Chapter 41
Flower petals rained down from the sky.
Dilophosaurus.
That was the name of the monster I was up against.
It was different from the ones I had faced before.
A creature that deserved to be called a medium-sized dinosaur.
Compared to the Baryonyx, it was certainly smaller.
But when compared to me, it was overwhelmingly large.
If I stood on two legs, our heights might be similar.
But the weight difference was overwhelming.
It weighed 400kg. However, since it didn’t seem to be an adult yet, it might be lighter.
According to the status window, I weighed 15kg.
Of course, I had grown larger and was heavier than that now, but the difference was still despairingly vast.
It was not an easy opponent.
Before the fight, I cleared away any obstacles.
Swoosh!
I swung my tail, hitting Tang So-yeong.
This should wake her up.
Tang So-yeong came to her senses.
She looked back and forth between me and the Dilophosaurus, her face pale.
She seemed sluggish, still under the effects of the poison.
She couldn’t even speak.
She seemed like she wanted to help me, but I didn’t need it.
“Grrr….”
Her presence was only a hindrance.
Smack!
I pushed Tang So-yeong away again with my tail.
Only then did she start to gather Tus and Pus and began to retreat hesitantly.
Good.
Her sense was as sharp as ever.
Run as far away as possible.
“Roaaar!”
The Dilophosaurus charged at a fierce speed.
It wasn’t aiming for me but for Tang So-yeong.
Even with this Crocodile King Lizard in front of it, it was targeting something else?
How arrogant.
I planted both feet on the ground and stood up.
Swoosh!
I rapidly pushed off the ground and closed the distance to the creature.
The Green Basilisk’s legs could hit the water’s surface 20 times per second.
As a Crocodile King Lizard, I had inherited the Green Basilisk’s traits.
Stronger and faster than before.
With the explosive power unique to monitor lizards, I approached it in an instant.
My sharp claws aimed for its head.
Swoosh!
But it naturally ducked its head to avoid my attack.
“Keek!”
As expected, it wasn’t easy.
The fundamental size difference was the problem.
The caiman moved on all fours, allowing me to narrow the gap. But this creature moved on two legs. Even if I stood on two legs, I couldn’t bridge the difference.
The price of a failed attack was, of course, its counterattack.
Would it slash with its claws, or bite with its teeth?
If not that…
Poison!
Swoosh!
Its crest flared open in an instant.
Dozens of types of poison spewed from it.
It seemed to realize a single type of poison wouldn’t take me down and adjusted its approach.
Just inhaling the scent made me feel dizzy.
But that was all.
What did it hope to achieve with a mere few dozen types of poison?
「Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity」
No poison can dare invade your body. You have a very strong resistance to poison.
I was immune to all poisons.
I immediately moved my claws to target its head.
Swoosh!
This time, it agilely dodged my strike again.
But it wasn’t a total loss. My claws had grazed the edge of its crest.
“Eek!”
Unlike other parts, the crest wasn’t very durable.
It seemed to be in pain, flailing its tail and legs wildly to catch me.
Even a blind attack was dangerous if it hit.
I retreated for now.
I caught my breath.
Its poison couldn’t cause me serious harm.
Even if it could, it wasn’t something it could use effectively in a critical moment.
However, my poison attacks likely wouldn’t work on it either.
Both our poisons were out of the equation.
What remained was pure physical combat.
“Roaar!”
It roared and charged at me.
Fast.
Very fast.
I quickly leapt back to avoid it.
Swish.
It hadn’t stopped moving yet.
Tap.
I jumped into the air and gathered strength in my hands.
This was the chance.
The Dragon Claws that had pierced even the caiman’s hide.
There was no way they wouldn’t damage it.
Kaang!
Just as I used the Dragon Claws, it struck my claws with its own.
“Keek.”
That stance.
And that power.
It was a very familiar technique.
It was the Dragon Claws.
Thud.
The Dilophosaurus charged at high speed.
It spread its arms wide and then slashed them across a single point.
No doubt about it. That attack was very similar to the Dragon Claws.
This was dangerous.
I quickly ducked and rushed towards it.
Since the attack angle had suddenly lowered, its claws only cut through the air.
Meanwhile, I aimed for its vulnerable spot.
The crest I had targeted earlier.
The heart in its center.
I gathered strength from my toes and struck hard.
Crack!
It was tough.
But the original Dragon Claws weren’t a piercing move.
They were meant to grasp the enemy with the claws of a dragon.
Swoosh!
I slashed its chest.
Red blood flowed.
But it was shallow.
This was not enough.
Once more….
Crack!
Just as I struck its chest, its sharp claws hit my side.
Swoosh!
I was pushed back far by its power but managed to stay on my feet.
However, the damage I received was not negligible.
My head was spinning.
Dragon Claws.
What a truly vicious martial art.
Just allowing it to hit me once caused such excruciating pain that my mind went hazy.
There was no time for admiration.
The creature immediately charged at me.
Crash!
I quickly rolled my body to avoid the follow-up attack.
The Dilophosaurus immediately leapt into the air and brought its front claws down.
Thud!
I barely dodged it by rolling my body.
Its attacks continued relentlessly.
It didn’t use poison, but it was attacking with incredible flexibility.
I kept getting pushed back.
The injury to my side was severe.
I focused on dodging and kept retreating.
Since it also used Dragon Claws, the chances of gaining an advantage with my claws were slim.
The same went for my teeth.
Before I could even reach it, I would be caught by its Dragon Claws.
I thought I had grown considerably, but my size was once again a handicap.
The creature’s momentum increased.
It was understandable since I hadn’t been able to counterattack and had only been dodging.
The Dilophosaurus was driving me towards my nest.
Crash!
The reason for this was obvious.
To corner me against the wall and deliver a decisive blow.
“Krrr!”
My claws and teeth couldn’t reach it.
My strength couldn’t match it either.
My condition was also worse.
Crash!
While dodging its consecutive attacks, I threw myself into my nest.
The piled-up branches and other debris collapsed with a crash.
The creature was likely smiling triumphantly.
It had successfully cornered me, just as planned.
Not realizing that this was what I had intended.
My claws were short. My teeth couldn’t reach.
In that case, I needed to extend my claws and teeth.
Swish.
Next to me was a sword.
I had led it here for this.
I had never wielded a sword before.
It was difficult even to hold it with a lizard’s body.
But that didn’t matter.
Crunch.
I bit down on the sword.
I didn’t expect to defeat it with this sword.
How could I win against a stronger opponent with an unfamiliar weapon?
The creature approached.
It seemed wary of the sword in my mouth for a moment but soon decided it made no difference and charged at me with its jaws wide open.
I advanced as well.
My right front paw curled up.
Its claws were as sharp as a masterfully forged sword.
If they clashed with this sword, the blade would likely break.
I rotated my body and aimed the sword at its neck.
The Dilophosaurus swung its claws at the sword blade.
Crack!
My decisive strike was blocked by its Dragon Claws.
But it had overlooked one thing.
Sssss.
“Screeech!”
This sword had been used as a griddle until recently.
Grabbing it with its bare hands would naturally cause burns.
The creature frantically thrashed around and plunged into the swamp water.
Yes. If you get burned, you should get into the water.
Splash!
The Dilophosaurus stepped into the swamp.
Now, the counterattack begins.
I dropped the sword and chased after it.
Land creatures slow down in the water.
It’s only natural.
Except for me.
Swoosh!
I ran on the water’s surface and attacked it with Dragon Claws from an unexpected angle.
Slash!
A deep wound appeared on its right hind leg.
“Roarrr!”
It moved its body in a panic.
The more it panicked in the swamp, the deeper it would sink.
Swoosh!
The Dilophosaurus flared its crest and released a large amount of poison.
It couldn’t possibly believe that would harm me.
Which meant it was just a diversion.
It was buying time to escape the swamp.
I couldn’t allow that.
Sssss.
I dove deep underwater.
The creature, thinking its vision was blocked by the poison mist, hurriedly tried to get back onto solid ground.
Good.
You’re getting drawn in.
Thud!
As soon as it stepped onto the land, I sprang out from the water and attacked it.
I aimed for the leg I had attacked earlier.
Crunch!
I bit down accurately.
Snap…
And at the same time, its claws slashed at me.
Crack!
I couldn’t dodge because I was biting its leg.
The price I paid was my left eye.
Its claws penetrated where my eye should have been.
“Grrr…”
The pain was so intense that I felt like I would lose consciousness.
As expected, it was not easy.
Fine.
I’ll give you one eye.
I bit down hard enough to shatter my teeth.
The ultimate move of the Crocodile King Lizard species, the death roll.
Crunch!
I bit its leg and spun my body madly.
Crack!
The creature didn’t stay still either.
Did it have instincts? It tried to spin its body in response to my movements.
I couldn’t let that happen.
One of its arms was still penetrating my eye.
I grabbed its arm tightly with my hand.
No matter which direction we spun, I would take either its arm or its leg.
Crunch!
Crack!
Thud!
In the end, I lost my grip during its struggle.
But the results were significant.
Its leg was barely recognizable, and its left arm was also in tatters.
Of course, I had taken considerable damage too.
I had lost an eye and had a severe wound on my side.
Maybe because I had lost too much blood, my body was getting weaker.
I needed to end this.
If I delayed any longer, even if I won, I would lose my life.
The creature seemed to have the same thought and glared at me fiercely.
“Grrr.”
Fine.
Let’s settle this.
Thud!
Just as I charged at it, the Dilophosaurus disappeared.
No, it leaped to such a great height that it seemed to disappear.
Its leg was definitely injured, so how?
That question didn’t matter.
Its crest was spread wide.
It held thin, needle-like quills in both hands.
“Screeech!”
Numerous quills and poison filled the sky.
It was the secret technique of the Sichuan Tang Clan, Ten Thousand Blossoms.