Three Calamities

Boom!!!

The instant Herpo the Foul's eyes widened and turned toward Kenttanka, the giant's iron fists came crashing down.

Using the newly completed Hub, its figure appeared directly above Herpo the Foul. Its arms were raised high, and the clenched fists, powerful enough to crush everything, locked together through intermeshing deformed parts the instant they tightened. Molten metal congealed into a solid whole, and the runes carved into its bones blazed under the Wizards' chanting. The power of an era was gathered into those fists, like falling meteors.

Their sliding trajectory ignited the air and tore the sky apart. This was no longer a magical wonder, but an achievement of absolute power. Every spell its builders could remember had been added to the pair of iron fists that carried their hopes of reclaiming their home. Beneath the blinding light, the structure of the runes gradually grew simpler. Magic had heard its users' call, and bestowed its gifts without stint.

The giant's immense body showed not the slightest hint of sluggishness or clumsiness. Its descent was even faster than the Apparition that had delivered it into the sky. For a moment, those watching saw only a string of giant figures appear in midair, like frames of film laid out on a table, before it descended upon the earth with world-shaking force, knees bent low, molten iron fists spraying sparks like a sea of stars.

Dust flew, the earth wailed, the town collapsed, and all sound fell still.

Amid the tremendous roar, everyone's eardrums seemed to stop working from the shock. Only a buzzing remained around their ears. The next second, the ground beneath their feet sank with a crash. The entire harbor was smashed several meters lower by that colossal force. The fragile crust where sea and land met was torn