Chapter 403
Chapter 403
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 403
Chapter Title: 2-26. King Slaying
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I never imagined we'd reunite like this.
It had been nearly four years since I last saw that mug.
Unexpectedly, his appearance hadn't changed much from when we'd met in the original world.
"You're fucking huge."
That was the only thought that came to mind.
No matter how much I craned my neck back, I couldn't take in his full body at a glance.
No other giant could even match his index finger.
The altar where I stood, dedicated to the Origin, looked like it could be smashed with a single punch.
His eight wings whipped up a fierce storm, shredding the nearby clouds to pieces.
"Don't chicken out. We've caught him once before."
I muttered while tapping the hilt of my sword.
The faint vibration of the blade meant Rin was tense.
It was the first time since I'd felt that unidentified gaze from the Winter Horn.
"Yeah. I know."
Rin replied.
This was definitely no pushover.
He was on a whole different level from the baldies I'd faced so far.
If the entire giant race fought this one guy, I'd bet my entire fortune on the king winning.
The giants, who had narrowly escaped extinction, began chattering excitedly.
『My king.』
『To grace us with your presence...!』
The massive greatsword before my eyes alone proved his superior stature.
That hideous weapon, which looked like nothing but a wall from this distance, had only been scratched despite blocking my sword aura.
Of course, swinging a sword directly versus firing sword energy were worlds apart, but this was the first time a giant's weapon hadn't been destroyed.
"Come to think of it, I never got your name back then. What's your title, Your Majesty?"
I asked nonchalantly, but no answer came.
The king extended his arm.
Kwaaaaa!
A brilliant white beam erupted from the palm of his house-sized hand.
"Ungrateful bastard."
It blotted out my entire field of vision.
I didn't dodge. Instead, I held my blade vertically to counter.
The beam split in half, cleaving the sky into three parts.
Even divided, the beams over ten meters thick disintegrated everything they touched.
『......!』
『Ah...』
At least a hundred baldies must have died.
Nothing remained where the beam had swept through.
He didn't seem to care about the lives of his subordinates, so he wasn't much of a benevolent king.
The moment the beam cut off, the greatsword came flying.
"Whoa."
It was a wide horizontal slash.
I kept my legs planted on the ground and just leaned my upper body back.
The blade grazed the bridge of my nose as it passed.
A beat later, the sword wind hit.
Kwaaaaaaaa!!
A crescent moon spanning several kilometers rose into the sky.
Countless more giants lost their lives this time too.
Blood burst and mangled corpses rained down.
The crescent dragged a blue tail as it slid toward the horizon.
"Cut it out, you asshole!"
I coiled like a spring and launched myself at the king while dodging.
Another thrust from the greatsword came rushing in.
I evaded by a hair's breadth, and his stance faltered momentarily.
The distance closed.
The moment he sensed danger and tried to retreat—
Slash!
My swing, a beat faster, sliced into his right eyeball.
"Take that!"
『Urk.』
I cheered in triumph.
He'd groaned for the first time.
Blue blood gushed from the gouged eye socket.
The blade that had tasted the giant king's blood blazed like fire.
"How's that feel, One-Eye? Ready to get serious now?"
『Insolent worm.』
The king gripped the hilt with both hands.
The surrounding giants began swarming toward me.
The real battle had begun.
"Haa... haa... Th-they're retreating!"
"Damn it... ugh, are we... alive?"
Letansie caught her breath, which had risen to her chin.
Abel collapsed, using his sword to prop himself up.
His body, which had blocked the giants' bombardment until the end, was overheating like it was about to burst.
White steam rose from his scorched nape.
"...Looks like it."
Fantasion nodded.
He was battered too.
His majestic horns were now shattered to the point where they looked no different from an ordinary deer's.
The double-headed axe he'd picked up in Gran Cappadocia was smashed to bits, leaving only the handle.
"They're not interested in us anymore."
The giants were all flying toward where Ronan had vanished.
There were so many gathered around the Origin that they looked like a single massive white sphere rather than individuals.
Orse, who had been holding his head high like a crane, furrowed his brow.
【......Looks like Ronan's half-succeeded. The king has descended.】
"R-Really the king...? Shouldn't we hurry after him?"
【Hurry?】
Orse scoffed.
Letansie could say something like that because she wasn't seeing what he was.
The sphere of giants.
At its center, eight massive wings flapping, and a lone black shadow facing them alone.
Orse continued in a voice equally mixed with fear, awe, and trust.
【Our part is done. Let's trust him.】
『How long do you think you can keep acting so recklessly?』
The king was incredibly agile despite his size.
He blocked the Origin with his body and unleashed heavy sword strikes.
Storms raged with every swing.
Most giants trying to join were swept away by the wind.
"Goddamn it, stop breaking my footing."
Everything else was manageable, but having no ground to stand on was a problem.
I was fighting perched on the ruined temple dedicated to the Origin, split in half.
The opposite half of the temple housing the Origin was guarded by the giant king and his minions.
I leaped again after steadying my stance.
"Die!"
Our swords clashed.
Lightning sparked with every exchange.
Slash!
Suddenly, a white line traced the path of the greatsword's swing.
The curve lingering in the air blazed with an unfamiliar light.
"Huh?"
As I glanced at it curiously—
Kwaaaaaang!
The line closed in and exploded.
The swept-up giants met gruesome ends.
I'd never seen this before; it seemed like a new technique acquired after absorbing more souls than in the original world.
As I escaped the explosion—
A thrust from the upper right diagonal came too fast to dodge.
Ah, can't avoid this one.
The moment I rotated my body as much as possible to parry—
"Kugh!"
I was sent flying like I'd been hit by a battering ram.
As expected from the size difference, big attacks were hard to counter.
One scrambling baldie caught me with his body.
『You...!』
"Thanks for the save."
I muttered and kicked off his chest to leap again.
The giant plummeted, vomiting blood, his ribcage caved in.
The distance closed.
My charging thrust grazed the king's side.
Splatter!
Blue, sticky blood sprayed like a fountain.
『Grr, you...』
The king grimaced.
Unfortunately, I hadn't reached his vitals.
I immediately pressed the attack, clashing again.
Thunder roared, blood sprayed.
Every effective hit carved wounds into our bodies.
'He's definitely stronger. Damn bastard.'
I wiped the nosebleed trickling to my chin with my sleeve.
I'd been flying around wildly here too, but this world's giant king, unhindered in his growth, was far stronger than the one I'd killed before.
His minion baldies couldn't even think of intervening; they just held formation.
Kaaaaang-!
We locked blades and bounced apart.
As I moved to charge again, I stopped in place.
The king, who'd been rampaging like wildfire, stood still.
"Hoo... What's up?"
『......What do you know of the previous king?』
"What...? In this situation...? Ha, you're curious about that now?"
『Speak.』
What an incomprehensible race.
Did he think he'd win anyway or something?
I scratched my chin and flipped him off.
"No. Fuck off."
『What?』
"Too annoying. Besides, I already told you in the original world. No need to repeat myself."
It was just bait to draw the baldies' attention anyway.
There was no reason for me to kindly explain about the frozen previous king and Seniel.
The king's eyes narrowed.
『To dare... deceive me. You'll pay the price.』
"Bring it."
I spat at him.
His eight wings unfurled in an instant.
A gale that swept everything erupted.
I drove my sword into the ground to brace myself.
Everything within several kilometers—the temple to the Origin aside—was blown away by the wind.
"Kuh...!"
My blood-soaked coat flapped wildly.
Then, white particles gathered above the king's head.
Hundreds of weapons of light formed in an instant.
Each one was slightly smaller or the same size as a greatsword.
The moment he pointed his index finger at me, they rained down like arrows.
"Oh. Shit."
This was intense.
My vision lit up.
The temple and all would be obliterated in one go.
I needed an ace up my sleeve.
I gripped the hilt while muttering to myself.
"Yeah. No turning back now."
It was time for a decisive move.
Rin buzzed frantically, sensing the crisis.
This attack would destroy all footing anyway.
I took a slow deep breath.
Finally, tension set in.
"Huuuuuup..."
The weapons were almost upon me.
With a plan in mind, I kicked off the ground and soared.
The light drew closer.
Spears of light simultaneously demolished half the temple without a trace.
The footing vanished, but I ignored it.
No retreat meant ending it here.
"Baldy."
I swung nonstop as I rocketed upward like a comet.
Weapons and giants blocking my path were shredded into hundreds of pieces in real time.
Suddenly, the way cleared, revealing the king.
This was do or die.
I swung at his ankle.
Boom!
The sword aura exploded, accelerating my body further.
It felt like instantaneous teleportation.
The king's distant face was suddenly right before me.
Puuuung!!!
A sonic boom erupted behind me.
『Wha...』
"Your shitty king game ends here!"
The echo resounded.
In that instant, I felt one of the walls inside me shatter.
Time slowed.
The king's hasty raise of his greatsword registered in slow motion.
Every element around me sharpened into focus.
'This is...'
It was that occasional sensation amplified to the max.
Billions of sparkling particles adorned the surroundings.
The king must have planned to overwhelm me until I died with that last attack.
Infuriating, but I'd forgive it.
It was the past now anyway.
My sword, the only thing moving at normal speed, traced an arc.
A blue line appeared above the king's thick neck.
As I passed him by—
Slash-!
The line split open, and the king's head soared into the air.