NOVPUBThe ground trembled beneath the feet of the coalition army as they gathered at the monster kingdom's borders. Lance stood at the forefront, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to the chaos surrounding them.
Reports of three advancing Titans had reached the capital only hours before, and the urgency of the situation had left little room for planning. Their mission was clear: evacuate the remaining refugees and hold the line until everyone was safe.
Rynne barked orders to the troops. "Prioritize the people! Get them to safety no matter what! Let's be fast!"
Apart from the head of the ogres, Burrok, the rest were busy with different areas undertaking similar tasks, so they weren't available.
Healers and medics worked tirelessly amidst the chaos, ensuring the injured were stabilized and moved swiftly toward the kingdom's interior.
Aelyndra, in her dragon form, soared above the battlefield, scanning for the incoming threat. "They're close," she communicated to Lance through his mind.
Lance stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "I'll handle the Titans. Focus on the evacuation."
Rynne turned to him, concern flashing in her eyes. "You can't face them alone, Lance. It's too dangerous."
"If they reach the refugees, it's over… Trust me—" Lance said firmly. 'There's something I want to try also.' He thought to himself.
The first Titan appeared over the ridge, its massive form almost blocking out the sun from the angle it stood at. Its molten core pulsed with energy, and with each step, the ground cracked and split beneath it.
Behind it, two more Titans emerged, their forms equally imposing, one a hulking figure of stone and ice, the other a shimmering construct like smooth metal.
The army froze momentarily, their resolve shaken by the sheer scale of the beings before them.
"Move!" Lance's voice cut through the fear, snapping the soldiers into action. "Focus on the evacuation!"
As the army scrambled to guide the refugees away, Lance stepped forward, his eyes locked on the advancing Titans.
"I'm right behind you." Aelyndra said.
As Lance and Aelyndra closed in, the first Titan raised its colossal arm, preparing to strike. Lance moved faster than the eye could follow, darting beneath its massive form. With a sharp gesture, he unleashed his cutting technique as the air compressed around his hand, forcing a blade of pure pressure. In an instant, the blade sliced through the Titan's arm, severing it at the shoulder.
The Titan roared, its molten core flaring as it swung its remaining arm. Lance leaped back, narrowly avoiding the attack, though he was in no danger, before delivering another of the same strike. This time, the Titan's legs gave way, and its massive form crumbled to the ground.
"Well, what do you know? A little tweak and its already this good." He said to himself with a small smile. With Kaelthara's recent visit, he made sure to have her look at his techniques.
As if on queue, the second Titan, made of stone and ice, charged forward, its every step shaking the battlefield. Lance met it head-on, when the Titan swung its icy arm, Lance countered with another strike, meeting it with his own fists this time, shattering the limb into fragments. As the Titan stumbled, he pressed the attack, his movements seemingly instantaneous as he sliced through its torso.
The Titan collapsed, its massive form breaking apart as Lance turned his attention to the third that didn't seem to require much energy to take out, as Aelyndra had actually sunk it into the earth with magic, in a mudlike mesh that trapped it in place. With two well-placed strikes, Lance cleaved its head off before severing its right side alongside its arm.
As the dust settled and Lance caught his breath, the battlefield grew eerily silent. The soldiers and refugees paused, their gazes fixed on him as he stood amidst the remains of the Titans he had defeated.
But the silence was short-lived.
The ground trembled once more, more violently than before. From the distant horizon, five massive figures appeared, each dwarfing the Titans Lance had just defeated.
These new Titans were colossal, their forms radiating an overwhelming power that made the air itself feel heavy. One was wreathed in fire, one ice, while the rest were made of stone.
"We're not done yet," Lance muttered.
Just then, the first Titan he too down started to regrow its legs and arm, so for good measure, Lance destroyed the molten core in its chest, taking it as its source of strength. Though that kept the Titan down, Lance wasn't sure if it was down for good.
With the emergence of the five Titans, panic rippled through the ranks as the soldiers and refugees witnessed their arrival.
Aelyndra landed beside Lance, her dragon form towering over the battlefield. "These ones are different," she said, her voice low and tense.
Rynne ran up, her face pale but determined. "We need to retreat, Lance. We can't handle this."
Lance shook his head. "I'll hold the line. Get everyone out of here… now."
Without questioning him, she did as he said.
The dragon elders, sensing the disturbance from afar, began making their way toward the battlefield, but even their arrival would take time.
Lance stood his ground as the five Titans advanced, their footsteps shaking the earth and their forms casting long shadows over the battlefield as they blocked out the sun.
Behind him, the last of the refugees were being evacuated, the coalition army working tirelessly to ensure their safety.
Aelyndra growled, her golden eyes glowing. "This is going to be the fight of our lives."
Lance smirked faintly, his gaze never leaving the approaching Titans. "Come on, don't jinx anything here."
As the Titans roared, their voices shaking the very heavens, Lance and Aelyndra prepared for the battle.
With a sharp gesture, he unleashed his severing technique, the compressed air streaking toward the Titan with lethal precision and speed.
The attack struck true, slicing across the Titan's chest. But instead of toppling, the Titan raised its arm with unnatural speed for its massive size, deflecting the brunt of the blow. The wound was shallow, barely noticeable against its colossal frame, and as though that was no enough, it slowly covered up.
Lance smiled. "It's faster than it looks," he muttered, his mind racing to formulate a new strategy. In the end, his technique was still severely lacking. Compared to Kaelthara's, he could be said to be at roughly 5% of perfection of this particular technique.
The Titan retaliated, its massive hand swinging downward with the force of an avalanche. Lance leaped back, the ground where he stood shattering under the impact. He dodged again and again, his movements precise but growing closer with each narrow escape. Titan wasn't getting faster, it was more like it could predict what he would do next, and it was getting more precise.
Lance unleashed another cleaving blade, aiming for its legs this time, but the Titan's rapid movements made it impossible to land a critical hit. The air seemed heavier, charged with the overwhelming power of the behemoth before him.
"That's some scary adaptability for this size," Lance muttered. "This thing's on a different level."
As the Titan's attacks grew fiercer, connecting a few heavy blows that tested Lance's durability to the limit and even breaking past, Lance's healing magic became his lifeline, mending himself just as if not quicker than he was being injured.
The Titan's attacks felt different, as though he wasn't just battling against its physical might, there was something more behind it, but he couldn't tell.
Just as Lance was reaching the end of his wits, the sky darkened, as a massive shadow fell over the battlefield, and a deafening roar echoed across the plains.
Three dragon elders descended from the heavens, their colossal forms rivaling the Titans in size. Their scales glimmered like dark gemstones, and their presence alone sent a ripple of awe and terror through the ranks of soldiers and refugees watching from a long distance. Their size made them very visible even from afar.
"Lance, fall back!" the eldest dragon elder, Elder Thoryx, bellowed, his voice resonating like thunder. "We'll handle these four!"
