Chapter 263
Chapter 263
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 263
Chapter Title: King of Madness (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
At the northernmost tip of Aonia County in the Tulk Kingdom stood the Steel Citadel.
This was the kingdom's foremost fortress, built to block the monsters spilling over from the infamous Northern Mountains.
Normally, it served as a base camp for those venturing into the mountains to gather rare materials or hunt, while also functioning as a scouting outpost that conducted regular patrols to monitor any anomalies in real time.
Especially after the madness outbreak had intensified the monsters' rampages and a massive beast invasion followed, reinforcements had poured in, turning it into an impregnable stronghold...
"Gah! My leg... my leg!"
"Huff... huff..."
"Move it, faster! Triage the wounded first!"
But now, that very place had descended into hellish chaos.
Injured soldiers lay scattered everywhere, groaning in agony, alongside severed limbs from the fallen and mangled corpses that bore witness to the brutality.
Crack—
One section of the walls, reinforced higher and stronger to withstand monster assaults, had crumbled pathetically. The destruction extended straight into the fortress's inner town.
"Captain! Are you alright? Potion, quick!"
"Over here! Get the captain inside, now!"
And the one who bore the brunt of this disaster—the overall commander of the Steel Citadel's defenses—had suffered no less.
He was the county's finest knight, leader of Aonia's First Knight Order, said to be on the verge of Master rank.
Yet the man pulled from beneath the collapsed wall rubble looked utterly wretched, a far cry from his renowned status.
His body was a wreck from head to toe, and he'd lost an arm to boot. The middle-aged knight received emergency treatment from his subordinates before being swiftly carried away for further care.
"Ugh... that thing...?"
"Captain! You're awake?"
In the midst of it all.
Thanks to his knightly resilience and a potion's hasty aid, he regained consciousness en route and mumbled hoarsely.
But as he slowly opened his eyes, he could only squeeze them shut again at the sight of the devastation around him.
He didn't need to hear it—he knew exactly how things had unfolded after he blacked out.
'The White Giant...'
He'd heard the rumors about it.
How could he not, as knight commander? It was one of the prime culprits terrorizing the continent alongside the undead army.
'But it was different from the stories. Bigger, too. And its facial orifices weren't sealed. And...'
Above all—that strength was on another level entirely from the tales.
He'd thought holding out behind the magically fortified walls would buy them some time.
What a foolish delusion.
The towering walls, built tall and thick against large beasts, only reached the giant's chest. He and his knights hadn't even managed any real resistance.
'It didn't even seem in peak condition, yet it was that strong. How monstrous was it at full power?'
The giant had appeared covered in wounds from the start.
Yet its display of might was so overwhelming that surviving felt like a miracle.
"We've reported the situation to command for now, sir. Please rest."
"Tch... Pathetic... Not only did I let it breach, but here I lie, useless..."
"That was a calamity, sir. How many could stop a monster like that? Anyone short of that famous saint..."
"...The temple?"
"We contacted them immediately."
"...Hoo. Gods grant the damage is minimal..."
No matter how he sliced it, that thing was beyond the kingdom's ability to handle.
They'd have to rely on the Church.
The key now was holding out with minimal losses until the saintess-led crusade arrived.
"Lord of the Main God..."
With those final words, the knight captain, who'd been clinging to consciousness, finally slipped away into oblivion.
As the Steel Citadel reeled from the sudden crisis,
the beast responsible was barreling southward at tremendous speed.
To a place just a day's carriage ride away.
The great northern city of Tarac.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Ominous.
The sudden thought made her heart pound.
A sense of impending crisis surged up, leaving her fidgety and restless despite nothing happening yet.
"Lady Diana? Are you alright?"
"Huh?"
Diana, the girl who'd been unconsciously biting her nails, startled at the voice and forced a composed expression.
"...Yes, sorry. Handle that as discussed."
"Understood."
She shook herself together and finished issuing orders.
The staff bowed and scattered to their tasks.
"Lady Diana seems off today."
"More than that, the soldiers have been acting strange since earlier. Something up?"
"Come to think of it, I was at the walls briefly, and they were..."
The merchants murmured among themselves as they worked.
But Diana, inspecting the warehouse district on the city outskirts, had no attention for such trifles.
She took a deep breath and placed a hand on her chest.
Thump— thump— thump—
Her heart raced fiercely, her breath coming short.
For no apparent reason.
'Why now? It's like...'
It reminded her of back in her hometown Azantu, when she'd smelled something 'incredibly dangerous.'
The thing she'd hunted for Uncle after it caused havoc.
No, this was worse.
Unlike then, this felt like real-time mortal peril from something tangible.
'Uncle's vampire guards are well-hidden, and this warehouse area's crawling with our mercenary escorts. It's the safest spot... Huh?'
As she frowned, puzzling it out,
a sudden stench hit her, and she pinched her nose instinctively.
"Ugh, what is this?"
The head-splittingly hazardous odor permeated the air from all directions.
She was used to monster byproducts as a merchant, but this was leagues beyond.
'...Where from?'
Her gaze drifted northward.
Too potent to pinpoint exactly, but the rough direction was clear.
A considerable distance away, even from these outskirts.
Her head turned north.
And only then did she realize another fact.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
That unidentified stench
was approaching.
At an insane speed.
Straight toward her.
Weeeoooohn—
Ding-dong-dang-dong—!
Alarms blared across the city in perfect sync.
Something serious was indeed afoot.
'Back to base. Fast as possible.'
Leading her caravan in a hasty retreat,
she staggered from a massive quake but was steadied by her guard.
"What the—?!"
"The wall's barrier activated! External attack!"
"Lady Diana first! Straight to headquarters...!"
Shouts erupted amid the chaos.
Not just Hubert Merchant Company folk—everyone nearby was in disarray.
But it didn't end there.
Boom—! Crash—! Rumble—!
Successive shockwaves hit,
and boulders from the wall smashed into nearby warehouses with deafening roars.
Roooar—
The outskirts turned to rubble.
Buildings collapsed.
And beyond them—
"Th-the wall's down!"
"W-wait. What... what is that?"
"N-no way... A... a giant...?"
Even from afar, it defied perspective—a colossal being.
A single white giant radiating overwhelming menace stared their way.
A grotesque smile on its lips.
"Ah... ah."
"Ugh..."
Merchants, workers, mercenaries, soldiers—all who met its gaze froze solid.
Like helpless lambs before a supreme predator.
"Kekeke, fou...nd... you—!"
The giant's thrilled growl.
And right after—
KABOOM—!
A colossal impact engulfed Tarac's outskirts.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Thoughts fragmented.
Her mind tangled, unable to focus.
What was I doing?
Left home as usual, headed to the company, lunched, then inspected the outskirts warehouse.
While giving orders... she felt something.
'Right! And then...'
A massive, pure-white giant appeared.
Everyone froze under its gaze, then its voice struck, and she blacked out.
And she herself...
'What... happened... to me?'
As the question formed,
Diana twitched her nose at a newly noticed scent.
A warm, familiar aroma.
Her returning wits snapped her eyes open.
"Ugh!"
Fierce wind slapped her face; she squeezed her eyes shut and turned into the embrace holding her.
"Coming around?"
A deeply familiar, ever-calm voice flowed into her ear.
"Merchant Lord? How...?"
Soothed by the steady tone, Diana cautiously spoke.
Peeking her eyes open, she scanned around—
"Ah?"
Her jaw dropped; she blinked repeatedly.
Whoooosh—
Plains and trees blurred past at dizzying speed.
They were flying.
More precisely, Hubert was soaring through the air at breakneck pace, cradling her in both arms.
As she gawked blankly,
Hubert glanced down with inner relief.
'That was close. It reached Tarac faster than expected.'
Even preparing and moving the instant it vanished from the border nearly wasn't enough.
And Diana being out on inspection then didn't help.
His quick rescue and escape owed to one thing.
The armor Howard was crafting.
'All-Purpose Combat Full-Body Suit Mk.1 (Prototype).'
Still unfinished—a partial suit of linked parts.
"Um, Merchant Lord. That armor...?"
Diana, spotting it, voiced her puzzled query.
It looked alien compared to normal plate.
Sleek curves of unknown metal, intricate circuits etched on the surface.
Light pulsed from the chest core like blood through veins, flowing ceaselessly along the lines to erupt as fierce flames from soles and lower back.
"A magitech tool I've been working on. Prototype stage, but it let us make it in time."
Supplied the suit via 'Avatar Cloud,' Hubert had snatched Diana from the brink and fled.
'Pushed it too hard—materials are shot after this; it'll need scrapping. ...But real-world data makes it worth it.'
The materials were pricey for one-use, but dodging the giant's eyes demanded it.
"Ah! The giant—what happened?"
Diana, snapping to, asked urgently.
Her eyes sharpened as composure returned.
"That giant."
Right after Hubert fled with her, it lost interest in the city and pursued.
Overclocking a top-grade mana stone core from the Karma Shop shook it off briefly, but not for long.
The giant closed in seconds later—
"Lucky. Someone who could handle it was nearby."
Only to be stalled by a blocker, letting them escape again.
'Still, better safe. Keep Diana far until it's done.'
Its reaction suggested she mattered more than thought.
That explained his continued flight despite the breather.
And at that moment,
the one who'd bought that time was in the thick of battle.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ BOOM—!
Another explosion rocked an area slightly removed from Tarac.
"Graaah! What the hell?! How are you here? You were in the south!"
The raging giant bellowed in fury.
One of the pests ruining its plans had tripped it up again—naturally infuriating.
"Kahahaha! This one's extra-large! Can't miss it!"
Harley cackled wildly, ignoring the rage, and charged anew.
His presence here was simple.
He had 'Hero's Footsteps'—teleport to any prior location.
Once limited by cooldown and distance, constant heroic exploits had upgraded it to anywhere on the continent.
'Took a bit explaining to Misty.'
Anyway, the situation wasn't bad.
Damage from the Hans fight, plus extra buffs from that space, had visibly weakened it compared to the Abyss Border clash.
'Didn't recognize me instantly— that authority must be weakened too.'
Of course, he could only stall, not win solo.
Left unchecked, defeat loomed.
"Kahaha—! Let's play!"
"Fine! I'll kill you first, barbarian!"
But he wasn't worried.
That instant,
a blood gate opened at the vampires' Tarac hideout,
and holy light burst from the temple's gate.