Chapter 138 — Brutal Ambush

The ambush began as soon as Damian ordered.

No war cries came from humans. Just pure, distilled violence erupting from the ridge above.

Twenty-four humans attacked one hundred Giants simultaneously, and for exactly three seconds, the element of surprise gave them an advantage.

Damian was the first to strike, his gun already drawn, Omega Point activated but carefully constrained to single-target shots instead of the area-wide devastation the technique was capable of producing.

’Can’t use the full power. The sound and light would alert every other Giant patrol in this portal world. Have to keep it surgical, precise and quiet enough that we don’t sign our own death warrants.’

BANG. BANG. BANG.

Three perfectly aimed shots, each one enhanced with concentrated Aura, each one punching through a Giant’s helmet at the weak point where neck met jaw.

Three massive warriors dropped, dead before their bodies hit the ground.

Marcus Feng’s Aura-enhanced blade caught another Giant across the throat, the businessman’s rusty military skills coming back under pressure, his strike opening an artery that sprayed blood in a pressurized arc.

Gerald Moss, despite his size, moved with shocking speed, his martial arts training evident as he drove an Aura-coated fist into a Giant’s knee joint with enough force to shatter the armor and the bone beneath.

The Giant went down screaming, and Gerald’s follow-up strike caved in the warrior’s skull.

All around the valley, the volunteers struck from above, using gravity and surprise to maximize their initial impact.

For those three perfect seconds, it worked.

Then the Giants recovered.

"HUMANS! ABOVE US! KILL THEM ALL!"

The roar came in that grinding Giant language, but the meaning was universal.

The formation that had been spread out for searching instantly shifted, warriors raising shields and weapons, Auras flaring in defensive patterns.

A Giant’s hammer swung upward, catching one of the volunteers who’d been too slow to retreat after his initial strike.

The human’s body exploded.

Literally exploded, bone and flesh and blood spraying across the rocks as the hammer’s impact transmitted force that human durability couldn’t possibly withstand.

"WILSON! NO!"

Another volunteer screamed, watching his friend die in an instant, the shock freezing him in place for just a moment too long.

A Giant’s axe came down, splitting the frozen man from shoulder to hip, the blade cutting through him like he was made of paper.

His intestines spilled out as the two halves of his body fell in different directions.

Damian was already moving, his axe appearing in his hand, his body launching from the ridge toward the Giants below.

"FALL BACK! DISENGAGE NOW!"

But his order came too late for some.

Three more volunteers died in the next five seconds as the Giants’ superior strength and reach made close combat a death sentence.

One man’s head was crushed between massive hands, his skull collapsing like an egg, brain matter squeezing out between armored fingers.

"AHHHH!"

Another was grabbed and torn literally in half, his scream cutting off as his spine separated and his organs fell to the ground.

A third tried to run but a thrown hammer caught him in the back, the impact pulverizing his entire torso, leaving just legs that took three more steps before collapsing.

Damian landed among the Giants, his Slaughter Intent exploding outward, the dark red Aura making even the massive warriors hesitate for a fraction of a second.

And that hesitation cost them dearly!

"Abyssal Slaughter!"

His axe came down with absolute conviction, the blade enhanced with his weapon art, carrying weight that defied physics.

The strike caught a Giant’s shoulder, cleaving through armor and bone, nearly severing the arm completely.

The Giant screamed, that grinding voice filling the valley with pain.

Damian didn’t stop.

’Die! DIE! DIE! DIE!!!!’

Second strike fell as a different Giant’s throat opened, arterial spray painting the ground crimson.

Third strike! Knee joint destroyed, warrior collapsed, followed by his skull splitting.

Fourth strike–

A shield slammed into Damian’s side, the impact cracking ribs and sending him flying twenty meters through the air.

He hit a tree hard enough to crack the trunk, blood filling his mouth, vision swimming.

’Get up. Get up or die. Move. MOVE!’

He forced himself to his feet, his self-healing skill already working on the broken ribs, buying him seconds of continued function.

Kuro descended like divine vengeance, the raven’s massive form crashing into the Giants with talons extended.

One warrior’s eyes were torn from his skull, his screaming face a mask of blood as he flailed blindly.

Another had his throat ripped out by Kuro’s beak, the raven’s impossible strength allowing him to tear through armor that should have stopped such attacks.

But even Kuro wasn’t invincible.

A Giant’s hammer caught him mid-flight, the impact audible across the entire valley, sending the raven tumbling through the air with visible damage to his wing.

Kuro hit the ground hard, shrinking back to normal size involuntarily, clearly hurt badly.

"KURO!"

Damian’s scream was raw as he saw his companion go down.

The volunteers were dying.

SLICE

Gerald Moss took an axe to the chest, the blade punching through his considerable bulk like it wasn’t there, killing him instantly.

"AHHH!"

The old gentleman who’d moved with professional grace had both legs crushed by a hammer, his high-pitched screaming filling the air until a boot came down on his head and ended it.

"Argh!"

A young volunteer tried to run and made it three steps before a thrown spear caught him in the back, the weapon’s tip emerging from his chest, lifting him off his feet and pinning him to a tree where he died slowly, choking on his own blood.

Damian fought like something possessed, his axe swinging continuously, each strike carrying lethal intent, each movement precisely calculated despite the chaos.

He used the trees, jumping from trunk to trunk, using three-dimensional mobility that the Giants couldn’t match despite their strength advantage.

Grabbed a fallen Giant’s hammer, impossibly heavy but his enhanced strength allowed him to swing it once, the weapon crushing another Giant’s skull before Damian dropped it and kept moving.

Used his gun when range allowed, Omega Point shots precisely aimed at weak points, every bullet a kill when it connected.

Used telekinesis to throw rocks and debris at eyes and joints, anything to create openings.

Marcus Feng was still alive, fighting with desperate efficiency, his blade opening wounds even as his own blood ran from a dozen cuts.

"We have to retreat! We can’t win this!"

"I KNOW!"

Damian’s response was screamed over the sounds of combat.

The body count was mounting on both sides now.

Sixty Giants were dead or dying, their massive corpses littering the valley floor.

But eighteen humans were dead too. Eighteen of the twenty-four who’d volunteered to follow Damian into this insane ambush.

Only six still fought, and all of them were wounded, exhausted and running on pure adrenaline and desperation.

Damian made a decision.

"EVERYONE FALL BACK NOW! I’LL COVER!"

He activated his spatial ring, pulling in every Giant corpse he could reach, storing the bodies for later examination even as he fought.

The surviving volunteers didn’t question and didn’t hesitate. They just ran!

Marcus grabbed the unconscious Kuro as he retreated, the raven’s small form bloodied but still breathing.

Damian held the line for precious seconds, his axe and gun working in concert, killing two more Giants, wounding three others, creating enough chaos that the remaining enemy warriors couldn’t coordinate pursuit immediately.

Then he turned and ran, activating Sonic Blink to cover ground faster, his broken ribs screaming protest with every movement.

The six survivors ran through the forest, branches tearing at them, exhaustion making every step agony.

Behind them, the Giants reorganized and began pursuit, their longer legs covering ground faster despite the terrain.

"They’re gaining!"

Marcus’s voice was ragged, carrying the injured Kuro carefully.

THUMP THUMP THUMP

Damian could hear them too. The thunder of massive footsteps, crashing through undergrowth. Getting closer and closer!

Then two of the volunteers stopped running.

"Keep going!"

The grey-haired veteran shouted, his face set with grim determination.

"We’ll buy you time! Just make sure you kill these bastards eventually!"

"NO! WE CAN’T–"

Damian tried to turn back, but Marcus grabbed him, pulled him forward with surprising strength for someone so wounded.

"Don’t waste what they’re giving us! Run, damn you!"

The veteran and a younger man with a scarred face turned to face the pursuing Giants, weapons raised, Auras flaring in what they knew would be their final stand.

"TELL OUR FAMILIES WE DIED FIGHTING!"

The veteran’s final shout echoed through the forest.

"AVENGE US!"

Then the Giants reached them, and the sounds that followed made Damian’s stomach turn.

BOOM! BOOM!

Both of them exploded their Aura cores...

The four survivors kept running, tears streaming down their faces, knowing that good men had just died to give them minutes of escape.