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The Land of Spade's eerie stillness was shattered as Seraphina and Captain Doran finally arrived at the location where Elder Aeliana's aura emanated from. The deeper they ventured into this mysterious land, the more colossal the environment became. The trees towered over them like skyscrapers, their trunks wider than houses, and the plants were unnervingly large. Hills stretched into the horizon, and even the wildlife—massive creatures resembling mythical beasts—roamed the landscape.
Captain Doran couldn’t help but comment, “This place is huge.”
Seraphina, her eyes scanning the area, nodded. “Everything seems...off. Almost as if this land was made for beings much larger than us.”
Doran raised an eyebrow. “Giants? I thought they were just myths.”
Seraphina replied, “Seems like they're real enough based on what we’re seeing here. But why would Elder Aeliana's aura be in such a place? I don’t think this is a base of The Eclipse Sovereignty.”
Doran rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “It doesn’t make sense. They’ve been our main enemies, yet this place feels... different.”
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to rumble, growing stronger with each passing moment. The vibrations intensified, making the earth tremble as if giant footsteps were approaching.
Doran and Seraphina exchanged a look and started running toward the direction of Elder Aeliana’s aura. The closer they got, the stronger the vibrations became. After what felt like an eternity, they reached a village. In the center of the village, there was a massive cage, suspended over a large firepit.
Inside, Elder Aeliana was chained, looking gaunt and almost catatonic. Seraphina and Doran rushed to the cage, desperately trying to communicate with her.
“Aeliana! Can you hear us?” Seraphina shouted, but Elder Aeliana, her eyes wide and hollow, simply pointed behind them.
Both of them turned around to face the source of her terror.
Six towering figures stood before them—giants. The smallest of the group was still easily ten times their height, while the largest loomed like a mountain. Their skin was rough and weathered, and their eyes glowed with a malevolent light. The air grew thick with tension.
Captain Doran, ever brave, took a step forward. “So, you’re the ones holding her?”
One of the giants, standing on the left, spoke, his voice booming like thunder. “We acquired her in a deal.”
Seraphina narrowed her eyes. “With The Eclipse Sovereignty?”
The giant nodded. “They helped free us from our oppressors in exchange for... certain tasks. We are merely fulfilling our end of the bargain.”
Seraphina's face twisted in anger. “So, protecting her by roasting her over a fire?”
The largest giant, Thragor Stonefury, took a step forward, his voice like an earthquake. “We protect her from anyone who would take her. That was the agreement.”
Captain Doran’s eyes narrowed as he slowly walked toward the giants. “I see... You think you’re working with The Eclipse Sovereignty, but in reality, you’re just pawns. They knew what they were doing, choosing powerful beings like you to handle such a task. But something feels off about all of this.”
He glanced at the mysterious cage. “We won’t touch the cage for now. But we will deal with you.”
One of the giants, a fierce-looking woman with lightning crackling around her, snarled at Doran’s arrogance. “You think you can defeat us?” Valkyra the Thundermaul’s eyes sparked as the skies above began to darken with storm clouds.
Valkyra commanded the skies, and with a roar, she unleashed Skylord’s Call. Massive eagles descended from the storm, their talons sharp enough to tear through stone. The eagles screeched as they dived toward Doran and Seraphina, ready to attack.
Captain Doran leaped into the air, using Graviton Grip to alter the gravity around the eagles, making their flight erratic and their movements sluggish. With a crushing force, he shattered their formation, sending the eagles plummeting to the ground.
Seraphina, wasting no time, appeared in front of the remaining five giants and unleashed Hellfire Chains of Dominion. The fiery chains erupted from her hands, wrapping around the giants and pulling them to their knees as their life force was siphoned into her.
The giants groaned in agony, but the leader, Thragor Stonefury, roared in fury, breaking free of the chains with his Giant’s Vengeance. The more damage he took, the stronger he became, and with each blow, his power intensified. He shattered the chains and freed the other giants.
Skara Frostvein, one of the other giants, conjured her Glacial Tomb, encasing Seraphina and the other giants in towering glaciers. The temperature dropped rapidly as frost spread across the ground, freezing everything it touched.
"I'm sorry about this," Skara said, her voice cold and calm. "But things are about to get...cold." She raised her staff and unleashed Permafrost Pulse, sending a wave of freezing energy throughout the tomb. Seraphina, now encased in ice, could feel the bitter cold attempting to freeze her from the inside out.
Drazok the Fissure, another of the giants, charged toward the frozen Seraphina, using Fissure Charge. The ground beneath him split open as he charged, aiming to crush her with his massive strength.
But in that moment, Seraphina’s eyes glowed with fiery rage. She screamed, her body radiating intense heat. With a deafening roar, she unleashed Infernal Devastation. Flames erupted from her body, melting the ice instantly and reducing the entire area to a sea of fire.
The sheer power of her flames destabilized the space around them, causing shockwaves that rippled across the battlefield. Drazok's charge was halted, and the giants found themselves struggling against the overwhelming heat.
Fire was everywhere. The entire battlefield had been turned into a molten landscape, the very air shimmering with heat. Seraphina stood at the center, her aura burning with power as the giants, now wary, took a step back.
The chapter ended there, leaving the giants in awe of Seraphina's might, as the flames danced around her, and Captain Doran prepared for the next phase of their battle.49Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHeImPa31I
