Volcanic Beast

A colossal creature—a true behemoth. Only after seeing such a terrifying creature with his own eyes did Guk realize just how absurdly wrong his previous imagination had been!

Its body alone stretched over twenty meters. Its upper body was covered in huge, thick black scales and bony plates, while massive sharp spines rose along its back. Its hind legs were slightly short but immensely powerful, its forelimbs bore hooked claws, and its enormous tail swept across the ground, kicking up clouds of sand.

Most crucially, its head resembled that of a sand lizard, though broader and shorter. As for the legendary great horn, it was not a horn at all. Guk could clearly see that it was actually a pair of unusually prominent fangs jutting from its massive lower jaw!

Roar! Roar! Roar!

The thing's roar was not loud, but rather deep and muffled, like some kind of snoring. Its forelimbs rested atop a "large rock," whose upper surface had already been battered full of pits. From afar, it looked like a Squig gnawing on a mushroom.

Well, that comparison was not quite accurate, but Guk could not think of anything closer.

"Blow the horn! Scare it!"

Based on past hunting experience, most giant beasts were surprisingly timid. Loud noises or bright lights could often startle them badly. As Guk led the boys charging toward it, he ordered Crooked Mouth, who carried the banner, to sound the horn.

Woooooo~!

The horn sounded, but the creature seemed to have poor hearing. It took quite a while to react, slowly climbing down from the Stone Fist Tribe's battered fortress before turning to face Guk and the others.

ROAR!!!!

This roar was thunderous. The blast of sand it stirred up swallowed Guk's entire force.

"Spread out!"

Roaring back in response, Guk watched as hundreds of Orks riding Squigs burst through the sandstorm and sped around from both sides. Carrying the massive Dragon Tooth blade, Guk strode step by step toward the beast. His blood was boiling. The powerful pressure radiating from it stirred his excitement once more. It had been a long time since he had bled. Hopefully, this time would not disappoint him...

The beast was also studying the insect inching toward it. Its pair of orange vertical pupils looked like two burning flames, while puffs of white smoke burst from its broad pores.

Its crimson tongue lightly swept across its mouthful of sharp teeth. Then the monster suddenly moved, charging forward at a speed completely mismatched with its massive body!

Roar~!

Its enormous body rolled up a sea of sand. Like a mountain, the terrifying beast bore down directly on Guk, and its unstoppable momentum frightened the surrounding boys into retreating again and again.

Guk felt the pressure most directly. Before the monster even reached him, the fierce wind had already made his armor flap violently. He gripped Dragon Tooth with both hands, his eyes tracking every movement of the creature as every muscle in his body tensed.

Boom!

After charging several steps, the creature suddenly made a light leap. Its huge body crashed down on the spot where Guk had stood moments before, but its keen senses immediately told it that it had not crushed anything!

"Waaagh!"

Guk had rolled aside the instant it jumped. He happened to be close to the creature's hind legs, so he raised Dragon Tooth and hacked twice in rapid succession.

Clang! Clang!

This monster's scales were unbelievably thick. Even Guk's full-force strikes only left cracks. When sparks burst from the blade, he could hardly believe there was something so hard.

Roar!

The creature was clearly enraged that this insect had managed to hurt it. With a roar, its torso suddenly lurched left and slammed down.

The sudden blow forced Guk to hold Dragon Tooth horizontally in front of himself, but the terrifying force still sent him flying. He only managed to steady himself after tumbling three or four times.

"Now this is interesting..."

Feeling as though every bone in his body was about to come apart, Guk shook his head and climbed back to his feet. Dragon Tooth was still clenched tightly in his hand. The monster licked the spot Guk had struck, then fixed its huge eyes on the thing that had hurt it. It was furious now!

"Come on! I'm waiting!"

Roar!

The creature suddenly raised its forelimbs high and let out a savage roar before slamming them back down and pouncing at Guk once again.

Guk had no intention of retreating. The gleaming Dragon Tooth met it without fear. He rolled aside to avoid a deadly swing, then put all his strength into striking the thing. Strings of sparks burst from the monster's body, making it even more enraged as it began jumping and swinging its forelimbs wildly.

It was crazed, but Guk was even crazier. He was practically fighting this enormous creature at point-blank range. Dragon Tooth even bent slightly during repeated strikes and blocks. Fortunately, the weapon Diego had forged for him was truly solid, with excellent resilience that always let it return to its original shape.

For a time, the earth trembled beneath the battle of two beasts, while the sky was obscured by the stirred-up sand. The boys could not see exactly what was happening, but none of them stood idle. They could not help in the fight, but they could still cheer.

"Guk! Guk! Guk!"

The White Hand Tribe's leaders pounded their chests or shields and let out ringing battle cries. Soon, the boys from the Stone Fist Tribe who had come out to watch joined in as well. Though they did not know what those two sounds meant, the surging emotions compelled them to vent them. The pressure of living under the monster's threat for so long, their long-suppressed desire to fight, and their nowhere-to-go rage all poured into their roars...

Guk!

Guk!!

Guk!!!

Different voices gradually merged together, forming a powerful will. Green arcs of electricity burst involuntarily from Nug's eyes. He raised the metal rod in his hand high overhead, muttering incoherent words under his breath.

Crack!

An electric arc lashed across the creature's back like a whip, instantly snapping one of its spines. The pain made it shriek, and it twisted even more frantically.

Meanwhile, Guk, who was attacking furiously beneath it, was already covered in blood. Some was his, and some was the creature's. The monster's only real weakness was the relatively fragile scales on its belly. Guk had cut seven wounds into it with Dragon Tooth, but they were all shallow due to the height difference. As for Guk himself, both arms had long since gone numb. Bloody wounds covered the backs of his hands and upper body like mouths. His muscles had exerted so much force that they had torn his skin apart.

Bang!

After taking another impact, Guk heard the bones in his right arm shatter. But he did not care. He could still use it. Though he could not hear the battle cries outside clearly, he could feel the fighting spirit behind them. He still felt full of strength. Wounds? As long as an Ork was not dead, there were no wounds!

"Ahhh! Eat this!"

Electric arcs flared in his eyes. Seizing the moment when the monster paused to catch its breath, Guk leaped high into the air and drove Dragon Tooth toward its head!

Roar!

The creature seemed to sense the danger. Its body twisted, and the gleaming Dragon Tooth pierced through its thick scales and sank deep into its back. It immediately let out a crazed scream of pain and began struggling violently!

"It's finished! Get it!!"

The boys saw Guk's strike clearly. Bucktooth immediately roared, and nearly a hundred thousand watching boys surged forward at once.

ROAR!!!

The monster seemed to panic now. After fighting for so long, it had exhausted a great deal of strength, so it spread its legs and began running wildly. This made Guk even less stable on its back, where there had barely been any footing to begin with. He could only cling tightly to Dragon Tooth to keep from falling.

"Don't let it run! Hurry, hurry... Waaagh! Move!"

The boys frantically attacked the beast with throwing spears and arrows, but it completely ignored these feeble attacks and crushed straight through them. Anyone blocking its path was trampled to death underfoot. Nothing could stop it, and the boys could only chase tightly behind it.

"Bastard...!"

Guk had just managed to find his footing when the creature suddenly shook again, throwing him off balance and leaving him hanging from its back. The result was an awkward scene: the monster ran in front, the boys chased behind, and Guk dangled from its back like an ornament.

They ran for half a day. The creature's recovery ability was also formidable. The wounds Guk had cut earlier had mostly stopped bleeding, leaving only the blade embedded deep in its back. Most of the boys had been left behind, with only those riding Squigs still in pursuit.

Before they knew it, they had crossed a stretch of rocky hills and entered a scorching world. The ground here was full of cracks, and choking black smoke would occasionally spew from them. The high-temperature currents melted some careless Orks into slag. Seeing this, Nug immediately shouted:

"Watch out! This is a volcanic region! Don't get hit by that smoke!"

Guk also noticed that something was wrong with this place. The temperature was terrifyingly high, and a sharp, pungent smell filled the air, somewhat like the scent of gunpowder. Thick white smoke was everywhere, and now and then blue flames flickered in and out.

"Boss! Ahead! Ahead!"

Suddenly, Bucktooth's panicked voice reached Guk's ears. Turning to look, he saw the monster running toward a huge pit filled with rolling, crimson, viscous liquid. One glance was enough to tell how incredibly hot it was...

"Fuck!"

Guk spat out a human curse Diego had taught him. He knew the creature probably wanted to boil him alive. Killing it now was no longer realistic, so Guk could only twist around to face downward, plant both feet against its spine, grip Dragon Tooth tightly with both hands, and wrench it free with all his strength!

ROAR!!!!!

The intense pain made the creature throw its head back and howl. Then it leaped high into the air and plunged headfirst into the lava lake.

"Boss! How are you!"

Bucktooth was the first to rush to the lake's edge. Guk lay on the ground staring upward, covered in blood. Dragon Tooth lay beside him, impaling a thick piece of scale armor. He had pulled so hard that he had ripped a chunk right out.

"What are you standing around for? I'm getting cooked! Help me up!"

"Right, right!"

Bucktooth hurriedly helped Guk to his feet. Only then did he realize that after lying there for such a short time, Guk's back had already been scorched yellow. The ground was clearly incredibly hot. If the White Hand Tribe had not made a habit of wearing shoes, the soles of his feet might have caught fire.

"Water!"

"Here, Boss. Drink."

Taking the waterskin, Guk gulped down several mouthfuls. His hands were still trembling uncontrollably as the other boys arrived.

"You were the one who talked to me before, right?"

After drinking his fill, Guk turned his gaze to Nug. He remembered that voice.

"Yes, yes! Boss Guk, that was me!"

"Then the Stone Fist Tribe belongs to me now."

"Yes, yes, yes! Boss Guk, you're unbelievably strong! You even killed something that huge!"

Hearing the flattery, Guk gave a disdainful snort and looked toward the rolling lava lake. He could feel a hateful, fearful gaze coming from within.

"It's not dead yet."

"Huh!?"

"But if it dares show itself in front of me again, I'll chop it down!"

As he spoke, Guk picked up Dragon Tooth and removed the scale armor impaled on it. He pointed the tip of the blade toward the lava lake and gave it a slight lift. That gaze immediately vanished.

"Come on! Let's go take a look at your lousy place! Look at you lot, so weak! So many boys, and you couldn't even beat one big lizard! Now that you're under me, I'll have to whip you into shape!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Boss Guk is right! I reckon those boys need a proper beating too!"

As the Orks' noisy voices gradually faded into the distance, bubbles suddenly rose across the lava lake. But they quickly subsided, and everything returned to how it had been before...