An encounter that the innocent would have wished had taken place far away, far from any traveled road or human settlement. In the middle of the battlefield, three titans stood face to face with a single goal: to decide which side would devour the other.

  Tired and exhausted, Lasan helped Redda walk, holding her firmly as they moved with difficulty to get closer to Jacki. Each step felt heavy, as if the ground itself were trying to keep them there after the previous fight.

  The racatros, despite seeing those two titans stand as a living warning—a clear message of take one more step and we will destroy you—did not stop.

  He did not care.

  He did not hesitate.

  Something pulled him with a primitive urgency… and it was the baby. At any cost, he wanted to devour it.

  With brutal ferocity, he lunged toward Jacki. He did not even realize when a crimson fist rose under his chin and struck him at supersonic speed.

  —Don’t you dare try to get close to them, you damn lizard… —Caria spat, her voice filled with contempt.

  Her body was in a perfect martial stance. The blow, focused and directed upward, had enough force to lift the racatros onto its hind legs, violently breaking its balance.

  Without losing a single instant, and in perfect synchronization, Laret launched himself into the air. His figure rose to the level of the beast’s head and, with a barely audible murmur, he unleashed his attack.

  —Give me your strength, Trakkel… —he whispered.

  His sword was flooded with a dense, heavy blue aura, loaded with concentrated power. Water magic responded immediately, and when he swung the blade, a magical wave similar to Redda’s whip expanded violently.

  The colossal edge of water struck directly at the racatros’s throat, hurling it deep into the forest, ripping trees from the ground and destroying vegetation in its path.

  With that opening, the three servants and Kael managed to escape with difficulty, rushing away toward the city.

  The stage was now set.

  There were no obstacles left to interrupt the great performance that was about to begin.

  The three actors remained standing, ready to give everything on that ruined stage.

  Caria looked at the bodies scattered across the ground, remnants of the previous carnage, and spoke with a restrained rage that boiled beneath her skin.

  —Miserable, filthy lizard… —she said, clenching her fists—. I swear I won’t forgive what you did… those damn bandits were mine… all those filthy, despicable bandits should have been torn apart alive and displayed on stakes at the city entrance…

  —Calm down —Laret replied coldly—. They were just messengers… we’ll have our chance when we find the one who orchestrated all of this…

  As they spoke, the racatros emerged once again from among the shattered trees. This time, it was visibly enraged. Despite the powerful attack it had taken, it showed only a shallow cut on its throat.

  —The stories are true… —Laret murmured, watching it closely—. Earth racatros are quite resilient…

  —Pay attention to my instructions —Caria said seriously—. It’s an earth element, just like me… now it will get serious and start using its magic. If you listen to me, we’ll win. I can feel its magical flows detonating in the ground when it activates its powers…

  The racatros, now without a trace of doubt, adopted a completely serious stance and began its attack.

  Its only remarkable physical trait was its powerful jaw and exceptional defense… but nothing more. Its true power did not lie in its body, but in its magic.

  With a single stomp against the ground, the deepest roots of the trees began to move beneath the earth.

  —Get ready —Caria warned—. It has hardened the roots underground. It will release them like stakes!

  Thanks to the warning, both reacted just as the roots erupted violently, rising like sharp stakes from every direction. The earth roared beneath their feet, cracking open in irregular fissures as the hardened roots tried to pierce them.

  Laret and Caria jumped at the same time to avoid them, pushing themselves upward with force as the stakes whistled past below, tearing the ground apart and shattering nearby trunks.

  Laret began to surround his body with water magic. The sensation was heavy and dense, as if the air itself had turned liquid around him. Once again, he covered his sword with a mantle of water, but this time it was much larger and more concentrated.

  His true power lay in the weight of his magic. When launching long-range attacks, that force dispersed and lost effectiveness, but in close combat, without breaking the core of magical connection, the story was completely different.

  —Time for close combat, damn lizard —he growled.

  After landing almost on top of the beast as a result of the jump, Laret launched a direct strike with his sword at the center of the racatros’s head. The magnitude of the impact was such that a shockwave destroyed much of the surrounding ground, driving the creature several meters into the earth.

  Without giving himself even a second of rest, Laret immediately moved away. He knew the next one to attack would be Caria.

  She was already descending, her fists ready and energy gathering throughout her body.

  —Kahu… lend me your strength… —she invoked with a firm voice.

  She concentrated an enormous amount of energy, especially in her right arm. Little by little, well-polished rocks began to cover it, fitting together until they formed a solid mass that further hardened the attack.

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  The blow struck directly at the same spot where Laret had attacked.

  This time, it worked.

  The racatros’s defense gave in.

  A deep wound opened, and the beast’s blood sprayed out as a deafening roar shook the forest. In response, the racatros began releasing roots throughout the entire area. They rose even higher than before, attacking the heroes relentlessly from every angle.

  The creature grew more enraged by the second. The more time passed, the greater the energy it released, and with it, roots that were even deeper and more resistant emerged from the ground, closing the space around them.

  —If this keeps up, we’ll lose —Caria said, quickly evaluating the situation—. We’ll end up trapped inside a cage of wood hardened by earth magic…

  That was one of the most unique traits of that species. Its primary magic was earth, but it also mastered, at the same level, life magic, focused on controlling beings of the plant kingdom. An element that, in general, only elves managed to wield with such mastery.

  —I’m going to release Kahu —Caria stated without hesitation.

  —You’re right… —Laret replied—. We have no other option…

  Both concentrated all their energy in their arms. Separated, yet perfectly synchronized, they slammed the palms of their hands against the ground with force.

  —Kahu, I summon you! —Caria cried out.

  —Trakkel, come to me! —Laret roared.

  Two massive magic circles opened beneath their feet, shining intensely. From them, two colossal presences began to manifest.

  KAHU — The Colossus of Snow

  Kahu was an ancestral spirit of primordial nature, born from eternal ice and the ferocity of living mountains. His body resembled that of a colossal gorilla, but he possessed traits impossible for any earthly creature.

  His silver-white fur was thick and coarse, similar to a mammoth’s wool, capable of withstanding magical storms without yielding. He had four arms: two primary and two secondary, all ending in obsidian claws sharp enough to tear through even arcane barriers.

  The musculature of his body was clearly defined, combining overwhelming brute strength with surprising mobility for his size. His amber eyes, lit like embers trapped in ice, reflected an ancient spiritual awareness, observing the world with solemn calm.

  Despite his savage appearance, his presence conveyed a heavy stillness, similar to the silence that precedes an avalanche.

  TRAKKEL — The Serpentine Dragon of the Tides

  Trakkel was an ancient draconic spirit, bound to water, currents, and the eternal flow of mana. Where Kahu represented solidity and brute force, Trakkel embodied movement, change, and constant adaptation.

  His long, serpentine body was covered in iridescent blue scales that reflected light like the surface of a river under the sun. Each scale seemed to contain a drop of living water within.

  His black, slender, curved horns resembled branches submerged in deep waters. A liquid mane flowed down along his neck like a suspended river, gently undulating even in the absence of wind.

  He possessed slender limbs fitted with sharp claws, designed to grip even clouds. His eyes, a deep blue, looked like two calm seas… until he became enraged.

  When Trakkel manifested, the air changed.

  The temperature dropped, humidity increased, and a constant murmur of water became present, even when no river was nearby.

  The racatros immediately felt the pressure. Beasts far older than him had manifested, and his instincts screamed that he had been recognized as a real threat.

  Kahu did not take long to understand the situation. Without hesitation, he lunged at the racatros, ignoring the damage he took. Massive roots struck him from every side, crashing violently against his body. Even so, he kept advancing, determined to fulfill his task.

  Upon reaching the beast, Kahu used his upper arms to grab it by the neck and lift it off the ground, exposing its underside and, above all, the wound still bleeding at its throat. With a mix of strength and technique, he jumped without releasing his prey and managed to position himself behind the racatros’s back, leaving that area completely exposed.

  Immediately, Trakkel used his water magic to form a sharp shield made of liquid chains between them and the racatros, blocking the advance of the roots trying to reach them.

  Faced with that opening, Laret and Caria looked at each other. Both knew exactly what had to be done.

  Laret once again imbued his weapon with water magic, but this time he concentrated all the energy exclusively into the sword. Every drop of mana was forced to remain together, compressed to the limit. With all the strength he could gather, he threw his sword like a projectile.

  The weapon struck directly into the gash he himself had caused on the racatros’s neck, embedding itself partially between flesh and scales.

  Taking advantage of the impact, Caria concentrated all her power into her legs. Without hesitation, she launched herself with all her strength and executed a flying kick that drove the sword all the way to the hilt. The weapon, still imbued with Laret’s magic, completely tore through the beast’s neck.

  The racatros fell to the ground in agony, bleeding out as its body began to lose its accumulated defense.

  With the creature already on the ground, weakened and rapidly losing all resistance, Kahu advanced without hesitation. He raised one of his enormous arms and delivered a fierce blow directly to the racatros’s head.

  The impact was final.

  The creature’s skull gave in under the colossal force, ending its suffering instantly.

  After fulfilling their task, the magical beasts turned toward their summoners. For a brief moment, their gazes met. Then, their bodies began to slowly fade, fragmenting into particles of magical dust that dispersed into the air until they completely vanished.

  The battle was over.

  Despite being a beast with few types of direct attacks, the fight had left the heroes completely exhausted. The enormous expenditure of magic required to break through its armor and withstand its control over the earth had taken its toll.

  Impatient and refusing to rest, Caria tried to move quickly… but her strength failed her and she collapsed, exhausted. She tried to get up, unsuccessfully, until she felt Laret holding her before she could fall again.

  Unable to contain herself, tears began to fall down her face. She could not stop them. She was completely overwhelmed.

  Caria was unable to look her beloved in the eyes. In her mind, only one persistent thought existed: she had been incompetent. She had put her city, her servants, and her most precious treasure at risk… her son.

  —I won’t tell you to stop crying —Laret said with a firm voice, holding her carefully—. You have every right to do so… but there’s something you need to be clear about. The only ones at fault for this will be the worms who orchestrated all of this…

  —Even so… —Caria murmured through sobs—. I wasn’t prepared… I didn’t anticipate something like this could happen… I can’t be the lady of the Sungley house…

  With his free hand, Laret gently took Caria’s face and softly forced her to look him in the eyes.

  —Then we are both at fault —he replied without breaking his gaze—, because I was busy with other matters and I didn’t anticipate something like this either. If the world wants to condemn us… then let it condemn us both. And make one thing very clear: to me, the mother of my son will never be incompetent…

  With a gesture full of trust and devotion, Laret leaned in and gave her a tender, sincere kiss, enough to restore some calm and strength to her.

  Caria, her cheeks deeply flushed, felt peace and tranquility slowly return to her. With that renewed serenity, she stood up alongside Laret, and together they began to leave the forest, determined to continue toward the city and face the consequences of that attack.