Shroud Arcanum

Chapter 31: Chapter 31 - Titan of Yore(Final)

Just as the deadly spike neared Liam's eyes, a Warhammer whizzed through the air, shattering several earthy projectiles in a cloud of dust and debris.

Moments later, Irys stormed into view, positioning herself protectively in front of Liam. Battle scars marred her once-immaculate armor, cracks, and dents testifying to her ferocious dash through the battlefield. Clearly, she had plowed through the golems with raw brute force, not doing any dodge.

The depth of her emotion reflected in her amber eyes, which now ignited in a fiery red hue, focused on the looming Titan.

However, the Titan was not about to relent. With a roar that rumbled the ground, it summoned another onslaught of earthen spikes, aiming them directly at Liam. Unflinching and resolute, Irys stood her ground.

With her Warhammer called back to her side, she brandished a greatsword in her other hand. The blade, etched with intricate runes that glowed softly, was as formidable as its wielder. Irys swung her greatsword, each arc meticulously timed to intercept the incoming spikes.

The metal of her blade met each earthen projectile with a resounding clang, sending shards flying in every direction.

As one particularly large spike approached, Irys pivoted on her heel, using the momentum to deliver a powerful upward swing, splitting the spike in two. Another volley came from her left, and with a fluid motion, she shifted her stance, her broadsword dancing like an extension of her arm, slashing through the spikes with lethal precision.

Behind Irys's unwavering protection, Liam was mustering every ounce of remaining strength. Each movement is done with sheer willpower. With trembling hands, he aimed the Talonstrike towards the Titan's injured eye. Shooting was not his forte; Liam had no experience with it.

However, this singular moment demanded precision from a distance. Emotions roiled within him - gratitude for Irys shielding him, rage against the Titan, and a desperate determination to make this final strike count, with these feelings churning inside.

Every external sound and sensation seemed to fade as he tunneled into a hyper-focus, every ounce of his being concentrated on that singular weak point of the colossal enemy. The world was reduced to just him and his target.

The Talonstrike began to pulsate with power. A surge of fiery energy amassed from its core, transforming its hue from a brilliant red to a scorching orange. The energy morphed into a radiant white-hot flame as it reached its zenith. Harnessing all that he had left, Liam unleashed a molten hot projectile directly at the Titan.

As the glowing projectile sped towards its target, Liam's vision started to waver, the edges darkening. His strength, now fully depleted, gave way, and he crumpled to the ground. In his fading consciousness, the last image seared into his mind was of Irys, resolutely standing guard, silhouetted against the backdrop of his Talonstrike's blazing white inferno homing in on the Titan-damaged eyes.

In the pages of a novel, this shot would have been a climatic, unerring strike, piercing the Titan's eye and sealing its fate. But reality rarely mirrors the simplicity of fiction. With its unpredictable twists and turns, life rarely offers the satisfaction of a neat ending.

As Liam's projectile tore through the oncoming earth spikes, the Titan quickly lifted its glowing claw, sensing the imminent threat. The earth around it responded, rising to form a protective barrier before the gargantuan creature.

Liam's lava bullet, infused with intense heat and power, easily penetrated the earthen shield, only to slam into the Titan's claw. Upon impact, a ferocious explosion ensued, the white-hot flame of approximately 1300°C obliterating the Titan's arm in a blinding burst of light.

Yet, the beast was not done. Despite the grievous injuries – a blinded eye, one leg pinned firmly to the ground, another obliterated, another punctured deeply, and the last one slashed nearly in half – the Titan, though severely weakened, still stood tall, a testament to its monstrous resilience and strength.

The Titan unleashed a deafening roar, a sound infused with agony and desperation. Its horn began to emit a piercing luminescence mirrored by its spikes and claws. Its massive jaws opened wide, and within the cavernous maw, a pulsating orb of energy began to gather, its glow intensifying, preparing to release its fury.

As Liam fell to the ground, Irys felt a profound connection to his weakening life force. Her chest tightened, an ache resonating deep within, reminiscent of painful memories, the loss of someone dear to her.

The emergence of such intense emotions for someone she had only recently met and someone who wasn't typically her type confused her.

Yet, in this maelstrom of emotions, one truth stood out clearly: what she felt was genuine, real, it's not artificial. And that is enough.

A tempest of fury surged within her, her iris transforming into a deep shade of crimson. Intricate patterns, reminiscent of ancient runes, began to shimmer on her hands, armor, and greatsword.

With speed that defied comprehension, she became a mere blur, reappearing instantly before the Titan's disfigured visage.

She slammed her warhammer into the Titan's gaping mouth, using her unparalleled strength to force it shut, even managing to push the colossal beast downward slightly.

This abrupt action caused the amassed energy within the Titan's maw to become unstable. An immense explosion ensued, tearing apart the Titan's jaw. But as the shockwave neared Irys, she unleashed a swift strike with her greatsword, which emitted its own explosive energy. The ensuing collision of these two forceful blasts resulted in an even more colossal shockwave, hurling Irys backward.

Yet, even as she was thrown back, Irys channeled her momentum into a powerful dash straight toward the Titan once more, utterly undeterred by her bleeding, now missing, arm.

Her obsidian armor was now stained a deep crimson, and her beautiful face was marred by dirt, ash, and blood. The crimson pupils of her eyes make every fiber of her being singularly fixated on one goal: to annihilate the Titan.

With a swift motion, she hurled her Warhammer; before it even reached its zenith, she manifested a second greatsword from thin air and threw it upwards. Then, leaping gracefully yet with power, she retrieved her airborne Warhammer and, with all the strength she could muster, used it to strike the floating greatsword, turning it into a lethal missile.

This makeshift projectile homed in on the Titan's half-slashed claw, which Liam had failed to sever entirely. The greatsword completely crushed the bone and embedded itself deep into the monstrous limb.

But Irys wasn't done. She activated a mechanism on the embedded greatsword. Its pattern started to glow with a menacing purplish hue, and moments later, a cataclysmic explosion erupted, taking out the Titan's leg.

As the jawless titan attempted a roar, only a haunting and distorted wail, reminiscent of tortured souls from the depths of hell, echoed. Losing its balance from its numerous injuries, the colossal beast crumpled to the ground.

Swift as the wind, Irys clambered atop its once formidable face. Gripping her Warhammer tightly, she unleashed a torrent of blows upon the Titan's disfigured visage. With each thunderous pound, chunks of its monstrous flesh were torn away, sending tremors across the battlefield as if the very earth recoiled at the force of her wrath...

Meanwhile, with each brutal hit, the titan emitted a distorted, agonized wail that echoed hauntingly throughout the landscape.