The fangs of the serpent shot toward Chase at an unreadable speed.
In that moment, it felt as though everything he had survived was meaningless.
But somehow, he managed to convince himself that the fear of death was not his own thought, but instead just a mind trick from the powerful Naga.
Chase thought of the people he had been forced to leave behind. He remembered the promise he had made to himself in that god-forsaken cave.
He was going to kill this serpent.
He let go of the jagged scale and let his body fall from the towering height of the serpent's neck.
The bite of the Naga missed Chase by barely an inch as his small body slipped through the snake's grasp.
Chase slammed onto the Naga's lower body.
What sat pierced into the flesh about twenty meters below him was the beautiful topaz dagger.
He turned his body to face the snake's deformed face and began running down the Naga.
Tightening his grip on the makeshift blade in his off-hand, Chase grabbed the handle of the dagger embedded in the flesh of the serpent.
He pulled quickly with all of his strength, ripping the blade from the tough flesh.
The Naga let out a pained hiss as flames exploded from the wound inflicted by the boy.
Chase began sprinting back up the Naga's body, carrying the dagger in his dominant hand and the makeshift stone blade in the other.
The quaking of the arena sent shockwaves through the air as the snake began thrashing its body from side to side.
Instead of grabbing one of the jagged scales this time, Chase began running even faster up the snake's body.
His breathing was ragged and shaky, but his resolve stayed calm. His thoughts grew quiet, and his body went numb.
He was going to kill the Naga no matter what.
The snake's maw shot toward him even faster this time.
But instead of dodging the powerful bite, Chase threw the topaz dagger at its inhuman face.
The blade soared through the air, but the snake moved faster, burrowing toward Chase at immense speeds.
A terrible scream filled the air as the dagger tore through one of its golden eyes.
Green fluid splattered from the horrid wound as the snake violently threw its head away from Chase.
The serpent slammed its head into the ground, trying to force the dagger out of its eye as flames spread across its twisted face.
Its cocky grin turned into an expression of terror as it began thrashing its body even more.
But its head was lowered, which meant that Chase had gotten what he wanted.
He sprinted down the neck of the snake, heading toward the top of its head.
The stone blade was locked within both of his hands now as he brought forth all the flames remaining in his body, waiting to come forth like a raging storm.
He reached the top of the Naga's head and lifted his blade diagonally above him. The blaze of flames surrounded Chase like an infernal shield.
For a brief moment, the flames began to shroud the blade.
He used both his willpower and his remaining strength to bring the blade down in a diagonal slash into the back of the Naga's neck.
The blade cut through the snake's scales, violently tearing through flesh and bone.
One last desperate scream filled the air as the flames hissed, burning into the Naga.
Green ooze splattered across the arena as the mighty serpent's head toppled from its long, twisted body.
A loud crash resounded as its massive head hit the ground, soon followed by its towering body.
The Naga's corpse lay lifelessly as Chase crashed into the ground.
A pained groan escaped from his tired lips.
"Stay dead, bastard..."
He muttered as his sore back rested against the cold stone ground.
The makeshift blade he had used to slay the beast was shattered, and only its handle remained in his hand.
However, the beautiful dagger lay rested inside the bloody eye of the dead serpent.
A small smile rested on Chase's face as his consciousness threatened to drift away.
Instead of passing out, he pushed his heavy body off the ground and stood.
It felt almost euphoric to be the last one standing after the terrible battle with the serpent of the labyrinth.
'I did it...'
Chase thought to himself as he stood tall at the center of the arena, next to the towering body of the Naga.