After that devastating attack, Merlin (who had already been badly injured) decided that it was best for him to retreat now and live to fight another day.
Merlin: Screw it! I'm not dying for this ruse! If you want to stay, Zeldrys, suit yourself... but I'm getting out of here! - After saying those words, he vanished.
General Vortigen was hurt pretty badly. But Zeldrys still had a lot of fight in him left. He didn't seem to be injured at all... His armor was mostly shredded to pieces, but he hadn't sustained any injuries. Despite being the only enemy able to continue the fight, he couldn't find any weaknesses in Kohrr. He even tried restricting his movements with his Seigen technique, but it didn't work. Kohrr, in his giant form, was a completely unstoppable force...
Kohrr: {My time is about to run out... If I cannot defeat this one, he could easily do as much damage as the army I eliminated... I must not fail... Or it may well be over for everyone!}
Kohrr put one knee on the ground, causing massive tremors. Then he put both his hands on the ground.
Zeldrys: {He wouldn't!}
Zeldrys believed he knew what was about to happen. If he were right, the earth would probably open up and swallow all of them, including the people Kohrr was trying to protect.
Zeldrys: Are you insane? Will you kill the ones you are fighting to protect and your enemies?! – Zeldrys shouted while he thought he had no way to defeat him. Kohrr ignored his words and proceeded.
Kohrr: Magnitude… - -
As he began speaking, Kohrr's size began to revert to normal. While that was happening, a host of monsters arrived with Andreza, the chief mage of The Reach's forces.
Zeldrys saw Kohrr revert to normal with relief.
Zeldrys: How unfortunate for you. Despite your formidable strength, your giant form was incredibly powerful and yet your only advantage. It is over. You have lost.
Once he went back to human size, Kohrr seemed confused. He didn't know what was happening... He couldn't even remember what he was doing there. He could understand the human language but had lost the ability to speak it fluently.
Over at the throne room, by Meg's advice, they agreed to escape through the crypts to lead the king and citizens to safety. Under the castle, the crypts were connected to an ancient tunnel system that led to several cities in alliance with Dalmacia. But if they were to be caught by the enemy in those tunnels, fighting wouldn't be advantageous. So, to gain time, they decided a few should stay behind to hold off the enemy.
Alonzo: Your Majesty. Gregg and I will stay behind. We can hold them off and at least buy you some time for your escape.
Jean: Why are you both so eager to die? I will provide assistance. That way, you'll have a better chance of buying time. And who knows… you might even survive!
Gregg: Though if the Princess' friend is as powerful as you've mentioned, I don't know if we stand a chance against anything that defeats him...
Legend: I will lend you my power- -
Meg: No! Legend... You must protect the king. Stay at his side. An elite Dragoon, an elite Dark knight, and an elite White wizard are as good a squad as any other.
King Uther: Godspeed, Dalmacian warriors!
"Your Majesty."
Nimrod carried Rachel while another Holy knight was taking Richard. Legend was next to the king, who was guiding them through the underground tunnels to the crypts.
Meanwhile, on the surface:
Andreza: Has the king been subdued?
Zeldrys: I believe he hid in the throne room. It should be there, behind that rubble. Everything else has crumbled down to the ground.
Andreza: I believe it's about time we cleared up this mess...
General Vortigen: What are y-you doing- Andreza? I am in comm-mmand!
General Vortigen was severely injured after receiving a devastating attack from Kohrr in his giant form. Despite being quick enough to find cover, Kohrr's attack was so powerful that it obliterated the wall he managed to hide behind. His armor was totaled, and he had even lost one of the fingers on his left hand.
Andreza: Don't make me laugh, General! You have failed! You were beaten! It even seems that you're not long for this world. Now, if you're still alive, just sit back and watch... I'll show you how it's done!
Andreza threw an orb as far as she could, with General Vortigen grinding his teeth at her. When it fell on the ground, a large portal was opened.
Andreza: I only need Fin, Fan, and Fun. The rest may remain in your world.
Three giants then came through the portal. The first one that went through the portal looked like he had sucked on something sour... The second one seemed pretty angry; the third one seemed happy and playful. The giants Fin, Fan, and Fun were an infamous trio that, in the distant past, had wreaked havoc among humans in the Arkana (or so the stories said). When they saw Kohrr, they got agitated. All three of them ran toward him and surrounded him. Kohrr was still trying to collect his thoughts and was evidently confused. Fan, the angry looking one, picked him up and said something in the giant's language. Fun laughed afterward. And Fan proceeded to throw him high in the air. After a few moments, as Kohrr was falling and still visibly confused, Fin punched him so hard that he sent him flying somewhere far from everyone's eyesight.
Andreza: Find the king. Bring him to me. Alive. Kill else that survived.
The three giants cleared the path, destroying and flattening what was left of the castle ruins.
Anxiety had reached critical levels in the throne room (a room whose roof had fallen and crumbled away). Gregg Raines, Alonzo Gabriev, and Jean Riovanes were hidden among the fallen pillars and rubble. They saw the three giants that were ransacking the entirety of the castle ruins.
Gregg: Giants, huh? Have any of you ever heard of a giant being defeated?
Jean: I didn't even know that giants were real. According to the stories of old, giants were invincible... they had no weakness to weapons of men. I don't know if they have any magical vulnerabilities... And we're not only facing one... but THREE of them. I'm not sure we stand a chance here...
Alonzo: That's right. But hey... we may be the first to pull off an epic victory against them... Songs would be sung about our heroics!
Gregg, Alonzo, and Jean all chuckled nervously.
Alonzo: Am I an idiot for volunteering to stay back?
Gregg: I guess we both are...
Jean: You men are the worst. Go ahead... Keep on deliberately failing to acknowledge my existence and worth...
Alonzo: This is the first time a woman has gotten angry at me for not calling her an idiot.
Gregg laughed out loud. As they realized they would probably die, they started to open up.
Gregg: I have no regrets, though. Except maybe one... I wish I had seen my son take his first steps... He's just a baby... always full of energy, the little rascal. I bet he'll walk in no time!
Jean: I didn't know you were a father...
Alonzo: I have two kids. A boy and a girl. They both say they want to be mages. Arfax and Denise. They cast Charm on me the minute I first laid eyes on them.
Jean: That's so sweet.
Alonzo: Do you have a family, Jean Riovanes?
Jean: You already know I do. I don't have children of my own. But my little brother is like a son to me. He is my family. My everything.
While they spoke, everything was shaking because of the giants uncovering the parts of the castle that were still standing. The tremors and shaking intensified as the giants got closer and closer.
Jean: We all have someone to protect. A reason to fight for.
Gregg: Let's give it our all.
Alonzo: One last time.
Jean: For the ones we love.
Jean cast Wall on everyone, and Alonzo revealed himself first to the giants tearing the castle apart. Fun tried to grab him, but he avoided capture and used his skill, Dark wave. A blast of darkness was shot from his sword to the giant, but as it hit him, it had no effect. While Fun was trying to swat Alonzo, Gregg came down from the sky with his jump skill on the giant's forehead, and his attack did some damage. The giant was left holding his forehead while wincing in pain. This gave Gregg an idea.
Gregg: Alonzo. Let's take out their eyes! If we manage to do that, there may still be a chance for us to survive this!
Alonzo: To think that a dragoon is the one coming up with a solid strategy... I'm proud of you, man.
Gregg smiled and carried Alonzo while he performed his jump skill once more. They were both at the height of the giant's face. The giant opened his eyes and saw that they were directly in front of him.
Alonzo: You're pretty tough all around your body, but I bet if I pierce your eye, it'll bleed just like anyone else's!
Alonzo stabbed the left eye with his sword, and Gregg used his spear to drive it through the right eye. It looked like he hadn't planned on remaining there hanging from the edge of his spear.
As Gregg was still in the air, Fan used a wind magic attack that was so strong it blew him way out of sight (the wind blast sent him flying far away from Dalmacia). Alonzo fell to the ground and hurt himself as he didn't land properly.
Fin came running to stomp on Alonzo. But before he could, Jean used Sleep on him, making the giant crash into a deep sleep state. Not long after that, Fun kicked the sleeping giant so hard that the spell was broken. Fin got back up slowly and steadily. The three giants looked like they were going to make a combined attack. Both Alonzo and Jean began to sink through the ground. They saw that Fin was chanting something in the giant tongue. Fun picked up two enormous boulders, one in each hand. He then slammed them against each other, crushing them into smaller rocks (still of significant size from a human standpoint). And then Fan used his magic Whirlwind to blow all the stones, rocks, and boulders toward our heroes, crushing them instantly.
As they were being crushed by the rocks and torn apart by the wind, both Jean and Alonzo were thinking the same thing: {For the ones we love...}
The king and the others had made it to the crypts. They guided the citizens through the tunnels to a secret fountain. Richard and Rachel had regained consciousness.
Rachel: Father... What is this fountain? I never knew about its existence before... Let alone these tunnels...
King Uther: It is not an actual fountain. It is a Waypoint that leads to Lybia.
Rachel: A... Waypoint?
King Uther: Waypoints are unique magical doorways set up by Dimensional mages long ago. They can make it so that anyone who goes into them is projected to another Waypoint in this tunnel system. It is what we will use to escape.
Richard: There have been Waypoints under Dalmacia all along?
King Uther: There have. We had never been in a situation in which we needed to use them before. Only the Chancellor and I knew about their existence. But for them to work, a White wizard must touch the well. Rachel... Your essence of divinity will activate it and allow all the people of Dalmacia to escape to safety.
Holy knight: Your majesty, but are we confident that Lybia is still a free city? I heard that the enemy attacked that city first...
King Uther: True. But the fact that they were attacked does not mean that the enemy remains there. We have no choice but to take that chance now. Staying here is no longer an option. It is infuriating to admit it, but we have been utterly beaten.
Rachel: Alright, father. Have everyone get ready to cross.
Rachel touched the well, and the water became glowing white.
King Uther: Everyone, go inside!
The people went through the well and made it to a partially destroyed Lybia. Once all the people had gone through, Meg advised the King.
Meg: Your Majesty! If I may offer some advice...
King Uther: After everything I have heard from you, I believe you should be an official council member. Please, speak your mind.
Meg: I'm flattered, Your Majesty. Might I recommend going south? As south as one can go on this continent...
King Uther: Are you saying we should seek refuge in Moriah? That is preposterous!
Meg: Desperate times require desperate measures. The Reach will destroy everything on this continent. You witnessed what they were capable of doing in one day!
King Uther: You do make a good point... I had hoped never again to see those wretched lands… honestly… more like a wretched child. Because that's what Moriah's king still is… nothing but a child. Did I not teach you this Lesson, son?
Richard: "In life, you cannot always get what you want."
King Uther: Ever so true. I am afraid you are right once again, Meg.
Meg then remembered something about Kohrr. He was one of the warriors of old that fought in the War of Magic ten thousand years ago... But back then, he was a full-sized giant. Something happened to him... He was cursed... And the weapon, Titan... It contained his true power. Every time he used it, his memory was erased. But for some reason, being with Rachel helped him remember...
Meg: Rachel, once we're out of here and this is all over, you'll need to find Kohrr.
Rachel: Huh? He's battling on the surface...
Meg: He's going to need you. I figured out the curse of Titan. It's called Mind Flay. Every time he uses the weapon's power to grow to his true size, a part of his memory is erased. He may have forgotten all about us already.