82 The Serpent? (1/2)

”Oh? That damned Luna finally made it? Hahaha! It's time to show him what happens when you make me wait!” Emil laughed boisterously as he made his statement.

General MacArthur on the side sighed inwardly as he said, ”President Emil, weren't you planning on ambushing him regardless?”

Emil who still had his arms wide open with his head facing the ceiling stopped mid-laughter. ”Erm! Of course! Just that now, I'm going to torture him to set an example for the rest! But first, we must welcome him as a distinguished guest, make him feel like he's above us and then we smack him back down to the ground where he belongs.”

”Are you sure this is wise, Emil?” MacArthur feigned concern. He was already planning on betraying Emil, regardless and joining up with Mascardo's deal with Luna.

”Of course! That serpent is stronger than me and all of you high-ranked officials combined. You're all overhyping this bastard, Luna! It's just all propaganda so he can usurp my throne.”

”Throne? Last I heard, a President doesn't sit on a throne like a King, Emil.”

”It's not about the title, but how the people treat you!” Emil retorted.

General MacArthur could only nod his head on the outside, but shake his head on the inside. Emil's quote made sense, but not in the situation he was describing. This man was far too afraid of losing power that as long as he still clung to it, he didn't feel the need to be aware of whatever was going on around him. He could care less that Luna would have been an incredibly valuable ally. To him, he was the biggest threat to his rule, and thus, he should be eliminated.

***

One week after Luna sent his message, he finally arrived South of Taal Lake.

”The nice cool breeze is always a refreshing feeling.” He said as he rode atop Angry Bakunawa,”Unfortunately, this peace and quiet won't last much longer. Let's go pick up the rest.”

Sura, Maxene, Elder Aran, Apple, Alea, and Paco followed behind him along with the two elite squads. Hana, Boni, Elise, Tala, Yu-jin, and Sang-hwa arrived a moment later and joined him. It was safe to say that the line-up Luna had in mind would undoubtedly make Emil's citizens wonder if the Gods had descended from the heavens. This was intentionally done.

The citizens of Emil's nation knew how crucial this summit was, Emil intended on holding the Gala first.

Thankfully, cameras and other gadgets from the previous world still worked, and thus, there was a live feed of the Gala. President Emil, along with Tomas Mascardo and the others were lined up, awaiting Luna's arrival. Emil was all smiles and so were the rest.

Initially, he was planning on enraging the Taal Lake's serpent and have Luna fight it. He took into consideration that Luna was a younger guy and would be most likely to show off since he wouldn't want to lose face in front of Emil's citizens. This line of thought was of course, wrong. It was due to Tomas Mascardo and the rest pretending to support him on that plan that he didn't think twice about it.

But after finding out that Luna would be coming directly south of Taal Lake, his plans changed. ”This is even better than I thought! He's coming by through a flying mutant beast? Hahaha! This damned show off!”

Silently, he communicated to the men who were in charge of releasing the powder that would irritate the serpent in the inner lake. ”When he comes into view, you know what to do.”

”Yes, sir!” Several voices replied to him through their comms.

***

Luna was riding atop Angry Bakunawa along with the rest of his entourage as they slowly flew towards the designated location. He was practically taunting Emil. Just as they were about to pass over the Taal Lake.

*ANNNGHHHH!!!!!!!!*

A terribly loud cry came from below them. It was loud enough that even the citizens who were on land heard it as well.

It was something that resembled the Titanoboa. 50 feet in length alone, with multiple pairs of huge clear wings on its sides. It looked like it could weigh over a ton!

”It's the serpent of Taal Lake!” Cried one of the spectators.

”Look! That Luna from the Sovereign Nation is right above the lake!” Said a few others when the cameras were directed towards Taal Lake's direction. This was all according to Emil's plan.

”He's dead... He's dead for sure!”

”Will President Emil do something? If something happens to him, wouldn't it strain the relationship between our Nations?” Said another concerned citizen.

If Luna were to be killed, then that would be perfect. But all he wanted to happen was for the serpent to badly injure him or make him look weak in front of the rest. This would give him leverage during the talks as well, that is, if he couldn't just outright kill Luna himself while he was weak.

Luna, who was on top of Angry Bakunawa chuckled when he heard the serpent's cry. ”This is as predictable as they come.”

”Level 55. Not bad, little Serpent.” Maxene giggled.

Luna then transformed into his Draconic Form.

”Lights. Camera. ACTION.” Boni said as he waved his finger as if he was directing. He knew that a show that would shock Emil's citizens was about to happen and he was almost giddy about it.

The serpent spread its wings and flew towards Angry Bakunawa. He was evidently not afraid of his aura, seeing as Bakunawa was only at level 45.

Right as he got around half-way, a tiny silhouette collided with the enormous serpent.