The Blood Giant Awakens
"Graaaaaagh!"
A scream of agony echoed from the top of the tower, so unlike the man who had barely uttered a sound even as his limbs were severed moments earlier. His face flushed crimson, veins bulging until he resembled a monster. He clawed desperately at the dagger embedded in his chest with both hands, but no matter how much strength he poured into the effort, the blade refused to budge. Instead…
Crunch.
Crack.
"Kuhk!"
It drove deeper, straight toward his heart. It almost looked as though he were stabbing himself. Whether Duve had commanded it or the tower itself had intervened out of mercy, a red liquid welled up from the floor and wrapped around the dagger as if trying to extract it.
Despite the opening, Ligret made no follow-up attack. Her instincts screamed that approaching now would be a mistake. As if to prove her right, the liquid clutching the dagger evaporated in an instant.
"Th-that's impossible—"
His bloodshot eyes widened in horror. He seemed about to shout something at Ligret, but his lips suddenly dried and cracked. It wasn't just his lips. His once-powerful limbs withered to skin and bone, his hair lost its luster, and his cheekbones jutted out as though he were starving. Unable to stay standing, Duve collapsed to the floor. The red liquid surged over him to heal the 'injury,' restoring his shriveled limbs and parched skin in moments.
Then the Wedge reacted.
Crunch!
"Gyaaaaagh!"
The Wedge drained Duve's body dry. The tower healed him. He withered again. The cycle repeated.
"S-stop, please, stop!"
Duve's screams were directed at the Wedge greedily devouring his life force from his chest—or perhaps at the tower that had slipped beyond his control and kept restoring him. The object that had once been a dagger no longer resembled one. Crimson crystals had sprouted around the Wedge, growing larger by the second. Lodged in Duve's heart and stretching vertically, it looked more like a massive stake driven through its target.
The red liquid no longer appeared. The crimson glow that had filled the walls and floor vanished. Duve's thrashing ceased. Ligret glanced at his desiccated form, now so brittle it might crumble at a touch, then studied the Wedge of Gluttony, now resembling a blood-red icicle, and hesitated.
Is it safe to touch? It won't stay like this forever, right?
The tower gave her no time to ponder. It began to shake. Sensing something ominous, Ligret peered out a window and muttered without thinking.
"…This thing just keeps getting worse."
Daniel Richter, the representative knight of Mars Duchy, could say with certainty that today was the busiest day of his life since receiving his knighthood. He protected citizens from rampaging blood masses on all sides, issued orders to the duchy's soldiers, and swung his sword relentlessly on the front lines. As the embodiment of Mars's military might, his usual duties involved leading charges or guarding the duke. While he possessed some command aptitude, expecting a frontline fighter to also manage troops was excessive. Even if Mars Duchy prioritized culture over military affairs, it wasn't so short on talent or disorganized that this was necessary.
The reason he was working himself to the bone was none other than that damned blood rain. Whether the culprit had planned it or it was simply bad luck, many high-ranking commanders caught in the initial downpour could barely move and were reduced to breathing. To compensate for the sudden personnel shortage, Daniel had to fight while simultaneously acting as supreme commander.
"Report the progress!"
"We've restored about forty percent of the damaged area centered around the arena!"
"Casualties?"
"The enemy's power exceeds expectations, and many soldiers are injured, but thanks to His Grace distributing the potions from storage, we're holding on!"
"Sir Daniel! The civilian volunteers have successfully retaken their designated zone! Awaiting further orders!"
"Sir Daniel! Some of our troops have linked up with external reinforcements! Numerous Holy Star Church priests are with them, which should help the battle—"
Just as he was wishing his body could split into ten, an anomaly occurred.
"Sir Daniel! Look over there! In the sky!"
"What?"
At his subordinate's bewildered cry, Daniel reflexively looked up and had to doubt his eyes. The sky had turned red. All the scattered blood droplets on the ground were rising as if drawn by something. They merged into a massive liquid mass and began moving toward a specific location. Confirming that its destination was the tower and that no blood masses remained on the ground, Daniel shouted to his subordinate.
"No more enemies in sight! Pull the soldiers off defense and rescue the fallen immediately! I'm heading to the tower!"
"Pardon? W-wait a moment, Sir Daniel!"
Ignoring the protests, Daniel broke into a full sprint. He had a bad feeling.
At first, Chrome's group thought the tower was collapsing. The next moment, they realized their mistake. The tower wasn't falling. It was breaking into pieces and rising into the sky, as if going to meet the approaching blood mass.
Watching the gradually disintegrating tower, the group grew anxious.
"Hey, wait—Ligret's still inside. Isn't it dangerous if she doesn't come out soon?"
"What if she can't move in there?"
"Brother! The communication artifact!"
"I'm already trying!"
Biting his lip at the unresponsive signal, Chrome stared at the tower that was now half-dissolved. He had sent her ahead because giving the enemy time was dangerous, but had that been too reckless? Should he not have sent her alone? Had he trusted her too blindly?
"You idiot! What are you doing not coming out already?!"
Even knowing she wouldn't hear, Chrome's shout seemed to reach her. Just before the tower's peak finished disintegrating, a brown figure burst out from within. Then, as if it were natural, she plummeted straight to the ground.
"Uh, uh!"
"Hey! Shields! Shields! Lower the strength! Let them break to absorb the impact!"
After shattering several shields, Ligret crashed through the roof of a sizable building. The group rushed toward it and tried to force the entrance open, but the wall exploded outward. Before their stunned eyes, Ligret emerged holding a war hammer in one hand, looking nonchalant—then staggered. Chrome hurried over to support her.
"You okay?"
Was the fight that tough? Or was the fall the problem? His voice carried multiple layers of worry and questions. Ligret answered with a tired face.
"Nah. The Wedge got stuck in the floor saying it wanted to eat more, so it wouldn't drop."
"…Huh?"
"It hid inside some weird crystal, so I couldn't even grab the main body."
"……."
"So I just smashed the crystal and yanked it out by the handle."
"……."
Smack!
"…Why'd you hit me?"
"Just felt like it."
Ligret pouted for a moment, but seeing Chrome's rapidly souring expression, she decided not to press further. It hadn't really hurt anyway.
When the group looked back up at the sky, the disassembled tower and blood mass were in the midst of fusing. The blood mass became the body while the tower's exterior formed armor and weapons, creating the shape of a colossal warrior. Whether by coincidence or fate, the giant held something resembling a massive quarterstaff. Chrome let out a hollow laugh.
"Tournament version, tower master version, giant boss version—three-stage transformation? Man, it's following the clichés to a T."
"──!!"
Akasha frowned at the roaring blood giant.
"An opponent that big is going to be a headache. Without a mage's firepower support…"
"Ha! Complaining about something we don't have will only make your mouth hurt. If it's similar to those blood masses, we'll eventually take it down by cutting it up, right?"
"We need to keep it from rampaging in place as much as possible. There are still many people collapsed on the ground, and if we leave them, it'll be a disaster—"
Right as the group was formulating a plan, it happened.
Shwoooooooom—BOOOOOOM!
With an overwhelming surge of mana, a massive mana bombardment struck the giant's head dead-on. Gazing up at the burning red hair floating high in the sky, Chrome spoke.
"Kids, grab your weapons. The mage is here."