Summoner Tower, 145th Floor!
Chief Lorheim's weathered hands moved in intricate patterns as he chanted a magic spell. Three translucent blue circles materialized before him, each 1.5 meters in diameter and inscribed with arcane symbols that glowed with an internal light. The mana concentration in the chamber increased tenfold as he prepared to cast his signature spell.
Force Magic—Triple Push!
The spell circles hummed with power, ready to launch the monstrous Titan backward. But his spellcasting was fatally slow. The crystalline hammer, measuring 10 meters from end to end, descended with unstoppable momentum. The wizened mage's eyes widened in the split second before impact, reflecting the gleaming weapon that would end his decades-long existence.
The hammer struck with the force of a meteor, pulverizing Lorheim's body instantly. Blood and viscera splattered across the chamber as the hammer continued its downward path, shattering the reinforced floor beneath. The entire 145th level buckled under the impact, centuries-old stone crumbling like dry clay.
"NO!" Volmar screamed, his hands moving instinctively.
Water Magic—Double Water Bubble!
A dome of swirling water materialized around himself and Kalina just as the floor gave way. The entire chamber collapsed, sending debris, bodies, and survivors plummeting downward. Above them, the Warhammer Titan's massive form followed, destroying each subsequent floor as they fell.
The 144th floor collapsed upon impact. Then the 143rd. The systematic destruction continued in a cascade of failure, each floor's foundation weakening as the one above it crashed down.
Through the swirling Water Bubble, Volmar watched in horror as the remaining Elders—mages who had lived for over a century, who had defended Encarta with their summoning arts for generations, were crushed beneath rubble or the Titan's massive form. Their bodies broke with sickening sounds that somehow carried over the thunderous destruction.
"The Chief... Marek... Sorin... Paltis... Embry..." Volmar's voice cracked as he listed the names of his fallen colleagues while his shield bubble bounced from one ruined floor to the next. "ARGH!"
"Wasn't our Grand Summon supposed to obey us? Didn't we design the grand magic circle that way?" Kalina clutched his arm, her face ashen with shock. "Why is it trying to kill us?"
"A mistake," Volmar hissed through clenched teeth. "No, it's not trying to kill us."
He glared at the Titan, uttering upon witnessing its actions, "It's blindly rampaging without any semblance of sentience."
The Water Bubble wobbled as they crashed through the 139th floor, coming to rest momentarily on unstable rubble. The Warhammer Titan had somehow gotten ahead of them, its massive body continuing to carve a path of destruction through the tower.
Volmar's eyes narrowed with determination. He released his grip on Kalina and raised his hands, five magic circles appearing before him, each a meter in diameter.
Summoning Magic—Quintet Minotaur!
Only one circle activated fully before the floor beneath them gave way again. From the glowing circle emerged a bulking creature standing 3 meters tall, with the muscular body of a man and the head and hooves of a bull. Its nostrils flared with rage as it materialized, gripping a massive steel axe in its gnarled hands.
"Attack!" Volmar commanded, pointing at the Titan that was now demolishing the 137th floor below them.
The Minotaur bellowed, its moo echoing through the collapsing structure as it leapt down, axe raised high. It landed on the Titan's back, immediately swinging its weapon with tremendous force against the creature's ankle.
CLANG!
The steel axe cut into the hardened flesh, but didn't sever it. Volmar watched in horror as his summon's weapon became lodged in the creature's leg, the blade penetrating only partway through.
"Impossible," he whispered. "That axe can cleave through even stone!"
The Titan turned, its expressionless face suddenly cowling in amusement. With casual ease, it reached down and grasped the Minotaur by its torso. The bull-headed creature struggled, muscles bulging as it tried to free itself from the Titan's grasp.
Volmar felt his breath catch as the Titan raised the Minotaur to eye level, studying it for a moment. Then, with mechanical precision, it opened its crystal-lined maw and bit the Minotaur's head clean off. Blood fountained from the summon's neck as its body went limp in the Titan's grasp.
"No!" Volmar screamed as the Minotaur's body dissolved into mana particles, the summoning broken by its death.
The 136th floor collapsed beneath the Titan's weight, and the destruction continued.
Throughout the collapsing tower, screams of terror echoed as hundreds of mages found themselves caught in the catastrophe. Junior summoners, apprentices, researchers—all faced with the sudden demolition of their home and sanctuary.
"Summon your monsters!" A Senior Summoner shouted to a group of Mages on the 112th floor. "Protect yourselves!"
Various creatures appeared throughout the tower—Ogres, Werewolves, Hobgoblins, and even a Giant with two heads. They moved to protect their summoners, only to be crushed as the Warhammer Titan crashed through their level, its massive body creating a shockwave that sent mages and summons alike flying into walls and columns.
"Evacuate!" came the cry throughout the tower. But it was too late for most. The tower that had stood for a thousand years was coming apart too quickly.
Through the 80th floor, they crashed, the Warhammer Titan bringing destruction with every impact. Kalina, still protected by Volmar's Water Bubble, watched in horror as the slaughter continued.
"Damn Titan!" she hollered, her hands forming complex gestures. Five magic circles appeared before her, but she only managed to activate one.
Summoning Magic—Cerberus!
A massive hound materialized from the circle, standing 5 meters at the shoulder with three snarling heads. Its black fur rippled as all three heads focused on the Titan. With a howl that shook the remaining structure, the Cerberus launched itself at the Warhammer Titan.
"Get it!" Kalina coughed out blood as she ordered the Cerberus. She quickly gathered her bearings and prepared to summon the rest of her Cerberus summons.
The hellhound's middle head clamped onto the Titan's arm with jaws powerful enough to crush stone. The other two heads bit into the creature's torso, tearing away chunks of hardened flesh.
With a sickening crack, the Cerberus ripped the Titan's arm clean off, sending it flying across the chamber. Steam erupted from the wound as the Titan stumbled backwards.
"Yes!" Kalina cried, her eyes wide with hope. "It's working!"
But her triumph was short-lived. Before their eyes, the Titan's shoulder bubbled and hissed, new tissue forming and crystallising. Within seconds, a new arm had grown to replace the severed limb.
"Fuck!" Volmar cursed. "It has regeneration amidst physical strength and that bizarre materialising magic?"
As they crashed through the 75th floor, the Warhammer Titan struck back. It plunged its newly formed hand deep into the central head of the Cerberus. The hound howled in agony, but could not release its bite.
Warhammer Titan Hardening!
From within Cerberus's mouth, crystalline spikes erupted outward. They pierced through the beast's skull, throat, and torso, bursting from its body in a fountain of blood and gore. The creature's howl turned to a whimper, then silence as it dissolved into mana particles.
"No!" Kalina screamed, her connection to the summon severed painfully.
The destruction continued for agonizing minutes that felt like hours. Floor after floor gave way as the Warhammer Titan descended through the Summoner Tower like a stone through water. Mages died by the hundreds, crushed, impaled, or thrown to their deaths.
Finally, with a thunderous crash that shook the entire city of Wonka, the tower's foundations failed. The once-majestic structure that had stood for a millennium collapsed in on itself, raising a cloud of dust that darkened the sky for kilometres around.
Wonka City! Central District!
The citizens of Wonka, accustomed to living in the safety and security of the Summoner Tower, watched in disbelief as the 150-floor structure imploded. The collapse sent shockwaves through the ground, knocking people off their feet and shattering windows throughout the city.
"The tower!" a merchant screamed, pointing at the cloud of dust rising from where the majestic structure had stood moments before. "The Summoner Tower is falling!"
Parents clutched children to their chests. Elderly citizens who had lived their entire lives under the tower's protection fell to their knees in prayer. Guards rushed toward the disaster, uncertain what they could possibly do to help.
For five minutes, an eerie silence fell over the city as the dust cloud billowed outward. Then, from the center of the rubble, came movement. A massive crystalline hand burst from the debris, followed by another. The citizens of Wonka watched in horror as a 15-meter monstrosity pulled itself from the ruins of the tower.
Two remaining Cerberus hounds—summoned by Kalina once she recovered a bit—clung to the creature's legs, their teeth digging into its hardened skin. The Titan reached down and crushed one's skull after repeated punches. The other, it kicked away, sending the hound flying into a nearby building.
Standing atop the mountain of rubble that had once been the pride of Encarta's magical community, the Warhammer Titan threw back its head and released a roar that shattered windows and eardrums alike.
"Titan!" screamed a woman, covering her children's eyes. "A Titan has destroyed the Mage Tower!"
"Run!" shouted another citizen, turning to flee. "Run for your lives!"
Panic erupted throughout Wonka City as the Warhammer Titan stood tall. It was then besieged by two Cerberuses and a bunch of monsters that crawled out of the rubble.
Instinctively, it responded, targeting the monsters.