"Ugh... ROAR!"

The Giant Leader let out the roar of a cornered beast. Beneath its grayish-brown skin, lines of earthy-yellow Magic Patterns lit up.

A heavy, oppressive, and distorted Power erupted from its body.

"Gravity Domain!"

With the giant as the epicenter, the ground abruptly sank.

The air seemed to turn into a viscous mire. Every object enveloped within it was subjected to several times its normal Gravity.

Even the rampaging light and heat within the Sun Furnace Domain seemed to slow down.

The two Domains clashed with a thunderous impact.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, but the confrontation was more perilous than any blast could be.

The Gravity Domain was like an invisible net, attempting to bind, compress, and extinguish the brilliance of the Solar Furnace.

But the Solar Furnace was like a star descending upon the earth, using the purest and most domineering energy to incinerate and melt the net.

The ground beneath the Giant Leader’s feet cracked and sank inch by inch, forming a massive crater.

The veins on its arms bulged as it strained with all its might to maintain its Domain, trying to crush the Golden Dragon to the ground.

However, this Hill Giant had clearly only recently reached the Domain Level. Against Sun, which had accumulated its power over a long time, its Domain’s resistance seemed pale and feeble.

The edge of the Solar Furnace was far too sharp. After a brief stalemate, it tore through the Gravity Domain with overwhelming force, ripping open one gash after another.

Golden light and Flame drove straight in, searing the Giant Leader’s body and will.

Sun moved.

It ignored the Gravity that was strong enough to crush mountains and stepped forward, one pace at a time.

With every step, the Giant Leader’s Domain trembled.

The Golden Dragon’s breath wasn’t Flame, but a highly condensed beam of golden light. Like a Giant’s Spear, it instantly pierced the barrier of the Gravity Field and slammed viciously into the Giant Leader’s chest.

"PFFT!"

Struck as if by lightning, the Giant Leader staggered backward. Its chest was scorched black, its rock-hard skin melted away to reveal the mangled flesh and blood beneath.

A flicker of fear crossed its eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a beast-like frenzy.

It roared, swinging its massive Wolf Fang Club with reckless abandon, aiming to smash Sun’s head.

Sun spat its Dragon Breath. Empowered by the Solar Furnace, its breath was twice as potent, easily incinerating the swinging club and reducing it to cinders.

Just then, Raylo, who had been sitting steadily on Baofeng’s Back, spoke.

"Coal Ball."

A black shadow flashed past him, and a small draconic claw swiped gently through the air.

"BZZZT!"

Space rippled, and a behemoth materialized out of thin air, positioning itself precisely in front of Sun.

The Giant Puppet appeared.

Its body was engraved with complex and intricate Magic Patterns, and golden Flames burned in its eyes.

Tier Five Giant Puppet, activated.

The Giant Leader, who had only just scrambled halfway to its feet, was completely stunned.

Before it could react, the Giant Puppet was already striding forward. Its heavy footfalls were like war drums, each step leaving a deep imprint on the ground.

It didn’t roar, nor did it let out a battle cry. It simply, silently and efficiently, swung its giant metal fist toward the Giant Leader’s face.

On one side was the radiant Golden Dragon with its Domain fully unleashed; on the other, a tireless Alchemy Puppet that knew no fear of death.

The next moment, under Raylo’s somewhat stunned gaze, the Tier Five Hill Giant Leader made a shocking move.

It suddenly hurled the half-burnt remains of its Wolf Fang Club at the Puppet. The moment the Puppet raised its arms to block, the giant’s leg muscles exploded with power. Its massive body shot into the air like a cannonball, leaping a hundred meters high, clearing the camp’s fence. Without a single look back, it fled for its life toward the distant mountain forest.

It had abandoned its kin and its home.

The entire process was clean and decisive, without a hint of hesitation.

"..."

Raylo watched the figure swiftly disappear into the sea of trees, momentarily at a loss for words.

’I had a series of backup plans ready, prepared for a proper fight with this Tier Five expert, and he just... ran away?’

Sun was also a bit dazed. It tilted its head, its eyes questioning Raylo.

Raylo shook his head.

’Don’t pursue a desperate foe. Besides, trying to stop a Tier Five expert who’s determined to flee would be a real hassle.’

’Right now, there are more important matters to attend to.’

His gaze swept across the camp.

With their leader gone, the remaining fourteen Hill Giants completely lost their will to resist.

Under the dual pressure of the Sun Furnace and Dragon Mighty, they dropped their Weapons one by one, their bodies trembling like sieves in the wind. They cowered on the ground, too afraid to move.

The Tier Five Giant Puppet strode heavily over to them. The golden Flame in its eyes flickered as it scanned each Giant. The invisible pressure made the big fellows feel like they were about to cry.

Raylo dismounted from Baofeng’s back, walked over to Sun, and patted its warm scales.

"Sun, tell them their leader has abandoned them."

Raylo was having Sun act as a translator.

Sun understood and began to communicate with the Hill Giants.

These words caused a small commotion among the Hill Giants. They looked around blankly, searching for their leader, but were ultimately left with only despair.

"Now, give them two choices."

Raylo said. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"First, you can be like your leader, become my enemy, and be torn to shreds."

As he spoke, the Tier Five Puppet took a step forward and, with one punch, demolished a nearby stone hut that hadn’t yet collapsed, sending rubble flying everywhere.

The Hill Giants’ bodies trembled even more violently.

"Second."

Raylo’s tone shifted as he pointed to the roasted Mammoth sizzling and dripping fat over the bonfire.

"Pledge loyalty to me and become my subjects. I will grant you sufficient food—real food, not this half-raw charcoal. I will grant you a safe land where your clan can thrive."

Sun translated his words verbatim.

The Giants looked at each other, their huge eyes filled with confusion, fear, and a hint of... desire.

Their intelligence wasn’t high, but Raylo’s words were simple and direct enough for them to understand.

Fight? They couldn’t win.

Run? Even their leader had run.

If they didn’t surrender, they’d be torn to pieces by the Golden Dragon and that terrifying hunk of metal before them.

If they surrendered, they’d get food.

One of the slightly braver Hill Giants cautiously raised its head, extended a thick finger, pointed at the roasted Mammoth, and let out a muffled grunt.

Sun paused for a moment, then translated for Raylo, trying to suppress a chuckle.

"He’s asking... can they finish eating that first?"

Raylo was also taken aback for a second, then he couldn’t help but laugh.

’Now I get how these big guys think.’

"Tell them."

Raylo said, holding back his laughter.

"Of course. And in the future, there will be food a hundred times better than this waiting for them. The condition is that they must earn it with their loyalty and courage."

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, the Hill Giant’s eyes lit up with joy.

He seemed to have completely forgotten the perilous situation he was in. He was the first to kneel down clumsily, his massive head thudding heavily against the ground.

Where one went, another followed.

Soon, the remaining thirteen Hill Giants, like a row of falling dominoes, knelt down one after another, offering Raylo their not-so-firm loyalty.

Raylo waved his hand.

The flickering golden Flame in the Giant Puppet’s eyes slowly died down. Its massive body ceased all movement, once again becoming a silent steel statue.

Coal Ball patted the Giant Puppet with its claw, and the War Weapon dissolved into a streak of light and vanished.

At almost the same moment, Sun also retracted its Domain and Dragon Mighty.

The intense heat that could melt steel and the suffocating pressure vanished abruptly. Even the air seemed to become fresher.

To the kneeling Hill Giants, it felt as if a great mountain pressing down on their hearts had been instantly lifted, allowing them to breathe much more easily.

Then, under Raylo’s watchful eyes, this group of big fellows, who had just been hovering on the brink of death, did something completely unexpected.