Under countless tense, unblinking eyes—
a pale gray figure flashed across the frame.
It shot straight toward the Greenback Croc like a bullet.
It was Raven Shaw.
The croc roared the moment it sensed her closing in.
"SSS—ROAR!"
Raven Shaw didn't slow down.
Not even half a step.
CLANG—!
THUD!
She stopped right in front of it—hard and abrupt—like her momentum had been cut off by a knife.
Then the combat saber in her hand snapped out of its sheath.
Instead of slashing immediately, she drove the pommel up—
a brutal strike straight into the croc's lower jaw.
The force was absurd.
It didn't match her frame at all.
The Greenback Croc's massive mouth—opened wide to swallow—was slammed shut on the spot.
"Ghk—!"
A strangled cry escaped it.
But Raven Shaw didn't give it time to recover.
Her blade moved.
Cold light exploded across the screen.
CLANG—!
SHH! SHH! SHH!
The combat saber danced—clean, precise, almost beautiful.
In her hands, it looked like art.
A rose in bloom.
And just like a rose—
it was all thorns.
The croc's pupils constricted.
For the first time, that E-rank predator felt it.
Not hunger.
Not dominance.
Death.
It tried to shift, to counterattack—
but Raven Shaw never allowed an opening.
SHING—!
PFFT!
She drove the combat saber forward—
straight into its skull.
Fully in.
To the hilt.
Bullets had sparked and bounced off that hide.
A grenade hadn't left a scratch.
Yet under Raven Shaw's blade, that "armor" tore like thin paper.
"SSSSSS—!!!"
A scream ripped from the croc's throat.
It thrashed violently, its massive body heaving hard enough to kick up dust and whip the air into chaos.
The wind tugged at Raven Shaw's fur-lined cloak, flaring it open—
and for a split second, the camera caught the outline of her long legs beneath the hem.
Then she planted her feet—
like she'd rooted herself into the earth.
The size difference didn't matter.
The struggle didn't matter.
It couldn't move her.
As if an endless, bottomless strength ran through her body.
SCRAPE—!
She pushed the blade deeper.
Straight through.
Pinning the Greenback Croc down to the ground.
Blood flooded out, soaking the soil in a widening stain.
The monster's convulsions slowed.
Weakened.
And then—
stopped.
Just like that, the Greenback Croc's life ended.
The butcher was finally butchered.
"Ha…"
Raven Shaw exhaled once.
Then she drew the combat saber back out.
SHK—!
With a single flick, she snapped the blood from the blade.
A crimson arc splattered the dirt—
and the saber's surface returned to a clean, pale gleam.
Click.
She sheathed it calmly, turned around, and brushed her sleeve—
as if none of it had even happened.
From the moment she moved to the moment the croc went still…
less than ten seconds had passed.
An E-rank beast that had made armed men run for their lives—
had become a corpse.
The world… didn't process it.
The livestream chat froze in pure disbelief.
"???"
"What just happened?!"
"She went up and deleted it!"
"I'm actually stunned… bullets didn't work—how did one stab kill it?!"
"Is it because of her combat saber?"
"What kind of combat saber is stronger than bullets?!"
"That hide didn't even break from a grenade—how can a blade do this?!"
Across the world, people clung to the only explanation their brains could accept:
It had to be the weapon.
Because no one wanted to believe a woman who looked that calm—almost delicate—could carry that kind of raw, terrifying power.
Adrian Vale narrowed his eyes.
But he wasn't shocked.
Anyone chosen for the Forbidden Zone wasn't going to be normal.
And Raven Shaw clearly wasn't.
His "prey" had been stolen—but he didn't care.
Not really.
He only cared about one thing:
Whether he'd get to eat.
Who cooked the meal didn't matter.
As the threat vanished, the ghoul side within him quieted again, settling back down.
Raven Shaw walked toward him, expression unchanged.
Then she spoke, casually—almost teasing.
"I'm guessing I didn't scare you."
Adrian Vale looked away and didn't answer.
Then the announcement came.
This time, everyone heard it.
The Will of Blue Star rang out across every competitor's mind:
[Congratulations! Dragon Nation competitors Adrian Vale and Raven Shaw have slain the E-rankDivine Domain creature: Greenback Croc.]
[As the Greenback Croc is the Oasis Lord, Adrian Vale and Raven Shaw are now designated as the Oasis Resource Lords.]
[Oasis resources will be manifested to Dragon Nation's territory at a 100× multiplier.]
[Congratulations! Adrian Vale and Raven Shaw have obtained an E-rank Chest reward!]
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