Chapter 196: The Giant Naga

"Let’s see which one of you has the honor of facing my new strength."

With that, Jake lowered his stance.

The muscles in his arms tightened and bulged as he drew the sword back, his entire body coiling like a spring ready to release.

CRACK!

Then,

A red aura, resembling violent lightning, suddenly erupted around him.

CRACK!

CRACK!

Crimson arcs of energy flashed across his body, crawling over his shoulders and down his arms before gathering around the blade of light.

The air surrounding him started to shake as a sudden, overwhelming pressure erupted from Jake.

BOOM!

The ground beneath his feet fractured.

Small stones rose from the earth and began to vibrate in the air before being scattered by the pressure emanating from his body.

The countless nagas charging up the slope instinctively slowed down.

Some even stopped for a brief moment.

They could feel something was wrong.

The air itself seemed to become heavier.

Breathing suddenly became difficult, as if an invisible weight had been placed over their chests.

Even the weaker nagas lowered their bodies instinctively, their instincts screaming at them to stay away from the figure standing above them.

Jake remained completely still, his body motionless despite the red aura surging violently around him.

Crimson lightning flashed across his face as his eyes remained fixed on the approaching swarm, completely calm.

There was no fear or hesitation in his gaze, only overwhelming killing intent... and a hint of excitement.

The sword of light in his hand began to hum as the energy surrounding him gathered toward the blade.

Its brilliant radiance grew stronger, illuminating his cold expression.

From afar, the giant naga’s one eye narrowed before its grin abruptly broadened.

It could sense the pressure emanating from Jake, and instead of fear, it felt excitement.

Suddenly, the massive naga threw its head back and let out a deafening roar.

"ROOOOOOOAR!"

The roar shook the entire slope.

The nagas that had been hesitant froze for a moment before their eyes became savage.

Any fear or hesitation they might have felt vanished entirely.

With a chorus of vicious hisses, the entire swarm surged forward like a pack of recently unleashed beasts.

Countless nagas rushed up the slope, clambering over each other as they charged toward Jake.

Their claws tore into the ground while their bodies slammed against each other, but none of them slowed down.

The entire slope seemed to come alive beneath their relentless advance.

Jake watched them approach, and a faint smile slowly appeared on his face.

"That’s more like it."

He slowly raised the sword of light.

The red aura surrounding his body began to gather toward the blade, becoming denser with every passing moment.

The world around him seemed to slow as a thin arc of crimson lightning crawled along the edge of the sword.

CRACK...

Jake took one calm step forward.

Then he swung.

There was no wild movement or unnecessary force behind the attack.

His body moved with smooth, almost effortless precision, as though he were simply cutting through the air.

"AURA SLASH!!"

SHING!

A massive crescent of red light burst from the sword.

For a brief moment, it moved silently, slicing through the air with terrifying speed.

Then the entire battlefield erupted.

BOOOOOOOM!

The crescent expanded into a devastating wave of brilliant light wrapped in crimson lightning, tearing across the slope with overwhelming force.

CRACK!

CRACK!

CRACK!

The ground split apart beneath its path as rocks were shattered and dust was thrown into the air.

The charging nagas were swallowed by the attack before they could even react.

The enormous slash tore through the swarm one after another, cutting through their bodies with frightening ease.

The front line was instantly destroyed, and the wave continued forward without losing momentum, carving a massive path through the countless monsters.

Meanwhile, Aria stood frozen behind Jake.

"...Wow."

Her eyes widened as she stared at the destruction spreading across the slope.

She had seen Jake fight before, but she had never witnessed him unleash such overwhelming power with a single attack.

Her hands tightened around her weapon as she watched his figure standing calmly in front of her.

’So this is... Jake’s strength.’

A feeling of admiration welled up inside her as she looked at his back.

At that moment, Jake slowly lowered the sword.

The brilliant blade continued to glow in his hand while crimson lightning crackled around his body.

He calmly looked over the destruction ahead, then shifted his gaze toward the giant naga still standing in the distance.

Then a confident smile appeared on his face.

"Who’s next?"

The surviving nagas were already gathering themselves for another charge when another thunderous roar suddenly shook the entire area.

"ROOOOOAR!"

The remaining nagas immediately stopped.

They froze where they stood, their bodies tense as they looked toward the source of the roar.

Jake frowned and turned his attention toward the giant naga.

The creature had begun walking forward.

Its massive body slowly emerged from behind the swarm as it moved toward Jake, each heavy step making the ground tremble beneath its feet.

THUD.

THUD.

It continued forward until it reached a distance from Jake, then stopped.

The giant naga, holding two swords... one a heavy greatsword and the other an elegant, slender blade raised its head and looked up at him.

Its single eye remained fixed on Jake as it slowly lifted its greatsword and pointed the massive blade directly at him.

Jake stared at it for a moment before calmly narrowing his eyes.

He understood.

This monster wasn’t ordering the others to attack.

It wanted to fight him itself.

It seemed this giant naga was truly intelligent enough to challenge him to a duel.

’Perhaps... this situation isn’t too bad.’

Jake couldn’t help but think that way.

If he could take out the leader, perhaps the swarm of nagas would panic and disperse.

And even if they didn’t, Jake realized he could probably slaughter them all now that he had finally understood just how powerful he had become.

That last swing had shown him the difference in their strength.

The countless nagas that had seemed so threatening before were no longer much of a threat to him.

The only problem now... was the giant naga standing in front of him.

The giant naga remained silent, its greatsword still pointed directly at Jake.

Jake tightened his grip on the sword of light and smiled faintly.

"Fine."

Without another word, Jake jumped down from the slope.

BOOM!

He landed heavily on the ground, sending dust and small stones flying around his feet.

He slowly straightened his body and raised his sword of light, accepting the challenge.

The two of them stood facing each other.

The surrounding nagas remained completely still and retreated a distance away, as if they too understood that this battle belonged to their leader.

Jake looked at the giant naga and smiled.

Now that they were this close, Jake could finally see just how enormous it was.

The creature was probably four meters tall, towering over him like a small boulder.

"Come on, then."

His voice carried a clear provocation, as if he were daring the giant naga to make the first move.

The giant naga’s single eye narrowed.

As if granting his wish, the giant naga suddenly disappeared.

In the next moment, its massive figure had already appeared directly in front of Jake.

Its greatsword was already swinging toward him.

Jake’s eyes widened.

’Fast!’

His instincts screamed at him as he immediately raised his sword sideways.

The next instant, an overwhelming impact struck his blade.

CLANG!!!

A shower of sparks mingled with his light abruptly erupted into the air.

Jake’s entire arm shook violently as the impact sent a powerful shock through his body.

BOOM!

The ground beneath Jake’s feet cracked from the sheer force of the impact.

Jake saw the naga’s face up close, its single open eye staring directly at him.

Then it grinned, the corners of its mouth slowly curling upward to reveal rows of sharp teeth.

There was something deeply unsettling about that grin, as if the naga was enjoying the struggle and already knew exactly how this fight would end.

Jake gritted his teeth.

’This bastard...’

But at that moment, he instinctively activated Class Appraisal.

[Ding!]

The moment the skill activated, information appeared before his eyes.

[Name: Samu’dra]

[Title: Butcher of the Shallows]

[Race: Naga]

[Class: Naga’s Champion (???)]

Jake’s eyes narrowed.

’It has... a name and title?’