Gióng and Thạch each rushed in their respective directions.
The waves of earth and rocks continued flying toward them while the Earth spirit relaxed on his black stone slab.
Gióng dodged a few rocks and then lunged toward the Earth spirit. From below, a column of rock thrust upwards towards his chest. Gióng immediately recognized this move as he just evaded it. He shifted to the side and continued his charge. However, before he could take the second step, another, larger column of rock hurled towards his blind spot, catching Gióng off guard. He raised his arm to shield himself, but it still hit him with great force, slamming him against the nearby stone wall and causing Gióng to sink into it.
On the other side, Thạch was also busy dodging the barrage of rocks while trying to advance. His swordsmanship was impeccable, as every swing effortlessly intercepted the incoming rocks. His agility allowed him to evade the columns of rock hurtling towards him from all sides. Seeing Gióng pinned against the wall, he realized he couldn't assist him directly. His sole objective now was the Earth spirit; if he could defeat him, everything would be resolved.
"Resolved?"
Thạch felt a strange sensation with that thought. But the current situation didn't allow him much time for contemplation. One moment of distraction could cost him dearly. As time passed, he found himself getting closer to the Earth spirit. In a moment when Thạch felt like the Earth spirit was within range of his sword, he prepared to deliver a decisive blow. Suddenly, his legs feel off beneath him. When he glanced down, he saw his feet sinking into the ground. Losing his balance, Lý Thạch fell face-first, fortunately catching his sword before hitting the ground. After a few seconds, Thạch felt his body sinking almost halfway into the earth, along with his sword. Then, the ground slowly solidified back to normal. Thạch felt helpless and thought to himself:
"This is not good!!"
*Crash*
On Gióng's side, there was suddenly a loud noise. Being pressed against the wall by the stone column didn't pose much difficulty for Gióng. He immediately threw a full-force punch, shattering a large rock into pieces. Gióng then sprung forcefully towards the Earth spirit. Another stone column protruded from the ceiling, hurtling straight towards Gióng at a tremendous speed. But Gióng was prepared; he leaped up, delivered a direct punch to the stone column, shattered it into pieces, and landed right before the Earth spirit. Gióng approached close enough to see that the Earth spirit had opened its eyes and was glaring at him. The king of the mountains and forests angrily spoke:
* You mortal, how dare you disturb my slumber?
* Answer me about the princess's whereabouts, and I will consider whether you deserve a short or a long nap.
Gióng's defiant challenge was met with a powerful thrust to the chest from the Earth spirit. The force of the attack was so strong that it sent Gióng flying up towards the cave ceiling. Not stopping there, another massive stone column emerged from the ceiling, striking Gióng's back forcefully, causing him to land heavily on the ground.
Meanwhile, Thạch, still reeling from the shock, saw the Earth spirit rise to his feet, his hand eagerly grasping the Four-Direction Staff, a divine artifact that allowed Thổ tinh to manipulate the terrain at will, as he had always done.
* Let me escort you there if you eagerly want to meet up with the princess.
As the Earth spirit spoke, he thrust his staff deep into the ground, causing columns of stone to continuously sprout from the ceiling of the house and plummet towards Gióng. Gióng managed to leap away, but the stone columns continued to chase him from all directions. Seeing Thạch in a helpless situation, forced to be a spectator, Gióng quickly picked up his sword from the ground and threw it at Thạch with considerable force, piercing through the flying mass of earth and stone in the air like butter.
Having caught the sword, Thạch immediately unleashed his swordsmanship, slashing fiercely towards the Earth spirit. Sensing the unstoppable force from the sword, the Earth spirit quickly dived into the earth to dodge. Thạch's strikes cut a deep path into the side of the cave.
* That's some wicked swordsmanship!
Ignoring Gióng's compliment, Thạch swiftly freed himself by delivering a series of consecutive slashes to the ground around him.
The Earth spirit rose from within the earth, facing Gióng and Thạch with a furious expression. He waved his hands provocatively at both of them. Gióng and Thạch accepted the challenge by charging straight ahead. Gióng rushed in with lightning speed; his fist raised and ready to meet the Earth spirit head-on. Thạch also spun around and charged forward like a raging storm, intent on sweeping everything aside. The Earth spirit just stood there and closed his eyes.
In a fleeting moment, as Gióng's fist was about to reach the Earth spirit's face, he grabbed Gióng's arm and threw him down to the ground beneath his feet. Then, with a powerful kick to Gióng's head, he sent him flying straight into the earth, creating a large crater beneath the Earth spirit's feet. As for Thạch's attack, it was stopped in its tracks by a clay statue formed by the Earth spirit. The statue tightly gripped Thạch's sword, preventing him from moving. Then, another stone arm emerged from the statue, splitting the sword in two.
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Thạch felt shocked seeing his swordsmanship being easily blocked and witnessing Gióng disappearing into the earth. Meanwhile, the Earth spirit appeared to have regained his composure. He picked up his staff and returned to his seat. As he walked away, he said:
* Farewell!
Immediately, the stone statue of the Earth spirit swung a powerful punch at Thạch. Thạch quickly used the remaining part of his sword to block the blow. The uppercut, launched from below, lifted Thạch into the air. He soared high, very high, above the cave, straight into the open sky, ascending into the blue clouds, and eventually flying beyond the mountain peak.
Thạch realized he was in a precarious situation. Falling from such a height meant certain death. As he plummeted downwards through the clouds, he noticed he had been punched far away from the mountain peak. Looking down, he saw a lake below, but from this height, the water surface wasn't much different from solid ground. Thạch quickly employed the sword technique he had used earlier. He spun in the air like a whirlwind and slashed down into the lake's surface with his broken sword, creating a solid force that slowed his descent. Thus, he found a moment of safety. Drifting on the lake's surface, Thạch gazed up at the blue sky, pondering whether Gióng was all right. But he could do nothing, as he had exerted all his strength into the previous technique to escape death, leaving his body unable to move.
As for Gióng, he woke up in a place he didn't recognize, buried under a heap of earth and rocks. Slowly emerging from the debris, his head spun dizzily. Just as he managed to sit up, he doubled over and vomited a pool of blood. The previous blow had taken its toll on him. Since the enemy general's strike that fateful day, this was the second time he had shed blood. He sat for a moment, trying to clear his dizzy mind. He noticed it was pretty bright around him, allowing him to see everything.
Looking around momentarily, he realized he was in a large corridor, and the ceiling where he had fallen was about four meters high. At the end of the corridor was a room resembling more of a cell than a typical chamber, with someone inside. The light from the window in the cell was bright enough for him to see inside clearly. In the cell was a young girl with eyes glowing with an eerie red light, dressed in a white silk dress with a hint of pink lotus colour. As he looked at the girl, she looked back at him. In moments, Gióng recognized her as the princess, indeed being held captive in this damp dungeon. By now, Gióng had regained strength and stood up, determined to rescue the princess. Approaching the cell, he noticed something peculiar: on each side were two stone tablets bearing an ancient character. However, this was not his concern at the moment. Before breaking the stone chains, Gióng said:
* Princess, I am Gióng, the envoy sent by King Hùng to rescue you. Please rest assured.
The princess's eyes shifted from slight surprise to relief. Gióng saw her give a slight smile and nod. The smile on her face was so beautiful that it made Gióng blush slightly. He nodded back, smiling shyly, then gently broke the stone chains holding the princess. He knelt, extending his hand, and after a moment of hesitation, the princess grasped Gióng's hand tightly. Together, they escaped from Mount Thái Sơn. Strangely, there was no sign of the Earth spirit, as if he had no intention of hindering Gióng and the princess from leaving.
Safe outside the realm of Mount Thái Sơn, they encountered Lý Thạch not far away, and the three of them returned to the capital together.
****
The old soldier sipped his drink, his eyes staring into the space before him. Then he looked at the glass in his hand and wondered:
"Wait, what am I doing here alone like this?"
Suddenly, a voice echoed:
* Hey, soldier, who were you talking to?
The older man looked over, and the person who had just spoken was sitting at the table beside him. She was a beautiful young woman in her twenties, wearing a red and black ao dai adorned with patterns resembling flames. Perhaps the older man had never encountered such a beautiful girl, let alone struck up a conversation with one. He was hesitatingly trying to respond when other voices chimed in from behind him:
* Why does your master ask when you don't answer?
* Who permitted you to look at my master?
Seeing the two guards interrogating him, the older man dared not turn around anymore. He trembled and said:
* I don't know; I don't know why I'm even here anymore. I still have things to do; please let me leave.
After speaking, he tried to leave, but he was stopped:
* Who gave your master permission to leave?
* Stop; further questioning is useless. The older man's mind is gone; let him go.
* Yes, master.
The girl pondered while looking at the wine glass in her hand:
"Who was that person sitting over there? Regardless of who it was, trouble was brewing."
****
At a small house located in the western part of the valley.
Knock knock knock
* I'm coming in.
As the door opened and he stepped inside, he saw corpses scattered all over the house. He looked at his accomplice and smirked:
* You vented your anger quite fiercely, huh?
The other person only responded with a fierce, red-eyed glare.
* Hey, don't blame me! I don't know much about what that kid wore around his neck. Except that it belongs to Finix.
Seeing that the other person remained silent, he just glanced away. He continued:
* Anyway, I've fulfilled your request. Now it's your turn to meet mine.
* Not yet! I still have things to do.
Hearing the red-eyed one speak, he just waved his hand and chuckled:
* Well, that's fine too. After all, this was just a greeting.
The conversation ended with a chilling silence, but then the sound of chewing and crunching began to echo in the darkness, accompanied by the sound of bones being bitten and flesh being swallowed.