Invaders

It has been 3 hours since the calamity falls upon the school in Kampung Meranek. Everything within the vicinity has been reduced into dust. What was rich with nature have been reduced into a wasteland covering several kilometres in radius. The fireball shot by Cerberus was one of the reasons, most of it was because of the fight between a ferocious mythical creature that could eliminate whatever it preys on within second and a 12-year old kid. The two has been fighting for more than an hour. Although the power between them is obviously one-sided, somehow the kid managed to survive.

"This kid talent is monstrous. No being can fight like that against King Hydra at the first time. He just tasted the power of mana just now and manage to roughly understand the whole mechanism without anyone teaching him. If he survives this, he might be as strong as.. no.. he will be stronger than me. Even stronger than anyone I have fought."

Kim was still clinging on Hydra to try to get closer to its head for a fatal blow. Hydra tried to shake Kim off by moving around aggressively, but whenever it did that Kim would bury his fist inside the snake. It never experienced someone who able to even leave a mark on its body. Now a mere kid was able to leave a hole and even buried his fist deep inside enough for it to bleed.

Usually, any creature would get dissolved by its acid or die by extreme poisoning before they even get close. If they did, even by touching its scale would cause them to die. If somehow, someone managed to injure it, the blood from its body would instantly kill the person as its blood is highly concentrated with poison. The situation now, however, was different. None of its prideful poison had work. It was even the first time it felt pain after so many years. The King of Hydra is experiencing pain!

As Kim getting closer and closer to its head, it became more desperate. A desperate measure was needed during desperate time! It did not think much and started to release mana which enveloped its entire body. What was once a strong thick scale as hard as metal suddenly becoming soft like a sponge. Kim is now constantly slipping downward. He tried to punch through, but the scale was too soft that it becomes a protective layer which absorbs all the force in his fist.

Hydra was shedding its skin to escape the firm grip of the nuisance that was clinging onto it. As it continued getting damage whilst trying to throw Kim off, it could not bear the constant pain it has not felt for so long. Slowly, fear seeps into its mind making it undertake a rather rash decision by shedding its scale off. Although Kim finally falls, it was now vulnerable to any attack. You could say that both Hydra and Kim is now exposed! The king has lost its clothes.

Even though he fell, Kim breath out a sigh of relief. What Hydra did not know was, Kim was at his limit and could fell anytime.

"That was lucky of me"

The moment he touched the ground, Kim did not take any time to get back up by pushing his body upward. Now King Hydra and Kim is face to face with each other.

"How do you kill a snake?"

"Huh?" A familiar voice rang into his head.

"How do you kill a snake?"

"Look for some branches and smack that head really hard!"

"Yes, correct!"

"But that what I was going to do! Going to smash all that 9 head and yours as well after I find you."

It was silent in a moment. Then the voice resounds again

"True, but that"s hydra you are fighting with. Not just any hydra, but King of Hydra. The moment you smash its head it will regenerate."

"King? So, there is another Hydra?"

Even before the voice replied him, the beast did not wait for any second to unleash its poisonous smog.

"This won"t work! Hmmm?!"

But it wasn"t for attacking Kim. It was to hide from his vision. Hydra slowly approaching Kim while slithering through the fog in silent.

"This sneaky snake! Enough with your tricks!"

"How do you kill a hydra?"

"Hydra?"

Kim now processing his brain at a fast rate trying to remember everything he read about hydra. What he knows was that the mistake people always do when they are killing hydra is cutting its head. Then two more head would appear which turning the battle into a dire situation. As the fight progress, Hydra would eventually regenerate more and more heads while the person involved would get exhausted, and in the end, would get eaten mercilessly.

The only way was to burn it down. As it regenerated, the flame would continue to burn down its head until it could not regenerate anymore. However, Kim does not have anything to burn it with. Even if he did manage to make fire, what could that flame possibly do? It would get extinguished in any second. It was obvious that Hydra has an affinity with fire when it unleashed its fireball earlier. What can a small fire even do?

"It seems you get it, kid. All you have to do is make fire"

"Sounds so easy. How do I make this so call-" Without noticed, Kim was. .h.i.t with a terrifying blow causing him to fly several meters away.

"No time to explain kid. Just collect all that energy and think about creating a fire. Feel the nature of fire which can extinguish everything. Released all that energy with the intention of making the hottest fire in the world!

Although feeling annoyed, Kim knew that he had no other choice but to follow the voice. He closed his eyes and breath slowly to focus his mind, as he did that he could feel some kind of a familiar energy flowing into his body again. As time goes by, he"s getting used to controlling the energy that surrounds him. It feels like he is one with nature. One with the heaven and earth.

Hydra noticed the change happening in Kim, and rush in, to land another blow with one of its head. It was powerful enough to blow away the surrounding smog. However, Kim managed to grab its head and landed a mighty kick which blew one of its head off. Instantly, the head regenerates and Kim back steps a bit to create a gap. Hydra went inside the smog again to hide its presence.

"This snake! If only I could move and gather energy at the same time… wait.. can I?"

"I never say you can"t"

"I could?"

"Yes. But it would take years of practice to do that"

"I have no other choice, don"t I? And tell me sooner!"

He then gathered the energy again. This time Hydra did not wait long to unleash another attack from behind. Kim fell flat to the ground to dodge its attack.

"I have to do this again" He concentrated more.

Hydra did not stop and start attacking with all its 9 head. Again, and again, Kim dodged its continuous attack without stopping. Sometimes he would get hit which would break his concentrations.

"I can feel it just a bit more!"

As time goes by, he could even manage a counter which would smash hydra heads. However, it keeps regenerating its head instantly, which make it seems there was no damage at all. Dodging, blocking and counter attacking. Kim manages to do this while trying to concentrate all the energy surrounding him.

"This is hard!" As he screamed his whole body was emanating white light.

"How talented can this kid be? I must make sure he lives"

The light that was coming from Kim body becoming more intense. Now he is fighting Hydra, while he keeps absorbing the energy and maintaining it at the same time. Just by doing so he felt stronger and able to move faster than he was before. He can even read hydra attack as his focus is getting sharper enable him to make precise decisions at the critical moment.

Kim is now standing on the with hydra. Before this, he could only think of death awaiting him. Now, he could at least think of taking hydra with him.

"Fire... I need fire.. a strong fire that could engulf hydra. Even fire that could burn hydra to ash"

While fighting he experimented a bit by producing fire in his hand. Pssstt! The fire burns part of Hydra skin. Did not take long for Hydra to heal itself.

"Not good enough kid. Think stronger! Imagine the most powerful flame you have ever tasted"

The moment he heard the voice, he thought of his fight with Cerberus.

"Cerberus flame" He muttered by himself. Distracted, he received a blow to his body which he was not able to protect in time. The blow broke several bones and cause him to fly away.

The hydra thought it finally had the advantage and could finally swallow Kim soon. It hid again in the smog and slowly moved closer. Instead of finishing the fight soon, Hydra habit of playing with food made it unable to restrain itself from taking its time. It usually force it prey to run around in fear thinking it could survive. It even loves to see how its prey struggles to live which in end getting crushed and becoming its food. Now King Hydra is getting more excited as the being that caused him nuisance can finally be savour. Especially with the feeling of unable to sense any danger make it think that Kim must be anxious and running about right now.

Kim was still in his place. He checked his injury and struggled to get up. That loss of concentration for a moment was a huge lesson to himself. He would make sure to not lose focus anymore when he is fighting a stronger person or a monster. He slapped his cheek several times and shake his head to forget what happened and try to sense the presence of hydra. It"s the skill he acquired while learning how to gather energy. He can even sense the presence of energy from other beings and even from nature. When he managed to do this, a hole fill his heart as he could not sense any other living being than Hydra within the area anymore. Everyone else was already dead.

"Come closer now, I"ll make sure to get my revenge. Nas, wait for me. I will end this once and for all."

Hydra did not realize that Kim could sense its oncoming. It just thought that Kim was unable to move anymore due to its last attack. It could not imagine what was once a weak being that only suitable as it prey could prepare a powerful attack that able to destroy the king of Hydra.

As it gets closer, it felt a strange atmosphere surrounding its prey. It felt, strong hot energy coming out from Kim. The energy was becoming stronger and more intense by seconds! It grew suspicious and swing its tail to gust away all the smog.

Kim was finally able to create the flame he wanted to. He remembered the fight he had with Cerberus that was imprinted in his head. The destructive power of the fireball, the scorching heat that comes out from it, and intensity of the flame that could annihilate everything in several kilometres in radius. Albeit only at the size of his hand, the power behind it was not lacking when compares to the fireball made by Cerberus with its full power. He remembered how Cerberus compressed the energy of its fireball to increase its destructive force.

Watching the intense light coming for the ball of energy, Hydra, then fasten it pace and open all its mouth to devour Kim instantly. It now regretted itself from slowing down because of its habit. It even released all its energy to protect its body. It knew, once Kim releases the fireball in his hand, it would get severely injured. What it did not know was, the fireball was strong enough to give a fatal injury. Another thing was, Kim is only waiting and already prepared to give h.e.l.l to the snake. Kim grinned slightly. As another name pops into his mind.

"Die snake! h.e.l.lfire!"

Hydra has become a roasted snake.