22

 If one looked at the creature through an objective lens, it was an impressive being of magical biology.

Its form was a mesmerizing fusion of primal reptile and volcanic glass. Its armored scales were midnight-black shards interlocking in captivating geometrical patterns. Even the thin beams of light refracted beautifully off its sinuous body, creating shapeshifting chromatic rainbows as the thing crawled towards me. It seemed to ripple and flow like black water.

Frankly, it was hypnotizing, and I hadn't even described its eyes yet. Because this is when it "opened" them.

Twin pools of molten fire erupted from its head, glowing with an inner heat that belied its cold, stone-like exterior. The new light source allowed me to thoroughly study its design.

*Damn, this thing's spiky all over. It totally mogs cacti into oblivion.*

The basilisk's head was angular and severe adorned with a crown of razor-sharp obsidian spines that ran down its neck and spine. Its claws, like expertly crafted daggers of volcanic glass, clicked ominously against the ground with each step.

It opened its maw revealing rows of teeth like wickedly gleaming jagged shards of black diamond. Its forked tongue, surprisingly, was not of stone but of flame, flickering and dancing in its living obsidian home.

The flame swirled and expanded, consuming the air around it. Another offensive was on its way, and this time, the Obsidian Basilisk wasn't pulling punches.

 *FWOOSH*

Dark purple flames shot towards me in quick succession.

The basilisk telegraphed its attack trajectory with the position of its jaw, so they were easy to dodge. However, I felt a strange burning sensation that was different from that of ordinary flames.

*Wait a minute... Dark purple...*

Where had I seen dark purple flames before?

*FWOOSH*

Another fusillade of dark, nearly invisible fireballs shot from the creature's mouth.

I hopped backwards to not only dodge, but analyze the situation more thoroughly.

*szzzz...*

A slim plume of smoke rose from my left arm. I looked to find a massive breakdown of the fabric on my sleeve.

*Huh?*

The strangest thing was, despite the black fabric visibly discoloring and degenerating, the flames didn't burn a hole through it. I thought I was well clear of the basilisk's attacks, but apparently, I'd been narrowly hit.

*I see...*

Now, something else also hit me - realization.

*Dark purple.*

The basilisk opened its mouth again, and its head swept through the space a full 90 degrees. A third attack - a broadside flame wall - threatened to envelop me.

*This thing really is smart.*

It noticed I easily evaded the first two fireball volleys, so this time, it used a wide, sweeping attack leaving me nowhere to dodge.

Despite this being the attack covering the largest area, it was the hardest to see. The transparent purple flames blended smoothly with the cave's black interior. If I didn't know the truth behind this attack, I would've been confused as hell.

The downside of this attack was obvious, though. Fireballs were highly concentrated, so they were a high-density attack that could only splatter a small area. This firewall, on the other hand, was the opposite. Even though the basilisk put much more effort into this attack, it was spread far too thin.

"Hah!"

I kicked off the wall at breakneck speed... directly at the Obsidian Basilisk. I tore through the wall of flame more easily than parchment paper, and the stone lizard's eyes widened in surprise.

*CRASH*

The wall behind the basilisk was at least 10 meters away, yet the two of us tumbled into it at full speed.

I probably shouldn't have been surprised by the sensation, but I didn't expect it to be so damn hard. I jumped off the thing to survey the damage.

The Obsidian Basilisk let out a low-pitched rumbling noise as it rose from the rubble. It shook itself off and stared at me with a more intense flame blazing in its eyes.

*Jeez... It's a freaking tank.*

I thought I'd used a decent amount of force, but the only damage I seem to have caused was to our surroundings. How could a living thing be so sturdy?

*Is this thing really biological? This magical world never ceases to amaze me.*

"What was that? Huh... Emmu?!!! Are you okay?"

Suddenly, Hazel Blaze's distant voice echoed through the cavern walls. Unsurprisingly, this immediately drew the basilisk's attention.

This was its first mistake this battle.

"Eyes on me, please!"

I dashed in, closed the distance, and landed a quick uppercut underneath its jaw.

*BOOM*

Just as I predicted, its instinct was to open its mouth when an enemy approached, so the uppercut couldn't have felt very good. This bit of information also taught me something else about the basilisk's attack patterns.

*If I'm right, it goes something like this.*

Close range - bite attacks and natural defenses (spikes).

Mid range - claw attacks.

Long range - magic attacks.

I'd never been in its 'mid' range yet, so I hadn't seen it use its claws yet, but knowing this... I couldn't find any specific weaknesses right off the bat.

*Why did Hazel Blaze try to fight this thing alone?*

Looks could be deceiving, but at this point I felt like any sane person could see that this thing was way out of Hazel Blaze's league.

*Let's break it down real quick.*

Assuming Hazel Blaze knew hand-to-hand combat, for close and mid-range combat, she had this plus her dagger. The sheer force and defense of the Obsidian Basilisk completely outmatched her in this department.

For long-range combat, put simply, the Obsidian Basilisk was a superior version of Hazel Blaze. The only advantage the little human had was her casting speed (and maybe movement speed), but the lizard didn't even fall that far behind in that stat. Especially comparing their power output... that little difference in casting speed was irrelevant.

I couldn't use magic effectively yet, so I had no way of fairly judging this, but... unless the Obsidian Basilisk was weak to Hazel Blaze's magic, this was pretty much a 100-0 matchup in favor of the purple-fire-shooting black rock.

*crumble*

*That being said...*

Several of the Obsidian Basilisk's teeth snapped and disintegrated from the force of my punch. It tried swiping its claws at me, but it wasn't even close.

My uppercut must have sent its head spinning, too. It tried glaring menacingly, but the flames in its eyes flickered. I could almost see its pupils cartoonishly spinning around in their sockets. I almost felt bad for it.

I flamboyantly cracked my knuckles again.

"Let's just put you out of your misery."