Six meters. It’s a length that could be crossed in just one or two steps sideways.

But standing tall like that makes it feel like you’re faced with a castle wall.

“Graaaaar!”

And it’s not just any castle wall; it’s a wall that swings log-like arms like whips!

Kwahhh-bam!

Its overwhelming destructive power — just one careless swing of its fists uproots a giant tree, sending it tumbling!

Watching that makes me feel like my resolve, gathered with difficulty, might get dragged out by the roots just like that tree.

In terms of combat style, it’s no different from a martial artist, but just being four times taller makes this creature something transcendent, leagues above mere martial artists.

Is this the karma for all the disdain I’ve shown towards them?

I’m desperately dodging, but every time I hear that whoosh near my ear, goosebumps cover my body, making it hard to endure.

If it had any sense to wield a weapon, even a log swung like a club would flatten me in no time.

“Graaaar!”

Gah…!

I’m so focused on dodging that I can’t even find a moment to retaliate.
I have no clue what happened to Friede as she lunged towards the Abyss Priest behind me.

If I take my eyes off even for just a moment, I feel like I’d get smacked by that Corpse Giant’s arm and explode like a dumpling.

“Ignis Sagitta!”

Amy, who had been thrown back by Gerda, shot two foot-long flames. Her favorite attack spell, Fire Arrow!

But the Corpse Giant simply swung its fist at the flames, completely neutralizing Amy’s magic.

The flaming arrows collided with its fist like fireworks, and the flames clinging to its hand quickly extinguished in the giant’s bodily fluids.

For something like a Wight, the Fire Arrow could have inflicted some serious damage, but it was still utterly insufficient to burn the Corpse Giant.

Chik…! Glacies Térĕbra!

Next, the ice spike she shot also made little difference.
It pierced the Corpse Giant’s body but was so small compared to its bulk that it hardly even counted as a wound.

If it were a person, it would be like a mere pinch from a dagger.
A living creature would bleed and cry out in pain, but this was just a corpse moving by magic; pain and bleeding meant nothing!

Amy’s magic could only divert its gaze for an instant; it couldn’t deal any real damage.

…But for me, it was an incredibly valuable assist.
Even if it was just a brief moment, that time at least allowed me to attempt a counterattack.

“Haah—!”

I slipped through its legs and thrust my oversized sword at its exposed ankle, feeling the resistance like slicing through tough rubber. I slashed its leg and desperately moved my feet to escape in the opposite direction.

I couldn’t leave a deep wound.
Whether it was because of the giant’s rugged body or my sword becoming dull, cutting through the creature turned out to be more tricky than expected.

Shouldn’t I use Kangwan?*
Yeah, if I did, I could have severed its ankle down to the bone. But in the next moment, I would get squashed like a frog!

The way to use Kangwan continuously by lowering its output hasn’t become second nature yet.
Even when I practiced alone, I barely succeeded once in every five tries, so how could I pull it off in a real fight?
There’s a limit to how much a beast’s heart can take, and there’s no way I’m risking my life on a mere 20% chance!

“Graaaar!”

Anyway, I left a shallow scratch on its ankle and slipped through its legs, quickly turning around to face it again.
Whoooooosh!
Actually, I was staring at the rock-like hand charging right at me.

I threw my body sideways and barely dodged, then pushed off the ground to evade the kicking foot that followed.

“Ugh…!”
The air pressure sent me rolling across the ground.

“Graaaar!”

Its massive, sharp five-pronged claws slashed through the air like a reaper’s scythe, aiming for my flailing body.

“Watch out! Magicae Obice!”

Three layers of barriers appeared before me, blocking its hand as they shattered into pieces.
Thanks to the desperate magical barrier Amy laid down using all her available deployment, I barely had time to regain my posture.

“Seriously, this isn’t easy…not easy at all.”

I sprang up and pulled away just out of range of its claws, exhaling deeply to calm my racing heart.
I was barely holding on thanks to Amy’s support, but taking any further action felt daunting.

Put simply, the moment Amy’s magic runs out means our defeat is pretty much sealed.
It was a situation that felt hopeless and grim.

‘…Should I try?’
I was seriously considering throwing my life on the line for a crazy gamble with a 20% chance.

======[ Friede ]======

While the three women were engaging in a precarious battle against the Corpse Giant, Friede fiercely pursued the Abyss Priest, who was backing away to escape her.

Leaping from tree to tree like a predator on the hunt, she dashed forward with the speed of a beast that had spotted its prey.

“This is…dangerous!”

Even Hugh, who had been so relaxed in front of Hilde, was forced to make a desperate escape with a stiff, rigid face before her.

“The touch of corruption. The hand of the dead. The chill of the netherworld. The momentary blindness from a necromantic explosion… Ah, other than summoning the undead, everything seems normal… I can’t even hit!”

None of the magic he cast could stop the girl with the oversized sword, who moved with the grace of an acrobat matched only by the speed of a hawk.

“…Slow. Weak. Just like my old self.”

“I can hit…!”

No matter how many times he shot, his attacks never landed. All the magic he conjured failed to keep up, only managing to smash the unfortunate trees instead.

This was an unimaginable situation for Hugh.

“Did you show off all that strategy because of your insecurities? I can understand that feeling; when your body is failing, you want to flaunt your brain.”

Anticipating her path and laying down magic in advance turned out to be futile. She dodged before his magic could even trigger!

Her agility was astonishingly swift. At this rate, she might have even surpassed a Paladin in speed.

“But that won’t help you… If you lack strength, you’ll just lose.”

Even his curse magic was utterly ineffective.

“…Like now.”

Since Friede had distanced herself from her companions, reaching for a slightly reddish golden greatsword that floated in mid-air.

“Ah…!”

Hugh couldn’t even muster the energy to respond to her taunting provocation.
The situation he found himself in was far too precarious.

The greatsword in Friede’s hand neutralized all of Hugh’s curses.

“What is that sword?!”

It was something he’d never even dreamed of believing possible!
The reddish-gold metal was known to exist, but he had no idea it could be in her possession.

Amber Steel.
A metal nearly as rare as Elven Silver. It was several times more valuable than gold of the same weight!

‘How on earth did she…!’
This wasn’t something a mere lowly adventurer should have!
Amber Steel greatsword, and on top of that, it was imbued with spatial storage and the blessing of anti-magic!

Before him stood a sword so powerful that even a knight of the kingdom couldn’t even dream of it.
In truth, even the value he imagined this sword to be was underestimating by a long margin.
The greatsword in Friede’s hands was something even a nation’s treasure could not match!

Of course, how could he have possibly suspected something like this?
The Holy Sword of the Kingdom of Rhine, Nibelung, was now gripped by an unknown adventurer girl.
Currently, Nibelung was just a husk, having exhausted all of its true powers, but even the basic abilities remaining in the husk were enough to qualify it as a national treasure!

“Well, I suppose I won’t show you more… Then let’s end this. I need to go watch Hilde’s fight.”

Finally, Friede closed the distance to just a few meters from Hugh.
Gripping the hilt of Nibelung with both hands, she swung it diagonally, cleaving the air.

In that moment,
CHaaaaaaak!
Golden beams shot out from the intricately engraved red-gold blade, slicing through the air like crescent moons!

“What…?!”

This was one of the basic powers engraved on Nibelung: the ability to create and shoot the Blade of Holy Light.
‘So she can use it now!’
Watching the golden arcs slice through everything in their path, Friede couldn’t help but smile widely with delight.

It was an astonishing leap in progress. Anyone knowing the formerly incompetent hero, Friet, would be left agog in disbelief!
The power that had been impossible for her old self to activate was now so easily accessible.
Why?
‘Is it because I’ve grown stronger than before?’
Friede pondered for a moment, then approached the results of her slash.

In the middle of the uprooted trees lay a fallen elder who had lost both his legs.

“Gah…! Gah hak…!”

The Abyss Priest, Hugh Casval, lay on the ground, coughing up blood and staining his beard.
He was overcome with shock, confusion, and excruciating pain, making his head spin. It felt like his brain had been squished, turning into a watery mush.

“How could this happen?!”

It had all been a perfect plan.
The moment he witnessed the corpses scattered around the desolate village, he began to form a plan immediately.
After crafting an army of undead, he intended to expose clues and eliminate the intruders individually as they flocked to the scent.
This had been perfectly executed, thanks to his multiple strategies and deceptions.
Summoning powerful undead using their bodies as offerings had just as smoothly concluded as expected.
Now, all that remained was to wipe out the last Paladins with the summoned Corpse Giant and escape to another place.
But who would have thought that one of these adventurers, whom he had deemed trivial despite their peculiarities, would single-handedly destroy his entire plan?
Hugh would never have anticipated this would happen.
It felt like putting a stick into a mole tunnel, only for a polar bear to pop out!

Focusing solely on Beckman, the head of the Holy Knight Order in the Vespians branch of the Goddess’s Church, had been a grievous miscalculation.
“This is the end.”

And this was also his last blunder.

“Looks like it might hurt a little, but bear with it. Hilde asked me to kill you without leaving a trace.”

Struggling to pivot his fallen body to glare at the black-haired girl aiming the golden greatsword at him.
“Who the hell are you?!”

Hugh Casval cried out, his voice trembling like he was spitting blood.
Demanding to understand the identity of the girl who had so effortlessly ruined his plan that was so close to success.

“I’m a hero.”

The response shocked him to his core.