The air on the ridge had turned solid. It wasn't just the pressure of the Red Zone anymore; it was the gravitational pull of three colossal monsters standing in a line, looking down at 'insects' they intended to crush.
The fatigue in the squad was palpable. Bronx was breathing hard, his chest heaving like a bellows. Skarrin's coils were dull, coated in dried ichor. Valera's rapier tip trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the sheer physical toll of the last few hours. Mentally, they were steel; physically, they were running on fumes.
Opposite them, the Triad stood fresh, radiating a violet aura that warped the light around them.
Commander Zorr stepped forward, his greatsword resting heavy on his shoulder. He locked his single eye on the center beast. "Goros, was it?"
The massive Titan, Goros, looked down, a smirk cracking his obsidian face. "Yes... little... vampire"
"Where the rest of your buddies at? " Zorr asked.
"You... do... not... need... to... know..." Goros responded. "Prepare... yourself... to... die... little... vampire" Goros smirked as his violet aura flared brightly once more.
"Yeah well, don't count on it" Zorr responded to Goros shrugging him off and turning to the others behind him.
He pointed his sword to the West. "Captain Valera. You take the spiked one. Malak. Take him far left."
Valera nodded, stepping away from the group, her eyes fixing on the General ranked Eleven. "Understood."
Zorr pointed to the East. "Squad. All of you. You take the four-armed ugly one. Vruk. Drag him right. Don't try to be heroes. Just kill it."
Bronx, Krog, Tag, Skarrin, and the remaining Virefang knights formed a wall. Krog was the only one smiling, his chain clicking softly.
The Titans seemed to understand the challenge. With earth-shaking footsteps, Malak stomped toward the western cliffs, Vruk skittered toward the eastern tree line, and Goros remained center-north, creating three distinct arenas on the massive ridge to ensure total destruction without interference.
Before the violence began, Zorr glanced back one last time.
Barek lay in the red dust, shrouded in a cocoon of white vapor. But through the mist, changes were visible. His body was bulking up, muscles expanding and densifying rapidly. His skin had flushed from dark mahogany to a deep, burning shade of pure crimson. The energy flowing off him wasn't the chaotic burst of the First Art anymore; it was a rhythmic, pounding drumbeat.
'He's growing, Zorr thought. If he is able to survive this then... '.
Zorr turned back to Goros.
"Shall... we... dance?" Goros mocked, his voice booming.
Zorr looked at his squad and they all with a head nod went their separate ways far from their initial position, headed West and East with the titans, with light blitzing speed and earth-shattering force.
Zorr looked back at Goros,
"Okay then let's see if you worth ma time shall we?" Zorr growled with a grin on his face.
BOOM.
The fight didn't start with a step; it started with an explosion.
Goros lunged. For a creature standing twenty feet tall, his speed was physically impossible. He crossed the distance in a blur of violet motion, a mountain moving at the speed of light
Zorr barely had time to raise his greatsword.
CLANG!!
The impact was deafening. Zorr blocked the massive obsidian fist, but the kinetic force didn't care about his guard. He was launched backward, his boots carving deep trenches into the rock as he slid fifty feet away.
making sure to steer the fight away from where Barek was lying, Zorr slammed his blade into the ground, forcing himself to a halt far away from his original position. His arms vibrated violently.
Goros stood tall, laughing. "Is... that... all... the... strength... you... possess?"
Zorr ignored the taunt. He ripped his sword from the earth and settled into a low stance. "Just testing the weight."
Goros reached down and ripped a petrified tree from the ground, roots, rock, and all. He hurled it like a javelin.
The tree screamed through the air, rotating end over end.
Zorr couldn't believe his eyes, even for Ironkongs and being known for their physical peakness in the vampire village, he had never witness any of them do such a thing before, he stood still for a while and then, he didn't dodge. He charged at it head on.
He met the tree mid-sprint. With a roar, he swung his greatsword coated in his red aura upward, "REVERSE IRONKONG BLOODART: SKY SHEAR!!", slicing cleanly through the trunk. He burst through the shower of splinters, accelerating.
But as he cleared the debris, a shadow fell over him.
He looked up and Goros was already there with a large smile on his face and glowing eyes, looking down on Zorr,, catching him off-guard . The Titan threw a downward punch, a blow meant to flatten Zorr into paste.
Zorr saw it coming. He didn't have the leverage to block it from a run.
'How is he so fast!?'.
Zorr slammed his greatsword tip-first into the ground. He grabbed the pommel and vaulted, using the sword as a pole-vault.
CRASH.
Goros's fist hit the empty ground where Zorr had been a microsecond before, shattering the bedrock.
Zorr was airborne with his greatsword. He twisted in the air, landing heavily on Goros's massive forearm. Before the Titan could react, Zorr was already on his swung arm.
Goros's eyes widened slightly. "Vermin."
The Titan swung his other arm, a massive backhand aimed to swat Zorr off his limb like a fly.
Zorr saw the wall of obsidian muscle coming. He didn't jump off. He leaned into it. He released the Reverse Ironkong Blood Art into his single arm, swinging his coated greatsword one-handed to meet the Titan's strike.
"IRONKONG REVERSE BLOOD ART: KING'S REVERSAL!"
THOOM.
The collision created a shockwave that cleared the dust for about a hundred yards. Zorr's sword struck the side of Goros's incoming hand. The sheer, concentrated force of the parry swatted the Titan's massive arm away, knocking it wide.
Goros stumbled, his balance broken.
Zorr didn't waste the opening. He sprinted up the Titan's arm, his boots finding traction on the obsidian plates. He was a blur of charcoal light, racing toward the head.
He reached the shoulder. He leaped, aiming for the neck.
Zorr gripped his sword with both hands, raising it high. His aura flared to a blinding peak.
"REVERSE IRONKONG BLOOD ART: EXECUTIONER'S GREAT-ARC!"
He swung. A crescent of pure kinetic destruction slammed into the side of Goros's neck.
SH-THUNK.
The impact reverberated through the entire valley. Zorr landed back on the ground, skidding to a stop. He looked up, chest heaving.
Goros stood still. He tilted his neck slowly, cracking it.
The obsidian skin at his neck shimmered with a faint violet coating—an energy shield that lay flush against his hide. But it wasn't perfect.
A thin, dark line appeared on the violet skin. A single drop of black blood beaded up and rolled down Goros's neck.
Zorr grinned. "Well look at that."
Goros touched the scratch. He looked at the black blood on his finger. A wide, terrifying grin spread across his face, stretching almost to his ears. His violet eyes burned with amusement.
"Good... impact," Goros rumbled. "But... you... only... scratched... the... paint."
Zorr grit his teeth, frustration boiling in his gut. 'Guess its gonna take more than I had originally planned huh? '
He shifted his grip on the sword, settling back into his stance.
"Well, I ain't done chipping yet," Zorr spat.