◆ Wizard Kingdom, East Gate ◆
Bolan unleashed his Hold Arm!
The toy monster’s left arm stretched out and wrapped around me. Was it trying to choke me to death?
Still, this arm—while the part I was holding had a decent length—was bizarrely long where it was coiling around me. Was it flexible? Whatever.
“Ugh! Submit! If you get caught by Bolan’s Hold Arm, which can crush even Zircon—”
“Take this!”
With a little extra force, the round arm that had been wrapped around me shattered into pieces and scattered. Bolan, the monster, stopped its chatter after losing its left arm. Its head twisted around to look at me.
I was about to crush the arm I had been holding for so long. The fragments exploded outward, and the round arm was now completely shortened.
“Whoa! Not bad, huh?”
“You’re in my way!”
Rua’s attack! Dealt 8219 damage to Bolan!
Bolan has been defeated! HP 0/3700
“What the… what just happened…?”
I didn’t have time to deal with such weak monsters. Swatting away the small toy-like creature with my left hand, I approached the man with the rocky arm. The soldiers and adventurers around me were staring at me as if time had stopped.
Looking closely, I noticed the scattered remains of the toy monsters. I had just brushed them aside, but it seemed I had defeated them. There was no reason to be surprised enough to drop my staff. Those were merely minions; the real threat was that man with the rocky arm. He had been grinning at me the whole time.
Above him, a small girl was fluttering around, shouting something.
“Zeech, we should retreat for now!”
“Shut up. You don’t think I’m going to lose, do you?”
“Dridon lost in the underwater battle! Four Demon Generals have already been taken down by him!”
“Dridon? Really?”
Zeech seemed either surprised or indifferent; it was hard to tell.
That girl, though… I felt like I had seen her somewhere recently.
“Th-the Golems are coming this way!”
Someone, either a soldier or an adventurer, shouted that, and from afar, multiple large shadows were approaching us. Right, those Golems were attacking us too. I needed to take them down quickly.
Ignoring Zeech in front of me for now, I decided to eliminate all the Golems. They were conveniently grouped together, which was nice. To avoid hitting my allies, I flew up a little and swung my sword horizontally. The slash cut deep into the Golems’ bodies, severing them in an instant. The separated halves cracked and shattered into pieces.
Rua unleashed Sonic Ripper!
Dealt 419892 damage to the Mithril Golems! HP 0/3080
Dealt 462831 damage to the Wild Titans! HP 0/2340
Dealt 385749 damage to the Crystal Lurkers! HP 0/4200
Dealt 436100 damage to the Giant Knucklers! HP 0/1880
Wiped out the Golem horde!
The Golems crumbled into dust without leaving a trace. I unleashed Sonic Ripper three times to ensure that the debris wouldn’t rain down on my allies, but I hoped it was enough. The dust cloud made it hard to see what was happening over there.
I had gone around to the north, west, and south to take care of the Golems, but honestly, the travel time was longer than the fighting. After all, I had sprinted across the country, and my throat was parched. I wanted to finish this quickly and enjoy some juice at Lord Hast’s house.
“Is this… a dream…?”
“Unbelievable… That girl did all this, right?”
“When she swung her sword, all those Golems just collapsed… So, it must be true…”
Sonic Ripper was not only powerful but also focused on speed. It was a technique I had struggled to perfect in the Abyss Cave, and unless the opponent was someone of Vandalsia’s caliber, they wouldn’t even see the slash coming.
But as I thought during the Combat Tournament, others had various techniques. I only had this one. And they were all so cool. Tiferia had so many techniques. I wonder if she could teach me some next time.
“Hmm, no wonder the others are losing.”
Zeech cracked his neck as he watched the defeated Golems. He was facing away from me, but did he underestimate me? If I attacked him now, he would definitely be finished.
“Did Dridon really achieve End Form?”
I couldn’t tell if he was asking me or the floating little girl. End Form—what did that mean? When I stayed silent, Zeech turned to me, showing off his rocky arm.
“I’m not in End Form yet. See, this arm is the only part in this state. If I go all out, I’ll become a proper monster.”
“…In that case, I already did.”
“I see. Then, I’m going to achieve End Form now. What do you think I’ll look like?”
“A Golem?”
Why was I even chatting with this guy? I answered without thinking, but I only said Golem because that was the type of enemy I had fought until now.
“Vito’s shell, Baltz’s flying ability, Chiruchiru’s breath attack, and Dridon’s underwater combat—all of them excel in something and can be decisive in battle. But you know what? I think you only need one thing. Something simple.”
As Zeech raised his rocky arm to the sky, the ground shook. I quickly realized the source of the thunderous noise. The debris around us began to levitate, soaring into the air before being drawn into Zeech’s rocky hand. The soldiers and adventurers panicked, all fleeing from Zeech.
And the fragments of the Golems in the distance, along with the pieces I had defeated scattered to the north, south, and west, were all being drawn toward him, disappearing into his rocky arm.
I realized too late that this would cause harm to everyone here. Roel, Truppo, Rash, and all the soldiers were glued to Zeech.
“Everyone, run! Quickly!”
“I won’t let you escape.”
The rubble and rocks, the fragments of the Golems, merged with Zeech to form a giant. Compared to the distant castle, this figure was undoubtedly larger. Legs, knees, torso—this was all I could see. Its head was far above. One arm was rocky, but now its entire body was made of stone. It was so massive it could crush the castle. And now, it stood here.
As it grew, everyone fled, so it seemed no one was crushed. But with this size, just walking would bring ruin to the country.
I recalled the battle against a similar giant in the Abyss Cave. A floor so high you couldn’t see the ceiling, a giant emerging from the darkness with a tremor. At first, I thought the rumbling was an attack, but it was just walking. Its sheer size was a threat just by moving.
Zeech here was just as large. The largest among the Twelve Demon Generals was probably that Dragon, but this was far bigger.
Zeech the Sky-Piercing Giant has appeared! HP 42150
“What you need in battle isn’t quality or quantity; it’s mass. Are you scared, Lua-chan?”
His head turned toward me, the ground beneath me shaking. It felt like a human talking to an ant; that’s probably how it was. To Zeech, I was no more than something he could crush beneath his foot.
“This is my End Form. No, this country is incredible. If it weren’t for me, we might have struggled a bit more.”
I couldn’t tell how many people heard his voice. But if it was clear from that height, it must have been incredibly loud. No, I couldn’t afford to be impressed by that. If he started walking now, it would cause the collapse of buildings across the country. It was that much of a crisis. But the soldiers and adventurers just stared up at this unreal opponent in shock. The proof was that after Zeech started speaking, only then did screams begin to rise.
“One strike, and this country will be annihilated.”
Zeech’s cold declaration was not merely an act of stomping. He bent his knees, using them as springs to leap into the air, a mountain of a man vanishing into the sky. It seemed everyone had already realized the impending tragedy, and they began to flee in earnest. The one who appeared to be the captain shouted loudly to rally the others, but no one was listening anymore. People shoved each other, trying to escape through the crumbling eastern gate. Some were heading toward the town, perhaps to find their families. I couldn’t bear to watch.
“To the town! Evacuate, now!”
“Get out of the way! We need to get as far away as possible!”
“You fools! Our duty is to protect His Majesty!”
“What the hell is that monster? What is it?!”
Zeech was the first opponent to make me seriously consider unleashing the Sonic Ripper since I arrived in this world. Even during my encounter with Vandalsia, I had refrained from using my full power, considering the potential damage to the entire floor. I had no idea how much force I could unleash if I truly went all out. But if I didn’t act, that massive rock monster would crash down on this country. Even if I were to confront it, half-hearted efforts wouldn’t suffice. If those rock fragments rained down across the nation, the devastation would be unimaginable.
“Rua… please…”
“Rua, are you going to do it?”
Though Truppo and Rash looked anxious, they didn’t attempt to flee. They believed in me; they couldn’t abandon Lord Hast who was here. They must have a myriad of thoughts swirling in their minds. I was the only one who could respond to them.
Zeech the Sky-Piercing Giant’s Meteor Strike!
Zeech, this is it.
Rua unleashed the Sonic Ripper!
As Zeech descended, I jumped to meet him. My Sonic Ripper, released in a fan-shaped arc, was far larger than I had imagined. It was as big as Avangarde Castle or perhaps even larger. It was capable of cleaving through something of that size. If Zeech was considered a giant, then my Sonic Ripper was no less impressive. The slash struck Zeech directly.
At what altitude was he now? Zeech appeared as small as a speck, and my attack connected, slicing through his legs, waist, torso, and finally his head. One after another, the slashes shattered the giant. The shockwave resonated loudly, enough to make those who had been fleeing freeze in their tracks. Once again, an event that felt surreal unfolded, and I wondered if the eyes of everyone looking up reflected the undeniable truth that Zeech had been defeated.
Zeech the Sky-Piercing Giant received 1,006,102 damage!
Zeech the Sky-Piercing Giant has been defeated! HP 0/42,150
“…Not yet, the remaining fragments…”
I murmured to myself, confirming the situation, and unleashed another Sonic Ripper at the fragments. This time, they scattered magnificently, vanishing like sand blown into the air. What remained was the chaos of the crowd and the gentle breeze sweeping through the town near the ruined eastern gate.
I could hear the sound of weapons clattering to the ground all around me. It was a scene that suggested shock had rendered everyone’s hands powerless. Not just the soldiers and adventurers, but even Truppo and Rash were staring up at the sky as if Zeech were still there.
“Ugh… am I still alive…?”
“Ah, Lord Hast, you’re awake?”
Only Roel seemed unaffected by the spectacle of my triumph and Zeech’s defeat. Even those who should have rejoiced at Lord Hast’s safety were momentarily oblivious to his awakening.