The shaking continued to intensify while Ryujin tried to hold on to a wall. He could see cracks appearing on the walls of the building due to the intensity of the shaking.
It was right then that he suddenly felt like he was slowly rising in the air only to realize that it was the whole building that was going up in the air!
The whole building slowly tilted to the side, throwing Ryujin off balance, causing him to fall face-first onto the floor. Flustered and confused, Ryujin crawled on the ground, trying to reach for the hand railings.
He eventually managed to hold on to the railing. When suddenly, he heard a loud sound as the collapsing building hit the ground, followed by a sudden jolt, causing him to lose his grip.
Ryujin felt like he was floating in the air for a split second before his back hit the floor, his head bouncing on the cold hard ground.
The last thing he remembers was seeing a massive rock with arms and legs standing up to at least three stories high.
'Isn't that a golem?'
He thought to himself before he passed out.
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"Kyaaahh!!"
Ryujin woke up to the voice of a woman screaming. He felt like his head was splitting apart due to the unimaginable pain.
He tried to ignore it since he couldn't afford to be careless, especially when his life could be in danger at any moment.
Ryujin stood up and looked around him. Everything was just a mess, and the whole apartment had crumbled to the ground. From broken glasses to broken pipes, everywhere he looks all he saw was just devastation.
He actually could see some objects flattened on the ground as if a giant boulder just rolled over them. That was when he remembered the golem he saw before passing out.
"Somebody! Help us!"
He couldn't dwell on it any longer, though when he heard the same voice screaming for help.
He walked towards the direction of the voice, and there he found the two who were with him, half-naked.
Ryujin didn't think about it too much, though, when he saw the man buried under a pile of wood and concrete.
It seems like he was uninjured though and was just stuck, unable to move the things above him.
"Thank you! I thought I was a dead man for a second there."
It didn't take long before Ryujin managed to set the man free, who thanked him almost immediately.
"I owe you my life. If there's anything you need, you can rely on me!"
The man said with a friendly smile on his face. Ryujin, of course, noticed how the man was acting differently.
The man continued to talk to him in a friendly way as if they were the closest buddies while they were trying to salvage whatever they could from the apartment that collapsed.
"Hey, where do you think we should go after we finish what we're doing here?"
The man asked while rummaging through the scraps in front of him. Used to being ignored by the man, Ryujin didn't reply to the question.
"Heyy, why are you ignoring me, bro, I asked you a question that's just harsh."
The man said while acting like his hurt before laughing it off. Though he found it weird, Ryujin tried to hide what he was thinking of while he replied.
"I-uhh, I-I don't know, you decide."
He stuttered a little bit, but the man ignored it.
"Is that so? Then if you don't have a better idea, we should go to Fussa. I believe there's a military base there."
Ryujin had no complaints, so he nodded his head in agreement. They were just about to leave when the woman who they almost forgot screamed once again.
Slightly annoyed by her constant screaming, Ryujin turned his head towards her to see her looking at a green creature with a club in its hand.
It was around 4 to 5 feet tall despite its hunched back. The creature's ears were long and sharp while it had two small protruding canines.
It snarled at the three of them, exposing its rows of sharp teeth that were a few inches apart.
The woman stood there, frozen in place, and her facial expression was a mix of fear and confusion.
While the man beside Ryujin was initially startled by the appearance of the strange creature, he reacted quickly and ran towards the woman before pulling her away.
Perhaps it was because of their sudden movements the creature growled before running after the two.
Ryujin was at first shocked by the ferocious expression on the strange creature's face. However, not a moment had passed when he realized that it was after them.
He was just about to turn around and flee when he felt someone grab him on his right arm before he felt a force pull him backward. Next thing he knew, he was looking at the clear blue sky as he fell on to the ground.
"Hey buddy, distract it for us for a moment, please."
Ryujin heard the man shout while he sat up straight. He realized what happened, and he felt his blood boiling at the thought of being sacrificed.
Of course, there's a chance that he was jumping to conclusions, but there was no other logical reason as to why the man pulled him.
Within the split second that he sat there, his mind has already considered the possible reasons as to why and the only thing that made sense is that they intended to use him as bait. When he had concluded up to that point, that was when he realized the critical detail that he has forgotten, but it was too late.
Ryujin felt his heartbeat getting faster and faster while his palms continued to sweat as a tall shadow loomed over him. Slowly turning his head around, his heart stopped for a moment when he saw the strange creature an arm's length away from him.
If he stretched his arms a little, there was no doubt that he could touch it. The creature stood there staring at him, his every movement reflected by the slits in its eyes. A strange glint can be seen in its eyes as it watched Ryujin, curiosity evident in its face.
At this moment, the creature's appearance poured a bucket of cold water on the unquenchable rage in Ryujin's heart. In its place was a fear, unlike any other. This fear was different compared to the fear he felt when he saw the dragon.
He had difficulty breathing while his body was shivering in fear; he felt like he was a prey standing in front of a predator.
The creature stood there menacingly, while it swung the club on its hand back and forth.
Unable to contain his fear any longer, he used his hands in desperation just to pull himself away. When he noticed the creature just standing still looking at him, he thought of it as an opportunity to stand up.
"Aghhhh!"
He barely even managed to stand up when he screamed in pain as he felt something hit him below the knees, which caused him to fall on the ground.
Teary-eyed he grabbed his right leg as he tried to control his breathing. That was when he noticed the mocking smile on the creature's face as it looked at him.
"Kahahk kahahk kahahk!"
It let out a strange cry that sounds like a laugh in Ryujin's ears. It circled Ryujin, who was unable to move while continuously poking him with the club in its hand.
He knew that it was mocking him; however, he just couldn't ignore the lingering pain. Still, he realized that his life was in great danger and that he'd suffer a horrible death if he didn't do anything and so Ryujin clenched his teeth as he tried to stand up.
The creature just continued to watch and follow him while he struggled to walk away. In reality, he wasn't exactly walking, but instead, he was dragging his body, his right leg in particular.
While the creature didn't manage to break the bone, his right leg was undoubtedly immobilized. Excruciating pain would surge within his body whenever he tried to move it.
He didn't stop dragging his body away even when it seemed futile. After every short quick breath he takes, he would move his body while he bites his lip.
"Haahh haahh, haahhh."
He was out of breath; he was feeling faint and is in a cold sweat after he managed to reach a few feet barely. He felt like the pain in his right leg was diminishing, perhaps it was just him numbed to the pain; however, the reason didn't matter to him. All that mattered to him was escaping the creature alive.
Just as when he was about to try walking with the injured leg. The creature once again decided to hit his right leg with the club, causing Ryujin to fall on the ground once more, screaming in pain.
"Kahahk kahahk kahahk kahahk kahahk kahahk!!"
The creature once again laughed, louder than before, as it jumped around him. It imitated Ryujin screaming and falling before roaring in joy once more. The strange creature continued to mock him; however, his attention was on the agonizing pain. He judged that a few more hits would cause the bones in his right leg to break.
He tried to concentrate on his breathing in hopes of alleviating the pain while he began to think of a way to escape. It's not like he had a lot of choices to pick, in the end, all of it boils down to either fight or flight.
He also didn't have the liberty to precisely plan out his actions because who knows when the creature will get bored and just decide to kill him. Realizing that with his injured leg escaping was no longer an option, a strange glint flash across his eyes, and one could see the determination in his eyes.
He knew what he was about to do was reckless and could end his life. However, he didn't have any other options. Perhaps it would've been a different story if he could think clearly, but how could an ordinary man remain calm in the face of danger.
Ryujin waited for the opportunity, and he didn't have to act like he was in pain because he was genuinely suffering.
The creature once again went around Ryujin while poking him from time to time with his club. Ryujin eventually found the opportunity he was looking for when it stood right in front of him. It was just about to poke him with the club once more when Ryujin grabbed the club with his right arm.
Caught off guard by his action Ryujin pulled the club towards him while his left arm went around the creature's neck. At the same time, he moved his body around it, causing their positions to change.
He lets go of the club and puts the creature on a sleeper hold, just like what he saw in the movies. He tightens his arms with every ounce of strength in his body while it started to struggle.
Ryujin knew this was his only hope and that if he fails to do this, then there was no doubt he'd die, and so he with every fiber of his being, he tightened his arms that were around the creature's neck.
He felt like victory was at hand, but he wasn't complacent. He continued to exert every effort he can to kill the creature. However, there were two things he didn't consider; the creature's will to survive and its strength.
The creature struggled violently, nearly throwing Ryujin off its back. It stood up without an issue while it tried to grab Ryujin, who continued to hang on.
At this moment, the two realized that this was a battle of endurance, and the one who persists until the end will win this survival game. The one who can't persevere will be the stepping stone for the other's survival.
Ryujin knew this fact, and he had no intention of giving up. In his mind, only one will survive, and that's him, and he'll do whatever it takes to make it so.