Blood dripped onto the dry dirt beneath his feet.
Yet, even wounded, he continued moving forward with unstoppable determination.
The soldiers fired again, but their hands trembled with panic.
Their shots went wide or struck the ground near his legs.
Within moments, the execution ground had turned into complete chaos.
Wagons overturned as people tried to escape.
Horses broke loose from their reins and galloped across the fields.
Thick clouds of dust rose into the air while gunfire echoed from every direction.
In the middle of that storm of confusion stood the giant called Cunte, towering above everyone like a force of nature.
When a guard charged toward him with a raised knife, the giant caught the man’s arm and twisted it aside before throwing him violently into the dirt.
Another soldier attempted to strike him from behind with a rifle butt, but Cunte spun around and pushed the man away with such strength that he fell several yards back.
The crowd watching from the road could barely believe what they were seeing.
Many of them had come expecting a simple hanging.
Instead, they were witnessing a battle unfolding in front of the old oak tree.
Josiah felt tears filling his eyes as he watched the struggle.
He knew the giant could not survive forever against guns and numbers.
Yet something inside him stirred with pride and sorrow at the same time.
For one brief moment, a man who had been condemned as property was standing as a free soul, refusing to bow to the power that tried to destroy him.
Nearby, some of the enslaved workers began shouting in confusion and emotion.
A few even stepped forward as if considering whether to join the fight, but the sound of another volley of gunfire forced them back again.
Two more bullets struck Cunte, one tearing across his leg and another grazing his back.
The giant staggered heavily but refused to fall.
He looked once more toward the terrified plantation owner standing behind his guards.
Turner raised his pistol with shaking hands and fired directly at Cunte’s chest.
The shot struck hard.
For the first time, the giant’s strength faltered.
He dropped to one knee beneath the oak tree while the crowd gasped in shock.
Soldiers rushed forward quickly, eager to finish the battle before he could rise again.
Yet even then, Cunte lifted his head and looked out across the clearing.
His eyes moved slowly toward the enslaved workers gathered near the cabins.
Many of them stared back with tears streaming down their faces.
In that moment, the giant spoke again, his deep voice carrying across the dusty yard.
Despite the chaos around him, he told them that no chain lasted forever.
He told them that fear could only rule as long as people believed it was stronger than their spirit.
The soldiers shouted angrily for him to stay silent, but his words had already reached the hearts of those who listened.
Several guards grabbed him from behind and forced him onto the ground while another quickly wrapped a new rope around his neck.
Caleb Turner approached slowly, his face twisted with fury and humiliation.
He kicked the giant in the side and ordered the soldiers to hang him again immediately.
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