The Giant of Evil Annihilation

It was precisely because of this effect.

Simply being here increased every resistance I possessed. Physical force, magical power, even the countless forms of supernatural assault — all of them halved. That alone was an extraordinary ability, without question.

But I already have a minimum physical resistance.

Thanks to the Archetypal Armor, I carried a permanent effect of minimum physical resistance 50%. At the very least, no physical force would kill me or deal catastrophic damage.

Andrew Priest carefully opened his mouth.

"So… you have lost the form of 'Randolph,' then?"

"…?"

"You need not answer. I understand well enough."

…Understand what, exactly?

Did he think I was staying here simply because I was afraid? To guarantee my own safety?

Well — he could be forgiven for thinking so.

But that was not why I remained still in this place.

I gazed into the distance and spoke.

"He's finally coming."

Far off — at the very tip of the star.

"Hup…!"

Andrew Priest saw the figure and recoiled in horror.

Boom!

Krrrooom!

A colossal monster appeared, scattering dust in every direction.

He had arrived. Alone. As if he alone were more than enough.

I looked at the Giant of Evil Annihilation and thought,

Still the same — a creature that only knows how to charge straight ahead.

…And I smiled, just a little.

Everything was going according to plan.

A being of the supreme Unique rank.

The Giant of Evil Annihilation.

I had faced him once before in Cramdel, and so I was certain. A creature like him would inevitably storm this place alone. He had done the same when he beat down Ahram, the King of the Dead — dropping into the heart of the enemy lines like a nuclear warhead and crushing the demonkin underfoot. The sheer force and monstrous power of that display had sent shivers down the spine of anyone who witnessed it.

"I have no wish to fight a Druid who has grasped the principles of the world. If you surrender quietly, no ugly business need occur."

The Giant of Evil Annihilation spoke again. That he had offered surrender twice meant he truly did not want this fight. But the possibility of himself surrendering seemed never to have crossed his mind. Then again — the image of the tyrant of the battlefield, the Giant of Evil Annihilation, yielding was difficult to picture in the first place.

"You've got a long tongue."

Shhhhing.

I drew two blades and held them ready.

Ru-Maria was a combination-type holy sword. The Extreme Transcendent Sword was a growth-type blade — still unfinished. Its method of growth was to drink the blood of its enemies. The more blood it absorbed, the more powerful the blood, the greater the options it would possess upon completion. The blood of the Giant of Evil Annihilation was, without question, an exceptional resource.

The Path of Light only reacts to evil. Not a good choice against the Giant of Evil Annihilation.

I also possessed the Path of Light — a Unique-rank weapon awarded as a prize for winning a tournament — but it was a poor option for facing this particular opponent. These two blades would be enough for now.

"…Do not resent me, Druid of the Golden Rule."

Whoooom.

The Giant of Evil Annihilation swung the massive club in his hands in a great arc.

And then —

KWAARRRROOOM!

The club's length extended, and in an instant it was crashing down right before my face.

Clang!

I tried to deflect it with my swords at once, but —

Hup!

…It was far too powerful to deflect.

As expected of a being who stood at the absolute peak of raw strength. But though I could not deflect it —

Krrrooom!

The ground cratered beneath me as I succeeded in taking the blow head-on.

"Indeed. It seems your reputation is not empty after all."

The Giant ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of Evil Annihilation spoke with a touch of surprise. But I was just as startled.

It has piercing power.

Minimum physical resistance of 50%, plus another 50% to all resistances from the effect of the Star of Beginning — by simple arithmetic, I should have been immune to physical attacks. And yet it was not complete immunity. My hands tingled. Every muscle in my body screamed. He must possess a high degree of physical piercing power.

Roughly 20%.

Even 20% of the impact felt as though it would shatter my bones. I had managed to take it somehow, but consecutive attacks would be a serious problem.

"Andrew Priest."

I turned my head slightly. Andrew Priest stared at me with eyes wide in terror. He could only blink, unable to form a single word. I spoke to him.

"Worship me."

"…!!!"

Andrew Priest's eyes went round as saucers. Then his expression twisted with distress.

"I— I have fallen and lost the Goddess's authority…"

"It's fine."

"But—!"

"I said it's fine."

"…"

Andrew Priest squeezed his eyes shut.

The reason he had fallen. It was because of Elder Aruwen, whose fate had become unknown at the hands of the dark elves. The moment he dreamed of vengeance, he had fallen and lost the Goddess's authority. What use was the worship of a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fallen man? A fallen priest was subject to excommunication. In exchange for power, he could never again walk the path of the divine, never again rest in the Goddess's embrace.

He's telling me… to recite the Prayer of Worship? Now?

When had it been? Andrew Priest felt a sudden sense of déjà vu. He remembered the moment, long ago, when he had met Randolph and recited the Prayer of Worship for him. A self-sacrificial invocation usable only by the highest-ranking priests who stood closest to the Goddess. Of course, if one praised the Goddess herself it was not self-sacrifice — but if one worshipped anyone other than the Goddess, the prayer transformed into a rite of self-immolation. To demand that a high priest recite a Prayer of Worship for anyone other than the Goddess was tantamount to telling him to die. And if the one being worshipped was unworthy, the danger of death grew even greater.

But he had worshipped Randolph — and been saved. Even though worshipping anyone other than the Goddess was a cardinal sin.

Of course, unlike then, he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was now fallen, and the one before him was not Randolph. A fallen priest who offered worship risked drawing a curse upon himself instead.

And yet…

Andrew Priest drew a deep breath.

He clasped his hands and recited the Prayer of Worship. Fervently. With the heart of a faithful servant who had once followed the Goddess.

And in that instant —

Ah…!

A single ray of light burst forth from Andrew's heart. A sacred aura beyond compare. The power of a saint — a power he had believed he would never reclaim. And it was a light incomparably more intense than anything he had known before.

"H-how…"

Both of his hands trembled violently. He could see it, feel it — and still could not believe it. It was not merely that he was overwhelmed by the sacred aura. The form of Park Hyunmyeong standing before him now was more vivid, more radiant, than even when he had once worshipped Randolph.

"Lady Leah… Lady Pina…?"

…Because they were so clear.

The forms of the two goddesses appeared so distinctly that even the Giant of Evil Annihilation faltered — rising behind him like a pair of wings.

And that was not all. As the Prayer of Worship continued, the forms of the two goddesses leaned in and kissed his cheeks.

The Giant of Evil Annihilation could only freeze.

"…How does a Druid possess the Blessing of Creation?"

Creation.

The name of a blessing bestowed only upon one who had been acknowledged simultaneously by the two goddesses who made the earth and the sky. And that blessing had been granted to only a single person. The bearer of the blessing inherited the Will of the Goddesses — and thus, those who borrowed the goddesses' names could never, under any circumstances, stand against him. All who drew power from the two goddesses, all who existed in their names, were absolutely bound. It was, in effect, a Blessing of the Zeroth Law — regarded as equal in rank to the goddesses themselves.

But the problem was that the one who had received the Blessing of Creation was a Druid. Even if that Druid was the Druid of the Golden Rule, master of the World Tree — that blessing was…

A blessing even I never received…

He was a Star Guardian — one who protected the goddesses and their star. Even the Giant of Evil Annihilation had never been granted this blessing. The blessing he possessed was the Blessing of the First Law — the highest among the blessings that Star Guardians typically carried. And so no one had ever imagined that anyone would inherit the Blessing of Creation. He had been certain it simply did not exist.

And yet a Druid — not even a Star Guardian — had received it?

Zeroth Law. There is no law to uphold. And yet one claims every right and every authority.

All Star Guardians received a goddess's blessing. And the number prefixed to the Law indicated the number of rules that must be upheld to maintain that blessing. The Giant of Evil Annihilation's Blessing of the First Law meant, quite literally, that he had to uphold a single absolute rule for the blessing to endure. That rule was —

…First Law: Annihilate evil.

And so he had become ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Giant of Evil Annihilation. He had shattered and destroyed every "evil" that entered his sight — and yet the blessing he had inherited could not compare to the authority of the Blessing of Creation.

And so…

"Interesting."

He was curious. Just how strong was this Druid who had inherited the Blessing of Creation?

More than anything, the Giant of Evil Annihilation had not grown powerful by drawing strength from the goddesses' names. He had been strong from the beginning. And so he could smash this opponent without the slightest hesitation.

Whoooom—

The Giant of Evil Annihilation swung his club once more.

KWAAAAAAAAANG!

…With a monstrous force that made the previous blow look like nothing.

The moment the Prayer of Worship descended —

The combination-type holy sword Ru-Maria blazed with light.

I had acquired the ability to become harder — and to regenerate faster. At this level…

I can manage this.

The damage and pain from moments ago had already healed. Exactly as written — a recovery ability that was transcendent.

I had never intended to kill him or win outright anyway. What I wanted was only one thing.

…I just need to buy time.

Until everyone finished conquering the star — until all the other Star Guardians were subdued. If I could just stall for time, victory was mine.

The more they fought. The more they clashed.

The Giant of Evil Annihilation could not help but frown.

His offensive power itself is nothing particularly concerning…

The problem was his defense and regeneration. No matter how many times he struck, the man endured and recovered. He had never seen a being withstand his attacks with such stubborn tenacity. Even accounting for the effects of the Star of Beginning, it was abnormal. After all, he himself possessed piercing power capable of punching through resistances. And yet… every blow felt strangely as though it failed to land properly.

I cannot deal damage beyond a certain threshold.

What was this?

And that was not all. As time passed, the wounds the Giant of Evil Annihilation sustained only multiplied. It would take days to bring this opponent down at this rate — but the fact remained that the damage he was taking exceeded the damage he was dealing. It felt like being continuously pricked by a tiny skewer. Meanwhile, whatever damage the man took regenerated instantly.

Truly monstrous regeneration.

Even if an arm was shattered, it returned to normal within three seconds. Unless he pulverized the man completely, there was nothing he could do about that regeneration. And even the Giant of Evil Annihilation had never witnessed regenerative power this extraordinary.

"…Nngh!"

The accumulating biological energy. The strangely taunting sensation of it made the Giant of Evil Annihilation's rage boil higher and higher. How long had they been locked in combat, time itself forgotten, driven solely by the single-minded resolve to crush the Druid of the Golden Rule?

I'm being worn down more and more.

At some point, the Giant of Evil Annihilation realized that the one being broken was himself. The reason was simple.