Although the voice was extremely faint, an unconscious, hoarse murmur, Angel stopped in his tracks as though struck by lightning.
He could not be mistaken. That was definitely Toby's voice!
Toby was nearby!
Before Angel's excitement could surge up from the depths of his heart, he was bewildered by the meaning contained in that soft cry.
That low "Chirp-Chirp" from before had held no particular meaning that Angel could make out. It had even felt as though Toby were talking in his sleep. Yet this sound gave Angel a strange feeling.
Suppressed and weak, as though Toby were sleep-talking... calling for help!
At that thought, unease suddenly rose within Angel!
He immediately ran toward the direction from which the sound had come. The farther he ran, the stronger the stench of blood and rot in the air became. That thick sense of unease was like some crawling beast baring its venomous fangs, watching him from the darkness with cold vertical pupils, ready to strike at any moment.
"Chirp-Chirp—"
Angel heard Toby's voice again, still like a murmur in sleep.
It was right ahead! As Angel sprinted wildly, he remained vigilant, prepared at any moment to battle the "Demonic Beast" lurking in the surrounding darkness.
Suddenly, a hissing sound came from ahead.
Angel stopped at once. As he raised the glowstone, the sight before him made his pupils contract.
He had wondered earlier why there were clearly traces of snakes crawling across the ground, yet not a single snake was in sight. Only now did he know where all the snakes had gone—
The road ahead was covered in snakes!
Countless snakes, some brightly colored and some dull, some large and some small, some thick and some slender, crawled densely across the path ahead. They writhed and tangled together, completely blocking