Virt watched with excitement, certain the little red turtle couldn't possibly withstand the Giant's stomp.
But three seconds later...
The sluggish Giant suddenly let out a gurgling, wretched cry. Under the watchful eyes of the three humans, it violently jerked its foot up, clutching it, and started hopping on the spot like a rabbit.
Judging by the cold sweat pouring down its face and its incessant screaming, the pain seemed agonizingly real! Right in the center of its right sole, there was a deep, blood-red, spherical indentation.
Yet Shuckle, despite being forcefully stomped, nonchalantly poked its tentacle-like head out of its shell, chirping, "Shuck-shuck!"
"ROAR!"
Provoked and humiliated, the Giant's eyes began to fill with a blood-red hue. Thick, pulsing veins bulged at its temples. Its gaze towards Shuckle turned sinister.
Without waiting for Virt's command, the Giant abruptly raised its long arms, clenched its massive fists tightly, then leaped high, landing in a crouch, upper body bent low as it brought both fists smashing down!
CRASH!
Shuckle bounced under the impact. But its ability to retract into its shell was exceptionally fast; not a single scratch appeared on the hard, red carapace.
Outside the dueling field, Virt and Robert had never witnessed such raw violence up close. Robert stood dumbfounded, his duties as referee completely forgotten. Virt fared slightly better, but he too was stunned into silence.
He only knew one thing: this was his Giant! Powerful, dependable, invincible!
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
The Giant hammered relentlessly, striking Shuckle again and again! Only Dark, standing opposite, could see that the edges of the Giant's palms were already alarmingly red and swollen.
But unlike before, when it had cried out in agony, the Giant now seemed to have entered a mild berserk state. In this frenzy, it had clearly lost its sense of pain, repeating the futile attacks over and over.
Yes. In Virt's eyes, his Giant was brave and invincible. From Dark's perspective, however, it was just being a dimwit. Shuckle was so small, so light, with an attack power of zero – wouldn't grabbing and throwing it be more effective? Why insist on hammering?
Then again, Giants were known for their stupidity, so perhaps it was understandable. Dark watched on, his expression calm and steady.
He recalled learning from his textbooks: the attack and defense stats shown on Magical Spirit Cards were useful references, but only references. Depending on its specific condition, different parts of a Magical Spirit, and its various attack methods, would all possess different offensive and defensive values.
Take Shuckle, for instance. Only its incredibly hard shell could truly reach that peak defense of 2200; its actual body was quite fragile. And even then, not every single spot on the shell boasted a 2200 defense rating. Every powerful Magus knew the true capabilities of their Magical Spirits intimately, like the back of their hand, and excelled at showcasing their greatest strengths in battle.
Now, under the Giant's relentless assault, the varying strengths and weaknesses of Shuckle's defense were being revealed, bit by bit.
After a full minute of continuous pounding, Shuckle remained unharmed. Far from being discouraged, however, the Giant only grew more frenzied.
"Enough, Giant! Use your hands, grab it!" Virt, finally snapping out of his ecstatic trance after a full minute, managed to calm down. He hastily shouted what he thought was the best possible command.
Hearing the command, the Giant froze for half a second, then spread its swollen red hand and brought it slapping down!
"Power Split." Dark's voice finally rang out. Little Shuckle, having passively endured the beating for over a minute, instantly snapped open its sharp eyes.
As the Giant's palm descended, the power between the two combatants was completely equalized. Then, Shuckle raised one small foot upwards, successfully blocking the Giant's massive slap!
The scene froze in that instant, giving the impression of a single hand holding up the heavens. The Giant panted heavily, huff... huff..., its face growing even more ferocious.
"Giant, Sacrificial—" Seeing the Giant was truly getting nowhere against Shuckle, Virt made a snap decision, ordering it to use its ultimate move: [Sacrificial Crash].
This time, however, the Giant abruptly spun around. Its blood-red eyes glared menacingly at its master, an uncontrollable, ferocious aura radiating outwards.
A chill ran down Virt's spine. His voice caught in his throat, the command dying unfinished.
From the side, Dark casually asked, "Virt, does your Giant have some kind of berserk skill?"
"Berserk? No way, it's just a Blue rarity card..." Virt raised his hand, then his expression changed drastically. The [Giant] Magical Spirit Card, which normally glowed blue, was now unexpectedly encircled by a purple aura. And the feedback he received after infusing mana now clearly listed a 'Berserk' skill!
"Not good!" His heart skipped a beat. The Giant had gone completely berserk!
"Roar..." It spread its arms wide, its face terrifying. Its cavernous mouth gaped open, revealing a set of jagged, sharp fangs. Then, it abruptly turned its head towards Robert, who was standing at the edge of the field.
Perhaps bullying the weak and fearing the strong truly is instinct. Even completely lost to [Berserk], the Giant instinctively pinpointed the weakest target: Robert.
Robert could never have imagined that simply standing by as referee would lead to such disaster. Fear etched on his face, he fumbled with his card pack, managing to draw his [Magical Beast: Fortress], but his lips trembled so much he couldn't even manage a basic summoning chant.
But the Giant gave him no time. A massive shadow fell over Robert, blotting out his vision. His pupils dilated rapidly, utterly paralyzed by the bloodthirsty, ferocious aura radiating from the berserk Giant. Escape was impossible.
"Vi- Virt..." he stammered, backing against the wall, tears welling up.
"Robert, don't worry! I'll recall it right now!" Virt frantically shook the [Giant] Magical Spirit Card, trying desperately to force the Giant back into it. But his call went unanswered.
With a sweep of its arm, the Giant snatched Robert up in its massive hand. But just as it reared back to throw him, fate, or rather, the Giant's heel, was caught.
Tiny little Shuckle, as if using a crane to lift a car, had lifted the Giant's heel with one small foot.
Thrown off balance, the Giant stumbled forward, crashing headfirst into the wall. Robert felt the grip loosen and scrambled away, darting past Dark in his haste.
Dark watched the Giant with amusement, a sudden thought striking him: Wasn't this scene straight out of the first Harry Potter book—the one that cemented the trio's friendship? And was he now standing in for Emma (Hermione), playing a part in this... borrowed (read: plagiarized) scenario?
But he quickly shook his head. This was supposed to be a normal world, without any so-called "plot inertia." Everyone's destiny was their own. This situation was likely just a coincidence, nothing more.
Shuckle, transformed into a powerhouse with 2200 Attack thanks to "Power Trick," held fast to the Giant's toes.