Marlon and the Vereenas observed the colossal stone titans with varying expressions etched across their faces. Though each of them reacted differently, they all shared the same tense stance at that moment, ready to move at any second.

The sky above them crackled with lightning while the two moons hung gloomily overhead, further heightening the tension saturating the atmosphere.

The colossal stone titans showed no intention of attacking immediately. They simply stared at the tiny humanoids before them with gazes that could not be properly explained.

Marlon used his inspection skill on the titan holding the greatsword, trying to gauge its power. Since they had not attacked yet and did not seem eager to do so, this felt like the better approach.

[ Race: Terragon ]

[ Threat Level: SS-rank ]

[ Talent: Unknown ]

The name of their race was revealed, and their threat level was just as terrifying as he had imagined. Fighting beings like these, especially this many of them, would be entirely different from anything they had faced before. And the fact that their talents remained unknown only made the situation worse.

Still, one thing remained strange.

The focus the two crowned titans placed on him.

It was different from the attention the others directed toward the Vereenas. Their gazes were far more concentrated. It wasn’t the gaze of predators staring at prey, but something deeper.

Something closer to acknowledgment.

"What should we do, Marlon?"

Solan asked.

"Our mission was to get rid of beings like this from this planet," Marlon said calmly. "We don’t have a choice. We fight."

The Vereenas swallowed nervously. Despite all their training, the atmosphere around them and the intelligence these titans seemed to possess filled them with doubt.

"These guys are SS-rank threats at the very least, maybe even SSS-rank... why don’t we just leave the island since they don’t seem interested in fighting us?" one of the Solar Pathos standing beside Solan suggested. "We can come back after killing other monsters and growing stronger."

The Solar Pathos who spoke looked visibly afraid, and the reason was obvious.

He was weak here.

Solar Pathos relied heavily on the energy of the sun, and in the absence of it, especially in a place drowned in darkness like this, their powers and abilities were greatly weakened.

Solan was the only Solar Pathos who managed to remain relatively calm because of his Royal bloodline. While the others had their strength drastically suppressed, his own power had only dropped slightly and was still manageable.

Marlon considered the suggestion seriously.

It was a good one.

These were the first beings they had encountered on this strange planet. Nobody knew the true nature of their abilities.

Fighting monsters this overwhelmingly powerful at the very beginning of their journey carried far more disadvantages than advantages. And honestly, what the Solar Pathos suggested wasn’t a bad idea at all.

Summoning a mirror clone unit of one hundred clones, Marlon ordered them to flee toward the island’s exit in order to test the situation.

The Vereenas turned to observe the fleeing clones with hopeful gazes.

However, their expressions darkened the very next second.

It happened too fast.

One of the colossal stone titans moved with terrifying speed, almost as if it had teleported, appearing directly in front of the clones.

It swung its gigantic warhammer downward.

BOOM!

The impact sent a violent quake across the entire region. Every single clone was instantly reduced to nothing but meat paste before the flowing lava beneath the cracked rocky ground charred the remains completely.

Some gasped.

Others slowly exhaled as the grim reality settled into their hearts.

There was no escaping this island.

"It seems we don’t have another choice," Marlon said. "Everyone, prepare for battle."

Honestly, he didn’t even need to say it.

After witnessing Marlon’s clones get obliterated so effortlessly, every single Vereena had already begun preparing themselves mentally for combat.

And as if their readiness served as a signal, the colossal stone titans began swinging their weapons in strange rhythmic motions, almost like a battle ritual, while their burning crimson eyes remained fixed on the humans.

The sound alone was horrifying.

Each swing generated such terrifying force that the air screamed violently around them. It genuinely felt as though the wind itself was begging them to stop.

The colossal stone titan wielding the warhammer behind them was the first to move.

It began stepping toward them, its heavy footsteps sounding like continuous earthquakes.

The other titans, aside from the two crowned ones, moved closer as well.

The sight of those massive creatures slowly converging on a small group of humans looked like something pulled straight out of a horror movie.

Anyone witnessing such a scene would feel fear.

"Separate."

Marlon gave the command sharply as he made his move, darting straight toward the greatsword-wielding titan.

The twenty Vereenas instantly scattered in different directions the moment the order was given, creating large distances between one another.

Nox summoned the Element Resonance Sword he had obtained from Axel Storm and synchronized his void affinity with it.

The gleaming steel blade instantly turned jet-black, blending into the surrounding darkness while thick smoky energy leaked from its surface.

Using Shadow Step, Nox appeared near the stone titan wielding the warhammer-like weapon.

Contrary to his expectations, the giant was absurdly fast.

The moment Nox appeared nearby, the titan’s blood-red eyes snapped toward him, leaving blurry crimson trails across the air.

Its massive arm moved immediately.

The warhammer swung downward with devastating force.

Nox instantly created a shadow pit beneath himself and vanished into it, barely escaping the earthquake-inducing strike.

Another shadow pit appeared in midair above the titan.

Nox emerged from it while gripping his sword tightly, his body already positioned in a stance prepared to slice through the titan’s neck.

Then suddenly, his ears twitched. He heard something massive tearing violently through the air toward him and instantly a chill shot through his body.

Without hesitation, he created another shadow pit and disappeared again, reappearing far away from the chaotic battlefield.

The moment he emerged, his eyes widened slightly.

An arrow carved from jagged rock had stabbed deep into the ground near him.

Its sheer size alone was terrifying. The arrow was as large as a three-story building back on Earth, and its width was so massive that instead of piercing a human, it would simply crush them into pieces on impact.

And unfortunately, the colossal archer was already pulling back its bowstring once more.

Its next arrow was aimed directly at someone incredibly important to their mission.

Someone currently trying to rescue two Solar Pathos Vereenas from the relentless strikes of the greatsword titan.

The archer released the bowstring and the massive arrow shot forward without mercy.

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DEATHSKETCHER HERE 👋

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