A Cold Embrace

Boulders tumbled to the earth as the ground trembled, Lezzric falling to his knee. The soldiers leapt into action at that moment, focusing their attacks on the fallen Titan to kick him while he was down.

Nathan let out breath, dropping down to his knees. He was exhausted just from that one attack. Evelyn came to his side, putting his arm over her shoulder and helping him to his feet.

"Thanks.." he said, breathing heavily.

"Are you alright? You are deathly pale.." she spoke.

"I'm fine.." he grunted, but the flickering of his Aura Cloak said otherwise. He looked over to the opposite side of the valley, hoping to see Mato's fleet charging in, but there was no one.

"Mato isn't coming.. is he?" Evelyn asked.

Nathan reached up and squeezed her hand.

"We will be alright.. there are only three of them."

Nathan doubted his own words even as he spoke them. They were in deep, and they had no way our. They would either be victorious, or they would all perish.

Lezzric flicked waves of soldiers away from his body as he stood, continuing to kick and stomp the men.

Then Ballakon reached his hand back, grasping the handle of his hammer.

Nathan pushed Evelyn behind him, struggling to stand upright as he held his hands out clenched into tight fists as waves of green light flowed around his body. The ground then began to tremble as the earth rose amid the soldiers, and as it did, Ballakon swung his hammer downwards. Nathan forced the ground to erupt upwards, rushing to meet the force of the Titan's hammer, as to avoid the soldiers taking the full impact, but the power behind the attack was more than he had expected and when the weapon crashed into the stone, it was completely obliterated while the hammer swung through it, crashing into the ground where the soldiers were, a massive shock wave exploding through the valley, knocking Nathan and Evelyn off their feet.

"How is he so strong..?" Evelyn asked, rising to her feet.

"Now is not the time to be in awe! He is the king of Titans, this is to be expected. Nathan pulled a small stone out of his pocket.

"Nathan, are you seriously going to use that?"

"I don't have a choice at this point!"

Nathan unlatched a piece of armor over his arm, then pulled up his sleeve to reveal red markings across his lower arm. He placed the small stone against one of the markings, and when he did the red began to glow and move, the markings shrinking in towards the stone, as if they were being absorbed. When the markings were all gone, he tossed the stone to the ground, smoke trailing up from it.

He took a deep breath, and then breathed out, a pulse wave of pressure exuding from his body, his Aura Cloak becoming more intact and having more of a physical form. The ground around his body began to break apart and float upwards.

Nathan knelt, his hand hitting the ground and then the dirt and stone around him began to move, rising upwards in mass, swirling and churning until it took the form of a massive stone serpent. The snake flew through the air, stone fangs sinking into the flesh of Ballakon's neck. The Titan roared in pain and rage, grabbing the stone serpent, but when he tried to pull it off of him it simply broke apart, reforming away from his hand into another snake that wrapped around his arm, squeezing it until it snapped backwards at the elbow.

Nathan placed his other hand against that ground, letting out a roar of determination as the earth split around Ballakon, massive earthen spikes erupting from the ground and piercing the Titan's body from all directions.

Nathan's body became stiff, his arm becoming heavy and hard to move, while his skin turned a shade of gray.

"Now, Evelyn!" He roared, nearing his limit.

"Give me a minute! I need a bit more time!" She called back.

Nathan grit his teeth, his body turning to stone as his aura was draining rapidly. And then a shadow fell over them. He looked up and his eyes widened as he saw a massive fist flying down towards him, Yeildir attacking them from above.

He wasn't able to do anything, he wasn't even  able to move, or else the stone holding Ballakon in place would crumble away, but he was going to die if he didn't move, as was Evelyn.

Just as he was about to shift his aura onto Yeildir, a fist of wind ran through the air and gold blood fell from the sky as the Titan's severed arm crashed to the ground mere feet away from them. Nathan looked up and saw Sedori dashing along the wall, a large silver sword in either hand. Yeildir swung his other hand at Sedori, but he jumped above it and flew through the air onto the Titan's left shoulder, taking the swords through his neck, a flash of turquoise aura flowing from the blades as he then spun around the Titan's back and cut into the other side of Yeildir's neck before roundhouse kicking the head cleanly off of his shoulders.

Sedori landed on the ground in front of Nathan as Yeildir's body crashed to the earth.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I... I'm not gonna be able to hold him much longer.." Nathan answered. His arms were now completely gray and he could no longer move his left hand.

"I see.." Sedori said, glancing up at Evelyn, then over at Ballakon. "I'll buy you guys some time, ease up on the amount of aura you use."

Nathan nodded weakly.

"How much time do you need, Evelyn?" Sedori asked.

"Give me maybe another minute, maybe less!" She called back.

"Understood..." Sedori turned, facing Ballakon. Then turquoise aura began to materialize around his body in a samurai styled Aura Cloak. He raised both swords into the air, his eyes beginning to glow.

"Those who've died..." he spoke, "Will not have died in vain!"

A turquoise light was cast across the entire valley then, and as it did every single weapon of those who had died in combat then rose into the air, hundreds of thousands of weapons, the sky filled with steel and silver, as if archers had shot a volley of arrows into the air, except, instead of arrows it was every type of weapon in existence.

Ballakon's eyes narrowed, turning to Sedori.

"A bit late for you to acknowledge me, you are already as good as dead." Sedori said, and then, with a wave of his hand, all of the weapons were sent soaring towards the Titan king, but then Lezzric stepped into the trajectory of the attack, and every square inch of his body was cut by the weapons, including his eyes. Lezzric fell to his knees, and as he did, Sedori clenched his fist, causing the weapons to all sink further into the Titan's skin, the swords that had pierced his eyes now going inwards further into his skull.

Lezzric began to convulse, his body shaking violently, until he fell face first to the ground, dead.

'That's two down!' Nathan thought. 'We can win this!' He couldn't help but admire how powerful Sedori was, he was on a level of his own, being able to single handedly kill Titans.

"It's ready!" Evelyn called.

"Then do it!" Nathan responded, and then all sound ceased, the aura density becoming so intense that it became hard to even move, and sound was unable to travel. The valley became dark, and then an orb of white aura swirled into existence at Ballakon's chest, slowly growing larger and larger, and when it made contact with the Titan's chest, it instantly obliterated his armor and tore away his flesh. Ballakon threw his head back, mouth open wide as if he were screaming in pain.

The sphere of aura suddenly burst outwards, swallowing Ballakon's chest before fading back into nothing. After a moment, sound returned to the valley and the aura density dropped, but no one dared to move or even breath. All eyes were on the Titan King, a huge hole in his chest as golden blood flowed from his body to the ground below him. His body had gone limp. The Titan King was dead.

A cheer resounded amongst the soldiers, and Nathan stopped casting his powers, falling back onto the ground breathing heavily, his arms stiff and hard. He could only move his right hand, and just barely. His other hand was now completely turned to stone.

Evelyn rushed to his side, laying his head against her chest.

"We've won!" She exclaimed, smiling.

Nathan smiled back at her, and as he was about to speak, blood splattered onto his face. He froze and his eyes went wide. A sword had been driven through Evelyn's chest, her blood dripping from the steel down to Nathan's face.

"Evelyn...?" He said weakly. "Evelyn!" He leapt to his feet, placing his hand on her chest. The sword was wrenched out of her, her body going limp and falling against Nathan. He looked up slowly, unable to breath. Before him stood Lily, a blood soaked sword held in her hand and a cold smile across her lips.

"Why...?" Was the only the Nathan could manage to say.