As the clouds dispersed, what emerged could only be described as a colossal monster, no, a Titan.
Its body was forged entirely of ice, each movement grinding like an avalanche in slow motion. Jagged spires of frost jutted from its shoulders, and mist coiled around its form like a living shroud. When it exhaled, the air itself froze.
Dawn's eyes still glowed, his bow pulsing with golden light, brighter than ever before.
"How the hell is a Titan here… especially a Glacial Titan?" he thought, his pulse quickening. "Actually, I shouldn't even question it anymore."
Without another word, Dawn leapt,
off the forest, the island, whatever floating fragment of land he stood upon.
He dove straight toward the abyss.
"Huh?! Dawn, what are you doing!?" Elara shouted, panic lacing her voice. She raised her hand instinctively, energy gathering in her palm, ready to mabye pull him back with her sequence.
"Wait," the golden-haired man said sharply, grasping her wrist before she could act. "Let's see how this plays out. The boy wouldn't jump if he wasn't confident."
A pause. Then, under his breath, he muttered,
"…Or he's completely insane."
Below them, Dawn continued his descent, wind screaming past his ears.
"Heh," he muttered with a half-grin, "guess this'll be good practice."
> [Inner Sequence: Third Resonation, Activated] <
The golden energy surrounding him surged. The light from his bow bent, twisting, reshaping itself until it became a massive double sided golden scythe, gleaming with radiant arcs of electricity.
A luminous pathway formed beneath him, an enormous golden slide that spiraled through the sky like a divine ribbon. The air shimmered with warmth, cutting through the frigid mist of the Titan's domain.
From above, Elara could only stare, awe softening her expression.
"…It's beautiful," she whispered.
The Titan's massive head turned, its eyes glowing with ancient frostlight.
"So that's your resolve… human."
Its voice thundered across the heavens, deep and hollow like glaciers cracking.
Then, movement.
From the Titan's back, what seemed to be thousands of spears all made of ice erupted, all seeming to be as large as a castle tower, glinting with killing intent. They spread across the sky, blotting out the light.
Dawn's grip tightened on his scythe as the air around him began to hum.
The golden glow intensified, coiling around his arms like molten lightning.
The first volley came like a storm.
Hundreds, no, thousands, of ice spears tore through the air, each one howling with the sound of frozen death. The sky dimmed under their shadow.
Dawn's pupils constricted, his instincts screaming. The golden slide beneath him curved sharply, twisting like a serpent of light as he sprinted down its length. The air crackled around him, hot against the cold.
He spun the scythe once, the weapon humming like it was alive.
"Alright, let's see if this still works."
He planted his foot, the slide bursting into a radiant arc beneath him as he leapt.
Golden energy rippled outwards.
> [Sequence Art: Celestial Refract] <
His scythe swung once, and the world split into light.
A crescent wave of golden brilliance carved through the storm, shattering dozens of ice spears mid-flight. The impact scattered fragments across the sky, turning the falling ice into a rain of shimmering dust.
But more came.
"Persistent bastard," he muttered, twisting midair. A spear the size of a fortress grazed past him, missing by inches. The force sent him spinning, his golden trail scattering like broken glass.
Below, the Titan moved.
Each step sent tremors through the floating island, its sheer size warping the clouds beneath it. Its voice rumbled again, distant, ancient.
"Your kind always reaches for comabt before any reasoning…."
Dawn landed on one of the floating shards of ice, barely big enough for his feet, and steadied his breathing. His scythe pulsed again, the golden metal shifting, reconfiguring. The weapon reverted, twisting back into the shape of his bow.
"Guess we're doing this the hard way."
He drew the string back, arcana flaring from his fingertips.
Arrows formed, dozens of them, spinning in a radiant circle behind him like a halo.
> [Outer Sequence Mode: Rain of Dusk] <
He released.
The arrows rained down, each streaking toward the Titan's chest. They struck with blinding impact, flashes of molten gold erupting across its icy hide. Steam exploded from every wound.
The Titan staggered, the frost cracking along its torso. But instead of breaking, it healed.
The ice simply grew back, sharper than before.
"Tch." Dawn clenched his jaw. "Figures."
Then, he felt it.
A pulse.
Deep and ancient. Like something inside the Titan was awakening.
Its chest opened, revealing a spiraling core of blue light, an orb pulsing like a heartbeat.
"Oh, hell no," he started, but the words died.
From that core, a wave of frost burst outward. The light consumed everything.
The sky dimmed, clouds froze solid, and even the air felt like it turned to glass.
Dawn barely raised his bow in time, golden energy flaring into a shield. The force struck him full-on, hurling him backward. He hit the golden slide hard, tumbling before catching himself again.
Elara's voice cut through the chaos from above, distant but urgent.
"Dawn! Fall back, NOW!"
"Eli wait Noir's waken up." The golden haired man muttered still holding onto Elara's wrist.
He spat blood and laughed weakly.
"Yeah, that's not really an option!"
The Titan raised its arm, an entire mountain of ice forming around it, preparing to hurl a single, devastating strike.
And just as Dawn steadied his aim to counter,
A shadow blurred past him.
Fast. Silent. Cold.
A figure materialized beside him midair, the black-haired man, his eyes now open, gleaming with dark silver light. Shadows trailed from his body like smoke.
He looked at Dawn briefly. "You're too loud."
Then he vanished.
Reappearing directly on the Titan's arm, his hand slicing clean through the massive limb in a burst of void energy. The ice shattered like glass, the Titan roaring in pain for the first time.
Dawn blinked.
"…Okay. Maybe I'm not the only one insane."