Chapter 215
Chapter 215
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 215
Chapter Title: Castle Giant of Shadow and Blood
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A castle giant clad in armor piled high with shadows, blood, and curses.
The castle giant let out a roar that was on an entirely different scale from before.
Six arms encircled its back, each gripping a different weapon.
Every time the castle giant swung its weapons, the earth itself was upended.
Beneath the giant's rampage, a single crimson beast charged forward.
With its red mane and black fangs protruding across its entire body.
The red beast, wielding no fewer than ten legs, moved at tremendous speed.
At the spot where the castle giant's spear came stabbing down.
The red beast dodged by punching a hole straight through its own body.
Then, climbing up the weapon in reverse, it bit into the castle giant's hand.
Kwajik!
Curses poured out from the gauntlet torn from the castle giant's hand.
The red beast twisted its body and plummeted downward before the curses could reach it.
Yet despite its massive size, the castle giant was fast.
The wind imbued in the giant's arm accelerated it further.
A shadow sword extended, piercing straight through the red beast.
The red beast let out a scream before splitting cleanly in two.
In a one-on-one fight, it couldn't overpower the giant head-on.
So they opted for numerical superiority in the clash.
But the giant had no intention of yielding to mere numbers.
Its back split open, unleashing a swarm of insects coated in all manner of fusion magic.
The insects swarmed through the air and ground alike.
In response, apostles and undead poured forth from the red beast in massive numbers.
Fighting erupted ceaselessly everywhere, descending into utter madness.
A battle on a scale far beyond human imagination.
The two protagonists of this clash were Leyzon and the Creeping Ossuary.
A hellscape conjured by just the two of them.
Right in the heart of that hell, Leyzon's eyes continuously scanned the battlefield.
Immediately after the fighting began, the Ossuary had vanished, swallowed by the red beast.
Concealment so perfect it evaded even detection skills.
It was definitely here somewhere, but pinpointing the Ossuary's exact location was impossible.
The battle had reached its peak.
Leyzon clicked his tongue once.
'To think they'd catch on that I couldn't control the Transcendent of Ruin.'
The Ossuary's gamble.
A bet that would have ended them if Leyzon could manipulate the transcendent being.
But even Leyzon couldn't do a thing with it.
'I barely just awakened it, that's all.'
And it wasn't even a complete undead.
Merely a fragment of the Transcendent of Ruin.
Even that would surely revert to a mere corpse before long.
That was simply the limit of what Leyzon could raise.
It was a fresh reminder that transcendent beings existed on a whole other plane.
'So I played it as shamelessly as possible.'
Sharp one.
Of course, the Ossuary was a prophet.
They likely knew as much about transcendent beings as he did, if not more.
In any case, the Ossuary was cornered enough to roll the dice.
From the looks of it, their prophet mode wouldn't hold out much longer either.
'And the same goes for me.'
Undead Consolidation was Leyzon's trump card too.
That's why he'd held it back until the very end.
Both the Ossuary and Leyzon had played all their cards.
All that remained was a head-on clash of raw power.
'They're definitely plotting one big move too.'
Just once.
A single exchange would shatter this deadlock completely.
Leyzon had two options.
One: Wait and see what move the Ossuary made.
Two: Strike first with his own.
And Leyzon chose the latter.
'If they're planning a move.'
Just force their hand.
From within the castle giant, Leyzon raised his staff.
"Fierce Poison Emanation."
Poison began blooming around Leyzon.
Triggering Poison Phantom [SS] and Fierce Poison Aura Mix [SS].
The poison's power began to maximize.
Leyzon didn't stop there.
Gradually, spells of various attributes started pouring from him.
The [Ring of Harmony] on his finger blazed with intense light.
The Ring of Harmony vibrated wildly.
Overloaded by the massive surge of mana.
Yet the magic kept amplifying endlessly.
Blood, shadow, darkness, curses.
All of them SSS-rank skills, without exception.
Each fusion intensified the magic further.
An uncontrollable torrent of power raged.
Poison-attribute plants shot up from below, coiling around its legs.
Poison insects sank their fangs into its arms, injecting venom.
As mana was consumed, more mana refilled.
Mana from the four undead awakened via Succession [Special].
A fusion spell completed by pouring it all out.
The Ossuary couldn't ignore it.
The entire space shook as if it might crack apart.
A massive energy aggregate formed above the castle giant's head.
The atmosphere churned.
From the [Bound Filthy Grudge] in his right hand, vengeful spirits spread, shrieking.
Boosting the Abyss's power even further.
"Well? What're you gonna do?"
Leyzon grinned broadly, sweat beading on his face.
He'd revealed his hand.
Now it was up to the Ossuary's response.
Take the completed Abyss head-on?
Or play their own card.
Leyzon had forced the choice.
At that instant, the red beasts roared in unison, converging on one spot.
Not just them.
All the surrounding undead and apostles rushed toward the beasts.
A peak rose at the center of the gathering mass.
Souls intertwined at its core, weaving a massive power current.
Souls swirled into a vortex.
Black sparks erupted.
The feast of power spread endlessly.
"Going for a straight firepower slugfest?"
Leyzon let out a hollow chuckle.
He hadn't expected them to match him in a raw magic duel.
"Castle Giant."
But Leyzon had more than just fusion magic.
The castle giant, completed the moment Undead Consolidation activated.
The giant in black armor charged toward the peak.
Leyzon slipped out of the giant's body, spreading wings and taking flight.
The giant's six weapons thrust toward the peak.
Jiiiiiik!
In that moment, the fabric of space tore open.
A colossal arm emerged from the rift, plastered with talismans.
The arm seized the giant's body.
Kuung!
The castle giant halted dead in its tracks.
A mountain-sized monster covered in talismans emerged from space, bellowing.
The castle giant and this new behemoth collided, kicking up chaos.
Meanwhile, Leyzon and the Ossuary's powers continued to swell.
Who would break first.
In that instant, as their strengths amplified without end.
Jjeok!
The Ossuary's peak finally split open.
Almost simultaneously, Leyzon aimed his staff.
The completed black sun, the Abyss, hurtled through the sky.
A crimson flower bloomed from the peak.
Then, Leyzon caught a glimpse inside the red peak: the Ossuary.
The Ossuary stared back impassively.
Udeuk!
For that split second, time seemed to freeze for Leyzon.
The Ossuary knew about the Abyss's overwhelming firepower.
Even they couldn't ignore it.
Yet they chose to clash head-on with its wielder.
Would the Ossuary really pull something that stupid?
Leyzon's instincts screamed no.
They weren't that foolish.
Especially after already gambling earlier.
Human psychology is a curious thing.
After a risky bet, you crave a safe play.
The Ossuary's safe play.
Leyzon's eyes fixed on the fully bloomed crimson flower.
A red flower blooming without any warning.
It looked ready to devour the incoming Abyss.
Pure instinct drove his reaction.
The staff, about to ignite, snapped in another direction.
Leyzon's lips parted.
"Succession, Haron."
Jjeok!
Just before the Abyss touched the red flower, cracks spiderwebbed across it.
Jjanggrang!
The Abyss shattered into pieces and vanished in an instant.
The Ossuary's eyes slowly widened.
The moment their gazes met Leyzon's.
Leyzon bared his teeth in a grin.
"Hanok."
He called the warrior he'd raised.
Beneath the flower's base.
Shadow surged, revealing a single warrior.
A Sword-Tooth Clan youth clad in the ultimate black-sun-forged armor.
Hanok Wilbria.
His yellow eyes flashed as he gripped his spear, channeling leg strength.
Hanok rocketed upward with the shadow's spring.
―――――――!
A speed too fast for sound to catch.
The Ossuary, focused on the Abyss right in front of them, couldn't react in time.
Peogeuuk!
Hanok punched straight through the Ossuary's entire chest.
The spear's ultimate piercing power blocked nothing.
Hanok shot into the sky and vanished into shadow.
Too fast to stop himself.
"Kuhuk!"
Meanwhile, the Ossuary spat blood, eyes bulging.
They stared at Leyzon in disbelief.
The Ossuary's prepared move: the Flower of Reflection.
A unique spell that devoured any incoming attack and returned it twofold.
Intended to double the Abyss right back.
But Leyzon had switched judgments in that instant.
Kugugung!
The Flower of Reflection collapsed, unable to absorb any power.
Massive blood poured endlessly from the Ossuary's body.
This was bad.
Outplayed in the hand game.
Prepare for the next.
But too much mana spent focusing on the flower.
Overinvested to fool Leyzon—it had backfired.
No undead or apostles left.
No matter what, this level of depletion left nothing.
"Undead Consolidation."
Undead Consolidation
Haron
Four purple wings unfurled behind Leyzon's back.
The flames above his head multiplied once more.
Simultaneously, an even more overwhelming power surged from Leyzon's entire body.
All-in until the absolute end.
Leyzon aimed his staff at the castle giant.
"There's more than one target for fusion magic."
By the time the Ossuary grasped the words, it was too late.
"Fusion Magic, Ignite."
Purple flames erupted across the castle giant's body.
The Ossuary stared blankly.
A twisted smile crept onto their lips.
"Ha, haha."
This ruthless bastard.
Turning it into a hand game until the very last moment.
A true necromancer.
The Ossuary closed their eyes amid the spreading light.
"Eternal Rest."
A massive explosion erupted.
―――――――――!
That day, the depths beneath the Dryad Forest were utterly annihilated.