The forest trembled with each step of the colossal figure moving between the trees. Branches snapped and scattered underfoot, sending birds scattering into the sky.
Massive limbs pushed aside entire trunks effortlessly, leaving a path of splintered wood and crushed undergrowth.
A towering behemoth over a hundred feet tall, finally stood before the cave of the Ancient One, a dragon thousands of years old. The guardian of Fafnir, the legendary cave with the Tree of Mana.
The cave was like the jagged maw of a massive hungry beast, it's walls glowing faintly with molten streaks, the air thick with smoke and the scent of sulfur.
"For centuries....BOOOM! — the dragons have occupied Fafnir, taking of the fruit of the tree for yourselves. Growing your power so as to dominate and enslave other races, I have come to put an end to all of that." Atlas said with fury, his deep voice causing a sonic boom.
"INSOLENCE!, I would advise you to head back, Atlas, don't come to lay down your life here. The Titan race still needs your pitiful existence to survive." A deep guttural voice responded from within the dark depths of the cave.
"Strange, a creature who coils in shadows dares to bark at a mighty Titan. Measure your tongue, or I will grind your pride to dust."
The cave did not glow— it burst.
A blinding surge of orange and gold erupted from the darkness with a sound like the sky tearing apart.
FWOOOOOOOSH!
Dragonfire roared out in a solid, rolling wave, the heat so intense it made the very air buckle and warp. The moment it left the cave mouth, a shockwave detonated outward, blasting a ring of compressed air across the clearing.
Atlas saw it coming. He didn't flinch. He planted his feet into the earth, shoulders squared. His chest expanded with a low rumbling growl of defiance.
The instant the fire struck him, the air exploded in a rippling shockwave, expanding outwards in a violent ring. Grass flattened in every direction. Dust lifted in swirling curtains. Loose stones skipped and spun across the ground as if fleeing the heat.
The flames curled around Atlas's body, parting and splitting like a river forced around an unbreakable boulder. Where it touches the earth beside him, the ground bubbled, small pockets of soil turning to glass in seconds.
Boulders behind him shattered—KRA-BOOM!—blowing apart in bursts of white hot fragments that peppered the landscape.
The cliff face around the cave mouth glowed red, then orange, then almost white as the dragon breath carved molten streaks down the rock.
Behind Atlas, trees ignited not from contact but from heat alone, bursting into flames—FWASH!—like torches lit by unseen hands.
Atlas stood in the center of the blazing inferno, unmoved, arms crossed as the fire washed across him.
When the torrent finally tapered, smoke rolled in thick waves.
And from that smoke... the Guardian of Fafnir, the Ancient One appeared.
Huge. Furious. Ancient.
It's jaws opened wide, teeth glistening like blade. It lunged forward, intending to tear the it's opponent in half.
The instant he saw the dragon approaching, Atlas drove his heel into the earth. The ground cratered beneath his feet, spider-webbing far and fast as the land recoiled. A shockwave tore outward in a wide ring, blasting everything apart.
He covered the distance between them in the blink of an eye, his massive fist rising in a brutal arc.
He delivered a uppercut, his fist connecting with the dragon's jaw like a mountain slamming into another mountain. The impact sent a circular shockwave bursting upwards, kicking up spiralling pillars of dust. The Ancient One's eyes widened, he barely had time to even snarl.
His body snapped skywards, scales rattling like metal plate struck by a Warhammer.
The dragon steadied itself mid air with a violent snap of it's wings— WHOOOM!— then dove. The titan was already moving.
The dragon hit first, a torrent of fire pouring down like a waterfall. Atlas met it with a forward charge, his arm cutting through the flame, he slammed his fist into the dragon's snout.
The Ancient One's head snapped sideways, but it's claws swept forward instantly—SHRAAANG!
Four talons raked across the titan's chest, carving trenches through stone flesh. The titan seized the dragon's wrist, wrenching it down and drove his knee into its jaw—THUDUM!
The dragon twisted it's massive neck and clamped it's jaw on the titan's shoulder. The ground buckled beneath them.
With an angry roar like grinding mountains, Atlas spun, swinging the Ancient One by it's neck and smashing it into a boulder— BOOOM! The boulder exploded into gravel.
The Ancient One's tail whipped around with impossible speed —
WHOOSH-CRACK!
It struck Atlas across the ribs, launching him sideways through an outcropping of rock. Stone erupted around him in a dusty spray.
Before Atlas fully landed, he sprang out of the debris, the ground cratering under his launch.
They met midcharge, exchanged a hundred blows in a few seconds and seperated.
The Ancient One's wings spread wide, each flap stirring up tornado winds. Flames surged across it's body, coating it's scales in molten light. It's maws opened, gathering flames so bright it cast shadows sharp as blades.
Atlas knew what was coming, he braced his legs, fists tightening until the ground beneath him sank.
They stared. A single heartbeat.
Then—
They charged.
The Ancient One launched forward like a meteor, jaws wide, fire trailing behind it in a blazing comet tail.
BOOM!—BOOM!—BOOM!—
Atlas's footsteps shattered the ground, each step a shockwave. He drove his fist back, coiling every ounce of strength he had left.
The dragon struck first– a torrent of fire at point blank, Atlas punched through it.
Flames burst around his arm in spirals, ripping apart like torn silk. His fist connected under the dragon's jaw with a earth shattering
KRAAAAM!
At the exact same moment, the Ancient One's claws raked across the titan's torso, gouging deep trenches across his chest.
Their mana exploded together. Not outwards– but inward.
The air between them folded, crumpled, screamed. A thin white line split the space behind Atlas.
Reality couldn't handle the impact, the line widened– a tear , a rift, swirling with a strong pull. Wind rushed into the opening, debris spiralled upwards.
Atlas tried to stand firm, his heels digging trenches, but the pull was too strong.
The Ancient One took advantage of the moment and slammed it's weight into him. Atlas staggered and lost his footing, the pull becoming too strong for him.
He was yanked backwards, arms flailing, the wrecked battlefield warping as he was dragged towards the swirling tear of light.
He reached out, but the rift swallowed him whole.
VOOOOM!—
The rift snapped shut, leaving a circular scorch in the air that faded slowly like a dying star.
******************
It was 8:00PM at the Etihad stadium. The Champions League stadium was alive with noise. The Etihad was packed; 55000 fans, scarves waving, banners stretched across stands, chants bouncing like waves.
Manchester city were moments away from kickoff against Real Madrid. Commentator's voice carried through live TV and stadium speakers. Players were running final drills on the pristine green pitch, sweat glinting under the floodlights.
Then something subtle happened. At first it was just a few barely noticeable vibrations beneath the pitch that caused cups to rattle. But the vibrations grew steadily, a slow deep thrum that travelled through the stadium seating and underfoot.
Then a massive shape began to appear at midfield. From nothing a towering form emerged.