Eagle' body was light which allowed them to swoop off into the air, contrariwise, Eliana's beast form weighed more than two hundred kilos. Well, the outcome didn't require more elaboration.
Everyone's gaze flew towards their comrade's direction. Just like their attire, the expressions they wore were very similar---at six and seven as to how their brother failed to tear the tail flying at him?
After all, even the commoner eagles had a grip strength of around a thousand pounds per square inch. Not to mention, they were from the military!
"Had fun in our sweet-sour game, playmate? Come to think of it, we always seem to have some bones to pick with each other, don't we?" Eliana's lips moved, pushing out the charming voice smilingly. To contradict it, the look she nurtured in her golden orbs while regarding the injured eagle was of supreme distaste.
She studied all her enemy's anatomy and gained knowledge on where all the death points laid. The strike was on point, to say the least.
"C'mon! Don't just lay there whimpering and twisting your ugly face! Bring it on or else…" Eliana slammed her heavy tail on the somewhat mangled eagle for the second time, knocking the breath out of his lungs.
At this, everyone's senses reported back, which had been temporarily taken away by shock.
"Commander!" Two eagles ran off to the second-in-command at warp speed. "Don't close your eyes! We will get you cured in no time! Just hold on a minute!"
"Captain! We can't see this! Order us to feast on her blood!" The shortest one with sandy brown hair exclaimed, kicking the ground.
"You!" The captain shot his trembling forefinger towards Eliana. "Do the fucking telling on your identity!" He posed such an angry glare that his eyeballs almost jumped out from the sockets.
"Your death, the evolving Serpent Goddess! The Goddess of Venom!" Eliana screamed at the top of her voice. Her sound contained so much strength that it spread throughout the forest at full steam, rippling through the icy air before reverberating thrice.
The ground shook violently, as if an earthquake had seized it. Lightning split the sky, snaking through the graphite vault of heaven. One after another thunderclaps struck the breathing creatures' ears.
"Loot at the sky," Eliana pointed skyward, "—even heaven is attesting to my words!"
Subconsciously, each and every eagle back stepped, staring at her horrifyingly.
Eliana transformed into her full python form, stretched her jaw wide, and bared her elongated fangs. While her red fork tongue seeped out, she produced the hissing sounds.
All of a sudden, the captain's intimidated face cracked, breaking into a hoot of raucous laughter, which induced guffawing from his comrades as well.
"Ha-ha-ha!"
Soon, the air was filled with screaming laughs. Some threw their heads backwards, some clutched their stomachs, some leaned over their comrades, and some others just clapped.
"Goddess of Serpents!" The captain exclaimed, when his laugh subsided by half.
"Heaven wasn't attesting to your words, they just warned you from spouting nonsense!" Chimed in the one with copper shimmer hair color, before bending over in another rush of laughs, and earning a slap on the back from his side guy.
"Ha-ha-ha!"
"Only one serpent, in ten thousand years, can be born with Goddess Aspects! Elena Ashford was the only serpent to be born with Serpent Goddess Attributes since the foundation of Venomblood. Nevertheless, that wrench committed suicide before attaining godhood, and with that she radically ruled out all further possibility for any newborn with Goddess Attributes by destroying her own land!"
"Such a disgrace in the name of Goddess Attributes!"
More than the degrading remarks, the eagles' sounds of laughter grated on Eliana's nerves. It pushed the fury gnawing at her heart upward to burn voraciously inside the eyes. Her flexible neck swiveled, eyes scanning the enemies, before setting her gaze on the one laughing most.
Eliana thrusted out her tongue which was naturally divided into two distinct prongs at the tip. She lengthened her fork tongue up to six feet and injected venom in the guy with copper shimmer hair, by sinking the sharp tines of her tongue on his forehead.
The guy bulged his eyes from shock; the fast spreading poison turned him blue in a matter of seconds. Instantly, overcome with difficulty breathing, he began gasping for air.
Everyone's laughs died at once just as they took in the clear puncture marks on their comrade's forehead.
"Thomas!" Several cried out.
But alas! Dizziness got the better of Thomas, his knees gave away. A few seconds into the convulsions, he took his last breath, leaving the world for better.
Witnessing the death that took place before their naked eyes, none of the eagles had any more doubts regarding Eliana's species. For no shape-shifting creatures could kill anyone in any forms other than its own.
This rule had been made by heaven so that no innocent clan had to be prey of uncalled for hostility and anger from the victim's clan.
However, the confirmation of Eliana's identity didn't go to the eagles alone, rather it was paired with a few more free questions.
For instance, every shape-shifting creatures' shifting ability was limited to two options: either their beast form or human form.
Then, how could she fly here as a pegacorn?!
None could take any third forms... unless one was born with quadruple magic shards, and all high quality at that!
Cold night air, containing snow was blowing to the hilt yet it couldn't clear the eagles' mind from confusion.
Snakes known as their archenemy was also the food that treated their taste buds like heavenly delicacy. At that particular moment, what stopped them from finishing two birds with one stone was the answer to their questions!
"Elena Ashford is dead! Venomblood is destroyed to the point, not a single serpent has been spared from the curse! How can a serpent be produced out of thin air?! Who produced you?"
Eliana capacitated the alternate shifting system on her upper body that would allow her to change her form in a blink between humanoid and snake on the top half, on her whims.
"That you will never know!" Eliana finished the inquiry, impatience started gathering on her face. "What's the point of knowing anyway when you won't live past this night? With your death, I will inaugurate my revenge! Don't worry, soon you will be met with your entire clan; in the hell!"
Eliana lifted her tail again, and swept it across the ones in front of her, almost breaking their ribs.
"Your strength might be superior to us, but serpent, you are outnumbered; and this will give us the edge over you! Everyone attack!"
Following the command, every eagle shifted into their beasts form, levitated over Eliana's head, and commenced flapping their wings disturbingly.
Eliana clamped her hands over the ears, for the flapping sounds of eagle's wings would always prick serpents' bodies like spines!
This universal rule had been in enforcement since the starting point of both species' creation.
The fact she advanced through the fifth grade mana augmentation in fire element, enabled her to stand twenty-eight eagles' flapping till then.
However, Eliana didn't know how more she could take it farther, for a hot fluid rose to her head, and began boiling her brain.