Chapter 321: Separation (1/2)

Li watched as the giants began to charge forwards, their footsteps sizzling and sending out flames and sparks across the forest floor, their weight and heavy armor loosing quaking clicks.

The entire party tensed up, holding their weapons firm as the tide of enormous, blazing bodies approached.

Tia smiled as she pranced from one foot to the other, eager for the fight.

Li noted with calm that among the twenty-two giants, only eleven were approaching. One greatsword giant and ten barehanded ones. The greatsword giant, judging by the fact that four horns protruded from its molten helm instead of two, was higher in rank, leading the ten behind it in a charge.

The other host of fire giants, then, was led by the remaining greatsword giant who stood back, watching the results of this charge with blazing eyes of orange.

Li knew immediately that eleven giants was far too much of a force for the party to reckon with. He could not have them dying on him, for even though he did have a resurrection spells, it was an Ultima-tier spell that he could not freely use, for Elden World had always been strict about resurrection mechanics.

Only the most specialized of priests and templars could afford to cast resurrection freely, and even then, it was an A-rank spell at the minimum.

”Stay put,” said Li to the party. He put a hand on Tia's head. ”And you come with me, Tia.”

”Okay!” said Tia as she unfurled her black and green wings, hovering in the air.

Li smiled at her before turning to the approaching charge of giants, their combined heavy steps now quaking the earth. His glowing green eyes landed on the greatsword giant at the front.

”I'm ready, papa!” said Tia, as she sensed through her Soulbound connection Li's intent.

”Good. Because papa is going to be moving real quick,” said Li.

”Got i-,” began Tia before she was cut off from Li charging forwards, into the fray.

”No fair!” said Tia as she leaped off the ground, batting her wings with a surge of gusting winds as she tried to keep up with Li.

Before the greatsword giant at the head of the charge could react, Li had slammed into him, driving him down with feet on the giant's chest. The giant groaned, and his voice sounded like fire given speech: a roaring, crackling, deep cacophony.

The force of Li's impact had driven the giant backwards, and where before he was at the head of the charge, there were now two giants ahead of him, looking back at their leader with shock.

Li turned around and lifted an index finger to the air. ”[Ironbark Wall]”

With that chant, an enormous wall of thick, gleaming, almost metallic wood rose from the forest floor, separating the two giants from the rest of their host and leaving them to fight the party.

Two giants, Li calculated, were enough for the party to deal with. Defeating them would likely grant them many levels, particularly in the case of Mason and Mercer both of whom were severely underleveled compared to the rest of the party.

Now, the rest, Li looked up to see a dozen plus pairs of burning eyes aimed at him and Tia. The rest of the giants in the charge looked at Li and then began to pour forth their hostile intent. Fire started to sputter and rage from their backs in blazing auras, and in their bare hands, swords of flame and molten rock manifested.

A typical ability of fire giants. Fire auras and flame weapon generation.

Li felt the greatsword giant beneath his feet start to move again, groans turning into a roar as he tried to sit up, spilling Li away from his body.

But Li only stamped down with his foot, sending a shockwave surging from the blow and shattering the giant's molten breast plate. The giant's two dots of flaming eyes widened as they stared straight up, the wind knocked out of him from the casual blow of a man less than a quarter of his size.

The remaining giants hesitated to charge, the flaming weapons in their hands trembling as they began to perceive Li's strength.

Good. This indicated that the giants had not lost their minds to eldritch corruption or else they would have been mindless units more so than beings.

”Now then, we can finally have a talk,” said Li.

”Talk? But I wanted to fight!” complained Tia.

”And I do think you will,” said Li. His eyes narrowed as he saw the other host of fire giants standing from far off continuing to look at Li without an ounce of fear in their eyes.

The ones around Li seemed to have lost their fighting will seeing their leader so helpless under Li's feet, and they acted organically, being fearful to move, being hesitant to do anything.

”They do not seem to want to fight anymore,” said Li, and Tia followed Li's gaze at the hesitant giants.