Chapter 962: Blood Of A Titan

"SOLDIERS, TAKE POSITION!"Brenda’s voice cut through the chaos. Every warrior in their group immediately snapped into action—spears raised, swords drawn, spells beginning to crackle in the air.

They had no hope of defeating three S-Class threats, and they knew it.

But they took position anyway, their faces showing no fear, no hesitation.

They would fight to the last breath because that was what the Blood and Iron Brigade did.

Isabelle grabbed Cassius’s hand, her heart pounding with instinctive fear.

She had power now—she knew that—but she had spent her entire life as a normal mortal.

When three monsters the size of buildings lunged at her simultaneously, her first instinct was still to seek protection.

The worms lunged.

Isabelle squeezed her eyes shut.

BOOM!

The sound of something massive being stopped dead in its tracks. Followed by the horrible grinding of teeth against something that refused to break.

But no pain. No sensation of being torn apart.

Slowly, cautiously, Isabelle opened her eyes.

And what she saw made her gasp.

All three worms had been stopped. Not by Cassius—he was still standing beside her, his hand in hers.

Not by the warriors, who were staring in awe.

It was Ragnora!

She had crossed the distance in the blink of an eye—moving so fast that Isabelle hadn’t even registered it.

And now she stood between the group and the monsters, holding all three S-Class threats at bay with nothing but her bare hands and sheer physical presence.

One worm was pinned to the ground by her right hand, its massive body thrashing uselessly.

Another was pressed down by her left, its teeth gouging furrows in the earth as it tried to escape.

And the third worm...the third worm was actually biting her back, its razor-sharp teeth ravaging her flesh while she completely ignored it.

But none of that was what made Isabelle’s mind go blank.

It was the fact that Ragnora was massive!

Before, she had been huge—over three meters tall, towering above even the ogres in her command.

But now...

Now she was twenty meters tall!

Her muscles had swollen to monstrous proportions, bulging beneath her armor like mountains of living stone.

Her horns seemed larger too, more pronounced, curving upward like the crown of some primordial war deity.

She looked like a demonic entity from ancient legend—a living fortress of flesh and bone and unyielding power.

The massive worms, which had seemed so terrifying just moments ago, were utterly dwarfed by her.

They thrashed and struggled in her grip, but she held them with the casual ease of someone restraining unruly pets.

They looked like small animals being crushed by an overwhelming force of nature.

"Wh-What..." Isabelle couldn’t form words.

Brenda, who had relaxed the moment she saw her Commander, leaned close and whispered,

"It’s her blessing. Commander Ragnora carries a trace of primordial ancestry—the Giant Race."

Isabelle’s eyes widened. The Giant Race. A species so powerful they could shatter small mountains, so ancient that they had been extinct for millennia.

Their blood ran in Ragnora’s veins.

"It’s just a trace." Brenda continued, her voice tinged with something close to worship. "But even a trace is enough. Her strength multiplies. Her size can expand beyond reason."

"She’s not just a warrior, Lady Isabelle. She’s a Living titan."

Isabelle couldn’t respond. She was too busy feeling her knees go weak.

Ragnora had already been the coolest person she’d ever seen.

Now she was discovering that the Commander could transform into a twenty-meter titan who casually suppressed S-Class threats while letting the third one chew on her back like it was a minor inconvenience.

She felt almost like she was cheating on Cassius with how much worship was flooding her heart.

—

Ragnora, seemingly unbothered by the teeth currently embedded in her spine, looked down at the group with calm curiosity.

Her gaze swept across the soldiers, checking for injuries, before settling on the two unfamiliar faces.

"Is everyone alright?" She asked. Her voice, despite her size, was perfectly composed. "Anyone hurt?"

"No one, Commander!" Brenda called up. "How could anyone possibly get injured when you’re here?"

"Good." Ragnora nodded, then tilted her head toward Isabelle and Cassius. "Who are our guests? New recruits? I wasn’t informed of any transfers."

Brenda laughed—an almost incredulous sound.

"New recruits? Commander, they’re the furthest thing from new recruits. They’re the ones who are going to save us!"

Ragnora’s eyebrow rose slightly.

Brenda gestured toward Isabelle with dramatic flourish.

"Commander, allow me to introduce the Witch of Pleasure. The Sorceress of Sin. The woman destined to become a Supreme Mage..."

"...Isabelle Sinclair!"

Ragnora blinked. She studied Isabelle for a moment, clearly searching her memory. She’d never heard the name before.

Seeing her Commander’s confusion, Brenda quickly added,

"She’s the reinforcement Captain Julie sent! The one we’ve been waiting for!"

Recognition dawned on Ragnora’s face. "Ah. I see."

She shook her head slowly, a surprisingly expressive gesture for someone currently wrestling three S-class monsters.

"I thought our guests would be arriving in a day or two. If I had known they were coming so soon, I would have prepared a proper welcome otherwise. A feast. A ceremony. It’s unfortunate timing."

She looked down at Isabelle gratitude.

"But nonetheless—welcome to the Holyfield Mines, Lady Sinclair. And thank you for taking time out of your schedule and making the journey to this land of chaos."

"But I must apologize." She added hesitantly. "The truth is I’m not familiar with your name or your accomplishments. I’m afraid my knowledge of the wider magical community is...limited."

Her voice carried genuine regret. "Please forgive my ignorance."

Isabelle’s heart nearly stopped. Commander Ragnora is APOLOGIZING to ME?!

"But if Julie trusts you, then I trust you completely. I hope we can work well together to resolve the threat looming over this territory."

Isabelle was utterly overwhelmed. Her idol was speaking to her. Directly. Kindly. Humbly.

She couldn’t contain herself.

"Not at all, Commander!" She burst out, stepping forward. "You don’t need to apologize! You don’t need to thank me! In fact—"

She pressed her hands to her chest, her voice trembling with emotion.

"—it’s my absolute honor to be in your presence today. Standing here, speaking with you...this is one of the greatest moments of my entire life as your fan"

Ragnora tilted her head, perplexed.

"...You’re a fan?"

"A die-hard fan!" Isabelle declared. "When I was four years old, my mother first told me about your exploits. She said there was a mighty commander guarding the Holyfield Mines—a warrior whose strength kept the entire region safe."

"She said the peace we enjoyed in the city, the resources that flowed through our markets...it was all because of you. From that day on, you stayed in my heart."

The soldiers around them were grinning openly now, clearly enjoying watching their Commander receive such unabashed praise.

But Isabelle was just getting started.

"When I was eight, I would sneak out of the house and go to the local taverns just to hear the bards sing about you! I spent all my pocket money—every single coin—to buy them drinks so they’d tell me more stories, add more details, describe your battles in greater depth!"

Ragnora looked genuinely perplexed. As though she couldn’t quite comprehend why anyone would do such a thing.

"When I was ten, my school put on a play. I dressed up as you!" Isabelle mimed swinging a sword. "I made a special set of horns for my head! I dyed my skin red—my entire face was red for a week! My parents were furious, but I didn’t care!"

The soldiers were laughing openly. Ragnora looked like she wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or concerned.

"At twelve, I gave a speech about you at the town fair! I listed every single one of your documented exploits! The crowd gave me a standing ovation—but I told them the applause belonged to you!"

"At fourteen, I did a research project. I gathered every paper, every record, every scrap of information about you. I compiled it all into a single volume and documented your life’s work. That book is still in the Holyfield estate library!"

"At sixteen, my bedroom walls were covered with your posters. Everywhere you looked—posters, portraits, sketches. My mother said it was obsessive. She was probably right."

More laughter from the soldiers. Even Ragnora seemed momentarily at a loss for words.

"At nineteen, you were traveling near the Holyfield estate. I had a chance to meet you—a real chance! But I was so busy at the time, and..."

Isabelle’s voice softened with genuine regret.

"I couldn’t go. It was one of the saddest moments of my life."

She looked up at the towering titan who had been her hero since childhood and her eyes glistened.

"But right now? Today? I finally get to meet you! And you don’t understand, Commander! You don’t understand just how much this means to me!"

Hearing Isabelle’s fanatiscm, Ragnora was completely overwhelmed. She had to press down harder on the thrashing worms just to give herself a moment to think.

She had known she had fans—she’d received letters, seen the posters, heard the bards singing her praises.

But she had never truly understood it. And now, here was a woman on the verge of becoming a Supreme Mage—gushing about her like a starstruck child.

"I...there’s really no need for such praise." Ragnora said humbly. "I’m simply a soldier doing my duty. I haven’t done anything particularly special."

"NOT ANYTHING SPECIAL?!"

Isabelle’s voice rose with passionate indignation.

"Commander Ragnora, you are the foundation upon which the entire Holyfield estate stands!"

"Without you, the mines would fall. Without the mines, the economy would collapse. Without the economy, thousands upon thousands of people would suffer!"

"And take for example..."

She began counting on her fingers.

"The Battle of Blackwater Pass, where you held off an entire monster horde for three days straight!"

"And there was the Purge of the Deep Tunnels, where you personally eliminated seventeen Terrorjaws!"

"And there was the battle of Marboro along with..."

Isabelle listed achievement and battle one after another and each word struck Ragnora like a physical blow.

How does she know all of this?

"You are not just ’special,’ Commander. You are essential. The entire Holyfield estate would crumble without you. You are the single most important person in this entire territory!"

Ragnora opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

Brenda, watching her commander’s helpless expression, stepped in with a knowing smile.

"Just accept the praise, Commander. I know you struggle to understand why everyone admires you so much, but you can’t argue with someone who’s clearly been following your career since childhood."

She shrugged. "Sometimes you just have to say thank you and accept what people give you."

Ragnora considered this. Then she nodded slowly.

"Thank you...I suppose. For all the praise. I truly appreciate it."

Isabelle beamed. "It’s my honor to even be able to say such things to you!"