The harbor air was now heavy with the stench emanating from the bodies of those monsters. This fight did not seem to be reaching any conclusion yet. From our countless strikes, those giants were certainly bloodied and deep wounds had emerged on their skin, but still, they were not ready to give up. They were facing our attacks while fighting as if they could not feel pain at all.
Yes, our attacks had certainly slowed down their speed. But now, perhaps because of this, both demons, who until now were causing havoc in different directions, now came and stood close to each other. They were calm, but in their steady eyes, a deep hatred for us and a plan to finish us was clearly visible. They were perhaps wasting our time—either to heal themselves or to wait for the kidnapper woman's next move.
I was thinking all this when suddenly Vyuk reached us, running swiftly. Despite his body being covered in dust and sweat, that familiar peace was on his face. "Jona, are you all okay? Did any strike cause a deep injury?"
I replied while catching my breath, "No Vyuk, we are completely safe. We were successfully neutralizing the attacks of those giants and constantly counterattacking them as well."
A slight smile appeared on Vyuk's face, as if he were praising our courage. "I expected this from you all. Very good Jona! And Historia, your swordsmanship is truly amazing; today you have done wonders. And Madam Helena, there is no match for your power." Praising Helena, he continued, "Despite losing your energy in the previous fight, you are fighting excellently in this battle."
Then, looking into Helena's eyes, he said, "But do not forget, after all this is over, you will have to tell me everything about the secrets of this axe of yours. In my opinion, perhaps this is the reason behind your great endurance."
Hearing this thing from Vyuk, Helena's temper flared. She puffed out her cheeks and turned her head the other way in irritation, as if she were rejecting this demand of Vyuk's outright. Vyuk then looked at her with a serious gaze and said, "But Helena, you should save your energy. The poison that entered your body in the previous fight—perhaps you have not fully recovered from it yet. Being so aggressive is not good for your health."
Helena remained silent, but the spark in her eyes was telling that she was not among those who back down. Our discussion was still going on when both soldiers came to Vyuk and said in trembling voices:
"Sir Vyuk! What exactly is all this? Where did these disgusting creatures come from? And should we inform the police present at the harbor about this destruction?"
Hearing their talk, Vyuk interrupted them in the middle and said firmly, "No, there is no point in going only to the police right now. You people go immediately and take information of the things happening here directly to the Royal Knights' Headquarters. Only they can take proper action on this. And listen, take all these injured and kidnapped people present here to a safe place immediately. Inform the police and have this entire area of the harbor sealed so that no one else gets stuck coming here."
Hearing Vyuk's words, the soldiers bowed their heads without wasting time and ran to rescue those innocent people. On the other side, those two demons had now largely recovered themselves and had come into a posture to attack again.
"Are they going to attack again?" Helena asked, gripping her axe firmly.
"Yes," Vyuk replied calmly, "but right now you people have a mission even more important than fighting them." Hearing this thing from Vyuk, we three were shocked as to what he actually wanted to say. Vyuk continued his point further, "Actually, you three go inside the warehouse immediately and stop that kidnapper woman. Do not give her a chance to make her next move."
I said, "But Vyuk, how will you alone face these two mountain-like giants? You will need us for this!"
At this, Helena said in her heavy and arrogant voice, "Is this representative of the Church trying to become great in front of us? Will he face them alone? Does he not see the two dangerous giants standing in front?"
Hearing our talk, the kind of smile came on Vyuk's face that is only on the face of an invincible warrior. He took a deep breath and said with great confidence—
"Do not worry my friends. I know that these giants are powerful, but I will again repeat the same thing I said before... that I am still the most powerful one here!"
Hearing Vyuk's words, we all were drowned in surprise, but we had no choice other than to obey him. Still, a question was coming to my mind: how exactly would we find that cunning woman? She could be hiding anywhere.
"Vyuk, all this is fine," I said, expressing doubt, "but we don't even know where that woman is right now. Finding her without any clue is like finding a needle in a haystack."
At which Vyuk stroked his chin and said while thinking something, "Yes Jona, the problem is serious. But you don't need to worry; I have a solution for this too."
Vyuk put his hand in his pant pocket with a calm expression and took out a strange thing—a pendulum, which he was holding by a thread. At the bottom part of that thread, a simple gold coin was tied. Seeing that ordinary-looking pendulum in Vyuk's hand, I understood nothing.
"Vyuk, what on earth will you do with this ordinary pendulum?" I asked in disbelief.
Vyuk scattered a mysterious smile and said, "Actually Jona, this is no ordinary pendulum. It will take us directly to that kidnapper woman. If I had used this before, it would perhaps have failed. But for such a long time, this pendulum has been in the influence zone of that woman's 'Aurum Essence.' Therefore, now it has recognized the scent of her existence. Even if she goes miles away from here now, this pendulum will find her."
Vyuk closed his eyes and made the pendulum completely still in the air. His lips began to move in a mysterious rhythm. His voice was deep and echoing. He started reading a spell:
> "O' hidden pulse of the shifting vein,
> Seek the essence, break the chain.
> Bound by shadow, tied by breath,
> Find the weaver of dance and death.
> Pull the thread through the dark of night,
> Reveal the target to my sight.
> By the power of the blood and the ancient's call...
> Show the path beyond this wall!"
>
As soon as the spell ended, the energy of the environment began to tremble. That coin, which had been lying still, suddenly started moving in the air like crazy. Within moments, strange lines of energy like purple lightning started revolving around that coin. That thread became as stiff as an iron rod.
The purple flames emerging from the pendulum were now not just shining, but they were connecting the links of the 'Aurum Essence' left behind by that woman in the air. Suddenly, that pendulum started pulling toward a fixed direction. Its indication was toward the same warehouse from where those two terrifying giants had emerged.
Vyuk extended the pendulum toward me and said, "Go Jona, now its needle will stop directly at that woman. Take this and find her."
He placed the pendulum in my hands. I was a bit nervous, but there was no other way. I said hesitatingly, "Okay, I'll see what I can do." I signaled toward Historia and Helena, and they too were ready to go. We three moved inside the warehouse, avoiding those two giants. I looked back one last time; Vyuk was standing firm in front of those two giants. Now, facing those monsters completely depended on him.
After Jona and his friends left, the shadows of the warehouse were spread like a monster. Those two 10-foot-tall giants moved forward, shaking their heavy necks. With their every step, the concrete ground was cracking like dry paper.
"So... are you in a hurry for your death?" There was a strange ring in Vyuk's voice.
Suddenly, the long shadows scattered on the walls and ground of the warehouse began to tremble. Before the first giant could strike his massive paw on Vyuk's head, coal-black and sticky 'Shadow Tentacles' emerged from the ground. Those tentacles gripped the giant's legs and hands. The monster tried to break them, but those tentacles were sinking into his flesh.
Vyuk leapt into the air like an arrow. He concentrated his entire physical and 'Aurum' power into his right fist and landed a 'greyish-blue' punch directly on the giant's head. The strike was so tremendous that the giant's massive head snapped back and the blue crystals on his face shattered like glass.
Just then, the second giant swung his heavy fist toward Vyuk's ribs. Vyuk nimbly turned his body in the air, gave direction to the giant's fist, and using that same hand as a shield, landed a tremendous 'roundhouse kick' on his jaw. The sound of breaking bones echoed throughout the harbor.
The field had now turned completely into chaos. On one side, the giants were turning the ground into rubble with their massive fists, and on the other side, Vyuk was making them dance like puppets with his shadow tentacles.
Suddenly, Vyuk placed both his hands on the ground. "Shadow Binding!"
Dozens of black tentacles emerged at once and began to pull both giants toward each other. Those two monsters were using their strength helplessly, but those shadows had gripped them like stone.
Vyuk was now standing calm. He started running—his speed was so fast that he was looking only like a black line. He climbed onto the first giant's shoulder and, leaping from there, struck with his heel right in the middle of the second giant's head. The explosion was as if a large building had collapsed. That giant fell face-first onto the ground. Vyuk did not stop and made a powerful strike on the first giant's chest, causing him to crash into the iron wall of the warehouse.
Shadows were now beginning to cover the bodies of those giants completely. Vyuk prepared his final strike. He combined the golden and black energy together in his fist.
"You giants were powerful," Vyuk said in a cold voice, "but your capability to stand in my way now ends."
He struck their 'Vital Organs' simultaneously. A massive cloud of dust rose. When the dust cleared, Vyuk was cleaning his shirt. In front of him, those two 10-foot monsters were now only heaps of ash.
Vyuk took a long breath and looked toward the dark doorway of the warehouse. He smiled slowly and disappeared like a shadow inside the warehouse.