All of the Crusader’s instincts roared to him at that instant. He scampered back several steps, which was more than enough to save his life.

The axe slammed down into the ground where he was previously standing, embedding itself deep into the earth and creating a giant slash all throughout the ground. The Crusader couldn’t help but gape at such a sight, for he had never seen someone do such a thing in his life.

This– Had he not moved out of the way, he would have definitely been split in half! He would–

He ducked underneath the next strike, before snapping back to reality. Right, this wasn’t the time for thoughts. He had to focus on the fight, make sure he could maneuver around and kill this bastard before he could cause any other innocent pain and suffering!

He swung his sword and slammed the blade right into the incoming swing, causing sparks to fly upon impact. The two of them staggered back from the recoil, but he was able to recover first. With a roar, he came rushing forward with his sword, all the while the giant managed to get his bearings.

He swung. The giant blocked. The sword bounced off of the wooden handle that he had hit, shocking him as his arms reared back from the recoil.

However, he didn’t have the time to wonder why this happened. In the very same second, he had to roll out of the way of the overhead axe swing. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to take advantage of that attack, as the giant ripped the head out of the earth at high speeds and reorientated himself once more for the stance advantage.

The Crusader felt sweat pour down his head as he got to his feet, albeit crouched down and having his sword at an angle.

He knew. He understood right off the bat that in terms of physical prowess, he was weaker than the giant. Whether that be due to his hunger pangs or his exhaustion, he did not know.

What he did know off the top of his head was that the enemy was fast, terrifyingly so. Had his instincts been off or his reflexes slightly slower, he would definitely be another corpse rotting away on the ground. That was one of the few advantages he had over this bastard, with another one being the weapon of choice.

His sword was versatile. The axe the giant had was not. Thus, he had to change strategies and start working towards using that to his advantage.

And he’d have to start now.

He used his crouched position to get a head start in charging, a move that the giant seemed thrilled at. With a boisterous laugh, the monster hefted his axe to go for a horizontal swing, but the Crusader was more than ready for such an attack.

He swung upwards with both hands, causing them both to recoil from the impact once more. However, this time, the Crusader went into a crouching stance as he went back, before exploding once more with his legs towards the giant.

This was something the monster did not see coming. With a grunt, he prepared to swing downwards, but the Crusader was faster. The giant gasped as he was stabbed in the stomach with the blade point.

The Crusader couldn’t help but curse as he stepped backwards away from the giant’s backhand. He had failed to cause any significant damage to his enemy and he could already tell why that was the case.

The chainmail. The blessing of God. Both of those combined helped to prevent the Crusader from being able to deliver any meaningful damage to his enemy, which resulted in what seemed to be minor pain instead of a lethal blow.

Hell, he could tell that his strike had done nothing to the chainmail at all either, with nary a single broken link or even a dent throughout the weave. No effect from the impact, which was beginning to lead the Crusader to worry.

He knew from experience and first-hand discussion that slashes were useless against chainmail, for he had heard that the blade would merely slide off the rings and lose the edge thanks to the scratching. So, that would leave most of his attacks out of the question.

So, that meant he was at a major disadvantage. Nearly most of his strikes would fail at this current situation, so long as he used the sword the typical way. But there was another method he could use to strike against the giant.

He proceeded to sheathe his sword, to the confusion of the giant. Then, without a single bit of hesitation, he went ahead and flipped his weapon around, gripping it by the blade. Now, he had a club that would be able to bypass most of the defenses of the chainmail and the padded armor the giant most likely wore.

That is, he hoped. He wasn’t entirely too sure if this method would work, but he had no other real choice at this time.

“Peh.” The giant scoffed, before rushing in with the axe. Another swing that the Crusader dodged, before he returned with a strike towards the monster’s stomach.

The bastard didn’t bother dodging, merely sneering as he got ready to redirect his weapon to strike the Crusader. That ended real quick as a painful gasp broke out, before he staggered back a few steps.

The Crusader didn’t give him the chance to recover. He swung once more towards the head, but the giant managed to redirect the hit to slam against his right shoulder. A grunt came out as he used the energy from the hit to gather some distance away from the Crusader. That being said, it wasn’t like he was going to let the creature get away so easily as he rushed forward.

The giant blocked the strike, before taking a step backwards away from the next incoming swing. The tides of the battle had changed, with the Crusader now having the advantage of the battle.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

He had to keep pressing the advantage. He had to keep putting this bastard on the backstep and give no room for the chance to recover. He had to keep pushing, even when his body was screaming in pain and his breaths kept getting deeper.

He had to keep going! He couldn’t stop!

That all went out the window as his pommel slammed into… water?

The Crusader blinked. He stared at the giant wall of water that seemed to come out of nowhere, before a sharp pain sprang in his stomach and he found himself flying back a good distance away.

He couldn’t breathe. He felt pain roar throughout his body as he struggled to pick himself up. He forced himself to get up, but his legs were shaking and his arms felt weak. He looked down, only to grimace as he recognized the giant dent in his armor. Then he looked up and his eyes widened.

That giant was surrounded by several balls of water that were floating in the air without any kind of explanation. The monster sneered as they rotated around him, before roaring with laughter at the Crusader’s confusion.

“Haha! You can thank the man who brought me here! Seems like not only had he granted me strength and speed, but he had gifted upon me the art of sorcery! Something you clearly would have no capacity to understand or react to, fool!”

And with that, three bolts of water came dashing right towards the Crusader, all of them rushing forward at terrifying speeds. The Crusader dashed away from the incoming projectiles, barely managed to avoid them before tumbling onto the ground as his breath was stolen from him once more.

He struggled to get to his feet again. Another uproar of pain from his left side as he was sent flying a distance away once more.

He felt so weak. His body felt so battered and abused and he was struggling to keep his eyes open now. He wanted to go to sleep, he truly did.

But the villagers. Martha, the chief, everyone. They may be sinners, but they definitely did not deserve what this monster had planned for them.

With that thought in his head, he managed to force himself back up. He struggled to get the weapon in his arms into a stance, but he knew deep down he wouldn’t be able to win. Not with his current state, not with the way his whole body was screaming at him to lay down and rest.

But none of that mattered. What was important was finding a way to bypass those water bolts that kept coming and from the look of things…

The Crusader grimaced. The giant stayed right where he was and there seemed to be even more of those water balls forming around him. This time, the monster didn’t bother taking a combat stance. No, he stood there with his helmet off, with the biggest sneer on his face as he stared right at him.

“That’s cute, little boy. You managed to get yourself back up to stand!” The giant laughed, before sneering. “Come. Let me see you struggle and cry in terror as you realize there remains nothing more than blood and torture.”

The Crusader grimaced as he looked at the water balls getting ready to be launched. He had to find a way to combat them, to find a way around them.

Dodging worked for a while, but he definitely wasn’t in a position to do such a thing anymore. All it would take was one wrong misstep and he’d be done in an instant. He couldn’t block, the impact from each of those strikes would carry over and knock him down. The bow and arrow wouldn’t work either, he had no energy left to even nock an arrow back and shoot. Same went for the usage of the blessing God bestowed upon him, no stamina to maintain such a state.

He couldn’t come up with anything. His mind was drawing blanks. He was going to fall right here and now and there was nothing he could do about it. He… Wait. There was one last thing he could do.

He could parry each of the incoming water balls. He would need to strike right before the projectiles could slam into his body, as he would need to divert all of that energy away with each hit.

The problem with that strategy was maintaining the speed necessary to do such a thing. His energy was low and he didn’t believe he could continue doing this enough for his opponent to get worn down.

But he had no choice. This was the only option he could think of at the moment. So, without further ado, he took on a batting stance. He looked at the giant, whose grin grew two fold.

Just before one of those projectiles could be launched, a large roar erupted nearby. The two of them halted their battle to turn and look at what could have caused such a noise.

They found their answer within a few seconds.

A giant monster came storming out of a forest, far taller than any of the creatures the Crusader had encountered within these lands. Its skin was thick, with the muscles clearly visible throughout each and every part of its exposed body. The whole thing was dressed in some sort of makeshift gray carapace, with giant red plants growing out of its eyeholes. The thing seemed to take numerous giant steps, each step leaving behind red growths that seemed to pulsate for a few seconds before melting away into a puddle of black.

The Crusader’s opponent scowled, before launching those water balls directly at the incoming beast. Each of those projectiles slammed into the carapace, but the beast did not seem to stop or recoil from the impacts. However, all it took was one projectile to the head to end the stomping monstrosity, causing its skull to erupt and it to collapse onto the ground with a large thud.

The Crusader took the distraction as the opportunity of a lifetime. He rushed forward, getting ready to swing. His opponent seemed shocked, before backpedaling and getting his axe ready to bear.

But he would be too slow, that was for sure. The Crusader would reach his target before the bastard had the chance to wield his axe and block the strike. The giant wouldn’t be able to dodge this hit, he wouldn’t be able to do anything. Yes, at this point, the battle would be over and–

He tripped. He stumbled onto the ground, his sword flying off before landing on the grass away from him. He found himself gasping for air, before trying everything once more to get up.

But he was finished. There was no energy, nothing to tap into anymore to bring himself up. No, he was at the mercy of the giant now, and he found himself being flipped over. He gasped for air and stared at the monster’s face.

The man seemed contemplative. His face scrunched up as he looked down at him. Then, he scowled and stashed his axe away, before turning away.

“No,” the giant spoke softly, “You’re not worth it.”

And with that, he stormed off. The Crusader couldn’t help but balk at that.

He… wasn’t worth it? What did he mean by that? What on earth did that bastard think to not finish him off right here and there?

Those were the last thoughts on his head before he lost consciousness.