Chapter 226: Fantasy Lost Paradise (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 226: Fantasy Lost Paradise (3)
Ruuuuuumble!
A black haze rose along T-Bone's body.
Mana taking physical form.
The pressure exuded by a high-grade Death Knight was on an entirely different level.
The insects hesitated and shrank back.
As expected, 'Judgment of Anubis'—fully activated without having to worry about those Egyptian bastards—was a total cheat.
Just from the mana tingling against his skin, Jinhyuk could feel how incredibly strong T-Bone had become.
"Give me your command, Master."
"Shatter the White Jade."
"Understood."
The moment the command was given, T-Bone's figure vanished.
"Urgh!"
Sensing danger, Tangrasil gathered its mana.
A green mist spewed from the White Jade at the top of the white tree.
It was a neural substance that paralyzed the nervous system, forcing them to focus solely on killing the enemies before them.
"Kieee!"
"Keeek!"
Immediately, tree branches and insects swarmed forward like a flock of hornets.
[T-Bone activates his unique ability, 'False Oath'!]
'False Oath'—a unique ability that only a select few among Death Knights could manifest.
His sword and shield were dyed completely black.
What followed was a breakthrough that felt like a literal tempest sweeping through.
Kabaaaam!
As T-Bone swung his sword, a Hercules Beetle was split in half with a single strike.
"Kieeeek!"
The Black Sand Centipedes, the giant Helmet Beetles, and everything else—
"Keeek!"
Nothing that came into contact could withstand T-Bone's black Aura Blade.
The shredded carcasses of the insects rolled across the ground.
A path was cleared in the blink of an eye.
Tangrasil's branches trembled violently.
"O-Ograkun...! What on earth is Ograkun doing?! Come here at once! Come here this instant and protect me!"
Sensing its life was in danger, Tangrasil let out a long, echoing roar.
It was calling for help from the giants in the fortress.
And then...
A portion of the barrier split open, revealing the connection between the Lost Paradise and the outside world.
[The 12-Star Barrier is deactivated!]
Finally, a hole had opened in the ironclad wall.
'From here on, it's a race against time.'
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
Until now, the battle against Tangrasil inside the Lost Paradise had been the main stage.
But from this point forward, he had to factor in the giants' attacks as well.
'Since it called for help, it will take them at least ten minutes to get here.'
Ten minutes. Ten minutes, huh...
That was more than enough.
"티본!"
Jinhyuk raised his voice.
As if understanding the meaning behind the call, T-Bone immediately activated a new skill.
[T-Bone summons a 'Ghostly Steed'!]
A horse clad in translucent armor materialized.
Neighhh!
Mounting the green Ghostly Steed, T-Bone accelerated.
He was already difficult to block, but now, with the added acceleration and momentum from the Ghostly Steed, nothing dared to stand in his path.
He was right in front of it.
Only a few steps remained before his sword would shatter the White Jade.
But right then...
A chilling,
cold sensation ran down Jinhyuk's spine.
Something was there.
He felt a gaze fixed on him from the side, not from Tangrasil.
"..."
His body reacted before his mind could.
A spike made of Thousand Poisons shot toward where the gaze had come from.
Crash!
However, the spike failed to pierce its target.
Instead, it was neutralized by something and crumbled away.
Could that guy be...
"How on earth..."
"You are quite an impatient one."
There was no mistake.
Standing at the edge of the Lost Paradise was Ograkun, the King of the Giants.
* * *
"Master!"
An anomaly occurred on T-Bone's side as well.
Five giants had interposed themselves between Tangrasil and T-Bone.
"Don't get distracted, undead."
"We are your opponents!"
Black axes and clubs clashed against T-Bone's sword.
Just like the ones seen in the Empire's capital, these weapons were crafted to withstand Aura.
There were twelve of them in total.
Judging by their timing and positioning, their intervention here was by no means a coincidence.
'Was it a trap?'
Jinhyuk quickly activated 'Gluttony's Eye'.
[Ograkun]
Race: Giant Tribe
Age: 133
Level: 80
Strength: 114, Agility: 48, Stamina: 75, Mana: 7
Unique Ability: Berserker
Skills: Lv15 'Monarch's Command', Lv14 'Weapon Weight Reduction', Lv14 'Weapon Master', Lv14 'Persistent Endurance', Lv13 'Strategy'
Characteristics: Ograkun is relatively intelligent for a giant and is a seasoned monarch with extensive combat experience. Because of his rational nature and ability to weigh pros and cons perfectly, understanding this trait might surprisingly allow one to avoid a fight with him.
[Copy Condition: The Giant Tribe worships strength and physical beauty. Strip off as much clothing as possible and overpower your opponent using nothing but sheer 'strength'. (The surface area of your clothing is inversely proportional to the increase in your strength.) Doing so will allow you to copy one of Ograkun's unique abilities or skills.]
Ograkun, the King of the Giants.
Standing at about four meters tall, this giant possessed an incredibly meager physique for a race that worshiped size.
In fact, even the giant Jinhyuk had lured to gain entry to this fortress was around seven meters tall.
Yet, the reason Ograkun could subjugate countless giants and reign as king was...
...because he possessed overwhelmingly superior abilities.
Slowly...
Ograkun lightly lifted the greatsword resting on his shoulder.
The sword, nearly as tall as his own height, traced a smooth arc.
"You look like you don't understand how I'm already here."
"Because it hasn't even been a minute since Tangrasil cried out for help."
"Indeed. Normally, the White Jade would have been shattered, and Tangrasil would have perished. The battle would have ended in your victory."
However.
"Once our scouts went missing, I already anticipated that an intruder would target the Lost Paradise. Of course, I didn't expect the intruder to be skilled enough to weaken the barrier."
"Well, well... you really got me there. But are you sure about this? If you lead your main force here, the remaining troops won't be able to hold off the joint attack from the Empire and the Murim."
The departure of their core forces could easily lead to the collapse of the entire defense.
It would be wise to head back before it's too late.
That is, if you don't want to lose the entire fortress.
But.
Ograkun's face still showed no sign of agitation.
Instead, he casually scratched his cheek.
"I have already abandoned the outer walls. Soon, some of the forces sent by both the Empire and the Murim will reach this place."
"Are you... out of your mind? You abandoned the walls on purpose?"
That made absolutely no sense.
What kind of insane commander would throw away their sole advantage?
Unable to comprehend such actions, Jinhyuk frowned.
"Why not? If we weaken the defenses of the walls ourselves, the Empire and the Murim will finally judge that the fortress can be conquered. And that is exactly what I want."
...Two bitter rival factions taking their victory for granted.
As his thoughts connected to that point, something flashed through Jinhyuk's mind.
"You're going to make them fight each other to claim this place."
Their top priority was conquering the fortress.
And their second priority was deciding which side would take ownership of it.
Naturally, neither side had any reason to yield the base, so it was a foregone conclusion that they would turn their blades on each other.
That was precisely what Ograkun was aiming for.
"Seeing how the main force you brought here is smaller than expected, you must have set up a separate detachment. You probably plan to target their supply lines, using other races who harbor grudges against the Empire or the Murim as the core."
"Oh? You even figured that out?"
A gleam of intrigue flashed in Ograkun's eyes.
"No matter how large the detachment is, it wouldn't be enough to annihilate the enemy's main force. To secure a perfect victory, targeting the enemy's rear—preferably their supply lines—is the most reliable way."
"Hmm. If you had been leading one of those two factions instead, this would have been a much more entertaining fight."
"Well, if I were the commander-in-chief, this place would have already turned into a sea of fire."
"Perhaps. However, this time, you have fallen into my trap."
Indeed.
At first glance, it was a very neat strategy.
A plan to protect the Lost Paradise while simultaneously catching both factions off guard to sever their supply lines.
It was a setup where they would inevitably win just by staying put inside the fortress.
But here's the thing.
"Do you realize that your plan is only viable under one major premise?"
"What premise are you talking about?"
"The premise that you and the forces here can actually protect Tangrasil. If that premise fails, everything goes down the drain."
"Haha. So... you're saying we might not be able to stop you alone? Is that what you mean?"
A scoff escaped Ograkun's lips.
It was only natural for him to find it absurd.
While it was true that the rampaging Death Knight and the Ghostly Steed from moments ago were threatening,
that was only true as long as they could be maintained.
With his time limit expired, T-Bone had already lost his majestic power as a Death Knight.
Only Jinhyuk remained.
Even leading an entire army would make this a difficult task, so what could a single person possibly do?
However.
There was one thing Ograkun did not know.
That sometimes, rather than gathering the entire strength of a faction,
"My chances of winning are plenty high. Now that the barrier is deactivated, I don't have to worry about my mana being drained anymore."
...a single individual could exert a far greater influence.
[Lv5 'Moon-Shrouding Claw' is manifested!]
An aura reminiscent of a beast's claw surged from Jinhyuk's left hand.
[Unique ability 'Colossus Strike' is activated!]
An energy imbued with the soul of the Giant Tribe settled into his right hand.
On top of that,
as 'White Beast'—obtained from Caracal of the Frostblade Tribe—was overlaid, an indescribable heat began to shimmer.
With a twitch,
Ograkun's eyebrows furrowed deeply.
"That power..."
His opponent was a human.
Compared to a giant, he was a creature so small he wasn't even worth comparing.
A fragile being whose spine could be ripped out in a single blow.
And yet... what was this pressure?
It felt as if he were facing a massive mountain.
Ograkun's instincts began to scream at the highest level of alarm.
This was dangerous.
If he didn't fight with everything he had...
...he might be the one who ended up defeated.
'He's no pushover.'
Ograkun gripped his greatsword with both hands.
Still, with this level of power, he should be able to handle it somehow.
After all, he still had his unique ability, 'Berserker', which could unleash the will of a mad warrior.
However, the moment he witnessed what happened next,
"Gasp...!"
Ograkun had no choice but to realize that all assumptions about predicting the outcome of this battle were utterly meaningless.
* * *
Fusion.
A unique ability that allows one to combine copied skills to reach an entirely higher dimension of power.
Jinhyuk brought the energies in both of his hands together.
And at that exact moment...
[Unique ability 'Colossus Strike', skill 'Moon-Shrouding Claw', and unique ability 'White Beast' are fusing!]
You told me to overpower you with nothing but sheer strength, right?
Then I'll do exactly that.
The condition required fusing three abilities obtained from monsters, and it was only possible when a suitable 'Copy Condition' was met.
As much as it demanded an extreme level of difficulty, the resulting product was guaranteed to be spectacular.
[You have successfully obtained the right arm of the Colossus 'Tombgrave'!]
[The copied unique ability is stored in the 'Memory of the World'.]
A blinding radiance flashed, and the Lost Paradise was swallowed by a massive light.
Vrrrrr!
And a moment later,
when his vision returned...
Jinhyuk's arm had transformed.
No, it wasn't just his appearance that had changed.