Pirate: Crew of Desire and Bonds

Jake’s expression changed.

’What is this guy planning to do...?’

He could feel it.

The atmosphere around Samu’dra had completely changed.

The wild excitement in its eye was still there, but now it was mixed with something far more dangerous.

Its entire body seemed coiled, ready to explode forward at any moment.

Samu’dra remained completely still.

But then its massive legs suddenly tensed.

BOOM!!!

The ground beneath Samu’dra’s feet exploded.

Its massive body disappeared from where it had been standing.

Jake’s eyes widened.

’So fast—?!’

A violent gust of wind struck his face.

Then he saw it.

Samu’dra was already just a few meters in front of him.

Its single eye was wide with savage excitement.

Yet it still hadn’t swung its two swords yet.

Jake’s pupils shrank.

’This bastard...’

In that instant, Jake finally understood what Samu’dra had been doing.

It had deliberately kept both swords hidden behind its massive body.

Jake couldn’t see its hands.

He couldn’t see which sword was moving.

And most importantly...

He couldn’t tell which direction the attack would come from.

’It hid the movement of its hands so I couldn’t predict the attack...!’

A cold sensation ran down Jake’s spine.

His instincts screamed at him, yet the two swords were still hidden behind Samu’dra’s body.

For just a fraction of a second, Jake had no idea what was coming.

Left?

Right?

High?

Low?

There was no way to tell.

Then Samu’dra’s grin widened.

Its shoulders suddenly shifted.

Both of its arms moved at the same time, and the position of its body made it look as though both blades were about to burst out from behind it.

Jake’s eyes focused.

’Both?!’

His sword instinctively moved to intercept—

SHING!

But the expected blades never came.

His sword slashed through empty air as he raised it high.

At the last instant, Samu’dra’s arms stopped.

The two swords remained behind its body.

Jake’s eyes widened.

’A feint...!?’

Then he noticed it.

Samu’dra’s grin had become even wider.

And then,

Its massive jaw suddenly dropped open, rows of sharp teeth flashing toward him.

The swords had never been the real attack.

They were only there to make Jake react and leave him wide open in this awkward position.

The true attack was coming from its mouth.

Samu’dra’s head suddenly lunged forward.

ROARR!!

Its jaws snapped toward Jake with terrifying speed.

Jake’s expression changed slightly.

’This bastard is seriously cunning!’

For a moment, time seemed to slow down.

He watched the mouth full of teeth rushing toward him, while Samu’dra’s two swords remained hidden behind its back.

Jake’s eyes narrowed.

He could tell from the movement of its muscles that even if he somehow blocked the bite, Samu’dra would immediately follow up with both swords.

’So even if I block the first attack... the swords will come next.’

It was such a calculating move that Jake was genuinely impressed for a moment.

It was truly eye-opening to see a monster fight with such cunning, using its beastly nature as part of its strategy rather than simply relying on brute strength.

But then, instead of panicking, Jake suddenly smiled.

’And just as I expected...’

His eyes sharpened as he stared directly at the incoming jaws.

’This thing doesn’t use Aura.’

The moment he realized that, the danger of the attack suddenly seemed much lower in Jake’s eyes.

Samu’dra’s physical strength was terrifying.

Compared to himself, Jake had a feeling that this thing’s raw strength alone was already... above Superhuman.

And even if its speed wasn’t at that level, it was still incredible for something with such a massive body.

Jake could tell that Samu’dra wasn’t simply relying on muscle to move that fast.

It was using its enormous weight and momentum to drive its movements forward, turning its massive body into a source of additional speed and power.

Not to mention its swordsmanship, that was even more dangerous.

But there was one thing it didn’t have.

Aura.

And so far... Jake hadn’t even used his yet.

He suddenly smile.

The sword of light he held high began to glow even brighter.

’Heh! So you want me to choose which one to block? Then... my answer is screw all of it!’

Instead of retreating from Samu’dra’s bite, Jake stepped forward to meet it.

CRACKLE!

Crimson lightning suddenly crawled across his arms and surged into his sword of light.

The air around him trembled.

The ground beneath his feet cracked as the terrifying pressure of his Aura spread throughout the cavern.

"...!?"

Samu’dra’s single eye widened as its saw Jake’s grin became sharper.

The sword of light in his hand suddenly erupted with terrifying power as crackling red Aura wrapped around the blade, growing denser in less than the blink of an eye.

Then—

Jake swung his sword downward with overwhelming force.

"Aura Slash!"

BOOM!!!

A massive crescent of red light exploded from the blade, wrapped in violent crimson lightning.

It tore through the air with such force that dust and loose stones were blasted away in every direction.

Then—

The slash slammed directly into Samu’dra, who was only a few steps away from Jake.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The impact erupted like a massive explosion, swallowing the giant naga in a storm of crimson light and lightning as the force of the attack sent a violent shockwave through the cavern, shaking the ground beneath them.

Aria, who had been watching the battle from above, suddenly widened her eyes.

The force of the impact reached her almost instantly.

She quickly raised both arms and covered her face as a powerful gust of wind blasted past her.

Her clothes and hair whipped violently behind her.

Dust and small pieces of stone were sent flying through the air, forcing Aria to squint as she tried to look through the chaos.

"What kind of attack was that...?"

She could barely open her eyes against the force of the wind.

The shockwave continued rushing past her, carrying dust, debris, and sparks of crimson lightning with it.

After several seconds, the pressure finally began to weaken.

Aria slowly lowered one arm and looked toward the battlefield.

And she saw a massive cloud of dust and crimson lightning had swallowed the entire area where Jake and Samu’dra had been fighting.

Even from this distance, she could still feel the terrifying pressure lingering in the air.

The entire cavern was still trembling from the impact.

Aria’s expression became serious.

’That power...’

Her blue eyes remained fixed on the battlefield.

Through the swirling dust and fading crimson lightning, she could barely make out Jake’s silhouette.

But something was wrong.

Aria’s gaze quickly swept across the battlefield.

Then she noticed it.

Samu’dra was nowhere to be seen.

Aria’s eyes widened slightly.

’What happened to that giant naga?’

The raging crimson lightning gradually faded, revealing the battlefield beneath it.

Jake remained standing, his expression dark as he gripped his sword firmly and stared straight ahead.

Aria followed his gaze and then she saw it.

Where Samu’dra should have been standing was a massive sphere of thick earth.

The enormous mass of hardened soil completely surrounded the area, forming a crude but incredibly thick defensive barrier.

Aria’s eyes widened.

’An earth barrier...?’

The massive sphere of thick earth suddenly trembled.

Crack.

A thin crack appeared across its surface.

Then another.

CRACK!

CRACK!

More cracks rapidly spread across the hardened earth.

Aria’s eyes filled with shock as the entire barrier began to crumble.

Chunks of earth broke away and crashed onto the ground.

BOOM!

Dust rose once again as the thick wall slowly collapsed.

And from behind it, a massive figure gradually emerged.

It was... Samu’dra.

The giant naga was still standing.

One of its greatswords was stabbed deep into the ground, supporting its massive body.

Its single eye slowly lifted.

Then it stared directly at Jake and grinned.

Jake’s expression remained dark as he tightened his grip around his sword.

He finally understood something.

His eyes shifted toward the greatsword embedded in the ground.

Right now he could sense the strange energy coming from it.

’Aria said that thing is an Enchanted Artifact...’

Jake’s eyes narrowed.

He could feel that strange energy still flowing from the greatsword and into the surrounding earth.

’And its ability must be some kind of Earth Manipulation...’

At the time, Jake had thought it was simply using its own skill to destroy the tunnel.

But now...

He looked at the massive earth sphere surrounding Samu’dra.

’It wasn’t its personal skill... it was that sword.’

Jake’s eyes sharpened.

He remembered the moment his Aura Slash had been released.

Samu’dra had been right in front of him.

There had barely been any time to react.

Yet somehow, an enormous earth barrier had appeared before the attack reached it.

’It must have stabbed the sword into the ground at the last possible moment.’

Jake’s gaze fell onto the greatsword still embedded in the earth.

He narrowed his eyes as he thought about it.

’If that’s the case... the condition for using that ability must be stabbing the sword into the earth.’

That would explain everything.

The first time Samu’dra had used the sword’s skill, it had stabbed it into the ground and caused the entire tunnel to collapse.

And just now, when Jake’s Aura Slash was about to hit, it had done the same thing.

’So it can’t simply manipulate the earth whenever it wants. It needs to connect the sword to the ground first.’

Jake’s expression became thoughtful.

’It truly is quite a troublesome ability, but... if I can prevent it from stabbing that sword into the earth...’

His eyes slowly sharpened.

’Then it won’t be able to use that defensive ability.’