Chapter 216: A New Power & The Balance of the Mid-Layers (1)

Chapter 216: A New Power & The Balance of the Mid-Layers (1)

"Never expected these guys to make their move now..."

Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed sharply.

Approaching the walls of the fortress were giants, each about 5 meters tall.

There were seven of them in total.

It wasn't a large number, but each was a formidable adversary in its own right.

A single giant was a challenge even for a company-sized unit of soldiers.

If one of these were to break into the capital, the heart of the empire, the damage they could cause was unimaginable.

"Giants are known to be territorial, but... Wait, how did they get all the way here? Even with the empire weakened by internal strife, they should have detected giants this size, shouldn't they?"

Ellis murmured in disbelief.

"Maybe they came... through there."

Jinhyuk pointed towards the river that flowed to the right of the fortress.

The waterway where the river and sea met, forming a route inland for trade.

True to an empire that ruled over seven kingdoms, they had various transport routes in place.

"So you're saying they took a boat down here?"

"More unlikely than that."

On closer inspection, the giants' bodies were drenched.

Could it be...

"Underwater?"

"Right. From their strongholds to here. They sent a detachment through the waters."

If so, then they could slip past the border guards and infiltrate deep into the empire.

The murkiness of the water would have been a significant advantage in hiding their massive forms.

Though how they managed to breathe remained unknown...

Looking at the character of 'the one' who had come up with this plan, they surely found some ingenious method.

'The King of Giants, indeed...'

Jinhyuk reminisced about his past experiences.

Ograkun.

A minor power in the middle layers of the tower, the giant king.

Amidst the mighty empires and martial realms, he was the sovereign of a race that alone preserved its territory.

'At the same time, he holds a key pivotal to this war.'

The die was cast.

By the hands of the giants, not the empire nor the martial realms.

***

"How could the border guards let not one, but seven giants slip past them!"

"Damn it. We'll figure it out later. We need to stop them first!"

"Fire! Hit them with everything we've got! Don't let them near the walls!"

Urgent cries echoed, followed by the shaking of the earth itself.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The impact of their heavy strides approached, their weight like a herd of rhinos charging.

And in that moment.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Magic spells exploded against the bodies of the giants.

Flames and shards of ice scattered in all directions.

"Kuaaaargh!"

"Oaaaargh!"

The giants roared in pain, bearing large wounds.

But it was only a momentary hindrance.

Mechanically, the giants reached the moat directly below the walls.

"Blast it! They've already made it this far!"

"As big as they are, that's over 20 meters deep. They won't be able to climb easi— What?"

A soldier gasped mid-sentence.

Two of the comparatively larger giants grabbed a smaller one by the feet.

As if using a boost, one giant was flung high into the air, easily clearing the city walls.

It landed, of all places, where the defensive wall was weakest: among the densely packed archers.

Whether that was the intention or not didn't matter.

What was clear was that the defensive forces here were virtually helpless against the giant.

"Die...!"

The giant's roar was ferocious.

What followed was a one-sided slaughter.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With an axe that could split a boulder in a single strike, the giant laid waste around itself.

"Arrgh!"

"My leg, my leg!"

"Save... someone help!"

Soldiers clad in armor and shields were torn apart like paper.

The giant's attack made the idea of defense utterly futile.

With the infantry compromised, the archers right next to them were completely exposed.

Losing the archers, vital for long-range combat, was a loss too great to measure in strategic terms.

The archers' preservation was paramount, especially considering they had no clue how the enemy had reached this place.

"Kill... them all!"

In a frenzy, the giant swung its axe, murmuring in human speech.

Arms and legs were severed, and the sky turned red with arcs of blood.

But just then.

Someone stepped forth before the giant.

"Your rampage ends here."

Fwoosh!

A blinding blue light gathered along the blade.

A wielder of auras.

The empire's mightiest asset.

...Enter the Knight.

"Woaaah!"

"It's the Temple Knights! Sir Melbourne of the Temple Knights has come!"

"We're saved, it's all over now!"

The soldiers, who were just moments in hell, cheered at the sight of Melbourne.

With golden hair and blue eyes, Melbourne leaped onto the giant's arm and reached for its neck in a single, fluid motion.

But then.

Crash!

The knight's sword, charging forward unstoppably, was suddenly deflected away.

"Blocked... my aura?"

Shock flashed through Melbourne's eyes.

It was clear.

The giant had used its axe to counter the sword strike.

Already hard to face due to their sheer physical superiority, who could have thought the giants had means to counter auras too?

'...This is dangerous!'

Instinctively sensing danger, Melbourne tried to dodge but it was too late.

The axe, which had been seemingly tilting to the side, suddenly came down.

Crunch!

Melbourne, along with his sword, was cleaved cleanly in two.

"Sir Melbourne... struck down in a single hit."

"I can't believe it."

"What kind of giant is that? How are we supposed to beat it?"

Hope dwindled in an instant.

The realization that the knight couldn't even withstand a minute against the giant sent morale plummeting.

"Haha...haha! Humans... so weak. We are... strong."

The giant exuded a grotesque laughter as he beheld the terror in the humans.

Basking in the power of his elation, he looked down at the human prey.

"The human vermin... who have harassed us for so long. After killing all of you today... your flesh shall be a feast."

The giant was dreaming of gorging himself on the humans before him.

Indeed, it's nature's law that prey does not challenge a predator but is simply consumed.

Yet there was one audacious human approaching the giant with no sign of fear, despite the panic around.

"Is he... mad? Or just... stupid?"

The giant tilted his head in bemusement and then hefted his axe high.

Just like he had with the knight called Melbourne.

A terrifying whoosh as the axe moved towards the man's head.

But...

The expected did not occur.

Boom!

For the first time, the unstoppable axe was halted.

By a mere thin stiletto.

***

"Not a bad weapon."

Jinhyuk glanced at the giant's axe.

A metal solid enough to withstand even an aura, wrought iron.

This was why the giant was able to hold its ground against a knight.

Combine that with its natural strength and speed and it was no wonder the knight stood no chance.

"Did the dwarves get involved?"

"How... did you know?"

"What, surprised? It's obvious."

Such high-grade craftsmanship was beyond the capability of giants.

A unique specialty of the dwarves, born blacksmiths.

Caught in the crossfire of major powers jockeying for influence, it seemed the minority factions had joined forces to create a new power.

"All my questions have been answered. Our encounter was brief, but thanks for the enlightenment."

"Don't be cocky... over just a moment's block— Argh!"

The scene between the giant and Melbourne replayed, but with a clear role reversal.

Screech! Crack!

The surface of the axe began to fracture.

The wrought iron, which had withstood the aura, could not hold up against the teeth now biting through it.

A cutter of the blue grade.

The combination of the blacksmith Orun's unique ability and the high-level phantom beast Penta-Griffin was truly supreme.

"You... what kind of human... are you?"

"No need for a dying man to know. Must have been tough traveling through the water."

That was genuine concern.

Imagine the ordeal of walking underwater for days on end.

Of course, there was scant time to acknowledge the hardship before succumbing to death.

With those final words.

Swoosh!

The stiletto sliced through the giant's neck.

The massive head rolled across the top of the walls.

An ending so anticlimactic for a giant that had been terrifyingly powerful.

"Are we dreaming right now?"

"Damn it. After seeing the same thing, what's this talk about dreams?"

"Which knight order does he belong to? Such a strong knight... We should have heard of him before..."

The soldiers watching couldn't believe what they had witnessed.

Some rubbed their eyes or shook their heads as if to clear their thoughts.

They mostly believed that the man before them must be either a newly appointed knight-captain or a top-tier, yet unrecognized mercenary.

Such was the extraordinary nature of the event that Jinhyuk had just displayed, beyond the realm of ordinary understanding.

And then, the moment came.

"Wait! That man. He's the felon listed on the wanted poster, isn't he?"

Someone's remark sent another wave of uneasiness through the crowd.

"That's right. The player from outside the tower who caused trouble at the noble's assembly. That's the man."

"They say the bounty itself would take us a lifetime to gather."

"So we should capture him, right?"

"Capture? How do you propose we catch that monster?"

Indeed, what good was a handsome bounty if they lacked the power even to attempt claiming it?

Besides, it doesn't sit well to raise weapons against the person who had just saved their lives.

Above all, the immediate concern was not a criminal apprehension but the remaining giants, right?

The giant who had wreaked havoc on the wall was but one of the seven.

To confront the remaining six, they needed to regroup and reinforce immediately.

However,

"Stay put."

Jinhyuk calmly deterred them.

"What do you mean? There are still those down there..."

"If you're referring to the remaining 'fellers,' who exactly are you talking about?"

The ambush was over.

Another player, 'Unknown,' had already joined the battle.

A player wearing a mask inscribed with geometric patterns hovered in the sky above.

[Ellis activates her unique ability 'Blood Lord'!]

With that.

The sky turned a deep red.