POV Narrator
Chryssia didn't take long to find her target—an Anjanath covered in scars that also seemed to be looking for her.
The two spotted each other after passing through the trees and met in a small clearing in the forest. They stopped, circling each other.
Both were analyzing their opponent—one looking for an old wound to exploit, and the other evaluating the strange creature in front of it.
Neither found anything useful. The monster had no open wounds or significant disadvantages, while the being that did not belong to this world remained an enemy in its eyes.
As if reaching the same conclusion, both charged at each other.
The Anjanath attempted to ram Chryssia with its head, but she slid between its legs.
After passing under it, she turned and landed a punch to the back of its knee.
This didn't knock the Anjanath down, but it did stop it, giving Chryssia the opportunity to climb up its side onto its back. She dug her claws into its flesh and, using [Hardened Poison Spikes], formed a long, pale purple spear.
Wasting no time, she drove it into the monster's back. Obviously, the Anjanath didn't take kindly to this, shaking violently in an attempt to throw her off.
But Chryssia's claws held firm. No matter how hard it tried, it couldn't dislodge her from its back, and by now, she had stabbed it over a dozen times.
Though not immediately lethal, the venom from her spear was slowly seeping into the monster's system.
So, in a desperate move, the Anjanath threw itself to the ground and began rolling, trying to crush its opponent under its weight.
Chryssia noticed the movement and quickly realized what it was trying to do, so she didn't hesitate—she jumped off the creature's back.
Even so, she had to run several meters to avoid being flattened by the rolling beast.
Realizing its plan had failed, the Anjanath got up, extended the two fins on its back, raised its nasal crest, and with flames erupting from its jaws, let out a deafening roar.
The monster lunged forward, attempting to land a bite, but Chryssia dodged by rolling to the left.
The Anjanath didn't stop there—it spun completely, trying to hit her with its tail, missing by only a few centimeters.
Chryssia took advantage of the moment, still holding her spear, and drove it into the monster's thigh, causing it to let out a pained growl and respond with a powerful kick.
The force of the kick sent Chryssia flying several meters, landing hard on her back. Dazed from the impact, she struggled to focus and saw the monster approaching, its jaws wide open.
She instinctively raised her arms to shield herself, expecting a bite—but instead, she felt the Anjanath's heavy foot crush her body. She heard her bones crack under its weight.
She tried to free herself by striking its foot, but her efforts were met with a stream of fire from the monster's mouth.
Chryssia screamed in pain under the flames, but the fire quickly filled her mouth, burning her from the inside.
Covering her head with one hand while still struggling to push the monster off with the other, she desperately grabbed the middle toe of the Anjanath's foot and bent it upward with all her strength.
The Anjanath roared in pain, ceasing its flames. If her vocal cords allowed it, she would have sighed in relief—but the relief was short-lived.
In a fury, the monster clamped its jaws around Chryssia's upper body while still keeping her lower half pinned under its foot.
Chryssia resisted, feeling its teeth sinking into her back and chest.
This reminded her of her fight against the Tobi-Kadachi, where she had been in a similar situation—so she escaped the same way.
She formed multiple spikes across her entire body using [Hardened Poison Spikes].
Feeling the sudden sharp pain in its mouth, the Anjanath practically spat her out, growling in agony.
Chryssia, instead of celebrating her release, rolled backward to create distance.
She felt [Advanced Regeneration] working on her body, and as she noticed the monster still recovering from the damage to its mouth, she decided to test a new ability.
She activated [Charged Blood] along with [Strength Enhancement], making her already muscular body bulk up even more while the bioluminescent parts of her body glowed brighter.
As if that weren't enough, she also used [Ram] with [Charged Attack].
With deceptive speed for her size, she reached the monster in an instant, landing a devastating punch to its face that sent several of its teeth flying.
The Anjanath collapsed to the ground, dazed. Chryssia didn't waste the opportunity and began raining down blows—though not as powerful as [Ram], they were still incredibly destructive.
Within seconds, the monster's face became a bloody mess, making it seem as though it was already dead—but that assumption would be wrong.
Despite the relentless attacks, it managed to regain consciousness, and with a sudden movement, it slammed its head into Chryssia, sending her flying.
Its legs trembled from the damage, but it remained standing, staring at its opponent with fury.
Chryssia also got back up with some effort. She was angry, but not as much as the monster.
They locked eyes, both catching their breath, waiting for the right moment to strike again.
But their staring contest was interrupted by the sound of rustling bushes. Both turned to see who had disturbed them, and to their surprise, three hunters emerged from the undergrowth, staring at the two beasts.