The giant swung his chain, spinning the iron maiden above his head into a dark blur as metallic clicks echoed across the courtyard, before sending it hurtling towards Zero like a harpoon.
The Intoner shouted an insult at the sight of the torture device's spiky interior approaching, but quickly jumped out of the way, dodging the attack, and watching as the device hit the ground with a thud, throwing up shrapnel and creating a cloud of dust.
The iron maiden slammed shut as it hit the ground, leaving a cracked crater behind, ripping out a chunk of the courtyard and smashing it inside soon after, before slamming open again, dumping the stone dust on the ground.
Dito and Edric advanced without wasting time, closing the distance quickly, but the giant thrust his hot iron and swung his whip simultaneously, sending powerful blows at his opponents.
Edric rolled out of the way, as he saw the orange, boiling piece of iron approaching, and heard the impact followed by the sizzle of the metal hitting the ground, while an absurd wave of heat touched his back, but it was nothing impossible to bear.
Dito used his spear as a jumping stick to fly over the lash that left a trail of destruction in the courtyard, and drove his spear into the giant's right foot as he landed, smiling sadistically as blood gushed from the wound, but tilting his head in confusion when the giant moaned.
Edric took advantage of this distraction to close the distance and slash the giant's shin with a heavy blow, snapping the bands that wrapped around the monster's leg, and painting the ground red with a spurt of blood.
He then went around the creature's leg and delivered a series of swift cuts, the steel of his sword tearing through flesh with ease as he tried to cut the giant's tendon and bring it to the ground.
The giant, understanding what Edric intended, raised his foot and tried to trample the knight, but Edric stopped his attack and rolled away as he saw a large shadow forming above him. The coming shockwave pushed the knight but he remained unharmed.
The giant then removed his foot from the footprint-shaped crater resulting from his attack, and focused on Dito, sending his hot iron towards the disciple.
Dito looked up, widened his eyes in surprise at the sight of the boiling metal accompanied by the approaching heat, removed his spear from the giant's foot with a wet noise, and jumped away, watching as the monster struck his foot.
A horrible smell of burning flesh overtook the courtyard, causing everyone present to contort their faces in disgust, while the giant laughed with delight as some of the bands on his foot burned in a fire.
Zero was the next to act, running quickly towards the giant as she leaped onto the monster's chest, letting out a war cry and plunging her sword into the monster's flesh, creating a huge bloody gash in the creature as she descended.
Zero, Dito, and Edric then gathered in front of the giant with weapons raised and ready to fight, watching as the creature staggered around in blind euphoria, holding the red waterfall in its chest.
"Well, this guy's tougher than the last ones we faced." Zero spoke angrily, frowning in frustration.
"It's not that bad, this fight's pretty easy!" Dito commented amusedly, jumping slightly in his place.
As if he had understood the disciple's words, the giant shook his head, clearing his clouded mind, and swung his iron maiden and whip wildly, turning the weapons into blurs and sending a flurry of blows toward his opponents.
"You had to open your mouth!" Edric exclaimed sarcastically, raising his shield and blocking a lash, only to fly away with his feet sliding across the ground.
"DUMBASS!" Zero shouted angrily, slapping Dito on the back of his head.
SLAP!
"OUCH!" Dito exclaimed in pain, stumbling forward with the strength of the blow and rubbing his sore head.
Soon the Intoner and the Disciple had to move because the giant did not stop his attack and sent the hot iron towards them.
Both combatants jumped in opposite directions. Zero to the left and Dito to the right and watched as the iron hit the ground, creating a cloud of scalding steam followed by a wave of molten stone.
However, the giant lashed out again the moment they both landed, dragging the whip in an arc and creating a series of cracks in the courtyard with the hooks of his weapon.
Dito and Zero jumped again, dodging the attack, but not before the giant spun his iron maiden around and swung it towards them, intending to hit them in midair.
Zero clicked her tongue in frustration and swung her sword, delivering a powerful blow and hitting the torture device in mid-air, deflecting its trajectory with a snap.
Then the Intoner and the Disciple repeated their previous strategy, running in opposite directions and approaching the giant. The monster seemed to have the same idea and swung his whip in an arc again, intending to make his enemies jump.
Or at least he tried to, for a luminous blue projectile hurtled forward at blinding speed and struck the side of his head, leaving a trail of burnt flesh as a few strips broke off and fell to the ground, revealing part of the giant's face.
The giant grunted in pain and pleasure, scanning his surroundings for the source of the projectile, but he found nothing of note, only corpses and ruins.
This moment of distraction was more than enough for Zero and Dito to approach the giant's legs, unleashing a series of swift cuts and piercing thrusts.
Both combatants smiled in a mixture of sadistic joy and anger as blood flew and stained their bodies and weapons, but the giant still stood, enjoying the sensation of his wounded flesh more than he should.
The giant raised his foot in the middle of an opening, intending to trample the Intoner and the Disciple, but three more projectiles came out of nowhere and hit the side of the giant's head, interrupting his attack.
The giant stumbled forward, a mixture of his injuries and a false step, and landed on one knee with a thud, cracking the courtyard of the fortress, but although he didn't remain at his full height, his head was still out of Zero and Dito's reach.
However, both did not ignore this opportunity and advanced towards the giant, their bloodied weapons glinting in the sun as their owners felt the adrenaline of battle coursing through their bodies.
The giant, still recovering from his fall, swung his iron maiden, trying to stop Zero and Dito's advance.
But a flaming shot erupted from a point in front of him, hitting the section of the chain just above his fist, snapping it with a crack, and sending the weapon flying away, where it landed in the distance.
The giant's once cheerful face contorted in anger and frustration, still unable to find the source of the attacks, but he soon had his answer when the knight from before appeared in front of him, pointing a strange metal stick toward his face.
The giant growled in anger, pointing his hot iron at the knight, but then coughed, choked, and teared up when a green cloud came out of the stick and enveloped his face.
"Where the hell have you been?!" Zero demanded angrily, running towards the knight.
"I was here the whole time; it's not my fault you didn't notice!" Edric replied in the same tone, raising his shield towards Zero and Dito.
"You need to teach me how to turn invisible!" Dito said shortly afterward, grinning from ear to ear as he thought about the possibilities of such spell.
"Hump! I'm no fool; I fear what you'd do with such power!" Edric grumbled, crouching down and covering himself with his shield.
"I'll kill you if I find out you're spying on me while I'm bathing! Or maybe I'll let you join me!" Zero exclaimed her attitude and angry face immediately changing to a flirtatious tone and lascivious smile.
"I'd never dream of it! I feel like I'm being invited into a lion's den." Edric replied, allowing Zero to step on his shield and propelling her upwards, hurling the Intoner towards the giant's head.
"You're boring, you know that?!" Zero shouted as she flew past the giant's head and slashed his right eye, blinding him, before landing on the monster's right shoulder as she drove her sword into his flesh.
Any pleasure the monster felt immediately disappeared. Finally, realizing the danger it was in, the monster bit the iron bar in its mouth with such strength, rage that the metal bent, and broke with a metallic cacophony.
The giant then roared in fury, his distorted voice echoing through the fortress as he stood up.
"Well, if you're not going to use the spell for fun, then I will! How about you teach me now?" Dito asked, preparing to fly as well.
"You speak as if I will teach you a way to spy on maidens unnoticed while they bathe!" Edric replied, assuming the same stance as before.
"I wasn't talking about maidens!" Dito shouted, flying towards the giant's head.
"Wait! What did you say?!?" Edric asked in a mixture of surprise and confusion, turning towards the disciple just in time to see him land on the giant's left shoulder.
Putting his confusion aside, Edric cast Cloak, becoming invisible again before circling the giant while bombarding him with spells.
Simultaneously, Zero and Dito unleashed a flurry of blows to both sides of the giant's head, turning his face into a bloody mess wrapped in loosely hanging bands.
In the end, the way the giant fought proved to be his greatest weakness, for keeping enemies at bay was the point of his weapons, but their wielder failed to fulfill that function.
The giant roared and shouted as the combatants on his shoulders attacked relentlessly. Their faces briefly appeared through his reddened vision, hampered by the blood dripping down his face.
The giant's rage reached its peak and the creature roared from the top of his lungs.
"RRROOOAAARRR!"
The roar shook the fortress, pushing the air and extinguishing the flaming ruins burning in the courtyard.
Those most affected by this noise were those close to the monster. Zero and Dito interrupted their attacks and grabbed their aching ears, letting out a string of insults, as the world around them temporarily became a blur.
Edric suffered from the same problem, only worse, his helmet serving to make the noise echoed in his head, so the knight ended up breaking his spell in the confusion, revealing himself to the giant.
The giant took this opportunity to advance towards Edric, knocking Zero and Dito off his shoulders with the sudden movement, and pulling his leg back, ready to kick the knight.
Edric, on the other hand, shook his head in confusion, trying to dispel the high-pitched ringing in his ear, which he eventually managed, just in time to see the giant's foot approaching.
"Shi..." Edric muttered raising his shield in an attempt to mitigate the severe damage the attack would surely cause.
"EDRIC/ZERO!" Two voices, one female and one childish, suddenly shouted, followed by a flaming explosion and wave of heat.
BOOM!
Two large fireballs hit the giant in his chest and face, interrupting his attack and causing the giant to fall onto his back.
Looking up, Edric, Zero, and Dito saw two dark spots in the sky, flying in the sunlight. These spots approached the fortress, revealing Mikhail, Eupherbia, and the Black Dragon.
"ZERO! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?!" Mikhail asked in childlike concern, hovering over the fortress courtyard.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK? WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG TO GET HERE, YOU DUMMY?!?" Zero shouted angrily, glaring at the dragon as she stood up.
"I'M SO SORRY! WE LOST SIGHT OF YOU DURING THE BLIZZARD AND..." Mikhail tried to apologize, but he did not get the chance.
"SHUT UP! DO YOU SEE THAT GIANT? DO US A FAVOR AND TURN HIM INTO ASHES!" Zero interrupted the young dragon, tired of excuses, while pointing at the rising monster.
"WOW, THAT THING IS SCARY! BUT YOU CAN LEAVE IT TO ME ZERO; I'LL SHOW YOU HOW STRONG I'M GETTING!" Mikhail replied, taking on a determined face and spitting a fireball towards the giant.
The giant, seeing the fireball approaching, swung his whip, hitting the flaming projectile in mid-flight and destroying it in an explosion, but Mikhail did not stop his attack and flew around the giant, bombarding him with fireballs.
"Great, I'd forgotten how annoying that dragon's voice was." Dito commented sarcastically, watching Mikhail face the giant.
"If you have the energy to complain, then you have the energy to fight! Stop wasting time and let's get this over with!" Zero exclaimed impatiently, pushing the Disciple towards the giant, causing him to stumble halfway.
As the two advanced to finish the fight, a fairy and dragon approached a certain knight.
"Edric, are you all right? I thought you were dead!" Eupherbia said worriedly, flying around the knight looking for injuries.
"Forgive me for worrying you, but I'm unhurt. It takes a lot more than a long fall to kill me." Edric replied, stroking the fairy's head with his finger.
"I'm glad of that! Who will give me sweets if you die? Besides, all my stuff is in your weird bag." Eupherbia joked, landing on the knight's shoulder as she smiled.
"Hm... So that's what I am to you, a source of food and shelter?" Edric asked with false hurt.
"And you're supposed to be something more?" Eupherbia shrugged.
The knight and fairy stared at each other in silence until they both failed to contain their laughter, happy to be reunited.
"Well, you don't even look like you've fallen to your near-death. I'd be disappointed if you showed otherwise." The Black Dragon commented, watching Edric and Eupherbia with amusement in his eyes.
"If that's your way of saying you're happy to see me, then you've failed miserably." Edric replied, waving at the dragon, causing him to grumble angrily.
"Is that any way to talk to the one who tried to save your life?" The Black Dragon asked angrily.
"Excuse me; you have my thanks for trying to save me." Edric spoke politely, bowing slightly to the dragon, causing him to nod arrogantly in approval.
"Don't mind that grumpy dragon, he missed you too." Eupherbia smiled provocatively at the Black Dragon, changing his proud face to a threatening one, which forced the fairy to hide behind the knight.
"Now that the hugs and tears are over, how about you explain to me what's happening here?" The Black Dragon asked.
"I am unsure; the fortress was already like this when I arrived, with the dead coming back to life and all. Do you mind helping me now that you're here?" Edric asked.
"I will help as long as it's nothing unworthy of a being of my magnitude." The Black Dragon replied.
"That's a complicated way of saying, as long as it's nothing I don't like. I just need you to immobilize the giant, preferably by pinning him to the ground." Edric said, pointing at the monster in question.
The fairy, the knight, and the dragon watched as the giant whipped Mikhail's fireballs away while trying to trample or burn Zero and Dito with his hot iron, but failed miserably due to the pressure his enemies applied.
"I would prefer to face the giant alone, but I see that the lustful human, the annoying fool and you have already done most of the damage." The Black Dragon commented.
"Is that a yes?" Edric asked in confusion.
The knight got his answer when the dragon flapped his wings and shot towards the giant, flying high before diving towards the creature with his claws showing.
The giant raised his head as he saw something blocking the sunlight and forming a large shadow over his body, only to notice the Black Dragon when it was too late.
The Black Dragon plunged his claws into the giant's left arm, causing him to drop his whip and fall backward onto the ground with a thud that shook the fortress.
The giant tried to hit the Black Dragon with his hot iron, but Mikhail threw the weapon away with a fireball and dived toward the giant, trapping his remaining arms.
The giant roared and struggled, trying to free himself as the claws sank into his flesh, drawing blood.
"Good, hold that thing down while I finish it off." Zero spoke, readying her sword.
"Well, it was fun while it lasted." Dito shrugged, resting his spear on his shoulder and following the Intoner.
"Wait, let me try something first." Edric spoke, stopping them both in their tracks.
"And why should I?" Zero asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.
"Because I believe this giant suffers from the same condition as Dito when we met him in the Land of the Seas." Edric replied, pulling out his catalyst.
"Well, do your magic." Zero replied, nodding at the giant and watching Edric curiously.
Edric nodded back and approached the struggling giant's left side, touching his catalyst to the monster and casting a spell.
"Soul Sucker."
A blinding flash surged, causing everyone to exclaim and shield their eyes, except for Edric who watched the giant shrink, crumbling into particles to reveal a tall, muscular man with short blond hair, glasses, and brown clothes.
"Well, Four's disciple, I wasn't expecting that." Zero spoke in surprise, walking towards the unconscious Decadus.
"Oh, that guy's still alive; he was one of the less annoying disciples." Dito spoke soon after, poking Decadus with the tip of his spear, making him moan slightly.
"And he underwent this grotesque transformation thanks to that." Edric said, showing off a Colorless Demon Soul to everyone, receiving reactions that ranged from surprise to curiosity.
"The more I see, the more I believe your talk about demons." Zero said, leaning forward and examining the soul closely.
The Intoner reached out a hand to touch the source of her curiosity, but Edric quickly put the soul away in his bag, receiving an annoyed look from Zero, who then crossed her arms in disappointment.
"Leave the soul to those who know its workings. You saw what it did to the disciples, what's to say it won't do the same to you?"
"As much as it pains me to say it, you're right. You deal with this demons, souls, and magic bullshit while I simply kill whatever is in our way." Zero replied, clicking her tongue as if trying to get a bad taste out of her mouth.
"I'm glad we've come to an understanding."
"Hump! Don't get used to it!" Zero grumbled.
"Guys, he's waking up!" Mikhail exclaimed, attracting the attention of those present, except for the Black Dragon, who had no interest in such matters and walked around the courtyard in search of something to catch his attention.
Everyone watched as Decadus' face contorted into a grimace, and then the Disciple struggled as if he having a nightmare. Suddenly, his eyes opened and the Disciple sat up while rubbing his aching head.
"My head! Where am I? What happened?" Decadus muttered in confusion, but soon stopped wide-eyed at the sight of a sword pointed at his face.
"That's what I'd like to know. You'll answer some of my questions, the first being: Where is my sister?" Zero spoke menacingly, glaring at Decadus with disdain.
The Disciple gulped for a moment before his face turned red and flushed as he sweated profusely with a nervous smile on his face.
-XXXXXX-
A lone airship crossed the Land of Mountains, heading towards the Land of Forests.
Knights in silver armor with glowing blue eyes maneuvered the great machine in total silence, while four of them guarded a prisoner bound and gagged to the airship's main mast.
Intoner Four looked around with hatred in her eyes, struggling against her bonds and gag, doing everything she could to free herself, but the ropes that held her thwarted her attempts, shining golden light and draining her strength every time she struggled.
It seemed that this would be the end, the knights would take Four to her destination without interruption, until two large figures broke through the clouds surrounding the airship, surprising the knights and dropping four people and a fairy on the deck.
The knights drew their weapons, ready to fight, but the strangers overcame them in a shower of spells, cuts, punches, and pierces. The knights disappeared one by one in a series of bright flashes until only the strangers remained.
Four sighed with relief, feeling euphoric joy in her chest at the possibility of freedom until the group of strangers stopped in front of her and she realized who led them.
"Well, well, well, look at that, I don't remember it being my birthday today, but they've packed you up like a gift for me. They didn't have to bother." Zero sneered, pointing her sword at Four with one hand on her waist and a sadistic smile on her face.
Four could only intensify her efforts in the vain hope of escaping from the one in front of her.
END OF CHAPTER