The night wind raged before the Gates of Sena City. Dust and embers swirled through the air, the sky glowing in a dark violet hue, while the scent of iron and ash mixed heavily in every breath.
The giant stood there.
Its towering body seemed to challenge the heavens themselves. Layers of natural black armor covered its massive frame, glinting faintly beneath distant flashes of lightning. From the gaps along its back, hot steam seeped out slowly—like the breath of hell awakening from a long slumber.
Its eyes burned like two living spheres of violet fire.
Steel fangs ground against one another with a harsh krek... krek... as though chewing the air itself. Every step it took shook the earth. Every roar split the sky apart.
Sai looked up.
His hands trembled around his sword. His knees shook, yet within his eyes a small flame of determination still flickered stubbornly.
"T… this is… the boss…"
The words were nearly swallowed by the storm, yet they were enough to send a chill down the spines of the soldiers atop the city walls.
The giant slowly raised its arm—then slammed it into the ground.
The earth split open.
An invisible shockwave tore across the battlefield, blasting into Sai and hurling him violently into a massive stone near the city wall.
"ARGHHH!!"
His body rolled across the dirt as dust exploded around him. Blood trickled from his lips.
The Gates of Sena trembled violently, releasing a long groan as if the ancient stones themselves were crying out in fear.
The soldiers atop the wall screamed in panic, arrows slipping from their hands.
From the distance, Jake Hill sprinted forward with all his strength. His pupils reflected the monstrous violet glow.
"Sai!!!"
Jake's voice echoed—only to be drowned by another deafening roar that shook the battlefield.
The giant slowly straightened its body and turned toward the gate.
The violet light in the sky intensified, casting the monster's silhouette through the mist like a god of destruction descending from the heavens.
And that night—the world seemed to stop breathing.
---
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Each of the monster's footsteps struck the earth like a colossal hammer pounding against the souls of all who heard it.
The ground quaked violently. Stones cracked and fell from the city walls. Several Indosvara soldiers were thrown from the top of the gate, tumbling down with terrified screams.
Jake stood frozen atop the wall, stiff as a statue.
"What… what is that…?" he whispered.
His face had gone pale. Fear tightened around his chest, yet he could not look away.
Below him, Sai struggled to rise.
Blood streamed from his temple as he reached desperately for his fallen sword.
"What… kind of power… is that…?" Sai coughed blood. "This monster… is different… it's not ordinary…"
Every step the giant took made the air tremble like fragile glass about to shatter.
Sai clenched his teeth.
"I have to stop it… I can't let this city fall…"
He tried to stand—but his knees buckled. His sword slipped from his grasp once more.
"Damn it… is everything going to end in tragedy…?" he muttered weakly.
His eyes lifted toward Jake above the gate.
"Hurry… do something… Jake…"
Jake stared down at Sai—then at the approaching giant.
He bit his finger until it bled. Crimson droplets fell onto the stone of the gate.
Pressing his palm against the blood, he chanted:
"Protective Wall!"
A brilliant blue flash erupted.
A shimmering barrier spread across Sena's gate like crystallized light, layering into a thick wall of vibrating energy.
Sai watched through ragged breaths.
"Will… it hold…?"
The monster's violet eyes pulsed. Then it struck the barrier with both fists.
DUARRRRR!!!
Blue and violet light collided.
An explosion of energy pierced the sky, blinding the entire city. Stones shattered. Thunder roared from the violent clash.
Jake screamed, gripping the wall from above, palm still pressed against the glowing sigil.
"Damn it! This thing… is too strong…!"
The blue light trembled violently—nearly shattering—but he endured, teeth grinding, body shaking.
---
The monster paused.
Its head tilted slightly—as if thinking.
Then it slammed its fist into the ground once more.
DUARRR!!!
The second shockwave was even greater. The earth split. The air screamed. Soldiers clung desperately to the walls to avoid being thrown off.
When the dust settled—
The monster was holding something.
From the shattered earth, it had lifted an enormous mass of stone—large as a house—and gripped it tightly.
"ARGHHHHHHH!!!"
With a thunderous roar, it hurled the colossal boulder toward the city.
The rock spun through the sky, tearing through clouds, heading straight for the residential district.
The citizens looked up.
There was no time to run. No place to hide.
Jake's eyes widened in horror.
"No… that can't be…!"
"It's using another method… it's intelligent…"
And just as the massive stone was about to crush the city—
A streak of blue lightning flashed.
Sai appeared.
His body was battered, robes torn, face covered in blood and dust. Yet his eyes still burned with blue determination.
Standing before the citizens, he raised his sword to the sky.
Blue aura ignited across the battlefield.
"HAAAAAA!!!"
One slash—
The colossal stone split into thousands of fragments, exploding into glowing dust that drifted down like ash rain over the city.
The people coughed—but they were alive.
"He saved us…" "Sai saved the city!"
Cheers and sobs blended together.
Sai gave a faint smile—then collapsed.
The citizens caught him before he struck the ground.
Jake trembled as he watched from above.
"Sai…"
---
But the battle was not over.
The monster still stood beyond the gate.
It lowered its head—then slowly lifted it again, staring at Jake with a horrifying grin.
Steel lips parted, revealing rows of jagged fangs.
The citizens trembled.
"If it gets inside… we're dead…" "Someone stop it!"
Their cries rose like desperate waves.
Jake looked down at the thousands of eyes fixed on him—filled with hope.
He inhaled deeply.
"I cannot lose."
"Everyone… is entrusting their lives to me."
He faced the giant. Both his hands glowed with pale blue light.
The monster stared back—and smiled.
"ARGHHHHHH!!!"
The giant raised its fist, thick violet aura wrapping around its armored arm.
Then it slammed into the barrier.
JEDUUUUMMM!!!
Cracks spread across the blue shield.
The light flickered violently.
PYAAARRRR!!!
The protective wall shattered into fragments of fading blue light.
Jake's eyes widened in disbelief.
"No… impossible… my barrier… broken…?"
Silence fell over the city.
Faces turned pale.
"We're going to die…" "There's no one left to stop it…"
Their voices echoed between sobs and panicked cries.
The monster stared down at Jake with a mocking tilt of its head.
Jake stood frozen.
"Did I… fail… again…?" he whispered.
But then—
A memory surfaced.
The face of Rei Celestia—his friend he once failed to save from the darkness.
Jake clenched his fists.
The air around him trembled. The blue aura that had faded began to burn once more.
"I will not fail again."
"I will protect them all."
The monster met his gaze.
In silence, two forces challenged each other.
Above them, the sky split between two colors—violet darkness from the monster, radiant blue from Jake Hill.
The lights collided in midair, carving a jagged scar of energy across the night sky.
The wind howled.
Lightning struck.
The heavens themselves seemed to hold their breath.
Two pairs of eyes—human and monster—locked in a deadly silence.
And once more—
The world began to tremble.
To be continued…