The trio of giant crocodiles approached, two splitting off from the third and flanking them. Leaving only one way to go without a fight. Sadly that wasn't the direction of the beach. Noah lowered the exhausted Greg to the deck as he stepped out to guard the opposite side from the boss. The pair shielded the tired, naked man behind them as they faced the nearing monsters.

"Our only hope of getting out of this is through them. We have to fight. Stay behind us and try to recover. If you see an opening, take it," Noah instructed Greg.

The boss made eye contact with Noah over his shoulder as they shared silent communication through a nod. They were both resolute in fighting without backing down. The lead crocodile reached Zane's corpse first, snatching it into its jaws before quickly retreating into the ocean with its prize. The remaining pair of monsters watched their rival leave before unanimously deciding that the humans in front were more appetizing prey.

A red-glow caught Noah's attention from the direction of the colossal crocodile. He watched in disbelief as he saw Louis climbing its enormous scales from the ocean at its tail. Ahead of him was Avery's red ethereal form, recklessly charging up its spine towards its skull. He suddenly stopped running to reach both hands into the base of its head. Noah was entirely unprepared for what happened next. The yellow-lifeforce of the colossal crocodile ceased flowing through its body as Avery pulled out its origin crystal. The monster died just like that, silently without a chance to even resist as it was completely unaware of the threat on its back.

Noah choked on air as Avery noticed his glowing gaze in the distance. He tucked his cane under his arm to hold up the grade-three yellow ability origin crystal to wave at Noah without a care in the world. Louis caught up and joined him in waving at Noah in the distance.

"Those two are insane!" Noah spoke in disbelief.

The boss looked to Noah questioningly before following his gaze. He saw the pair of Avery and Louis waving towards them, holding the ability origin crystal from the colossal crocodile. They were standing on the still form of its corpse while it floated limply in place. The boss said something in response that Noah didn't understand in his native language while sharing a look of wonder with him.

Remind me not to piss Avery off. That monster didn't even know that he was climbing on its back before it died. There's not even a scratch on the crocodile!

The pair on the back of the colossal crocodile corpse began to run down its spine toward its tail. The water nearby was empty as the smaller giant crocodiles avoided approaching the monstrosity while it was alive. The pair wasted no time using the opportunity created by its silent assassination to dive into the empty water and swim toward the beach.

Noah's attention was brought back to the danger at hand by the snapping jaws of the approaching duo of crocodiles. Only Noah, the boss, and an exhausted Greg remained on the beached fishing trawler. Their way to escape the ruined boat was blocked in each direction.

"We're going to have to fight our way off here. I'm not going to be able to help you walk just yet, Greg," Noah said as he hefted the sleek metal spear.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me," Greg replied tiredly from where he slumped on the flooded deck.

"Fight," the boss agreed in broken English as green-lifeforce began to flow from him into the exposed metal of the fishing trawler.

The metal beneath the monster's feet surged from the water with a rain of seawater to constrain the pair of beasts. Noah didn't waste the opportunity as he thrust his elegant spear through the eye of the first giant crocodile. The monster struggled against its metal bindings before falling still. The boss didn't mess around either as four metal spikes pierced upwards to skewer the second crocodile. The metal bindings trapping the beast tightened, dragging the points deeper as it let out a scream of pain. The monster was still alive, flattened against the deck with four metal spears emerging from random locations on its body.

Noah calmly approached the helpless monster as green-lifeforce faded from the surface of the boss's skin. The boss watched Noah plunge the point of his spear through the beast's skull to end its suffering. The boss nodded in approval while using the dagger in his hand to harvest the blank origin crystals belonging to the giant crocodile. He closed his eyes while absorbing one of the crystals, replenishing some of his stamina while wordlessly passing the second crystal to Greg, who quickly did the same.

"It's time for us to go. Do you have enough stamina to make it to shore now that you absorbed the crocodile's origin crystal?" Noah asked Greg as the boss vigilantly kept watch.

"Yes, I can make it on my own," Greg answered.

"Good. Do you want to go first?" Noak asked.

The boss said something unintelligible while pointing into the darkness toward the glowing forest blanketing the island at the edge of the beach. Noah was able to see Roger with his enhanced vision. He was standing with his feet in the shallows, glowing with blue-lifeforce as the wind picked up intensity around him. He was the first to make it out of the water without injury. A few of the oarsmen had been claimed by crocodiles and other unknown predators during their swim. A few were crawling from the waves while being pursued by an enormous crocodile glowing with pink-lifeforce. As Roger was walking towards the ability-user crocodile, the galeforce wind lifted him into the air. He was surrounded by sand picked up in the flurry.

Sharp, broken stones and jagged seashells began to buffet against the ability-user crocodile, drawing blood. The giant crocodile let out a roar of frustration as it turned its attention towards Roger hovering in the air, who was glowing blue in a display of power. The pink-lifeforce of the ability-user crocodile gathered between its closed jaws. Wisps of pink light escaped from between its clenched teeth, followed by a low rumble of warning. A pink beam of light escaped from its mouth to rupture the galeforce wind toward the flying Roger, who had no time to maneuver from its path. His face was illuminated by pink light as the beam struck. It was contorted in a grimace of pain as the solid beam of light pierced into his chest, knocking him from the sky in an explosion of radiant pink-lifeforce. Noah lost sight of Roger as he shielded his face with his forearm. His vision was blinded black by the glare.