They looked significantly stronger than the common Brutenecks, that was as obvious as the Martian sky being pale rather than blue. These Serpent-Tail variants were clearly operating on an entirely different level of danger.

Tatehan mentally ran through the hierarchy of Bruteneck species he'd encountered over the months. The common ones were baseline, dangerous to unprepared humans, but manageable with proper weapons and tactics. The Carapace variants were tougher, with their heavy armor plating making them harder to kill (that was until you found the neck).

The Dwarf Brutenecks were smaller but vicious, attacking in larger packs to compensate for their size. The Lunatic variants were aggressive berserkers, attacking with reckless abandon and frightening speed.

But the Knight Brutenecks, those were something special. He'd only encountered them once and that single encounter led to him getting the kinetic absorption armor and him going with: THE KNIGHT as his nickname.

The Knights fought with genuine precision, aiming for vital points deliberately, moving with purpose rather than bestial instinct. They did so with an almost eerie charisma in their movements, like trained warriors rather than mere monsters. They were easily the most precise and tactically intelligent creatures he'd faced on Mars.

Yet from what he was observing now, these Serpent-Tail Brutenecks appeared stronger than all of them. Even the Knights.

From the short time he'd spent watching this brutal territorial fight, Tatehan had already identified several key characteristics that placed these creatures at the top of the threat hierarchy.

Speed: They moved faster than any Bruteneck variant he'd seen before. Their strikes were lightning-quick, their dodges almost impossible to track. The way they whipped those tails around, it was like watching weaponized reflexes.

Precision: While not quite matching the tactical awareness of Knight Brutenecks, these creatures showed remarkable accuracy in their attacks. Every bite aimed for maximum damage. Every tail strike targeted specific vulnerable points and every movement had purpose.

Aggression: They were more aggressive than even the Lunatic variants, which was saying something. The ferocity with which they fought each other suggested they would be absolute nightmares in actual predatory hunting mode.

And those tongues, those prehensile, constricting tongues that could shoot out like whips, that was a weapon system he hadn't encountered before. The range and grappling capability made them incredibly dangerous at distances where most Brutenecks had to close in physically.

Tatehan continued watching the fight unfold, staying perfectly still behind his boulder cover.

The battle was reaching its climax. Both creatures were bleeding heavily now, their scales torn and gashed, their movements becoming slightly sluggish from blood loss and exhaustion. But neither would back down.

The larger of the two, about fifteen percent bigger in overall body mass, suddenly made a decisive move. It feinted with its tail, drawing the smaller creature's attention, then lunged forward with its jaws open impossibly wide.

The smaller Serpent-Tail tried to dodge, but it was a fraction of a second too slow. The larger creature's jaws clamped down on its opponent's neck, not the soft throat region, but the muscular side, and bit down with crushing force.

There was an audible crack as vertebrae shattered.

The smaller creature thrashed violently, its tail whipping wildly in desperate strikes that landed across the larger one's body, tearing more gashes in its scales. Its claws raked across its opponent's face, actually managing to destroy one of the larger creature's eyes in a spray of dark fluid.

But the damage was done. The bite to the neck had been fatal. The smaller Serpent-Tail's movements became increasingly uncoordinated, its nervous system failing as the spine damage spread. After several more seconds of weakening struggles, it finally went limp.

The larger creature held the grip for a moment longer, making absolutely certain its opponent was dead, then released and stepped back.

It stood there panting hard, its sides heaving with exhausted breaths. Dark blood dripped from dozens of wounds across its body. One eye was completely destroyed, just a ruined socket now. Its tail had several deep gashes that looked painful.

The victory had not been clean or easy. The smaller opponent had inflicted significant damage before dying.

After catching its breath for nearly a full minute, the victorious Serpent-Tail bent down and began feeding on its defeated opponent's corpse.

Tatehan watched this with visible disgust, his face contorting inside his helmet.

"Eww," he muttered quietly.

Cannibalism wasn't uncommon in nature, but watching it happen was still deeply unpleasant.

But the creature's distraction also presented an opportunity.

Tatehan studied the victorious Serpent-Tail carefully, analyzing it from his concealed position. While it was clearly powerful and dangerous (almighty compared to most things he'd fought) it was still a 'Bruteneck' for a fundamental reason.

The name itself was slightly misleading, because Brutenecks actually did have necks. They were just in some variants thin and in some extremely short and thick, designed to protect that vulnerable connection between head and body. But they all had necks. And that was always the weak point.

Tatehan focused his enhanced vision on the feeding Serpent-Tail's neck region. The creature's head was lowered toward its meal, stretching the neck slightly and making it more visible than when the head was in a neutral position.

There, he could see it. Perhaps seven or eight centimeters of scaled flesh between the base of the skull and where the shoulders began. Much smaller than common Brutenecks. Much harder to target.

'What an almost invincible neck,' Tatehan thought.

Text flashed across his retina as his system analyzed the target:

[Weak Point Identified: Neck Region]

[Warning: Target area significantly smaller than standard Bruteneck variants]

[Penetration difficulty: HIGH - requires precise aim]

[Note: Scales provide additional protection - bladed weapons recommended]

[Regeneration capability: Unknown - assume active]

[Recommendation: Strike must be clean and decisive to ensure kill]

Tatehan's lips curved into a slow, almost vicious grin inside his helmet. The expression would have looked decidedly villainous if anyone had been there to see it.

He had a plan. And it was going to require split-second timing and absolute precision.

But he was confident. His weapons were enhanced. His abilities were sharp. His reflexes were supernatural.

He could do this.

Tatehan acted immediately, his body moving on pure trained instinct.

He summoned both Tri-Edge Shadow chakrams into his hands and in one smooth motion threw them with perfect aim, targeting the creature's small neck region while it was still distracted with feeding.

The enhanced chakrams cut through the air with their distinctive whistling sound, moving so fast they were barely visible blurs.

But Tatehan didn't watch them fly. He was already moving to phase two.

While the chakrams were still in the air, traveling toward their target, Tatehan used his enhanced reflexes to instantly summon his Devastator Hand Cannon. The massive pistol materialized in his right hand, and he brought it up with crazy precision, his enhanced eyes calculating trajectory, distance, wind resistance…, every variable processed in a fraction of a second.

Tatehan aimed with absolute accuracy at the creature's neck—that tiny target area that was briefly exposed as the monster raised its head, and fired.

The sound of the Devastator Hand Cannon was thunderous, echoing across the wasteland like artillery fire. The energy projectile shot forward with devastating speed, a concentrated bolt of destructive force.

The Serpent-Tail was beginning to react now, alerted by the sound of the shot. Its head was starting to lift, its muscles tensing for defensive action.

Too slow…

While the sound was loud enough to potentially give the creature a split-second warning to protect itself, the projectile itself was phenomenally fast, seemingly faster than sound, faster than any biological creature could physically react to.

The chakrams hit first, both blades striking the neck region simultaneously from slightly different angles. The enhanced weapons bit deep into the scaled flesh, their razor-sharp edges designed specifically to penetrate armor and tough hide.

A fraction of a second later, the Devastator's energy projectile arrived.

The explosion was devastating. The neck region, already compromised by the chakram strikes, simply disintegrated in a burst of destructive force.

Now Tatehan burst from his hiding spot behind the boulder, sprinting at full speed toward the Serpent-Tail Bruteneck. His enhanced physiology pushed him forward with speed no normal human could match.

The impact of his combined attack was catastrophic. The chakrams had created deep lacerations. The explosion had destroyed vital arteries, severed the spinal column and torn muscle tissue to shreds. The creature's head was hanging on by literal threads of flesh and scale.

But incredibly, impossibly, it was still alive. Still trying to turn toward him. Looking almost dangerous even in its death throes.

Tatehan leapt high, using his gravity manipulation to reduce his own weight and increase the height of his jump dramatically. He soared upward, easily clearing three meters of elevation, his Shadow-Forged Blade gripped in both hands and positioned for a downward strike.

At the apex of his jump, he increased his own gravitational pull suddenly and dramatically, adding momentum and force to his descent.

He came down like a meteor, blade aimed precisely at what remained of the creature's compromised neck.

The enhanced sword struck!

Twaatttchhk!

The Shadow-Forged Blade cut through the remaining connective tissue like it was some tissue paper. The creature's head separated completely from its body and fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

The massive body collapsed a moment later, twitching with residual nerve activity but functionally dead.

Tatehan landed in a crouch, sword still ready, watching for any signs of continued threat.

There were none. The Serpent-Tail Bruteneck was finished.

Text flashed across his retina:

[Congratulations, Host!]

[You have successfully eliminated one Serpent-Tail Bruteneck]

[Combat performance: EXCELLENT]

[Tactical approach: OPTIMAL]

[Execution: FLAWLESS]

[You are demonstrating significant growth in combat capability]

Tatehan stood slowly, dismissing his sword, and looked down at his handiwork—two dead Serpent-Tail Brutenecks, one killed by the other, the survivor killed by him.

He allowed himself a satisfied smile.

What an adventure it had been.

Now for the fun part, checking if the creatures came with cores and harvesting them.

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