The troll emerged fully from the tree line, a hulking monstrosity of stone and brute strength. The sheer weight of its body made the ground quake. Its granite-like skin glinted in the dim light, and A crude stone club rested in its enormous hand, its edges jagged and deadly.
With every step, it emitted a low, guttural growl that sent shivers through the air.
Zayd's stomach churned at the sight.
'That thing looks like a fortress, can it even be damaged?'
"Elders form up!" Raed commanded, his tone firm but calm. His scimitars gleamed faintly with metallic energy, their polished edges a stark contrast to the bloodied battlefield.
"Standard formation against regenerators. Focus on disabling its movement."
Elder Hakim observed the beast with a calculating gaze.
"Its regeneration will undo surface-level damage quickly." His voice carried the weight of years of wisdom.
"Strike with precision, or the fight will drag on."
The troll charged forward, each thunderous step leaving deep craters in the earth, its beady eyes locked on the pulsing dark energy with a hunger that seemed to consume it.
The elders sprang into action, their combined Terrakinesis erecting a multilayered barrier of stone walls to slow its advance. The troll rammed the first barrier with its bulky shoulder, shattering it into rubble. One wall after another crumbled under the beast's immense weight.
As the final wall fell, Massive stone golems surged forward, rising from the earth under the elders' control. Each golem stood over three meters tall, their movements slow but deliberate. The first golem wasted no time, charging directly into the troll.
Its stone fist crashes into the troll's abdomen. The impact printed a deep fist dent across its armored hide, forcing the creature to stagger. Two more golems followed, seizing the troll's massive arms. Their grip was powerful, holding the beast in place momentarily.
The troll snarled, its sheer strength on display as it thrashed violently. With a deafening roar, it hurled both golems into each other, the collision reducing them to a cascade of boulders.
Grabbing its stone club in both hands, the troll swung with devastating force, smashing the remaining golem beneath it and grinding the rubble into dust beneath its massive foot. The dents on its stomach had already reformed.
Jabal and Tariq stepped into the chaos, their movements synchronized without a word. Their power was doubled with their giant might buff and Raed domain. Tariq's Warhammer glowed faintly as he channeled his mastery, while Jabal's gauntlets shone with earth energy. They rushed the troll together, targeting both knees simultaneously.
Jabal's strike connected first, his gauntlet slamming into the troll's left knee, while Tariq followed with a devastating hammer blow to its right. Cracks rippled through its stone-like joints, and with a thunderous groan, the troll collapsed onto its knees, shaking the battlefield.
"Now!" Raed's voice cut through the chaos.
The ground beneath the troll softened, transforming into a swirling Quicksand Trap. Its massive legs sank slowly into the earth, its struggles only hastening its descent. The quicksand clung to its skin pulling it deeper with a relentless grip.
The beast thrashed wildly, raising its enormous arms to swipe at the attackers. The blow caught the retreating Jabal mid-air.
He clasped his thick arms together to brace himself for the blow, but the weight of it sent him hurtling through the air, his body crashing into a tree with enough force to splinter the trunk. Leaves and branches rained down as Jabal crumpled to the ground, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
Tariq rushed to his fallen comrade's side. Glancing at the blood trailing down his comrade's mouth.
"Jabal! You dead mate?"
"You wish," Jabal groaned, gripping Tariq's offered hand as he hauled himself upright with a grin.
"It'll take more than that to put me down."
'Damn, Even the mountain incarnation himself was sent flying. What kind of monster is this?' Zayd thought.
"Pin its arms down!" Raed barked, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade.
The control elders responded in unison. Massive stone hands, conjured from the earth itself, erupted around the troll. The hands clamped down on its arms, pinning them to the ground. The troll roared in frustration, its limbs straining against the earthen grasp as its legs sank further into the quicksand.
Raed stepped forward, his movements calm yet purposeful. He channeled his mastery over metal. Gleaming chains erupted from the earth, coiling tightly around the troll's arms and torso. The metallic links shimmered in the fading light, their tensile strength reinforced by Raed's elemental control.
The troll growled, its muscles bulging as it strained against the restraints. One by one, the chains began to snap, the beast's raw power threatening to undo all their efforts.
But Raed was already dashing forward. With his Mountain's might buff amplifying his strength. He drew his twin scimitars, their blades infused with metallic energy making them much sharper than normal blades.
He leaped onto the troll's back, Each step was swift and accurate, his balance unshaken by the thrashing troll beneath him.
With a sharp and precise strike, Raed drove one scimitar into the nape of the troll's neck, the blade sliced through its stone-like armor sinking deep into the vulnerable flesh below. The troll howled in agony, its struggles intensifying snapping more chains.
Raed wasted no time. He followed with his second scimitar, plunging it into the base of the troll's skull, the twin blades crackling with metallic energy as he twisted them. The creature's roars turned into a guttural gurgle as its immense body began to falter.
The restraints held firm just long enough for Raed to strike one final time, severing the critical tendons that kept the troll upright. The beast's resistance crumbled, its movements slowed, and its strength drained.
With a decisive flourish, Raed delivered the killing blow, severing the troll's neck completely. Its head tumbled to the ground with a resounding thud, rolling to a stop near the shattered remnants of the golems. The troll's body collapsed. Fractures spread across its hardened skin, crumbling into a lifeless heap of rubble and dust.
Silence fell over the battlefield, broken only by the crackling of shattered debris.
From a safe distance, Zayd watched, his heart racing. His father had commanded the battle with a mastery and ferocity that left him awestruck, yet his chest felt heavy.
'I'll never be like him,' he thought, frustration and despair curling within him.
'Not without elements.'
As the elders regrouped to assess the damage, Raed glanced toward the crater, his expression unreadable.
"The dark sphere's energy is only going to attract worse," Raed muttered, his voice low but firm.
"We need to decide what to do with it—and fast."