowed by the World Serpent. She and Bea both nearly died, but Yggdrasil did enough damage to Jörmungandr that he needed to put everyone back in their place.

A few of Sera's escape attempts might've looked crazy, but they achieved her goal. While both the Abomination and the Ethereal paid attention to her unpredictable movements, they forgot about the others...

It gave them much-needed time to prepare and act when ready!