No one wanted to speak, but everyone knew what was coming.
Shiro glanced toward the horizon. The troll Allot mentioned, it was coming.
Jay was pacing near the emergency exit, scanning the surroundings. None of them had real combat experience, much less against something capable of shaking the earth.
Shiro exhaled and turned to face everyone. "We can't just sit here and wait to die," he said. "We need a distraction. Something to lead that thing away from us before it reaches the plane."
He pointed toward the tail of the plane. "We'll lure it there. We'll make noise and smoke at the tail end. Once the troll gets distracted, we run to the opposite side and make for the forest. If we're lucky, it won't notice us."
Jay immediately caught on. "Yeah, we just need to make sure it stays busy long enough," he said. "Let's find anything that can burn or make noise."
They rushed inside the plane. Passengers, those who still had the will to move, opened baggage compartments and ripped through suitcases. Some found clothes, deodorant cans, lighters, broken phones, and even small power banks.
"Perfect," said Jay, holding up two phones. "We can set alarms and ringtones, full volume."
Shiro nodded. "Good. Scatter them near the tail. We'll make a small fire with whatever flammable stuff we can find."
They gathered plastic, torn fabrics, paper, and emptied alcohol bottles. Shiro helped light them with a lighter he'd found under a seat. The small flame began to consume the materials, producing dark, thick smoke that poured out through the cracks in the fuselage.
The smell of burning plastic mixed with metal and gasoline made Yumina cough. She covered her mouth with a sleeve.
"Let's go," Shiro said, glancing toward the horizon.
And then they heard it.
A deep roar echoed across the clearing, followed by the tremor of heavy footsteps.
From behind the line of trees, the monster emerged.
It was enormous, at least seven meters tall, covered in coarse, dark-gray skin that looked like stone cracked with veins of magma. It carried a massive club made from a single tree trunk bound with metal scraps. Each step it took left a crater on the ground.
Someone screamed.
"Quiet!" Shiro hissed. "Don't move."
The troll turned its head toward the sound but then sniffed the air. Its nostrils flared as it caught the smell of smoke. It turned slowly, its heavy steps dragging it toward the tail of the plane, where the fire crackled and phones began to ring.
"It's working," Jay whispered.
"Move!" Shiro ordered.
They slipped out the opposite side, stepping over debris and melted metal, moving while crouching. The forest wasn't far, just a hundred meters away, but every step felt like a lifetime.
Then, a thunderous crash echoed behind them. The troll had smashed the tail of the plane with its club, shattering metal like paper. Debris flew through the air. The ground quaked, throwing several passengers off balance.
A scream tore through the air from one of the passengers, a mistake that sealed their fate.
The troll's head turned sharply toward the sound.
"Run!" Jay shouted.
But the creature was already moving. It lifted its club high above its head, then hurled it forward with terrifying strength.
"Watch out!" Jay yelled.
Jay vaguely knew his power had something to do with his body, he just didn't know what exactly.
Somehow, he instinctively knew the club was bound to hit Yumina. His body moved on its own, before he even had the time to think. He leapt toward Yumina, grabbing her by the waist and rolling her away just as the club smashed into the ground behind them. The impact was devastating. Five other passengers were caught in the blast, their bodies crushed in an instant.
Yumina's eyes widened. Jay could feel her astonished. "You okay?" he asked breathlessly.
She nodded faintly.
The troll roared again, enraged, and began charging toward them, each step shaking the earth.
Shiro gritted his teeth. "Not yet… come on…" He pressed his palm to the ground. "Control CV!"
A pulse of blue light spread outward, and the soil around the troll erupted upward. Four towering walls of compacted earth rose ten meters high, surrounding the beast in a perfect square.
The troll slammed its fists against the walls, roaring in frustration. Each hit caused small tremors. Then, with a deafening roar, it punched through one section, cracking it open.
Jay was waiting. He spotted a long, sharp fragment of metal from the plane and hurled it with all his strength. The psuedo-spear sliced through the air and pierced the troll's eye.
The creature screamed, clutching its face, blood pouring from the wound.
"Nice shot!" Shiro yelled. "Now go, go!"
They turned and sprinted toward the forest.
Behind them, the troll staggered, then froze. Its aura changed. The air grew hotter, the ground beneath their feet turning red.
"Ignitus!" it bellowed.
Flames erupted from its body, melting the earthen walls instantly. It extended its hand forward, gathering fiery particles into a massive sphere of flame, larger than its entire size. The heat radiating from it was unbearable.
"Shit," Shiro cursed. "There's no way we're dodging that!"
Jay shielded Yumina behind him, his heart pounding.
But Yumina… looked strangely calm. She sighed softly, as if annoyed. Her eyes grew cold. "Die," she whispered.
Instantly, the fireball dissipated. The troll froze mid-motion, its arms twitching, and then it collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash.
The trio stopped, stunned.
"What the hell just happened?" Jay muttered.
Before anyone could answer, a shadow fell from the sky.
"OMEGA PUNCH!" a deep voice roared.
A massive man with bulging muscles slammed into the troll's skull, creating an explosion of dust and debris. The ground cratered beneath the impact. He was Brock Bullet from before.
Lightning flashed next, followed by jagged spikes of earth that burst upward, piercing the troll's body in several places. The air smelled of ozone and burnt flesh.
As the dust settled, Damon's group appeared from the treeline, standing triumphantly. The troll didn't move again.
Jay clenched his fists. "Those assholes…" he muttered through gritted teeth. "Because of their cowardice, five people are dead now."
Shiro rested a hand on his shoulder. "Don't waste your breath. Let's just move on. The less we have to do with them, the better."
Jay exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down. "Yeah… you're right."
They turned away, leaving the smoldering corpse of the troll behind.
While they walked further into the forest, minutes passed in silence.
Then, without warning, something crashed through the branches above them.
Two bodies fell from the sky.
Shiro, Jay, and Yumina stepped back, alarmed.