The Primal Hunter Chapter 1222 - A Plan Within A Plan

The A-rank powerhouses within the auction house reacted instantly, erupting with violent force as they charged toward the stage. A father and daughter duo released two massive plumes of toxic gas that swallowed the platform, but when a mid-tier A-grade cleared the haze with a potent skill, the Eye of the Magus had already vanished.

Those seated in the initial rows were caught in the crossfire of the twin explosions, sent crashing into the walls with enough force that the weaker individuals perished before they even made impact. Total chaos gripped the hall, providing the perfect cover for the Viper, who was currently pinned beneath a rotting cadaver.

Following the second blast, he had snatched the Eye of the Magus and utilized the lingering poison cloud to blend in with the corpses. About a dozen A-grades gathered on the stage, scanning the area until one addressed the group. Though several seemed to take issue with his words, Jake noted that the speaker was the most powerful among them, and he clearly didn't care for their opinions.

A moment later, the other A-grades vanished via teleportation, leaving the strongest combatant alone. His voice boomed through the wreckage as he surveyed the room.

“I presume the thief has yet to depart… let us verify.”

Jake caught a glimpse of the Viper’s eyes widening as the A-grade conjured a sphere of brilliant white fire. Without warning, it detonated, incinerating the auction hall and the surrounding city district in a heartbeat.

The Malefic Viper, left with no other viable path, clicked his tongue just as dark scales manifested across his skin to shield him from the inferno. As the fires died down, only two figures remained, suspended over a massive crater whose walls had been turned to glass by the heat.

“It was you after all,” the mid-tier A-grade remarked, his gaze fixed on the Malefic Viper. He was a mage clad in white robes with a thick beard reaching his waist, his overwhelming presence speaking for itself. “I suspected something was amiss with you, but this is an unexpected development.”

“I had you figured for the clever type as well,” the Viper replied, discarding a few charred scales. “I must admit, however, I didn't anticipate the City Lord torching his own domain.”

The City Lord shook his head, glancing briefly at the devastation below. “Did you truly think I would prioritize saving the commoners?”

“Well, I thought there was a slim chance,” the Malefic Viper said with a shrug. “Had you done so, we might have avoided a lot of trouble and unnecessary peril.”

“How long has our acquaintance lasted, Jabaliah? Though I highly doubt that is your real name,” the City Lord questioned.

“We have never truly known each other, my dear City Lord,” the Malefic Viper said, a smirk playing on his lips.

“And what of your woman? You spent more than a decade by her side. Was that entire life merely a front for this moment?” the City Lord asked, sounding weary at the thought.

“No, you have it wrong; that was simply part of the background,” the Malefic Viper explained, shaking his head. “I chose this location for its wealth of resources. You 'enlightened' folk possess a passion for commerce that I quite admire. I had intended to remain for several more decades, but once I learned of the Eye of the Magus, the urge to discard this persona became irresistible. My position as the director of the Golden Road Emporium was originally a means to get close to the merchants, but it turned out to be exceptionally useful.”

The City Lord’s expression turned to one of loathing. “To speak of the enlightened in such a way… you are nothing but a beast wearing our skin.”

“I played the part for a time,” the Viper countered. “I can be a model citizen when the mood strikes, provided no one tempts me to abandon the role. But once that temptation takes hold, well, the monster returns.”

“Deception. You would never have departed without leaving a trail of ruin,” the City Lord spat. “You are not the first predator I have dealt with.”

“That is quite a prejudiced and hurtful accusation,” the Viper replied, feigning offense. “Tell me something… I know my reasons for lingering, but why are you continuing this chat just to stall for time?”

The City Lord offered a knowing smile, unfazed. “To ensure your escape was impossible.”

As the words left his mouth, towering pillars of Qi erupted from the cardinal points. Shimmering light connected them, forming a colossal spherical barrier that encased this entire section of the world.

The Viper looked momentarily taken aback, staring at the mage. “You—”

“I am also the World Leader,” the mage’s grin widened. “I anticipated trouble during this auction. Rumors reached me that a certain party was hunting the Eye of the Magus, and while this snare was set for them, capturing you is a fine alternative.”

“Ah, that clarifies things,” the Viper nodded slowly, looking around. “It certainly explains a lot.”

More A-grades began to teleport in, likely the ones responsible for activating the formation. Thirteen additional A-ranks appeared, including two more mid-tier individuals alongside the City Lord.

They closed in on the Malefic Viper, cutting off all avenues of retreat. Jake, observing through the vision, was flooded with questions. While Villy’s cold abandonment of the beastkin woman and her father was a matter for later, the current situation felt strangely clumsy.

The Viper could likely use a variation of his Wings to breach the barrier and vanish with the artifact, so why had he allowed them to finish the ritual in the first place?

No… Jake sensed the Viper had a deeper motive.

The City Lord, finished with talk, summoned a staff and leveled it at the Viper. “I would demand the return of the Eye of the Magus… but I can simply retrieve it from your remains.”

Mana flared from his staff as the sky turned into a sea of fire. The other A-grades launched their assault, forcing the Viper to respond. As he unleashed his own aura, Jake finally witnessed the true scale of the Malefic Viper’s power at this point in his journey.

Villy had attained A-grade, yet his level was significantly lower than the City Lord and the other elites. Only one person present seemed weaker in level than the Viper, but levels were irrelevant here.

Because, despite his lower level, the Malefic Viper was a True Dragon.

The mortal disguise shattered as the Viper’s form expanded violently, the incoming spells washing over his shimmering dark green scales. In an instant, the man was replaced by the majestic terror of a full dragon.

Dark green scales armored his massive frame, with jagged spines tracing his back. His wings were immense, their membranes pulsing with a sickly toxic radiance as he unfurled them and let out a bone-shaking roar.

The resulting shockwave sent the A-grades stumbling, creating an opening. Thousands of magical motes coalesced into hundreds of arcane circles, raining destruction down upon his attackers without hesitation.

Simultaneously, the Viper lunged at the white-robed World Leader. He lashed out with his talons, but the mage parried with his staff, conjuring a crescent of holy white fire that forced the Viper’s strike back.

With a thrust of his hand, the mage caused the very air to warp, sending a massive kinetic shockwave into the Malefic Viper that sent the great dragon spinning through the air.

Jake watched with interest, though he knew the mage was ultimately outmatched. This became undeniable as the Viper ramped up his magical output; it soon became clear that only the three mid-tier A-grades could even hope to survive the True Dragon’s wrath.

Even they began to falter, making Jake wonder again why the Viper had bothered with the deception. He was clearly the dominant force here; he could have simply transformed and taken the auction by storm.

The battle raged on. The city below had been reduced to dust within seconds, and before long, everything within the barrier except the A-grade combatants had been erased. They fought in a void of their own making.

Jake estimated the barrier to be roughly the size of a moon, yet it felt claustrophobic for a clash of this magnitude. Furthermore, as the fight progressed, the barrier became a cage for the A-grades rather than a trap for the dragon.

The World Leader attempted to use the confined space to incinerate the Malefic Viper, but his plan was fundamentally flawed. He hadn't realized he was fighting a True Dragon—creatures legendary for their magical immunity. Once the Viper revealed his true form, the mages should have known better. Jake noticed that nearly every opponent, save for one security leader, was some form of mage. It made sense, given the item they were after was the Eye of the Magus.

Eventually, the mages realized the truth. Though they were fighting valiantly and hadn't lost anyone yet, their strength was being drained away.

The barrier was now a death trap, trapping the Viper’s lethal toxins inside and ensuring everyone was slowly being poisoned. Sensing the tide turning, the A-grades looked to the World Leader in desperation.

Though the telepathic links were hidden from Jake, the panic on the World Leader’s face was unmistakable. Frustration turned to dread, then to sheer terror among the ranks.

Finally, the World Leader screamed at the dragon while unleashing a torrent of fire capable of melting a planet. The Viper merely raised a ward, letting his scales handle the overflow.

“What have you done! Why is—”

“You should pay more heed to rumors,” the Malefic Viper mocked, striking back with a swift maneuver. “Perhaps your fears were well-founded… and there was indeed another party seeking the Eye of the Magus. Great minds think alike, and I found a partner with similar goals.”

Exploiting the despair his words caused, the Malefic Viper claimed his first victim, tore through one of the weaker A-grades. In this era, the death of an A-grade was a monumental event, and it clearly shattered the morale of the survivors.

Some begged for mercy, others tried to flee, and a few fought on in vain. With their teamwork destroyed, the Malefic Viper’s slaughter accelerated as he picked them off one by one.

Several mages tried to shatter the barrier, but it remained impassable. When the Viper unleashed his Dragon’s Breath to finish the World Leader, the barrier even withstood that, though Jake noticed the Viper had restrained his power to avoid breaking the cage.

With the leader dead, the rest was merely a culling. One by one, the A-grades fell to the lone dragon. They had barely scratched him. As a circle of mages, they had challenged the pinnacle of magic and been utterly crushed.

Jake remained puzzled. Why go through this elaborate setup? He assumed the Viper wanted to wipe out the A-grades using the barrier, but why the secrecy? It wasn't just for the experience points, and it wasn't about witnesses. More importantly, this was a vision for the Palate of the Malefic Viper, yet he hadn't seen a single hint of that skill. He’d seen other Legacy powers, but not the one he needed.

This was a high-Record memory that had cost two charges of his Path, similar to the epic clash with Valdemar. He had expected grander truths, and while the history of the Golden Road Emporium was interesting, it felt incomplete.

The answers, however, were coming.

Even with every A-grade dead, the barrier held. A lone figure teleported onto the outer surface of the shield. It was a man Jake didn't recognize.

“Maintain the barrier until I give the word,” the Malefic Viper commanded. The hooded figure nodded and vanished once more.

The Malefic Viper took a long, deep breath. Jake finally reached the moment he had been waiting for. Time slowed to a crawl, and Jake’s consciousness melded with the Viper’s. The Records of the Palate of the Malefic Viper within Jake began to thrum, resonating with the ancient power before him. He felt his own fractured understanding of the skill being repaired and filled in.

In that instant, Jake realized what the future Primordial intended. He braced his mind as the Malefic Viper performed the act described in the skill’s legendary lore:

He devoured the world.