"What in the?"
Lyrica, Riko, and Magdalo's plan are to knock the Guardian Snake unconscious by having Lyrica pummel the creature from the sky similar to what she did before.
Riko and Magdalo would act as a decoy to give Lyrica the right time and angle to deal a knock-out blow.
Thinking that they managed to get the Guardian Snake's attention thanks to Magdalo's awkward provocation, Lyrica watches the two try to make their escape.
At that point, the girl thought it would be easy. All she needs to do now is to find the right angle, wait for the Guardian Snake to put itself on the right spot, and see the outcome of their plan.
But, as she shifted her gaze towards the Guardian Snake, Lyrica froze. The ruler of the forest isn't going after Riko nor Magdalo. Instead, it kept its furious gaze on Lyrica.
'Impossible... Just moments ago, it got easily distracted by that Riko who are calling to me.' Lyrica breaks out in a cold sweat. 'Don't tell me...'
A sudden change of behavior. This is the danger of going against someone or something you know so little about.
The Guardian Snake roared, signaling an attack. Lyrica readies herself to avoid the creature, but right then, one of Lyrica's feet tripped from the branch.
"Crap!"
Graaagh!!
In that instant, the Guardian Snake closes in with its mouth. Luckily, Lyrica is able to propel herself from the Higantes branch using her other foot.
"Tch!"
As she slowly descends to the Ground, Lyrica sees Riko and Magdalo who came back after realizing the ruler of the forest didn't go after them.
"That worm..."
"Why didn't it come after us?"
The two knights wondered. During that time, Lyrica lands safely on the ground. And without wasting a moment, she dashes forth and hits the Guardian Snake's defenseless stomach with her left fist.
Lyrica looks at the Guardian Snake as it collapses to the land. As she gets conflicted on what to do next, Riko and Magdalo call out to her.
"Hey!"
"We have to run!"
The girl went straight towards them. At the same time, the Guardian Snake goes back up.
The three make their escape.
"It's strange. I was certain I got its attention." Said Magdalo in a worried tone.
"But, it didn't follow us right before that."
"We underestimated the Guardian Snake."
Lyrica doesn't know how, but somehow, the Guardian Snake has caught wind of what they are planning.
"What?!"
"It's just an assumption, but perhaps the Guardian Snake is capable of understanding our language."
"Wait, are you saying that snake is capable of understanding us, humans?"
Again, Lyrica is not sure. But if that's the case, it would mean that the Guardian Snake learned what they're trying to do while discussing their plan out loud.
"Is that even possible?" Magdalo wondered.
The problem is that no man who faced the Guardian Snake has managed to get out of the forest alive. So no one really knows what it can do. However...
"Back then, while it's just you and the others who are trying to deal with the Guardian Snake, it acts in a way as a normal animal would."
In other words, it was just playing around with its food, knowing that it can devour them any time it pleases. But, because of Lyrica's presence...
"Things have changed." She said. "It knows that we've got a plan. It knows that we've got a way to fight back because of me. That is why it's keeping its eyes on me, the only threat."
Graaaahh!!
The Guardian Snake appears behind them, looking as furious as ever. Riko and Magdalo were startled.
"You two..."
The two knights look at Lyrica after calling them, distracting their attention from the slithering harbinger of death itself.
"You should leave."
Riko's mouth opened, but no words would come out of it. He asks himself, is there really no way of getting out of the forest without leaving someone behind?
"What about you?"
Magdalo nonchalantly asks the girl.
"I don't know. But..." Lyrica clasps her left hand into a fist. "I'm not dying here. And so should you two!"
Lyrica breaks her momentum, creating a distance between her and the two knights who continue to go forward.
Riko looks at Magdalo with eyes that look as though he's asking the adult knight if there's another way to get out of the forest with the girl and everyone else alive.
Magdalo looks back at the young knight as he shakes his head. Even the veteran knight could not muster a plan to get everyone out alive.
'You tried, Riko. You tried.' Magdalo murmured to himself. 'But this is how reality works. No matter what planet we are born into, the world will always be cruel.'
Magdalo looks at Riko and noticed a strange expression on his face. He looked so terrified, it's like he's looking at something so horrifying from behind the veteran knight.
Magdalo looks to his right. And sure enough, the sight of the Guardian Snake's mouth closing in on him shocked Magdalo to his core.
The knight wants to stop and turn back. But his body wouldn't listen to him. It's like his body is being controlled by someone else. It would keep moving forward despite knowing he would collide with the Guardian Snake.
Magdalo closes his eyes, the only part of his body that would willingly follow his orders. However, he would soon open them again as a hand pulls him from behind.
"Wha?!"
"Ah...!"
Lyrica, who came to their rescue, pulls the two knights out of the Guardian Snake's way. As their behind crashes to the surface, Magdalo looks up and sees the humongous body of the creature all around them.
"It's circling us."
"It's not just circling around, it looks like it's trying to constrict us."
Little by little, the space around them is shrinking as the Guardian Snake slithers around them.
"We have to get out of here!"
"Stop!" Lyrica uttered as she raised her right arm on Magdalo's way. "One wrong move and you're dead."