When the dust finally settled, only one figure was seen standing.

And it wasn't Aren.

At that moment, the hearts of Aiden, Kira, and Zero froze.

They watched in horror.

Where Aren had been, there was nothing.

The only being still standing was the giant, covered in its own blood, hammer dripping, its body visibly weakened from the impact it had taken.

Fear gripped them.

Aren might have lost his life in that clash.

He might be gone.

Kira burst into tears and collapsed to her knees. Aiden and Zero couldn't even move to help her, they were too stunned, too broken to care about anything else.

They could only watch as the last embers of hope in their hearts flickered and began to die out.

It was over.

Rumble.

Suddenly, stones shifted.

A hand burst out of the rubble, gripping the Ancient Devourer tightly.

The moment they saw the sword, they realized.

He wasn't dead.

Joy, hope, and overwhelming relief flooded their hearts as Aren pushed himself out of the debris.

He stood there, battered, broken, bleeding from every part of his body. He was so damaged he barely looked human anymore.

And yet.

He smiled.

His crooked teeth shone through blood-stained lips as he pointed his sword toward the giant.

"Look what I have here," he said, blood leaking from his mouth.

The giant frowned in confusion.

Then it noticed the blade.

The Ancient Devourer was drenched in his blood.

The very thing he had feared most in this battle.

Aren smiled wider.

"You gave me enough," he said.

He didn't attack.

Instead, the sword began to change.

Right before everyone's eyes, the Ancient Devourer morphed, metal shifting, expanding, until it took the form of a massive metallic dragon.

"You gave me enough to pull out power I didn't even know was there," Aren said, his crooked smile unwavering.

The giant finally understood.

Terror filled his eyes as the metallic dragon loomed over it.

It tried to move, but the dragon unleashed a crimson beam of energy.

Its breath crossed the distance in an instant.

The giant barely managed to raise its hammer to block.

BOOM!

The collision was catastrophic.

The giant was thrown backward, smashing into the ground and skidding several meters before stopping.

The metallic dragon spread its wings and shot into the air, faster than a bullet.

Before the giant could even rise, the dragon came crashing down again, slamming into it and forcing it to its knees.

The giant struggled as the beam burned into its body.

Never in its existence had it been pushed this far.

Aren stood at a distance, watching intently.

He had to keep his concentration at its peak. Even as he coughed up more blood, he held on, because using the Ancient Devourer in this state was draining his mental energy, his stamina, and everything left in his body.

And he had almost nothing left.

But this was it.

This was the moment to win.

The giant fought back desperately, bracing its hammer against the ground, its feet digging in, but it was being pushed back more and more under the relentless assault.

Seeing the resistance, the dragon dove.

Its claws stretched out.

The giant tried to evade, but the claws tore into its back, lifting it into the air before slamming it back down.

Another blast followed, shattering one of the giant's arms and breaking several bones.

The giant realized this was the end.

In desperation, it tried to return to its original massive size.

As its body began to expand, the dragon reacted instantly, plunging its claws deep into the giant's neck.

The pain forced the transformation to halt.

The dragon rose into the air with the giant, but the giant swung its hammer wildly, striking at the dragon's leg.

The dragon released it from high above.

As the giant fell, it tried once more to transform.

But another beam slammed into its chest, driving it violently into the ground.

The earth collapsed beneath it.

The giant sank deeper and deeper as the ground gave way endlessly.

The dragon continued its assault, tearing apart the surrounding earth before diving in after it.

Despite growing larger again, the giant's transformation was ultimately stopped.

The dragon went to town on it.

Biting.

Tearing.

Chewing.

The giant's deep voice finally broke the silence, screams of agony echoing through the battlefield.

"Arghhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The once-silent giant cried out, pleading in pain with its screams.

Aren walked toward the hole.

There was no emotion in his heart.

No hatred.

No mercy.

Only focus.

The Ancient Devourer shifted back into a sword as Aren dropped into the crater.

He looked the giant straight in the eyes.

Only one phrase left his mouth.

"Fuck you."

Aren plunged the sword straight into the giant's head.

And killed it instantly.

[Level up + 4 stat points]

[Level up + 4 stat points]

[Level up + 4 stat points]

[Level up + 4 stat points]

[Level up + 4 stat points]

[Level up + 4 stat points]

[Level up + 4 stat points]

[Level up + 4 stat points]

[Level up + 4 stat points]

[Evolution paths Available]

[Multiple levels gained, Special Rewards gained]

[Shadow is the First awakened to defeat a divine being, Rewards gained]

[Divine being killed: Rewards gained]

[Congratulations on winning the Duel]

[Reward: Blessing of Loki, Guardian Spirit, Divine Hammer]

[Auto-consume activated]

Notifications poured in without stop, but Aren was barely awake to see them all.

The system auto-consumed the body of the giant immediately, without waiting for Aren to allow it.

While all this was happening, Aren was staggering backward. Everything inside his body gave up finally, every string that had been holding him up snapped.

His mind went blank, eyes closed shut as he fell backward.

Aiden, Kira, and Zero had already started rushing in his direction the moment that he stabbed the giant. They all received a message that the duel was over.

Before Aren could hit the ground, they caught his body, all three of them, hands under him, making sure he hit nothing again.

Aiden's eyes were blood red, Kira was crying, and Zero stayed with an expressionless face, her hands trembling underneath him.

He won.

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