His heart pounded with the speed of a battering ram.

For all of the confidence he succeeds in projecting, even he knew that going toe-to-toe with the Giant Witch was a fool's errand. However, he had light magic as an advantage, though he was tired from all that previous fighting. Maybe that was the witch's intention all along.

Maybe he could use words to finish this conflict?

"Ma'am, I don't want to fight you! Please, just let me lead this Human to the castle!" The Knight pleaded.

Grýla's expression soured. "And let this wretched Human not get what she deserves!?" Sparks ran through her left arm, making its muscles bulk and have a decent increase in size. "Not a chance!"

She slammed her strengthened fist at him. Thankfully, the hero was fast enough to jump away from the blow. However, a loud shockwave reverberated throughout the pseudo-volcano. This couldn't be good for Lien.

Speaking of which, where were the girls?

After searching for a few seconds, the hero found them in a corner of the colossal jam wall away from the fight. Perfect.

The fuel on his boots was emptied out. There was only one way out.

"Alright, Grýla! If you want it so badly, I'll show you the power of the radiant light of justice! The Silver Knight!" Once again, he nailed his signature pose. Even in dire situations, a true superhero must never forget his posing, his identity!

The giant giggled. "Not bad, soldier! Yer fast as a greased lighting!" Then, her hand started producing a pink flame, immediately condensing into a spherical shape afterward. "How 'bout a magic show?"

She threw the fireball at the guard, who dodged it by jumping to the side with his lightspeed. The giant launched three more fiery projectiles, all missing. Each created a potent explosion in contact with the ground, resulting in a deep crater.

By then, the hero was close enough to the Ogre. She tried to push him away with an earth-shattering stomp. However, the Knight backflipped away from the attack, then counterattacked by jumping forward and targeting her stomach with a Rocket Crash!

Unfortunately, the witch had fast reflexes and conjured a spherical Saniya barrier around her. The attack made a dent in the shield, but not nearly enough to break it.

The witch taunted. "Aw, nice try! Good luck next time!" She expanded her shield, transforming into a burst of magenta Saniya! The spell pushed the hero far until he crashed into the jam wall. It seemed that his armor received more damage than the barricade.

That didn't matter. The Silver Knight stood proud and landed safely on the floor. He decided to wait and see Grýla's next move.

It turned out that her next attack was another fireball, but now she poured more Saniya into it. The pink searing sphere grew while she held it with her two hands. When the spell grew too much, she raised her hands to the ceiling and let it grow even more! It was almost as big as her at that point!

The Knight was confused. Why would the Ogre waste so much energy on an attack like that? As large and intimidating as it was, the hero could easily dodge it, anyway. What was her angle?

That was quickly answered when the witch launched the fireball at the two girls. The hero was horrified. Was she really going to kill a Monoke child to exterminate a Human?

He couldn't put that to the test. Using his lightspeed, the guard approached the two girls, stretched his arms, and summoned his golden Saniya barrier. The infernal spell clashed with the energy layer, violently shaking the ground beneath their feet.

The hero saw his shield starting to crack. How was he going to react?

He created an opening on his dome on the back, creating a path for the girls to escape.

"Get out of here, you two!" The hero shouted.

Stella protested. "What about you?!"

"If I stop focusing on my shield, it's game over!" The Knight explained. "Now go!"

Stella climbed on Lien's back, probably the way they ran earlier, and the pup sprinted away on all fours. Now, he could focus on the main threat.

"Is that the limit of a member of the Dragon's Guard!?" The Ogre taunted. "Color me unimpressed!"

And the cracks kept getting bigger by the second. The Knight poured more Saniya into his spell, regenerating a decent amount, but it was only a temporary solution. The witch showed no signs of stopping.

Was he done?

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Stella:

He was definitely done.

Clinging on the pup's back, Stella saw a pink sun crashing against the Knight's ever-cracking barrier. The intense shockwaves, the tremors, the unforgiving winds, and the blinding flashes of light that resulted from the clash almost made Stella lose her grip on her friend.

The bright side was that Grýla was too busy with him to attempt another spell against them.

However, they couldn't let the hero be defeated so early. If he fell, they didn't stand much of a chance.

"Lien, are there any Ogre weaknesses to exploit?" Stella asked, crossing her fingers for an actual answer.

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Luckily, the Wolf didn't shrug at the question or anything. She cupped her chin as she entered into deep thought. "Well, I heard they have the hearing and the sense of smell of a Wolf." Her ears perked up. "We can scream at her!"

Stella's eyes widened. "That..." Then, she reflected upon the pup's idea with more care. "Can actually work."

The Human stared at the towering witch. "How can we even get up there?"

Lien prepared her hind legs for propulsion. "Hang tight!" And before Stella could ask any more questions, the pup was already dashing towards the one they were supposed to stay away from.

All of this was crazy! Reckless! But you know what? The Human was too numb to reckless stunts at that point. It didn't take long for her to get on board with the plan, and she had to admit that this was thrilling as fuck!

The Ogre had one hand outstretched at the fireball, which apparently was necessary to keep her spell going. It worked for them.

Lien started to climb the giant, starting with her foot and then clinging to her dress. The whipping wind almost cut their journey short multiple times, like when they were at her thigh and later when the girls climbed through her sleeve. But with fierce stubbornness and determination, they reached the witch's left shoulder.

That's when Grýla finally noticed the girls. It seemed like she was too drunk on her own success, or it was the effect of whatever she drank to get this strong. "What the hell are you two doing here?!"

Right after she got distracted, she immediately turned her attention to the gigantic fireball, stretching now between her two hands. "Ya ain't getting away that easily!" She was referring to the Knight.

So, she needed focus to keep up with the spell. Interesting...

"Lien, go for her other ear!" Stella commanded.

Lien eagerly complied and crawled to Grýla's right shoulder. And now, the giant's ears would beg for mercy.

Stella and Lien shouted at the top of their lungs at the assigned ears. Sure enough, the Ogre started growling in pain, begging to stop.

"Damn you! Please! Stop! Screaming!"

She gave up on the fireball and plugged her droopy ears with her hands. That sudden motion made Stella lose her balance and plummet to her demise! Or so she thought.

Lien grabbed Stella's leg with her mouth. The Human felt a sharp pain because of the Wolf's teeth piercing her flesh, but it was better than dying. She was dragged back to the safety of the giant's shoulder.

"Stella, I'm so sorry!" Lien was apologetic. Of course, she wouldn't do that on purpose, and Stella understood that. Besides, she cared more about returning to ground level.

Ignoring the pain, Stella clung to Lien's back. "I'm fine, just get me outta here!"

And so, the girls descended through the giant's dress, tearing it with the pup's sharp claws. They returned to the solid rocky floor in a matter of seconds.

The flashing lights, the tremors, and the wind were all gone, meaning that they had succeeded in aiding The Silver Knight. Well, it was time to get the hell out of there!

While they ran, Stella asked. "Where's the Knight?"

Right after she made the question, a blinding glow took the attention of her eye, making the girl close her eyes for a few seconds. When she slowly opened them back, she saw him...

A dome of energy, not made of golden energy, but actual, pure light. Glowing wisps spiral around the Knight, creating a holy light show that could convert any non-believer into whatever religion the hero could herald.

The dome dashed at the witch with such speed that Stella only registered the moment it crashed on her face, making her fall on her back. The Silver Knight then jumped in the air, and the wisps around him rotated so much faster that it turned the sphere into practically a miniature sun. The heat it radiated could be felt on the Human's skin, even with the Deheater™, and its light made it impossible for the girl to keep watching.

Without vision, the girl could only hear the words "SOLAR COLLISION!" and the loud bang that came right after. She was getting accustomed to the violent earthquakes by that point.

Slowly but surely, Stella opened her eyelids. Lien slowly walked to the humongous crater that was born from the impact. When they got close to it, the Human's eyes widened when she saw how deep it was, swallowing the ten-meter giant whole. And above her stood The Silver Knight, proudly establishing his dominance over his fallen opponent... with his goofy posing.

You know what? It was still the most breathtaking thing Stella had ever seen.

After the adrenaline subsided, Stella's leg started to REALLY hurt.

"Shit!"

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Grýla:

How could she have been so stupid?!

She let herself open because of her arrogance. She could have let that guard deflect her attack and swat those pests away before they could do anything else.

But none of that. The witch had to prove how much more powerful she was.

And now, only the black void greeted her flickering mind. The sounds, smells, and the feeling of the rough floor touching her skin. All started to fade away, swallowed by unconsciousness.

The worst part was that nefarious Human would roam free through the Monoke's lands. Leaving a trail of destruction and chaos toward the ultimate goal of Humanity, their extinction.

Just like... Like...

"Mommy... I'm afraid..."

"My love, we cannot waste any time. I will hold them!"

"I'm sorry, Grýla. I wish we had more time together..."

"The Humans are coming, Mother! Hide! I will be fine!"

"Your children are an irreplaceable asset to our army, Grýla. You need to face reality."

The voices of her past echoed and rang through the chords of her soul. Of course...

The reason she was doing all of this in the first place. The family she had to leave behind, not by choice. The toll of war on so many lives and the promise of the new generation to pave the way to a better tomorrow.

And that was why she had to.

"Get up!" Grýla forced herself to break out of her unconsciousness by sheer willpower. "Don't ya dare give up now!"

Using every drop of her unbreakable will, Grýla reconnected the string that bound her mind to the sensible world until...

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She woke up.

Her eyes were blurry for a few seconds. Only her ears were working adequately, hearing a passing conversation.

"Breaking this wall might be impossible, and I have no fuel left for my boots." It was that damn Knight. "But I think we can climb it if we're careful. What do you think, Lien?"

"Sure!" The Wolf replied. "This thing is sticky, even! Piece of cake!"

Then that wretched Human started talking. It made the Ogre's blood boil. "Uh, Is that old hag okay? You just bombed her with the power of the sun!"

The Knight replied. "I assure you, she's still breathing. I don't like how this ended, but my priority is to keep you safe."

Keep her safe? KEEP HER SAFE?!

Was this a sick joke? After everything they took from the Monoke, now they must bow to them and treat them as friends!?

This was all the queen's fault! That pitiful Dragon had forgotten how dangerous Humans were.

Well, if she wasn't going to do anything...

That anger motivated Grýla to move her sluggish body again. Her muscles begged for rest, but her mind flared with the desire for justice.

Bit by bit, she crawled out of the crater and met her eyes with the frightened traitors and the cowardly Human.

Good, they should fear her.

Standing on her feet again, she steeled her resolve and let her power flow. She let her emotions serve as fuel for the sake of the Ogres, of the Monoke.

"Sure, after all those centuries, the queen decides to give you monsters a chance..."

Electricity ran through her veins, and her muscles bulged. It was like she was back in her prime. All courtesy of her prime cooking.

The boiling Saniya built up inside her.

"That imbecile, traitorous wench! She may have forgotten the pain of those times..."

She let it all out.

"BUT I WILL NEVER FORGET!"

A geyser of powerful Saniya erupted from her body! It transformed her into a pillar of overwhelming power! She could see the Human and the Wolf covering her eyes at the blinding light that radiated from her.

The fear was etched on everyone's faces except the Knight's. That damn helmet was barring his emotions to the surface.

It was time to correct that.

For her lost children. For the ones that once took Grýla's heart. For the disrespect the crown had put on her species...

Justice would prevail.