Episode 197 White Giant (4)
An unidentified monster that crawled out of the abyss.
Perhaps due to its unusual origin, even Harley's sharp teeth couldn't easily crush this White Giant's skull.
In front of "Voracity", which allowed him to chew and swallow anything, even the Mad Dragon's scales were nothing but glass candy, but it was ineffective against this skull.
Of course, the skull itself was tougher than dragon scales, but he felt like it wasn't just that.
'It feels like it's being protected by some other special power. Like a blessing or a skill... no, it's closer to a higher authority or law.'
If his "Voracity" proficiency was higher, he might have been able to do something, but it wasn't an option right now.
So he chose to target the neck, which was tougher than other parts, but weaker than the head.
And that method worked perfectly.
After severing the neck,
"Tsk— Ugh, this tastes awful."
A massive four-meter-tall figure with a menacing appearance closer to a demon than a dragon.
The sight of such a being baring its sharp teeth and licking its lips would instill an indescribable sense of intimidation in anyone who saw it.
And how much more so when the backdrop was a house-sized head lying on the ground?
"…It's even more terrifying up close…"
"Hahaha! You think so too, missy? Ugh, this guy, not only is he huge, but he also looks so unique. It really makes you think that a monster is a monster."
Harley, the one who had relentlessly bitten into the giant's neck and severed it, wiped the white blood from his lips with one hand and looked back.
"What? Ah, yes! That's right. A monster… Yes."
And Isea, who had been staring at him, subtly looked away and smiled awkwardly as their eyes met.
As if she was holding back a lot of things to say for the sake of her comrade.
"…But, do you have to eat that? It doesn't look very healthy."
But Geos, who had been watching, seemed to have a different opinion and casually asked the question she had been holding back.
He didn't think much of Harley chewing on monsters and magic stones, but this giant was creepy from the start.
Harley nodded nonchalantly at his question.
"Hmm, it's true that this guy isn't very good for eating. It's not very nutritious!"
His "Mutation" had the characteristic of collecting genes from other creatures to evolve himself, and "Voracity", which had been very effective in the fight against the Mad Dragon, was an ability that allowed him to even tear off a part of the target's personality.
But…
'Is this guy even a living being?'
He couldn't even obtain genes or personality from this White Giant, let alone ordinary calories from its flesh.
It was like an illusion that didn't have a physical form.
Even Harley's stomach could digest a rock and turn it into energy, so this was definitely an abnormal phenomenon.
"Hahaha! I just can't help but swallow what's in my mouth! I did it unconsciously. Well, it's fine as long as I don't get sick!"
He casually took out some meat from his subspace and put it in his mouth, then subtly looked back.
Twitch, twitch—
The giant's massive head was still twitching, even though its neck had been severed.
And it was continuously trying to regenerate, white tissue constantly sprouting from the cross-section.
Heinrich was busy analyzing the giant while cutting it down.
"Hmm… It seems like we have to destroy the core in its head. It definitely looks like a living being, but its principles are closer to a golem."
He finally reached a conclusion with a serious expression after poking the giant's head with his holy sword.
"As expected. Hmm— Well, now that it can't resist, wouldn't it be fine to just keep hitting the same spot?"
"If that's the case, my spear could also be helpful. I can at least suppress its regeneration."
They still had to destroy the head, but it wasn't that difficult now that the opponent couldn't resist.
As they said, even the toughest skull wouldn't be able to last long if they focused their attacks on a single point, or Harley could even burrow into its head from the severed neck.
But…
"…Could you wait a moment? I'd like some time."
"What? What do you…"
"There's something I want to try. Harley can handle blocking its regeneration, so could the two of you please look after the villagers who evacuated?"
"…Hmm, yes. If you say so, Saint."
"Understood, Saint. Then I'll leave this to you two."
And so, Heinrich, after asking for their understanding,
Stood before the giant's head, took a deep breath, and tightly gripped his holy sword with both hands.
"Whew—"
The holy power, the source of Heinrich's power, was much more effective against those who handled sinister energy, such as undead and dark mages.
Most of the blessings he possessed were also like that.
His body, filled with all sorts of holy power, was inviolable by any darkness, and the sword of light in his hand could cut through evil dark magic power like paper.
He was literally a being born to eradicate evil, the natural enemy of those who belonged to the darkness…
'But this giant is different.'
It was definitely a being that crawled out of the abyss, but surprisingly, it didn't react much to holy power.
It was as if he was facing an ordinary human.
'Even ordinary monsters would take some additional damage. What is this guy's true identity?'
And the fact that it wasn't a normal living being… it was as if it was a being that had deliberately been stripped of its weaknesses to oppose the hero and the Church!
Because of that, even Heinrich, who could even face the Immortal King to some extent, wasn't able to do much against this giant.
He was a holy knight who was at the pinnacle of this world, but he hadn't reached a comparable level as a pure warrior.
Of course, he wasn't lacking that much because his self-buff effects were still there, but it was true that he hadn't lived up to his reputation as the 'hero'.
'I can't just stand by and watch.'
There was an artificial element involved, and just because they had managed to get through it this time, it didn't mean it would be the same next time.
He had to prepare a solution.
…Or to be honest,
'It hurts my pride to just stand here and do nothing!'
He pretended to be calm in front of his companions, but…
It wasn't a good look for him, the Immortal King's only opponent and the chosen savior of the continent.
Whoosh— Thwack!
The sword of light, blazing with holy power, struck the giant's head, leaving a long gash and splattering white blood.
But it wasn't as deep as he thought.
The sword had reached the skull, but it wasn't enough to crack it.
And as Heinrich retrieved his sword, the wound on the head started to heal again, several times faster than other parts of its body.
To think it had this much regenerative ability despite being hit by the holy sword, its vitality was terrifyingly tenacious, even though it didn't have any special attack abilities.
'Well, I didn't think it would be easy from the beginning.'
Fortunately, he already had a solution.
'Chehai and Geos's secret technique, the Refraction Spear… The pinnacle of aura manipulation, piercing the desired target by transcending space. It's a technique that can interfere with space, so its versatility and power are on a different level.'
It would have been meaningless to him if it was a technique that could only be used at the transcendent level.
It was a unique ability, exclusive to individuals who had broken through their limits and transcended the laws of the world.
'But it's not like that.'
It was definitely just a technique, albeit a very difficult and complex one.
It was even systematized to a level where it could be taught to others, practically an academic discipline.
'Twisting the phase between the weapon and the point of impact to maintain spatial continuity… It's a theory that would only appear in spatial magic. Even though it's the result of analyzing his existing unique skill, he's amazing.'
Heinrich hadn't just been leisurely taking care of the children while Hesperon was receiving the theoretical teachings from Chehai for the past few days.
He had also been steadily discussing the technique with Geos, as he had already been granted permission to learn the secret art.
Back then, he had just wanted to learn the knowledge in case he needed it in the future…
Whoosh— Thwack!
Come to think of it, there was no need for him to meet the aura requirement.
After all, Chehai had also modified his unique skill to suit aura.
'I can just adjust it to be usable by… Heinrich.'
After all, Heinrich was also an awakened one from Earth.
Naturally, his growth wasn't just determined by talent.
Awakened growth bonus, avatar growth acceleration, hero growth bonus from "Grand Blessing: Knight of Light", support from "Logia Holy Combat" and "Path of Martial Arts".
And he could even receive help from Hans's "Wicked Wisdom" and "Path of Magic" in theoretical aspects.
He had the capacity to do it if he wanted to, even though he hadn't felt the need to so far.
Whoosh— Thwack!
There was no rush.
The giant had already been completely subdued, and its regeneration was being thoroughly blocked by Harley.
'Come to think of it, it's the perfect punching bag right now.'
Growth bonuses were meant to help them acquire 'karma' faster and more easily when training.
Like counting one lift of a weight as two.
Naturally, appropriate karma accompanied growth, separate from status enhancement through the Karma Shop.
And it was only natural that swinging a sword at a dragon and landing a hit, risking his life, would give him more experience points than severing a goblin's neck he encountered on the street.
'But I can't use an artificial situation.'
The laws of the world weren't that easy to manipulate.
But the current situation wasn't artificial, was it?
He had just fought against a giant that suddenly appeared and had managed to subdue the powerful enemy.
And now,
With the purpose of finishing it off,
He swung his sword again.
To split its head open— and extract its core.
____________________
How much time had passed?
The sun had completely set, and darkness enveloped the surroundings.
Isea, who had brought the villagers back after evacuating them to a safe place, was using various magic spells to provide them with warmth and light.
And as Geos went back and forth several times to check on them,
Whoosh— Crack—!
A sharp tearing sound, unlike the dull thudding sounds from before, echoed, and…
The giant's skull, which had been deeply scarred from countless sword strikes, split in two.
《The individual gains enlightenment through repeated training. You have acquired the skill "Space Slash".》
Heinrich's eyes gleamed as he saw the message that appeared before his eyes.
He had been completely immersed in swinging his sword with all his might, lost in a trance.
'…A shame.'
But he felt a deep sense of regret before satisfaction—.
'I was almost there.'
He had acquired "Space Slash", a sword technique that could interfere with space, through this training, but he had failed to reach the wall of transcendence as a warrior.
'It can't be helped. It was a bit lacking anyway. I'll be content with just finding a clue this time.'
Heinrich sighed lightly and subtly used "Space Slash" in the air to sever the skull again, which was trying to regenerate.
Now it was time to carry out his original goal.
"Oh ho! As expected!"
He could feel a very familiar energy from inside the cracked skull.
Harley, who had been diligently biting into the giant's neck and blocking its regeneration, thrust his sharply transformed hand deep inside.
And when he pulled it out, in his grasp was…
'Oh, what's this?'
A fist-sized orb, glowing dark red, wrapped in tissue that extended from the giant's head like a spiderweb.
A high-purity 'madness' crystal, something he had never seen before.
'It feels similar to when I saw Heratos's Dragon Heart. As expected of something from the abyss, the purity of the madness itself seems to be higher.'
Harley smiled with satisfaction.
It was unsuitable as a medium for an avatar because of its abyssal origin, but it was an elixir to him.
"Hey! Give it up! This is mine now! Hahaha!"
Harley, his eyes gleaming with greed, mercilessly tore apart the white tissue clinging to the crystal with his sharp claws and retreated.
The giant's massive head went limp at the same time, but it no longer mattered to him.
'There's no time to hesitate!'
He hadn't been able to obtain anything from the White Giant's body, but there was no way this brilliant crystal would be the same.
He quickly threw it into his mouth.
《The individual meets the conditions and unlocks its potential. You have acquired the special skill "Gigantification".》
And he became one step further removed from being human.