Boom!
Something slammed into the gigantic hand.
Pushing it back.
Slamming into buildings, decimating them.
The giant roared and pulled back its hand.
Revealing a polearm, stuck in the rubble.
The polearm trembled, shifting rubble.
Then it flew out, spinning towards Serif.
A hand reached out, gripping the polearm, jerking it to a stop.
Its tip a few inches from Serif's head, his hair ruffling gently from the wind generated.
Serif's eyes trace the arm, leading to a middle aged man.
His white jacket fluttered with the wind, revealing a blue striped shirt beneath. Tucked into white pants.
A long hat with a glinting silver star in the middle adorned his head.
Serif gave the man an icy cold stare, "Only this could draw you out huh?"
The man glared at him, gazes locked for a second. Then he looked away, to the left, at the giant, flames flaring around its hand.
"We follow the rules, nothing else," the man declared, tone straight and unwavering.
Tipping the edge of his hat, he lifted his hand up.
Then it clenched, forming a fist.
Multiple people clad in similar outfits to the man appeared. Forming a perimeter around the giant.
The rules.
Serif looked up at the giant.
As long as you were in one of the trading towns, small fights could be overlooked as long as public properties are not damaged. Else they'll be involved—the Enforcers, the established local guards, reporting directly to the council.
And this man, Serif's gaze flickered back to his side, the man, fist still raised in the air.
Thorne was the local chief.
His fist dropped, and with it the enforcers engaged.
Hoses suddenly materializing in their hands.
Steam burst out as they fired, all at once, multiple jets of water slamming into the giant figure.
The giant massive hand lifted to its face, blocking the jets aiming for it.
It roared, unable to move anywhere, as all around it were enforcers.
But at that moment, a shockwave came from a distant building, behind Serif.
It was the ice monster, locked in combat with another of Thorne's men.
Although it wasn't exactly combat, more like the man kept dashing around, bursts of fire flaring beneath his legs, giving him enough speed to avoid its attacks.
Occasionally throwing attacks of his own.
But it was futile, like a bug trying to fight a lion. He was just a disturbance. A distraction.
But that was good enough, for now.
"They're using some sort of enhancers," Serif said, turning around.
Thorne glanced over his shoulder.
At Serif's figure, heading towards the edge of the building.
Serif paused as he felt searing heat. Looking over his shoulder. It seemed the flame giant was adapting, its heat growing. The color of flames switched to blue.
Water jets turned to steam even before reaching him.
Some of the men closer to it burst into flames.
But Thorne wouldn't have it, it was his cue.
He leaned back, muscles pulled, taut and tight.
His uniform bulged, polearm groaning under his grip.
Boom!
Cracks spiderwebbed from his foot.
The polearm launched upward, screaming into the air.
A resounding shockwave spread as it tore a giant hole through the chest of the giant.
Fire struggling to reform it.
Serif nodded and leapt off the building, towards the WGDS building.
As he stepped in, the sounds from outside instantly disappeared.
His gaze stopped on Axel lying on a chair, body bare, his wounds sealing at a visible rate, his ragged breath slowly calming down.
Hermes wrapping his hands in bandages.
"It's ready," Hermes said without looking back, finishing up the wrappings.
Serif looked towards the warehouse, a ship.
Shaped like a hawk, its entrance open was waiting, Hermes' daughter already getting in.
"She'll be the pilot. I can't leave, not with those things rampaging in E town," Hermes stood up.
"Not as the mayor." He added under his breath.
Serif looked outside.
Through the glass separating them from the chaos.
The flame giant was still rampaging, overwhelming the Enforcers completely, even with Thorne's intervention.
It had abandoned maintaining a human form. Now it was just a raging blue inferno. Consuming anything that dared to get close.
As for the ice monster, it was overpowering the other man.
Its body was now completely transparent, crystals protruding from its shoulders. And with the transformation came an increase in power.
While the other man's body was marred with frost crawling all around his body.
Hands hanging limp at the side, encased in ice.
His backups were all frozen solid, trapped in ice.
"She's a good pilot, better than me even," Hermes resumed, drawing Serif's attention back.
"Just ensure you take care of her and… bring her back safe, old friend."
He moved towards the entrance of the building. Looking at the disaster outside, he took a deep breath.
"You don't have to defeat them," Serif's voice rang behind him, lifting Axel onto his shoulder. His chains wrapped around the katana.
"They're consuming their life force, forcefully increasing their compatibility level by using enhancers, they won't last long." He finished with a blank face and started walking towards the ship, the sheathed katana dragging behind him.
Hermes looked at his figure and smirked.
"As much as I'd like to just wait, nobody thrashes E city and doesn't pay," He said, tone heavy now, serious.
His eyes darkened as he stepped out of the door.
Instantly, the air stilled all around E town, it was like the town knew something had emerged.
Then darkness with metallic sheen started seeping out of the ground all around the town, crawling towards Hermes.
Now then.
Hermes cracked his neck and stretched. His cloak turned darker, its length increasing as darkness rose towards it, absorbed by it.
"You'll now find out why I'm mayor." He grinned.