The Snake God with SSS Rank Evolution System

Chapter 356: Moonlight’s Judgment

Azrynn’s yellow eyes ignited with fierce determination, blazing like twin suns against the oppressive darkness. The elven light surged along her arrow, and she released the string with a sharp, resonant whisper."[Moonlight’s Judgment]!"

The arrow shot forward—a streak of pure, concentrated light that tore through the darkness like a blade through silk. It struck the void creature square in the chest, directly at the core where the shadows were thickest.

The creature convulsed violently. A deafening screech ripped from its form as the light penetrated its core, cracking the darkness within. Black ichor sprayed from the wound, sizzling against the elven light.

Ignis’s golden eyes blazed. She didn’t waste the opening.

"[Solar Impact]!"

She launched herself forward, her fist wreathed in roaring golden fire, and slammed it directly into the arrow embedded in the creature’s chest. The impact drove the arrow deeper, and the creature’s form convulsed as the combined power of fire and light tore through its core.

The void creature thrashed wildly, shadows writhing and snapping like broken chains. Its hollow, distorted voice echoed through the ruins, raw with agony and fury.

"AAAAHHGGG—! THIS PAIN—! YOU WILL SUFFER FOR THIS!"

Ignis’s lips curled into a fierce, savage grin. "Feel it? That’s what happens when you mess with a dragon!"

She pulled her fist back, flames still crackling along her knuckles, and drove it forward again—another blow, harder, faster, each strike carving deeper into the creature’s form.

The creature’s shriek rose to a deafening pitch. Its body convulsed, and the shadows around it began to writhe violently, as if something inside it was breaking. The darkness pulsed, swelled, then erupted outward in a wave of raw, chaotic void energy.

Ignis was hurled backward, crashing into a stone pillar. She pushed herself up, gasping, her golden eyes widening as she saw the creature’s form begin to change.

The void creature’s body convulsed, its form twisting and expanding. From its core, cracks spread across its surface, and a deep, rumbling voice echoed from within.

"ALL SHADOWS... RETURN TO ME..."

The darkness in the chamber began to shift. From the corners of the ruins, from the cracks in the stone, from the very air itself, shadows began to flow toward the creature like water toward a drain. They swirled around its form, merging with its body, feeding its power.

Ignis’s eyes widened. "What the hell is it doing?!"

Azrynn’s face was pale, her bow trembling in her grip. "It’s... it’s calling all the darkness in the area back to itself! It’s trying to absorb everything!"

The creature’s form swelled, growing larger, more solid. Its hollow gaze swept over them, and its voice erupted with cold, absolute fury.

"WRETCHES! YOU HAVE FORCED ME TO CONSUME THE SHADOWS OF THIS PRISON! NOW YOU WILL FACE MY JUDGMENT!"

The chamber grew colder. The shadows deepened, thickening into a suffocating blanket that pressed against Ignis and Azrynn from all sides. The air grew heavy, and a low, resonant hum vibrated through the stone beneath their feet.

Ignis forced herself upright, flames flickering weakly around her. Her voice was strained but defiant.

"Tch... judgment? I’ve faced worse than you. Bring it."

Azrynn’s voice was barely a whisper, her yellow eyes fixed on the writhing mass of shadow before them.

"Ignis... this isn’t like before. It’s consuming the darkness itself. If it finishes..."

Ignis’s golden eyes blazed. "Then we don’t let it finish."

She planted her feet, flames roaring to life around her fists. Her voice rang out, sharp and commanding.

"Az! On my mark—"

Before she could finish, the creature’s form exploded outward. A massive wave of shadow and void energy erupted from its core, surging toward them like a tidal wave of absolute darkness.

Ignis’s flames flared, and she braced herself, her claws digging into the stone.

"[Solar Nova]!"

The golden sphere of fire erupted from her palms, meeting the wave of darkness head-on. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the chamber, and for a moment, light and shadow hung suspended, locked in a desperate struggle.

But the darkness was stronger.

The wave pushed through, and Ignis was hurled backward, crashing into Azrynn and sending both of them tumbling across the stone floor.

Ignis pushed herself up, gasping, blood dripping from a fresh wound on her shoulder. Her flames flickered weakly.

"...Tch..."

Azrynn’s voice was small, trembling. "Ignis... what do we do...?"

Ignis’s golden eyes blazed.

"We fight. Until we can’t fight anymore." She forced herself upright, flames gathering in her palms.

The void creature’s form swelled, shadows condensing into a massive, jagged maw lined with teeth of solidified darkness. It lunged forward, its gaping mouth aimed directly at Ignis and Azrynn, ready to swallow them whole.

But before it could reach them, something wrapped around their waists—a silken thread, strong and unyielding.

Ignis’s eyes widened. "Woaaah?!"

Azrynn gasped as the thread yanked them both backward, pulling them out of the creature’s path just as its maw slammed shut on empty air.

They tumbled across the stone floor, skidding to a halt near the chamber’s entrance.

Lilith stood at the edge of the shadows, her silver-white hair gleaming faintly, her threads retracting around her fingers. Her voice was calm, but carried a sharp edge.

"Almost died, did you? How careless."

Ignis blinked, then a wide grin spread across her face as her gaze landed on the familiar figures emerging from the shadows behind Lilith. "Lilith! You came!"

Alice stepped forward, her dark violet eyes scanning the chamber with sharp, predatory focus. Her cat ears twitched as she assessed the void creature.

"Save the reunion for later. That thing’s not going to let us leave easily. We need to move. Now."

Isolde’s voice cut through, sharp and commanding. "The wave is closing in! We need to move!"

The group didn’t hesitate. They turned and fled, their footsteps pounding against the cracked stone as the wave of darkness surged behind them, hungry and relentless.

Alice glanced back at Ignis, her voice sharp with exasperation.

"I told you not to fight it alone, you idiot! Why can’t you ever listen?!"