Chapter 663
Chapter Title: The Great Hero
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“Graaaaaaah!”
Giganto let out a roar toward the sky.
“Ugh!”
The members of the Arhi party staggered, clutching their ears.
“Fear…!”
Ar gritted his teeth and took a deep breath.
“Grraaaaaaaawl!”
Ar’s howl canceled out Giganto’s fear-inducing roar.
“Kra-ha-ha-ha! Now that’s a spirited little one!”
Giganto flashed a belligerent smile at Ar for nullifying his Fear, then lowered his stance.
He charged toward Ar at an incredible speed.
Seeing this, Ar’s eyes glinted.
*Fwoosh-!*
A light flashed in Ar’s eyes as he underwent beastification.
“Hmm?!”
Giganto’s eyes widened at the sight.
“Beastification without a full moon?!”
A thrill filled Giganto’s eyes as he let out a cry of astonishment.
“Interesting! How interesting! You look absolutely delicious!”
Giganto licked his lips.
“I will devour you!”
“Who do you think you’re devouring?!”
His eyes wide, Ar kicked off the ground.
Becoming a golden flash, Ar charged toward Giganto at immense speed and delivered a kick straight to his forehead.
*KRAAANG-!*
Giganto’s head snapped back as if his neck had broken.
*Swoosh-! KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRAAANG-!*
Giganto’s fist, swung blindly with his neck bent back, laid waste to the surrounding area.
Ar, having already predicted and dodged the attack, was now behind Giganto.
*BAM-! CRACK-!*
Ar kicked the back of Giganto’s head.
Giganto pitched forward, his face plowing into the ground.
It was terrifying destructive power.
But Giganto shot right back up.
“Kra-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I like it! I really like it!”
*Rumble-rumble-rumble-!*
As he raised his colossal body, dirt and dust showered down.
Karl’s face paled as he watched Giganto burst into crazed laughter.
“Did that not damage him at all?”
“My name is Giganto! Assault Captain of the great Giant King’s army! I will remember your name!”
“Ar Tune. The one who carries the Brave Hero’s will.”
“Brave Hero? Was there someone called a Brave Hero?”
“You bastard! You dare disrespect Lord Ar-on! Is that head of yours just for decoration?!”
The agitated Ar hissed.
“Ar-on? Who’s that?”
Just as Giganto was expressing his confusion.
“This is hardly the time for idle chat, is it?”
*Crackle-crackle-crackle-!*
From high above, a golden thunderbolt raged.
Duran, his body cloaked in an aura of lightning, was swinging his greatsword with both hands.
Giganto swung his fist toward Duran’s greatsword as it descended upon his neck.
*BOOM-! CRACKLE-!*
Lightning scattered in all directions.
Giganto’s face twisted into a vicious scowl as he blocked Duran’s sword.
“You’re an interesting one, too!”
*Fwoosh-!*
His other fist, the one not blocking Duran’s greatsword, swung toward Duran.
*Fwo-fwo-fwo-fwoosh!*
Sparks of lightning flew, and Duran’s body dispersed.
Leaving behind an afterimage, Duran was already swinging his greatsword at Giganto’s ankle.
*Thunk-!*
Duran’s greatsword dug into Giganto’s ankle.
A muscle in Duran’s eye twitched.
It had pierced the flesh, but it hadn’t cut through to the bone.
Duran grimaced when he tried to retrieve his sword, only to find it wouldn’t budge.
“A sharp sword.”
The corners of Giganto’s mouth curled up.
“But its durability is on par with a toy!”
*FWOOSH-!*
Giganto’s massive palm swung down, poised to crush Duran.
*KRA-BOOOOOM-!*
The very earth shook violently.
Duran, having dodged the attack, drew the longsword from his hip.
Giganto’s hand clamped down on the ground. *Crunch-!* He squeezed his fist and then opened it.
*Clatter-clatter-clatter-!*
Under the immense pressure of his grip, Duran’s greatsword, Lightning Storm, fell to the ground in shattered pieces.
“O-Our national treasureeeeeee!”
Karl screamed, clutching his head.
Lightning Storm.
It was the sword used by the first king who founded the Moira Kingdom.
A symbol of the founding king and the number one national treasure of the Moira Kingdom.
Karl couldn’t help but cry out in horror at the sight of it being shattered before his very eyes.
“Hmph. An antique. No wonder its durability is pathetic.”
“Is that something you say when your family heirloom just broke! The king won’t let you get away with this!”
“It was going to be mine eventually, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Wow… I’m sometimes jealous of that personality.”
Karl clicked his tongue, amazed by the unyielding mental fortitude that didn’t flinch even as a national treasure and family heirloom was destroyed.
Giganto pounded his chest—*THUMP!*—and his eyes flashed.
“My body was forged by the world’s greatest blacksmith! My father, Gias, personally hammered it into shape! Before my flesh, the greatest masterpiece created by the Giant King, any and all blades are meaningless!”
“Hmph! The world’s greatest blacksmith isn’t the Giant King Gias, it’s Lord Dweno!”
As Driana scoffed in response, Giganto tilted his head.
“Dweno? What’s that?”
“You don’t know Lord Dweno, the Godly Blacksmith?! Is that needlessly large head of yours just for decoration?!”
“Calm down. Ar already used that one.”
Karl grabbed the shoulder of Driana, who was growling and shaking her fist.
“What a strange bunch. A Brave Hero, a Godly Blacksmith. What are all these things?”
Giganto let out a sneer.
“If you don’t know, I’ll just have to crack that skull open and carve it into your brain!”
Along with the chilling voice, someone flew toward Giganto’s head.
It was the small-framed woman, Artian.
“Ah! Professor Artian! It’s dangerous to charge in recklessly when you don’t know the opponent’s abilities!”
Karl urgently tried to stop her, but Artian’s eyes flashed as she shouted.
“Shut up! If blades don’t work, I’ll just have to beat him with my fists!”
*FWOOM-! KRA-BOOOOOM-!*
Artian’s fist struck Giganto’s forehead.
*CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-!*
The ground around Giganto’s feet began to split at an incredible rate, and the earth started to heave.
“Keok?”
Giganto, who hadn’t batted an eye at Ar’s or Duran’s attacks, momentarily staggered.
*Whip-!*
*Thud-!*
“Hyaaaaaah!”
Landing on Giganto’s ankle, Artian grabbed hold of it and let out a spirited cry.
*Stagger-!*
Giganto completely lost his balance.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
“Nwoaaaaaaah?!”
“Ugh?!”
The small-statured Artian began to spin Giganto around and around, using her fearsome strength.
Ar and Duran, who were in the radius of the rotation, scrambled back in fright.
“Horyaaaaah!”
*FWOOSH-! KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRAAANG-!*
Propelled by centrifugal force, Giganto’s body was sent flying, crashing wretchedly into the ground.
“Ugh!”
“Here I coooome! Take thiiiis!”
“Gah!”
As Giganto was trying to get up, Artian charged him at an incredible speed and headbutted him straight in the abdomen.
Struck by Artian’s headbutt, which came at him like a cannonball, Giganto was sent flying once more.
From Giganto’s perspective, it was as if a hard object the size of a palm had flown at him at immense speed and collided with his stomach.
“Hmph!”
Artian pulled her fists to her waist and snorted.
“I… I’ve made a vow. From now on, I will never, ever, ever talk back to Professor Artian.”
As Karl muttered, swallowing dryly at Artian’s transcendent martial prowess, everyone else nodded in agreement.
*Rumble-rumble-rumble-!*
“Ohohoho! It’s been a long time since my blood has boiled like this!”
“Oh? You’re laughing? You want another beating?”
Just as Artian’s eyes flashed menacingly.
“I’ll take this one, Professor.”
Artian glanced at Leo, who had appeared beside her.
“That was quite impressive.”
Artian’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Leo, who was smiling and patting her on the head.
“Feels like the professor and student have switched places, doesn’t it?”
“My apologies.”
“Hmph.”
Artian snorted and crossed her arms.
“I’ll command the kids and deal with the other small fry. You make sure you take care of that lump.”
“Leave it to me.”
Leaving her back to Leo, Artian returned to the party members.
*Krawwwrrr!*
Monsters began to crawl out of the tunnel Giganto had emerged from.
“And how do you plan on entertaining me!”
Expectation filled Giganto’s eyes.
Looking at him, Leo drew his sword.
“I might enjoy it, but I doubt you will.”
“Kra-ha-ha-ha! I do like a spirited one! But!”
A sneer formed on Giganto’s lips.
“A mere knight can’t defeat me!”
“Because of your Aura trait that nullifies other Auras? Knight Slayer, Giganto.”
“Hoh? You know my Aura trait and you still dare to challenge me? You’ve got some commendable courage!”
*Splorch-*
“……?”
Giganto’s gaze fell to the ground.
His eyes widened as he saw his own massive arm, twitching.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Giganto screamed, clutching the stump of his severed arm.
Approaching him, Leo spoke.
“I had some trouble with you 5,000 years ago. After all, your ability was to nullify Aura. And when we first met, Ar-on was still inexperienced.”
Leo had defeated Giganto just before Dweno joined the Arhi party.
At the time, the Giant King’s army was on the move to attack the fortress protected by Dweno.
Giganto, with his ability to nullify Aura, was a formidable foe.
Moreover…
“Just as you said, your body was truly Gias’s greatest masterpiece.”
A body impervious to any weapon also possessed powerful anti-magic properties, making it highly resistant to magic.
Of course, Luna and Lisinas were mages skilled enough to pierce that resistance.
But they were too busy holding back the army led by Giganto to spare the effort.
‘Back then, Ar-on was truly frustrated for the first time.’
The knights moving with the Arhi party had died.
That fact had made Ar-on genuinely furious.
Recalling how Ar-on had cursed his own inexperience, Leo raised his sword.
“What in the world is that! That sword!”
Giganto’s face was colored with shock as he stared at the shabby longsword in Leo’s hand.
“This?”
Leo aimed Posteritas at Giganto as if it were nothing special.
“It’s proof that Gias, that bastard, isn’t the greatest blacksmith.”
“You bastard! How dare you speak such blasphemy!”
*Slice-!*
“Gak!”
“There’s nothing easier to defeat than a knight who relies on powerful equipment.”
Leo said nonchalantly, having just severed Giganto’s ankle.
Giganto’s fearsome aspect was his tough body that no blade could pierce.
It was the ultimate masterpiece, crafted with great care by Gias, who had produced countless formidable weapons by the standards of that era.
However…
‘It’s meaningless before Dweno’s creations. Because the world’s greatest blacksmith is Dweno.’
What’s more, the sword now in Leo’s hand was the masterpiece that Dweno himself had acknowledged as his only true work.
Giganto’s body was powerless before Leo’s sword.
“You baaastard! Do you think I became the vanguard captain of the great Giant King’s army with my body alone!”
*KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRAAANG-!*
Giganto slammed his fist into the ground.
Black lava erupted, surging toward Leo like a tidal wave.
Seeing this, Leo smirked and raised his palm.
A ring on his hand glinted.
*Crack-crack-crack-!*
“……!”
Giganto’s eyes widened as if they would tear, watching the lava freeze over in an instant.
“Hoo….”
A wisp of white breath escaped Leo’s lips.
“Spirit Arts… and magic? You… just what…!”
“You were infamous for being a battle maniac.”
*Step- step-*
Leo, his sword resting on his shoulder, approached Giganto with the corners of his mouth turned up.
“But the moment you were about to die, you started screaming.”
Leo’s eyes turned gray.
Meeting that gaze, Giganto fell to his knees.
*Thud-!*
For a moment, an image of a gray-haired young man brutally dismembering his body flashed in his mind.
‘…What is this? An illusion? The future? Or… the past? What in the world is this!’
Giganto’s body trembled.
“It was fun watching you, who only enjoyed fights you could win, beg for your life.”
Looking at the gently smiling Leo, Giganto squeezed out a question.
“Just what is your identity!”
“Me?”
*Stab-!*
In an instant, Leo’s sword gouged out Giganto’s eye.
“Gyaaaaaaaah!”
“The Great Hero you all feared the most.”
The true nature of Kyle, who had once struck fear into the hearts of countless demons, had awakened.