Chapter 399: Merge (2)
Chapter 399: Merge (2)
“A merger? What the hell is this…?”
I could hardly believe my eyes, even as the sight unfolded before me.
It was a height so massive it looked down upon the castle of the dwarves—who, despite their short stature, were known for building on a grand scale.
Though it was currently little more than a framework of bone and muscle, flesh was knitting together at a terrifying speed. It wouldn't be long before it was complete.
“This is insane.”
To think they’d resort to merging just because they were cornered.
Setting aside the fact that this made me feel like the actual villain of the story, one thing was certain: if that thing reached completion, it would be incredibly dangerous.
It was likely the Authority of Confused Unity. A mass of that scale was a threat in itself, but the real problem was that most of the 'materials' were monsters from the Reckless Roar lineage.
The characteristics of the Reckless Roar were simple: they were just plain strong and incredibly sturdy.
And now, they were being unified into something even larger and more powerful? No matter how much I had half-abandoned my humanity, even I wouldn't be able to handle that giant once it was finished.
“I have to break it now.”
While the giant’s eyes were still closed. While its vulnerable inner flesh was still exposed. I had to end it.
“Iris! How much have you recovered?”
“I—I haven't had enough time! I'm not fully restored yet! If I squeeze out every drop, I might manage two Elemental Bursts, but…”
“Then just stay on the wall and pour all your remaining mana into it when the timing is right! Professor Iona, what about you?”
“I’m perfectly fine! Even if I run low, I can just suck Student Yandel’s blood a few times!”
“Great! Then let’s go! Everyone else, fire whatever you’ve got! And Senior Fay…”
“Right! I should help the other dwarves, right? I’ll go see if I can tweak the shells stationed on the wall!”
I nodded at Fay, who wore a look of grim determination, and threw myself into the air.
*
In my Dragonization state, I looked down at the ground from above.
“There’s no point in picking off the small fry anymore.”
“Agreed, agreed. Since it’s even absorbing the corpses, we need to use magic powerful enough to leave nothing behind…”
“With that kind of power, we should aim for the main body.”
I nodded, watching the Rag Giant grow larger and larger as we drew closer.
Shells fired from the distance were relentlessly battering its unfinished torso, but they didn't seem very effective.
Perhaps the Authority of Reckless Roar was already manifesting; shells that didn't hit dead-on were simply bouncing off.
Of course, a direct hit would tear away a chunk of flesh, but given its sheer size, it was nothing more than a scratch. And even those scratches healed almost instantly.
The only saving grace was the occasional shell that packed an extraordinary punch. Fay must have found a way to reinforce the cannons. However…
“It doesn't look like it'll do much more than keep them distracted.”
“True, true. Which means it’s our turn, right?”
“I’m counting on you to give it everything you’ve got.”
“As long as Student Yandel gives me his blood in return!”
Iona, perhaps trying to ease the tension, let her lips curl into a playful smirk as she raised one arm and channeled her mana.
A dark red current swirled around her ideal feminine form. The aura was far too ominous to be mere residual mana leaking into the air.
It was likely a mixture of her vampire strength and something involving blood itself.
As Iona rapidly chanted an incantation, a massive pool of blood began to gather above her hand. It took a shape somewhere between a familiar stake and a spear.
Normally, the way to use Vlad Tepes would be to hurl it to pierce or detonate the target.
But Iona didn't stop there. Her chanting continued, and thorny vines began to coil around the thick blood spear.
The vines only stopped growing once they had completely covered the weapon. Just as a single black rose bloomed at the tip, Iona—who was already pale—turned even whiter, as if suffering from sudden anemia, and declared her full power.
“Vlad Tepes.”
Sshhhwwiiiish—!
It moved at a speed that was difficult even for my current eyes to track. Its target was clear. There was a spot that was an obvious weakness to anyone watching.
Svid’s face, embedded in the center of the giant. A look of relief flickered in his eyes, which were distorted with agony. And then…
Thwack.
The blood spear pierced Svid’s head. Simultaneously, the flow of cultists and monsters merging into the mass faltered.
I didn't say anything cliché like, 'Did we get him?' Instead, I immediately followed up with the magic I had prepared in the interim.
“Punishment.”
Thump—
My Dragon Heart beat violently. Mana boiled within my body, centered around the heart, as I scraped together all the surrounding mana and forced a resonance.
A small storm erupted from the mere aftereffects of the spell. From within it, a flaming greatsword plummeted.
The blade, which stabbed into the crown of the unfinished giant’s head, began to incandesce.
Iona’s thorny blood spear began to shudder as if resonating with it. Then, it detonated exactly when the other women’s spells and the reinforced shells arrived a half-beat later.
Cr-crack… BOOM! BANG!!
The sounds of things breaking and exploding echoed without pause.
The giant’s body, exposed to the chain explosions, swelled like a balloon before collapsing in a deluge of blood.
The heart area, specifically targeted by Iona’s Vlad Tepes, had a jagged hole in it, looking as if it had been mauled by a savage beast.
To any observer, it was a fatal wound.
Indeed, the giant, which had been writhing incessantly to absorb the surrounding flesh, now knelt on one knee, motionless.
Neither Iona nor I could steady ourselves properly due to the recoil, but we couldn't take our eyes off the giant.
The wound was massive, and it could no longer move, but… this was a being that defied common sense, born from the Authority of an Evil God.
I couldn't relax until I was certain it was truly dead.
“Is it… over?”
“Not yet. We don't know yet, Student Yandel. Look over there!”
Sure enough, as if to prove it wasn't over, a diminutive woman was approaching the frozen giant.
Astrid. The madwoman who had sacrificed her own son to create this giant was wading through a lake of blood.
Because of the massive amount of blood spilled from the giant’s wounds and her own short dwarven stature, the blood reached up to her chest.
Yet, Astrid showed no sign of fear, only a sorrowful smile.
“Ah… my poor son. Did it hurt a lot? Don't worry now, Svid. It’s my turn to take your place. …Lokan will be joining us soon, so just wait a little longer.”
She reached out a hand toward the Rag Giant.
“[…Stop!]”
It was obvious that something disastrous was about to happen, so I unleashed a full-power Dragon Fear.
It wasn't a wide-range blast; the Fear was focused solely on Astrid.
If she was a dwarf, she shouldn't be able to escape its effects.
Indeed, Astrid’s face turned ghostly white, and her entire body began to shake like a leaf… but it didn't stop her movements.
Instinctive terror. Something even greater than that was driving her body forward.
Driven by an ominous premonition, I forced my mana to circulate. The recoil hadn't faded yet, but I ignored it and completed the spell.
“Light Spear!”
A spear of pure white light took shape and sliced through the air.
…But I was too late.
Before my magic could reach her, or before Astrid’s hand could touch the giant, the giant’s legs split open, revealing sharp teeth and a wet tongue.
A maw that triggered an instinctive revulsion. The tongue darted out, snatched Astrid, and pulled her inside.
Crunch.
The sound of something being chewed and swallowed. The Light Spear slammed into the mouth that had just devoured Astrid, but what did it matter now?
“I should have killed Astrid first…”
Along with my hollow realization, the stalled merger resumed. And at a much faster pace than before.
Gurgle.
The wounds inflicted by my and Iona’s magic filled in instantly. Not only that, but the missing muscles swelled, and skin stretched over them.
One peculiar thing was that a second head sprouted.
I didn't know if this giant was supposed to have two heads originally, or if an extra head grew because Astrid had intervened.
I didn't even know how such a thing was possible just by sacrificing one person like Astrid.
Perhaps this was how it was always meant to be, and Svid had been resisting it. After all, the expression on his face in his final moments had been one of peace and relief.
But such speculations were meaningless now.
The important thing was that after devouring Astrid, the giant—which had been in a near-death state—had not only recovered instantly but was now on the verge of completion.
Its eyes were still closed, but I could feel a massive amount of Divine Power concentrating within it. It was clear that if left alone, the worst-case scenario would unfold.
Vast amounts of mana flooded into my aching body. Perhaps because I was pushing too hard, I coughed up a mouthful of backflowed blood, but I simply spat it onto the ground and chanted the activation word.
“Punishment…!!”
It was weaker than the previous one, but the greatsword, still possessing overwhelming destructive power, pierced the giant’s heart and exploded.
BAAAANG—!
Once again, the giant’s heart was blown away… but the hole was smaller than I expected.
I had intended to blow away its entire upper body… would this be enough?
As if to confirm my fears, the raw edges of the wound squirmed and filled the hole in its chest in an instant.
“…Has its regeneration improved?”
“Probably, probably. It looks that way, doesn't it?”
Iona, who had sunk her fangs into my neck to drink my blood the moment I cast the second Punishment, nodded.
This was bad.
Punishment still worked. It would be strange if it didn't, considering it was a spell capable of wounding a Divine Body.
The problem was that the giant was too massive for such wounds to be fatal, and the injuries healed with unnatural speed.
It was as if it possessed the physical body of the Reckless Roar combined with the regenerative power of the Confused Unity.
The only silver lining was that although its body was complete and it had gained an extra head, it remained motionless with its eyes closed.
It didn't seem like it would attack immediately, but I doubted it would stay that way for long.
“…If we don't have a better plan, let’s head back for now and look for a way.”
“We have to, Student Yandel. This isn't an opponent we can handle with just our strength right now.”
She was right. But it wasn't as if there were no options at all.
If we combined the strength of Iris, who was still recovering, Helena, who was focused on the wall's defense, the rest of our party, and the assistance of the dwarves, we might find a way.
“I just hope it doesn't open its eyes before then…”
I let out a long sigh and headed back toward the wall. As soon as I stepped onto the battlements and caught my breath, Helena came running toward me.
No, seeing the lion ears sprouting from her head, it was Solari.
Just as she opened her mouth with a look of urgency…
Kaaaaaa—!
A sudden, intense pressure radiated from behind me.
The moment I turned around, a gasp escaped my lips.
“Ah.”
The black and red Divine Power of the Evil God began to incinerate the giant’s body.
As if trying to dye a blank canvas with its own color.