Chapter 102 The Titan
The ground didn't just shake; it convulsed.
On the roof of the Spire, I stood with my hands on my chest as I concentrated all my energy towards powering the beacon. The city had only one remaining source of sunlight which was the white light sphere that hung above it. The battlefield became a black-and-white nightmare when the light created sharp shadows that extended across the ground.
I observed it from my viewpoint before anyone else did.
The object emerged from the dark area beyond the edge of the perimeter, which resembled a mountain emerging from the ocean.
The object appeared to be a storm cloud because it consisted of a huge rotating mass that contained black debris. The object became solid when it stepped into the area that my light created.
A Titan stood before me.
The North Wall was overshadowed by a structure that reached a height of at least sixty feet. The entity existed in a form that resembled a human body. It was an enormous creature that had been assembled from agricultural sector debris. The creature walked on legs that functioned as huge columns created from compressed black soil and asphalt. Its torso resembled a body that twisted and moved like a cage constructed from petrified corn stalks which had been woven together to resemble muscle fibers. The head of the creature appeared as a jagged concrete boulder which had been taken from a building foundation and possessed two glowing black voids that functioned as eyes.
The Rot had taken shape in-person form as The Rot. A siege engine built from the corpse of our own land.
I screamed Ryker into my comms as my voice broke under the pressure. The enemy approach was at twelve o'clock, and its size was enormous.
Ryker spoke back to me with his voice remaining steady but tight.
The soldiers on the wall stopped shooting at the spiders to observe the gigantic creature that approached from above. The Titan took a single step, which caused the ground to shake and throw men onto the ground.
BOOM.
Ryker yelled to maintain order as he walked along the elevated pathway. He looked like an ant next to the approaching monster. Jaxon, focus fire! Bring it down! It bleeds like everything else! "It’s just dirt and roots!
Jaxon screamed as his voice broke all units to attack the giant with everything that they had.
The North Wall exploded in an eruption of weaponry.
All of our weapons, including guns and rifles and improvised cannons, opened fire at the same moment. Thousands of bullets moved through the darkness while tracer rounds created lines of fire that illuminated the night sky.
The Titan took direct hits from the enemy weapons.
THWACK-THWACK-THWACK.
The object lost pieces of its body when it moved away from its body. The bullets failed to stop the object from moving forward because they lacked the power to do so. The mass proved to be too heavy because the powdery substance of its body reached the thick sludge level.
The rounds burrowed into its body which was filled with thick sludge, which made them disappear into the Rot.
Vane yelled from the gun turret that it wasn’t working because he was using a 50-caliber machine gun to shoot the Titan’s knee. The object absorbed all of its kinetic force because it behaved like a mudslide according to Vane.
Ryker ordered his troops to use the fire to create a burning effect that would eliminate their enemies.
The soldiers on the wall used fuel from heavy barrels which they had scavenged from the hover-car depot to light fuses before rolling the barrels off the wall.
The barrels rolled down the wall to explode at the Titan’s feet.
WHOOSH.
A wall of orange flame roared up, engulfing the monster’s legs. The Titan stopped moving for one brief moment. The black roots on the creature's legs hissed and popped.
The Titan began moving.
The creature pushed through the fire. The creature used its legs to stomp forward.
CRASH.
The creature used its enormous foot to completely put out the flames by bringing it down. The black sludge that leaked from its body acted as a fire retardant because it extinguished any heat before it could spread.
The Titan raised its head to observe the wall. The Titan observed both the wall structure and the small beings who shot at him from a distance.
The creature used its mouth to create a jagged crack in the concrete boulder.
“OPEN.”
The voice impacted the soldiers on the wall like a physical object. The voice forced the soldiers to shut their ears as it broke their goggles and made them experience hearing loss.
The Titan pulled back his fist, which matched the size of a bus.
"Brace!" Ryker screamed.
The Titan delivered a powerful blow to the wall structure.
KRA-KOOM.
The sound created a deafening effect that shattered concrete while steel rebar snapped like dry spaghetti. The North Wall, which stood as a three hundred foot reinforced barrier designed for nuclear blast protection, emitted a groan. A massive crack appeared in the wall center, which zigzagged down to the foundation.
Dust filled the air, which caused breathing difficulties for the defenders.
Ryker waved his hand to clear away dust while he shouted for a report on structural integrity.
Jaxon yelled "The wall is compromised!" as he pulled himself from the ground. "One more hit like that and it crumbles! If the wall falls, the spiders get in! The city will be overrun in an hour!
The Titan pulled its arm back to prepare for another attack.
Ryker ordered his team to stop the enemy from scoring another point.
He stared at his sword first before turning to face the Titan.
"Vane!" Ryker shouted. "Do we have any explosives left? Any mining charges?
"Vane shouted back to Ryker that they had used the explosives in the corn field. "We have nothing big enough to scratch that thing!
Ryker stated that they would create something new.
He examined his surroundings until he found a huge construction crane which had been abandoned close to the wall throughout the terraforming process. The machine sat in a state of power outage, which left it completely inactive. The boom arm had been positioned directly above the Titan's head.
RYKER pointed to BARON to TAKE HIS STRONGEST WOLVES. "Get up that crane tower! Cut the cables on the counterweight!
"Do you really intend to drop a ten-ton block of concrete on its head?" Baron asked while he wiped blood from his mouth.
"Physics," Ryker growled. "Gravity operates without needing any power source. Go!"
Baron transformed into his wolf form and ran toward the crane with his pack trailing him. The spiders attempted to capture them but they continued to climb the metal lattice.
"Jaxon! Vane!" Ryker ordered. "Keep it busy! Target its eyes! Make it blind!"
Ryker did not remain on the wall. He made a jump.
He landed on the rampart, then jumped onto a giant spider that was climbing the wall. He stabbed his sword into the spider's skull while he rode on the dying animal which descended the concrete surface.
He fell directly into the spider-filled moat which lay at the wall's base in front of the Titan.
"Hey!" Ryker roared.
He activated his sword using his final chemical power. The Star-Metal emitted a bright orange light which illuminated the dark space.
"Over here, you pile of dirt!"
The Titan ended its swing motion. It directed its gaze downward. The giant body saw the small glowing object at its feet.
The Titan rumbled, "KING."
It raised a massive foot to crush him.
"Now, Baron!" Ryker screamed into his radio.
Baron and his wolves climbed the crane to eat through the heavy steel wires which secured the enormous concrete counterweight.
SNAP.
The cable separated while producing a sound that resembled a whip cracking.
The ten-ton block of concrete fell.
The object fell three hundred feet while it gained more speed.
The Titan looked upward at the exact moment when the sky started to descend.
CRUNCH.
The block struck the Titan directly on his head.
The impact caused complete destruction. The Titan's concrete head disintegrated into fine powder. The impact force pushed the monster's neck into his chest. The corn stalks that made up his body structure collapsed.
The Titan stumbled backward while it waved its arms to maintain its equilibrium yet the laws of physics proved to be unchangeable.
It fell down.
BOOM.
The Titan fell to the ground while missing the wall by a few inches. The impact produced another tremor which caused spiders to fall from the ramparts.
The soldiers on the wall responded with cheers as they celebrated their victory. The soldiers lifted their rifles while they shouted out their victory.
"It’s down!" Jaxon yelled. "We killed it!"
Ryker remained in the shadow of the fallen giant while he struggled to breathe. He refused to cheer as he continued to observe the destroyed area.
"No," Ryker whispered.
The debris pile began to shift.
The shattered concrete head fell away. The black sludge remained alive because it started to bubble. The corn stalks began to re-knit.
The Titan began to rise from his seated position.
The being lost its head. The being became a hive mind which did not require a head. The being thought without a brain by using the Rot.
A new limb erupted from its chest, producing a massive jagged spike that consisted of obsidian material.
The Titan rejected all operational methods, according to its voice which emanated from its chest cavity.
The creature rose up, increasing its height before which it faced toward the wall. The creature chose to ignore Ryker who had become his distraction.
The being advanced toward the split which it had created in the barrier.
The being did not punch. The being forced his fingers through the opening he had created.
The being yanked on it.
The agonizing sound of metal ripping apart produced an unbearable effect on me. The Titan tore open the North Wall as if it were a piece of paper.
A twenty-foot-wide opening emerged from the wall.
The North Wall had fallen. The Terrarium was breached.
And I was stuck on the roof, holding a light that showed us exactly how we were going to die.