The ground split beneath the Titan's weight as it lumbered forward, each step like a drumbeat against the earth. Eight meters tall, its body looked hewn from the desert itself—rocky plates layered over sinew that pulsed with molten cracks, glowing faintly under its skin. Its eyes burned a sickly yellow, glaring down at them with predatory intent.

The shockwave of its roar rippled through the clearing, rattling branches and shaking loose the last of their hastily built camp. Marcus planted his feet and slammed his palm to the ground, shouting, "Stoneguard!" Rock erupted upward, a barrier catching the first quake before it could flatten them. Clara raised both arms, streams of water weaving into a shimmering dome that steadied the ground around them.

"Biggest thing we've seen so far," Marcus muttered, sweat already forming on his brow.

Elena's roots twitched beneath the soil, eager for her command. She narrowed her golden eyes, refusing to flinch. "We can't face it head-on. Chip away at it—wear it down."

Her hand snapped forward. "Vine Fang!" A spear of green burst from the dirt, stabbing toward the Titan's chest. It cracked against the monster's hide but failed to pierce deep.

Marcus followed immediately, slashing with a blade wreathed in blue fire. "Azure Flare Strike!" The arc of flame struck its shoulder, leaving a blackened scar but little else.

Clara clenched her fists, pulling a mass of water from the air before whipping it forward in a pressurized lash. It slapped against the Titan's flank, hissing as steam rose.

The creature barely reacted. Its claw came crashing down, shaking the earth, flattening trees in an instant. The three staggered back, realizing all at once what they were up against.

The Dune Titan moved faster than its size suggested. With a guttural bellow, it dug its claws into the soil and tore upward, hurling chunks of earth the size of wagons into the air. The debris rained down like meteors.

"Scatter!" Elena shouted, diving aside as roots surged from the ground to form a tangled barrier above her. "Flourish Veil!" Leaves and bark deflected the smaller stones, but the larger ones still crashed through, forcing her to roll to safety.

Marcus didn't move—he planted his stance instead. "Rooted Stance!" His body locked with the ground as if fused to it, sword glowing with azure heat. One boulder plummeted toward him. He slashed upward, releasing "Blazing Pillar!" A geyser of blue fire erupted, shattering the rock mid-air into molten shards.

Clara spun gracefully, her hands weaving circles. Water gathered at her feet and surged skyward in a towering column. "Tidal Ascent!" The surge lifted her above the falling debris, letting her launch a sphere of compressed water down into the Titan's arm. The impact left a crater of hissing steam, forcing the beast back a step.

The Titan roared, its chest expanding unnaturally wide. Sand burst from the cracks in its body, swirling into a storm. Visibility dropped in an instant as the dust choked the air, cutting sightlines to almost nothing.

"Elena!" Marcus's voice barely carried through the gale.

She planted her hand into the soil, feeling the vibrations. Roots spread like veins beneath the surface, tracing the Titan's movements. "There—front right!"

Marcus lunged where she indicated, leaping high. His sword flared with molten energy. "Molten Lance!" He hurled it with both hands, the blazing spear of magma tearing through the haze.

A shriek of fury followed. The weapon had pierced the Titan's leg, searing into its stone-like flesh.

Seizing the opening, Elena lashed out with her "Briar Whip!" Vines coated in thorns coiled around the Titan's other leg, yanking with impossible strength. The beast stumbled, collapsing one knee into the dirt with a thunderous crash.

Clara wasted no time, pulling every drop of moisture from the air. A swirling vortex formed above her head, coalescing into a jagged spear of water and ice. "Marcus! Elena! Hold it steady!"

The Titan's eyes flared, fury boiling within the storm.

The Titan's bellow rattled their bones, the sound so deep it felt like the mountains themselves were groaning. Then its chest split open—not literally, but the plates of its hide shifted—and a torrent of scorching sand blasted outward in a cone. The storm hit with the force of a hurricane.

Elena threw both arms out, roots bursting from the ground. "Warden's Embrace!" Bark formed a half-dome before her, creaking under the weight of the sandblast. Splinters flew as cracks split across the shield. She gritted her teeth. "It won't hold—!"

Marcus leapt in front, slamming his palm to the ground. "Earthen Shell!" A stone dome expanded over the barrier, reinforcing it just as the Titan's storm reached them. The sand hissed and scoured the rock like a thousand blades. For several heartbeats, the world was nothing but grinding noise and suffocating heat.

Clara had no wall to hide behind. Instead, she spun her hands in quick arcs, weaving a swirling sphere of water around her. "Aqua Sphere!" The sand hit it, dissolving into mud that slid harmlessly down her shield. Her lips curved in a thin smile. "Nice try, big guy."

The storm relented at last, leaving the clearing gouged and half-buried. The Titan loomed above, one leg still chained by Elena's vines, magma dripping from its wounded calf. Despite its injuries, its glowing eyes narrowed with terrifying focus.

Marcus burst from behind the earthen dome, his body glowing faintly red. "Molten Skin!" Heat shimmered around him as he charged, blade raised high. He swung in a brutal arc across the Titan's knee. Sparks screamed as steel met stone, carving a molten line.

The Titan reeled, but lashed back instantly. One colossal arm swung, its claws cutting through the air. Marcus barely had time to brace, the impact flinging him back through a line of trees.

"Marcus!" Clara's voice cracked. She released her shield and launched a whip of water at the Titan's arm, yanking it off course before it could follow through.

Elena didn't hesitate. She sprinted forward, roots exploding from the soil. "Verdant Slash!" Her arms glowed green, and she sliced across the Titan's other ankle, severing chunks of its hardened hide.

The beast roared, struggling now to stay upright on its battered legs.

It was wounded. Furious. And far from finished.

The Titan staggered, both legs wrapped in vines and bleeding molten ichor where Elena's strikes had landed. Clara's water sphere slammed into its chest, hissing as steam poured upward, briefly veiling the battlefield. The beast roared through the mist, eyes glowing like twin suns.

Marcus pushed himself up from the crater where he had landed, wiping blood from his mouth. His grip tightened around the hilt of his sword. The azure flames along the blade pulsed brighter—hotter—as if answering the fury in his chest.

"No holding back this time," he muttered, dragging his weapon along the ground. Sparks burst in his wake, leaving a trail of glowing embers. His mana surged violently, flooding the clearing with heat so intense even the Titan seemed to hesitate.

Elena felt it immediately. Her vines shuddered, drying in the sudden blaze, and her heart skipped a beat. "Marcus—"

But he was already moving.

He leapt high, higher than seemed possible, his figure outlined in a brilliant cyan aura. The flames wrapped not only around his sword but his entire body, a second skin of fire so bright it turned night into day.

"Azure Ascension!"

The name tore from his throat like a vow. His sword expanded, the fire elongating into the shape of a colossal dragon formed of pure cyan flame. Its maw opened, mirroring Marcus's swing.

The Titan raised both arms to block, bellowing in defiance. But the dragon's jaws closed around it, biting through stone and flesh alike. The fire didn't just burn—it consumed, feeding on the Titan's own mana.

The giant shrieked, a sound that split the sky. Its body convulsed, cracks spreading like glowing veins across its torso before it toppled backward. When it hit the ground, the cyan fire clung to it, unrelenting, eating away until nothing but smoldering stone and ash remained.

Marcus landed hard, his knees buckling, steam rising off his skin. He jammed his sword into the earth to steady himself, chest heaving.

Clara rushed to him, eyes wide. "Marcus—!"

He gave a strained grin, sweat dripping down his face. "Told you…"

Elena stood silent for a moment, watching the last embers fade into the night sky. Then she allowed herself a small smile.

They had won.

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