Amidst all the chaos happening across the battlefield, there was one clash, an unusual fight between an unbreakable force and what felt like an unstoppable will. It was Gor'Mak, the Golem, facing Alex head-on, with Clara standing behind to support him.
Gor'Mak's enormous shadow covered the ground as his glowing stone eyes locked onto Alex. Then, with a flat and emotionless voice, he declared, "Eliminate obstacles."
There was no hesitation, no sign of thought, no sign of fear, or understanding. Immediately after speaking, Gor'Mak swung his giant fist at Alex. Despite being made of metal and rock, and despite being many times Alex's size, Gor'Mak's attack was unbelievably fast. It cut through the air with a sound similar to thunder crashing, and even though Alex dodged it easily, the strong wind pressure that followed gave him barely any room to counterattack.
Alex flipped back and steadied himself. The dust blown into the air blinded him for a moment, but he still rushed forward when he saw a small gap in Gor'Mak's movements. His colossal pickaxe, covered with swirling wind and sand, slammed into Gor'Mak's arm with a loud metallic echo.
But Gor'Mak did not react at all. The hit did nothing, no crack, no dent, not even a tiny mark to show Alex had hit him. The golem's stone-iron body simply absorbed everything without care.
Clara, meanwhile, stayed a few steps behind Alex. Even under all this pressure, she kept her hands raised, magic glowing around her wand She constantly restored Alex's stamina, healed every small injury, and strengthened his reflexes. It was hard work, her face showed it, but she never once stopped.
Alex, however, only smiled. Even though he was up against something that felt impossible to break, he looked excited.
Minutes passed with the two exchanging quick attacks, Alex always dodging and striking whenever he could, Gor'Mak always swinging with cold precision. But then, suddenly, Gor'Mak stood still. His glowing eyes flickered for a moment.
"Obstacle analyzed. Adjusting… adjusting completed."
Alex frowned. Those words didn't feel good at all. They sounded like a warning… or something worse.
And Alex was right.
Gor'Mak's body began to shift. His thick, massive arms began thinning slightly, stretching longer than before, changing shape until they looked more like metallic whips than arms. His fingers sharpened, and the joints loosened as if made for faster motion.
The moment he finished adjusting, he attacked again.
This time, the swings were even faster than before. The speed had doubled, maybe more. Alex barely managed to move out of the way, and even then, he wasn't fully safe. One of the swings missed him by just a hair, but the sharp wind pressure alone left deep cuts across Alex's face, slicing his skin open as if hit by invisible blades.
The sudden pain stunned him for a heartbeat. It was enough for Gor'Mak to launch another attack. His long, whip-like fist came crashing toward Alex with devastating force.
But Clara acted instantly.
She moved her wand forward, shouting a spell " Guardian's Light" as a bright barrier formed around Alex. The fist hit the barrier and the entire dome of light shook violently, threatening to shatter. Clara struggled, her feet digging into the ground as she held on, but it was not enough. Cracks spread across the barrier like spiderwebs.
Within seconds, it broke.
The shockwave blew Clara backward. Gor'Mak's fist smashed into the ground where Alex had been, but Alex wasn't there anymore. At the last moment, while the barrier was breaking, Alex rolled out of the way.
Alex exhaled in relief and looked back at Clara. "Thanks, Clara," he said sincerely.
Clara quickly healed the wounds on his face. The cuts sealed one by one as her soft light passed over them. Alex wiped the leftover blood from his cheek with his thumb. Then, unexpectedly, he smiled again.
He set his pickaxe down for a moment and began stretching his arms and shoulders casually.
Clara blinked in confusion. "What are you doing?" she asked.
She barely got the words out before another swing came from Gor'Mak. But this time, right before the hit could connect, Alex completely vanished from where he stood.
He reappeared above Gor'Mak's extended arm, already bringing his colossal pickaxe down with all his strength. Wind swirled violently around the weapon as he slammed it onto Gor'Mak's arm. The impact was so strong it echoed like a crack in the sky.
Gor'Mak's entire arm was forced down against the ground, and even his massive body shook violently. Clara's eyes widened in disbelief. She had strengthened Alex with several spells, but she could tell, this power wasn't from her magic alone. Alex was finally displaying his true strength. And this was only the beginning.
Alex moved faster now. He circled Gor'Mak like a storm, hitting him again and again with strikes that were strong enough to knock down walls. Gor'Mak's arms rose and fell, trying to swat Alex away, but Alex kept moving.
Still, the golem barely showed damage. His body remained almost perfectly untouched.
Then Gor'Mak spoke again. "Adjusting… adjusted."
His body hardened instantly, turning even tougher than before. But strangely, he did not lose speed. If anything, he became sharper and more efficient in his attacks.
Alex sighed. "Such a troublesome guy he is."
He started running in tight circles around Gor'Mak. The golem turned again and again, trying to track him, swinging repeatedly but missing each time. While moving, Alex used his sand element to fire quick shots at Gor'Mak. The attacks didn't seem strong. They didn't even push Gor'Mak back. But Alex continued them deliberately, as if waiting for something.
Gor'Mak grew frustrated. Finally, he raised both arms high above his head and slammed them downward, intending to crush Alex completely.
But his arms froze. Not by his choice.
Alex grinned. The sand he had been firing earlier wasn't meant to damage Gor'Mak, it was meant to enter the small gaps between the plates of Gor'Mak's body. Now that enough sand had entered, Alex manipulated it, locking Gor'Mak's joints and freezing his movement.
Alex then jumped high into the sky. As he rose, wind and sand swirled around him in a spiraling storm.
"Sandstorm Strike!"
He spun rapidly, descending like a top with his colossal pickaxe aimed at Gor'Mak's head. When he struck, the impact cracked through the battlefield. For the first time in the entire fight, Gor'Mak's body took real damage.
A large scar tore across his face, from forehead to jaw.
Gor'Mak's frustration reached its limit. His voice trembled with strange distortion.
"Unable to complete task… eliminate obstacle… cannot fail… last resort…"
Then darkness began rising from deep within him. Black energy oozed from between the cracks in his armor, covering his entire body. The ground shook as shadows wrapped around him. His glowing eyes dimmed, turning pitch black.
When the darkness finally settled, Gor'Mak's entire form radiated corrupted energy. The air around him felt heavier, colder, almost suffocating. His eyes shone like black flames, locked directly on Alex.
And in that deep, corrupted voice, he repeated, "Target confirmed… eliminating obstacle." The real battle was only beginning.