I started to back up slowly, never letting my eyes drift from the titan. Steam hissed from between its terrifying maw, which caught the ominous light of the storm like jagged shards of reinforced glass. A moment later, lightning fractured the sky, and before the thunder could even roll, the beast was a white blur of kinetic energy hurtling toward me.
"Damn it," I grumbled, my hand moving in a fluid blur to summon my spear from its storage seal. With a sharp twist of my torso, I hurled it forward, the markings along the shaft igniting with a brilliant blue glow that mirrored the celestial fire above.
The predator lowered its head with a grunt, allowing the weapon to bite deep into the thick muscle of its shoulder. I felt the surge as the blade injected a massive discharge of lightning into its huge frame, but the creature didn't even flinch. If anything, the pain only seemed to stoke its engine, and its speed increased.
I flickered at the absolute last second, the air rushing past me as I evaded a devastating dive. The bear skidded, its enormous bulk stopping with an unnaturally fast and jarring halt that tore up the earth. Another flash of light washed over the forest, revealing its eyes. They were now glowing a dark and predatory red that turned the scene into a waking nightmare.
I called the spear back, and it vanished from the flesh of the bear to reappear in my hand, leaving behind a jagged hole that leaked dark blood across its white fur. The titan didn't move immediately. It observed me, but this time I saw thought behind those crimson pupils. It was measuring me.
I twirled the shaft, trying to mask the tremor in my hands as I prepared to repeat the strategy. The bear didn't disappoint. Its claws practically exploded the dirt as it launched itself again, using sheer and raw power to close the gap.
As it approached, I focused electricity into the spear, the air around the metal crackling as I threw it with tremendous might. The ground beneath the weapon shattered from the force, but the enemy's timing was impeccable. With a roar, it swiped a massive claw in a vertical arc, its enormous physical power batting the blade aside with effort. A huge shock administered itself to the limb of the titan upon contact, but it drove through the agony as it stumbled a bit before its paws grasped the soil and pushed forward with vigor back to its original speed.
I tried to flicker to the side to reset my position, but my shoulder slammed into a wall of solid ice that hadn't been there a second ago. My eyes widened in shock. The predator was almost at my neck, its jaws open and ready to end the fight.
I didn't have time to think. Instead of pulling away, I lunged forward and dove toward the beast. I saw the monster's gaze widen slightly in surprise as I skidded through the mud, sliding directly under its massive underbelly. I focused a concentrated current of lightning into the tip of my finger, a shot of pure energy that I fired point blank into its belly before escaping out the other side.
I flickered away, my lungs burning and my legs screaming in protest, as I summoned the spear back into my grip and waited for the next move.
The titan growled from the pain, however the vicious look on his face only grew more ominous as he observed me. His gaze sharpened, narrowing as his form started to glow. I sent out a pulse of energy and sensed great amounts of chakra emitting from his figure into the air. The environment around me started to shift. The cold mist intensified as a single word escaped my mouth.
"Shit."
I flickered immediately, running in the opposite direction. I heard his roar shake the earth itself as a cage made of frost rose from the dirt. The misty cold air above solidified with freezing chakra, forming a cover for the prison. The moment I came out of my flicker, my hands were already throwing the spear ahead. I poured a large amount of my remaining reserves into the weapon as I threw it with all my might. It collided with the newly formed frozen barrier, shattering most of it in one go.
I cursed as I resummoned the spear, still running toward the impact zone while the deafening sound of the bear grew closer and closer. Its growl was almost feral at this point. I threw the spear once more with most of my remaining chakra. It collided with the previously hit area of the ice wall with great power. Ice and lightning collided, the air screaming from the impact. However, the predator was already there, rising and slashing his claw toward my head.
I twisted, evading the horrific slash, though the wind from the strike alone felt sharp enough to cut. I retaliated by slamming a powerful punch into the side of the monster's head, sending him reeling. He stumbled forward, but with his hind legs, he slashed at the soil, sending debris flying toward me with tremendous speed. I didn't have much chakra left, so I simply rolled to the side. Multiple pieces of the broken rock hit my back hard, bruising me as I stood up groaning in pain.
I could see the titan's form emitting even more chakra now, visible as a blue hue to my sharp senses. Frost started to form on the inside of the cage walls. These layers were weaker than the main structure, but they were rapidly tightening the area I could maneuver within.
I exhaled and ran toward my weapon. It was now buried behind multiple layers of ice, but I had a plan. I heard the bear charging with so much velocity and force that the air whistled around his massive bulk. I stopped just behind where my spear was lodged and took a deep breath as I turned, facing the approaching doom.
Just moments before the bear arrived, I summoned my spear. The weapon shattered the inner side of the newly formed and weaker frozen walls as it manifested back into my hand. I jammed it between me and the creature a fraction of a second before the beast reached me. To my absolute horror, the monster reacted too fast, as if he was expecting this. He rose up, the metal biting deep into his chest as the titan crashed into me with all his weight and momentum.
I coated my body with my last bit of chakra and prayed. The physical force smashed me through multiple layers of frost before my back screamed in pain as we hit the outer hard barrier. This was the exact spot I had weakened with my last throw. We both shattered through the thick damaged wall, escaping the prison.
I went flying as the giant crashed into the dirt. I gripped the soil, feeling a blinding ache all over my limbs as I skidded further away. I tried to stand up, however, my legs collapsed back to the ground. Agony shot through my nerves and froze my muscles as I screamed. I was bleeding, low on reserves, probably with some broken bones and furious at the sheer weight of my bad luck. Even so, the fire never left my eyes. If I was going to die, I would die with my spirit roaring in defiance.
I watched as the bear slowly stood up. The freezing mist began to swirl violently around his bloodied frame, turning the crimson stains on his fur into jagged frost. He looked like a demonic mountain rising from the earth. Despite the puncture wound in his chest and the multiple injuries I caused before it, the titan still possessed tremendous strength in his limbs, with enough chakra and stamina to outlast me comfortably. He stood there like an unstoppable force of nature, his dark red eyes locked onto mine with a piercing, cold gaze.