Mage Allen, proud of his answer, raised both hands wide and open, forming a T-pose as he declared, "My answer is pressure."
With a deep, echoing voice, the giant metallic Sophius uttered, "Very well. Your answer deserves commendable…"
Allen's laugher manic "Indeed. I'm a genius."
The elite knights raised their fist in agreement as they shared conviction.
…Or so they presumed.
"Whomp…"
With terrifying speed, Sophius lunged forward, swung its massive metallic club with force of devastation. The ground groaned under the impact, sending tremors through the chamber. The strike was merciless, aimed directly at Allen as the titan finished its phrase: "…death."
Gareth cleared his throat before he spoke, "No rusty metal could pulled of such manuever."
Commander Darius who had kept his gaze fixed upon Sophius throughout fray had foreseen the dangerous assault. The moment Sophius surged forward, he reacted without delay, pulling Allen away from danger just in time as he thought, "Despite its monstrous girth, his swiftness in beyond reckoning!" Darius snapped, "Get a grip! That monster could have killed you."
"I'm sorry." Allen's apology fell from his lips with cold, lacking with a trace of true regrets. His mind scoffed in disbelief, "Impossible! Pressure is the commonly known answer of such riddle. Sophius is playing tricks on us." His voiced cracked as he screamed, "Sophius, what's the correct answer then?"
Sophius replied with its eyes gleamed red, "Considering your wits, you aren't worthy to know. You shall die as an ignorant."
Marshal Romeo, surged forward to assist Allen and Commander Darius as he said, "Follow our Commander's order! Get a grip. We will die here if you continue with your crazy antics."
Allen thought to himself, "It's humiliating that I got an incorrect answer. I should have known better." He declared, "Then we shall strike Sophius down and maybe reap an answer from its remain."
Marshal Romeo glared at Allen and thought to himself, "Foolish and mad mage. He still seeks correct answer in the face of death. But at least he will cooperate on subjugating this metallic monster."
Chaos reigned, battle worn and weary and utterly exhausted. They have been battered by barbarian war and the mental exhaustion from the illusion magic they suffered. Their formation lost it discipline, breaking into scattered renmants. Sophius wasted no time and took advantage of their weakness like a predator scenting blood.
Commander Darius had predicted Sophius movements and commanded, "Everyone, Form Ranks"
A tremor rippled through the weary elite knights as they instinctively obeyed. Shield locked together, wounded knights gritted their teeth just to hold the line while Commander Darius and Marshal Romeo joined the ranks.
Sophius blitzed forward. Its movement were terrifyingly precise, preparing for a low kick.
From a distance, Allen raised his right arm, with three of his finger curled while his point finger and thumb extend forward aiming at Sophius vulnerable knee pit as he shouted, "Frosted Lance". A hardened lance of ice magic errupted from a blinding-white massive size magic circle. The spell struck true and Sophius knee buckled slightly that reduced the impact of the low kick.
Even with their collective efforts, it wasn't enough. The impact still sent some of the elite knights especially the wounded and exhausted- hurtling through the air with shields rattling as bodies crashed through the distant wall.
Sophius halted his attack since he noticed that there is a powerful mage who distrupt his attack. His molten eyes narrowed as he turned to Allen as he said, "Insolent fool."
Commander Darius clenched his jaw. The battle teetered in the end of ruin and without Allen, the subjugation will be impossible. He declared "Everyone, protect Allen at all cost."
The elite knights lounged at Sophius as they drove their sword into its metallic foot. But to Sophius their stabs where merely irritant- just a mere pinpricks. With a dismissive motion he bend down just to slap his own feet as the elite knights scrambling from the retaliatory attack.
Amidst the chaos, Commander Darius intensify his massive blue aura as he calmly said, "Storm Sword Style, First Form: Line Drive." He leaped forward with immense speed, a trace of faint blue aura shimmered like a ghostly trail as he thrust his sword forward, destroying the entire stomach of Sophius.
Metal groaned splitting apart. Their coordination made the breakthrough possible.
A triumphant roar rippled throught the knights. For a moment, victory seemed within thier reach.
Then suddenly, Sophius spoke, "Death…due to foolishness is something you cannot escaped." The destroyed metallic flesh was rapidly reformed as if it was never been touched.
Everyone was confused.
Gareth cried as he uttered, "We're done. A monster that can used divine power."
Priest Jarek from the backline, despite the dread, raised his voice in fury, "Blashemy! God Jeremiah does not love evil. I am not sensing a divine power from that monster. His healing mechanism is different."
Commander Darius steeled himself as he locked his gazed towards Sophius with fiece malice. He thought to himself, "This isn't good. My troops are losing willpower. Fine! I'll do it myself." He bellowed, "Everyone step back. From now on, I will take Sophius by myself."
The duel started with Sophius swung its massive aura-infused club with devastating arc. The mumentum of the blow splits the air with resonating knell.
"Clang…" Echoed the impact as Darius met the strike head-on, his aura infused great sword raised in defiance.
"Clang…Clang…Clang…"
Commander Darius swordsmanship style is known for its explosiveness…and brutality. With each swing, his movement errupted a raw power as if he was channelling a fury of thunderstorm into his blade. Each exhange sends a scintillating sparks in the frenzied air. Amids the duel, a murmurs rose among his ranks. One of his knight cried out, "We should assist our Commander."
Gareth retorted, "Fool! We will just get in our Commander's way." All they can do is to wait till their Commander turn the tide and watch the duel.
As their duel continued, Commander Darius seemed to have an advantage in the contest of raw strenght as every strike of Sophius was parried with ferocious counterstrike sending Sophius staggering backward from the impact. Darius uttered, "It appeared that I am far stronger than you."
Commander Darius thought to himself, "Time to wrap this up." Despite Sophius massive size, its swings though devastating, where slightly sluggished than Commander Darius. Rather than meeting its savage swings. Commander Darius decided to dodge. He slipped gracefully between Sophius's massive swinging foot. In that critical moment, he lashed out, his blade slicing into the enormous limb. Though Sophius's foot would instantly reattach.this precise cut was enough to stagger the colossus and disrupt its relentless assault, granting Darius the precious time he needed.
Seizing the opening, the Commander leaped upward into the air, with a calm voice he murmured, "Storm Sword Style: Line Drive" Channelling a massive aura infused to its greatsword as his movement blurred into ghostly trail that cleaved through the neck of Sophius.
As the massive head of the titan fell away, Darius's voice rang out with triumphant smirk: "Everyone has a weakness and it lies in cutting your neck."
As the massive head of the titan fell away, Darius's voice rang out with a triumphant smirk: "Everyone has a weakness, and it lies in cutting your neck."
For a fleeting moment, silence swept through the battlefield. The knights, bloodied and exhausted, shared gasps of relief, believing the nightmare had ended. Weapons lowered, muscles loosened, and some even dared to sigh in victory and echeod a triumphant roar.
"Then-whirr, clank, grind."
The severed head of Sophius convulsed, molten red light reigniting in its eyes. Metal plates screeched as its form twisted unnaturally, its detached head regenerating at a monstrous speed.
A knight nearby, caught in the lull of false victory, barely had time to react as snaps- Sophius lashed out with a jagged, reformed arm, piercing straight through his chest. A strangled gasp, then silence. His lifeless body crumpled instantly.
The battlefield shifted from triumphant relief to sheer horror as Sophius roared, "You can never escaped death due to foolishness."
Commander Darius tighten his sword grip seemingly gasping for breath and uttered, "Our labour…in vain"
The morale of the elite knights plummeted. One of them uttered with trembling voice, "I thought I will die from apocalypse but to think something like this exist." Some dropped their weapons, their knees hitting the ground waiting for death as they uttered, "We surrender."
Commander Darius thought to himself, "These could be easier if they are here." He scowled, "Even if you surrender, this monster will still kill you. Pick up your weapons and fight till the end!"
Fear laced through the knights, but it was not Sophius that terrified them-it was their commander. A sudden, desperate courage surged through them as they scrambled for their swords. Their voices rose in unison, a final oath to their duty. "We swore to fight for the duchy- even if it means death!"
Allen declared, "Analysis complete! I must admit, the architectural design and advancement of Sophius are impressive-but he isn't immortal. I never thought a golem could evolve this way. His weakness- a golem core inside his forehead!"
Commander Darius's grip tightened around his greatsword, the weight of newfound hope pressing against the exhaustion in his limbs. He raised his weapon high, rallying the knights one last time. "Everyone-CHARGE!"
Priest Jarek trembling yet resolute, stepped forward while he clutched his rosary with both hands as he closed his eyes and prayed, "Oh merciful God Jeremiah, hear my plea. Touch us with divine grace that treat the weary and wounded. Grant us strenght to stand against the evil."
With his prayer, a radiant light enfulged across the battlefield. Warm, golden waves of divinity cascaded over them, dispelling pain, mending torn flesh, and lifting the weight of fatigue. Even Commander Darius, who had been struggling to breathe, felt his strength return in full force.
But as the light faded, so did Priest Jarek's energy. His body swayed, then collapsed to the ground. A solemn silence followed, then a murmur of voice, raw and reverent. "Thank God Jeremiah for lending your strength."
With renewed strenght, the elite knights unleashed their aura, surrounding the towering Sophius in a coordinated assault. Blades struck from every direction, movements infused with aura. The monster swung its massive club in wide, sweeping arcs, but the knights who had once staggered in weakness now moved with precision, weaving through the storm of attacks.
Yet power has its limits. Three relentless minutes passed, and the signs of fatigue began to creep in. The endless drain of aura taking its toll. Still, they gritted their teeth, refusing to falter.
And it paid off. Sophius, consumed by its desperate retaliation, failed to notice Commander Darius…silent, unreadable, preparing for his mastersclass attack. He planted his foot forward, his grip firm around his greatsword, he uttered, "With your size there's no way you can dodge this now." He shouted, "Everyone step aside. Storm Swordstyle, Third Form: King's wrath"
He poured a massive amount of blue aura into his azure great sword. The sword expanded- colossal and beautiful bigger than Sophius himself. He gripped his sword with both hands and planted his lean foot forward.
Darius braced himself, then, with breathtaking speed, he swung.
Boom!
The greatsword carved into Sophius head bisecting the metallic giant into half.The massive form stalled, the wound gaping wide- exposing the crystalline sphere embedded deep within its forehead. Darius roared, "Now."
As Sophius attempted to regenerate, pulling its sundered halves back together, a figure emerged from the shadows. Sharp eyes, steady hands—moving with surgical precision.
A single strike.
The golem core shattered.
A thunderous battle cry roared as they subjugated Sophius.
The battlefield echoed with the triumphant roar of the knights, their voices merging into a deafening battle cry.
They had subjugated Sophius.