Chapter 295
Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!
The guards on Guardslone’s ramparts went pale.
Before their eyes towered a giant even taller than the fortress walls famed for their height.
“Th-the Giant King… Gias!”
Their jaws trembled as they uttered the monster’s dreaded name.
The Calamity Era.
Anyone who had ever fought against Tartarus could not avoid facing a Legion Commander.
But none here had ever seen the Giant King with their own eyes.
Even the Necromancer King, supreme commander of Tartarus and Erebos’s greatest servant…
Even the monstrous Queen of Slaughter who left corpses in her wake…
All of them, at times, left survivors.
But not Gias.
The Giant King left no survivors.
He was the very embodiment of inevitable death.
Whenever he appeared on the battlefield, annihilation followed.
Now, with his sudden arrival, the guards of Guardslone were stricken with terror.
Boom—! Boom—!
Each step of his titanic frame sent soldiers stumbling back.
“Hold formation.”
A firm voice rang out.
At once, every man straightened.
“This is Guardslone. Even the Giant King cannot breach this impregnable fortress.”
“Yes, sir!”
At Dweno’s words, courage returned to their hearts.
Lunia whispered in awe, “As expected of Master Dweno. Just one word and he rouses men paralyzed by fear.”
The weight of a Great Hero was unmistakable.
Driana folded her arms smugly. “Of course. It’s Master Dweno.”
Ar mimicked her, arms crossed and chest puffed out. “And now Master Arron will raise morale even higher.”
Dweno sighed deeply.
“Regrettably, that won’t happen.”
“Huh?”
“Whatever illusions you have about him… Arron is a terrible coward.”
He strode to the walltop and crossed his arms.
Though a small dwarf, his back seemed colossal.
Most soldiers dared not even approach the wall.
The party, stunned, turned toward Arron.
He was hiding behind his disciple Velkia, eyes shut tight, trembling.
“V-Velkia. Is it… big?”
“Enormous,” she answered nervously, standing on tiptoe to peer over the battlements.
Arron whimpered like a frightened pup.
Carr gaped. “N-no way. That Master Arron… such a coward…?”
Even Carr himself was nearly crushed by the Giant King’s presence.
But seeing the [Brave] himself cower behind a girl was beyond shocking.
The man lauded through history as the bravest of all heroes—reduced to this.
For children raised on tales of the [Brave]’s indomitable courage, the sight was devastating.
“This is… confusing.”
Lunia muttered.
Ar collapsed, clutching her head. “N-no! Master Arron is so different from the stories!”
Leo yanked her upright by the scruff and turned his gaze toward Gias.
“Their true selves aren’t always the ones written in legend.”
At that, Lunia recalled Luna.
In chronicles, the Founder of the Nebula was serene, gentle, graceful.
In truth, she was lively, mischievous, bursting with curiosity… a young woman who loved flowers.
Dweno, remembered as the solemn Divine Blacksmith, was in reality a strange old man with perverted quirks, forever praising beauty.
Velkia, the Fairy Knight lauded for her noble dignity, was actually a mischievous, temperamental girl prone to fibs.
In just ten days, they had seen how far reality strayed from the flawless images of history.
‘They laughed, they played, they lived ordinary lives.’
Perhaps even meeting Lysinas, Kyle, or Luna together would be no different.
‘Luna would have thought so too.’
Lunia smiled faintly, recalling Luna’s arm slung warmly over her shoulder.
“Leo is right,” she said brightly. “They may not match the stories, but they’re still Master Dweno, Master Arron, and Lady Velkia.”
The party looked at her.
“They’re still the ones who saved the world. That truth never changes.”
Their ordinary humanity gave them strength.
‘They’re no different from us.’
And if such people had achieved such greatness, then so could they.
Ar clenched her fists.
“Right! Master Arron is Master Arron!”
She sprang to her feet, chest swelling with pride.
She was still the descendant of the Brave.
Snorting, she climbed the wall.
“Let’s see this so-called Giant King face to face!”
But the instant she saw him, her ears and tail drooped and she scrambled back down.
“S-so big!”
“He really is like a mountain.”
“So the rumors were true…”
They recalled how they had once investigated a mysterious giant before entering the Hero’s World.
Boom—! Boom!
The earth still shook.
No one dared join Dweno atop the wall—until a white-haired figure strode forth and stood boldly beside him.
The guards and party gasped, thinking Arron had found his courage.
But it was Leo.
“He really fears nothing.”
“To withstand a Legion Commander’s aura head-on…”
Lunia shook her head. Driana whispered in awe, “As expected of Lord Leo.”
“Ugh! If the Black Rabbit can do it, so can I!” Ar shouted defiantly.
The aura of a Legion Commander alone could paralyze the living.
One could only resist by mustering mana to shield themselves.
Yet Leo and Dweno stood calm, arms folded, enduring it without flinching.
Their steadfastness lent courage to all who looked upon them.
Dweno opened a pocket dimension and drew out his battle-axe.
Leo crossed his arms, staring at the approaching giant.
‘The battle was supposed to start tomorrow morning. Why so soon?’
If Gias had appeared early, then…
‘This must be the present-day Giant King.’
For there were two now:
The Gias of the past.
And the Gias who had invaded the Hero’s World from the present.
The one before them was the latter.
“You were right,” Dweno murmured.
Whirl—!
“The Giant King has come.”
He swung his axe, stirring a gale.
Boom—!
He struck the ground, sending mana flooding across the wall.
The guards’ fear was swept away, their courage restored.
His mana had pushed back Gias’s aura.
“So all we have to do is take his head?”
Dweno’s eyes gleamed.
Leo unsheathed his sword. “Don’t rush. His army hasn’t appeared yet.”
“True enough.”
“And there may be… two Giant Kings.”
Dweno’s eyes flickered.
“I see.”
He understood instantly.
“What happened in the original battle?”
“…We won. Barely.”
“I see.”
“What are you two whispering about? I want to hea—”
ROOOOAAARRRR!
“Eek?!”
Ar, who had been climbing up, screamed and fell back on her rear at the thunderous bellow.
The Giant King was still far from reaching the wall.
But his massive body dominated their sight.
Fwoosh—!
Gias drew a massive greatsword from a rift.
Its blade was blood-red, crusted with scraps of flesh.
Dweno narrowed his eyes.
“That aura…? A sword forged from Jormungandr’s spine? I thought it would take centuries to finish…”
Kyle and Lysinas had once slain Jormungandr.
And it was Gias who had claimed the corpse, forging it into a vile demon sword.
Vwooooom—!
Dark power surged.
The corpse-sword writhed, feeding on Gias’s aura.
Crack—!
A tide of sickly black-green energy erupted forth.
It was Jormungandr’s gluttonous power, reborn.
The colossal wave devoured all before it, rushing for Guardslone’s walls.
Everyone froze in horror.
“D-danger!”
“Black Rabbit, dodge!” Ar shrieked.
But Leo didn’t budge. Neither did Dweno.
A direct hit would kill even Dweno.
It was a strike that could erase Leo in an instant.
The torrent of black mana promised to obliterate the wall entirely.
But Leo knew.
Arron—the coward who always lingered behind, trembling.
And yet, the moment battle began…
Tap—!
He was the first to charge.
Whoosh—!
A beastkin youth leapt high, white hair streaming.
Before him loomed the monstrous wave of gluttonous energy.
Shing—!
Arron drew his sword.
The very blade that would one day be known as Brave, symbol of the [Brave] himself.
Golden aura burst from the blade.
Flash! Crack—!
His sword strike soared like an ascension.
The black-green tide vanished without a trace.
Whirl—!
He landed lightly, wind swirling around him.
All eyes widened at his back.
That unwavering figure, white hair streaming, sword in hand…
It was the sight that had always given the Great Heroes courage.
‘This is… the Brave.’
‘The man with the greatest courage in the world…!’