Chapter 114: Dino Raid

“So, you’re genuinely fine without summoning your own creature for this?” Mark asked, noticing Derek hadn’t bothered calling out anything of his own for the fight. While keeping his focus locked on the remaining Spinosauruses, he shot his roommate a quick glance, standing beside him with crystal armor sheathing both arms. The green haired summoner looked remarkably relaxed despite the enormous predators bearing down on them.

Derek simply shrugged, flexing his armored arms, the greenish crystal surface catching the dim light filtering through the prehistoric jungle canopy. Small, diamond like patterns rippled subtly across the armor whenever he twisted his wrists, revealing an unexpected flexibility hidden beneath its otherwise hard, rigid appearance.

“Nah, think I’ve got this handled solo, honestly. I’m good.”

“Your call.” Mark gave him a brief nod before they both moved toward the right flank, bracing to meet the remaining Spinosauruses closing in from that direction.

The creatures’ heavy footsteps shook the ground with every stride, powerful tails swaying behind them as their long snouts cracked open to reveal rows of serrated teeth. Their yellow eyes tracked both humans with unmistakable predatory focus. Despite the earlier losses already suffered among their pack, the remaining Spinosauruses showed little hesitation about pressing the attack further.

Mark tightened his fists, adjusting his stance, keeping his weight evenly balanced as he studied their approach. Derek rolled his shoulders, lowering his body slightly, bracing to meet the incoming charge head on.

As they moved, one of Derek’s armored arms began shifting shape entirely. The crystal plating stretched and reformed until his right arm had transformed into a long, straight blade, its surface sleek and polished. The edge gleamed sharp beneath the dim light, while his other arm expanded outward into a hexagonal shield, several jagged, pointed edges forming around its rim, turning pure defense into something equally capable of delivering brutal, piercing strikes at close range.

Mark glanced briefly at the transformation.

“You can seriously turn those things into anything, can’t you?”

“Anything useful, at least.” Derek raised his shield, tilting the blade pointedly toward the approaching predators. “Try not to look too impressed. I start charging for demonstrations.”

“Sure. I’ll settle up once we’re actually out of here.”

“That’s exactly what everyone says right before they vanish without paying.”

Their brief exchange cut off the instant one of the Spinosauruses lunged, jaws stretching wide enough to swallow a grown human whole in a single bite.

Derek reacted instantly. He sprang upward, riding the creature’s own forward momentum to meet it head on before those jaws could close around him. His armored legs launched him high enough to reach its neck, and he twisted sharply mid air before bringing his blade down in a vicious, diagonal slash. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The crystal edge tore clean through thick scale, carving a deep, bleeding gash along the side of the Spinosaurus’s neck. Blood sprayed freely from the wound as the creature let loose a furious, ear splitting roar. Its head jerked violently sideways, massive body twisting hard in a desperate attempt to shake him loose.

Before Derek could land safely, the wounded predator whipped its enormous tail toward him. The thick appendage cut through the air like a swinging, weighted rope, carrying more than enough force to knock him straight out of the sky if it connected.

Derek had already anticipated exactly that.

He shifted his weight mid fall, drew his blade back hard, and struck the incoming tail with a second, forceful slash. The crystal edge sliced clean through with startling, almost unsettling ease, severing a large section of it entirely. The detached piece hit the ground with a heavy, wet thud while the Spinosaurus stumbled hard, its furious roar twisting suddenly into a pained, agonized bellow.

The sharpness carried by Derek’s crystal weapon was no small feat on its own. Its diamond like composition let it carve clean through materials that would have shrugged off any conventional blade, though the raw power behind his movements and the precision of every strike mattered just as much in the end.

“That’s one problem handled,” Derek muttered.

He landed hard on the rocky ground, bending his knees to absorb the impact before immediately lunging forward, determined not to let the injured creature regain its balance. His shield bearing arm slammed into its exposed flank with crushing force.

The Spinosaurus staggered sideways violently. Its enormous body crashed down hard, scattering loose stones and torn earth across the path in every direction.

Derek gave it no time to recover. He closed the distance fast, driving the jagged, pointed rim of his shield straight into its side, punching clean through tough scale wedged between its ribs. The creature let out one final, desperate roar before its thrashing finally weakened, then stopped entirely, dark blood pooling fast beneath its still body.

Derek withdrew his weapon, stepping back from the fallen predator, flicking blood off his crystal shield with a sharp, practiced twist of his wrist.

“Two down,” he said, glancing toward the others still circling. “Not bad for someone supposedly incapable of handling things without his own summon helping out.”

He’d barely finished the sentence before another Spinosaurus rushed him hard from the side.

Derek leaned back sharply, letting its snapping jaws clash shut just inches in front of his face. The creature’s teeth crashed together with a sharp, echoing crack that made him narrow his eyes instinctively. He twisted aside fast, dodging the follow up snap before raising his shield to properly guard against the predator’s full, bearing down weight.

He understood by now that his real advantage against these massive creatures lay in exploiting their own momentum. Their bulky frames and considerable weight made sudden shifts in direction genuinely difficult, especially once they’d fully committed to an attack. If he could read their movements closely enough and avoid getting caught directly in front of those jaws, he had a genuinely reasonable shot at countering effectively.

Still, he wasn’t foolish enough to underestimate their natural hunting instincts either. These creatures had evolved specifically to chase down prey, and even the smallest mistake could easily leave him pinned beneath their claws or caught helplessly between their crushing jaws. Their size might hamper their agility in certain situations, sure, but it never made them clumsy or remotely harmless.

Derek intended to keep exploiting every opening he could find while staying careful enough to avoid any fatal misstep.

On the opposite side of the battlefield, Mark had plenty of his own trouble to deal with.

He leaped backward just in time to dodge a sweeping tail slicing through the exact spot where he’d been standing. The force of the motion kicked up loose dirt around his feet, and he barely had time to regain his footing before a second Spinosaurus thrust its head forward hard.

Mark bent sharply at the waist. Its jaws snapped shut just above him, rows of teeth whistling past through the air with a genuinely terrifying sound.

“Seriously? Could I get one second to breathe here?” he complained, scrambling clear of both predators.

Neither creature showed the slightest interest in accommodating that request.

One pressed in from the front while the other moved to cut off any clean escape route. Mark immediately registered the real danger in letting himself get boxed in completely. He pushed clear of the first creature’s path, rolling hard across the rocky ground before rising back to his feet several steps clear of both predators.

He clenched both fists, feeling the combined strength granted through Symbiosis surge powerfully through his body. The strength borrowed from his summons reinforced his muscles directly, lending his movements noticeably greater force than he could ordinarily manage alone. He raised his guard, bracing to strike whichever creature came within reach next.

Before he could launch that counterattack, though, he registered a sudden, sharp shift in the mana flowing across the battlefield.

The energy surrounding Penthesilea had begun intensifying rapidly.

Mark turned his attention sharply toward the Amazon just as her Super Mode enchantment flared fully to life. A powerful surge of mana spread outward from her frame, stirring the surrounding air violently, kicking loose dust up around her boots. The energy gathered around her in steadily thickening waves, lending her already imposing presence an even more overwhelming, almost crushing quality.

“Whoa. She’s already activating it?” Mark murmured.

Penthesilea’s transformation hit immediate and completely unmistakable. Her towering body surged larger until she stood roughly fourteen feet tall, her newly increased height making the surrounding Spinosauruses look noticeably less imposing by comparison. At the same time, her skin and exposed surfaces took on a hardened, metallic sheen, polished light reflecting faintly through the surrounding mist.

The transformation carried far more than simple size increase, though. Her enhanced form reinforced her durability, resistance, and raw physical strength all at once, letting her confront creatures that would otherwise have posed a genuinely serious threat even to a far more experienced summoner.

Penthesilea rolled her shoulders, tightening her grip around her battle axe. Her expression stayed composed throughout, though her narrowed eyes carried the unmistakable, focused intensity of a warrior already preparing to finish a difficult engagement cleanly.

One of the Spinosauruses charged directly at her.

Rather than retreat, Penthesilea stepped forward to meet it head on.

The creature cracked its jaws open wide, attempting to seize her entire upper body, only for her to catch its lower jaw in one hand and its upper jaw in the other. Its massive head jerked violently, struggling hard to break free, though her reinforced arms held it locked firmly in place regardless.

Mark stared, eyes going wide.

“She’s actually stopping it bare handed!”

Penthesilea paid his astonishment no attention whatsoever. She planted her feet firmly into the ground, forcing the creature’s jaws apart steadily. The predator thrashed hard, claws tearing uselessly at the earth, but her enhanced strength overwhelmed its resistance completely.

With one final, brutal wrench, she tore its jaws fully apart before delivering a devastating finishing blow that sent the massive creature collapsing lifelessly to the ground. The impact shook the nearby stones, the remaining Spinosauruses hesitating visibly as they registered their companion’s sudden, violent death.

Penthesilea turned immediately toward her next target.

She seized the second creature by its snout, forcing its jaws shut, wrenching its head sideways before hoisting and swinging its entire massive body. The Spinosaurus fought desperately to regain its footing, but she used its own momentum against it, rotating her whole frame before releasing it with tremendous, devastating force.

The creature went flying across the battlefield like some enormous, living projectile.

Mark’s eyes widened as he suddenly understood exactly what she intended.

“Wait. Is she actually throwing that thing at us?”

He barely had time to react before the airborne Spinosaurus slammed directly into the two predators still pursuing him. The collision landed devastating. Both creatures were knocked clean off their feet, bodies crashing together violently before striking the ground in an explosive cloud of dirt, blood, and scattered debris.

Mark got caught right at the edge of the impact, stumbling backward hard as the shockwave rolled over him. He threw his arms up to shield his face, though several splashes of blood and mud still landed across his clothing regardless.

For a moment, he simply stood frozen, staring at the fallen creatures.

Then he slowly lowered his arms.

“Penthia! A little warning would’ve been genuinely nice!”

The Amazon turned her head toward him, expression showing minimal concern, almost as though she’d simply cleared a minor inconvenience out of his path.

“You were in danger. The problem has been resolved.”

“Right. Resolved.” Mark wiped a smear off his cheek, glancing toward the fallen bodies. “Next time, maybe resolve it without using me as part of the scenery.”

Penthesilea gave him a brief, unreadable look before turning back toward the battlefield.

Mark sighed.

“I’m starting to genuinely think she enjoys doing things her own way.”

“She probably does,” Derek called over from nearby. “At least you’re still alive to complain about it.”

Mark glanced his direction, catching Derek landing cleanly after dodging another sweeping tail strike. His roommate had been knocked slightly off balance by an earlier collision, but he’d managed to twist his body mid fall and land solidly on both feet without taking any real damage.

Derek pushed forward immediately, determined to finish off the last Spinosaurus he’d been engaging.

The creature had already sustained several serious wounds, though it still carried enough strength to defend itself fiercely. It swung its head toward Derek, jaws snapping open in one final, desperate attempt to catch him before he could close the distance.

Derek lowered his shield, accelerating fast, staying low to the ground as he cut past the snapping jaws. He drew back to bring his blade down across the creature’s neck, but before he could land the strike, a sharp whistle sliced through the air.

A battle axe swept clean across the Spinosaurus’s face.

The weapon connected with tremendous force, ending the creature’s attack instantly. Its massive body lurched forward before collapsing heavily to the ground, sending one final wave of dust rolling across the battlefield.

Derek stopped dead in his tracks.

He slowly turned his head toward the source of the attack, finding Penthesilea standing several paces away, battle axe held firmly in one hand. The weapon’s broad blade gleamed faintly beneath the misty light as she pulled it free from the fallen creature.

For several seconds, Derek simply stared at the dead Spinosaurus before looking up at the Amazon.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Penthesilea glanced over at him.

“What is it?”

“That was literally my opponent!”

“You had not finished defeating it.”

“I was about to!”

“But you had not.”

Derek opened his mouth, paused, then shut it again. He seemed to finally grasp that arguing with a warrior capable of hurling a fifteen foot predator clean across a battlefield probably wasn’t going to improve his situation much.

He finally exhaled, letting the crystal blade covering his right arm dissolve back into standard armor. His shield followed suit, the jagged edges retracting as both arms settled back into their original, armored appearance.

“Great way to steal my spotlight,” he muttered.

Penthesilea showed no sign whatsoever of being bothered by the complaint. She retrieved her weapon fully, wiping the blade against the rough, scaly hide of the fallen Spinosaurus. The attempt did little to actually remove the blood and dirt clinging stubbornly to the metal, prompting a quiet, dissatisfied grunt before she finally lifted her gaze.

Her eyes swept steadily across the battlefield with the focused vigilance of a hawk hunting for any remaining movement.

She checked over the fallen creatures, the surrounding vegetation, the distant rocky formations. Only once she’d fully satisfied herself that no immediate threat lingered did she finally ease her stance slightly.

The battlefield had become a genuine graveyard of enormous prehistoric predators. Spinosauruses lay scattered across the rocky ground, heavy bodies motionless beneath the slowly drifting mist. The thick, metallic scent of blood mixed steadily with damp earth and crushed vegetation, loose stones still settling faintly in the aftermath of the violence that had just torn through the area.

Mark looked around, letting out a breath he hadn’t fully realized he’d been holding.

“Well, guess that settles it. We survived another round.”

Derek glanced at the fallen creatures, then back at Mark.

“You say that like you actually did all the work.”

“Excuse me? I was busy keeping two giant lizards from turning me into their lunch.”

“And I was handling six of them.”

Mark raised an eyebrow.

“Six?”

“That’s right.”

“You mean the six you were supposed to fight, including the one Penthia finished off for you?”

Derek’s expression tightened visibly.

“Don’t start.”

Mark chuckled, folding his arms, clearly enjoying the opportunity to tease his roommate properly.

“Guess I was technically the first one to wrap up my share of the fight. Puts you dead last among the three of us.”

“As if!” Derek scoffed defiantly. “I was busy with six while you only handled three. And you didn’t even finish your opponents on your own either. Your summon had to swoop in and help you out like some little kid.”

Mark’s smile only widened further.

“Oh yeah? Well, she also had to finish off that last one you couldn’t.”

“I never asked for her help. I was doing perfectly fine on my own.”

“Sure you were.”

“I was!”

“Then why’d you stop moving when she stole your kill?”

“Because I was still deciding whether to let her have it!”

Mark burst out laughing.

“That’s genuinely the worst excuse I’ve ever heard.”

Derek shot him an offended look, crossing his arms firmly over his chest.

“You know what? Next time, I’ll just let you handle everything completely solo. Let’s see how much you enjoy fighting an entire pack without my help.”

“Please do. Might finally get a little peace and quiet around here.”

“Oh, you’ll get something, alright.”

Their banter kept rolling for another beat until Derek noticed Penthesilea staring directly at him.

The Amazon had turned away from the scattered corpses and was now watching him with a steady, completely unblinking gaze. Her expression stayed difficult to read, though something about the sheer intensity behind her attention made the back of Derek’s neck prickle uncomfortably.

He stopped talking entirely.

Mark noticed the sudden shift, following his roommate’s gaze. The moment he caught sight of Penthesilea’s expression, he pressed his lips together hard, fighting down another laugh.

Derek cleared his throat.

“Anyway. Think we should probably get moving.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking too,” Mark replied, doing a genuinely poor job hiding his amusement.

Penthesilea studied Derek a moment longer before finally turning away.

Derek waited until she’d moved off before quietly exhaling.

“Your summon is genuinely terrifying.”

“She’s standing right there, you know.”

“I know. That’s exactly why I’m whispering.”

Mark shook his head, grinning, before redirecting his attention toward the path stretching ahead. The surrounding area had gone unusually quiet, the complete absence of any fresh movement suggesting the current wave of enemies had finally been cleared out entirely.

Penthesilea appeared to reach the exact same conclusion. She lowered her battle axe slightly, studying the surrounding terrain without maintaining the same aggressive, combat ready posture she’d carried throughout the fight.

“Well, guess things are clear from here,” Mark said. “If more enemies were lurking nearby, she’d probably have already noticed by now.”

“Hopefully,” Derek replied. “I’d genuinely rather not jump straight into another pack right after that mess.”

“Why? I figured you were having fun.”

“I enjoy winning. There’s a real difference.”

Mark chuckled, gesturing toward the main path ahead.

“Come on. Let’s keep moving before something else decides to jump out at us.”