Chapter 85: The Scorching Giant

The Titan emerged from the blinding light, a shockwave erupting like an explosion. Molten rock spilled from its body, radiating unbearable heat.

The Titan began walking, turning the earth beneath it into searing magma. It strolled casually toward the Fire Dragon King, looming over its enemy with a cold gaze.

At its feet, one of the Earth Dragons gathered by the Fire Dragon King’s roar lay crushed—unfazed, the Titan raised its foot and brought it down, crushing the creature into dust!

The solid, unyielding shell shattered into fragments, sinking into the molten flow.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

"YEEEEKKKK!!"

A sudden gale blast flung me sideways. After Gojo charged toward the Dragon King, a massive shadow appeared from within the pillar of light.

I barely regained my balance, gripping the flying dragon’s reins. Before me stood a wall—massive, like a mountain spewing magma.

I rose higher, putting distance between myself and the wall, and finally saw its full form… It wasn’t a wall at all. It was a human shape.

"A giant…!?"

I couldn’t believe my eyes. What happened to Gojo…?

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

"What the hell *was* that…?"

A sudden, violent windstorm erupted. The gusts came from far away—still, the force was so strong it threatened to toss everyone off their feet.

Looking up, I saw it—standing before the Dragon’s “Leader,” a colossal giant, its body dripping with crimson lava, impossibly huge.

"Leo! What the hell did Gojo do!?"

Lucas shouted. I didn’t know either. One second, Gojo was charging toward the Dragon’s “Leader,” the next—this giant appeared out of nowhere.

A few feet away, Greis collapsed onto the ground, legs splayed, stunned.

"…Titan… really brought it out…?"

Greis’s voice reached me… Titan? The giant Titan?! The one that pushed America to the brink of extinction! So that giant’s actually here…?

Did Gojo summon it!?

Can a human even do something like that? Normally, you can only "tame" monsters weaker than yourself. There are exceptions—like Carlo’s staff, the Kilkéa Rod—but does Gojo have some special weapon too…?

If not… then he defeated it!? The Titan!? That’s why America suddenly vanished! Gojo… just what the hell are you…?

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

"Ugh. The ground’s turned to lava all the way out here! Wang, can Gojo really do stuff like that!?"

"No, I’ve never seen it before. I don’t know what it is, but is that Gojo’s transformed form or something?"

"That’s ridiculous! He summoned it! That giant idiot! That massive thing!"

Is Wang serious? Even so, summoning something like that should drain all your magic—should’ve killed you instantly…?

"Whatever it is, Gojo can do anything. Let’s get out of here before we get caught in the crossfire. Carlo, bring everyone else!"

Wang’s right—this place is too dangerous. The flying dragons heading this way just veered off and fled.

Earth Dragon’s hesitating too. Scared of that giant.

I don’t want to rely on him… but still… Gojo. Please.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

The Flame Dragon King, glaring at the Titan behind me, took a step back, overwhelmed by its sheer presence.

The Titan takes a step forward. The ground beneath it melts into magma, the heat rising even higher than when the Flame Dragon King appeared.

The Flame Dragon King roars at the Titan, lifting its head and gathering immense magical power deep within its mouth. With a full-force blast, it hurls a fireball large enough to blow the entire town apart!

I teleport out of the way—just in time—but the Titan behind me takes the hit straight on.

An explosion like a nuclear blast engulfs everything in blinding light and searing heat. I’d teleported far enough away, but the shockwave still slams into me.

Dust and flames spiral up into the sky several kilometers away.

Even Leo, who’d kept their distance, looks like they’ve been blown away by the blast. They’re an异能者, so they should be fine... right?

Still, the smoke is so thick I can’t see anything. But the Titan’s clearly resistant to indirect magical attacks. Still, taking a hit like that? That’s gotta be new territory.

Just as I’m thinking that—

A massive silhouette emerges from behind the flames and smoke. The ground trembles as the giant walks calmly forward. Yep—magic attacks clearly don’t work on the Titan.

The Titan plunges a massive hand into the magma-filled ground. From deep below, it pulls out a huge, crimson blade, tearing it free from the earth like a root.

The ground shatters into dust, molten rock gushing upward.

The Flame Dragon King spreads its wings, trying to take flight—but stumbles and crashes to the ground.

I’ve paralyzed it with “Atmosphere Manipulation.” I used “Imitation” to copy Leo’s technique—worked like a charm. Then I applied “Gravity Manipulation,” making its tail impossibly heavy.

For a creature this size, controlling its whole body is tough—but the tail? Yeah. I can easily double, even multiply it by ten times its weight.

The Flame Dragon King noticed the anomaly and turned its head toward me. Recognizing me, it gathered magic in its mouth, forming a sphere of destructive fire.

I dodged the unleashed fireball with a flash teleport. The town far behind vanished completely—gone, evaporated. Now that I was out of the way, the Flame Dragon King was free to move.

But it was too late—

Titan had already closed in, raising its massive axe. The Flame Dragon King roared, summoning magic to its mouth.

Not a fireball—no, a torrent of flame, a breath attack, aimed straight at Titan.

The heat was enough to vaporize stone. A fire-based attack far surpassing normal magic, engulfing Titan’s body and the axe in roaring flames.

Yet Titan showed no sign of pain—no hesitation. It swung down the blazing "Doom Axe," still burning fiercely.

The Flame Dragon King’s thick hide, so tough moments ago, split open like paper, cleaved clean through. The axe sank all the way to the ground—then the earth exploded in a shockwave that tore apart everything around us.

Shards of earth shot skyward, scattered high into the air. I confirmed it—Titan had just taken down the Flame Dragon King in one strike.

"TEIM!!!"

A massive magic circle unfolded, rising into a pillar of light.

Checking my Teim listboard, I saw the name etched there: "Flame Dragon King Shiva."