Chapter 198: The War Between the South and North 13

The colossal figure emerging amidst swirling blizzards of white parchment – a towering, ebon-armored warrior – exuded an oppressive aura freezing the soldiers’ blood.

“That…that being…”

“St…stand your ground! No matter its appearance, it remains but one foe! Victory lies within our grasp – we shall not falter!”

Though their lieutenants rallied them valiantly, a primal dread gripped the troops – an instinctive realization that this ‘monster’ emanated power transcending their comprehension.

As they quailed, paralyzed by existential terror, the colossus stirred – slowly raising its arm in a seemingly innocuous gesture belying its overwhelming menace.

The slightest motion emanated a palpable oppression eclipsing entire battalions’ massed military pomp.

Simultaneously, those orbiting shreds billowed as if caught in an unseen cyclone despite the utter stillness.

With that subtle arming sweep, the behemoth unleashed its devastating fury upon the petrified ranks.

-Whukk!-

-KWAKWAKWANGGG!!!-

An earth-shattering detonation rocked the battlefield as scores of soldiers erupted skyward amid horrific screams – torn asunder like leaves in a hurricane’s gale.

“Kkhahh-guhakk!!”

“Rrruugghh-aaaakkhh!!”

Raining back amid the stunned survivors in a gruesome deluge, the spectacle persisted unabated as the giant’s arms continued sweeping.

-Whukk!-

-KWAKWANGGG!!!-

With every gesture, tsunamis of paper shredded through their ranks – inconceivable destructive energies effortlessly flaying entire battle-lines.

“Damn…what…what devilry is this…?!”

“Artillery! Open fire and halt that monstrosity at once!”

“Mages! Unleash your full might – subdue that fiend immediately!”

Frantic orders finally prompted desperate retaliation as cannons and mystic barrages converged upon the rampaging juggernaut.

With opposing threats momentarily neutralized, the Imperial forces could concentrate their maximum firepower upon this singular existential menace.

“FIRE!”

-KWAKWAKWANGGG!!!-

As the commanders’ signal boomed, muzzle-blazes and sorcerous conflagrations erupted simultaneously – an apocalyptic firestorm deluging the giant’s position.

Ordinarily, even Tilly’s 9th-rank mastery would pale before such a cataclysmic onslaught.

Surely no mortal could withstand this annihilating devastation.

As thunderous detonations and billowing smoke shrouded the impact zone, the troops squinted through stinging debris with guarded optimism:

“Did…did we destroy it…?”

“Of course! Nothing survives such punishment!”

Capitalizing upon their newfound numerical and tactical advantages, their massed strike had mustered sufficient lethality to obliterate any conventional threat.

Until:

“…?!”

“What…what is this…?”

As the haze dissipated, a stupefying sight emerged – a veritable blizzard of shredded parchment congealed into an impenetrable barrier deflecting that apocalyptic barrage with impunity.

And unscathed behind that whirling storm stood the black-clad giant – utterly unfazed by the Imperial onslaught obliterating entire infantry companies.

Confronted by an impossibility defying comprehension, horror-stricken murmurs escaped the transfixed soldiers:

“A…a monster… The Northerners unleashed a veritable monster upon us…”

“Dan…dangerous… How can mere mortals withstand such an abomination’s wrath…?”

Their earlier bravado evaporated like shadows before the sun’s brilliance.

Surging courage became bone-chilling terror urging panicked retreat from this unfathomable abomination.

As dismay gripped his demoralized troops, the undaunted giant raised its arm once more – those swirling shreds thrumming ominously as they reconfigured for another lethal onslaught.

Yet before this resurgent slaughter commenced, a solitary figure strode forward – sword drawn defiantly as he issued an imperious challenge:

“Hold, foul heretical beast! I, Otto, shall pass judgment here in the Lord’s name!”

Clad in distinctive alabaster plate, the paladin’s form shimmered with a cerulean aura – a hallowed radiance utterly distinct from mystic forces.

As the unnatural hush fell, Otto conjured a towering semi-translucent lion from his holy energies – a spectral beast whose ethereal mane bristled with primordial might.

Letting loose an thunderous roar reverberating through their souls, the celestial predator launched itself directly at the unmoving colossus defending itself with torrents of whirling parchment.

Yet those ineffectual barriers proved mere tissue against the phantasmal lion’s furious onslaught.

With each swipe of its immense forelimbs, the giant staggered – its armor denting and buckling as it recoiled from blows it could no longer shrug off.

“Krrruuaaagghh!!!”

Despite countering with those bladed shredstorms, the swirling parchment disintegrated uselessly against the divine beast’s unrelenting assault.

“We…we can defeat it!”

“Victory is ours!”

As their nigh-invulnerable foe visibly faltered under Otto’s relentless strikes, the Imperial troops’ confidence surged anew – the tide inexorably turning back in their favor.

‘The momentum shifts decisively,’ Otto mused with a faint smile. ‘As Lord Wallenstein foresaw, this shall eliminate any final contingencies.’

Envisioning this terror’s imminent subjugation, the paladin prepared his coup de grâce.

Until:

“Tch…I’ve tarried overlong.”

The giant’s rumbling baritone – devoid of trepidation despite its mounting injuries – preceded another devastating counterattack.

Unleashing a cyclonic blast of unspeakable energies, the beleaguered berserker momentarily staggered Otto’s celestial avatar with overwhelming force.

“…?!”

“Oho…!”

As his troops gasped in dismay, the colossus favored Otto with an icy utterance:

“Our rendezvous ends here, human. Survive if fortune graces you.”

With that curt dismissal, the swirling cyclone of parchment intensified – despite Otto’s attempts to impede its departure, the giant vanished without a trace amidst that blinding maelstrom.

In the disorienting aftermath, a moment’s bewildered silence reigned before the troops erupted with cathartic cheers:

“We…we won!”

“Victory is ours!”

“All hail the Holy Empire’s triumph!”