Reckoning

The monster growled in fury, enraged by the damage inflicted on him. "RAAAAAH!" he roared thunderously, shaking the leaves of the surrounding trees.

"Calm down, big fella. Pain doesn't really suit your whole intimidating package," said the man who had inflicted it.

"Who are you, you cocky human?! And what's with that green glow in your eye?!" the monster demanded.

"Is my eye actually glowing? First time I've heard of that," the man replied casually.

He continued, "I know you're buying time to recover your arm—it's obvious, you know? But to cater to your stalling tactics, my name is Reiji. And I'd really appreciate it if you could move away from this area, please," Reiji asked politely.

"RAHHHH!" the monster roared in response.

Then, with a sudden calmness, Krogar sneered, "You'll regret giving me time to recover. Your flashy grand entrance won't work twice. Grombles, stay back and watch me slaughter this cocky, feeble human."

"Hey, you gotta admit, that was a pretty cool entrance," he said proudly, smirking.

Then, glancing over his shoulder, he added with a hint of mock complaint, "Too bad neither of these two behind me got to see it."

The monster glared at Reiji with an angry stare full of deep resentment.

"Alright," Reiji said, reacting to the intense look. "Since these two didn't see what just happened, that makes you the sole witness. So, with that being said, I need you to stay alive to tell the tale. Mister...?" Reiji finished, his tone playful as he waited for the monster's name.

"Enough with your mockery!" the monster roared.

With a swift movement, he charged at Reiji at full speed, his giant axe swinging horizontally in a brutal arc. 

As the axe came hurtling toward him, Reiji reacted quickly, grabbing Lyrien's robe by the back collar and stepping back toward the unconscious Lyra.

The monster's axe sliced through nothing but air, leaving him momentarily in an awkward position.

"He's not as fast as Bobbin, but boy, that force was brutal," Reiji thought to himself.

Carefully, he placed Lyrien beside Lyra, ensuring she was secure, then stretched his entire body as he casually walked toward the monster.

"Alright, I should be fine as long as I dodge this guy's slashes," Reiji calculated.

After stretching, he jumped twice, the monster's eyes tracking his every move. But the moment Reiji landed from his second jump, he almost vanished from the monster's sight.

But the monster was able to track Reiji as he closed in on him in mere seconds.

Reiji, running side to side, grabbed the spear still lodged in the ground and prepared to strike.

When Reiji was close enough, he lunged forward with a piercing thrust, aiming his spear at the monster's core, believing it to be its weak point.

But when the tip of Reiji's spear struck the monster's chest, it didn't pierce through. Instead, the impact sent a shockwave that rattled Reiji to his core.

Momentarily stunned by the vibrating impact, Reiji barely had time to react as the monster began to move. Its hands swung wide, attempting to trap Reiji in the middle.

Struggling, Reiji stepped back, narrowly dodging the monster's attempt to crush him. 

The shockwave still pulsed through him, slowing his movements. As a result, the spear became lodged in the monster's hand on one side, while Reiji took hold on the other.

With quick battle instincts, the monster grabbed the weapon and swung it forcefully, intending to hurl Reiji upward and to the ground while he still clung to it.

And so he did—swinging the spear upward with immense force before slamming it down into the ground.

The impact caused a massive explosion that shook the landscape. A thunderous "BLAST!" echoed through the air, sending clouds of dust billowing skyward.

"Not bad," Reiji's voice echoed through the lingering aftershock.

"What?!" the monster growled, startled.

Quickly, it swept its massive arms, clearing the smoke that obscured its vision.

His menacing eyes scanned the ground where he believed he had slammed Reiji, but all he saw were the cracks left by the impact.

"I'm above you, big guy," Reiji's voice rang in the monster's ears.

Before it could react, a powerful, piercing blow struck its left arm, shattering it completely.

The monster was momentarily stunned by the strike, its ears ringing as it stared blankly at its shattered left arm.

The monster's demeanor shifted abruptly; his proud, arrogant attitude gave way to something resembling fear.

Realization dawned on him. "I'm nothing but dust to him," he muttered in a low, growling voice.

The pain from his shattered arm was overshadowed by the dread that now filled his once-menacing eyes.

Reiji, who had darted toward the two girls, stood poised with his spear in one hand, leaning casually on his shoulder.

"Are we done here, mister?" Reiji asked, his tone calm as he waited for the monster to respond with its name.

The monster still seemed stunned, its gaze vacant as Reiji received no reaction.

Then, a labored, sweet voice pleaded, "Finish him..."

Reiji, startled by the sudden voice behind him, lost his poise for a moment and glanced over his shoulder. 

"Damn, that shocked me," he thought to himself.

Then, his attention was drawn to another voice, asking, "Finish?"

"Finish me? I am Krogar, one of Magnior's right-hand men, treated like this? Deciding whether to spare me or not?!" Krogar, the stone monster, raged.

"Don't mock me... You small, weakling creatures! I'll finish you off, not the other way around!" Krogar shouted, his voice trembling with a mix of rage and sorrow.

With a growl, Krogar raised his massive axe into the air and roared, "RAAAAHHH!" He charged toward Reiji.

"What are you standing there for, you useless minions? Attack!" Krogar barked at the Grombles, who were standing idle behind him, contradicting his initial order.

Krogar began swinging his axe erratically at Reiji, each swing wild and desperate.

Reiji effortlessly dodged them, his movements fluid and confident. "Pitiful," he thought, easily evading the beast's chaotic attacks.

As Krogar's strength waned, the Grombles that had been idly standing behind him began to flee, sensing the weakness in their once-dominant leader.

Reiji swung his spear, striking Krogar's left foot and rendering him immobilized as his leg shattered under the force.

Krogar lay on the ground, and Reiji told him. "I once fought a beast trying to kill me, but now we're best buddies. I don't want to end your life just yet without hearing your side of the story, though, I'll admit, you've got quite an attitude."

Krogar stared menacingly at Reiji, his right hand ready, waiting for him to lower his guard so he could strike.

"You can't hide that bloodlust, can you?" Reiji stated. "You won't get me with tha–" He stopped mid-sentence.

Behind him, Lyrien was chanting in Latin, seemingly casting a spell.