The battle between the adventurers and the three Giantkin had been intense, each blow and strike sending tremors through the ground. Celestine's newfound power from the Primal Chaos had given them a glimmer of hope, and they fought with all their might. But just as they thought victory might be within reach, the first giant, the one they had wounded, suddenly surged with a terrifying surge of energy.
"Behold my fury!" the giant roared, his body pulsating with dark, primal energy. The earth beneath his feet cracked and split as he released his full strength. His massive stone club glowed with an unnatural light as he raised it high, preparing for a devastating blow that could wipe the adventurers off the face of the earth.
The ground shook violently as he swung his club down with earth-shattering force, and the adventurers barely managed to dodge in time. The air was thick with the tension of the impending attack, and for a moment, it seemed as though the battle was lost. The shockwaves from his strikes sent Kaelen stumbling backward, Merek barely managing to maintain his stance, and Finn's agility failing to keep him at a safe distance.
BOOM!
The giant's blow slammed into the ground, sending a shockwave of dust and debris that threw the adventurers off their feet. The sheer force of the attack left them gasping for air, blood staining their clothes, their limbs aching from the brutal impact.
"Stay down!" Kaelen yelled, struggling to rise, but the power of the giant was overwhelming. "We can't fight him head-on anymore!"
"Not like this," Merek gasped, his face pale from exertion. His mana reserves were rapidly depleting, and he knew they were on the brink of collapse.
Finn, his body already battered from the earlier assault, limped as he tried to rise, but his legs buckled beneath him. Lyra, too, was down, her breath shallow, barely clinging to consciousness.
"We're done for..." Lyra whispered through clenched teeth, her eyes wide with fear.
As the giant raised his club once again, preparing for a final strike, there was a moment of sheer despair. This time, they wouldn't be able to dodge. There was no way they could survive this next hit.
But just before the giant could bring his club down upon them, something changed.
A young man—a figure like none of them had ever seen—appeared on the battlefield.
He was tall, strikingly handsome, with an aura that seemed to shimmer around him. His long, dark hair flowed like a river behind him, and his intense, focused eyes gleamed with an unspoken power. He was barely a teenager, yet the sheer presence he exuded told them all that this was no ordinary individual. He seemed to step from nowhere, his form emerging from the chaos of the battle, a calm in the storm.
The adventurers, still reeling from the damage they had taken, could only watch in astonishment as the young man stood in front of the charging giant. He was poised, his body relaxed yet ready, exuding a sense of confidence that none of them had felt in their weakest moments.
The giants halted in their tracks, eyeing the young man with suspicion and disdain. "Another adventurer?" one of them snarled, flexing his muscles as he advanced. "Pathetic."
But the young man simply stepped forward, meeting the first giant's gaze without fear. His eyes burned with an unyielding resolve, a look that sent chills down the spines of the warriors who had seen countless battles.
Without a word, the giant swung his club down toward the young man, faster and more violently than before, aiming to crush him beneath the weight of his weapon.
The young man didn't even flinch. In the blink of an eye, he moved.
His body was a blur, his movements fluid and almost imperceptible as he sidestepped the incoming blow. The massive club, which had easily shattered the earth, missed him by mere inches, the wind from the swing tugging at his clothes. The young man wasn't just quick—he was impossibly fast, a blur of motion too swift for the eye to follow.
In one smooth motion, he drew a long, glinting sword from his side, its blade shimmering with a supernatural light.
CRACK!
He moved with incredible speed and precision, his sword cutting through the giant's club with a single strike. The sheer force of the sword's swing sent shockwaves through the air, and the club shattered into splinters, falling to the ground in pieces.
Before the giant could even react, the young man leapt into the air, his sword raised high. The ground shook with the power of his leap, and he brought the blade down in a single, decisive arc. The giant barely had time to raise his arm in defense before the sword cleaved through his flesh with unnatural ease.
The giant roared in agony, but the young man didn't give him a chance to recover. With a final, brutal thrust, the young man pierced the giant's heart, ending his life in an instant.
The massive warrior fell to the ground with a thunderous crash, his blood spilling across the dirt, painting the earth red.
The remaining two giants stood in stunned silence for a brief moment, eyes wide in disbelief. Their comrade had fallen in the blink of an eye, and they could not comprehend the speed or power that the young man had exhibited.
"Impossible," one of the giants muttered, his voice filled with awe. "Who is this brat?"
But the young man didn't hesitate. He turned to face the second giant, his expression calm and collected, as if he were merely strolling in the park rather than facing a deadly foe. His aura flared, his power rising with a palpable intensity.
Without a word, he surged forward again, moving like a streak of lightning.
The second giant tried to strike him with his massive club, but the young man dodged once more, his movements so fluid and precise that it seemed as though he had anticipated the attack before it even happened.
In the next instant, he was upon the second giant, his sword dancing through the air with inhuman precision. The sword clashed against the giant's hide, and the blade sank deep into the giant's side, cutting through bone and muscle like it was nothing more than soft flesh.
The second giant let out a deafening roar of pain, swinging wildly in an attempt to catch the young man off guard. But he was far too slow. The young man effortlessly avoided each strike, his movements so fast that it was impossible for the giant to land a blow.
In a final, devastating move, the young man darted behind the giant, his sword slicing through the air. With a single slash, he cleaved the second giant's spine, and the giant crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
The third giant, now trembling with fear and rage, roared in fury, rushing toward the young man, his club raised high, intent on ending his life.
But the young man didn't flinch. He stood tall, his sword glowing with an ethereal light, a symbol of the power that flowed through him. In a blink, he closed the distance between them.
The third giant swung his club down, but the young man was already there, his sword cutting through the air with deadly accuracy. In a move so fast it could not be tracked, he struck the giant's legs, severing them at the joints.
The third giant fell to his knees, his club falling from his grip. The young man stepped forward, his expression impassive, and with a final strike, he drove his sword through the giant's skull.
The battle was over.
The adventurers, still recovering from their injuries, stared in awe at the young man who had saved them. He was standing amidst the fallen giants, his sword in hand, as though the battle had been no more than a fleeting moment for him.
"Who… who are you?" Kaelen asked, his voice hoarse from exhaustion, as he slowly stood up, his eyes wide with amazement.
The young man turned to face them, his expression serene but distant. "I am Jargien Rayinor," he said quietly, his voice filled with a quiet, undeniable power.