(XXV) Brush With Death

"Ugh..." Samael groaned as he raised his head, gritting his teeth as he glared at the Naga Priestess gliding across the water, glancing at the timer in the 

corner of his vision. 

╔══06:25:89══╝ 

"Tch!" He clicked his tongue as he reached into his jacket, his fingers closed around the hilt of four knives, which he pulled out between his knuckles. 

In one swift motion, he threw them at the rapidly advancing naga, who dived under the water to avoid them, reemerging as she darted across the water.

With a smirk, Samael pulled his fingers into his palm, causing the knives to flip through the air, crackling with electricity. Lightning danced around them, arcing into the ground and electrocuting the Naga Priestess. She howled in pain, launching herself into the air to avoid further damage.

As plasma started dripping from the blades as it formed along the edges, superheated steam erupted from the lake. The knives were launched toward the naga, slicing through her tail in numerous positions. 

Despite her injuries, the Naga Priestess unleashed a powerful aura of dark magic to float in the air, creating numerous spheres of concentrated death magic around her.

An aura of death emanated from her, causing the air around her to grow colder and more oppressive. The spheres crackled with dark energy, pulsating with a thick aura of destruction and decay. 

The lake beneath her trembled as waves started forming, and the water around her boiled and churned as if in fear of her terrifying power. Sam gritted his teeth as he rose to his feet as the naga unleashed her deadly magic, feeling the weight of her energy pressing down on him like a physical force. 

With lightning-fast movements, Samael's body was coated with electricity as he dashed forward to avoid the miniature black novas exploding behind him, surprised to find he could run on the water. 

With a laugh at his newfound skill, he darted around the lake, dodging the attacks as they collided with the water, creating a steam smokescreen across the entire, covering his position as he caught his breath on the small stone island.

The Naga Priestess floated in the air, her frustration growing as she searched for Samael. She scanned the area around the lake, but there was no sign of him. 

With a deep growl of annoyance, she unleashed a powerful aura, causing the steam to dissipate and clearing the area of any obstructions.

The Naga Priestess fixated her gaze on Samael as he stood next to the shrine, her eyes glowing with the intensity of her dark magic. She began to channel all of her power into a massive ball of death, its size growing with each passing moment. 

The air around her crackled with energy, and an aura of pure darkness enveloped her, making her almost seem like a shadow. The ball of death was so giant that it seemed to dwarf everything around it, creating powerful waves along the surface of the lake as it pulsed with dark energy. 

With a fierce determination, the Naga Priestess launched the ball of death at Samael, who dodged it with lightning-fast movements. The ball struck the shrine, creating a devastating explosion, creating tidal waves along the lake, the shockwave launching Sam through the air. 

He flipped through the air, correcting himself as he landed against the stone wall, launching himself around the room before landing safely near the entrance, covering his face as stone debris flew in all directions, and a cloud of dust and smoke obscured the area. 

As the dust began to settle, the Naga Priestess could see that the shrine was disintegrating, destroyed by the sheer force of the attack. The once beautiful shrine was now reduced to rubble, its form deteriorating from the power of the death magic. 

Panic set in as the Naga Priestess rushed toward the shrine, seeing it disintegrating before her very eyes. She could feel the weight of her failure bearing down on her, and a sense of desperation took hold.

With tears in her eyes, she tried to use her dark magic to hold the structure together, but it was futile. The shrine continued to disintegrate, crumbling away in her hands. 

Samael glanced at the timer, anxiety starting to set in as it ticked down, not wanting to miss out on one of the rewards presented to him. He twirled his blades around his wrists as he prepared to launch himself at her. 

The Naga Priestess let out a bloodcurdling scream, forcing Sam to cover his ears as he winced in pain, the sound echoing through the air. As the shrine disintegrated before her very eyes, the Naga Priestess felt a sudden surge of weakness wash over her. 

It was as if the destruction of the shrine had severed her connection to the dark magic that had fueled her power. The once intense aura of death that had surrounded her began to dissipate, leaving her feeling vulnerable and exposed. 

Samael gritted his teeth, being forced to step back as he stood against the mighty waves of energy slowly vanishing from the naga as she lost her deathly magic. He covered his eyes against the numerous shockwaves produced by the waning power. 

She stumbled backward, her body trembling as she struggled to maintain her balance. A powerful jolt shot through her body as she lost the connection to her powers. 

She started thrashing around the island, her powerful tail destroying the stone ground beneath her, throwing pebbles in all directions as she screamed in agony. Her claws leaving deep gashes into the rock beneath her. 

The once powerful Naga Priestess was reduced to a weakened state, overcome with a sense of defeat and despair. Her long, serpentine body was heavy, and she struggled to lift herself off the ground as she stared helplessly at the young man. 

Sam gritted his teeth as he slowly crossed over the wooden platforms, a sword in each hand as they both ignited, flames rising up from his left, and an icy aura producing snow on his right. 

The naga raised her hand, holding her palm out toward the advancing young man, hissing as she bared her fangs, trying to call forth her magical powers, but nothing appeared, and she collapsed to the ground. 

Samael stepped onto the destroyed island, the ruined stone ground crunching underneath each of his steps as lighting started to crackle around the blazing and freezing swords, dancing along the edge of the blades as they raced up his arms. 

He approached the naga, using his foot to flip her onto her back as she hissed at him once again, her strength entirely drained from her body as she failed to lift her arms to attack him. 

Plasma erupted from the tips of his curved swords as it slowly coated the entire blade. Beads of concentrated energy dripped to the stone floor, unleashing a faint hiss as he glared down at the Naga Priestess. 

Tears formed in the corner of her eyes as she stared up at him, absolutely defeated, surprising him as she turned her head, gazing upon the spot where the shrine used to stand when she spoke, "Go on... Take my life! I have nothing left to live for..."