What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what is already behind you.
Unknown:
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Her jaw dropped, and words utterly failed her. She could only stand there, staring in sheer disbelief, her mind scrambling to process the impossible sight before her.
Just… who is he? The thought echoed in her head, a whirlwind of confusion and shock.
Even Ymir, the frost giant himself, found his icy composure momentarily shaken by the human's transformation.
His frosted eyes narrowed as he observed Amel's new towering form. That's not something a normal person should be able to do, he mused silently.
What had begun as a trivial confrontation now held a far more intriguing weight. The once-fragile-looking human now stood equal in height and presence to Ymir's own massive war form.
This should be interesting, Ymir thought, a faint, predatory grin curling his lips.
In truth, Ymir hadn't come here solely to punish Amel for what he'd caught him doing with Uzrul. No, there was a deeper purpose. This wasn't about his daughter's honor—that had just been a convenient excuse.
Yuno had spoken of this mortal, claiming he'd slain an Outer God, and Ymir wasn't one to take such a boast lightly. If the boy truly was capable of such a feat, then Ymir had no choice but to see it for himself.
This wasn't a fight to the death. Ymir had no intention of ending the human here—not yet. This was a test. A challenge. And if the boy could survive it, Ymir stood to gain something far more valuable than mere vengeance.
"I told you he'd be fine," Yuno said casually, her voice snapping Uzrul out of her stupor.
Uzrul blinked rapidly, still struggling to regain her composure. "What is he?" she finally whispered, her voice faint but laced with genuine curiosity.
"That," Yuno said, her pink eyes glimmering with intrigue, "is what I want to find out too." Though she didn't fully understand the enigma that was Amel, something about him stirred a strange sense of trust within her—a trust she couldn't quite explain.
The tension in the clearing thickened as the two titans squared off, their colossal forms casting long, foreboding shadows across the snow-covered ground.
Amel couldn't help but marvel at the experience. For the first time, he truly understood why giants looked down on humans—because, quite literally, they could.
"Ready yourself, human," Ymir growled, his deep, rumbling voice reverberating like a distant avalanche. His icy breath turned the air into mist as he leveled his gaze at Amel. "Because I will not hold back."
Amel glanced between Ymir, whose fury radiated like a storm about to break, and Yuno, who stood calmly with Uzrul at her side.
His mind raced, weighing the few options he had.
Destroying this world was out of the question—not after just arriving here. There was too much left to explore, too many mysteries waiting to be unraveled.
That's why…
"How about this," Amel said, his tone steady despite the tension crackling in the air. "I'll create a barrier around us so you can go all out."
Ymir's icy glare bore into him, unwavering. "Fine," he growled. "But do it fast—I'm losing my patience."
Without hesitation, Amel raised his hands, his fingers moving as though pulling invisible threads. "Perfect Cube," he declared firmly.
A small, transparent cube shimmered into existence in his palm, faintly glowing like a crystal under sunlight. In an instant, it expanded outward, growing exponentially until it encased them both within its flawless boundaries.
Ymir's eyes narrowed, his gaze sweeping over the structure with a mix of intrigue and skepticism.
The magic wasn't ordinary; Ymir could sense that much. A smaller-scale spell might have been unimpressive, but the precision and sheer magnitude of this conjuration were remarkable—even for one claiming to be powerful.
To test its strength, Ymir balled one massive fist and unleashed a devastating punch against the cube.
The impact reverberated like a thunderclap, but instead of shattering, the barrier held firm. The force rebounded, and it was Ymir's hand that fractured, shards of ice breaking away from his fist.
Ymir stared at his injured hand for a moment, watching as it began to regenerate.
A faint grin tugged at his lips, betraying a begrudging sense of admiration. Truly fascinating, he thought, flexing his newly healed fingers.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Amel quipped, a teasing smirk spreading across his face.
"It is," Ymir admitted, his deep voice carrying a note of respect despite his simmering aggression.
On the sidelines, Yuno observed with narrowed eyes, her gaze fixed on the Perfect Cube. Well, that's new, she mused, impressed despite herself.
For all her experience, she'd never encountered magic quite like this before.
Uzrul, however, stood frozen, her silver eyes wide in disbelief. Words failed her entirely as her mind scrambled to comprehend the spectacle unfolding before her.
Amel broke the silence with a sharp edge to his voice. "Now we can start." His smirk grew bolder as he added, "And don't you dare hold back."
Ymir's expression darkened at the taunt. The temperature within the cube plummeted as his icy aura surged. He was finished with words—this mortal had just sealed his fate.
With a growl, Ymir raised his arms, summoning an immense wall of jagged ice.
The structure towered high, its surface gleaming like diamonds under a pale light.
Frost crept rapidly across the ground, coating everything in its reach as the air became almost suffocatingly cold.
Amel stood firm, unfazed by the sudden chill. He cracked his knuckles, his confidence unshaken. "Let's see what you've got, big guy."
With a sharp, deliberate motion of his hands, Ymir sent the colossal ice wall hurtling toward Amel. The structure groaned as it gained momentum, its jagged surface shimmering with lethal intent.
Amel stood his ground, calm and resolute, his fist cocked back, ready to meet the frozen mass head-on.
Just as his punch was about to collide with the wall, it abruptly crumbled, collapsing into a cascading wave of snow that scattered across the battlefield.
But it wasn't just the wall.
From behind the crumbling debris, Ymir's towering figure emerged, his massive fist already swinging toward Amel's face.
Amel reacted instantly, blocking the strike with his other hand. Yet, as their bodies connected, he realized something was off. There was no weight, no force behind the blow.
The figure shattered.
Snowflakes danced in the air where Ymir's form had been, disintegrating into nothingness.
Amel's eyes widened in sudden realization—a clone.
Before he could fully process the feint, the ground beneath him shifted.
From the collapsing pile of snow, Ymir emerged, his real body seemingly reborn from the frost itself.
His fist, colossal and deadly, swung with the force of an avalanche.
Amel barely had time to tense before the punch connected squarely with his stomach.
"BOOM!"
The sound of the impact echoed like thunder trapped within the confines of the Perfect Cube. Were it not for the magical barrier, the shockwave alone would have deafened anyone nearby.
Amel staggered, the sheer force of the blow reverberating through his body. A low grunt escaped his lips.
"Ughh…"
Yet his expression betrayed little pain, his face as composed as ever. Was he even hurt?
Ymir's icy gaze narrowed, doubt flickering in his mind. He had delivered a blow powerful enough to shatter mountains, but the boy's reaction was almost dismissive.
"Did you get him?" a voice called casually from behind Ymir.
Before the frost giant could turn to identify the speaker, a sudden force slammed into his face.
"GRRAAAAT!"
The impact was monstrous, a grotesque blend of cracking ice and tearing flesh.
Ymir's enormous frame was launched backward like a boulder struck by a catapult. He careened across the cube, slamming into its invisible walls with a deafening crash.
Snow and frost erupted in all directions as Ymir's body crumpled momentarily before his natural regeneration kicked in.
His shattered ice armor began to reform, knitting itself back together as the wounds on his face sealed.
Dazed, Ymir blinked away the haze clouding his vision, his glowing blue eyes locking onto the figure standing in the center of the cube. Amel stood tall, unshaken, his posture almost casual.
For the first time in centuries, Ymir felt something unsettling—a twinge of unease.
So this is why Yuno spoke of him with such confidence, he thought grimly, flexing his fingers as his strength renewed itself.
From the sidelines, Uzrul's silver eyes were wide with disbelief. She turned to Yuno, her voice a mix of confusion and awe.
"What the fuck just happened?"
Yuno's lips quirked into a small smile, though her gaze remained fixed on the battle. "You're seeing it with your own eyes, aren't you?" she replied enigmatically, her pink eyes glinting with a curious intensity.
Uzrul could only gape at the cube, utterly dumbfounded, as the battle inside escalated into a spectacle beyond her comprehension.
What she had just witnessed rattled her to the core in ways she couldn't put into words.
For the first time in her life, she had seen her father—her father—get hurt.
The indomitable frost giant, the one she had believed to be invincible, had actually taken a hit. No one—not even that weird man—had ever managed such a feat.
Beside her, Yuno observed the scene with an expression that hovered between surprise and amusement. Her arms were crossed, and her pink eyes glimmered with a faint trace of pride.
"That's Amel for you," she said casually, though her tone carried an undertone of admiration. Even she hadn't expected him to pull off something quite like this.
Uzrul's brow furrowed deeply, her confusion and curiosity boiling over into sharp impatience. She turned to Yuno, her fiery eyes narrowing.
"Hey, woman, tell me what ju—"
Before she could finish, Yuno's hand shot out with startling speed and precision, pinching Uzrul's cheek.
"Yelp!" Uzrul cried out, startled and indignant. Her fiery glare was now tinged with disbelief as she clutched at Yuno's hand.
"Call me Aunt," Yuno demanded firmly, tilting her head just slightly. Her pink hair shimmered in the light, and a faint, smug smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.
"H-how?!" Uzrul stammered, her mind tripping over itself as it tried to process this bizarre turn of events. The day was already insane, and now this? She flailed her hands in protest, her cheeks flushing both from the pinch and her growing frustration. "Stop!"
But Yuno didn't let go. Her grip was firm, though not painful, and her tone was laced with playful insistence. "Call me Aunt Yuno," she repeated, the smirk widening into a grin.
"Why?!" Uzrul all but screeched, her voice breaking slightly as her arms flailed wildly, trying in vain to escape Yuno's grasp.
"Because I said so," Yuno replied simply, her tone maddeningly calm as she held Uzrul in place.
"Stop," Uzrul pleaded again, her voice rising in pitch, her patience wearing dangerously thin.
Yuno's tone, however, remained steady and unyielding. "Not until you call me Aunt."
"Fine, fine! Just stop!" Uzrul finally snapped, her cheeks puffing in frustration. "Aunt Yuno," she muttered under her breath, barely audible.
Satisfied, Yuno released her grip and straightened her posture, brushing off her cloak with an air of triumph.
"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" she teased, her smile widening as she gave Uzrul a playful nudge.
Uzrul rubbed her sore cheek, glaring at Yuno with a mixture of annoyance and resignation. "Why does everyone keep tormenting me today?" she grumbled, shooting her a side-eye glare.
Yuno chuckled, her laughter soft yet undeniably teasing. She reached out and ruffled Uzrul's hair. "You're just too fun to mess with, Uzrul. But remember—respect your elders."
"Yeah, right, fucking bitch," Uzrul muttered under her breath, the frustration slipping out before she could stop it.
"What did you just say?" Yuno's sharp ears caught the words with unsettling precision, her pink eyes narrowing slightly as she tilted her head.
"Nothing. Aunt Yuno," Uzrul replied hastily, her voice dripping with faux sweetness, though her wide eyes betrayed her nerves.
Yuno stared at her for a long, tense moment, letting the silence stretch until Uzrul felt like it would suffocate her. She stood frozen, silently begging the older woman to drop it.
Finally, Yuno sighed and shifted her stance, the tension dissipating like morning mist. "What were you asking earlier?" she asked, her tone more relaxed now.
Uzrul let out a quiet sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping slightly as the pressure lifted. "I was just asking how that guy is so powerful," she said, her silvery eyes darting back to the Perfect Cube.
"I don't know," Yuno replied flatly, shrugging as if the question held no weight.
Uzrul blinked, utterly dumbfounded. "You don't know?"
"Nope," Yuno confirmed with a maddeningly casual tone.
"Why?" Uzrul pressed, her voice dripping with exasperation.
"Because he just is," Yuno replied, her tone so dismissive it bordered on infuriating, as though that explanation should suffice.
Uzrul bit back her retort, the words "Are you fucking kidding me, woman?" screaming inside her mind. But she swallowed them down, knowing better than to test Yuno's patience further.
Before she could gather herself to push the matter, a new voice cut through the tension like a blade, deep and commanding.
"Take out your sword, boy," Ymir said, his words heavy with intent and resolve.
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