Just as Dorry was excitedly preparing to put the Tyrannosaurus Ryoma brought onto the fire to show off his proud barbecue skills, a sudden change occurred.
Rumble...
The entire island suddenly shook violently, the intensity far exceeding any vibration caused by running beasts earlier.
The tallest volcano in the center of the island erupted violently without warning.
Billowing black smoke mixed with volcanic ash, forming a massive pillar that shot into the sky and obscured the sun. Red-hot lava poured down from the crater like a boiling blood-red waterfall, staining half the sky crimson.
Seeing this, the hearty smile on Dorry's face vanished instantly, replaced by a solemn expression.
He slowly stood up, his massive frame casting a giant shadow. He silently turned and picked up his massive longsword and scratch-covered round shield leaning against a nearby rock wall.
"The volcano has erupted."
"It seems it's that time again."
He turned to look at Ryoma sitting by the bonfire, a hint of apology on his massive face.
"Sorry, Ryoma."
"You eat first. I'll be right back."
Dorry's massive back soon disappeared into the depths of the dense forest, leaving behind only the huge footprints stamped into the ground by his heavy steps.
The rumbling of the volcano continued, and scorching volcanic ash mixed with black smoke drifted down from the sky like black snowflakes.
Ryoma glanced at the receding back, then at the Tyrannosaurus Rex leg sizzling on the campfire, emitting an enticing aroma.
"Forget it, I can eat roast meat anytime. A duel between two giants for honor isn't something you see every day." He muttered to himself and made a decisive choice.
In the next instant, a crystal-clear ice lotus appeared beneath his feet, and his figure suddenly blurred, silently vanishing from the spot. After a few flickers, he had already followed Dorry's pace from a distance.
Dorry's destination was very clear: the foot of the erupting volcano in the center of the island.
He made a huge commotion as he ran. Every step made the earth tremble, and his massive feet trampled the shrubs and ferns along the way into a mess.
Countless weak Prehistoric Creatures were startled by this aura and fled in all directions, scrambling to get away from this moving hill, forming a chaotic stampede.
Ryoma followed unhurriedly behind him. With the lush trees as cover, the giant, with his wide and sweeping movements, wouldn't notice his presence at all.
Just as they were about to reach an unusually open area, the sound of earth-shaking footsteps came from another direction, its momentum no less than Dorry's.
"Gabababababa!"
A burst of laughter, distinct from Dorry's yet equally bold and uninhibited, echoed through the skies, mingling with the roar of the volcano, filled with a warrior's wildness and confidence.
From another part of the jungle, an equally burly figure strode out. It was a giant who looked even more stout, wearing a menacing horned helmet, his large yellow beard swaying as he ran.
The giant carried an axe on his shoulder, its blade covered in nicks from battle, glinting with a cold, grim light under the dim sky.
The other protagonist, "Red Ogre" Brogy, had also appeared.
The two giants arrived almost simultaneously at the arena where they had fought for nearly a century.
This was a huge clearing, the ground pitted and covered with countless massive sword scars and axe marks, deep enough to serve as trenches.
The surrounding trees had long since been completely destroyed by the aftershocks of their battles, leaving only bare stumps that silently told of the countless intense collisions that had occurred here.
"Brogy! You're looking good today!"
Dorry raised the greatsword in his hand and pointed it at his best friend and arch-rival from afar, making his pre-battle declaration. "However, today I will definitely make you fall in defeat!"
"Gabababababa! Dorry, you're still as good at talking big as ever!"
Brodie took the axe off his shoulder and slammed it onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"I think your footsteps look a bit weak. Were you bitten by some little bug last night? Do you need me to use my axe to help you scratch that itch?"
The two giants confronted each other as if no one else were around, the air between them seemingly becoming thick and filled with the scent of gunpowder due to their high battle intent.
Ryoma hid behind a massive rock in the distance, quietly observing everything. He could clearly feel that although the two giants were refusing to give an inch and mocking each other to the extreme, the gaze they cast at each other burned with a flame difficult for outsiders to understand—a pure emotion belonging only to warriors.
"Fighting here for nearly a hundred years for a reason they've both forgotten... The warriors of Elbaf, their honor and dignity are sometimes old-fashioned and hard to understand." Ryoma complained inwardly.
"However, perhaps it is precisely this almost foolish persistence that created their monster-like strength."
"Roar!!!"
"Roar!!!"
With two earth-shattering roars, the two giants stopped their war of words and charged at the same time.
Their massive bodies carried an unparalleled pressure that made the entire earth wail.
Dorry's longsword trailed behind him, the sharp blade sparking against the ground and leaving a burning trail.
Brogy gripped his axe with both hands, the veins on his muscular arms bulging, leaving a deep footprint with every step he took.
Boom!
Sword and axe collided fiercely in the center of the clearing.
There were no fancy techniques, only the purest and most primitive duel of strength.
A visible shockwave radiated outward in a circle from the point of impact.
The surface of the giant rock beneath Ryoma's feet was instantly covered in cobweb-like cracks, letting out a groan as it struggled under the weight.
The remaining ferns around them were uprooted, swept into the sky, and then torn to pieces by the violent air currents.
The blow ended in a draw, and the two giants each retreated a few steps, plowing deep furrows into the ground before stabilizing themselves, then immediately charged at each other again with a roar.
Every collision erupted with a thunderous boom and kicked up clouds of dust.
The flying debris had power no less than that of cannonballs, sending wood chips flying from the remaining tree stumps in the distance.
This kind of battle, purely composed of strength and skill, was something Ryoma had never seen before.
Every movement was broad and sweeping, filled with a primitive aesthetic of violence, yet also containing refined combat techniques. Their every swing and every parry was precise and effective, without a single wasted movement.
If he didn't use wide-range Elemental Magic and relied only on the Armament Haki and Physical Techniques he currently knew, he would probably find it difficult to gain any advantage against either of them.
Their power had already far exceeded the scope of ordinary people, they were existences truly capable of shaking mountains.
The battle lasted for an unknown amount of time, and the volcanic ash in the sky fell thicker and thicker, almost covering the ground in a layer of gray-white.
The breathing of both giants began to grow heavy, their movements gradually slowed, and new wounds appeared on their bodies, but their battle intent did not diminish in the slightest. Instead, it grew even higher.
Finally, with a deafening roar, Dorry's longsword and Brogy's axe both flew out of their hands in another violent collision, tumbling through the air and stabbing into the ground in the distance.
The two mountain-like figures, having lost their weapons, staggered back under the massive counterforce and finally collapsed with a bang, exhausted.
The earth trembled again, kicking up clouds of dust.
"Gegyagyagyagya!"
"Gabababababa!"
The dust settled, and the two giants lying sprawled on the ground both burst into hearty laughter.
Dorry panted heavily and grinned. "It seems the 70,000th duel is still a draw, Brogy."
Brogy likewise responded with a laugh. "That's right. You're still as tough as ever, Dorry."