Episode 195 White Giant (2)
Whoosh!
White, paint-like blood splattered everywhere from the deep wound.
If it had been red blood, it would have been a horrifying sight, but the color was so unnatural that it didn't even feel cruel.
It was like watching a scene with self-censorship.
'But that doesn't matter right now!'
Heinrich, who had dodged the giant's wild swing by spinning, swung his massive sword of light with centrifugal force.
The same spot as his previous attack.
It was the giant's Achilles' heel.
[———!]
At the same time, Harley and Geos attacked its other ankle, and then Isea's gravity magic activated, restraining its movements.
Immediately after seeing the giant's meaningful expression,
All members of the hero party, including Heinrich, focused all their efforts on restraining it, even if it meant taking some risks.
They couldn't just face it defensively like before… The giant's reaction just now was ominous.
There was one thing they realized while facing this White Giant.
It was definitely troublesome to deal with because of its large size, tough skin, and overwhelming regenerative ability, but they could defeat it with their power alone if they had enough time.
It was relatively agile for its size, but it wasn't at a level that could keep up with them, and it didn't have any special attack methods.
All it had was its monstrous physique.
'But that physique itself is too overwhelming.'
Their attacks, empowered by immense holy power and the holy sword's power, were definitely dealing significant damage to the giant.
The problem was that it wasn't noticeable because of its vast life force.
But while they were struggling to finish it off because of its overwhelming life force, the damage to the village was gradually accumulating.
Screams echoed from everywhere as people and livestock were swept away by the aftereffects, as the once peaceful village was gradually being destroyed.
["Saint! It's trying to escape again! Ugh, the people haven't evacuated yet!"]
["I'm reaching my limit with the gravity magic! I can't control its entire range because of the size difference… I need at least five minutes to reactivate it. Ah, I should have studied more!"]
Gravity magic was an effective control method against the giant, which was heavy because of its large size.
They would have been overwhelmed a long time ago if it hadn't been for that.
But it seemed like even that was reaching its limit because of the giant's powerful physical abilities and resistance.
'If only we could focus solely on fighting, if only we had more time…'
They were struggling because there were too many things to consider, but he was confident that they could hunt it down if they faced it head-on again.
Even though Heinrich's height was only about the size of the giant's palm, the maximum length of the holy blade, amplified by "Blessing: Capacity Increase", was well over three meters.
It was practically a dagger to the giant, so it had enough lethality.
And Harley's battle axe was a super-sized weapon that could easily sever the giant's fingers, and Geos's spear thrust was like an awl.
The situation would have been over if the giant's physical abilities were lacking even a little.
'…Actually, it's amazing that they were able to hold back such a large body for even a moment.'
It couldn't be helped, as its legs were being severed every time it tried to ignore them.
'…If it breaks through even once, it'll be a disaster for the village. Is there really no way… Hmm? What's that?'
At that moment, something caught Harley's eye.
The giant's wounds, which were regenerating even as they continued to fight.
[———!]
Most of the scars left by Heinrich's holy sword were only at the beginning of the healing process, while the holes Geos had pierced were already completely healed without a trace.
What was unexpected were the marks left by Harley…
'Wait, come to think of it.'
He narrowed his eyes and stared at the cross-section of the giant's little toe he had just severed.
Its regeneration speed seemed to be about halfway between Heinrich's and Geos's.
And Harley could clearly see the reason.
'…I see. Well, that guy is also a host of madness. Then…'
It was the struggle for dominance between the madness contained in his attack and the madness dwelling in the giant's body.
Of course, the amount contained in his attack was far less than the total amount in the giant's body, so it wasn't very effective…
But that wasn't a big problem for him.
Harley's lips curved upwards into a ferocious smile as he finally saw a breakthrough.
But it was the same for his opponent.
"Ugh, no!"
"…Its magic resistance is too strong, I can't stop it…!"
The White Giant, which had finally found a breakthrough, grinned, looking in one direction.
____________________
Right after the White Giant appeared,
Rumble—!
A deafening roar echoed from the outskirts of the village, and the ground shook as if there was an earthquake.
"Aah! What is that?!"
"Kyaaaack—!"
"It's a monster! Everyone, run away!"
Naturally, the nearby villagers couldn't help but scream and run away from the source of the commotion.
It was a village whose only advantage was its peacefulness, with no monster habitats nearby, thanks to its lack of resources.
But now the entire village was in chaos, to the point where their usual daily life was unimaginable.
After all, a monster the size of a ten-story building was rampaging nearby.
It was fortunate that the giant appeared on the outskirts of the village, and the hero party responded immediately, or it would have been much worse.
"Waaaah—!"
"Hic, hic. M-mommy…"
"H-hiik—! Th-the monster…!"
And Chehai's orphanage was also in chaos.
Isea's magic barrier was protecting them from the hostile energy, so there was no direct damage, but it was only natural for them to panic with a giant monster rampaging nearby.
"Kids! Calm down and evacuate calmly. Thomas, Sally? Help me guide the children!"
"Y-yes, Mom! Whew— Billy, Hans! Stop sulking in the corner and come here! Hover, you check the people leaving at the door. I'll check again if anyone's missing."
"Everyone heard what Mom said? Garnet and Sarah, come with me to the nursery and get the babies. The rest of you, calm the kids down so they don't cry."
But they quickly calmed down and prepared to evacuate under the leadership of Chehai's wife, Milena, the mother of the orphanage.
As the older children, who were about to become independent, and the relatively mature children took care of the younger ones, they were able to quickly get ready and leave the orphanage.
And just in time,
"Milena! The kids? Are they all safe?!"
Chehai, who had been out to see off the guests, arrived at the orphanage, gasping for breath.
He briefly looked around at the children and then sighed heavily.
"Whew, that's a relief… or not. Anyway, let's move. As far away from here as possible!"
Rumble—
At that moment, another tremor and explosion erupted from the battlefield.
The children, who had been trying to stay calm, became even more agitated as they felt the impact more clearly than when they were inside the building.
There was no point in delaying any longer.
Chehai hurriedly led his orphanage family and started to leave.
After moving for a while,
He glanced back in the giant's direction to assess the situation.
He wanted to find a safer route by observing the movements of the giant, which towered like a spire…
"······?!"
He froze in place, feeling a sudden chill.
"…Damn it, what the…"
He unconsciously cursed.
He wanted to use polite language in front of the children, but he couldn't help it this time.
It was because—,
The moment he turned his head to look at the giant, he made direct eye contact with it, even though it was in the middle of a battle with the hero party!
Actually, it wasn't exactly eye contact because its eyes were still sewn shut…
But that wasn't important right now.
The giant was grinning creepily,
As if it could see him, its face grotesquely twisted.
It was scanning the orphanage children and smirking.
And so, Chehai's brief moment of frozen shock ended.
[———!]
With a heavy roar that shook the surroundings, the giant charged towards them at an incredible speed.
Its legs were so long that it reached the group, who were evacuating from the orphanage, in an instant.
And…
"Damn it…!"
Boom—!
A deafening roar, like an explosion, erupted from where they were.
____________________
Boom—!
A deafening roar shook the heavens and the earth, and shockwaves and dust spread in all directions.
The earthquake, on a different scale from those that had occurred before, not only collapsed all the buildings nearby, but also created countless cracks in the ground.
It was a scene of shocking destruction, as if a small meteorite had fallen.
"Ugh— What's this…?"
Chehai, who had opened his eyes from the enormous impact that exploded right in front of him, cautiously looked around.
The first thing he saw was the faint blue light enveloping his group and the dust swirling beyond it…
It was definitely the protective barrier that had protected the village from the shockwave.
"Whew, it's a bit more manageable this time because we prepared in advance. Of course, if we were directly hit by that, the barrier would have been crushed in an instant."
At that moment, a familiar voice came from right next to him.
He hurriedly turned his head and saw Isea, the mage of the expedition, sighing as she extended her staff.
"Ah, thank you for saving…"
"It's not over yet. Let's get the children and retreat."
"Ah! The children! Are they safe?"
"Don't worry. I paid extra attention to this barrier."
She waved her staff once more, and the children who had fainted were all lifted by magic.
Such a simple levitation and transportation spell wasn't a big burden for her, even with dozens of them.
"I deliberately put your wife and the babies to sleep. I thought they might get traumatized if they were near something like this."
"…Thank you. You're right. Even my heart almost jumped out of my chest… But what was that just now?"
He hurriedly retreated, following Isea, and couldn't help but glance back, as if sensing something.
A large, round shape, like a rock, was faintly visible through the subsiding dust.
It was the giant's head, lying face down on the ground.
[———!]
The giant's head, writhing and emitting an angry roar, as if it was about to get up at any moment.
Judging by its movements, it definitely wasn't over yet.
But still, he couldn't believe it…
"Huh, really. To think just falling would cause this much destruction."
Naturally, the one who created that enormous shockwave was the giant itself… whose entire body was white… no, now covered in dust.
The result was spectacular, but the process itself wasn't that impressive.
It had just charged at them and then face-planted.
[———!]
"Hahaha! Wow— That was a loud sound! You must be embarrassed, so just stay down, friend! Hahaha!"
Of course, it wasn't like the giant was an idiot and just tripped.
There was someone who had intervened while it was distracted, tripping it and making it face-plant.
"…Harley?"
And it was also a familiar voice to Chehai.
Wasn't it Geos's companion, the rough-looking southern warrior the children were afraid of?
But the silhouette he saw from where the voice came from was strange.
The large head, twice the size of him, writhing on the ground, was definitely the giant's, but…
What was that massive figure, as big as a house, sitting on the head as if it were a chair?
"…Wow, I've never seen that before. Is that a Dragonborn? …It's a bit different from what I imagined."
And as the dust completely subsided and the figure was fully revealed,
Isea also exclaimed in admiration, just like Chehai.
Muscles that had developed beyond human limits, shiny, dark red scales covering its entire body like armor.
Teeth filling its wide-open mouth, claw-like fingernails and toenails sharp as blades.
Red and green ghost fires burning brightly like lanterns.
Horns sprouting from its head, and a blood-red aura emanating from its entire body.
It was no longer possible to find any trace of humanity—.
It was the ultimate evolved life form, having grown to over four meters tall with "Physical Transformation" and manifesting all the dominant genetic information it had collected with "Mutation".
The so-called 'Complete Harley'.