Black Onyx - Forgotten Magic

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Gerald began beating the Giant even stronger and faster, but it was no use. The damn beast even seemed to be mocking his futile attempts at extinguishing its life.

It couldn't see for it had no eyes, it could not smile or curse, for it had no mouth, and it quite certainly didn't care to listen to his orders being shouted. It just continued doing...whatever it was doing.

Realizing his efforts were in vain, and that time was running out, Gerald quickly tried to fly away. But then he remembered the King lying on the ground not far away and wanted to curse. Trying to keep someone else safe was such a pain in the ass!

He quickly used some Earth manipulation magic and reformed raised the ground around the giant at an angle, making it into a bowl shape. It took him only a few seconds to do so, hoping it would be enough. Then he quickly ran and jumped over the King, making a fissure in the ground, and tossed him in, before jumping down himself.

Lastly, he took the Titan's Bulwark and stuck it into the walls above him, closing them from the outside world.

"What's...happening?" the King asked weakly.

Gerald didn't answer, but instead nervously took out a few spell scrolls and tore them apart, activating them. Sound Barriers sprang to life, layering themselves one on top of the other.

He then looked through the ground with Magic Eyes, silently cursing as the core of the Giant shone brightly like the sun.

"Hold tight," he said and cast Iron Body.

A powerful tremor was suddenly felt, shaking their little hidey-hole, making Gerald lose his footing while rattling the King in his armor. Dust and debris fell from the walls as the ruck and dirt around them cracked from pressure.

The earthquake traveled through the ground and weaker echoes came traveling back for at least a few seconds before everything went still again. During the entire ordeal, there was no sound due to Gerald's magic, making the entire event even more bizarre.

"What's happening?!" the King shouted, or at least tried to. His voice was frightened and anxious, while also being incredibly weak at the same time.

"That slimy weasel actually did it! The coward!" Gerald barked and pulled back the Titan's bulwark, revealing the bright sky.

Or, actually, no. A cloud of dust was currently hanging above them, something that wasn't there a minute before. The sounds of battle were nowhere to be heard. Even birds and insects quieted down, making the place feel like it just experienced the apocalypse.

Gerald poked his head out of the grown with a cautious frown and looked around. He did not like what he saw.

Not wasting any time, he grabbed King Robart III and pulled him out of the hole, patting the dirt off his face and armor and placed him in a sitting position on the soil.

"By Innos! What...happened?!" the man exclaimed, mouth and eyes opened wide like those of a dead fish.

The mound of dirt Gerald made was gone. The Giant was gone. The grass was gone, heck, even the top layer of soil was gone! They were currently standing/sitting on the edge of a massive 100-meter crater!

The Giant disappeared from the place it was previously at and could now be found on the battlefield. Actually, it was all over the battlefield. Small chunks of flesh and bones, as well as drops of blood, covered the surrounding land in a thin layer for at least a few kilometers from the center.

"What do you think?" Gerald sniggered and looked around with squinted eyes.

"He...self-detonated?" Robart gasped in disbelief. His head started to spin and he laid down on the ground, losing the ability to even sit straight. "He...detonated…" he murmured quietly.

Gerald was also shocked, though he was holding it together better than the King. He had no idea the damn bastard could even do that until the Mana started going haywire. He wanted to curse so badly, but there were no words to express his displeasure.

The Giant alone was a literal treasure trove, not to mention the spirit of such a powerful beast! It was such a waste! Just thinking about the things he could have done with the skin alone, Gerald's blood boiled. He squeezed his fists in frustration, but there was nothing that could be done.

If he knew the Giant could do such a trick, he would have made better preparations to kill it rapidly. Self-detonating was such a dick move! It's like destroying your own items in an online game just so the enemy couldn't get it.

Fucking pathetic!

Gerald grumbled in displeasure for a long while, when the sounds of battle came back to life. It seemed that the massive explosion and the following blast disrupted the rhythm. Both humans and monsters were knocked down, blinded, deafened, or straight up killed by it.

Now that some of them recovered, they started killing each other again.

Actually, now that the Giant was gone, some Orcs and Ogres showed some hesitation in continuing with the fight. Despite their bloodthirsty nature compelling them to kill, they weren't completely brainless after all.

Betting pelted by arrows and lances from the wall while fighting tamed beasts and humans on the ground, the monsters were about equally matched. And now that they lost their ace, those more evolved started hesitating.

"They did it! The Giant is no more!"

"Kill them all!"

It was unclear who shouted first, but soon the news spread across the human army. The morale skyrocketed as hope was born in the hearts of men. The battle then quickly turned in their favor, with more and more monsters deciding to abandon the hopeless slaughter at the same time.

***

Gerald carried Robart back towards his palace to recover. However, Shadow Guards quickly came and took care of it, carrying their King to the infirmary.

Gerald was allowed to tag along by the King's order and was then given permission to enter the library. Since he was the only one that managed to hurt the Giant, as well as being the one to save his life, King Robart III didn't think it was necessary to keep the man waiting any longer.

He has done enough, and even though the war was still going on, they were now able to manage it by themselves.

Gerald gladly accepted the opportunity, and just went to notify his team before disappearing into the library for a few days. Toby, unfortunately, wasn't allowed to join him, but the Warg preferred to remain at home anyway, getting fed and pampered by the girls being one of his favorite new daily activities.