?


    With the Giant''s attack temporarily subsided, Rose and I seized the opportunity to counter. We emerged from behind the weakened Ice Walls, determination burning in our eyes.


    Rose raised her ice de, its crystalline surface gleaming with a frigid intensity.


    Whoosh...


    She unleashed a torrent of icy shards, propelled by her cryokic abilities, towards the Giant''s flickering form. The shards pierced through the air with deadly uracy, piercing the Giant''s molten flesh and causing it to roar in agony.


    Swish...


    I, on the other hand, sprinted towards the Giant''s colossal legs, my longsword gripped tightly in my hand. With every stride, the ground quaked beneath me, but I pressed on, undeterred. My mind focused solely on the task at hand – finding a vulnerable spot to strike.


    Thud...


    Dodging the Giant''s iling limbs and evading its searing attacks, I maneuvered around its massive form. I analyzed its movements, searching for a weakness, an opening to exploit. And then, I spotted it – a patch of exposed, smoldering skin on its back.


    Leaping into the air, I propelled myself towards the Giant''s back, my sword poised to strike. With a mighty swing, I brought the de crashing down, aiming for the vulnerable spot. The sword bit into the Giant''s flesh, searing heat radiating through the de as it sank deeper.


    Roar...


    Roaring in pain, the Giant thrashed and writhed, attempting to dislodge me once again. But I clung on with unwavering resolve, my grip unyielding. As the Giant''s movements grew more erratic, I continued my relentless assault, striking again and again, carving through its fiery defenses.


    Meanwhile, Rose unleashed her full cryokic fury, conjuring freezing gusts of wind that encircled the Giant. The freezing winds whirled and twisted, creating a tempest of ice that engulfed the creature. The Giant''s mes struggled against the onught, dwindling and fading under the onught of Rose''s icy onught.


    However, I knew this is not over...


    As the Giant writhed in pain, its massive form began to undergo a startling transformation. Its molten skin cracked and crumbled, revealing a newyer beneath. The once-fiery exterior gave way to a hardened, obsidian-like shell, shimmering with an otherworldly aura.


    The Giant''s roar echoed through the cavern, a mixture of anguish and fury. It swung its massive arms, unleashing waves of scorching mes that licked at the air. Rose and I swiftly dove out of harm''s way, narrowly escaping the searing heat.


    With our backs against the cavern wall, we exchanged a brief but determined nce. It was clear that our previous tactics would no longer be as effective against this new form. We needed to adapt, to find a way to exploit the Giant''s newly acquired weaknesses.


    Rose''s eyes gleamed with a cial determination. She summoned her cryokic powers once more, this time channeling them toward the Giant''s transformed shell. Freezing gusts of wind enveloped the obsidian surface, causing cracks to form and fractures to spread across its hardened exterior.


    Sensing an opportunity, I dashed forward, my longsword gleaming in the dim light. With precise strikes, I aimed for the weakened points in the Giant''s obsidian armor. Each blow reverberated through the cavern, shattering fragments of the once imprable shell.


    But the Giant was not one to be defeated easily. It retaliated with renewed aggression, its movements bing swifter and more ferocious. Lava oozed from the cracks in its shell, pooling on the cavern floor and sizzling with intense heat.


    Dancing with agility, Rose created ice barriers that shielded us from the scorching sts and fiery projectiles. Her cryokic powers formed an intricate dance, countering the Giant''s mes with her own frosty arsenal. Together, we orchestrated a symphony of ice and steel, each strike aimed at dismantling the Giant''s newfound defenses.


    As the battle raged on, the Giant''s obsidian shell continued to fracture under our relentless assault. With every strike, it weakened further, revealing glimpses of the seething molten core beneath.


    "Don''t go for it!"


    I shouted to Rose, who was already, eyeing the core with her de at ready. Although it might seem like striking the core would kill the creature, it wasn''t true. This Giant had two hearts.


    Boom...


    Suddenly, the rough obsidian skin fell off the giant inrge chunks, unveiling the raw, pulsating hearts thaty exposed.


    Lava dripped from the creature''s body like an endless river, creating such heat waves that even Rose''s Ice Spear was melting.


    As the Giant''s obsidian shell shattered, revealing its pulsating hearts, Rose and I knew that this battle was far from over. The sight of the raw, molten organs filled us with both awe and dread, realizing the immense power contained within them.


    With the Giant''s fury unabated, it swung its colossal arms with renewed strength, sending shockwaves through the cavern. The ground beneath us trembled violently, threatening to knock us off bnce. We braced ourselves, our determination unwavering, but the sheer force of the Giant''s attacks made it increasingly difficult to maintain our footing.


    Rose conjured a wall of ice to protect us from the onught, but even her cryokic abilities strained under the weight of the Giant''s power. The shield crackled and groaned under the relentless assault, shards of ice breaking off and shattering into a million pieces.


    I pressed on, my longsword gripped tightly in my hand, but my strikes seemed feeble against the Giant''s molten flesh. With each swing, my de merely nced off its searing surface, leaving nosting damage. The heat radiating from the creature was overwhelming, threatening to melt my armor and sap my strength.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Rose, too, struggled to find an effective strategy. Her cryokic powers, though formidable, were rendered less effective against the intense heat emanating from the Giant. The freezing projectiles she conjured were quickly evaporated by the scorching air, leaving her with limited means to counter the creature''s onught.


    ''Fuck, I have to use it...''


    I reached my hand into the pocket, touching a metal clock that, suddenly, vibrated upon feeling my touch.


    Click...


    Time began to slow down around me as if reality itself was bending to my will. The more Mana I ced into my watch the slower everything around me turned. My surroundings shifted into a surreal tableau, the Giant''s movements sluggish and distorted.


    Huff...


    ncing at Rose, who was slowly creating another Ice Wall and particles of ice appearing before us, I calmly stepped over the spell''s location that should appear in a split second, without even noticing it growing.


    However, even though I spent most of my Mana to slow down the time, I barely had a few moments in this zone, but, this was enough.


    Tap... Tap...


    My footsteps slowly echoed through the unmoving world, approaching the giant that was swinging his massive arm toward my previous location.


    Click...


    I shed my de through the air, slicing cleanly through the tendons in the frozen Giant''s arm.


    sh...


    Another swing of my de was aimed at its legs.


    sh by sh, I meticulously carved through the Giant''s limbs, severing tendons and muscles with surgical precision. With each strike, time seemed to catch up with me, and the world returned to its fric pace. The Giant''s arm faltered mid-swing, its momentum abruptly halted as the tendons I had sliced ceased to function.


    The massive creature bellowed in agony as I moved swiftly, targeting its legs. My de danced through the air, slicing through sinew and bone. Limbs gave way, crumbling beneath the weight of the Giant''s own colossal form. It writhed and convulsed, its screams echoing through the cavern, as its once-mighty limbs fell off in a cascade of destruction.


    As the Giant''s body crumbled, a final surge of energy coursed through its molten core. The intensity of the explosion ripped through the air, sending shockwaves in all directions. The cavern shook violently, debris raining down upon us. I braced myself against the onught, only my hands and sheer willpower protecting me from the worst of the st.


    And then, silence.


    As the dust settled, I found myself on my knees, my strength finally giving way. Fatigue seeped into my bones, and the weight of the battle bore down upon me. I gazed upon the remnants of the fallen Giant, its shattered body scattered across the cavern floor. The victory was hard-fought but well-earned.


    "Aiden!"


    I could see Rose''s emerald eyes, looking at me with shock. For her it probably seemed as if the giant just threw a punch and I suddenly disappeared, the giant crumbling to pieces before her eyes.


    ''I looked cool didn''t I?''


    Unknowingly, a smirk crossed my face, as I thought about the power I disyed. Although this was because of the Artifact, I could still consider it my strength.


    "Please, tell me you are alright..."


    Rose rushed to me, trying to transfer her Mana into me which was not a good thing since I wasn''t actually herpatible person and only knew how to give it to others without side effects.


    ''Fuck...''


    I tried to resist but my body didn''t listen to me at all, I couldn''t even force a word out of my mouth to warn her.


    I don''t want to die in an ident!