Editor : Amethyst00



"Graaaahhhhhh!"

Giganto let out a roar toward the sky.

"Ugh!"

The Arhi party members clutched their ears and staggered.

"Fear…!"

Gritting her teeth, Aru took a deep breath.

"Grahhhh!"

Aru's howling canceled out Giganto's fear-inducing roar.

"Krahaha! We've got a spirited little brat here!"

Giganto grinned belligerently at Aru, who had nullified his roar, and then crouched.

With incredible speed, he charged toward Aru.

Aru's eyes gleamed when she saw that.

Whoosh—!

A flash of light burst from Aru's eyes before her form transformed.

"Huh?!"

Giganto's eyes widened in shock.

"You've transformed even though it's not a full moon?!"

As Giganto shouted in disbelief, excitement began to rise in his eyes.

"This is fun! Really fun! You look delicious!"

Giganto licked his lips.

"I'm going to devour you!"

"Who are you trying to devour?!"

Eyes wide, Aru kicked off the ground.

Aru, a golden flash, dashed at Giganto at terrifying speed and delivered a kick straight to his forehead.

Boom—!

Giganto's neck snapped backward.

Swish—! Crackle-crash—!

Still with his neck bent, Giganto swung a massive fist, devastating the surrounding area.

But Aru, having predicted the attack, was already behind him.

Smack—! Crunch—!

Aru kicked the back of Giganto's head.

Giganto's face slammed into the ground.

A terrifying force.

But Giganto sprang back up.

"Krahahaha! I like this! I really like this!"

Rumble—!

As his massive body rose, dust and dirt fell from him.

Carl frowned as he watched the laughing, insane Giganto.

"Not even a scratch?"

"My name is Giganto! Assault captain of the great Giant King's army! I'll remember your name!"

"Aru Tune. The Heiress of Brave's Will."

"Brave? Was there someone called that?"

"This bastard! How dare you disrespect Lord Aaron! Is that massive head of yours just for decoration?!"

Fuming, Aru growled.

"Aaron? Who's that?"

Giganto looked confused.

"This is no time for chatting."

Crackling—!

Golden lightning surged from above.

Duran, wrapped in an aura of lightning, swung his greatsword with both hands.

As Duran's blade came down toward his neck, Giganto threw a punch to counter it.

Boom—! Crackle!

Lightning exploded in all directions.

Giganto blocked Duran's sword, his face twisting into a vile expression.

"You're interesting too!"

Whoosh—!

The other fist, unengaged, flew toward Duran.

Zap!

Duran's body scattered like lightning.

Leaving an afterimage, Duran reappeared near Giganto's ankle and swung his sword.

Crunch—!

Duran's sword bit into Giganto's ankle.

Duran's eyes twitched.

It cut into flesh but didn't reach the bone.

Trying to pull his sword back, Duran grimaced—it wouldn't budge.

"A sharp blade."

Giganto smirked.

"But as durable as a toy!"

Whoosh—!

Giganto swung his massive palm to crush Duran.

BOOOOM—!

The ground shook violently.

Dodging the attack, Duran drew his longsword.

Giganto, gripping the ground, clenched and opened his fist.

Crash—!

Under immense force, Duran's greatsword, Lightning Storm, shattered into pieces.

"O-our national treasureeee!"

Carl screamed, clutching his head.

Lightning Storm—

The sword once wielded by the founding king of the Moira Kingdom.

A national treasure, symbol of the founding king, and registered as National Treasure No. 1.

Now shattered before his eyes, Carl could only cry in horror.

"Hmph. As expected, antiques have poor durability."

"That was your family heirloom! You think His Majesty will let you off for that?!"

"I was going to inherit it anyway, so it doesn't matter."

"Wow… I'm kind of jealous of that mindset."

Despite seeing the kingdom's most precious sword destroyed, Carl was amazed at his mental strength.

Giganto thumped his chest and his eyes flashed.

"My body was forged by the world's greatest blacksmith! My father, Giath, hammered it into shape himself! No blade can harm the ultimate body made by the Giant King!"

"Hmph! The world's greatest blacksmith isn't Giath, it's Master Dweno!"

Drianna scoffed, prompting Giganto to tilt his head.

"Dweno? Who's that?"

"You don't know the divine blacksmith, Master Dweno?! Is that oversized head just decorative?!"

"Calm down. Aru already said that line."

Carl grabbed Drianna's shoulder as she growled and raised a fist.

"You're all strange. Brave, Divine Blacksmiths… what are those supposed to be?"

Giganto mocked them.

"If you don't get it, I'll crack that skull and carve it into your brain!"

A chilling voice rang out as someone flew toward Giganto's head.

A small woman—Artienne.

"Ah! Professor Artienne! You can't just charge in without knowing your opponent's abilities!"

Carl tried to stop her, but Artienne's eyes glinted.

"Shut up! If blades don't work, I'll just beat him with my fists!"

Whoosh—! BOOM—!

Artienne's punch struck Giganto's forehead.

Crack-crack-crack!

The ground beneath Giganto's feet split violently and rose.

"Gah?"

Even Giganto, who hadn't flinched from Aru and Duran's attacks, wavered.

Swish—! Tap—!

"Haaaah!"

Landing on Giganto's ankle, Artienne gripped it and shouted.

Stagger—!

Giganto lost his balance.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

"Wh-whaaat?!"

"Grrgh?!"

Using terrifying strength, the petite Artienne began to spin Giganto around.

Aru and Duran, within range, quickly retreated in shock.

"HYAAAH!"

Whoosh—! Crash-crack—!

Flung by centrifugal force, Giganto's body crashed into the ground.

"Ugh!"

"Here I come! BAM!"

"Guh!"

Charging at full speed, Artienne rammed her head into Giganto's stomach.

Like a bullet, Artienne's headbutt sent Giganto flying.

To him, it felt like a solid palm-sized object had crashed into his gut at incredible speed.

"Phew!"

Artienne pulled her fists back to her waist and exhaled through her nose.

"I… I swear. I'll never, ever, ever talk back to Professor Artienne again."

Carl gulped and muttered, and everyone nodded in agreement at Artienne's beyond-human martial might.

Rumble—!

"Ohohoho! It's been ages since my blood boiled like this!"

"Huh? You're laughing? Want another round?"

Artienne's eyes gleamed.

"I'll take over this one, Professor."

Leo stood beside Artienne, who glanced at him.

"Impressive, huh?"

Leo patted her head with a smile, and Artienne narrowed her eyes.

"The student's become the teacher?"

"My apologies."

"Hmph."

Snorting, Artienne crossed her arms.

"I'll command the kids and take on the rest of the trash. Make sure to deal with that lump."

“I’ll count on you.”

Leaving it to Leo, Artienne returned to the party.

RAAAHH!

Monsters began crawling out from the tunnel Giganto had emerged from.

"How do you plan to entertain me?!"

Excitement filled Giganto's eyes.

Leo drew his sword.

"I might enjoy this, but you won't."

"Krhahaha! I like spirited ones! But!"

A smirk formed on Giganto's lips.

"A mere knight can't beat me!"

"Because of your aura that nullifies other auras? Knight Slayer, Giganto."

"Oh? You know my aura trait and still dare face me? Brave fool!"

Squish—

"…?"

Giganto looked down.

His eyes widened as he saw his massive arm twitching on the ground.

"GRAAAHHHHH!"

Clutching the severed stump, Giganto screamed.

Approaching, Leo spoke.

"Back then, 5000 years ago, you were quite troublesome. Your ability nullified auras making it difficult. And when we first met, Aaron was still inexperienced then."

Leo had defeated Giganto just before Dweno joined the Arhi party.

At that time, the Giant King's army had moved to assault the fortress Dweno defended.

Giganto, with his aura-nullifying ability, was a formidable foe.

Moreover…

“As you said, your body truly was the finest work Giath ever made.”

No weapon worked. His body resisted magic with incredible anti-magic power.

Of course, Luna and Lysinas were powerful enough to break through that resistance.

But they had no time to spare while facing the Giant King's army.

'Back then, Aaron truly raged for the first time.'

Knights moving with the Arhi party died.

That reality enraged Aaron.

Recalling how Aaron had blamed his inexperience, Leo raised his sword.

"What is that sword?!"

Giganto stared in horror at the shabby longsword in Leo's hand.

"This?"

Leo pointed Posteritas at him, nonchalantly.

"The proof that Giath wasn't the greatest blacksmith."

"You dare speak such blasphemy?!"

Crack—!

"Guh!"

"A knight who relies on strong weapons is the easiest to defeat."

Leo casually said, having severed Giganto's ankle.

Giganto's terrifying body, immune to blades, was Giath's masterpiece.

But—

'Meaningless before Dweno's weapon. He is the world's greatest blacksmith.'

The sword in Leo's hand was the one piece Dweno acknowledged as a masterpiece.

Before Leo's blade, Giganto's body was powerless.

"Fool! You think I became the Giant King's vanguard just because of my body?!"

Crash-crack!

Giganto slammed his fist into the ground.

Black lava surged and rushed at Leo like a tidal wave.

Leo smirked and raised his palm.

A ring on his hand sparkled.

Crackle—!

"…!"

The lava froze instantly, and Giganto's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Phew…"

Leo exhaled a white breath.

"Spirit arts… and magic? What are you…?"

"You were infamous for being a battle maniac."

Step. Step.

Sword on his shoulder, Leo approached Giganto with a smirk.

"But at the moment of death, you screamed."

Leo's eyes turned gray.

Giganto, locking eyes with him, fell to his knees.

Thud—!

A vision of a gray-haired youth ruthlessly butchering his body flashed in his mind.

'…What is this? An illusion? The future? Or the past? What is it?!'

Giganto's body trembled.

"Seeing a guy like you, who only enjoyed winning fights, begging for mercy—it was amusing."

As Leo smiled gently, Giganto asked in a broken voice, "Who the hell are you?!"

"Me?"

Crack—!

Leo's sword slashed through Giganto's eye.

"GRAAHHH!"

"The Great Hero you all feared most."

The true nature of Kyle—the hero who once struck fear into countless demons—had awakened.