Chapter twenty-five
Elizabeth fights against a giantess
The needle tilted, and without warning, a sharper shard drove into her skin, sending a surge of panic rushing through her veins. In that heart-stopping mont, a flicker of empathy broke through the haze—a grotesque mory of the girl she was ordered to shoot earlier, tied to a stake, trembling with fear.
Yet as Penelope’s mind spun, instead of sorrow, she felt a twisted sensation of mockery bubbling to the surface—a sickening realization that she perceived the girl as pathetic.
How naive, how pathetic that girl had appeared in her mont of vulnerability.
Wasn't it strange how empathy had slipped through her fingers, leaving her with an emptiness that both terrified and intrigued her?
What is happening to her?
Smack!
The ground beneath shook asElizabeth woke in a startle. Hoisting herself up, she glanced around to find herself lying flat on the rocky ground.
She crumbled upright. Upon seeing what was happening, Elizabeth nearly scread in fear, horror-struck.
Staring back at her was a colossal giantess, towering over them at least fifty feet tall. Her skin was a slick, greasy hue, and her teeth, yellowed and nacing, contrasted sharply with her cold smile.
“I’m Ymir, the giantess who guards the Well of Wisdom,” she said with a smirk, her voice echoing ominously through the clearing.
Beside them, Percy winced at the sight of a spear aid directly at him, a cruel reminder of the danger that lay ahead. Blood stained his torn sleeves in dark patches, scarlet drenched over his skin, marking him as a target of the giantess’s wrath.
"Intruders, you can never get Odin's eye." Ymir snarled, her yellowish lips twitched.
"We can negotiate." Elizabeth pleaded.
"I don't make any compromise with a bunch of stupid adolescents." The giantess sneered.
"Please," begged Elizabeth, her hands shaky.
"Then, we fight with each other," laughed the giantess.
She shoved Percy aside with a fierce determination and barreled toward Elizabeth, her massive form a blur of motion. Grasping the heavy bag filled with glinting, sharp spears—each drenched in a thick, crimson liquid that resembled dragon blood—she heaved it onto her hulking shoulders.
Her enormous, grimy feet thundered against the earth, sending tremors through the ground. Emily recoiled as Ymir, the giantess, reached for her. With an effortless flick of her wrist, she seized Emily by the collar, her cruel sneer cutting deep into the air as she tossed her aside like a rag doll.
Emily crashed against the stone wall with a sickening thud, sliding down into the cool shade. Blood cascaded from her split lip and pooled at her chin, while a jagged cut on her cheek sent crimson rivulets winding down her delicate neck. Dazed and beaten, she succumbed to unconsciousness, her body crumpling in the shade.
“How dare you!” Elizabeth shouted, her voice ringing like a bell of defiance against the towering giantess. But Ymir rely guffawed, the sound a low, guttural rumble that reverberated through the air like distant thunder. The foul odor of rotting flesh wafted from Ymir’s breath, mingling with the acrid scent of noxious vapor twisting and curling upward from the ground where a rancid yellow liquid dripped from the corner of Ymir’s mouth, sizzling as it hit the earth.
In that mont of despair, Elizabeth closed her eyes, transported to cherished mories filled with laughter—the sound of her and her friends frolicking in sun-drenched fields, and Percy’s hearty chuckles echoing during their practice sessions. She shuddered at the thought of being devoured by this wretched giantess and steeled her resolve.
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Suddenly, erald flas erupted from her palms, crackling with raw energy and illuminating the manicured forest around her.
She felt an unfamiliar strength surge through her fingertips, an electric sensation that thrumd with potential. With fierce concentration, she commanded the trees to uproot themselves, their roots writhing as they lunged toward Ymir. The winds howled in response, swirling fiercely to buffet the giantess, whipping around in a desperate attempt to send the giantess sprawling.
But to Ymir, these efforts were akin to re mosquito bites—a minor irritation that only stoked her ire. With a ferocious growl, she advanced toward Elizabeth, each step she took sending vibrations through the ground, her eyes fixed on Elizabeth with murderous intent.
“You shall bring no more pain!” Elizabeth cried, her voice firm as she brandished her frost dagger, its blade glinting coldly in the dim light, shimring with icy blue magic as she charged forward. Dirt sprayed up behind her as she propelled herself forward, her braid whipping through the air as she aid to drive it deep into Ymir’s flesh.
Ymir roared in anger as the dagger barely grazed her, forcing her to stumble back. But the giantess’s retaliation was swift—her spear pierced through Elizabeth’s chest like a bolt of lightning, the shock of impact driving her back.
Elizabeth staggered, hands instinctively pressed against the agonizing wound, a hot, crimson tide cascading down her torso, the fabric of her shirt quickly soaked and marred in a bloom of deep red.
With desperation clawing at her heart, Elizabeth wiped sared blood from her vision, but her shirt could hardly contain the flow. Channeling her energy, she summoned a bolt of crackling lightning from her fingertips, sending it surging toward Ymir’s heart.
The giantess faltered, yet her strength remained insurmountable, unfazed by the efforts of one young woman and her friends.
From the grip of her enormous hand, Ymir hurled a second spear toward Percy.
Elizabeth’s heart stopped.
Ti slowed as she watched Percy's eyes widen in terror, his hands instinctively trying to shield his face.
Ignoring the agony radiating from her wound, Elizabeth threw herself over him, raising her palms skyward to create an unseen barrier. A violent jolt of energy rippled through her, and as she squinted upward, she realized she had conjured an invisible shield that shimred faintly in the air. The strain of maintaining it drained her energy rapidly, and she collapsed next to Percy, blood dribbling down the side of her mouth in crimson streaks.
Percy, though weak and disoriented, reached out, his fingers trembling as they intertwined with hers. Elizabeth managed a faint, pained chuckle, and in return, Percy offered a small, encouraging pat on the back.
Elizabeth's lips curled into a weary smile as his smile mirrored her courage. As Ymir lood ever closer, a threat on the brink of destruction, Elizabeth, gasping for breath, thrust her hands toward the earth, unleashing a surge of energy.
A surge rippled through the earth beneath them, a deafening crack splitting the air as the ground opened wide, sending the giantess tumbling into the abyss. Her anguished roars echoed, her massive form thrashing wildly, but the earth refused to relinquish its grip on her.
With a final, thunderous crash, Ymir was swallowed by the earth, buried beneath layers of rock and debris.
When the chaos subsided and the ground stilled, Elizabeth felt a tender warmth envelop her, washing over her like sunlight filtering through a canopy. She marveled as her wounds began to nd, the blood cleaning away, soothed by the gentle breeze that enveloped her body. Once steadied, Elizabeth rushed toward her two friends, panic flooding her chest.
"Emily! Percy!" she bellowed, racing to help Percy to his feet before sprinting to her fallen friend.
“Elizabeth, you’re magnificent—” Emily murmured weakly, her eyes shimring with gratitude, “—the sapphire—”
Their gazes locked in a silent exchange, a command understood without words.
Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth knelt by the well, her fingers brushing the cool earth, sensing sothing radiant buried below. As she dug, her hands uncovered an object glimring within the soil, an ethereal glow radiating from it, entwined with swirling streams of golden and silvery liquid that danced in the light like living ribbons.
Sunbeams pierced through the canopy overhead, casting a warm glow that bathed the clearing in a warm halo. Flas erupted once more from her palms as she fought against a tugging sensation in her gut.
Dizziness crashed over her like a wave as tendrils of lightning snaked around her fingers—water gushed forth from the well, enveloping her in a divine glow. With a final pull, the well drained, and a magnificent sapphire floated upward, its brilliance outshining the sun.
With a delicate pop, it landed softly in her hands, pulsating with energy.
It was the most breathtaking jewel Elizabeth had ever encountered, its facets glimring and swirling like a miniature galaxy in her palms.
But then, a strange phenonon captured her attention. From the gash on Emily's cheek, ethereal blue lights began to pulse and intertwine, casting an enchanting glow that filled the air around them, hinting at a deeper mystery waiting to unfold.
In the next minute, Emily's eyelid flickered, she sat bolt upright and began to murmur.
"What?" asked Elizabeth tentatively, rubbing her hands together.
But the figure appearing out of the blue gave her the answer right away.
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