GREEN RAGE AND RED RAGE

The Hive Titan's roar reverberated through the cavern, shaking loose fragments of rock from the ceiling. Its enormous, metallic limbs glowed with pulsating crimson energy as it loomed over Jester and Luther.

Jester tightened his grip on his blades, his usual humor replaced by grim focus. "Alright, big guy. I'll distract it, you smash it. Sound like a plan?"

Luther growled low, his glowing green claws extending to their full length. "Be quick."

"I'm always quick," Jester muttered before sprinting toward the Hive Titan.

---

The Titan's massive arm came crashing down, the force of the impact sending a shockwave through the ground. Jester leapt to the side, rolling to his feet with practiced agility.

"Missed me!" he shouted, throwing one of his blades at the Titan's head. The blade struck true, embedding itself in one of the glowing red eyes.

The Titan let out an enraged roar, swiping at Jester with its other arm. He flipped backward, narrowly avoiding the strike. "Okay, so you've got a temper. Noted."

---

Luther charged from the opposite side, his claws glowing with intense green energy. He leapt onto the Titan's leg, slashing through its armor with raw power. Sparks flew as the Titan staggered, its movements briefly faltering.

"Hit it harder!" Jester called out, dodging another strike.

Luther growled, driving his claws deeper into the Titan's leg. With a roar, he tore a massive chunk of metal free, exposing glowing conduits beneath.

The Titan retaliated, swinging its arm toward Luther. He jumped clear just in time, landing heavily but unscathed.

---

The Titan's movements grew more erratic, its exposed conduits sparking wildly. Tendrils of energy lashed out from its body, striking at random and carving deep gouges into the cavern walls.

Jester darted between the tendrils, his remaining blade slicing through one of the Titan's arms. The severed limb crashed to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust and debris.

"Looks like you're falling apart," he quipped, grinning despite the chaos.

The Titan turned toward him, its remaining arm glowing with concentrated energy.

"Uh-oh," Jester muttered, realizing too late what was coming.

---

A massive energy blast erupted from the Titan's arm, hurtling toward Jester with devastating force. He dived out of the way, the blast narrowly missing him and leaving a smoldering crater where he had just stood.

"Okay, now it's mad," he said, scrambling to his feet.

Luther seized the opportunity, leaping onto the Titan's back. His claws slashed into the glowing conduits along its spine, green energy surging through his attacks.

The Titan let out a deafening roar, its movements becoming more frantic as it tried to shake Luther off.

"Hold on!" Jester shouted, rushing toward the exposed conduits.

---

As the Titan thrashed, its energy pulses grew more intense, illuminating the entire cavern with an ominous red glow. The walls began to crack under the strain, chunks of rock falling into the chasm below.

"We're running out of time!" Jester yelled, slashing at one of the Titan's legs.

Luther didn't respond, his focus entirely on the conduits. With a final, ferocious strike, he ripped through the Titan's core, severing its primary energy source.

The Titan let out a final, mechanical scream, its massive body collapsing to the ground in a shower of sparks and debris.

---

The cavern fell silent, save for the sound of crumbling rock and the faint hum of residual energy. Jester leaned against a nearby wall, catching his breath.

"Well," he said, looking at the Titan's smoldering remains, "that was fun. Let's never do it again."

Luther stood over the wreckage, his glowing eyes dimming as his claws retracted. "It's not over."

Jester raised an eyebrow. "Not over? We just took down their big bad boss!"

Luther shook his head, his voice grim. "This was only a fragment. The Hive is still active."

Jester groaned, rubbing his temples. "Of course it is. Because why would we ever catch a break?"

---

Far above, the mysterious voice watched the scene unfold through a series of monitors.

"They've destroyed the Titan," the voice said, its tone devoid of emotion.

Another voice responded, tinged with concern. "Should we intervene directly?"

"No," the first voice replied. "Phase Three is proceeding as planned. Let them believe they've won."

---

Back in the cavern, Jester and Luther stood in silence, the faint echoes of the Hive's energy still lingering in the air.

"So," Jester said finally, sheathing his blade. "What's next? Do we just keep smashing our way through until there's nothing left?"

Luther turned toward the far end of the chamber, where a faint light hinted at another passage. "We find the true core. And we end this."

Jester sighed, falling into step beside him. "Alright. But next time, I'm calling dibs on the easy job."

The two walked into the darkness, the weight of their task pressing heavily on their shoulders.

---

To be continued...