When the stone giant, now completely blinded, had vented its rage, the area within several dozen meters was left in utter ruin. It then collapsed into the mud and water, panting heavily, its breaths sounding like a ten-times magnified, worn-out bellows. The monster’s thick, grey skin had suffered lacerations during the preceding frenzy, especially around the elbows and knees, where raw flesh was clearly exposed. Including the minor injuries inflicted earlier by the Symbiote members’ furious assault, it was scarred all over.

Prybar first checked on the unconscious Das, confirming a severe head trauma that ensured he wouldn't wake soon. Only then did he stand up, a strange glint flickering in his eyes. The change was so abrupt that Gree, standing nearby, felt a sudden sense of unfamiliarity, as if the formidable figure beside him had instantly become someone else.

"Now is our prime opportunity!" Prybar dashed forward, clenching and waving his fists. "This damned beast is totally blind, and right now it's pouring rain and the noise is overwhelming. If one of us attacks while the other creates a distraction, the risk will be minimized to the extreme!"

Though Prybar spoke with fiery passion, Gree could not help but recall the three dead comrades—the sight of their bodies reduced to bloody pulp and their gruesome fate of being digested by the giant's stomach acid sent shivers down his spine. He stammered, "Boss... shouldn't we wait a bit longer? Since the monster is blinded, maybe it will just bleed out."

Prybar’s face instantly darkened, and he roared, "Wait longer? You idiot! The Stone Giant is a Legendary creature; it adapts extremely well. Right now, it’s in a state of panicked blindness. Once it adjusts to this condition and starts using its ears to locate enemies, we’ll have to risk our lives again to kill it. I’ll go first! When I retreat, you shout loudly to disrupt its hearing."

Prybar finally revealed his melee weapon—a wickedly sharp grappling hook that shone with a deep blue light. Fang Senyan had seen many such implements in the previous Caribbean world; pirates missing limbs often fitted them with hooks or wooden legs, making them look nearly normal. However, a grappling hook of deep-blue quality was truly rare.

Prybar crouched low, his hook flashing a deep blue in the cold rain, and charged straight at the panting colossus. He swung the hook; with a flash of cold light, the sharp point plunged into a torn patch of skin near the giant’s right ankle. With a violent yank and pull, a large chunk of flesh was ripped away.

The Stone Giant reacted as if scalded by fire, leaping up with a monstrous shriek and an agonizing bellow. Gritting its teeth, it instinctively lashed out at the source of the pain. But Prybar had already rolled away the moment he struck, while Gree simultaneously let out several loud shouts to mask the sound of Prybar's escape. The giant’s subsequent frenzied attacks only succeeded in splashing mud and water everywhere; they were utterly and blindly useless!

"Your turn," Prybar said, drenched in mud and looking quite disheveled, yet an indescribable madness and excitement burned in his eyes. He wiped his hook and stared fiercely at Gree, making it clear that refusal was impossible. Forced by the situation, a deadly desperation flashed in Gree’s eyes. He drew a handy, razor-sharp serrated combat knife, and when the Stone Giant settled back down to pant, he crept forward. He aimed fiercely at the wound Prybar had inflicted earlier, stabbing down, and then gave a vicious twist!

That vicious thrust elicited a piercing scream from the Stone Giant; the major tendon and blood vessels in its ankle were severed. Gree didn't even bother to pull the blade out; he simply let go and rolled away instantly. At the same time, Prybar shouted nearby to interfere with the monster’s hearing. As a result, Gree narrowly avoided the first frantic swipe, and during the second, the giant missed its mark, letting the serrated knife fall out of the wound. Gree escaped without injury before he even had time to retrieve his knife.

Under these circumstances, the two men took turns attacking the Stone Giant, slowly harvesting its life. The giant possessed immense brute strength but had nowhere to direct it. By the end, even its screams were weak, especially around the right ankle, where Prybar consistently targeted; the bone was beginning to show, and the creature swayed precariously even when standing.

Of course, as the Stone Giant gradually adapted to its blindness, its counterattacks grew more threatening. Prybar was caught off guard first and sent flying, suffering no major injury but breaking into a cold sweat. Gree, while escaping after his own attack, was kicked by the giant’s wild flailing, sending him spitting blood flying through the air, splattered head to toe with mud and water, his health plummeting from 70% down to the critical threshold of below 30%!

At this point, both sides were nearly exhausted. The difference was that the two Symbiote members could slow the fight down, waiting for the cooldown periods on their remaining medicine and recovery items, while the Stone Giant could only rely on its own regenerative capabilities while panting. Thus, Prybar and Gree held the advantage in a war of attrition. But just then, after ensuring Gree had recovered slightly, Prybar insisted grimly:

"One last strike at its ankle! I've calculated it—one more hit and that right leg will be completely useless! Now!"

Gree wiped the blood leaking from his mouth, initially intending to protest, but he forced himself to stay silent. He saw the wild, exhilarated look in Prybar's eyes—the man seemed completely transformed. Gree knew that no matter what he said, Prybar wouldn't change his mind! Moreover, the promise of a high bounty for killing a Legendary creature had already made Gree's eyes turn red as he charged out.

The mud beneath his feet was icy cold, and the indescribable, foul stench of the giant's bodily fluids assaulted his nose. The wounds on his body throbbed painfully. Yet, Gree felt that this time his timing, speed, and power were flawless, expertly seizing the briefest instant of opportunity the giant exposed!

The sharp, serrated blade sank deep into the grayish-white tendons. With a hard pull, the sound of that incredibly resilient elastic material being sliced—thump-thump-thump—filled Gree with intense excitement. Then he tucked, contracted his core, bent, and lunged toward the left, throwing himself sideways. Although this move caused the muddy ground to crackle underfoot, it was the quickest way to clear the monster's immediate vicinity. With Prybar shouting loudly from the opposite side as cover, the newly blinded giant couldn't possibly react instantly!

As he lunged clear, Gree’s entire body relaxed, flooded with a sense of relief, as if thinking, It's finally over. Yet, something felt profoundly wrong, like forgetting to lock the door when leaving home, forgetting a condom before a date, or forgetting salt while cooking—he couldn't pinpoint what was missing. It was only when he sensed the Stone Giant's ferocious attack bearing down on him like a shadow that he finally understood the problem…

The shout!

Damn it, Prybar the bastard hadn't made a sound to cover him!

Though its leg was severely wounded, the Stone Giant was slowly adapting to the darkness of its blindness. Even with the torrential rain, if it focused its attention, the sounds of Gree’s desperate scrambling were extremely easy to pinpoint. Having been suppressed for so long, the monster unleashed its accumulated hatred, roaring ferociously as it lunged toward Gree’s position.

In that moment between life and death, Gree also shrieked, consumed by intense indignation and the fury of betrayal. He unleashed a final burst of pre-death potential, digging his hands deep into the mud, completely oblivious to the fact that his fingernails were cracking and blood was trickling from his fingertips. Using the desperate purchase of that final grip, he scrambled toward the nearby thicket. If he could successfully dive in there, the sound he made would undoubtedly be muffled, vastly increasing his chances of survival.

But standing in his path was a person!

Prybar!

Prybar’s face was blank, his eyes showing a flicker of apology, but mostly an unrestrained, long-suppressed relief and fanaticism!

Although both belonged to the Symbiote society, and attacks against each other normally inflicted no damage unless a declaration of war was made and confirmed—with the initial aggressor suffering severe penalties—this didn't grant them the ability to violate the laws of physics and phase through one another as if the other didn't exist.

So, Gree collided with Prybar, halting his momentum. The giant's massive foot whistled down, crushing Gree’s lower body into the mud from mid-air. Intense pain shot through him, but his scream was cut short as the giant kicked him away again. Amidst the rushing wind, the scenery blurred into a massive smudge. Upon impact, his vision went black, and he entered a near-death state, instantly losing consciousness.

The Stone Giant, despite its lumbering appearance, had mastered certain predatory techniques. After the initial stomp and kick, it would normally follow up with a lunge. However, when it instinctively tried to push off with its heavily wounded right ankle, the limb registered excruciating pain and failed to bear weight. The massive, heavy body surged forward and then collapsed in a pathetic heap. The giant let out a piercing cry of agony, thrashing violently in the mud, unable to regain its footing.

Seeing this, Prybar threw his head back and laughed maniacally. The sound was sharp, grating against the eardrums, filled with the self-satisfied relief of achieved ambition. The Stone Giant nearby heard the laughter and struggled desperately to move toward him, but the bone in its right ankle had been completely crushed by its own weight, rendering the leg useless. It could only let out shrill roars!

Suddenly, Prybar’s laughter cut off! It was as abrupt as if his throat had been severed. His face contorted into an ugly mask, his eyes blazing with an inexpressible mix of terror and rage. He stared into the deep, dark woods to his right and spoke each word with chilling precision:

"Come. Out."

From the pitch-black forest, a figure slowly emerged.