Erik slowly drew his dagger, the crocodiles now watching his every move.
With a calm flick, he tossed the blade from his left hand to his right. Then he raised his left hand, pouring mana into it. Golden light flared beneath his skin—his veins glowing like molten wire.
One of the crocodiles snapped first. It lunged, jaws wide open, rushing at Erik with reckless speed.
He stepped to the side and brought his left fist crashing down on the top of its head. A violent shockwave burst from the point of impact—crushing the beast's skull into the mud with a sickening crunch.
More crocodiles surged forward.
Erik ran to meet them.
Two snapped at him from either side, mouths wide with teeth gleaming. He took a quick step left, raised the dagger in his right hand, and drove it clean through the right one's jaw—slicing down through its body all the way to the tail, splitting the beast open with a single stroke.
In the same breath, he switched the dagger to his left hand, stepped right, and mirrored the attack—cutting through the second crocodile from mouth to tail with brutal precision.
Another one leapt at him from behind.
Its shadow fell over him—but Erik didn't flinch. He spun, stabbed the dagger into the creature's upper jaw, pinning its mouth open, then shoved his right hand inside its gullet.
Flames roared from his palm. He compressed the fire into a small orb, then unleashed it in a violent blast—a focused shockwave that tore through the beast's insides and blew its belly open from within.
Erik pulled his arm free just as the charred corpse collapsed.
Then—
A blur.
Rud came flying through the air, limbs flailing.
Without thinking, Erik side-stepped, grabbed him mid-flight by the collar, and with a smooth pivot, hurled him forward—like throwing a spear.
Rud soared through the air, sword-first, straight toward the massive crocodile under the tree.
His blade plunged deep into its eye, vanishing in a squelch of gore.
With a deafening roar, the crocodile thrashed violently, trying to slam Rud against a nearby boulder.
Rud leapt clear just in time.
The monster's bulk crashed into the stone behind him, shattering it into pieces.
Landing in a crouch, Rud clenched his fists and stood tall, locking eyes with the beast.
It charged again.
Rud slid into stance, ran two fingers down the blade, and infused it with mana. Then—three quick slashes in the air.
Three glowing arcs shot forward, tearing holes into the crocodile's face. But the beast didn't even slow down.
It lunged.
Rud dashed to the right and dove toward its front left leg, blade aimed for the joint. But the crocodile reacted faster—swinging its massive head like a club and slamming Rud into a tree.
The impact knocked the air from his lungs.
As he opened his eyes, the crocodile came again, jaws open wide. Rud rolled left just as the creature bit through the tree, snapping it in half like dry wood.
Panting, Rud scrambled to his feet.
"I can't get to that leg…"
Even in the chaos, the crocodile instinctively shielded its left side.
It knew.
This beast knows its own weakness.
Then Rud remembered what Erik did earlier—how effortlessly he sliced through the skin along the crocodile's underbelly.
That was it.
The crocodile charged again. Rud ran toward it, leapt onto its back, and dodged the tail that whipped toward him. In one smooth motion, he slashed across the thick tail. The blade carved through with effort, leaving a gash.
As the tail swung back, Rud let his body move with it—rolling beneath the beast.
But the crocodile reacted fast.
It leapt back and slammed its jaws down on him—once, twice, over and over—grinding him into the ground like a ragdoll.
Then, just as the jaws came crashing down again, Rud thrust his sword upward.
The blade pierced the soft flesh around the lower jaw, stopping just short of the top.
The monster struggled to close its mouth.
Rud gritted his teeth and forced the sword left and right, widening the wound. He slipped out from between the jaws, but before he could gain distance, the crocodile's tail smacked him hard.
He flew backward, crashing against a massive stone.
Dazed, he barely had time to breathe before the monster lunged, jaws open once again.
Even with this rock behind me, it'll bite right through it.
Rud leapt upward—and just in time. The crocodile bit down and crushed the boulder behind him with terrifying ease.
But while Rud was still mid-air, the tail coiled around his legs and hurled him into the narrow space between two massive boulders.
He slammed down hard.
No escape.
He couldn't leap high. Couldn't run left or right.
He was cornered.
The crocodile loomed a few feet ahead, still staring him down. But it didn't charge.
It just watched.
It knows I've got nowhere to go…
Rud steadied his breath.
No more running. He would face this thing head-on.
He brought his fists together over his chest and dropped into a stance. He gripped the sword in both hands, holding it at eye level, pointed straight at the crocodile.
"I've never used my blessing in real combat before," he whispered. "But here it goes."
He slid his right leg back and bent the left. His posture stilled.
"Core Activation—Sword Saint."
A burst of silver light exploded from his core.
A crown—woven from pure mana—hovered over his head.
Rud stood silent, eyes closed, his aura swirling.
The crocodile roared and charged.
In a flash—Rud moved.
With a single step, he was beside the tail. Both of the beast's right legs had been severed in an instant.
The tail lashed toward him—Rud's blade flashed.
The entire tail fell away, blood spraying in arcs across the rocks.
Still with eyes closed, Rud leapt high, then dropped down beside the creature's front left leg. His sword cleaved through it in one clean strike.
The crocodile screamed.
Rud traced his fingers along his blade one last time, surged mana through it, and thrust it deep toward where the heart should be.
A second later—the entire left side of the beast's chest exploded.
The silver crown above Rud's head dissolved into mist.
Both he and the crocodile collapsed to the ground at the same time.