Whoa!
This was definitely one of the most remarkable mimics Nameless had ever seen.
But this was no time to marvel. He knew the giant serpent meant to crush him, and if he could not break free soon, he would be in real danger.
He slashed at its scales. The serpent tightened its coils while he struck again and again, each doing their own thing as the space between them steadily shrank.
The giant serpent's body was long and flat, but when it swelled, it became unexpectedly huge. Unlike an ordinary snake, its belly was not soft. It had a layer of hard black chitin that seemed to expand and stiffen, then soften as it contracted.
Its scales, however, were transparent. Once inflated, they looked like balloons on the inside. Perhaps they offered a way through.
Sure enough, after a flurry of wild slashes, one scale cracked. Nameless gripped his blade with both hands and drove its tip through the opening like a nail. The serpent forgot all about tightening its coils. It reared its head with a hissing shriek, then thrashed wildly.
As it reared up, it carried Nameless into the air, at least four or five meters above the ground. He clung to the hilt and scanned his surroundings for somewhere he could jump.
Meanwhile, Ni Hongye had been looking for an opening. When the serpent reared in pain, she sensed her chance. Sure enough, it began to writhe on instinct, and she seized the moment to throw the dart in her hand.
The serpent's eyes were nothing like a normal snake's. They resembled a snail's eyestalks and could extend or retract. Right then, it had pulled them in from the pain.
As it twisted, one side of its body turned toward Ni Hongye. Her dart shot out