Defiance of the Fall

The groaning chorus of countless trees being torn apart was swallowed by Ogras' dense blanket of shadows. Three layers of domains did little to slow down the adolescent crocodile. The trees conjured by [Apex Jungle] couldn't withstand a single swipe, and the spiritual beasts they released were like flies to the enraged beast.

The good news was that one of the demon's assertions proved true. The beast lacked experience in dealing with unfamiliar Daos. [Apex Jungle] continuously rearranged itself according to his Evolutionary path, and the shimmering starfield added to the crocodile's confusion. It repeatedly got turned around and ended up moving in circles.

Still, its rampage put the already straining [Apex Jungle] under tremendous pressure. Letting the beast tire itself out before stepping in wasn't an option. Zac sent a message to Ventus before entering a nearby tree. A river of starlight holding an intense aura of truth descended on the crocodile as Zac's surroundings changed to the hot spring's lakebed.

Bubbling water was seeping out of the bedrock, though it would take a while for the pond to replenish. The battle hundreds of meters above was barely audible through the dense sponge of plant matter that had replaced the pond's anthracite water. Zac barely had time to inspect a submerged tunnel leading further down before dozens of nearby trees exploded.

The crocodile that was still fighting Ventus on the jungle's other end had simultaneously appeared in the depths. The specimen targeting Zac was rapidly gaining strength, soon surpassing the other. The lifelike mirage that seemed real to Zac had failed to trick Ogras's senses. The real thing had turned into a streak of shadows the moment the second bomb went off, heading for its escape tunnel while its doppelganger kept the enemy occupied.

Zac appearing to block the way only changed its approach. Raw force replaced subterfuge, and the crocodile roared with fury when Zac tried to collapse the tunnel with axelights. It didn't work. The stones were incredibly resilient—as expected of a material that could resist the rainwater's overbearing power of reinvention. Zac could only give up and face the hurricane of razor-sharp shadows that grew to fill up the whole pool.

The beast's ancient bloodline was on full display. Everything the shadows touched was torn apart. The walls held, but the sheer force generated tremors that squeezed out more water from the cracks. The crocodile was in the cyclone's center, picking up speed as it barreled toward Zac. The crocodile was just as powerful as advertised. Zac was a stubborn rock in the middle of the storm, refusing to move out of harm's way. It was game over if the beast was allowed to enter the tunnel.

A discordant note seeped into the swirling shadows, disrupting its accumulation. Then, a nauseating flicker of countless spears stabbed at the beast. Ogras moved with such unfathomable speed that the afterimages of his attacks made the crocodile look like a porcupine. The attacks didn't accomplish much more than Zac's axelights until the beast suddenly pivoted with great urgency.

An inconspicuous vine growing from Zac's position had gained a sudden burst of velocity as it stabbed the crocodile from below. At the same time, hundreds of marks appeared across the beast. Shadow strings reeking of bloodshed connected them into an array, and the outline of a demonic God briefly appeared above the crocodile's head.