Episode 850 Gray (2)
A giant human clad in tattered armor, holding a rusty iron mace in one hand. His four eyes are staring blindly blue, as if all his eyelids have been severed.
The Giant of Frostium… …?
It closely resembles the giant in the ice shown by Eres, the Watcher of the North. No, the overall form is virtually identical.Except for the indescribable, deformed, and terrifying aura.
[Once upon a time, all giants were resistors. However, they were eventually defeated in the battle of destiny and chose submission instead of accepting physical death. Thus, they became the vanguard of ‘you’ annihilating the remnants of the resistors.]
The gray dragon spoke in a low voice.
[The giants are a race of the earth.]
One of Molgarn’s future murals flashed through Verden’s mind.Giant humans.
[Apostle of Destiny—a soldier of the ‘Giant’.]
The giant pulled the corners of his mouth up.Snap.The large corners of his mouth were sharply torn, forming a hideous smile. In the creature’s unclosed eyes, only a desire for destruction surged.
[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!]
The roar of the giant struck Verden.His whole body tingled.His muscles stiffened for a moment from the recoil of his sense of touch becoming extremely sensitive.
‘……! fast.’
As Verden stepped aside and twisted his waist, the mace sliced through the diagonal line. The shockwave, arriving a step late, pounded against the skin.
Boom!
A giant sole struck the ground.
Verden, having risen into the air, aimed at the giant with [Interis].
Volcaea
Rock fragments imbued with superheat rushed at the giant and exploded. Flames surged within a radius of tens of meters, and the air heated up intensely.Verden calmly kept his distance and watched the giant’s reaction.
[Are you gauging the opponent’s strength first? Calculating. And relaxed, too. But you are mistaken. There are no weak individuals among the guards.]
The gray dragon threw out a remark as a spectator.
[Isn’t that so? O Leuknos, the eighth child of the giant.]
His two arms, nearly tens of meters long, cleared away the smoke and flames all at once. Immediately afterwards, the giant bent his fingers and gripped the ground tightly.
Manpower was generated.
“What—”
An unknown force forcibly dragged Verden down to the cave floor. It was not gravity. A sensation overwhelmed him as if the earth were drawing closer rather than Verden falling.
[It is a concept innate to only a select few of the Giants. You could say it is a power befitting the strongest race on Earth. Though it cannot be compared to a dragon.]
As Verden landed on the ground, the giant let out a scream and charged at him.
Thump thump thump thump thump thump thump.
Even though it is a massive body, it moves at a bizarre speed, as if time is being sped up. The spatial force field that Verden had created to block the approach ultimately could not withstand the creature’s power and shattered.
‘To manipulate space so easily… all the effort I put into controlling my power has been for nothing.’
Verden unleashed his magical power, opening the Infinite Magic Path to its extreme. The black flames used it as infinite kindling and burned fiercely.
[Interis], surrounded by flames, clashed with an incredibly brute mace. The impact force was extinguished by the concept of annihilation.In that fleeting moment, Verden leaped through space and struck the giant’s helmet with
Crackle crackle crackle!!!
As the rusty helmet shattered, the force was transferred entirely to the crown of the head.
Is the resistance not that strong?
The sensation of a crack forming in his skull traveled through my staff. With this level of durability, I should be able to kill him within two more moves.
Just then, a breeze brushed past my ear.
The back of the giant’s hand quickly swept across the spot where Verden had stood. However, there was also a mace in front of Verden, who had moved through space.
You said it was read?
Boom!
Verden, who defended reflexively, was pushed back with his feet still touching the ground. Herepeatedly rotated and reversed to maximize friction and brake his speed. Part of the impact transmitted to his body made him feel a lump in his throat.
‘… … It is not mere superhuman strength.’
The gray dragon laughed happily.
[Subduing or killing a giant is not that difficult. However, anyone could die if they get on their bad side even once. Unless there is an overwhelming difference in their level of existence.]
I don’t know if it’s backroom advice or just suggestions…
In any case, since it was information he was hearing for the first time, Verden listened attentively without replying. After all, this was his first time facing an ancient giant.
The giant dragged the mace along. He seemed unfazed, even though pitch-black blood seeping from the crown of his head stained his face.
Verden asked.
Do giants not feel pain?
[I feel it. It is just the guards who are strange. Things that wander for eternity guarding the prison in the darkness couldn’t possibly be normal. Above all, they have already experienced the end in the Battle of Destiny.]
The gray dragon narrowed its eyes.
[‘You’ are good at recycling.]
“What does that mean?”
It means you are not yet worthy to know. Keep striving.
The giant scattered black blood and cast a shadow beneath the source of magical light. Verden responded by shifting his center of gravity.A blade of space facing the mace.He vanished it before the impact could even be felt, looking a few moves ahead.
This giant named Irknos possesses no special power other than forcing opponents to the ground. He is merely fast, strong, and instinctive.
On the other hand, Verden’s unique magic is vast in variety, and his physical abilities, enhanced by
My concept is superior.
The observation is over.
Mixed Light
A dark blue light exploded, and thunder and heat lashed the mace. The giant’s weapon, damaged by the
Quinter Casting:
It reversed the direction of gravity and pushed the giant and the earth at once. Kwa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa! The giant, having lost its balance, braced itself on the ground and lifted its head.
Verden overlapped his hands and spread them apart by the width of a palm.
Daeamcheon
A massive ray of annihilation crossed the light.
[Ah───]
As the giant’s outstretched palm made contact with the flames, they gradually scattered. As Verden then infused them with magic power, the scale of the beam expanded.The moment the arm collapsed, black flames engulfed the giant’s upper body.
Eventually, when Verden caught [Interis] floating in the air, only the horrific remains of a giant with nothing above its abdomen were left.
… … Boom!
The giant’s lower body collapsed.
* * *
The strange presence that had been constantly bothering my nerves quickly vanished. The black blood remaining in my lower body flowed out and formed a puddle.
The surroundings became quiet again.
Verden’s lethality, with the constant release of total and lunar eclipses via the
[A pitch-black flame that obliterates objects. They say that, originating from Oldark in this era, is called magic. It is indeed an impressive concept. It would be useful if combined with fundamental enlightenment.]
“……?”
Verden tilted his head inwardly.
“My Flame of Destruction is, after all, rooted in the Infinite Magic. If so, did you fail to notice the Magic of Destruction?”
The gray dragon seemed to be able to identify traces of the past by smell, but as he had said earlier, it appeared to have limitations.
Verden asked.
Was that enough of a spectacle?
[Not bad. When you’re trapped for ages a mortal could never even imagine, everything is bound to feel interesting. But this is just the beginning. I told you.]
The gray pupils pointed somewhere.
[Called ‘guards’.]
Whoosh───!
In the darkness, purple tentacles surged forward, swaying like whips. The head of [Interis], put forward by Verden, was entangled in the tentacles.Crunch!It dragged the space itself and then brutally pierced the guard with thorns of the earth. The quadrupedal monster, headless with a mouth in the center of its body, slumped limply, bleeding pitch-black blood.
[It’s not just giants here. Beings even greater than that swarm here. That colony, which may be weak as individuals but constantly evolves by sharing their experiences, and the chief guards who reign over the prison.]
Madou
Immediately, Verden activated his Mystic Eyes and unleashed a crimson lightning bolt. Following his gaze, the thunderbolts exploded upon dozens of monsters.
Paaaak!
Some individuals were destroyed, and others were destroyed in a chain reaction. A biological colony considered dangerous even in ancient times was annihilated in a single move.
The gray dragon remained motionless for a moment, then muttered silently.
[That magic power is… … ?]
Verden took a stance, ready to unleash his full power. His demonic eye was glaring at the opposite side of the gray dragon.
Are the figures in the back really the guards?
Behind the backs of the various guards gradually revealing themselves… … from the darkness where light does not reach, several beings are watching Verden.A presence deeper than Leuknos. Each and every one of them is a transcendent being, and more than that.
If surrounded by them, even Verden has an extremely slim chance of winning. There is only one solution. Kill them before they move.
‘Immediate annihilation──’
It was just as Verden was about to prepare the super-level magic without hesitation.A chilling shiver ran through him.
[Hehehe, hahahahahahahahahaha!]
As the gray dragon roared maniacally, a shockwave swept through the vast cavity. The guards trembled and recoiled.The gaze of the chief guards, who had been targeting Verden, also shifted.
[Even I was mistaken due to my lack of experience. To think such a concept would be born. Truly befitting of the only being who destroyed fate. Yes. I suppose you, too, incomplete, are an adversary of ‘yours’.]
Kugugugugugugugugugu.
An earthquake occurred.
[I liked it, Verden.]
The gray dragon raised its massive body.
[The fishy stench of the sea, the fanatical stench, the corpse stench of death, the parched smell, the aura of the dragon… … By killing the Apostle of Fate in the desert, you already stand at the center of turmoil. Overcome them.]
His forelegs pressed down on the ground.
[As you proceed toward completion, find the ‘Fifth World’.]
“If it’s the fifth world…….”
[The present world where you were born and raised, Rivereas where the Great Demon of Darkness resides, the Ark situated on the boundary of the universe, and the Magic Tower of Lefragium, the stronghold of the Resistors. It is a world you do not know, similar in nature to these.]
A clear whisper was conveyed to Verden.
[There is the ‘source of destiny’ there.]
The sound stopped.
An unknown current began to flow around Verden and the Gray Dragon. It was a familiar threat. This was a sign of a taboo violation.
No, this isn’t crossing the boundary of taboo like Reindel did.
I definitely violated the taboo.
… … Something is coming.
The World Tree will not appear like it did with the old fanatic. It is far from moderate. Verden unconsciously recalled the deaths he had witnessed countless times.
If you stay here, you will die.
[It was a monumental meeting, Verden. Now, get ready to go back.]
Verden turned his head over his shoulder.
Is there a way to get out?
[You came to me while summoning an essentially identical being. It is as if you were unsummoned due to the difference in rank while casting a summoning spell. So, you could simply do the reverse, but there is a much simpler way.]
The gray dragon took a deep breath.
[Shattering dimensions.]
Dragon Lore.
─────────!
The roar of an ash-colored dragon swept past Verden and struck the space. The guards swept up in it were blown away or their bodies destroyed.A rift in the world, resembling a crack in the earth, was reflected in the wall.
[I noticed quite a few flaws in that robe Oldarc crafted from dragon material. It is likely a failure. I have included a gift, so you will naturally obtain it in the future once you meet the minimum qualifications. So, focus on your duties.]
“when…….”
Verden looked at [Einber] for a moment and spoke to the gray dragon.
The price of the taboo will be high.
[Taboos. To me, the primordial dragon, they are trivial rules that can be ignored without a second thought. Well, to you, they might seem like absolute laws. As you can see, the sky is higher than you imagine.]
The Gray Dragon─── The progenitor of dragons spread its massive wings. Its majesty, surrounded by light and darkness, was etched into Verden’s memory.
[I look forward to our reunion, Verden. Do not die.]
With a single flap of its wings, a storm raged that exceeded the power of 7th-rank air magic. It blocked the approach of the guards attempting to prevent the intruder from escaping.
“…….”
Verden nodded once and cast
Crunch, crunch.
Soon after, the dimensional rift was restored.
[I wonder if a third option will actually appear.]
The gray dragon raised its gaze. The light blooming in the void is gradually growing larger. The executor changes depending on which taboo has been broken.
The light illuminated the darkness.
All the guards knelt on the spot and bowed their heads. Even the chief guards, who had once been the backbone of the resistance, were no exception.
[Looks like I won’t be sleeping for a while.]
The light of ‘your’ fell.Blood and screams.The painful roar of the gray dragon echoed throughout the prison.
* * *
Verden, having returned to the present world, shifted his gaze. Seeing the situation, he realized he was in the middle of testing summoning magic with a magic circle dispenser.
Is the flow of time different? Like back then.
Verden lowered his gaze, recalling the time he had met the old fanatic. [Einber] turned gray only in his eyes, then returned to pitch black.
