Kurt hurled the charged pebbles at the Giant's face. They streaked through the air like angry fireflies and popped on impact as sharp, snapping bursts of light that stung more than they damaged.
Each one cracked against the Giant's eyes and nose, just enough to make the massive creature jerk its head back in annoyance.
The giant bellowed in irritation while swatting at its face like it had wandered into a nest of hornets, creating an opening for the team.
Emma didn't waste the chance. She leveled the Dragon King at the Giant, flames gathering along the blade's edge, crawling up the blade like hungry serpents and swirling into a vortex of heat and light as the air around her shimmered, and the ground beneath her boots began to glow red.
"Dragon King's Roar!" Emma braced herself, planting her feet as the flames coalesced into the shape of a roaring dragon and shot forward with a deafening crack, melting the stone as it traveled and carving a molten trench straight towards the giant.
The fire-dragon slammed into the distracted Giant with the force of a bullet train, flames engulfing its torso and arms as the Giant was forced one step back, then another, letting out a bellow that shook the chamber.
It dropped to one knee, planting its massive sword in the ground to keep it upright, and its burning eyes locked onto Emma.
Then slowly, they shifted to Kurt.
Kurt met its gaze and smirked, flicking ash from his cigarette. "Well, don't I feel special. Stared at by a glorified bonfire. Proper honor, that."
"Good idea," Rook said with a steady voice and drove both hands into the ground, his molten fingers sinking deep into the stone.
The ground beneath him cracked and groaned as he began to lift, muscles straining, veins of essence glowing brighter along his arms, and a massive chunk of molten rock, easily the size of a building, began to rise from the floor.
"Distract it again!" Rook barked, his voice strained from effort.
Kurt grinned and grabbed another handful of pebbles, charging them with kinetic energy. "Oi! Over here, candlestick! Didn't anyone ever tell you that whole 'walking inferno' look went out of style? Not that I'd bloody know, can't remember last season, see?"
He flung the pebbles, and they exploded across the Giant's chest and shoulders, causing the snarling creature to turn its attention fully to Kurt, rising up.
From the flank, Cassandra moved in with her blade raised high before bringing it down in a sharp arc that froze the air above the Giant and jagged frozen spears began to fall with brutal force. Hundreds of razor-edged icicles raining down and punching into the Giant's burning cracks, detonating into steam.
Their combined assault wasn't enough deal serious damage but it was enough to make it roar in pain and distract it from Rook's attack.
"Good man," Rook growled, and with a roar of his own, he launched the boulder.
The massive chunk of molten rock hurtled through the air, trailing embers and smoke, and slammed into the Giant with a sound like the earth splitting open.
The impact drove the Giant backward as its feet carved trenches into the ground, and a cloud of dust and ash exploded outward.
"Fall back!" Rook shouted, and the team scattered.
Kurt dove behind a pillar, coughing as the dust filled his lungs. Across the chamber, the two remaining conscious guild members were dragging their unconscious teammates toward the entrance, their faces pale and sweat-soaked.
The dust began to settle, and Kurt peered around the pillar to see the Giant's silhouette emerge from the haze, still standing, still holding its sword. And then It roared.
The sound was louder this time, deeper, and it carried a weight that made Kurt's chest compress and the air vibrate with pressure.
The shockwave tore through the chamber, clearing the remaining dust while slamming into everyone hard, and the two guild members who'd been standing dropped instantly, their bodies hitting the ground like dead flies.
Kurt's vision blurred, his knees buckling, and he felt himself falling into a familiar feeling. Then...
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[Knockout Prevention Activated]
[You are about to be knocked out. Preventing unconsciousness to maintain combat capability]
[Would you like to adjust your settings? (Y/N)]
Kurt gasped as his vision snapped back into focus, not so sure if he liked the idea of not being able to get knocked out. He had to admit that there was a peace that came with getting knocked the fuck out.
He looked around, and the only ones still standing were him, Rook, Emma, Cassandra, and Lizzie—who was crouched near the entrance, her hands glowing as she tried to stabilize the unconscious fighters.
Lizzie's eyes went wide while she worked. "Oh yeah, it's SUPER pissed now!" she shrieked, voice high like she was thrilled and terrified at once.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Kurt muttered as he wiped sweat from his face and stared at the Giant. Its armor was cracked, molten rock dripping from the wounds, but it wasn't slowing down. If anything, it looked angrier. Well, Rook did just throw a building on it. Of course it'd get pissed.
The Giant shifted its stance, sword scraping against the ground as its burning gaze locked onto them. It tensed, muscles coiling... and then it bursted into a bloody sprint!
The ground trembled with each pounding step as the Giant closed the distance, its massive sword trailing sparks and heat, turning the air into a fierce furnace.
Kurt felt it was so unfair that something that huge could move that fast, but Emma lifted the Dragon King high, flames erupting along its blade. "Bring it on!" She clearly didn't feel the same way.
Beside her, Rook's molten body flared brighter, his fists glowing like miniature suns and in contrast, Cassandra's blade gleamed with frost, her blue eyes cold and focused. "Try not to embarrass yourself, Manchester." She said it with a smile. Why did it seem like she was enjoying this?
And Kurt straightened his coat, dropping his cigarette to the ground. "Wouldn't dream of it, love."
With the Giant's roar echoing through the chamber, chaos exploded around them, forcing every warrior to steel themselves for the battle ahead.
***
Emma met the charge head-on, Dragon King clashing against the Giant's massive blade in a shower of sparks and flames.
Rook struck from the side just moments later, his molten fists hammering into the Giant's torso as each blow cracked the armor even more but this resilient monster refused to bloody go down.
Nearby, Cassandra slid beneath the Giant's reach. Her movements were sharp and cold as her blade carved frost like icy scars along its legs that hissed and evaporated instantly against the creature's unbearable heat.
Still, the Giant did not falter, its strikes coming faster, harder, and with devastating precision. It became clear to Kurt why Rook hated twilight giants. These fucking monster seemed to have infinite endurance.
"Lizzie!" Kurt's voice was suddenly filled with sharp panic and urgency because he noticed the Giant had shifted its attention to the back mid-battle.
It leaped into the air, its massive form blocking out the light, and came down directly toward Lizzie and the unconscious bodies by the entrance.
Lizzie's eyes widened at the quickly descending twilight giant and she blinked once. "...oh that's bad." Yeah, it was bad. The twilight giant must have figured out she was the support. It wasn't looking good for them.
Her hands shot up instinctively, panic sharpening her movements. Suddenly, vibrant green light erupted from her palms, coalescing into a dome-shaped barrier.
Normally, it was a gentle healing pod, designed to cradle and stabilize wounded allies, but right in that moment, it was the only shield standing between them and total annihilation.
The Giant slammed into it with earth-shattering force, and the barrier cracked, splintering like glass under the impact, ramming repeatedly into a technique that was never meant to endure this kind of hit.
The rest of the team moved to help, but they were too far and too damn exhausted.
Emma tried to move, but the Giant's earlier blow had pinned her to the ground, Dragon King clashing against the floor as she struggled to rise.
A dazed Rook staggered repeatedly while trying to move, one leg buckling beneath him as he recovered from an earlier strike to his midsection. That's what they got for going blow for blow with that thing!
Cassandra on the other hand, was too far left, out of position. She calculated the distance and knew it would be a waste of time. But to be honest, it seemed like she didn't really care enough to make an effort. Fucking Cassandra...
To put it simply, none of them were in reach.
Except Kurt who was thirty feet away, exactly the amount of distance his teleportation could cover. 'How serendipitous.' he thought to himself as he vanished in a blink.
Reappearing before the twilight giant, he exercised his last burst of speed and pulled his fist back, pouring every ounce of strength he had into the punch and drove it into the Giant's side, right where the armor was already cracked, and the impact sent a shockwave through his arm.
The crack deepened, spreading outward, but the Giant barely flinched as it turned its head slowly, its burning eyes locking onto the fist still pressed against its body. Then it looked at Kurt, and Kurt looked at his fist. Then back at the Giant.
"Well," Kurt said with a strained grin. "This is awkward. Fancy a smoke before we continue?"
The Giant's sword came up in a blur, and Kurt barely had time to register the movement before the blade went clean through his torso and he felt the world tilt from his body being split in two. Fucking twilight giant...
***
Thirty minutes later, Kurt gasped awake, and the first thing he noticed was the silence. The roaring, the clashing of weapons, the shouts... all of it was gone, replaced by labored breathing and the crackle of dying flames.
He pushed himself up, his body whole again, and his eyes took in the scene.
Rook was on one knee, his molten rock form receding as exhaustion overtook him. His chest heaved, and his fists were cracked and bleeding where the stone had fallen away.
Cassandra lay unconscious a few feet away, her head bleeding, her legs sprawled in a crooked fashion, and her long blue hair fanned out across the ground like a blue halo.
Three guild members were dead, their bodies laid still near the entrance. Lizzie was conscious but barely, blood streaming from her nose as she slumped against the wall with trembling hands that tried to keep her essence flowing to rejuvenate the team.
And Emma... Emma was on one knee, the Dragon King vanishing in a flicker of light as her strength finally gave out.
Kurt's breath caught in his throat. "What the bloody hell happened here?" He asked to no one in particular before his gaze shifted to the Twilight Giant who stood in the center of the chamber.
Its armor was cracked further and oozing molten lava, its sword dragging behind it, looking worn and battered, but it was still moving. Why couldn't it just takes a breather and chill on its throne for a moment? Slowly, it turned and began walking toward Cassandra's unconscious body.
And that's when Kurt saw it... the notification alert that would change the flow of the battle.
***
A/N: Laughing Maitreya here. Check out the comment section in chapter 9 for Emma's character image. Thanks so so much for your continued support and following. Peace!