12. Reincarnation is Like Destiny
Even an iron horn must be pulled out while it's hot. Secrets are best kept by as few people as possible. By now, Snow and the squad members would have noticed his disappearance and set out to search for him. If he waited, he might not get another chance to explore the cave interior.
Wayne resolved to investigate the cave alone.
That's when he spotted Captain Jamie, passed out on one side. There was a slim chance surviving orcs might return, so he couldn't just leave her, but carrying her on his back wasn't an option either.
Aha! I can hide her in there.
He saw a fallen Gigant. Wayne placed her inside the cockpit, left a slight gap, and closed the hatch. Then, torch in hand, he ventured deeper into the cave.
The cave was deeper than expected.
Who dug this place?
The entrance looked like a natural cave, but further in, signs of artificial excavation appeared—recent ones, at that.
No way... the orcs?
Since orcs had dragged the Gigant from inside, it was likely they'd dug this too. What was strange, though, was the direction: not from outside in, but the reverse.
If they dug from inside, does it connect to another cave?
Harboring these questions, Wayne pressed on. When the torch went out, he focused Odd into his eyes. Fortunately, he'd recovered enough for Odd Eye.
Seeing the dark cave lit up bright as day was always amazing.
What even is Odd?
The thought struck him suddenly. Gigants were so powerful that even the orc chieftain believed his kind could conquer the world if they could pilot them—strategic weapons of immense importance in this world.
But Gigants required Odd to operate. Wayne recalled a question he'd once asked Cassnet during private lessons.
—Why don't other kingdoms learn Odd?
—Why don't they make and ride Gigants?
Of course, other kingdoms had Magic Knights or Titans. But modern wars didn't end overnight. Frontlines stretched long, territories needed defending, and enemies abounded. Armored weapons couldn't be mass-produced on a whim. With limited numbers, the appeal of Gigants—long operation times and rapid Odd recovery—was irresistible.
—Odd's blessing isn't exclusive to the Barantia Empire. But only imperial citizens can accumulate enough to move a Gigant.
—Huh? Why's that?
—I'm not certain myself, but scholars speculate it's due to the Great Forest. Bordering it exposes us to spores carried from its depths. The spore theory posits that these enable piloting Gigants made from forest beasts' byproducts.
—So those Great Forest spores are Odd?
—I can't say for sure. But we've fought the Great Forest for ages. It advances kilometers yearly, shrinking our lands. That desperate survival forged us strong—hunting beasts for Gigant parts, cultivating Odd for bigger, stronger machines. The Great Forest undoubtedly advanced our Odd.
Back then, listening to Cassnet, Odd and Gigants had seemed irrelevant to him. But after piloting one yesterday and today, he'd felt their true might firsthand. Even a maintenance Gigant could pulverize an orc with one punch, and the 5-meter one he'd ridden had felled seven orcs in a single stroke.
Of course, it had drained his Odd in one swing and collapsed. But with continued training, he could achieve even greater feats.
Gigants! No matter what, I need to pilot a stronger one!
He felt their importance anew.
The cave sloped downward steadily. After an hour and a half, a red glow flickered at the end.
Light!
Wayne dashed forward.
What the—?!
At the passage's end loomed a vast underground cavern. The ceiling vanished into Odd Eye darkness, the opposite wall over a kilometer away. A crimson glow suffused the space from a river of molten lava.
"To think there's such a massive space beneath the Sky Mountains..."
Lava cascaded from one wall like a waterfall, snaking through the cavern's center before vanishing into the opposite wall. The floor bristled with thousands of bizarre volcanic rocks and wave-like cooled lava formations. Across lay a colossal hill, as if wall and ceiling had collapsed.
Eerie, humid, with a foul stench seeping from somewhere—it was hard to breathe. If hell existed, it'd look like this.
"Damn, came here for nothing."
Wayne bit his lip and shook his head. Searching this would take days, even with hundreds of men. And no Gigants seemed likely here.
"Hm?"
Something glinted as he scanned around. He swung his head to pinpoint it. There—something sparkling before the piled hill.
Glinting? Nice! I'll check that out.
Searching alone was impossible; he'd identify the shine and head back. Problem: crossing that crimson lava river.
How'd the orcs cross?
Side tunnels dotted the path, but only his route fit a 5-meter Gigant. If orcs dragged one here, a crossing existed...
Found it!
Invisible from above, a natural bridge arched at the river's end—lava-eroded rock, sturdy top remaining. Wide enough for a Gigant, too.
Wayne crossed to the hill. Distant, it seemed small; up close, it towered dozens of meters like a mountain. And there—the glinting object.
"A shield?"
Half-buried in soft volcanic ash, a 3-meter-wide shield protruded—clearly Gigant-sized. Wayne scanned warily, just in case.
And then.
"G-Gigant!"
Rounding the hill revealed another, body buried, head alone protruding. Identical to the 5-meter one from the cave.
"Whoa! Found another!"
Worth the ordeal. Another solid Gigant!
Luck striking twice lifted his spirits. He wouldn't excavate now—he had one to use. Come back later.
Satisfied, he rose—then noticed a slight mound three meters away, something dark atop it. The shape resembled...
Wayne brushed off ash, chipped clinging lava with his blade.
Gasp! Another one?
Yet another Gigant emerged. Calming his pounding heart, he stood and dug the hill's edge three meters over.
Soon, another head surfaced.
"Gasp! What is this place?"
Chill raced from toes to scalp, heart thundering. Wayne recalled the Terracotta Army in Qin Shi Huang's tomb.
Are more Gigants buried under this hill?
It resembled a maintenance depot or hangar. Now he noticed crane-like protrusions dotting the area.
Supply-model Gigants?
Four identical already. But their power was no joke—not inferior to Dresden Territory's 3rd-class Gigants. They'd slain seven orcs in one blow!
Looking up, Wayne saw hundreds of holes in the sheer cliff-wall—window-like, with stairs and rectangular passages for people.
"Was this a city? Or a Gigant factory?"
From his entry, the hill hid the far side completely. He'd have missed this without exploring.
Then his eyes widened, jaw dropping.
"This is...!!"
A massive Gigant embedded in the wall—9 meters tall, two-thirds buried in volcanic rock, the rest exposed. Utterly unlike the 5-meter supplies in form.
How powerful is this one?
Larger, robust frame and armor screamed superior specs.
If I could pilot this beast...!
Wayne shook his head, steadying himself. The sudden finds had him giddy; yesterday he'd fretted survival in the territory. Luck? Or fate?
This dwarfed discovering a city of gold. Unknown how many lay under the hill, but visible ones could form an armored brigade. Half the hill's volume? A full division.
Hm? A skull?
Deep-breathing, he spotted a skull embedded in the wall. Calmer, he approached. Most of the body trapped in rock, only head and one hand extended toward the Gigant.
A mech pilot trying to board the 9-meter one, engulfed by lava. Bones un-melted in volcanic rock—a mystery.
Poor guy. Bury what's left?
If he piloted this someday, respect the former owner.
As Wayne touched the skull—
Poof! Swish!
"Gah! Cough! Cough!"
The exposed bones crumbled to dust, engulfing him.
The man bellowed into the communicator.
“Argh!”
“Kieee!”
Screams tore at his heart as the lava tsunami incinerated people without mercy, leaving no trace.
The man raced down stairs to his red Gigant. But lava already lapped its legs.
He leaped mid-stride—body light as a bird, scaling 10 meters in a breath.
As he reached for the hatch, massive lava engulfed Gigant and man alike, sweeping him back alone.
“Aaaargh!”
Whoosh! Boom! Splash! Boom! Boom! Splash!
Water tanks holding dozens of tons burst one by one, flooding the floor. Lava solidified instantly around them.
“Urk!”
Lava consumed half his body, yet the middle-aged man clung to life, reaching for his Gigant as death neared.
“Ah... my Martias...”
The cavern quaked; ceiling and walls collapsed over the depot. His consciousness faded to black.
“Urk!”
Wayne gasped, heaving ragged breaths.
“Huff! Huff! So everything I just saw...”
In that moment, Wayne realized the truth behind the vision and the Great Forest illusion from piloting.
"Am I seeing the past lives of the dead!!"
