Jagur Jaggy had never felt so helpless in his life.

He knew that he was no warrior. Not anywhere near the caliber of Astro and the others anyway. So from the very beginning he had never expected to have some glorious moment on the battlefield. He wasn't going to slay one of the Ten, or even the more notable of the warriors among the enemy forces.

But he had at least wanted to be there and be seen, fighting for his kingdom and people. It wasn't much, but it was the very bare minimum of what he could do.

Instead he was turning tail and fleeing. Leaving the safety of his home and everyone in it to Fum and his brothers. Watching all of his knights, the warriors who had sworn to fight for and defend his family, along with the people who lived within the Jagur kingdom's walls, cower in fear was just… terrible.

The ground was still shaking, and with every tremor more whimpers and gasps of fear and worry. He glanced around and saw a family huddled together. He wanted to go over and comfort them, but what was he supposed to say? What promise or assurance could he possibly offer them?

"Don't worry little one. Everything will be fine."

Jugar looked over and upwards to the hulking figure in front of him. Antero stood with his arms crossed as he looked out towards the battlefield. He was still recovering from his fight with Matrona earlier, so he'd reluctantly stayed behind within the kingdom. It had irked him not to be a part of the fight, but he had trusted his son's to take care of things. And that's exactly what was happening.

"It's true, Matrona is a fearsome foe. But together my boys are the most formidable force in mewni," he said sternly. "You won't have to worry about her getting here."

Jagur hummed and then looked out towards the battlefield as well. "I really want to believe you. I don't have a choice but to. But… it still makes me angry about not being able to do anything. I wish I could be there and fight. I wish I could promise everyone it could be okay," he said.

Antero smiled down at him. "We giants are warriors by birth little one. We live for the thrill of combat. For the fight. But not all are like us. Mewni is filled with many different types of people. Not all of them find their calling on the field of battle. The fact that you were out there at all, and that you feel this way right now, is a sign that you care. And genuinely caring is one of the most important traits a leader can have," he advised.

"So is acknowledging that you need help, and asking for it when needed. Relying on someone else can be a hard thing to do. But you did it. And we won't let such efforts go to waste, little one. This kingdom will not fall. Not at long as we stand within it."

Something about how Antero spoke… made Jagur feel reassured. Another foot stomped down near him, and he looked up to see Nalfi standing there. She had only stayed behind after Fee had practically begged her to stay. She had wanted to be right beside him fighting, but he had kept bringing up the baby.

As if their baby couldn't stand a little tussling here and there.

"You're damn right it won't fall! We're gonna keep this place up, and my husband and the others are gonna take Matrona down!" she said, balling her fist up. She took a deep breath, and then yelled out. "HEY! Everyone! Let's cut down on the tremors! It's the least we can do since we're not taking our sorry butts out there to help fight Matrona!"

Without even waiting for an answer, she raised her foot and then stomped it down, doing everything she could to suppress the tremors. Antero watched her for a moment, and then let out a chuckle. Knowing Nalfi she was rather irritated that she hadn't gotten to join into the fight either.

His eldest son had picked a hell of a woman.

"She's right! We can't dare just stand idle within our host humble abode! Let us do what we can to comfort them!" Antero shouted. He slammed his hands down onto the ground and began doing his part to help suppress the rumbling. The other giants all yelled out and began doing the same.

With all of their efforts, the ground shaking in and around the kingdom began to settle. Everyone looked around at all the giants in amazement. They knew giants could cause earthquakes, but seeing them work together to stop them. It was just amazing.

Antero and Nalfi both held their positions, looks of determination on their faces. They might not have been able to fight beside the others right now, but they would still do everything they could to help them out.

"C'mon boy! Show me!"

"AAAAAHHHH!"

Fum and Matrona stepped towards one another, the former swinging his club, while the latter brought her hammer down. The club and hammer met, and the ground beneath the two of them cracked and gave in. Fum tried to hold his ground, but the sheer force behind Matrona's blow still forced him back.

He slid backwards, having to reach down and grab the ground just to stop himself. Matrona smiled down at him. "Oh, still on your feet are you? That's impressive!" she said as she moved forward again. "Not even your big brothers were able to stay up from Earthshatter's blow! But I wonder how long you can keep that up!"

Fum quickly charged back at her, lifting his club again. She was strong. Stronger than he was by far. But he didn't have time to dwell on that. He knew from the moment that she had stepped foot on the battlefield that there was no strategy or tactic that would work against her. She wasn't going to fall to anything but brute force.

So he just had to swing harder.

CRASH!

Their weapons collided again, and Fum was once more sent sliding back. He didn't waste any time in stopping himself and charging again. For a third time, he and Matrona clashed. Fum felt like there were tremors passing through his very flesh and bone. But he had planted his feet and actually managed to hold his ground.

"What resolve! I'm quite impressed with you! To think the youngest would be the most sturdy of your generation!" Matrona said, raring to swing again. Fum gripped his club and prepared to swing right back, but suddenly something came flying towards Matrona from the side.

Fo's flail stuck her in the side of the head. It bounced off of her, and Matrona looked little more than annoyed. Fo kept charging at her, bringing hsi flail back and spinning it around in the air. "We're still here! Don't go thinking you can ignore us!" he shouted.

Matrona smirked. "I would never…"

Fum moved in while she had her attention away from him, swinging his club at her knees. Matrona spotted him moving from the corner of her eye however, and swung the back of her fist to counter the blow. He would have thought that with her using her bare hands he'd have the advantage, but he still found himself being overpowered. She followed through on her swing, sending him flying back.

Fo threw his flail again, aiming at her weapon. It wrapped around the head of the hammer, and he pulled back on the chain to make sure she couldn't get enough room to swing it. He then stomped on the ground, turning the ground beneath her feet into mud.

Matrona looked down surprised as she sank slightly, but didn't have much time to think before Fee and Fi came charging in. "Don't give her any time to counterattack!" Fee shouted, charging into her shoulder fist. Matrona raised her arm and blocked it, but was sent sliding back. With the ground turned to mud she didn't have a foothold.

She was stopped when the chain of Fo's flailed reached its end, and Fi moved in next. He leapt over Fee and threw a kick at her head. Matrona smirked before throwing her head forward, countering it with a headbutt. Fi winced. Even without her using ironhide it was like kicking a hunk of metal.

"Not bad, but not quite good enough!" she said, buckling forward. She knocked Fi back, and the younger giant just barely managed to land on his feet. Matrona then brought her fist back and threw a punch at Fee. He quickly turned his skin to metal and raised his guard, but when her fist made contact he was sent flying back.

He slammed onto the ground, wincing in pain as he looked at his arm. The metal shell over his skin was cracked. That… was the first time that ever happened.

"Damn!" Fo said, trying to slow her down. He made more mud beneath her feet and pulled on the chain of his flail. Matrona smirked before she hardened the ground again and reached out, grabbing the chain. "Aw shit…"

Matrona pulled on the chain, hard. Fo yelled out as he was pulled through the air, hurdling right towards her. She pulled the hammer back and got ready to attack. "I hope your Iron Hide is stronger than your brother's!" she yelled.

Fo looked panicked, as did Fee and Fi. If she had broken through Fee's defenses with her fists, she was going to snap Fo in half with a weapon. She swung at him and Fo braced himself for the impact. But suddenly something knocked him out of the way. "Iron Hide!" Fum turned his skin to metal, raising his guards just before Matrona's hammer smashed into him.

"Fum!"

A shockwave had gone through the air, and more of the earth around them had cracked and given in. Fum's eyes went wide, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

The angle of the strike caused Fum to slam into the ground, and he slid back creating a long line in the dirt and a crater where he had finally stopped. Fum winced in pain, cracked all over his body. He grunted and slowly forced himself back up to his feet. His brothers all looked worried, while Matrona just smiled.

She watched as he stood up, and then wiped the blood from his mouth before he grabbed his club again. "I'm not done," he said, holding it up towards her. He was clearly rattled from the blow. His breathing was heavy, and his legs looked a bit shaky. But he still had a look of determination in his eyes. "I'm not done yet."

Matrona laughed and slung her hammer over her shoulder. "Wow, you really are something special, little one. You know, there are only three other people who have ever been able to shake off a full powered blow from my hammer. You can now count yourself among the tanks of Typhon, Python, and Echidna."

Fum spat from blood from his mouth and then charged towards her. Fee, Fi, and Fo began to move in to back him up. Fum may have been determined, but the difference between him and Matrona was clear. He was going to need help. "Let's have some one on one time, little one," Matrona said before sticking her hammer in the ground.

She raised both of her hands up, along with one of her feet. Then she stomped down. A shockwave went through the ground, sending the three elder brothers back. Fum stumbled, but quickly balanced himself and kept charging at her. Matrona was standing in an odd stance, once which Fi recognized immediately. "Fum, be careful!"

Fum recognized it as well, and readied himself. Matrona was about to perform her war dance. He had seen it performed a number of times in the tribe, and Fi had drilled it into his head whenever they were training. It wasn't just something for rituals or performances. It was a form of attack. One that the inventor herself was about to bring to bear against him.

He stomped in front of Matrona and dropped his club, and then copied the stance. Matrona chuckled as she got ready to strike. "So my boys did pass it down. Well, let's see how your moves compare to mine," she stomped down, bringing her fist down towards him. Fum stomped down as well, countering her fist with his own.

They clashed, and his brothers struggled to keep from being blown back. Fum grit his teeth, feeling his whole body shake down to his bones. He powered through the pain however, and got ready to strike again. He and Matrona both moved, stepping around one another before throwing their elbows.

Another clash, and another rumble through the earth.

They continued moving around on another in a circle motion, stomping and swinging at one another. Fists, knees, and elbows continued to clash, and each time Fee, Fi, and Fo had to struggled to keep themself planted. There was no chance of them getting any closer to try and intervene and help. They could barely even hold their ground.

How was Fum managing to stay evenly matched with her?

The reality was, he wasn't.

Though he continued to clash with her over and over again, each time he did it felt like his bones were going to shatter. He was simply toughing it out and looking for an opening. One which he was starting to think just wouldn't come. It didn't matter though. He couldn't just stop. He didn't care if his body broke down completely. He'd keep going until she couldn't.

Fo placed his hands on the ground and tried to do something, anything, to slow Matrona down and help Fum out. But every time they moved to the next step of the war dance, their power surged through the ground and overwrote his. "Damn, are we just supposed to freaking sit here and watch?!" he snapped.

Fee frowned and tried to stand and trek closer towards them, but after another stomp he was blown back even further. Fi narrowed his eyes. He could tell Fum was matching her movements, but the difference between both their physical and magical power was just too much. If this kept up then…

Fum yelled out and swung again, their fist clashing with one another. Fum felt another wave of pain spread through his entire body, and finally faltered. He stumbled back, but then quickly straightened back up. He was a second too late however, as Matrona was already in the next step.

She slammed her knee into his chest, and he felt the air knocked out of his lunges. "You have a lot to be proud of. little one!" she said as she continued her attack. Fum grunted as she punched his chin, sending him stumbling back again. She was on him before he could even regain his footing.

Blow after blow rained down on Fum, who couldn't barely even raised his arms to defend himself at this point. It was like each strike was growing more and more powerful. "No other giant was ever able to maintain the War Dance against me for that long, and few others have been able to stand against me after so many blows," she said as she kept swinging. Pieces of his armor came flying off, and the blows began to leave behind bruises on his arms and face.

"In time you might even be able to come close to matching me. But you're still a little too young. Keep up your training. I'm sure your name will become famous among giants with enough time," she said, raising both of her fists up and slamming both fists down on her shoulders.

Fum buckled, looking like he was about to fall. But he managed to steady himself just before his knee touched the ground. He looked back up at Matrona, his breath ragged and his legs still shaking. He reached up and grabbed Matrona's shirt, gripping it to pull himself up. Then he brought his other fist back and swung.

Matrona didn't even flinch. She watched as Fum kept swinging at her, his fist clashing against her gut. He kept on swinging, so much so that a bit of blood began coming from his knuckles. Matrona continued to stare down at him. He still had more than a bit of fight in his eyes. His injuries meant nothing to him. He still intended to win somehow.

She reached up and caught his fist in her hand. "You've fought well little one. And I recognize your courage and drive. But it's time to back down."

"Never," Fum said, trying and failing to pull his fist free.

Matrona frowned. "It's alright. I won't think any less of you. No one in their fight mind wood. If you were to continue like this it wouldn't lead to anything but your death. And you have too much potential in you to die here. Even I had to concede defeat once, long ago. It's how I joined Typhon's ranks."

"I don't care," Fum said glaring at her. "As long as you and Python are gonna keep hurting people, I'm never gonna stop. Ever."

Matrona sighed. She supposed her stubbornness was bound to pass down through the family line. She raised her elbow, getting ready to strike him on the head and knock him out. But then she spotted something from the corner of her eyes.

Both Fum and Matrona had been so focused on one another they hadn't seen the other figure approaching. Once that had rushed as them with blinding speed, and made its way up Matrona's leg.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

Matrona's eye went wide as Vincenza leapt at her, her scythe raised and preparing to strike. Fum looked equally surprised. Vincenza yelled out as she aimed towards the giantess eye. She had a feeling that even with her remaining eyes taken out, she would still be a threat. But it would at least cripple her and give Fum and the others an opening.

She spun around, using the speed and momentum she'd built up to bring her scythe's blade down on her eyes. And then… it bounced right off. Vincenza looked stunned as she fell back. How? She had built up even more speed than when she had cut down Pebble. Was Matrona's regular skin even more durable than her using Iron Hide?

Matrona smirked. "Well, it didn't break. What a sturdy weapon," she said. "But in the hands of a little thing like yourself, it won't do much good."

She reached up to grab Vincenza, preparing to crush her in her palm. The moment Fum saw her reaching for his lieutenant however, he yelled out and threw his fist once more.

This time when he made contact with Matrona's stomach, she felt it. She was even knocked back. She landed on her back and slid, and Fum quickly reached up and caught Vincenza before she hit the ground. She shook her head and looked up at him, concern written all over her face.

Fum looked just as worried as she was. "Vincenza, what are you doing here? You should be back at Jaggy castle with the others!" he said.

"I'm your lieutenant! I'm supposed to fight by your side!" She couldn't bring herself to just leave the fight to him. As soon as she had made sure the last of their forces had made it safely into the castle grounds, she rushed back to meet them. It had taken her a while to get close to all the shaking and quakes, but when she saw him in trouble she rushed in without a second thought.

"Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me! Worry about yourself!" she said. "You look terrible! Your face is all bruised! How did she do this to you?!"

Fum tried to stand, but stumbled again. "S-she's strong…" he said, looking back over towards Matrona. She was sitting up, a curious look on her face. "But I have to keep fighting. I have to take her down."

"You can't! Not by yourself!" Vincenza said. "Let me help! I can-!"

"She's too strong," Fum said, shaking his head. "Even with all of us together I don't think we can beat her. I know what I have to do."

Vincenza looked at him confused. "What?"

Fum looked back over towards his brothers, who were all rushing back over now that the tremors had stopped. He looked back down at Vincenza and smiled. "Make sure to look after everybody in the fifth," he said.

"Fum? What are you talking about? Why would-"

Fum suddenly tossed her over towards his brothers. Fee, who was the closest, slid to a stop and then caught her. They looked up confused as Fum suddenly began running towards Matrona. "Fum! What the hell are you doing?!" Fi shouted.

"Stop! You can't keep going!" Fo yelled.

Fum ignored them and kept rushing at Matrona, who readied herself. She was surprised he still had enough samine left to charge her. Fum yelled out and then jumped at her, and Matrona got ready to swing at him. But then she felt the ground beneath her began to move. She looked down and realized it was becoming mud. "What the-?"

Fum landed on top of her, his weight pushing her further into the mud pit he'd created. She prepared to shove him away and then harden the ground again, but a streak of earth shot up and then wrapped around her wrist. It felt almost like plastic. Matrona looked surprised. "Wait, is this…?"

"That's mama's magic," Fo said.

More mud and clay moved up and began wrapping around both Fum and Matrona, dragging them deeper and deeper into the ground. "Fum, what are you doing?!" Fee shouted. "Stop! This is going to work!"

"Yes it will!" Fum shouted back. "I'm gonna bury us both! So deep that neither one of us is gonna be able to get out! It's the only way to stop her!"

"You idiot! Have you lost your mind!" Fi yelled.

"Don't do this!" Vincenza shouted.

Matrona stared at Fum was they continued to sink, narrowing her eye at him. "You don't really think this is enough to kill me, do you?" she asked. She really did respect his spirit, but thinking he could finish her off by burying her was a little insulting. "The only one who'd die in this situation is you. And it'd be nothing but a waste."

Fum stared back at her with a cocky smirk. "It won't be a waste. And I'm not gonna die either. I told you I made a promise to be the strongest giant to my mom. I might not be able to do it yet, but I can at least stop you for now. Even you are gonna have trouble getting back from how deep we're going. It'll at least take you out of the fight until the captain and the others can deal with Python. And then after that… well, we'll figure it out," he explained.

The captain? What did he… wait, his armor. It looked similar to Typhon's son. Was that who he had meant? She scoffed. "You really think Typhon's son will be able to pest Python? He's a few hundred years too young to-"

"He'll win," Fum said, a dead serious look on his face. "The captain and the rest of my friends are amazing. They'll definitely beat the rest of you guys. You'll see."

Matrona hummed. He really did seem to have faith in his allies it seemed. Enough to stake his life on it. "Yes, I suppose I will," she said, smirking back at him.

"Fum!"

"Stop!"

"Hold on! Think about this!"

Fum looked over his shoulder and then smiled. "Sorry guys, I'm gonna be gone for a little while! Take care of everyone until I get back!"

With that, the ground swallowed up both Fum and Matrona, leaving the remaining giant brothers and Vincenza looking shocked.

A/N: And so concludes the battle of the Jaggy kingdom! You didn't think all of the battles were going to end with the Ten just leaving, did you? Giants aren't the type of back down and Fum was gonna do everything he could to make sure Matrona didn't cause anymore damage. But do you think they're really out of the fight yet?

I know this ended up as more of a Fum vs. Matrona chapter more than it was Matrona vs. the Giant Brothers, but it was always going to be. Fum is the strongest even if he doesn't realize it yet, so he was the only one who was gonna be able to hold his own. Still couldn't quite match up to her though. She's not called the Mother Of The Earth for no reason!

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! What battle do you think should be up next?