First Trial - Temple of the fallen Demon Lord (part 7)

Butaro kicked the water and emerged on the surface like a sea lion, only coughing up the water as the beast from nightmares was readjusting its position with him as its only target.

"THE FUCK YOU ARE LOOKING AT, PURSE?!"

Butaro shook his head and focus on the monster feeling the anger taking over him – it felt like his blood was boiling in the air he was breathing was almost scalding.

As his eyes were growing pink wth increased intensity, steam began to rise from his body.

Butaro focused on the crocodile monster just in time to get a great look at the inside of its massive jaws – the beast has launched itself forward trampling on the wet floor of the chamber.

"HAAAAAA!"

Just as he did it with the motorbike, Butaro put his hands forward trying to catch, and as miraculous as it seemed, he manage to get a hold of the crocodile's upper haw with his left hand and its lower jaw with his right hand while bing forced back only a couple of feet.

*THUNK*

"!!!"

But then the monster chomped his jaws, nor the flying motorbike nor the speeding car were comparable to the ridiculous crushing power of the crocodile monster's jaws – the beast chomping down left a deep impression on the boy as he was sent flying.

He wasn't chomped in half only because of his fast thinking – instead of directly opposing the force of the bite, he used both his own strength and the strength of the monster's jaws to propel himself away.

*SLAM*

"GAH...!"

But still, the force was far outside the boy's expectations, strong enough to make him hit the ceiling and crash into the floor.

The impact of the crashlanding helped expel the rest of the salty water from his lungs but what followed was the pain from crashing into the damned stone floor!

But that deep impression he that the monster's strength left on him...

It wasn't fear...

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TRYING TO EAT?!"

For the first time in his life, Butaro felt the primal urge to conquer and trample on another creature's strength – the urge so overbearing that it took over him completely, purging away all the fear and hesitation that were left in his body until that point.

Butaro's brain switched to a higher gear, his mind cleared and there was an obscene amount of adrenaline pumping through his veins.

Without even a millisecond of a delay, Butaro rushed towards the exit and the sword while the monster was causing the chamber to shake by smashing its tail into the floor and walls.

"HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" *SLAM* *WHAM* *RUMBLE*

It must have been infuriating for a predator such as this to continue missing the prey like that.

"YOU DAMN BEAST! I'M GOING TO MAKE A BAG OUT OF YOUR SCALLY CARCASS!"

Butaro howled and reached for the incredibly sharp sword while glaring at the monster who was already turning its massive body towards him.

"I'm going to…!"

He shouted and then his words got stuck in his throat.

His hand was grabbing nothing.

Butaro turned his head towards the spot where his sword should have been but there was nothing there!

"Oh, you got to be kidding me..."

Butaro bared his teeth while letting out a low growl and looked around scanning the room for the missing sword!

But there was no trace of the weapon! None! Nowhere!

It was gone like a pebble thrown into the wa…ter…

"WATER…!"

Butaro shouted and turned towards the reservoir.

The weapon must have fallen in there after the monster's third attack!

"HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"

But Butaro had no time to go and dived for it, the monster launched another attack and its hissing was deafening!

|Even without the weapon..!|

Butaro gritted his teeth and dodged the monster's jaw by the skin of his teeth.

*WHAM* *RUMBLE* *THUNK*

The monster smashed against the wall, the whole chamber shook, the rusted chains that the lamps were hanging on jingled mournfully, and the monster had no other choice but to chomp down on nothing.

"Got you!"

Butaro used that chance and coiled his arms around the monster's jaws as tightly as he could.

If the beast was anything as its appearance suggested – then the weakness of crocodiles from Buaro's world should have been its weakness too!

The muscles responsible for opening the jaws should be far, far weaker than the ones responsible for closing them!

"How do you like that?!"

*WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM*

Butaro grinned while staring into one of the monster's eyes, looking into his own reflection basked in pink while the monster trashed its tail and short legs around unable to open its mouth.

"I knew it!"

Butaro gasped in excitement but then…!

*RUMBLE* *WHAM* *WHAM* *WHAM*

"URGH!"

He groaned when the monster suddenly started spinning its body around and slamming Butaro against the floor.

"...!"

"You damned monster! Who do you think you are!?"

The monster's eyes widened as Butaro slammed down his foot at the right time and managed to stop the spin, regaining his footing.

In the water, the beast would be at an advantage – but this was dry land, and it was the steaming boy to shock the monster with his strength!

Butaro's body felt like it was burning his muscles were being forced to their limit for the first time in the boy's life and produced so much heat that the salt water that Butaro was doused in evaporated in a burst of steam - and the boy actually managed to force the beast into defensive!

"...hssssssssss...!"

"Having second thoughts about eating me, huh?"

The monster clearly couldn't accept this turn of events, it tried to spin again but Butaro didn't allow that and only strengthened his grip on the monster's jaw.

*SLAM!*

The whole chamber shook when the mad monster crashed its tail against the floor.

*SLAM!* *SLAM!* *SLAM!* *SLAM!*

The chamber shook relentlessly from the constant hits.

"I was being tossed around by you this whole time – how about I WILL DO THE SAME TO YOU?!"

Butaro spat through his teeth and looked into the monster's orange eyes with a grin.

*crack*

"...!"

As the boy's eyes shone with peerless pink light, the monster trembled in shock as starting with its head, it felt that it was being forced into the air...!

"HAAAAAAAAA!"

Butaro roared and breathed out scalding air and... STARTED TO LIFT THE ENTIRE MONSTER UP!