Iris swiftly began casting her buff skills on the party, enveloping each member in a protective aura that bolstered their strength, agility, and resilience.
Though they felt the surge in power, it wasn’t enough to fully calm their nerves.
“Any strategy, Cedric?” Ethan asked urgently, his gaze locked on the colossal figure before them. The ground quaked as the Rock Titan began to move, its every step sending tremors through the cavern walls.
Cedric glanced at the looming behemoth, his usually composed demeanor betraying a flicker of panic. “Strategy?” he echoed, his voice strained. “No strategy is going to work against this thing. We have to throw everything we’ve got at it, or we’re done for.” His eyes frantically scanned the chamber for any advantage.
But the sheer size and intensity of the Rock Titan made approaching it nearly impossible. The heat radiating from its molten core was far more intense than anything they had encountered with the Lava Giants, making their previous battles seem almost trivial in comparison.
The Rock Titan towered above them, easily four times the size of the Lava Giants they had fought before. Its body was a fortress of hardened rock and magma, each movement grinding stone against stone with a thunderous roar that echoed through the cavern. The air around it shimmered with unbearable heat, distorting the space as if the creature itself were warping reality.
Cedric’s words sent a wave of unease through the group. Fear gripped them as the gravity of their situation sank in.
“What do we do now?” someone murmured, their voice quivering with panic.
Ethan could feel the tension rising, threatening to break the team’s resolve. He knew hesitation could be fatal. With a heavy sigh, he stepped forward, determination hardening in his eyes. If they were going to survive this encounter, someone needed to take charge, and it was clear the others were too paralyzed by fear to do so.
“I’ll take the lead,” Ethan declared, his voice cutting through the rising panic. He knew that defeating the Rock Titan would require more than just the skills he had openly shown. It would demand the revelation of some of his hidden abilities, ones he had kept secret to avoid alarming the others.
But there was no other choice. If they were to emerge victorious, he would need to reveal a part of himself that he had kept in the shadows.
Ethan closed his eyes for a brief moment, mentally steeling himself for the battle ahead.
“Stay back and support me from a distance,” Ethan instructed, opening his eyes as fiery determination blazed within them. “I’ll draw its attention and weaken it. When the time is right, you all will strike together.”
Marcus and the others found Ethan’s courage commendable.
“Alright, Ethan. Just… be careful,” Cedric sighed. They knew they had no choice but to rely on him, recognizing he was their most capable member.
“Ethan, please retreat if it becomes too much for you,” Lenora called out from behind, her snake-like eyes filled with concern. She watched Ethan’s unyielding back, committing this moment to memory forever.
Ethan felt a surge of energy as he prepared to unleash the Lava Juggernaut skill. The heat around him intensified, but it was nothing compared to the force he was about to release. He knew that once he activated the transformation, there would be no turning back. This was the moment that would determine their survival.
But before activating Lava Juggernaut, he decided to first use Berserker’s Might to amplify his power further.
Instantly, the transformation began…
“Berserker’s Might,” Ethan murmured, as his eyes turned red, feeling a surge of raw power flood his body. His muscles bulged, his senses sharpened, and a primal energy filled him with the urge to charge headlong into battle. The world seemed to slow around him as his mind focused solely on the Titan before him.
Without hesitation, he layered the second skill on top of the first.
“Lava Juggernaut (D),” he overlapped, and immediately, his body began to glow with intense heat. His skin hardened into a layer of molten rock, glowing with fiery veins that pulsed with power. His entire form seemed to expand, becoming a juggernaut of lava and stone, ready to meet the Rock Titan head-on.
His size surged to an imposing 7 meters, and a sense of near invincibility coursed through him. With his fiery vision locked onto the Rock Titan, Ethan prepared to strike.
“Oh Lord! What kind of skill is Ethan using?” Iris gasped, witnessing the incredible transformation unfold before her eyes.
Marcus was equally stunned, though a spark of excitement lit up his expression. “Amazing! A transformation skill! But why does it resemble those Lava Giants?”
Cedric and the others watched in awe, a collective realization dawning on them—Ethan was far more unfathomable than they had ever imagined, cloaked in layers of mystery they hadn’t begun to unravel.
Lenora’s eyes were glued to the scene, her Ember’s Eyes revealing the full extent of Ethan’s abilities. She could see the fine details others couldn’t, understanding that Ethan had seamlessly used two powerful skills in rapid succession.
This revelation meant that Ethan didn’t just have four active skills as they had previously believed; he had far more hidden beneath the surface.
The Rock Titan, sensing the shift in power, turned its massive head toward Ethan, its molten eyes narrowing in recognition of the threat. With a roar that shook the cavern, it began to move, each step like rumble that sent shockwaves through the ground.
Ethan, now fully transformed into the Lava Juggernaut, felt no fear. He was ready.
The Rock Titan sent a Lava wave toward him, while moving its massive body forward.
Ethan’s magma-armored body stood unhindered and charged forward with Juggernaut Charge. His body became a blazing projectile as he rammed into the Titan’s side with full force.
“Boom!”
The impact sent a shockwave through the cavern, and for the first time, the Titan staggered, molten rock flying off its body from the sheer force.
But the Titan was far from defeated. It recovered quickly, its eyes glowing with rage as it unleashed a concentrated fire attack from its core. A torrent of blazing fire hurtled toward Ethan from close range.
“Earth Wall!”
Ethan used Earth Manipulation to block the fire attack. The two collided, destroying the earth in mere seconds, but it weakened the attack completely, which was then deflected by Ethan’s body armor alone.
Then the creature raised its legs and used Earthquake Stomp with its sheer weight alone.
The ground rumbled as it sent a shockwave causing Ethan to be off balance.
The Rock Titan moved its massive fists for crushing Ethan into dust.
Ethan, ever alert, made some distance between them and then activated [Inferno Leap] while overlapping it with Juggernaut Charge.
Like a small meteor, Ethan’s body collided with its body with incredible force, sending it backward against the wall. It struggled to move while its defensive abilities were all broken upon impact.
Ethan still didn’t stop attacking, knowing full well that his health was remaining by a large amount. It could recover and charge at him again.
So, he continued his relentless assaults as he got on top of the Rock Titan.
With a roar of his own, Ethan activated Explosive Rampage, triggering a series of Lava Explosions beneath his feet as he charged again. The ground beneath him erupted in flames and molten rock, creating a path of destruction that further weakened the Titan’s defenses.
Ethan’s movements were swift and precise, each blow calculated to inflict maximum damage. The Titan, despite its size and strength, was being overwhelmed by the sheer ferocity of Ethan’s assault.
But the battle was far from over. The Rock Titan, fueled by its ancient rage, mustered its remaining strength and triggered Rage of the Titan ability, instantly sending Ethan’s large body into the air with a shockwave.
Then it sent Lava bursts from its molten core, targeting Ethan in mid-air.
Realizing the danger, Ethan quickly used Molten Juggernaut Armor, a dense layer of magma and heat aura enveloping his body. The armor deflected the molten pillars, but the force of the attack still pushed him back, his movements slowing under the relentless assault.
The Titan, sensing a moment of weakness, raised its massive arm for a final, crushing blow. Ethan, however, was not finished. He still had one more card to play.
As the Titan’s arm descended, Ethan channeled all the remaining energy within him into a single, devastating attack. He activated Volcanic Impact, releasing the stored energy in a massive, ground-shaking stomp. The resulting shockwave sent a tidal wave of molten lava surging forward, crashing into the Titan with the force of an erupting volcano.
“Guulu… Growl…”
A guttural growl rumbled through the floor as the Titan’s agonized cries echoed in the cavern. Its massive 20-meter-long body was now riddled with cracks, a shattered mess of stone and rubble.
“Finish it off, guys,” Ethan said weakly, deactivating his skills and succumbing to a period of weakness. He wanted to give them a chance to earn some experience points as well. The Rock Titan was no longer a threat.
Last chapter for the day..
