Tristan saw the shadow of the fire serpent loom over the two humans as they desperately tried to move away from it.
The taller one swung his whip toward the massive beast's body, and the sound of the collision was accompanied by the loud crackle of lightning. Though powerful, the human's attack left only a superficial mark on the creature, failing to slow its furious advance in the slightest.
The other human moved so fast that normal people might have thought he had disappeared, but even with difficulty, Tristan managed to track his movements. He had never seen anyone so fast before.
The man dashed to the serpent's rear, attempting to execute a cross-slash with his metallic claws.
But the beast did not stay still. Its tail struck the ground with devastating force, creating a crater and throwing the advancing man off balance, causing him to slip. The serpent inhaled deeply through its nostrils and opened its enormous mouth, unleashing a torrent of flames that rained down on the man.
The fiery shower scorched his clothes and charred parts of his skin. Although he used his speed to dodge, it was impossible to avoid everything.
As Tristan watched the battle for survival unfold between the unknown individuals and the beast, he thought,
"Those guys' attacks are incredibly strong; their cultivation levels must be higher than mine. But even so, it seems they won't last much longer against an enemy of this caliber."
He observed the fight with interest, studying how the humans and the beast utilized their magic, until Zahira's voice broke his concentration.
"That beast is far too strong for them. They won't survive it on their own!" she exclaimed.
"What a shame," Tristan replied indifferently. Turning to her, he added, "I think we've seen enough."
"Yes," she agreed, then handed Buk to Tristan. "Take care of him."
"What?" Tristan and Buk exchanged confused looks.
"I'm going to help them. Wait for me here."
Buk let out a mournful cry as she dashed away.
Leaving the cover of the tree, Zahira ran straight into the center of the battle without any subtlety.
Not wanting to be noticed by the serpent, Tristan quickly abandoned his position, retreating several meters to hide among the bushes.
Zahira, circulating her Green essence through her body, crossed the battlefield in an instant.
The serpent turned its head toward her, its eyes scanning her from head to toe, lingering on the flowers atop her head before glowing with a fiery light. Zahira had completely stolen the creature's attention.
Clicking his tongue, the younger of the two men muttered, "Another monster? As if one wasn't enough."
"Wait," the older one said. "Look at that. It's heading for the serpent—it could be a territorial fight! This might be our chance."
"Great! If they kill each other, we can make a fortune off their bodies."
"Can't you stop thinking about money for one second?" the older man scolded. "We'll be lucky to escape this alive."
Long thorns grew from Zahira's arm. Swinging her arm, the thorns shot forward, piercing the serpent and embedding deeply into its flesh.
Watching from afar, Tristan was surprised.
"She can actually hurt it?"
He began to realize that he might have underestimated her true power. Observing the serpent's body, it was clear that with just one strike, she had caused more damage than the two Lightning cultivators, whom he had assumed were far superior to him.
"I always thought the stories about a baby dragon's Red Core claw slicing through a Yellow Core Metal cultivator like paper were just myths." Tristan resolved to reassess the significance of bloodlines from that day forward.
The serpent opened its mouth once more, releasing a blazing fireball from deep within its body. The projectile exploded near Zahira, and fragments of flame rained down on her. Surprisingly, she showed no sign of pain, calmly patting out the fire burning her brown fur.
Gathering her Vital essence in her legs, she leapt high into the air, above the serpent's head. Zahira spun her entire body, landing a powerful kick to the serpent's right eye.
The serpent lunged at her, jaws wide open, to snap at her in midair.
In response, Zahira's right arm dissolved into a tangle of vibrant green vines that clamped the creature's mouth shut.
The serpent slammed its head into the ground, causing Zahira to crash onto the dirt with enough force to make her grit her teeth in pain.
With a flick of its head, the beast flung Zahira away, tearing free from the vines that bound its jaws.
Flames spiraled around the fire serpent as it lashed its tail furiously, shaking the ground. It turned its gaze toward the two Lightning cultivators, studying them intently before shifting its focus back to Zahira.
Unexpectedly, its eyes drifted toward Tristan's hiding spot. A chill ran down his spine. There was no time to be shocked; his mind raced to decide whether to fight or flee. Fortunately, as he debated, the serpent lost interest in him.
With a hiss and a flick of its tongue, the serpent cast a final glance at Zahira before retreating into the forest. Utilizing the boost from its Fire magic, it quickly vanished from sight.
As the threat disappeared, Zahira let out a sigh of relief. She turned to check on the humans who had fought the creature.
She approached them and asked with concern in her voice, "Are you okay?"
Hearing the strange-looking creature speak, the two men instinctively stepped back in fear.
"Big brother, did you hear that too?"
His brother, pale-faced, nodded. "Stay calm. It must be some kind of trick. Don't let your guard down!"
"Trick? I don't know how to do tricks."
The men assumed defensive stances, lightning sparking along the older brother's whip and the younger brother's metallic claws.
Zahira was taken aback by their hostility. She had assumed all humans would be as easy to talk to as Tristan.
"Wait, I won't hurt you. I'm not an enemy of humans. I even have a human friend."
She glanced toward the tree where Tristan was hiding and called out, "Dusk, tell them I'm friendly."
Still gripping their weapons tightly, the brothers shifted their gaze to the spot she indicated.
The three waited to see what would happen.
Seconds passed, but nothing changed.
The younger brother clicked his tongue. "Damn it, I knew something was wrong." He prepared to attack Zahira.
But then, a childlike voice interrupted, "Wait."
Tristan stepped out from the bushes where he had been hiding.
"Calm down. What she said is true."
"What? That's absurd!" the younger brother shouted.
The elder added, "I've never heard of a talking monster. Are you saying it's not dangerous?"
Tristan shrugged. "I spent the last few hours with her, and I'm still alive. We even had lunch together."
Their faces showed visible shock.
"Are you sure it's not just some trick?" the younger brother asked.
The older one added, "If you're being coerced by this creature, you can tell us."
Tristan nodded. "You have my word." He tried to offer a reassuring smile, though his sharp gaze studied the two men like a hawk, attempting to discern their intentions.
Encountering others usually turned into a hassle.
"She's not malicious, so don't worry. Besides, she saved your lives."
The brothers looked at Tristan, then at Zahira, their gazes lingering on her.
They exchanged silent glances.
"If that's true, then I guess we owe you an apology," the elder said.
"Yes, without your help, we might have died to that monster's fangs."
"Don't worry, it's fine. My name is Zahira. Do you two have names as well?"
Before the brothers could respond, Tristan cut in.
After casting a quick glance toward the forest, Tristan said, "Hey, sorry to interrupt, but I think we should save the introductions for later and get out of here before something worse than that serpent shows up because of all the commotion."