"Are you a crocodile or a Lava Mountain!?"
Ryuk's amused voice rang through the air as he stepped down to the ground, 20 meters before the crocodile, which had now transformed into a living lava mountain.
Every scale on the creature gleamed with the rich lines of lava that coursed through its body, causing molten streams to spill over its form, turning it into an oozing, fiery colossus.
Even its eyes dripped with searing lava, while the ground beneath it blackened and cracked, sizzling into a molten ruin with every passing second.
Its claws, infused with the burning lava, scraped against the scorched ground as it crawled forward, its predatory gaze locked onto Isha and Ryuk—eyes filled with a cunning, serpentine glint.
The growl that followed carried an immense pressure, the strongest Ryuk had ever experienced.
The crocodile cackled with an eerie, sinister light in its eyes, and for a moment, Ryuk stood there in surprise.
But only for a moment.
With his speed, he had time to process the absurdity of the situation, and then—he threw his head back and laughed like a madman.
"Never in my life would I have believed I'd live long enough to see a talking crocodile. This is truly eye-opening..."
The crocodile's expression darkened, its molten form radiating pure rage.
A powerful growl tore through the air as the beast lunged forward, its speed utterly monstrous.
Despite its towering height of 10 meters, which made Ryuk seem like nothing more than a pebble before it, the creature moved with terrifying swiftness.
In just three steps, it had almost reached him.
Yet Ryuk didn't move.
Instead, his grin widened as he called out—
"Activate King's Aura!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A powerful blue aura erupted from Ryuk's body, his white cloth flapping wildly due to the surge of energy. At the same time, Isha's eyes flashed a deep blue, her body trembling as an overwhelming force coursed through her veins, amplifying her primal strength.
[King's Aura has been activated!]
[Host's pet's power has increased by 50%!]
The air trembled violently as the crocodile's massive jaws crashed downward, lava pouring toward Ryuk and Isha like an apocalyptic downpour.
The heat grew unbearable, the weight of its power pressing down on everything in its path.
But before the attack could land—
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!
A frozen claw slammed into the crocodile's maw with immense force, sending the molten beast hurtling to the side, tumbling across the scorched land before skidding to a stop.
Shock flickered in its eyes.
But it had no time to dwell on it.
The instant it turned, it was met with another devastating claw strike—this one just as powerful as its own.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The force of impact tore through the battlefield.
Claws clashed again and again, sending shockwaves rippling through the air. Isha and the lava crocodile wrestled fiercely, their massive forms flattening the trees around them.
The ground beneath their feet crumbled into ruin, devoured by the clashing forces of ice and fire.
Ryuk observed the battle from a distance, while walking forward at a calm pace, his sharp eyes analysing every movement.
"With King's Aura activated, Isha—whose true strength could be compared to that of a Pseudo-Cataclysm beast—is now fully at the Cataclysm stage. The exact same level of power as the Lava Crocodile..."
Yet, despite that power—
"Isha is still lacking something..."
Ryuk furrowed his brows as he watched the battlefield.
Neither Isha nor the crocodile backed down, both locked in a deadly stalemate with their claws.
The crocodile shifted its weight, subtly positioning itself lower to the ground.
Isha unconsciously feel towards it form above, its instincts screaming at it,
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The crocodile's chest split open like a fissure—
And from within, a pillar of scorching lava exploded forth, slamming into Isha's body.
The force lifted her into the air, sending her tumbling across the battlefield, crashing through trees and skidding through scorched earth until she finally came to a stop.
As she struggled to her feet, pain seared through her body. She glanced at her chest, finding a patch of burned flesh—a deep, agonizing wound that sent waves of torment through her nerves.
Then, she opened her maw.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A pillar of frost burst forth, racing toward the lava crocodile at devastating speed.
But the creature was no fool.
It leapt away, dodging the attack effortlessly as its burning claws slashed forward, tearing through the trees and ground in its path a sit rapidly flashed forwards towards Isha with ferocity.
Ryuk, still walking forward, sighed lightly.
"Isha lacks experience. Experience in battle... and ferocity."
A towering tree, at least 40 meters tall, suddenly came crashing toward him.
But he didn't even look and in the next instant, an ice sword materialized out of thin air, and flashed past.
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP
The massive tree was split in two, its sides slamming behind him and continuing into the distant.
Ryuk walked forward, his attention never for once leaving Isha's battle
"Isha may have displayed some moments of ferocity in her previous battles, but I can sense it. Compared to these beasts, who have lived in the wild their entire lives, she still has much to learn."
"These creatures had been raised in an environment where they could be hunted at any moment."
"Their predatory instincts had been sharpened through countless life-or-death encounters, their intelligence honed by survival."
"For the Lava Crocodile, there was no doubt it had fought thousands of battles—had triumphed over countless foes, refining its power through sheer bloodshed."
"Compared to Isha, who is still in the early stages of mastering her predatory abilities, this crocodile was something else entirely."
"A trueborn killer of the wild."
"And that is something Isha cannot yet compete with."
As if proving Ryuk's thoughts, the Lava Crocodile effortlessly dodged Isha's next barrage of ice pillars, its claws slashing forward—
Isha met the strike with her own.
But the moment their claws connected—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A surge of lava erupted from the crocodile's claws, sending Isha flying backward.
She crashed through the battlefield, slamming into another tree.
And before she could recover—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Another blast of lava roared toward her.
She opened her maw, unleashing a powerful frost breath in response, but her actions were rushed, reducing the power of her attack.
The lava devoured the ice completely.
And before Isha could react—
The searing flames slammed into her, sending her flying even farther into the distance.