The Monster King's Legacy-Chapter 214: The First Encounter

No sooner had the sun risen than a goblin that was part of the scouts rushed in to deliver urgent news, breathless and pale.

"Lord!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "A titan has been spotted in the nearby beastkin territory! It's... it's tearing everything apart!"

The urgency in his voice sent a ripple of tension through the gathered crowd. Aelyndra stepped closer, her golden eyes narrowing. "How far is it?"

"Less than half a day's march," the scout replied.

Lance wasted no time after hearing this, sooner or later, it would reach them, and that would be bad. "Gather the elite forces," he ordered. "We move immediately."

…

The elite forces, a mixture of all the races, assembled immediately. Aelyndra shifted into her dragon form, her massive wings ready to carry her into battle.

Rynne, armed and ready, approached Lance. "You really think we can take this thing down?"

"If we don't act now, it will destroy everything in its path." Lance said, his tone calm but resolute. "As for whether we can… all you have to do is not die." He said.

The journey was swift, the tension palpable as the elite forces advanced toward the beastkin territory. Even as they moved, the ground beneath them trembled faintly, a chilling reminder of the scale of the threat up ahead.

As they reached the edge of the beastkin territory, the air grew thick with dust and the sound of destruction echoed in the distance. Lance and his forces crested a hill, overlooking beyond, and there it was… The Titan.

It towered over the land at least 25 metres tall, a being that looked to be made of pure stone and molten fire. Its limbs were massive, each step shaking the ground and leaving craters in its wake. Entire swathes of forest were reduced to ash, and the beastkin villages in its path were nothing more than smoldering ruins.

The elite forces stared in stunned silence. Even the most battle-hardened among them had never seen anything like it.

"It's… massive," Rynne whispered, her voice filled with disbelief.

Aelyndra, in her dragon form, growled low. "Its power is overwhelming. This isn't just strength, it's pure devastation."

Lance quickly issued orders. "Spread out! Don't engage directly until we understand its movements! Prioritize finding survivors and bringing them to safety!"

The elite forces moved immediately with the order, using their agility to approach cautiously, trying to avoid being noticed by the walking calamity.

Out of nowhere, a group of beastkin archers fired enchanted arrows at the Titan's legs, hoping to slow its advance. The arrows struck true, but they shattered on impact, leaving barely a scratch on its stony surface.

That attack was then followed up by a team of ogres that charged forward, their massive war hammers glowing with enchanted energy. They struck at the Titan's legs with all their might, but the blows seemed to do little more than irritate the colossal being.

The Titan turned its gaze toward the ogres, its eyes glowing with molten fire. With a single swing of its massive arm, it sent them flying, their massive forms crashing into the ground like ragdolls tens of metres away, saved from death only by their bulky build.

…

Lance watched the battlefield intently, almost disappointed at what he just saw. "They must be the ones stationed here originally."

"Traditional tactics won't work," he muttered. "Its size and durability render most attacks ineffective."

"Let me try something." Aelyndra said before she soared into the air, unleashing a torrent of golden flames that engulfed the Titan's upper body. For a moment, it seemed to stagger, but as the flames cleared, the Titan remained unscathed, its molten core glowing brighter.

At first it seemed stupid what she was doing, after all, the titan appeared to be in tune with fire. But the idea was straight forward, to see if draconic flames would hurt it, after all, they weren't normal flames.

"Apart from its ridiculous durability, it appears to be drawing power from the earth itself," Aelyndra called out. "We can't damage it without cutting off its source of energy!"

"Hmm… that's one way then." Lance said to himself.

As the Titan continued its rampage, Lance called for a temporary retreat to regroup of the elite forces after they were done with their rescue task.

As they rushed back, the ground quaked violently as the Titan roared, its voice echoing across the land with a primal ferocity. Massive chunks of earth rose from the force of its movements, and with a single step, it reduced an entire hill to rubble.

The elite forces scrambled to avoid the cascading debris as the Titan unleashed its power.

The Titan raised one colossal arm, its molten cracks glowing brighter as energy pulsed through its body. With a downward swing, it struck the earth, sending shockwaves that tore through the ground. The resulting crater stretched for a few thousand metres, obliterating forests and sending rivers of molten earth cascading through the terrain.

"Fall back!" Rynne shouted, rallying the elite troops to move quicker as they narrowly dodged the chaos. By now the entire village of beastkin was nothing more than earth and lava.

Lance stood at the edge of the battlefield, his sharp eyes never leaving the Titan. His mind worked rapidly, analyzing the creature's movements and the effects of its attacks. It was clear. It was a humanoid creature, so, the focal points of attacks would be the same, with the objective of terminating mobility.

"Everyone, retreat!" Lance ordered, his voice cutting through the chaos. "This fight isn't yours anymore."

"But—" Rynne began, only to be silenced by Lance's raised hand.

"No arguments," he said firmly. "Aelyndra and I will handle this."

The elite forces hesitated but obeyed, retreating to a safer distance as Lance and Aelyndra moved forward to confront the Titan alone.

The Titan, sensing a new challenge, turned its massive body toward Lance and Aelyndra. It raised its arm again, preparing another devastating blow.

Aelyndra roared, her wings propelling her forward as she collided with the Titan's arm, using her immense strength to deflect its strike. The ground beneath them cracked under the force, sending shockwaves that rippled across the ground.

"Keep it distracted!" Lance called out, his voice steady despite the chaos.

Moving with calculated precision, his every step deliberate, Lance locked onto the Titan's arm as it swung toward him. In one swift motion, he raised his hand and made a cutting gesture.

The air around him seemed to compress, forming a blade of wind like compressed air so sharp it shimmered visibly. The blade cleaved forward with blinding speed, slicing through the Titan's massive hand as though it were paper.

The severed hand crashed to the ground, sending tremors through the earth. The Titan roared, perhaps in pain, its molten veins flaring as it staggered backward a step.

"You're not invincible, huh?" Lance said coldly, his gaze unwavering.

Surprisingly, after realizing it was outmatched, the Titan let out a guttural roar and began to retreat. Its massive form moved with surprising speed it had not shown yet, disappearing into the distant mountains where others of its kind awaited.

Aelyndra landed beside Lance. "It's joining the others," she said, her voice tinged with frustration. "We won't be able to fight them all at once. That thing possesses incredibly high magic resistance, if not, this wouldn't have been difficult."

Lance nodded, his expression grim. "Let it go. We have injured to tend to, and this fight isn't over yet."