#264
King of Madness (3)
The sight of a colossal fist plummeting down was reminiscent of an avalanche.
KUUUUUNG—!
The shockwave it generated tore apart the surrounding space, causing a massive earthquake.
A huge crater formed in the earth, kicking up dust in every direction, while a fierce storm swept through the area.
This was the phenomenon caused by a single strike.
The culmination of an ordinary punch.
“HA HA HA! This is thrilling!”
However, the one facing it was not intimidated, immediately springing into action.
Harley, who had swollen to a height of about 15 meters, matching the giant’s thigh.
KWADDEUK!
With his entire body enveloped in crimson scales, he charged like a beast, immediately tearing into the giant’s massive forearm with his sharp claws.
The thick muscles were shredded, and white blood instantly stained the surroundings.
PUUURK—!
KWAAANG!
Yet the giant didn’t care and swung its arm, striking Harley, who was trying to retreat, with an overwhelming reaction speed.
“What a nuisance, barbarian. Do you think you can do anything against me?”
The giant growled in irritation.
Before he knew it, the wounds on its arm were healing in an instant.
Of course, Harley quickly sprang back to his feet thanks to the madness stored within him, but the difference in overall power left him overwhelmingly disadvantaged.
‘Moreover, its senses are way too sharp. It’s not easy to utilize my speed against it. No matter how I try to move unpredictably, it always seems ready to respond.’
When he fought Hans, the pressure and overwhelming force bore down on him, making it hard to sense, but facing off in this brawl, he could clearly recognize the absurdity of the giant’s abilities.
Harley, who thought he had become quite strong, realized he could never defeat that thing.
‘Indeed, I was right to move as far from the city as possible. If I hadn’t…’
Just a minute had passed since Harley clashed with the revolutionary, but the surrounding area was already devastated as if it had been bombed.
The ground moaned from the horrific physical force, and the clash of aura and madness caused the energy around to writhe violently.
‘…Still, I need to get even further away. Tarak is the stronghold of Hubert, and I can’t let it be damaged even by mistake.’
Even though they were over 5 kilometers away, the situation made him uneasy despite the distance.
If Hubert had managed to flee even further, it would have been better.
It was a major setback that the moment the giant had let its guard down, Diana had been snatched away and he was caught much sooner than he anticipated.
Even managing to hit supersonic speed thanks to that expensive suit had forced him to use protective magical tools, but he still had to balance it all.
“KA HA HA! It’s not as easy as it seems! You’re not just a big brute like the others, are you?”
“HAH! How dare you compare yourself to me…!”
At that moment, the giant’s relaxed expression suddenly stiffened.
Then, as quick as lightning, it turned its body…
WHIUUUUNG—!
And swung its colossal forearm through the air.
The storm whipped up furiously, sending the scant few remaining trees in the area flying.
And just after that…
“Tsk, you noticed that too? What a nuisance.”
A cold voice echoed from a distance as a man quietly revealed himself.
Heinz II, the Pureblood Vampire, who intended to launch a stealth attack using Existence Denial.
He calmly adjusted his clothes, clicking his tongue.
Just as the giant was about to speak, a second anomaly occurred.
FAAAH—!
A brilliant light flared up from a distance.
“There you are. The vile creature going against the will of the Holy God.”
With the flash, another man appeared, speaking casually.
As the holy aura emanating from his body spread widely, it quickly quelled the chaotic energies surrounding them.
Using Blessing: Leap, the Saint of the Holy Church Order, Heinrich, joined the fray.
Three Transcendent Beings naturally surrounded the giant from three directions.
The giant, momentarily silent with narrowed eyes, twisted his lips into a sneer.
“KRAT! A hybrid barbarian followed by a vampire lord and now the saint of the Holy Church Order? This is truly… Hm?”
However, the giant’s derisive words could not continue.
His expression twisted in a peculiar way as he turned his head sharply to glare at Harley.
His gaze then shifted to Heinz II and finally rested on Heinrich…
“…What the hell are you?”
The question arose from his heart, and he unknowingly spat it out in a reluctant voice.
There was no certainty. He didn’t possess the keen sense for such matters.
However, he could distinctly sense the discomfort radiating from them.
Of course—
“HA HA HA! I am the Southern Overlord, Harley!”
“Pff, it’s a nuisance anyway. Just vanish quietly.”
“I’ll judge this heretic who has disturbed the world, going against the Holy Will, right here and now.”
They had no intention of answering ‘his’ question.
*
KWAAAAANG——!
A thunderous sound shook the heavens and the earth.
With a massive explosion, a cloud of dust soared, and the shockwave that burst forth swept across the land…
“The aftershock is coming! Prepare to respond!”
“Reinforce the barrier!”
It had a significant impact even on the walls of Tarak, which were over 10 kilometers away.
KUURUUULLL—!
The shockwave arrived, distorting the space and compressing the atmosphere while enveloping the city in an increasingly clearer protective barrier.
The barrier, which had been dangerously shaking under the powerful effects, quickly stabilized thanks to the desperate efforts of the wizards, and yet another crisis was successfully avoided.
“Phew— that was nerve-wracking.”
A knight stationed at the northwestern walls of Tarak sighed in relief.
That sentiment was shared among all those on the ramparts, but the feeling of relief was fleeting.
They couldn’t even gauge how many more waves of this magnitude would come.
“Damn it, if the walls didn’t break, it would’ve been better! How about repairs? Still on it? What do the wizards say?”
“For now, they’ve set up emergency reinforcements, but fully restoring the barrier in this situation is impossible! Nevertheless, it’s a blessing that it hasn’t completely collapsed, allowing us to do this…”
“…Damn it, should I just consider it lucky that they’re fighting so far away? If that monster rampaged through the city…”
It was no joke; the entire city might have cleanly evaporated.
The knight glanced at the busy wizards and then turned his head toward the direction of the origin of this chaos.
KUUNG—!
At that moment, a shockwave erupted again from the epicenter.
However, this time the scale was smaller than before, so it wasn’t alarming enough to be a cause for panic.
As the wizards groaned, one knight, having raised his aura to enhance his vision, stared grimly at the battleground.
“How absurd. What in the world…”
“Ha, ha… insane…”
The sight before them was one shared by all.
Knights stationed on the walls, without specific duties like wizards, were also sweating bullets, their eyes glazed over as they watched the spectacle.
Beyond the trees and hills that had all been leveled, a gigantic giant could be clearly seen, despite the considerable distance.
A monstrous figure radiating an air so malevolent it seemed to evoke the illusion of being hundreds of meters tall.
It was as if its very existence was a form of violence.
Simply moving caused the atmosphere to tremble, and each one of its attacks distorted space while spreading destruction.
Indeed, even just observing put immense strain on the mind, making it impossible for a normal fight to even take place.
In fact, it was only due to the distance and shielding wall, along with their own capabilities, that the knights stood firm—a mere glimpse at the giant had already knocked out the ordinary soldiers long ago.
KUURRRLING!
Before those with at least some qualification to witness, a legendary battle, like something out of a story, was unfolding.
“…Am I dreaming? This is way too unreal.”
“Puhuhuh— I’ve heard many praises, but this is rather an understatement. I must’ve been living in a well…”
Not only standing evenly against the colossal giant, but also pushing back.
The three figures moved together, almost as if they were one body.
The warrior appearing like a savior, the holy saint of the Holy Church Order, the vampire appearing to have been sent from neighboring Talia to aid, and finally…
“…Is that you, the warrior Harley? I heard it’s been quite a while since you left this place.”
“Harley? That Harley? I heard he made a significant impact during the defense of the Steel Fortress… Is that red giant really him?”
“Hmm, considering so little is known about warriors…”
Enveloped entirely in crimson scales, armed with sharp claws and fangs, the towering creature.
Although he was only up to the giant’s thigh, he fearlessly engaged it head-on.
In an effort to allow others to attack more effectively.
Harley charged towards one of the giant’s legs like a freight train.
The giant immediately reacted, attempting to kick him, but a slew of bloody chains appeared just in time, wrapping around one arm and throwing it off balance.
In that moment, Heinrich appeared with a shining holy sword, slashing at the giant’s eye, forcing it to tilt back to avoid the blow…
KWAAANG—!
Following that, Harley’s forceful body tackle lodged him right into the giant’s leg.
As the giant struggled to maintain its balance, the vampire and the saint again assaulted its body mercilessly.
“GRAAAAH—! You filthy insects—!”
The giant’s bellows echoed deafeningly.
Following that, the coordinated attack continued perfectly.
The three of them worked together so seamlessly it drew admiration, methodically driving the giant into a corner, tightening the noose on the massive monster.
“Beautiful… This truly is the pinnacle of combined techniques.”
“Wow— at least that vampire has probably never practiced with the others, yet how do they synchronize so well? Is there an unspoken understanding among those at this level?”
“Cough, just watching makes my stomach churn. If it weren’t for the barrier, ordinary folks would have been wiped out en masse.”
While the knights were awestruck by the precision of their combined attack, wizards were in the midst of a fierce battle of their own.
“Magic stone! Are you almost done? Hurry up!”
“Don’t just stand there; move quickly! If this collapses, the civilians will be slaughtered!”
“Switch! Rocapelli from the Magic Tower out, Tenur from the Magic Tower in! Hurry!”
As they fought against the relentless waves of destruction, wizards from the territorial realm and the Magic Tower were all summoned to defend the walls.
As the visages of these individuals gradually began to pale amidst the chaos…
[“You seem to be in a precarious situation. Allow me to assist you a bit.”]
A foreign woman’s voice vividly echoed within the minds of the beleaguered magicians.
The refined magical control was so accomplished it elicited spontaneous gasps of admiration.
“Uh?”
“Wait, who is this—?!”
Startled, the wizards all looked up in unison.
JEJEJJEJAK—!
The surface of the wall instantly froze.
In the blink of an eye, it expanded, covering even the shattered portions of the wall, emitting strange waves as it began replacing the broken protective barriers.
“This, what the heck… They managed to forcibly overlay the wall’s circuits with ice magic?!”
“Did they just comprehend the entire circuits of this massive wall?!”
“More importantly, what’s the source of this magical energy? This level indicates they’re no ordinary archmage… Could it be…?”
Meanwhile, in the sky above the mages’ heads, the Archmage Isea, who remotely lent a helping hand to the city’s defense, made eye contact with her companions floating beside her and slowly nodded.
“But I’m not sure if we’ll be of help in such a fight. I hope we won’t be a nuisance to them.”
“For now, let’s prioritize supporting the saint. If we utilize the skies like this, we can minimize our risks, right?”
The high elf Lydia, once the strongest of the Elven Kingdom before Harris appeared, along with the saint Liesta, known for her supreme holy power.
The entire party of warriors who had been at the shrine during the Pope’s funeral hurriedly arrived behind Heinrich.
However, they weren’t the only reinforcements.
In the ground, another group of strong allies was gathering.
“Truly the High Lord! Not faltering even before the saint of the Church!”
“Ah— I pledge my life for the glory of hybrids!”
“Hmm, we can’t use the giant’s blood. This is troublesome.”
Among them were numerous Trueblood vampires, including Frigia Brokoslac…
“Ha ha ha, don’t overdo it; just provide support. This looks like a fun opponent this time.”
“Yes! Lord Briki!”
Another Pureblood vampire, Briki, had also arrived in Tarak.
All to firmly take down a single revolutionary.
