The Black Giant
As Elbridge made his way down the slope, the distinctive clanking footsteps of the paladins followed from behind.
But the sound wasn’t particularly close.
“Those bastards don’t seem interested in fighting alongside us, huh?”
At Rombel’s words, Elbridge glanced back.
Sure enough, the paladins were following. Yet they showed no sign of joining the fight. They couldn’t stop him in the first place, and since he had promised to show them something, they were simply tagging along.
“It must be hard to openly defy the order’s policy. And it’s not as if the policy lacks convincing arguments.”
“So you’re planning to fight without any support?”
Elbridge stared straight at Rombel.
“You told me not to nitpick, but now you’re ready to sit this one out if there’s no backup?”
“No. Actually, this is better. If I shine in a hopeless battle, the Lord God will have no choice but to watch me, right?”
Elbridge smiled.
“It’s not like we’ll have zero support.”
A question flickered across Marcus’s face as he listened.
Aside from a handful of truly insignificant orders, hadn’t every order on the hill already united?
“Is someone coming to help us?”
“There is one combat order.”
“If it’s too small, it won’t make much difference.”
“It’s not that small. In fact, it’s one of the larger ones.”
Marcus mulled over which order it could be, but no answer came to mind.
They soon reached the bottom of the slope.
An immense crowd packed the wide street. Among them, one spot drew an especially dense throng—the Golden Platter Order.
People shoved and yanked at one another, shouting wildly. A few stood on slightly higher ground, bellowing at the top of their lungs.
“Just a little more! Just a little more!”
But the moment Elbridge took a few steps forward, the uproar that had lasted for days died away in an instant. The number of paladins descending the hill was simply too great to ignore.
The men shouting from the platform spotted Elbridge and the paladins, then leaped down and hurried over.
The youngest among them fell into step beside Elbridge.
“Greetings. You are Sir Elbridge, correct?”
“I am.”
“My name is Hans. I was deeply impressed by your performance in the last Grand Tournament.”
“I see.”
“Sir Elbridge, might I ask why you’ve descended the hill?”
“A demon has appeared.”
“And…?”
“What more do you need?”
Elbridge’s tone had grown curt. He had realized that Hans and the others with him were representatives of the White Backs.
Even in the old days, people had drifted between orders chasing after profit. Clashes between orders were common. But it had never been this chaotic.
Probably because no one had tried to gather those benefit-chasers into an organized faction.
Unable to read Elbridge’s thoughts, Hans continued in a smooth, amiable voice.
“Sir Elbridge, the demon appears far stronger than we imagined.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“Sir Elbridge, a man has only one life. If you’re going to fight anyway, shouldn’t you secure a certain victory with the strongest possible authority?”
Elbridge’s reply was blunt.
“For someone so concerned about my safety, you seem rather eager for this situation to drag on.”
“Not at all. I am merely attempting to coordinate matters.”
“Coordinate.”
“As you know, both the combat orders and non-combat orders present persuasive arguments. We are simply trying to decide how much strength to lend to each side.”
“And why are people like you involved in that coordination?”
“Because it is difficult for so many to participate immediately in such a critical discussion. Having representatives like ourselves allows the confusion to be resolved quickly.”
“I see. You’ve worked hard.”
When Elbridge answered curtly and kept walking, Hans finally stepped in front of him.
“Sir Elbridge, please wait just a day and a half. This is truly for the benefit of—”
Without the slightest hesitation, Elbridge drew his sword and stabbed Hans in the shoulder.
“Aaaagh!”
Hans clutched his shoulder and collapsed, rolling across the ground.
Those beside him shouted.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing!”
“I am moving to engage in battle. It would be inconvenient if someone blocked my path to chat.”
At Elbridge’s dry reply, a gaunt man exploded.
“After the battle, if you’re still alive, you’ll have to answer for this!”
Elbridge stopped and turned the question back on him.
“Answer for it?”
“Yes! You’ll have to explain yourself!”
“I will? To you?”
The gaunt man flinched but forced down his fear and answered.
“Absolutely!”
Elbridge gave a short, dry laugh.
“I’m the kind of person who gets uncomfortable when I put off what needs to be done.”
He pointed ahead with the blood-flecked sword.
“Step forward. It seems I should explain myself first before proceeding.”
Elbridge’s voice remained calm from beginning to end.
Yet one did not need to shout or raise one’s voice to sound threatening.
The gaunt man, unable to bring himself to stand before Elbridge, muttered.
“...You’ll have to endure the fury of Soleneon’s citizens.”
Elbridge smiled faintly. He doubted any real anger would follow.
In fact, many faces in the crowd watched him with barely concealed excitement.
Well, the White Backs could hardly have looked good in the eyes of believers who had already cast their votes.
Elbridge stared directly at the gaunt man.
“I am going to carry out my duty. You carry out yours. Win or lose, I hope the coordination is finished by the time the battle ends. Otherwise I may want to hear your explanation as well.”
Elbridge led the group forward a short distance. A wide clearing strewn with the rubble of collapsed buildings came into view.
Every gaze—those of the crowd and Elbridge alike—turned toward the center of the open space.
There stood a colossal demon.
Its height was literally that of a temple spire. Its arms and legs were as thick as the massive pillars that supported those temples. Even its pitch-black skin flickered with flames that burned like living fire.
Yet the black flaming giant did not move recklessly. It simply waited in silence for its opponents.
At the edge of the clearing, Elbridge spotted familiar paladins.
“It’s been a while.”
To his greeting, Viveka replied.
“It has.”
The Spring Rain and Moss Order did not belong to the hill faction, but it was undeniably classified as a combat order.
Moreover, it held the most seats among Soleneon’s combat orders. It was the finest support available for today’s battle.
“Have you trained diligently?”
“My skills have improved somewhat since last time.”
“I’ll be counting on you. My life is in your hands today, Dame Viveka.”
“Tch.”
Viveka shot him a glare, and Elbridge smiled awkwardly.
He had left Soleneon without a word and returned after several months. That was more than enough time for her to sort through her feelings.
Fortunately, she did not appear to harbor any resentment toward him.
“Let’s begin.”
With Elbridge and Rombel at the forefront, followed by Marcus and the paladins of the Spring Rain and Moss Order, they climbed atop the heaps of rubble.
The seated demon rose slowly, as though preparing to punish those who had invaded its domain.
Marcus glanced behind him. The paladins of the other combat orders had not entered the clearing the demon had created. In the end, they had chosen to remain spectators.
“Ah… I’m starting to regret coming.”
Marcus could not shake his unease.
Elbridge, however, thought it was fine. After all, Marcus was still standing on the rubble.
That was simply how Marcus was. He might not be particularly brave, but he was never truly cowardly.
“Don’t overdo it. Rombel and I will lead the fight. Marcus, stay in a suitable spot and watch for an opening.”
“It’d be nice if I could do nothing until it’s over.”
“That probably won’t be possible.”
Rombel asked with a sullen expression, “How do you want to do this?”
“First, I need to see what kind of creature it is.”
“Shall I stab it deep once?”
“Let’s do that.”
Elbridge and Rombel spread out as they advanced toward the black giant.
The giant paused for a moment, then fixed its gaze on Elbridge.
Elbridge approached with sword and shield raised.
One step. Two steps. Three steps…
As he closed the distance, the black giant suddenly twisted its body. Elbridge hurled himself aside while watching its movement. And—
BOOM!
The giant’s fist slammed into the spot where Elbridge had stood.
Despite its enormous size, the black giant moved with the speed of a skilled knight.
Its strength was beyond imagination.
The fist crushed the piled debris and struck the ground so hard that even the spectators felt the earth jolt beneath their feet.
Faster than I expected.
BOOM!
The giant’s second fist came down. Elbridge leaped again, swinging his sword mid-air to slash at the fist. The blade sank into the giant’s skin.
Not particularly tough. But the heat is stronger than I thought.
Next the giant lifted its right foot to crush him. Yet there was no chance it could stomp on an opponent its fists had failed to catch.
However, the foot had never been the real threat.
CRASH—
Elbridge whipped his head toward the sound.
The giant’s left arm was sweeping across the ground, scraping up the debris.
Was it trying to grab him?
No.
The instant the giant’s palm lifted from the earth, the scattered rubble shot forward like cannon fire—massive stones and timbers hurled at terrifying speed.
Elbridge threw himself clear of the deadly trajectories.
The spectators and paladins watching the battle could not react in time.
CRUNCH.
“Ah—aaaagh!”
A sickening sound of something being pulverized or bursting rang out.
Without question, that single strike had killed or maimed many.
Yet even Elbridge had no means to help them.
So that’s why it destroyed the buildings.
Before he could catch his breath, the giant’s right fist flew at him again.
This time, just as he tried to dodge, the debris beneath his feet collapsed, ruining his balance.
He staggered.
His evasion became clumsy.
The very next instant, the giant’s fist crushed his left leg.
CRACK.
“…!”
An intense shock he had not felt in a long time. But Viveka reacted instantly.
“Authority of Healing!”
At her shout, Elbridge’s left leg was enveloped in pure white light.
The pain remained, but the shattered bones realigned in moments.
As expected, the efficiency is far better when a paladin of the order uses the authority directly.
This time the giant’s face turned toward Viveka. Its shoulder twitched.
Using only his still-healing right leg, Elbridge leaped. His target was the space in front of Viveka.
He arrived a fraction faster than the giant’s attack. Bracing his upper body with his right leg, he called upon the first authority of the battle.
“Goddess! Grant me the Authority of No Retreat!”
The giant’s fist slammed into Elbridge’s shield, which glowed with white light.
BOOOOM!
The difference in size was overwhelming.
Yet Elbridge’s shield blocked the demon’s strike cleanly.
He could not, however, block the flames that wreathed the giant’s body.
A heat hot enough to incinerate his entire being surged over him. It was so intense that Elbridge had to stop breathing for a moment. Otherwise his lungs would burn.
“Hah—hah—cough, cough!”
Unlike Elbridge, Viveka could not stop breathing in time.
Still, she should be all right. She had been farther back and could heal herself.
The giant drew its shoulder back once more.
But there was one person the giant had overlooked. Rombel.
Rombel, who had approached in silence, hurled himself forward, skimming the ground, and swung his massive double-edged axe.
SLICE.
The back of the giant’s ankle was cut deeply.
“…!”
The giant staggered with an indescribable cry.
Yet Rombel’s assault had only begun. After rolling twice to regain his balance, he pivoted on one leg and spun his entire body twice.
Using the centrifugal force, he hurled the enormous axe at the giant.
“Eat this!”
The double-edged axe flew straight at the giant’s head.
The black giant instantly crossed its arms to block.
But Rombel had never intended to kill it with that throw—only to restrict its movement. In that opening, Elbridge—his left leg now healed—leaped toward the giant.
SIZZLE—
The blazing black flames instantly heated his armor. Any hesitation and his skin might cook.
Yet Elbridge reached the giant’s bent knee in only three steps.
On the fourth step, he kicked off the knee and launched himself toward the giant’s wide-open chest.
STAB!
Elbridge drove his sword into the center of the giant’s chest.
“…!”
The giant let out another silent scream.
Hanging from the embedded blade, Elbridge slid downward, carving deep, long gashes across the giant’s chest and abdomen.
The paladins watched the flawless coordinated attack the two had unleashed in an instant and stood with mouths agape.
“…Insane.”
Roughly a month earlier, dozens of fully prepared paladins had attacked and failed to inflict even a proper wound, let alone subdue the giant.
Yet now, Elbridge and Rombel had dealt a fatal blow with a precarious yet perfect combination. The battle had barely begun.
“They took down a demon with just two people?”
“To be precise, it wasn’t just two…”
So his claim of showing them how to hunt a demon had not been empty bravado.
While the paladins thought this, Viveka—who had finished healing herself—asked.
“Is it dead?”
Neither Elbridge nor Rombel looked excited or pleased.
Elbridge answered calmly.
“No, Viveka. I was only testing its reaction.”
“But the demon is…”
Viveka stared quietly at the giant.
It was still staggering. Cracks centered on the chest wound spread across its entire body like a rock split by a chisel.
Finally the black giant shattered into pieces and exploded.
A young paladin whose name no one knew shouted with joy.
“We did it!”
But it did not take long to realize how wrong that prediction had been.
Dozens of fragments from the exploded giant were slowly rising to their feet.
Though smaller, each fragment had taken on the complete shape of a demon.
Each was roughly twice the size of a human.
“…”
If anything, the situation had grown worse.
The black giant’s movements were no longer confined to the clearing.
The fragments began sprinting in every direction, seeking victims.