The gummy bear giant threw a direct punch at the colossal enemy's face, but it didn't cause even the slightest damage. "As I feared," Amaya murmured from the shoulder of the purple teddy bear, her expression filled with concern.
"And when did he do that?" asked Akira, whose distorted voice sounded like a mix between something robotic and childlike due to his helmet reconstructing itself.
"I don't know," replied Megumi, who was standing a few meters away observing the scene. Then, glancing at Akira, she added with a teasing smile, "But what a squeaky voice you have, kid."
"Ow! Shut up," Akira snapped back, visibly annoyed. Adora, unable to contain herself, flashed him a playful mocking gesture as the helmet continued repairing itself. The boy blushed slightly until, finally, the helmet closed completely, hiding his expression.
"Watch out!" Mukio shouted, stepping in front of the group just in time to see a crane-sized fireball. The explosion briefly illuminated the battlefield, leaving behind a cloud of smoke that quickly dissipated.
Meanwhile, Amaya's gummy bear continued battling the giant. The latter unleashed relentless attacks: fireballs lighting up the night sky, electric bolts slicing through the air like lightning, and surprisingly agile movements that evaded every strike from the purple bear.
At that moment, Adora began counting the attacks aloud. "Only three so far. He hasn't shown everything he's got yet," she noted analytically.
"What an observant one we have here. We've got ourselves a little brainiac," Akira remarked sarcastically.
"I'm no fool, you robotic brat," Adora shot back, glaring at him.
"Alright, everyone, calm down," Megumi interjected seriously, trying to ease the tension. "What's important now is figuring out what else this giant has so we can defeat him."
"Fine, then I'll go help Amaya," Mukio announced, beginning to scale the giant's leg with the agility of a monkey.
"Wait!" Adora shouted, but it was too late. Mukio was already too far away to hear her.
"I'll sink him with my earth magic," declared Megumi, focusing her power. However, after a moment, she frowned. "What's going on? When are you going to use your magic, earth mage?" Akira demanded impatiently.
"I am using it, but it's weird! I can't bury him. It's strange," she replied, bewildered. "Maybe one of the subjects connected to his brain has some ability that nullifies my magic, or perhaps he can phase through solid objects."
"If that's the case, then we still need to figure out what his last power is," Adora concluded.
The purple bear continued fighting bravely. At one point, both titans were locked hand-to-hand, literally gripping each other's hands as they pushed with all their might, each trying to overpower the other. Megumi took advantage of the moment to launch rubber snakes toward the giant's arms. "Oops! I didn't think this was possible, but I think my mana is reaching its limit. I won't be able to keep the giant gummy bear going for much longer."
She used the snakes in an attempt to electrocute the giant, but without any success. "As I feared," Megumi murmured, staring intently at the subject's head. It was then that she saw Mukio leap onto the cabin, trying to strike it, but before he could make contact, metallic arms emerged from the giant's head, electrocuting him first and then launching him into the air.
"Perhaps an attack like the robot boy's would work," Megumi thought as she watched her teammate soar through the sky. "Well, that fool, from what I saw, won't die. He's very resilient," she added, referring to Mukio, who was plummeting toward the ground.
"Oh no! The teddy bear is melting! My mana is at its limit. I have no other choice." With determination, she touched the giant gummy bear and changed its color to yellow, as she had done before, causing it to absorb the giant. "Alright, it's time," she said as she jumped from the back of the gummy bear to the ground. She changed the bear's color to red and stepped back, signaling to Megumi, who watched expectantly.
A moment later, a massive explosion illuminated the entire battlefield.
The deafening roar echoed like an apocalyptic thunderclap, creating an immense crater in the ground. The shockwave lifted everything around it: debris, dust, and fragments of buildings soared into the sky before crashing back down heavily. Despite being at a considerable distance, Melisa's team felt the overwhelming force of the wave that shook the air with crushing intensity.
"What was that?" Creg asked, his eyes wide open as he stared at the smoke still lingering on the horizon.
"I don't know," the professor replied, adjusting his glasses with a thoughtful gesture. "But what I see is that this purple teddy bear, when it changes colors, has several interesting attributes."
"How so?" Philip, his assistant, interjected, leaning forward curiously.
"Well, you see," the professor explained, pointing toward the epicenter of the explosion, "when we saw it turn yellow, it seemed to slow down time. When it was purple, it transformed into something gigantic and strong. And red, apparently, causes a massive explosion, especially when it's that size. At least, that's what I deduce."
"What strange people," Michele commented, crossing her arms. "Though, well, it's lucky they're on our side," Choy added with a relieved smile.
Once the explosion dissipated, everyone emerged from a dome of stone and earth that Megumi had created at the last moment. "Thank goodness I could figure out what you were trying to tell me," Megumi said, looking at Amaya with a mix of irritation and relief.
"Yes, thanks for understanding my signals, but I can't do it anymore. My mana is completely depleted. It'll take time to recover," Amaya replied, breathing heavily.
"And why don't you take that thing you gave me earlier?" Adora asked, pointing to the empty flask she had used before.
"Well, that was the last one I had with me since Eduard left. We haven't been able to make more… or, well, mine didn't turn out as good as his," Amaya explained, shrugging. Before she could finish her sentence, her knees buckled, and she collapsed forward, only to be caught just in time by Akira.
"I think we finally defeated him," Mukio announced, emerging from the rubble of a collapsed building. But before he could continue, Akira interrupted.
"Hey, guys! I don't think so." The robot boy pointed at the giant, who remained standing amidst the chaos, covered in dust and with slightly damaged armor, but showing no signs of weakening.
"Fools, I told you nothing would happen," Eliot mocked from inside his armored tank. His distorted voice resonated with arrogance. "If you don't know what you're dealing with, let me inform you that this is a grand creation. In case you haven't noticed, this giant possesses firepower, electric abilities, enhanced agility, telekinesis…" He paused dramatically before continuing: "And the fifth ability is that it can control and extract metal from its body. That's why it's practically indestructible."
"Damn, creating metal… It's like that Number One fool," Akira muttered with evident irritation, mentally picturing someone manipulating metal with surgical precision. "I can't stand him because he's such a bootlicker of the boss, but in this situation, he'd be useful," he added with a frustrated sigh.
"Prepare to die!" Eliot shouted, ordering his giant to charge at them with a blow fueled by all five of its combined powers.
"What do we do?" Mukio asked, instinctively retreating.
"Well, I can take it, but you guys—" Mukio began, but Adora interrupted him.
"I'm not going to sit back and watch. I'll block it with a strong hit. No other way," Adora declared, preparing to face the attack.
"I'll have to use my super weapon," Akira murmured, activating a device on his suit.
"I can handle one or two hits, but that's all my magic will withstand," Megumi stated, tensing her muscles as she focused her energy.
Everyone braced for impact when, suddenly, something struck the giant's hand, deflecting it to the side. An unknown figure appeared, walking calmly toward them. He wore a long red coat that reached his knees, paired with black pants and matching shoes. His orange hair with yellow streaks gleamed under the sunlight, and small glasses rested on his nose, which he adjusted delicately as he grinned ear to ear.
"This will be quick," the newcomer announced confidently.
"How dare you save those fools? I won't forgive you!" Eliot shouted, enraged. "My giant, go after him and show him your full power! For mocking you and belittling you! Well, belittling both of us," he added, slamming the dashboard of his tank in frustration.
The giant charged toward the man in the red coat, preparing to deliver a devastating punch that promised to slam him into the ground with unimaginable force. When the colossal arm struck where the stranger had been standing, the impact kicked up a dense cloud of dust and debris, completely obscuring the scene. The thunderous boom echoed like a clap of lightning, and as the dust began to settle, only an enormous crater remained on the ground.
"Bah, he didn't last long," Eliot commented from his armored tank, a satisfied smirk spreading across his face as he surveyed the destruction through the viewport. "That was a strike using all the abilities my giant possesses. In the end, he was just a loudmouth," he added, leaning back in his seat with arrogance.
"Me, a loudmouth?" The calm, yet ironic voice of the individual rang out in the air, surprising everyone. "How did you hear that, you damn idiot?" Eliot demanded, leaning forward with a mix of disbelief and anger as he realized the stranger was still alive.
"Well then, prepare to be defeated. Don't underestimate me," the newcomer replied calmly, suddenly appearing atop a series of floating platforms that glowed with a faint bluish light. He hovered over the area with elegance, as if defying gravity itself, while looking at the giant with an expression of absolute confidence. "It will only take one hit," he declared, adjusting his glasses with a sly smile.
"I am…"