Unplanned

"Will, hurry! Come here!" Lisa urgently called to Will, who was trailing behind her as she reached the right side of the arena.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Will, clad in black armor, ran breathlessly to Lisa's side. He then drew his short sword from his waist and held it out before her.

"It's about to begin," Lisa whispered to Will.

"Yes!" Will replied, his eyes steady as he nodded resolutely.

Lisa placed both her hands upon Will's short sword, preparing to imbue it with magic.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Jin continued to engage the giant, buying time for Lisa and Will.

"Damn little runt, I didn't expect you to run so fast!" Luke shouted, reaching out with his left hand to seize Jin, who was darting left and right on the ground.

"Luke, you fool, don't move recklessly—follow my orders!" Finch growled in fury.

Because both Luke and Finch could control a single body, whenever they both attempted to do so simultaneously, the result was chaotic, with their movements disjointed and uncoordinated. It was this flaw in the giant's control that Jin had initially recognized, and it was why he dared to confront the giant alone.

"Jin is really impressive," Will murmured as he stood on the right side of the arena, watching Jin keep the giant occupied.

"All done," Lisa said suddenly. The short sword now emanated a faint blue glow, and a chill radiated from its blade.

"This... is Ice Magic?" Will asked, holding the sword up before his eyes and inspecting it closely. He then waved it slowly through the air.

"Yes. Wherever your blade strikes, it will freeze that spot," Lisa explained.

"Truly... remarkable. Well then, Lisa, I'm off to help Jin," Will said, and without another word, he sprinted toward the giant.

"Remember, stick to the plan," Lisa called after him.

"Jin's plan is to first slow the giant's movements," Will muttered to himself as he recalled what Jin had said earlier in their room.

"Ah!" Will reached the giant and swung his short sword forcefully at its left leg. But the giant's skin was far too thick, and Will's strength was insufficient to cut through it.

"Luke, you idiot, why are you standing still again? Move your left leg!" Finch shouted angrily.

"But, brother, my leg... it seems I can't move it," Luke said in a tone full of innocence.

"What?" Finch looked down in confusion, only to realize that his left leg had been frozen. His eyes widened in fury as he began searching frantically around.

"Another little runt!" Finch spotted Will nearby, and with a violent stomp of his foot, he shattered the ice on his left leg.

"Will, run!" Jin shouted from a distance.

"Let's see where you'll run to!" Finch bellowed. The giant then turned and charged toward Will. Seeing the giant's approach, Will panicked but quickly composed himself, setting off in the opposite direction.

"Damn it, I didn't expect the giant's attention to shift so easily," Jin muttered to himself.

"Lisa! Help Will!" Jin shouted, following the giant closely.

"Freeze!" Lisa raised her hand, and a blast of icy energy surged from the ground, freezing the giant's legs.

"Ha... ha... ha..." Lisa panted heavily after casting the spell, collapsing onto the ground in exhaustion.

"Damn it, what is this? Why can't I move again?" Finch screamed in rage. His feet were frozen to the ground, and his arms flailed wildly.

"Brother, we're frozen again," Luke said, his tone thick with confusion.

"What? Damn human magic!" Finch growled, desperately attempting to move his feet but to no avail.

"Jin! Quickly, attack him!" Lisa shouted weakly.

"I'm on it!" Jin yelled, quickly rolling to the side and crouching low to take aim with his crossbow.

"Take this!" Jin shot three arrows in quick succession, each one speeding toward the giant's heart.

"Hmph, it feels like nothing more than an itch!" Finch sneered.

"Ah, Luke's angry!" Luke suddenly roared, and he raised both arms, hammering fiercely at the ice on his legs.

The giant's icy bonds began to crack under the force of his blows.

"Well done, Luke!" Finch cheered, and with a final powerful effort, the ice shattered completely.

"What?" Will, Jin, and Lisa gasped in shock.

"Will, take Lisa and get out of there! Now!" Jin shouted, sensing the impending danger.

"Got it!" Will responded, hastily rushing to Lisa's side. He scooped her up and bolted away.

"Don't run, little runt!" Luke bellowed, seeing Will attempt to flee. Without hesitation, he charged after him.

"Hey, you idiot! I'm right here!" Jin shouted at the giant, releasing a barrage of crossbow bolts in an attempt to draw its attention back to him. But the giant paid no heed, continuing its relentless pursuit of Will and Lisa.

"Put me down, or neither of us will escape," Lisa muttered in frustration as she struggled in Will's arms.

"No!" Will said firmly. "I won't stand by and watch my friends die again."

"Damn it, it has to be this way." With a sigh of vexation, Jin strapped his crossbow back to his back and crouched down, slipping a small knife from his boot into his sleeve.

"Hey, hey, you two idiots, come catch me!" Jin taunted loudly, running up to the giant's side.

"Brother, this little pest is mocking us," Luke said, suddenly stopping and pointing at Jin.

"You little bastard! Let's eat him first!" Finch roared, quickly grabbing Jin in one massive hand.

"Ah!" Jin cried out in pain as he was crushed by the giant's immense strength.

"Jin!" Will screamed, horrified.

"Quick, run!" Jin gasped between pained breaths.

"Brother, should I crush him?" Luke asked, holding Jin with one hand as he turned to Finch.

"Do as you wish. We've still got two left for breakfast," Finch replied, eyeing Will and Lisa.

"Thanks, brother." Luke nodded, and with both hands, he gripped Jin's body.

"Ah! Ah! Aaaah!" Jin screamed as his bones and internal organs threatened to shatter under the crushing pressure.

"Now!" Jin shouted in agony, and with a swift motion, he threw the knife from his sleeve directly at Luke's eye.

"Ah! My eye, Luke can't see!" Luke screamed, and the giant released Jin, clutching his bleeding eye with both hands.

"Don't move, Luke! Don't move!" Finch shouted, his voice filled with fury.

"But, brother..." Luke muttered angrily.

"Stay still! You can't see! I'll take over from here," Finch said with a sinister grin.

"Let me eat all of you!" Finch laughed, cracking his hands and legs as he confirmed that Luke could no longer control the body.

"This is bad!" Jin gasped in alarm.

Jin had assumed that injuring one of them would prevent them from fully controlling the body, but to his horror, Finch had now taken complete control of the giant.

"A single person controlling this body... feels so much better. Let's use you two as a warm-up!" Finch said, eyeing Will and Lisa from afar with a wicked smile.

"Will, Lisa, watch out!" Jin shouted, realizing that the giant was focused on them.

But before his words even left his mouth, the giant moved with a speed that belied its enormous frame, charging toward Will and Lisa.

"So fast!" Jin cried, terrified.

"Die!" Finch roared with excitement, striking Will with a powerful punch. With no time to dodge, Will was sent crashing into the arena wall by the giant's colossal blow.

"Will!" Jin and Lisa screamed in horror.