No Need to Hide My Power Anymore (2)
Before the match, Wayne's squad members and the dwarves had climbed up to the ramparts to watch.
"Ugelgel! This is gonna be fun!"
"When we get back, let's try it ourselves with the Steel Golems!"
"Sounds good!"
The young dwarves were getting excited over this ancient human contest.
Weeeeng!Thud! Thud!
"Thanatos is stepping up!"
"Captain Pike! Win this!"
"Woooaaah!"
As Thanatos emerged from the fortress and took position at the starting line, one-sided cheers erupted.
"Booo!"
By contrast, when the blue Predator followed and lined up beside it, the soldiers jeered.
Pike must have been pretty popular with the Enok Fortress troops.
The two massive 2nd class Gigants stood at the starting line.
The first contest was a mobility race. They had to circle the fortress outskirts once, and the first Gigant back inside won. Simple.
"Isn't one lap too short?" Loren looked around.
Enok Fortress's perimeter was 1,200 meters—not small by any means—but for Gigants over eight meters tall, it did feel a bit brief, just as Loren said.
Nancy replied, "That's why falling behind even once makes it hard to catch up."
"Will our squad leader win?"
"Of course. He's not the type to make a bet he can't win."
Nancy and the squad trusted Wayne completely.
Preparations were complete.
"Get ready! Go!"
Bang!
The musket shot rang out.
But...
"What the hell?"
"Why aren't they moving?"
Despite the signal, Wayne and Pike didn't budge. They just eyed each other warily.
Curtis chuckled. "Well, Pike's got experience, so that's no surprise, but Young Master Wayne holding back too? Unexpected!"
"What do you mean?"
"The moment you charge ahead, they trip your legs or shove you down from behind and cruise past. Classic trick."
"Isn't that cheating?"
"You think this is some friendly scrimmage? No weapons, sure, but it's battlefield rules."
Right then, Thanatos moved first.
Kaboom!
It slammed its shoulder into Predator and surged forward.
"Overflowing power, as expected!"
Thanatos stood at 8.5 meters, bigger and bulkier than Predator. But that meant slightly worse mobility. Pike knew he couldn't win a straight sprint without dirty tricks.
'Thanks for attacking first.'
Wayne had braced for the impact, so he didn't fall. But Thanatos was already pulling ahead by over ten meters.
Predator started running after it.
"Woo! Go, go!"
"Run! Run!"
The fortress soldiers roared as Thanatos took the lead. It had been ages since they'd had entertainment like this.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Each step from Thanatos gouged the earth and kicked up dust.
"How's that? Eat dirt!"
Pike stomped extra hard on purpose. Predator had to choke on the dust and navigate the uneven ground.
Still, the ten-meter gap held steady. Pike blocked any attempts to pass and kept his fist cocked for rear swings.
Before they knew it, the finish line loomed—just 200 meters away. Turn there and enter the fortress, and it was over.
Thanatos looked set to win.
Then Predator accelerated.
The distance shrank rapidly. With 50 meters left, Predator closed to arm's reach.
'Can't let you pass easy.'
Thanatos clenched its fist and swung back hard.
Whoosh!
"Huh?"
Pike, twisting around, spotted something bluish.
Kaboom!
"Gah!"
Thud! Thud! Boom-boom!
Predator's knee smashed into Thanatos's face. Wayne had launched a flying knee the instant Thanatos hesitated.
'The king of Karian set this up. No way I'm losing.'
He could've tripped it or shouldered it down, but the visual punch of a flying knee was unbeatable.
"Whoa! The captain went flying!"
"Did you see that? Knee drop from the air!"
"A Gigant pulling that off? Insane!"
Their boss's Gigant was rolling on the ground, but the subordinates and soldiers cheered wildly.
As Predator entered the fortress, the cheers swelled.
"Young Master Wayne wins!"
"Woooaaah! So cool!"
To the Gigant pilots, strong meant excellent.
Thanatos limped in after.
Blue Odd flashed in its eyes.
[Running's not my forte anyway!]
Pike's voice seethed with rage. If he'd had his reaper's scythe, he might've swung it.
Next up: the power contest. Iron ball toss!
Hurl a 100kg iron lump as far as possible. No recoil assist—just one arm's raw output.
[Go ahead, brother. You first.]
[You bastard! This one's no cakewalk. No tricks work here.]
Thanatos hurled the iron ball with all its might. It sailed impressively far.
"Woo! True 2nd class Gigant power!"
"Young Master Wayne's in trouble now?"
"Obviously. Thanatos has the output edge."
Predator looked outmatched to everyone.
Wayne stepped up and threw.
Whiiish!
"Huh?"
"Wha?"
Thud!
It landed just a meter past Thanatos's.
"Gasp! Young Master Wayne wins again!"
"What? Does Predator have higher output?"
"Anyway, Young Master Wayne takes it!"
"Woooaaah!"
Wayne had cheated a bit. He'd blasted 16x accelerated white Odd in the ball's flight path, then repelled it further with the Odd's push. Barely eked out the win.
[Want another round, brother?]
[Damn right! First two were just warm-ups. Third's the real deal!]
Pike, fired up, headed inside first for the third match.
This one combined mobility, power, and combat: push the opponent's Gigant out of a 30-meter circle.
[No more mercy!]
Pike wasn't settling for a simple push-out. To avenge the humiliations, he'd snap off an arm of Predator to prove his dominance. Otherwise, victory would feel hollow.
The other two captains rode 2nd class Gigants outside the circle as backup, just in case things got rough. Baron Shuen's precaution.
"Get ready!"
Bang!
The 30-meter circle was cramped for two behemoths.
Thud!
Thanatos charged first. Predator ducked low, shoving with arm and shoulder.
Kaboom!
They collided dead center.
"Whoa! Head-on clash!"
"Pure strength test! This'll be good!"
Weeeeng! Giiiing!
The Gigants roared as they shoved.
Predator started sliding back bit by bit. Thanatos had the output edge, so Wayne was expected to dodge and weave. Instead, pure brute force.
Weapons added variables, but same-class barehanded? Raw power ruled.
[Heh! It's over, punk!]
Predator's back foot hit the circle's edge. Out any second.
'Time to show my real power!'
Wayne amped the white Odd to 16x acceleration. Strong enough to paralyze a B-rank monster for 4-5 seconds.
But Thanatos, built from A-rank parts, would take just 1-2 seconds. Not lethal to the pilot inside.
Back in the Great Forest, testing electric attacks on beasts, Artemis had goofed a 16x blast on a B-rank. Sara stabbed deep with her dagger mid-shock, briefly paralyzing rider Sabina. She survived.
Giiiing!
Suddenly, Predator's arm shot out, grabbing Thanatos's neck.
'Gotcha!'
Thanatos relaxed, seizing the arm with both hands to snap it.
Crackle-pop!
"...Guh?"
Pike's whole body jolted, shuddering once.
That was it.
Predator twisted sideways, gripping Thanatos's arm and neck, hurling it out of the circle.
Kaboom! Crash! Thud!
[Urk! What the—?!]
The impact should've hurt, but Thanatos sprang up. Match over, though.
Most didn't get it, but the dwarves and Sabina, who knew the electric trick, smirked.
"Young Master Wayne wins the duel!"
"Woooaaah!"
[Commander Shuen's Office]
"How the hell did you do it? My whole body went numb!"
"Who knows? Guess the Gigant builds up static."
"Static?"
A 1-2 second paralysis breaking Odd flow might seem minor in a Gigant duel. But Wayne could capitalize on that window, making it a killer weapon.
Downside: required direct contact, hard to land.
That's why Wayne practiced channeling white Odd through his leg guards for shocks.
"Anyway, honor the bet."
"Your territory's really barren?"
"Send men now. Your old squadmates are there."
"Squadmates" soured Pike's face.
Baron Shuen said, "Young Master Wayne, you keep your word too. If no ant legion comes..."
"One million gold. No loss for you, Captain."
"Understood. But I'd rather not see you there."
"Same here..."
Wayne didn't lament his limits in saving Westline or Enok folk. He just maximized what he could save and protect.
Days late, but he'd warned Enok Fortress. They believed him. And he'd gained a major ally against the ant invasion.
Before leaving, Curtis and Pike talked long, delaying them a bit.
"Curtis, what'd you chat about?"
"Just old buddies catching up. You can trust Young Master Pike. He'll come."
Jamie, Sabina, and dwarf great warrior Brock headed to the barren territory for duties. Wayne took Curtis, Loren, Nancy, and the dwarf trio back to Dresden Territory.
Back in Dresden, time short, Wayne split the group. Curtis and Loren to Winchester Castle; he took Nancy, dwarves via remote outskirts to Lava Cave.
Two heavy Gigants and three Steel Golems were bulky, but Wayne's red Odd let them evade people and reach safely.
"Wayne! What's in this cave?"
[You'll see when we get there.]
Returning stirred emotions. Last time: empty shell. Now: tiny territory, subordinates, 2nd class Gigant. Plus Nancy and dwarves—solid backup.
Nancy tagged along, no Winchester business.
'Post-this, fetch more dwarves from Sierra Mountains.'
More Steel Golems too. Busy times.
"Gasp! What is this?"
"Heavens! Hell? Valhalla!"
A crimson lava river flowed ahead, acrid fumes stinging noses and eyes.
[Valhalla Gate's in that mound. We go there...]
Wayne blanked.
[Huh? The mound's gone!]
"Wayne! What?"
Wayne blasted red Odd everywhere.
'What? These guys?'
Hundreds of two-meter brutes dug and hauled earth. Orcs, clearly. They'd unearthed huge objects from underground, propping twenty-plus against the wall.
'What? They're stealing my Gigants?'
Orcs clearing the mound, excavating Gigants beneath.
Wayne couldn't fathom why they'd want useless old Gigants.
'Wait, no—they're doing our job for us!'
Orc slaves? Tempting thought.
[Guys! Battle stations. Grab your tools!]