As the rockgoats skillfully maneuvered across the icy expanse of the Ice Titan's back, Ren and their companions clung tightly to their mounts, their hearts racing with a mix of adrenaline and apprehension.

This was Ren's first experience in such combat, and it was not an endeavor he was eager to repeat.

Every step was a precarious dance on the edge of danger, with the Titan's shifting body threatening to throw them off balance at any moment.

Desira and Vivi were riding on Crabby and his rockgoat, and were leading the charge towards the peak. They urged their mount forward, eyes fixed on the icy spire looming above them.

But just as they were nearing their goal, a sudden shift in the Titan's body sent a cascade of ice rocks tumbling down towards them.

Desira's reflexes went into overdrive as she instinctively used Vivi as a makeshift shield against the incoming barrage.

"H-hoi! Desira! What are you doing?!" Vivi protested.

With a nonchalant shrug, Desira replied, "Sorry, Vivi, it's survival of the sneakiest out here. Don't worry, I'll make sure your tomb has a mini-fridge."

"That's not comforting at all!"

Their banter continued, but despite Desira's attempt at protection and Vivi's frantic protests, they both ended up getting pelted by icy projectiles.

The scene devolved into a comical tumble from their mount, their screams of protest echoing over the frozen landscape.

"Desira! Vivi!" Azazel shouted as he watched his companions fall, a sense of helplessness washing over him.

But there was no time to dwell on their fate as the Titan had noticed them and tried squat them with its hand.

Malifira, riding alongside Ren, immediately sprang into action, drawing upon her arsenal of explosives to create a diversion.

With precise aim, she hurled the explosives towards the Titan's arm, causing a series of small explosions that distracted the colossal creature.

The Titan roared in fury as it turned its attention towards Malifira and Azazel, its icy gaze fixated on their tiny forms.

With lightning-fast reflexes, the rockgoats evaded the Titan's retaliatory strike.

The Titan's massive arm swung towards them with terrifying speed, but Malifira unleashed another volley of explosives, creating a makeshift barrier between them and the Titan's deadly grasp.

The force of the explosion sent shockwaves rippling through the air, and Malifira was flung backwards with bone-jarring force, but not until she had tossed Azazel into Ren.

"Take care of Lord Azazel, and may you break that ice!" she shouted, just before she tumbled down and was engulfed by the swirling snow below.

"Malifira!" Azazel's voice boomed, but only the furious roar of the Ice Titan answered him.

"Don't worry about her. They won't die that easily. They're probably fine," Ren reassured, his words barely audible over the chaotic din as they skillfully slipped through the Titan's grasp, narrowly escaping certain doom.

As they pressed onward toward the peak, Ren and the others exerted every ounce of strength to dodge the massive hands of the Ice Behemoth.

Finally, they reached the summit, where Pamela clung desperately to the ice sphere for dear life.

"H-help me! Someone get me out of here!" she screamed, her voice tinged with nausea as the Ice Behemoth continued its relentless movements. "I think I'm going to puke!"

"Who told you to climb up there in the first place?" Ren chided her, frustration evident in his voice.

Pamela's dizziness worsened as she clung to her precarious perch, her body trembling with cold. "Some voice led me here, okay?! Just hurry up and break this crystal and defeat that damned thing already!"

"Easy for you to say. How are we going to break that?" Elena asked, turning to Ren for ideas amid Potato's frantic shouting. "Any ideas, Ren?"

Ren fell into a pensive silence as Potato continued to urge them to hurry. "This head is the worst place we could stay. The area is limited, and the behemoth could easily squash us!"

Fortunately, Iraelyn, Desira, Vivi, and Malifira were alive below, keeping the titan occupied and buying Ren some precious time to think.

Meanwhile, Azazel couldn't sit still and decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Leave this to me! With my strength, I will smash this thing into pieces!" Azazel declared, dismounting from the rockgoat and roaring loudly towards the icicle sphere.

He lunged forward and delivered a powerful punch to the ice sphere atop the Ice Behemoth's head.

The ice quivered, but it stubbornly refused to shatter.

"That's odd . . . it should have broken by that one punch. One more!" Azazel exclaimed, attempting another forceful blow.

Repeatedly, Azazel smashed the ice in hopes of freeing the Goddess of Gossip, but to no avail. Instead, his efforts only seemed to aggravate the Ice Behemoth, causing it to scratch its head furiously.

"H-Help me!" Pamela cried, narrowly avoiding the Behemoth's flailing hand.

"Stop making it itch, you fool!" Elena scolded, giving Azazel a whack on the head.

"Incoming!" Potato shouted, directing his rockgoat to dodge the Titan's looming hand.

Azazel leaped away just as the Behemoth's fingers came crashing down, while Ren, Evie, and Elena maneuvered the rockgoat to evade its grasp.

"So much for breaking the crystal! You've only made it worse!" Elena shouted at Azazel in frustration.

"I have an idea," Ren announced, turning his gaze toward Pamela. "Get away from there, or you'll become an unwanted casualty!"

"Unwanted casualty?" Pamela echoed tearfully. "What are you planning?"

Instead of answering, Ren reached into his inventory and pulled out multiple items, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

"I don't think you can destroy that crystal with those duds," Evie remarked skeptically.

"Just enough to make the Behemoth angry," Ren replied, setting off the explosives on the Behemoth's head.

A series of explosions ensued, causing Pamela to cry out for help as the ice sphere she was holding shook violently, and she could no longer maintain her grip.

"Augh! Help me!" she screamed and fall off the sphere.

Azazel acted swiftly, rescuing her with a grin. "Kyahahaha. Got you!"

Instead of relief, Pamela's face turned pale. "LOOK OUT!"