*Back at the battlefield*
Edith, Lucian, and Robin fought desperately against the Titanborne, which had been brought to one knee. Despite their combined efforts, their attacks seemed futile. Edith's relentless sword strikes and Lucian's unending barrage of boulders barely scratched its hardened form.
Damn it. Apart from that single attack Karla landed on its tendons, nothing's working, Edith thought, raising her shield to protect herself and Karla, who lay slumped and drained from her earlier assault. Flying debris pelted her shield as the Titanborne's sweeping arm sent shockwaves through the battlefield.
The group had hoped to capitalize on the Titanborne's weakened stance, but their optimism was short-lived. The massive creature ignored Robin's gusts of wind entirely, focusing its attention solely on Edith and Lucian.
With one arm, the Titanborne gripped its club for support, while its free hand swiped at the ground, scattering rubble in all directions. Though its movements were slowed by Lucian's unrelenting strikes, each attack still carried devastating force.
"This is getting ridiculous," Lucian grunted, forming an earthen barrier and slamming it into the giant's arm just as it prepared another swing. "Can we just run? It's not thing is chasing us anytime soon with that busted tendon."
Edith braced herself against another shockwave, her teeth clenched. "You might be right... Karla's in no shape to keep fighting."
"Exactly! So what's the escape plan? We can't just announce we're leaving and hope for the best. That thing's reach is insane—we need a strategy."
Edith glanced upward. "ROBIN, CAN YOU DISTRACT IT?" she shouted.
Robin, hovering above the battlefield, looked down nervously. "I CAN TRY, BUT NOTHING I'VE DONE HAS WORKED SO FAR!" he yelled back, sweat dripping down his brow. This is bad, he thought, anxiety clawing at him. We need to—
A familiar voice suddenly rang in his mind, cutting through the chaos.
"Robin, and everyone... get out of there. As far and as fast as you can."
"Yeah. I'm coming in from the south. Head north—or anywhere—just move. Now." Liam's voice was steady but urgent, carried through the Whisper spell.
Robin's eyes widened. "O-OKAY!" he stammered, before shouting down to his teammates. "EDITH! LIAM'S HEADED THIS WAY! HE SAID WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!"
Edith whipped her head around, her expression a mix of disbelief and anger. "What? Liam? Where the hell is he?"
"He's coming from the south!" Robin replied. "He said we need to leave. Now."
"That scumbag disappears to do whatever he wants and now he's barking orders? Unbelievable," Edith growled, slamming her shield into the ground.
Lucian, already forming another wave of boulders, spoke up. "Robin, take Karla and get out of here. Edith, you too. I'll hold this thing off long enough for you to get away."
"What about you?" Edith demanded. "We don't even know why Liam's telling us to leave!"
Lucian didn't falter. "Don't worry about me. With my earth magic, I'll catch up to you guys in no time. Just move!" He punctuated his words by sending another barrage of boulders toward the Titanborne, halting its latest attempt to attack.
Edith hesitated, frustration flashing in her eyes, but she relented. "Alright. Robin, get down here and take Karla!" she ordered.
Robin didn't hesitate. He swooped down, gently lifting Karla into his arms before ascending back into the air. He turned north, flying as fast as his air magic could carry him.
Edith, strapping her shield to her back and sheathing her sword, activated her magic. Myst surged through her legs, enhancing her speed as she sprinted northward, weaving through the forest.
The Titanborne roared in frustration, its massive arm swinging in an attempt to crush the fleeing pair, but Lucian was ready.
"Did you forget about me, you rocky bastard?" Lucian taunted, sending another barrage of boulders to intercept the attack.
The Titanborne growled, momentarily distracted, as Lucian stood firm, ready to buy every precious second his team needed.
Lucian kept his wave of boulders steady until a sudden boom of flames erupted from the south.
"I guess it's time for me to get out of here," he muttered, flicking his wrist to summon a jagged piece of earth that floated into the air.
Without hesitation, he broke into a sprint, leaping onto the floating platform. With a pulse of myst, he propelled it forward, soaring away from the battlefield and leaving the chaos behind.
Back where the flames had erupted, Liam was closing in.
Channeling fiery energy to his feet, Liam launched himself forward in a burst of power, his momentum nearly propelling him through the air. This time, the intensity of his flame boost far surpassed anything he had used before.
The Titanborne, poised to crush Lucian with a massive swing of its hand, froze mid-motion as it caught sight of Liam's blazing figure barreling toward it.
With a roar of defiance, the giant swung its massive club, the air cracking under its force as it aimed to intercept Liam.
'This thing's hide seems tougher than I thought. Flame Compression would work, but Lucian's still within range,' Liam thought, his mind racing as he assessed the situation. His gaze flicked between the incoming attack and Lucian, who was now rapidly retreating, before he let out a resigned sigh.
"Looks like I'll have to buy some time first," he muttered, unsheathing his daggers.
Channeling even more fiery energy into his feet, Liam unleashed a second burst of flames, rocketing toward the Titanborne's club. At the last possible moment, he twisted his body, spiraling through the air like a living flame.
The collision was instant.
Liam's flames coiled around the massive weapon as he maneuvered with precision, narrowly avoiding its crushing impact. In the same motion, he propelled himself forward, appearing mere inches from the Titanborne's left eye.
Behind him, the club remained intact for only a heartbeat before it shattered into a rain of splinters and debris.
The Titanborne's eyes widened in shock, but Liam didn't hesitate. Activating Inferno Edge, he drove both daggers forward with brutal precision, plunging them deep into its left eye.
The giant let out an earsplitting roar, thrashing in agony as it instinctively brought its massive hand toward its face.
"Not happening," Liam muttered, igniting his flame boost once more. With a fiery burst, he launched himself upward, narrowly avoiding the Titanborne's grasp. He left his daggers embedded in its eye, their searing heat continuing to burn into the creature's skull.
High above the battlefield, Liam paused for a fleeting moment.
"That should buy enough time," he said, steadying himself as he began to free-fall.
Stretching his right hand backward, he summoned a glowing orb of fire. The flames pulsated wildly, radiating intense heat as he began to compress it.
"Compress it… compress it…" he muttered, his voice strained with focus as he fell, the wind roaring past him. The orb grew smaller and denser with each passing second, its brilliance intensifying to a blinding light.
"I'm so gonna pass out after this," Liam muttered, his eyes glowing brighter than ever.
As he neared the Titanborne's chest, now exposed and vulnerable, Liam unleashed one final flame boost, accelerating his descent to terminal velocity.
With his compressed flame orb in hand, he crashed directly into the Titanborne's core. The impact unleashed a cataclysmic wave of energy, the orb detonating in a brilliant explosion of fire and force.
"Die, you bastard," Liam growled through gritted teeth as the Titanborne's body convulsed.
The result was devastating.
The Titanborne's massive form erupted in a violent shockwave, the sheer force tearing through its body and obliterating it from the inside out. The explosion resembled a miniature nuclear blast, debris and fire scattering in all directions.
The resulting gust of wind and fragments of stone surged outward, threatening to uproot entire trees in its path.
Far from the epicenter, Edith and the others were still running.
They had gained significant distance, but the explosion's shockwave sent jagged pieces of boulders and debris hurtling toward them.
"Watch out!" Edith shouted, bracing herself, but Lucian was already prepared.
With a sharp motion, he slammed his hands into the ground, summoning an earthen barrier that enveloped the group just in time.
The debris struck the barrier with thunderous force, but it held firm, shielding them from harm.
As the chaos subsided, Lucian exhaled deeply, wiping the sweat from his brow. "That guy better still be alive after pulling a stunt like that," he muttered.
Edith glanced back toward the distant explosion, her expression a mix of awe and concern. "He's alive," she said, more to herself than anyone else. "He has to be."