Chapter 202: The Butcher, Samu’dra (6)

The swift naga shot downward at terrifying speed, tearing through the dust cloud as it opened its jaws wide.

All four of its eyes were fixed directly on Aria.

WHOOSH!

Aria finally sensed something above her and looked up, only to see the four-eyed naga’s jaws coming straight toward her.

It was already almost upon her, its massive mouth opened wide and revealing rows of sharp teeth as it descended at terrifying speed.

Yet Aria’s expression didn’t change.

Instead, her hand moved swiftly.

SHING!

She drew her sword in a single, fluid motion and took one step forward, swinging the blade upward.

SLASH!

A brilliant arc of sword light flashed through the air.

The attack was so fast that the four-eyed naga didn’t even have time to react.

Its body froze in midair as a thin line suddenly appeared across its torso.

Its four eyes widened.

Then—

SHHHK!

Its body split cleanly in two.

The upper half continued forward for a moment before crashing heavily onto the ground, while the lower half fell behind Aria with a dull BOOM, sending dust into the air.

Aria calmly lowered her sword.

For a brief moment, everything was silent.

Then one of the nearby nagas suddenly stepped forward.

Its eyes locked onto Aria.

And aother naga moved... then another.

Within seconds, the entire group began advancing toward her.

Aria narrowed her eyes.

’...What?’

It was almost as if they had all reached the same conclusion at the exact same time, with the only difference being that they had been waiting for one of them to make the first move.

Sure enough, the first naga suddenly broke into a sprint.

BOOM!

The others immediately followed.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Dozens of nagas charged toward Aria from every direction.

Some roared as they rushed forward, while others raised their weapons or simply opened their jaws, preparing to tear her apart.

The ground trembled beneath the approaching horde.

Aria’s expression became slightly more serious as she watched them close in.

Then her eyes sharpened as she stepped forward.

The first naga reached her, but Aria’s sword flashed before its attack could even reach her.

SLASH!

Its attack was cut apart, and before the naga could react, another one came rushing in from her left.

Aria twisted her body and swept her blade across its chest.

SHING!

A third naga lunged at her from behind.

Without even turning around, Aria ducked beneath its claws, then spun on one foot and struck upward.

SLASH!

The naga was sent crashing into the ground.

But there were already more coming.

They rushed toward her from the front, the sides, behind her, and even from above.

In the blink of an eye, Aria found herself completely surrounded.

Nagas filled her entire field of vision, and their roars echoed throughout the cavern as they closed in from every direction, leaving her nowhere to retreat.

Aria slowly raised her sword and calmly swept her eyes across the surrounding enemies.

Then she took a deep breath.

"Haaah..."

Her breathing became steady as she relaxed her entire body.

She lowered her stance and held her sword close to her side, waiting as the nagas continued to close in.

For a brief moment, Aria remained completely still.

Then her eyes flashed.

’...Now.’

Her foot slammed into the ground.

BOOM!

Aria twisted her waist and spun with tremendous speed, bringing her sword around in a powerful horizontal sweep.

"Round Slash."

SHING!

The instant her blade completed the first part of its rotation, a brilliant crescent-shaped arc of sword light burst from its edge.

The glowing crescent followed the path of her swing, curving around Aria like a rising moon.

It wasn’t a straight projectile.

It was the extended edge of her sword’s momentum, expanding outward as Aria completed her rotation.

SLASH!

The crescent swept through the first wave of nagas before it could reach her.

Aria continued spinning.

The arc curved farther around her body, growing wider as it followed the motion of her blade.

SHING!

Another naga was caught by the edge of the crescent.

Then another.

The glowing arc continued its circular path, cutting through the surrounding horde in one continuous sweep.

SLASH!

SLASH!

SLASH!

By the time Aria completed her rotation, the crescent had formed an almost perfect circle around her.

The final edge of the attack passed through the last naga within range before fading into the air.

With that, Aria stopped.

Her sword remained extended to her side.

For a brief moment, the brilliant crescent still lingered around her like a glowing ring.

Then it shattered into countless sparks.

FWOOSH!

The sparks slowly disappeared.

Only then did the surrounding nagas begin to fall.

THUD.

THUD.

THUD.

One after another, the bodies collapsed around Aria.

She calmly lowered her sword and looked toward the remaining nagas.

Her expression remained completely unfazed.

"That should be enough."

The nagas who had witnessed Aria’s attack finally realized that she wasn’t an easy meal.

Several of them slowed down, their expressions becoming hesitant as they stared at the bodies scattered around her, but not all of them were capable of overcoming their hunger.

A few of the more feral nagas suddenly roared and charged toward her again.

BOOM!

Aria immediately adjusted her stance and tightened her grip on her sword, ready to meet them head-on.

However, before the first naga could reach her, her eyes couldn’t help but drift toward the massive cloud of dust farther away.

’Jake...’

She couldn’t see him, nor could she tell what had happened after Samu’dra’s attack.

A trace of worry appeared in her eyes as she stared into the dust.

Another roar suddenly snapped her attention back.

Aria turned toward the approaching nagas and lowered her stance.

’I need to finish this quickly.’

_

_

_

Meanwhile, on the other side of the cavern, Samu’dra stood motionless with its massive greatsword still embedded in the ground where Jake had been standing moments ago.

Its single eye remained fixed on the cloud of dust, and although a grin had appeared on its face, there was something strange about its expression.

It had felt the impact.

There was no doubt that its attack had connected.

And yet...

Something felt wrong.

Samu’dra slowly tilted its head as it stared into the dust cloud, its eye narrowing slightly.

There was no sense of satisfaction... No feeling that it had truly struck its opponent.

It knew the greatsword had hit Jake, but the impact had felt strangely different from what it had expected.

Its grip tightened around the weapon as an unfamiliar feeling began to creep into its instincts.

Something was telling it that the battle wasn’t over yet.

Suddenly, Samu’dra’s single eye widened.

Through the thick cloud of dust, it caught sight of something.

Jake’s face slowly emerged from the swirling dust, his features barely visible through the haze.

A thin trail of blood ran from the corner of his mouth, yet despite the attack he had just endured, a grin was slowly spreading across his face.

Samu’dra stared at him in disbelief.

Jake raised his head and looked directly at Samu’dra.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and his grin widened.

"That hurt..."

"...bastard."

For a moment, Samu’dra simply stared in shock.

’...Is this two-legged creature’s body not made of flesh?’

That attack had been its most powerful strike, delivered with every ounce of strength in its massive body, and yet Jake was still standing.

Samu’dra’s single eye narrowed as it looked him over again.

Then, suddenly, it realized something.

’Wait...’

Its gaze quickly shifted around Jake.

Something was missing.

’Where is that shiny sword of his?’

The sword of light was nowhere to be seen.

As if answering its question, the dust slowly began to clear.

Samu’dra’s single eye widened.

Near the spot where its greatsword had landed, something metallic was blocking it.

It was a... shiny plate?

The armor plate, made from solid light, had taken the full force of the impact. Its surface was covered in scratches and cracks, but it was still intact.

Samu’dra stared at it for a moment before realization struck.

He used that thing to block my attack? But how—

Before it could complete the thought, a powerful aura suddenly exploded in front of it.

Samu’dra’s eye widened.

Jake was already there.

His entire body was surrounded by a brilliant aura as he rushed forward, his fist pulled back and glowing with concentrated energy.

Jake’s eyes were sharp as he murmured,

"You shouldn’t get distracted."

Then he drove his fist straight into Samu’dra’s chest.

"...!"

Samu’dra immediately tried to react.

But then, out of the corner of its eye, it noticed several nagas attacking Aria.

Its expression changed.

"ROOOOOAR!"

Samu’dra suddenly roared angrily toward the attacking nagas, the sound echoing throughout the cavern.

The roar was so powerful that several of the nagas instinctively froze.

But that brief distraction was enough.

By the time Samu’dra turned back toward Jake, it was already too late.

Jake’s fist coated in red aura was right in front of its chest.

The instant his fist connected, a violent burst of energy erupted from the point of impact.

BOOOOOOM!

Brilliant arcs of lightning-like energy exploded around Jake’s arm, wrapping around Samu’dra’s massive body as the force of the punch drove deep into its chest.

CRACK!

The ground beneath Samu’dra’s feet shattered.

Its massive body was lifted from the ground before being launched backward like a cannonball.

BOOM!

Samu’dra crashed into the cavern wall, sending chunks of stone raining down around it as the entire cavern trembled from the impact.

Jake slowly lowered his fist as the remaining red aura crackled around his arm.

Yet instead of looking satisfied, his brows were slightly furrowed.