Min-Jae teleported again, moving swiftly across the devastated landscape. The ruins of Yokohama stretched below him—collapsed buildings, overturned vehicles, entire city blocks reduced to rubble. Smoke rose in thick columns, obscuring parts of the skyline.
And then he sensed them.
Six giants. All moving toward Osaka, still a considerable distance away but closing in steadily.
He landed on the roof of a partially collapsed building, scanning the area. Within seconds, he spotted the first one.
This giant was similar in size to the others—around twenty-five meters tall, gray-skinned, armored, with thick matted hair and curved horns. But there was one key difference.
It carried a sword.
The blade was massive, easily ten meters long, forged from dark metal that gleamed dully in the fading light. The giant gripped it with both hands, swinging it experimentally as it walked, cleaving through abandoned cars and lampposts like they were paper.
Min-Jae watched for a moment, then dropped down to street level.
The giant noticed him immediately. It stopped, turned, and raised its sword overhead.
Then it charged.
The giant closed the distance with surprising speed, its sword coming down in a massive overhead strike aimed directly at Min-Jae's position.
He stood still.
The blade stopped centimeters from his head, halted by Infinity. The force of the impact sent a shockwave rippling outward, cracking the pavement beneath him and shattering nearby windows—but Min-Jae himself didn't budge.
The giant pulled the sword back and swung again, this time horizontally. A sweeping strike meant to cut him in half.
Same result.
The blade stopped against the invisible barrier, unable to advance.
The giant snarled and attacked again. And again. Each strike faster, more desperate. Vertical slashes, horizontal swipes, diagonal cuts—all of them stopped cold.
'It's trying different angles,' Min-Jae noted. 'Smart. But pointless.'
The giant stepped back, breathing hard—or whatever counted as breathing for these creatures. Then it lunged forward with a thrusting strike, putting its full weight behind the blade.
Infinity stopped it mid-thrust.
Min-Jae raised his hand. "Telekinesis."
The giant's sword was ripped from its grip, spinning through the air before embedding itself in a nearby building with a loud *crack*.
The giant stared at its empty hands, then at Min-Jae.
"Your turn's over," Min-Jae said.
He raised his right hand. "Red."
A sphere of repulsive force formed at his fingertip, glowing crimson. He released it.
The blast struck the giant's chest with devastating power, launching it backward through the air. It crashed through two buildings before finally slamming into the ground, carving a long trench in the earth.
Min-Jae teleported to where it lay.
The giant was still moving, trying to get up. Its armor was cracked, its body battered, but it wasn't finished.
Min-Jae walked over and delivered a single punch to its skull.
The giant stopped moving.
"One."
He teleported again, moving deeper into the outskirts of Yokohama.
The second giant was waiting, as if it had sensed the death of the first. This one also carried a sword, slightly smaller but just as dangerous-looking. Its stance was more deliberate, more calculated.
It saw Min-Jae appear and immediately swung.
The blade came at him in a blur—a horizontal slash meant to bisect him before he could react.
Infinity stopped it effortlessly.
But the giant didn't pull back. Instead, it pivoted, using the momentum to spin and deliver a second strike from the opposite direction.
Still stopped.
It attacked again, this time combining slashes with kicks, trying to overwhelm him with sheer speed and variety.
Each attack stopped against the barrier.
Min-Jae watched, almost bored. "You're wasting your energy."
The giant roared and swung its sword downward with both hands, putting everything into one final strike.
The blade stopped inches from Min-Jae's head.
He raised his left hand. "Blue."
A sphere of compressed gravitational force formed in front of him, glowing with intense blue light. The pull activated instantly.
The giant's feet left the ground. It was dragged forward, unable to resist, its sword clattering to the ground as it was pulled into the focal point.
Min-Jae clenched his fist.
The gravitational pressure intensified, compressing the giant's body. Its armor cracked, its bones groaned under the strain.
Then he released it.
The giant collapsed to the ground, gasping, unable to move.
Min-Jae walked over and finished it with a punch.
"Two."
The third giant was more aggressive. The moment Min-Jae appeared, it charged without hesitation, its sword already mid-swing.
The blade came at him from above, then from the side, then from below in rapid succession. Each strike was precise, practiced, like the giant had trained for combat.
But none of them got through.
The giant switched tactics. It stomped the ground, creating a shockwave that cracked the pavement and sent debris flying. Then it used the distraction to close the distance and thrust its sword directly at Min-Jae's chest.
Infinity stopped it.
Min-Jae raised his hand and used telekinesis to rip the sword from the giant's grip. Then he hurled it like a spear, sending it flying back at the giant.
The giant dodged, barely.
Min-Jae was already moving. He closed the distance and landed a punch in its midsection.
**Black Flash: 2× Multiplier.**
The force of the impact cracked the giant's armor and sent it stumbling backward. Black lightning crackled across its body.
The giant recovered quickly and swung a wild punch.
Min-Jae sidestepped and countered with another punch, this time to its jaw.
**Black Flash: 4× Multiplier.**
The giant's head snapped back violently. Its entire body lifted off the ground for a moment before crashing down hard.
It didn't get back up.
"Three."
The fourth giant was the most cautious so far. It didn't charge immediately. Instead, it circled Min-Jae, its sword held ready, waiting for an opening.
Min-Jae stood still, watching.
The giant feinted left, then attacked from the right. Min-Jae didn't move. The blade stopped against Infinity.
The giant pulled back and tried again from a different angle. Same result.
It was testing him, trying to find a weakness.
'There isn't one,' Min-Jae thought.
He raised his hand. "Blue."
The gravitational pull seized the giant, dragging it forward. It tried to resist, digging its feet into the ground, but it was no use.
Min-Jae clenched his fist, intensifying the pull.
The giant was yanked off its feet and slammed into the ground in front of him.
Before it could recover, Min-Jae raised his other hand. "Red."
The repulsive blast hit it point-blank, driving it into the earth. The ground cratered beneath it, and cracks spread outward like a spiderweb.
Min-Jae walked over and delivered a final punch.
"Four."
The last two were together, standing side by side as if they'd been waiting for him.
Both carried swords. Both looked ready.
Min-Jae landed in front of them, hands in his pockets.
They attacked simultaneously.
One from the left, one from the right. Their blades came at him in perfect synchronization, meant to trap him between two strikes.
Both stopped against Infinity.
The giants pulled back and attacked again, this time varying their timing. One struck high, the other low. One thrust forward, the other swung horizontally.
None of it worked.
Min-Jae raised both hands.
"Telekinesis."
Both giants were seized simultaneously, lifted off the ground, and thrown in opposite directions. They crashed into buildings on either side of the street, rubble raining down around them.
They recovered quickly, getting back to their feet.
Min-Jae raised his left hand toward the one on the left. "Blue."
The gravitational pull dragged it forward, slamming it into the ground.
Then he raised his right hand toward the one on the right. "Red."
The repulsive blast launched it backward, sending it crashing through multiple buildings.
The first giant tried to get up. Min-Jae teleported to it and delivered a devastating punch to its chest. The impact shattered its armor and stopped its heart.
He teleported to the second giant, which was struggling to stand.
One punch to the head.
It collapsed.
"Six."
Min-Jae stood amidst the rubble, looking around at the destruction. Six more giants defeated. The path to Osaka was clear—for now.
But he could still sense more. Farther out, scattered across the region. Not moving toward Osaka specifically, but still a threat.
He closed his eyes, focusing his senses.
'There's still work to do.'
He teleported.