The night wind howled violently before the Gate of Sena.
Dust and embers whirled through the air, the sky glimmered with a dark violet hue, and the scent of iron and ash mixed into the heavy atmosphere.
The giant stood.
Its massive body loomed tall, as if challenging the heavens themselves. Natural black armor plated its entire form, gleaming faintly beneath the flashes of distant lightning. From the gaps along its back, steam hissed—like the breath of hell awakening from an ancient slumber.
Its eyes blazed, twin orbs of living violet fire.
Steel fangs ground against each other—krek... krek...—grating the air itself. Every step shook the ground, every roar split the sky.
Sai looked up.
His hand trembled around his sword; his knees shook. Yet in his eyes still burned a faint ember of defiance.
"T–This is... the boss..."
The whisper was barely audible amid the storm, yet enough to send a chill crawling through the bones of every soldier upon the wall.
The giant raised its arm—then slammed it down.
The earth split open.
A wave of compressed air erupted across the battlefield, invisible yet overwhelming, hurling Sai backward into a shattered boulder near the city wall.
"ARGHHHH!!"
He rolled across the ground; dust burst upward, blood dripping from his lips.
The gate of Sena shuddered, emitting a deep groan, as if the ancient stones themselves were crying out in fear.
The soldiers above screamed in panic, arrows slipping from their hands.
From afar, Jake Hill ran at full speed, eyes wide, the violet glow of the monster reflected in his pupils.
"SAI!!!"
His voice echoed, drowned almost instantly by the beast's thunderous roar and the rising storm of dust.
The colossus straightened slowly, its gaze fixed upon the gate.
The violet light above intensified, casting its shadow through the fog—like the silhouette of a god of destruction descending from the heavens.
That night, the world seemed to stop breathing.
---
JEDUM. JEDUM. JEDUM.
Each step of the monster struck the earth like a divine hammer pounding the souls of those who heard it.
The ground quaked. Stones tore loose from the wall. Indosvara soldiers were flung from the ramparts, tumbling and screaming in terror.
Jake Hill stood atop the wall, frozen like a statue.
He stared at the colossus, breath unsteady.
"W–What is that...?" he whispered.
His face turned pale. Fear strangled his chest, yet he could not look away.
Below him, Sai struggled to rise.
His body shook, blood trickled from his temple, his hand reaching for the fallen sword beside him.
"What kind of power... is this?" he coughed blood, his voice hoarse. "This monster... it's different... this isn't a normal creature..."
Each of the giant's steps rippled through the earth; the air itself quivered as though on the verge of shattering.
Sai clenched his jaw, fighting the pain coursing through his body.
"I have to stop it..."
"I can't... let the city fall..."
He tried to stand—but his knees failed him. The sword slipped from his grasp again.
"Damn it... is this how it all ends...?" he murmured.
His eyes lifted toward Jake upon the wall. "Come on... do something... Jake..."
Jake met his gaze, then looked toward the approaching monster.
He bit into his finger until blood dripped onto the stone beneath him.
Placing his palm upon the sigil, he muttered an incantation.
"Barrier Wall!"
A flash of blue light erupted.
A shimmering aura expanded over the gate of Sena, crystallizing into layers of flickering energy.
Sai stared, breath ragged.
"Will... that wall... hold...?"
The monster's eyes pulsed violet.
It raised both hands and struck.
DUARRRR!!!
Blue and violet light collided.
An explosion of raw energy pierced the heavens, blinding the entire city. Stones shattered; thunder cracked through the air.
Jake screamed, hands pressed to the glowing sigil.
"Damn it! This thing... is too strong!!"
The blue light flickered violently, threatening to collapse. Yet Jake held on—teeth grinding, body trembling.
---
The monster paused.
Its head tilted slightly, as if in thought. Then it looked down—
—and slammed the ground.
DUARRR!!!
The second shockwave was far greater. The earth split; the air screamed.
Everyone atop the wall clung desperately to avoid being thrown off.
Dust engulfed the battlefield. Jake coughed, eyes stinging.
When his vision cleared—
the monster was holding something.
A massive sphere of earth, the size of a house, torn straight from the ground.
"ARGHHHHHHH!!!"
Its roar shattered the night.
Jake covered his ears. In a single motion, the colossus hurled the massive boulder toward the city.
The stone spun through the air, slicing the clouds, aimed directly at the residential district.
Civilians looked up—too late. No time to run. No place to hide.
Jake's eyes widened.
"No... impossible!"
"He's... he's using another way... to destroy the city..."
"This monster... it's intelligent..." he muttered, trembling.
As the boulder neared the city—
a flash of blue light split the darkness.
SAI APPEARED.
His body was bruised and torn, his robe shredded, his face streaked with blood and dust—but his eyes still burned bright blue, fierce with resolve.
Standing amid the terrified crowd, he raised his sword to the heavens.
Blue aura ignited the entire field.
"HAAAAAAAAA!!!"
One slash—
The boulder split into countless fragments, exploding midair into glittering dust. The glowing particles drifted down gently, like ashen snow over the city.
People coughed, shaken but alive.
"He... he saved us..."
"Sai saved the city!"
Cheers erupted—mingling with tears and cries of relief.
Sai smiled faintly before his body gave out. He collapsed, the citizens rushing to catch him.
From the wall, Jake watched, eyes trembling.
"Sai..."
---
But the battle was far from over.
The monster still stood beyond the gate.
It straightened, turning its gaze toward Jake with a dreadful smile.
Its steel lips parted—revealing rows of fangs.
The citizens looked up in terror.
"That's... that's the bringer of ruin..."
"If it enters... we're all dead..."
"Please, someone—stop it!"
Their cries rose like a storm.
Jake looked down at the thousands of eyes filled with desperate hope.
He took a deep breath.
"I... can't lose."
"They're all counting on me."
His hands glowed pale blue.
The monster only stared back—and smiled.
"ARGHHHHHHHH!!!"
The colossus raised its massive fist, dark violet energy enveloping its arm, and slammed into the weakened barrier.
JEDUUUUMMM!!!
Cracks spidered across the blue shield.
The entire wall shook.
PYAAARRRRR!!!
The protective barrier shattered—blue fragments scattering into the sky like shards of broken light.
Jake's eyes widened.
"No... no way... my barrier... broke...?"
Silence fell upon the city.
Faces turned pale. Despair spread like poison.
"We're... going to die..."
"Nothing can stop that monster..."
Cries and sobs filled the air.
The beast looked up at Jake—head tilted slightly, grin widening in mockery.
Jake froze, his whole body trembling.
"Did I... fail again...?" he whispered.
But amidst that fear, a single image flickered in his mind—
the face of Rei Celestia, the friend he once failed to save from the darkness.
He clenched his fists.
The air around him rippled; the blue aura flared once more.
"I... will not fail again..."
"I will protect them all."
The monster met his gaze.
Above them, the sky split between two forces—violet darkness and bright azure.
The colors collided, tearing a scar of energy across the heavens.
Winds howled.
Lightning roared.
The world itself seemed to hold its breath.
Two eyes—one human, one monstrous—locked in a deadly silence.
And the world began to tremble once more.
To be continued...