What do you do when the enemy suddenly levels up mid-fight?
It's a question worth exploring because it depends on which mode the story is in: protagonist mode or fodder mode.
In fodder mode, it's easy. When random mooks face a boss whose ultimate mutation grants unpredictable abilities, wiping out the entire group is effortless.
But in protagonist mode, whether it's an MMORPG, fantasy, cultivation, or supernatural story, when a boss temporarily upgrades, the ultimate result is that loot, equipment, or magical treasures also get a major boost in grade1. In short: the boss levels up to improve the chest.
Unfortunately, from the perspective of this story, the basilisk is definitely in protagonist mode…
Losing an eye is no small injury for any creature. For a basilisk, whose gaze alone can kill, losing an eye doesn't just create a blind spot, it destroys half of its sharpest weapon.
Even a basilisk needs food. Though Slytherin's magic lets it enter a hibernation-like state consuming minimal energy most of the time, it still requires sustenance. Without orders, its only available food is one ubiquitous ingredient: rats.
Losing an eye makes catching nimble prey much harder. No matter how sharp its fangs are, it can't grasp those slippery little rodents. In other words, its already scarce food supply just got smaller.
With these compounded grievances, the basilisk locked its hatred squarely on Allen.
Raising its massive upper body into the air, the remaining bulbous yellow eye glared with pure malice, but, sadly, it was useless.
The basilisk's most fearsome trait was supposedly "look at someone and they die", but for Allen, it posed absolutely no threat.
Realizing its usual hunting tactics were ineffective, the basilisk lunged at Allen. Despite its enormous size, its speed wasn't hindered at all; in fact, it seemed slightly faster than ordinary snakes.
The massive serpent slammed forward, generating tremendous wind pressure and radiating the iron-sweet scent of venomous blood. Its momentum was as imposing as a small mountain crashing down.
Unfortunately for it, the attack missed. Allen had already transformed into a mist of blood, leaving the basilisk's massive body to crash into empty air.
Because the basilisk had committed full force, missing its target sent it careening into a stone pillar in the corner. Originally, it had intended to crush Allen against the pillar, but instead, it became intimately acquainted with the stone.
The impact devastated centuries-old stone columns. The basilisk only stopped after smashing through three pillars, its black blood streaming from newly shattered scales. Rock fragments grinding against exposed flesh created a horrifyingly messy scene, undoubtedly, it wasn't the stones that suffered most.
BOOM, CRASH!
A magical spell struck one of the overhead pillars, splitting it with such force that it fell onto the basilisk. Had the serpent not moved at the last second, it might have lost half its tail. Even with its evasion, the stone smashed dozens of scales, leaving another large pool of black blood on the ground.
"Hrrr! Hrrr!" from intense pain, the basilisk began gasping heavily, emitting a sound similar to human snoring, but this snore wasn't meant to soothe anyone; it could kill.
"Hiss!"
The basilisk lowered its head, exhaling a cloud of purple gas. Where the mist passed, stone fragments disintegrated into sand at visible speed.
As the smoke spread, the basilisk's roar vanished into the fog. It clearly intended to use the toxic cloud as cover for a surprise attack.
But it hadn't reckoned with the most shameless magical shield in existence, a shield wielded with stealth skills that could rival the best in the world.
Soon, from within the thick purple mist came the sharp sound of a blade piercing flesh. Again, a twist and pull, and the stinking black blood of the serpent's other eye gushed out.
Shoot the horse before the rider; catch the leader first. Allen wasn't afraid of the basilisk's deadly gaze, but Valor was. Aside from the previous assault, he had stayed in the air because he feared those eyes and was waiting for the perfect moment.
With both eyes neutralized, the basilisk's threat level dropped dramatically. Allen's only real worry was the lethal venom, but as long as he didn't instantly die, it wasn't a serious problem. With the night sky bright and Soraka's inheritance supporting him, a little poison was no big deal.
The blinded basilisk became frantic. It had just suffered grievous injuries that might have killed it, yet the culprit was still alive. Its tongue told it that the target hadn't suffered a scratch during its earlier struggle.
As if things weren't bad enough, a sharp crow cry rang out. A large patch of scales vanished from the basilisk, Valor couldn't wait any longer.
As the serpent reared to release another toxic cloud, Allen struck its tail with incredible speed and precision, severing nearly half a meter of its body.
Unfortunately, the basilisk was inedible, so Allen didn't bother saving it for dinner.
With that strike landed, Allen immediately vanished, determined to finish this basilisk once and for all.
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