I didn't have time to react. The ground beneath me cracked and split as the massive figures advanced, their heavy footsteps sending shockwaves through the air. Each one of them loomed larger than any ghoul I had ever encountered, their bodies covered in jagged, black armor that gleamed ominously in the dim light. The air around them was thick with an unnatural energy that made my skin crawl.
I braced myself, my kagune snapping to life, but the sheer size of the creatures was enough to shake my resolve. The energy they radiated felt wrong, unnatural. This wasn't the kind of fight I could win with brute strength alone.
The first of the giants lunged toward me, its massive arm swinging like a hammer. I barely managed to dodge, rolling out of the way as the force of its strike cratered the ground where I had been standing. The impact reverberated through the air, and I could feel the vibrations in my bones.
I gasped for air, my mind racing. What are these things?
I wasn't ready for this. I had faced ghouls, and even the rogue hunters, but this… this was something else. Something ancient. Something beyond my understanding.
The second giant moved in, its glowing eyes locking onto me. It raised its arm, and before I could react, a blinding beam of energy shot out from its palm. The force of it was enough to push me back several meters, my feet skidding against the ground as I tried to regain my footing. My kagune stretched out to shield me, but the energy blast was too strong. I felt a sharp pain in my side as I was knocked off balance.
The pain was overwhelming, but I couldn't afford to let it consume me. Not now. Not when my survival was on the line.
I surged forward, my kagune thrusting out like a spear, aiming for the giant's exposed side. But the creature was too quick. It twisted out of the way, and with a roar, it swung its arm down toward me, faster than I could react.
I had only a split second to think. In that moment, my instincts took over.
I twisted in mid-air, avoiding the full impact of the blow but still taking a glancing strike that sent me tumbling to the ground. The force of the impact rattled my bones, but I pushed through the pain, using every ounce of strength to get back on my feet.
"Stay focused," I muttered to myself. "You can do this."
The woman's words echoed in my mind again. "Control both sides of yourself—your humanity and your ghoul instincts."
I realized then that I hadn't been truly embracing both sides of myself. I had been relying too much on my ghoul side—the darker, more violent part of me—while suppressing the humanity that remained within me. I needed to find a balance, to merge the two aspects of myself into something stronger.
As the giants advanced once more, I closed my eyes, focusing on the power within me. The dark energy that had once felt foreign now surged within me, but I allowed the human side of me to guide it, to focus it. I wasn't just a beast. I was something more.
I exhaled sharply and opened my eyes, the world around me seeming to slow down for just a moment. With a roar, I launched myself forward, my kagune glowing with an ethereal light, merging with my human instincts.
The first giant swung at me again, but this time, I was ready. I dodged, my body moving faster than it ever had before, and as I closed the gap, I drove my kagune through the creature's chest. The force of the blow shattered its armor, and the giant let out an earth-shattering roar as it collapsed to the ground, its body dissolving into dark energy.
But there were still two more.
I didn't hesitate. I charged toward the second giant, my kagune wrapping around its massive arm, constricting it like a serpent. The creature bellowed in pain as I twisted its arm, pulling it toward me. With a mighty thrust, I pierced its side, feeling the satisfying resistance as my kagune drove deep into its body.
The third giant let out a terrifying roar, its eyes glowing brighter as it summoned more energy. The air around it crackled with raw power, and I knew this battle wasn't over yet.
But I wasn't afraid. I had embraced both sides of myself. The beast and the human. I was ready to face whatever came next.
With a final, deafening roar, I charged.