The atmosphere in Welbgard was taut, a deceptive calm stretched over a fiercely beating heart. For days, an unsettling peace had reigned. Since Thorenz's decisive victory over Zero, Lazio's forces had been absent, but the people knew better than to mistake this lull for freedom.
All across the stronghold, the Welbgardians maintained their rigorous training. Every sweat-soaked drill, every swing of a practice sword, was a testament to their unwavering determination and hunger for true liberation. They had tasted victory, and that taste now fueled their preparation for the inevitable return of the darkness.
Even without their hero, Thorenz, they continued to train, knowing that Lazio could launch his attack at any moment.
In the shade of the training yard's main barracks, Moses scanned the faces of the recruits, his own brow furrowed. He turned to his comrade.
"Jonah, have you seen Laura?" he asked, his voice low.
Jonah wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. "She went to look for Thorenz. I haven't seen her ever since."
Moses ran a hand through his hair, his worry evident. "It's been five days now, and she's not back. First, Thorenz, and now even Laura is missing. Where in the world are they? What are they doing?"
A warm, reassuring smile touched Jonah's lips. "Don't worry, old friend. They will return soon," he assured him.
Moses sighed, his eyes distant. "I hope they do."
Meanwhile, deep within a labyrinthine chamber in the underground world of Welbgard, a brilliant, golden light pulsed, bathing the cavern in an ethereal glow.
"Yes! We did it! We did it!" Thorenz screamed, his voice echoing with unbridled joy. He pulled Laura into a passionate hug, making her cheeks instantly flush crimson.
They quickly broke away, their eyes instantly drawn to the radiant light before them—the culmination of their long, secret journey.
"Now that we are done here, let's return back to the others, shall we?" Laura suggested, a new lightness in her tone.
"That's right," Thorenz agreed, taking a step toward the luminous phenomenon.
At that very instant, a deafening blast ripped through the subterranean silence, causing the very earth to quake violently around them. Rubble rained down from the ceiling. Thorenz and Laura instinctively searched for a corner to shield themselves from the tremor's wrath.
Just as quickly as it began, the earth stopped shaking.
"What was that?" Thorenz asked, his hand resting on the hilt of his weapon.
Laura's expression turned grim. "I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this."
Then, the blast came again, a second, even more ferocious jolt causing the ground to pitch and roll.
"Again? What the heck is going on?" Thorenz screamed, pulling Laura close, shielding her with his body.
Finally, the quake ceased, and a profound, terrifying calm descended.
"Hey, let's get out of here immediately!" Laura urged, her previous joy completely erased by fear.
"Okay," Thorenz agreed, and they started running for the exit.
Above ground, all was chaos.
Buildings were torn apart, ravaged by the blasts and now engulfed in hungry flames. Rubble and splintered wood littered the streets. Suddenly, a blinding energy beam came flying from outside the colossal main gate of Welbgard. It sliced through the town, striking untouched buildings and reducing them instantly to nothing but smoking dust and debris.
Inside one of the last few structures still standing, the remaining citizens gathered for safety and a desperate, final strategizing session.
"We're under attack," Moses commanded, his voice ringing with authority and urgency in Thorenz's absence. "I'll lead the combat group. Everyone to your designated position! Now!"
At his shout, every man and woman disembarked, scattering to their posts—the archers to the shattered ramparts, the warriors to the broken streets.
Then, a sight that stole their breath: a gigantic, pale hand clamped onto the mighty, fortified gate of Welbgard. With a horrifying sound of grinding metal and tearing stone, the gate was effortlessly dislocated, lifted, and hurled through the air.
The massive steel gate flew like a deadly projectile, crashing into the buildings behind it, leveling them and reducing everything it touched to fresh piles of rubble.
As the dust settled, the one who had thrown the gate was revealed. All eyes, from the highest archer to the lowest foot soldier, fell upon the colossal figure standing where the gate once was.
"Who is that?" Moses questioned, his voice barely a whisper of awe and terror.
Chief Mauritius, standing beside him, began to tremble. His eyes shook with an ancient, bone-deep fear as he looked upon the enormous figure.
"He came himself this time," Mauritius rasped, his voice raw. "At the sound of his voice, even the very foundation of the earth shakes. When he breathes, empires burn." He swallowed hard, forcing the name out: "Lazio, the tyrant."
Jonah's eyes narrowed in shock. "What?"
An identical realization struck both Moses and Jonah. They chorused the words, their gazes locked on the horrifying scale of the enemy before them.
"No one told us he was a giant!"
Lazio, the colossal tyrant, strode over the broken threshold of Welbgard. With every earth-shaking step, he moved deeper into the stronghold. Trailing behind him, a dark, endless tide, came his army. They were unnumbered, swarming the ground like grains of sand scattered upon the earth's face—a countless host of human beings who looked like no more than industrious ants scurrying in the shadow of their monstrous leader.
Lazio paused, his vast shadow engulfing the shattered main square. His patience, clearly already thin, snapped.
"Where are they?" he boomed.
Without waiting for an answer, a terrible, brilliant beam of energy erupted from the twin horns protruding from his head. The destructive ray struck a nearby, still-intact building, reducing the structure instantly to a smoking ruin and a pile of rubble. Yet, there was no sound, no sign of any Welbgardian fighter.
"Where are they!" Lazio screamed, his voice a sound of grinding stone and fury that sent a visible tremor of fear even through the ranks of his own men. "Find them!"
Instantly, his uncountable troops scrambled, moving into the ruins to begin their search.
In the heart of one of the few remaining sturdy buildings, the Welbgardian command watched the unfolding horror, their faces illuminated by the eerie glow of distant flames.
"Whoa," Moses whispered, his voice catching. "Didn't the great hero Fredericko and the others face something like this years before we were born?"
Jonah's gaze was fixed on the giant outside. "It is true that one of the old giants had horns that shot beams. But they dealt only with giants. Unlike then, brother, we are dealing with a swarm of human filth led by a giant who also possesses horns that shoot beams."
Moses's lips curved into a wicked, predatory smile. "Well, the time for history lessons is over. It's time for war. What do you say, brother?"
Jonah returned the grin, his eyes alight with fierce determination. "I couldn't agree more, brother."
Moses slammed his fist into his palm. "Everyone prepare to attack at my command!"
The swordsmen in the room roared their response, a chorus of lethal intent: "Yeah!"
Lazio's men moved cautiously, fanning out into the debris-strewn streets. They held various weapons of war, a grim irony being that most of these sophisticated arms had been created by the very Welbgardians they were now hunting.
At that moment, from the broken windows of buildings and the shadows of the highest ramparts, the Welbgardian archers burst from hiding. A barrage of arrows descended upon Lazio's ground forces. The shots were deadly accurate; each arrow found its mark, taking down the men it struck.
The archers unleashed a second volley, and a second wave of Lazio's men fell, screaming.
"Where are they shooting from?!" one of the enemy troops cried out in confusion, watching his comrades drop like stones. The arrows were falling like a sudden, chilling rain from multiple, invisible angles.
A third, swift volley followed, wiping out yet another rank of the invading force.
Suddenly, before Lazio's remaining men could regain control or even locate the shooters, a second group came into play. A group of specialized gunmen, each wielding Gatling guns, erupted in a rain of fire from different, unexpected positions. It was a torrential downpour of lead, tearing through the compact ranks of the invaders. The thunderous assault continued until their ammunition was exhausted, and the terrifying sound ceased as suddenly as it began.
The combined force of the archers and the gunmen had brought down an estimated eighty-nine percent of Lazio's vast human army.
Moses drew his sword, its steel glinting. "Alright, swordsmen. Our shooting squad has done their job. Let's finish this!"
"Yeah!" the swordsmen roared back, and with a unified charge, they rushed out of the relative safety of the building.
The battle raged in the ruins as the swordsmen clashed with the terrified, scattered remnants of Lazio's army. Supported by carefully aimed shots from the archers, the Welbgardian swordsmen swiftly and brutally eliminated the remaining invaders.
Within minutes, the battle was over. The only enemy left standing was the single, colossal figure of Lazio himself.
Moses advanced, pointing the tip of his sword at the giant. "So, you're Lazio, huh?"
Lazio's immense chest heaved with fury. "You puny humans, you will pay!"
Before the tyrant could unleash his power, a massive, coordinated attack rained down upon him. Arrows, bullets, and even bazooka shells—stolen and repurposed—smashed into his mountainous form, enveloping him in a thick cloud of smoke and dust.
The Welbgardians waited, holding their breath. The smoke hung still. Lazio did not move.
"Is he dead?" Moses whispered, lowering his sword slightly.
"I think so," Jonah replied, relief starting to break through the tension.
A wave of ecstatic shouts and triumphant roars erupted from the Welbgardians. They embraced, laughing, crying, and basking in the impossible victory against the man who had caused them so much pain.
As the celebration reached its peak, a blinding, scarlet beam of energy suddenly erupted from the heart of the smoke screen, striking one of the vantage points where the gunmen and archers were celebrating. The light vanished, leaving behind only the sound of splintering stone and screams.
The beam came again, striking another group of fighters.
"Take cover! Lazio is not dead yet!" Moses bellowed, his voice slicing through the joyous chaos.
The Welbgardians scattered, scrambling for any available cover.
With slow, majestic steps, a colossal figure emerged from the dissipating smoke. Lazio walked forth, utterly revealed, his gigantic form undamaged and radiating an aura of terrifying, cold fury.
"What?" Jonah's eyes were wide with utter disbelief, locked on the tyrant. "Not even a scratch?"
Lazio threw his head back, and a terrifying cacophony of mocking laughter erupted from his massive throat, shaking the air like a physical force.
"What was that?" Lazio scoffed, lowering his head to address the humans. "You call that an attack? That felt like a small, fresh breeze. It was nothing. Since you've chosen to defy me, it's time you die."
Lazio's horns began to glow with a malevolent light, charging up another devastating energy beam.
Damn it, what should I do? What should I do? What would great hero Fredericko do in this situation? What would Thorenz do? Think, Moses! Moses's mind raced, trapped in a moment of paralyzing realization.
Nearby, Chief Mauritius wrung his hands, his voice thick with lament. "See? I tried to warn them! But they didn't listen. Lazio is not someone we can mess with. Now, we are all going to die!"
Just as the light intensified between Lazio's horns, preparing to fire, a solitary figure burst out from the ruined streets, sprinting toward the battlefront.
"One-sword style," the figure mused, running low to the ground.
With incredible speed, he spun in a tight circle, his sword a blur. He unleashed his attack with a shout that cut through the silence of fear: "CONTINENTAL DEVASTATION!"
A massive cyclone of destructive force—a spiraling torrent of wind and kinetic energy—erupted from his blade, surging directly toward the giant.
Lazio, reacting instantly, fired his energy beam. The scarlet ray slammed into the approaching vortex of the "Continental Devastation" attack. For a heart-stopping moment, the two destructive forces wrestled, each desperately trying to overpower the other, until they finally collided in a concussive blast of air and smoke that extinguished both attacks.
When the dust settled, a figure stood firm between the terrified Welbgardians and the enraged tyrant. It was the same person who had brought them hope before.
"THOREEEENZ!"
A wave of delirious joy and relief washed over the remaining Welbgardians, their cheers echoing through the devastated streets.
Thorenz turned back to them, his familiar, confident smile cutting through the tension. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting. But I'm here now."