Surrounded on all sides, Song's mind raced and scrambled for a way out of the predicament.
His opponents were ironically a bunch of rocks but they were fierce and frightening nevertheless.
Why not just kick them away? Well, if he could, he already would have. The real problem was the giant rock looming over him. Not to mention, there was a rock from before that was still restlessly chewing on his boot.
The situation was far from simple.
Continuously shooting the targets wasn't going to work anymore. Surrounded, the rock-like creatures could easily overwhelm him before he could fire another round. And if he tried to run? The outcome would be just as grim and he'd be crushed within moments.
Still… he couldn't fathom dying to a bunch of writhing rocks! If that really happened, even the Gods might have a laugh at his expense.
No one in history had ever died to literal rocks before! He would be the first Awakened to go out in such a humiliating fashion! Song had zero intentions of being remembered as the first person that died to rocks!
As for the Crawling Terrors themselves, they had stopped their ruthless barrage and paused in place, glaring at him. It seemed they were being curious and waited for him to make a move.
Did they perhaps possess some form of intelligence?
In the end, it didn't matter.
The two sides simply stared each other down motionlessly and silently, locked in a standoff that felt eerily reminiscent of a Wild West duel.
The air was dominated by something chewing on leather.
Song's eyes flicked around in unrest, searching for any weakness, searching for any opening he could exploit. His boots squelched in the mud, his hands slick with sweat, his heart hammered as his mind ran through several possibilities and weighed his options.
The giant boulder loomed above the swarm. Its sheer size made it impossible to dodge if it charged, and the smaller Crawling Terrors pressed in from all sides.
Truly, there was no room to maneuver.
Think, think, think. If bullets aren't enough… then what is? What should I do in this situation?
He eyed the surrounding swamp, the soft mud, and the half-buried debris. Maybe… maybe the terrain could help. A misstep here, a slip there, something to slow them down. But even that seemed insufficient against creatures that had already shrugged off the laws of nature just by moving across mud without legs.
His mind raced once more and cycled through every scenario. Eventually, an idea emerged and Song was actually impressed about how crazy it was.
But did that matter? A crazy plan was still a plan.
Then, with a snarl, he planted his feet firmly in the mud, aiming directly at the nearest glowing fissure of the giant boulder.
"Hey, rock bastards! If you want to chew me, I'll have taste your teeth first!"
He squeezed the trigger and fired once.
Bang!
Accompanied by a loud noise, the echoing gunshot cracked across the swamp as shards of stone and green-tinged dust erupted into the air. Obviously, the bullet wasn't enough to kill the monstrous rock but it seemed to have accomplished its intended purpose. The Crawling Terrors shrieked, and once again, began their coordinated advance.
Without delay, Song kicked forward violently, sending the creature still clamped to his boot spinning off into the mud. Then he pivoted and sprinted diagonally, weaving through the swarm, trying to draw them into a chokepoint.
The mud splashed and sucked at his legs. Behind him, the swarm reformed, relentless as ever. But Sonny had something they didn't:
Cunning, improvisation, and a refusal to die to rocks!
Alright... where is something I can use. Something! Give me something!
Glacing around desperately, he scanned for anything that could turn the grim situation over.
Finally, after sweeping his gaze here and there, he found a fallen log, partially submerged in the mire, strong enough to support weight… and maybe strong enough to redirect the charging boulder if he timed it right.
A crazy smile flickered across his mud-smeared face.
"Aha! That would do!"
Nightingale dove toward the partially submerged log and at the same time, mud splashed up to his knee level. The Crawling Terrors howled and clattered behind him, looking like a living net closing in. He slid the log free of the mud with strength, and yanked it into position.
With a thunderous roar, the giant boulder's rumble grew louder, shaking the swamp with mud and water spraying into the air like a storm.
His heart thumped violently.
Timing had to be perfect. If he misjudged, the log would shatter uselessly, and he'd be flattened.
He planted the log at an angle, propping it against a mound of mud. Then, taking a deep breath, he ran straight at the boulder, ducking low and jumping onto the log just as the massive stone lunged forward.
Clash!
The boulder slammed into the log with a deafening noise. The log groaned then splintered under the immense weight, and the boulder's momentum wrenched it sideways. Mud and water sprayed like a geyser, and the giant's stagger threw it off balance.
Smaller Crawling Terrors skidded backward, slipping in the mud, some colliding into each other in confusion.
On the other hand, Song landed on his feet and immediately rolled to regain his balance. Seizing the moment, he snatched up the disposable lithium‑ion phone batteries, each strapped to a small container filled with fuel.
Under normal circumstances, batteries don't explode on their own but Sonny had other plans.
He grinned through the mud-smeared chaos, knowing full well that a little ingenuity could turn even a fragile lithium‑ion cell into a makeshift grenade. He pulled the pin on the rigged containers, checking that the fuel and battery were secured, and hurled one toward the densest cluster of Crawling Terrors.
The projectile arced through the air, landing with a wet splat in the mud among the advancing creatures. For a split second, nothing happened... then, a violent burst of flame and shrapnel erupted. The fireball ripped through the nearest rocks, chipping off pieces, sending others flying, and scorching the mud with green-tinged scorch marks.
The projectile arced through the air, landing with a wet splat in the mud among the advancing creatures. For a split second, nothing happened... then, a violent burst of flame and shrapnel erupted. The fireball ripped through the nearest rocks, chipping off pieces, sending others flying, and scorching the mud with green-tinged scorch marks.
The smaller Crawling Terrors shrieked in uncoordinated panic, some rolling backward, some toppling over each other. Whatever the case, their formation had shattered.
Song didn't wait for the results to settle. He rolled low in the mud, pulling out another rigged battery, and aimed for another cluster of rocks.
Bang!
Another fiery explosion rocked the swamp. Mud, stone shards, and green luminescent ichor sprayed across the clearing, and the swarm faltered under the unexpected barrage.
His grin widened, streaked with mud and sweat. Along with that, within his eyes wild was a mix of fear and exhilaration. It was a look that could only be described as borderline insane.
"Hahaha! How do you like that, you stupid rocks?! Taste the fire, huh? Don't worry, I've got plenty more where that came from!"
If anyone had witnessed him in that moment, they would have undoubtedly questioned his sanity. But Sonny didn't care.
After all, he was being relentlessly hunted by glowing, gnashing rocks. Logic and common sense had long since fled the swamp.
Nothing about the situation made sense anymore, and that didn't matter.
All that existed in his mind was one singular, undeniable goal of crushing, destroying, and completely annihilating these god forsaken rocks!
With renewed resolve, Song sprinted through the swamp, tossing makeshift explosives one after another, turning the nightmare of crawling stone into a chaotic battlefield.
All that remained were the echoing wails of fractured rocks and his wild, unhinged laughter.