Staring at his homeland, Poul let out a distorted laugh as he began walking toward the ruined city.
With every step, memories flooded his mind.
His wife's death.Her sacrifice for their son.The suffering the invasion brought upon his family—him and Jay.The bitter taste of failure… as the protector of his home.
His insane smile slowly twisted into clenched teeth filled with hatred, until both emotions merged into something unstable.
Turning toward the soldiers recovering from the aftermath of battle—covered in mud, their armor worn and bodies exhausted—Poul observed them carefully.
Creatures driven mostly by brute strength… predictable, he thought.That makes it easier to build a strategy.
He began selecting them one by one.
In total, six soldiers were chosen to accompany their captain in inspecting the battlefield.
Using his element, Poul created a staircase of ice that rose toward the top of the wall.
At the top—
A view both beautiful… and horrifying.
Houses stained with dried blood, slowly being reclaimed by nature.Giants… fighting among themselves.
A hollow smile appeared on his face, his eyes empty.
Calm down, Poul… just calm down.Soon enough… I'll make these beasts understand what hell truly is.
"Let's continue."
The soldiers nodded.
After inspecting the area thoroughly, they returned to the camp, which wasn't far away. The soldiers looked even more worn out than before.
Poul simply sighed and went to his quarters without saying a word. The others relayed the information he had gathered.
"You better prepare yourselves," said one of the more experienced soldiers. "In two days, we fight."
"And how are we supposed to rest if we're constantly attacked by giants?"
The soldier sighed, then closed his eyes.
"I had the same question… but then I remembered something."
He opened his eyes with a faint smile.
"We have our captain."
Hearing that, the soldiers felt reassured.
Two days passed.
During that time, Poul dealt with every giant that dared step into his territory.
Then, just before the battle began—
Standing atop a giant's corpse in front of the gate, his cloak being pulled back by the wind, Poul raised his arm.
Behind him stood a unit of elite soldiers, while above them the rest of the troops prepared.
Extending his arm, as the wind intensified, he gave the order:
"ATTACK!"
A rain of bullets and mortars flew toward the giants. Some were hit, others weren't. A cloud of dust quickly formed as the soldiers under Poul's command advanced.
In the middle of that chaos—
Poul walked.
While the others ran, he simply walked forward.
As he entered the battlefield, he watched his subordinates killing giants exactly as he had taught them during the journey.
Then—
He felt it.
A pressure.
Just sensing it was enough.
This wasn't something weak.
It was strong… perhaps even stronger than him.
Poul looked up and saw an orange light descending.
Cold sweat ran down his spine. His eyes widened.
Without hesitation, he started running toward where the light would fall.
Even while running, slightly unbalanced, he shouted to his unit while firing ice spikes at nearby giants:
"FALL BACK… TO THE GATE!"
The soldiers obeyed immediately.
The orange light crashed down like an explosion.
A wave of intense heat spread, forcing moisture from Poul's skin. The ground shook and cracked.
The smoke only amplified the presence of the being that slowly stood up from within it, releasing an overwhelming aura.
Even with a pale face, Poul straightened his posture and stared coldly at the figure.
With one hand outside his coat, he formed a blade of ice. The other remained inside his clothing.
Suddenly—
A massive, burning arm cut through the smoke.
Poul barely dodged, throwing his body to the side. His blade met the heat, sparks bursting on contact.
As he landed, he quickly raised a wall of ice and retreated.
Then—
A giant leg stepped out of the smoke.
The vapor shrank as its full body emerged.
Poul's body trembled.
This was far beyond anything he had fought before.
And yet—
He smiled.
I have a promise to fulfill.
Gripping his ice blade tightly, he charged forward. Memories of his son flashed through his mind.
In the next instant, a flaming sword descended in a vertical strike.
Poul blocked with his frozen blade.
Part of it melted instantly.
Still—he didn't give up.
The giant widened its eyes in surprise as Poul extended his free hand, releasing a barrage of ice spikes toward it.
For a brief moment, the blazing heat diminished… almost disappearing.
Poul landed—
And felt something wrong.
A burning sensation mixed with numbness spread through his body.
Before he could react—
A wave of flames rushed toward him, leaving a trail across the ground.
He turned—
A bead of sweat running down his face—
And saw it.
A being completely engulfed in flames.
Even its eyes burned.
Its entire existence was fire.
What is this…? A being born from flames themselves?
The questions echoed in Poul's mind.
Then the giant's burning arm came straight for his face.
Instinct took over.
He tilted his head and thrust his blade into the flaming arm.
Letting go of the weapon, Poul simply stared at the giant.
"Human…" the giant spoke.
Its killing intent surged.
"You are… incredibly entertaining."
Poul laughed softly.
How am I supposed to command my unit while facing this monster?
…There's only one way.
He jumped back toward a ruined house and shouted:
"JACK! YOU'RE IN COMMAND NOW!"
"YES, CAPTAIN!"
Poul turned back to the fight.
Step by step, the ground beneath him froze, even as flames surrounded the area, turning the ice into water and steam.
Mist filled the battlefield.
His eyes shone.
Fear… and killing intent… coexisted.
The giant formed another flaming blade and lunged forward, swinging it in a direct strike.
At that moment—
Everything slowed down in Poul's vision.
He slowly raised his hand.
From the frozen ground, a massive pillar of ice erupted, crashing into the giant's torso.
Even so—
The flaming blade still burned.
Poul stepped forward, ignoring the heat that scorched his body.
Placing his hand on the giant's face, he spoke coldly:
"Even with all this power… you're nothing more than a wild beast."
Ice began spreading across the giant's face.
"I am your worst nightmare… and your weakness."
The giant's thoughts trembled.
How…?
How can a human do this to me…?