Chapter 399

Chapter 399

For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

Episode 399: Fusion (2)

“Fusing… what in the…?”

Even after seeing the scene before my eyes, I couldn’t easily believe it.

A colossal height that looked down upon the dwarven castle, which was short but built grandly.

Only the framework and muscles had formed so far, but flesh was filling in at a rapid pace even at this moment, so it wouldn’t take long for it to be completed.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

They’re even merging to resist because they’re cornered?

Putting aside the feeling that I’ve somehow become the villain, it’s certain that it will become quite dangerous if that thing is completed.

It’s probably the divine power of the God of Tainted Unity. A mass of that size is threatening in itself… but the problem is that most of the materials right now are monsters of the Reckless Roar.

The characteristics of the Reckless Roar lineage are simple. They’re strong and tough.

To fuse such beings and create an even larger and more powerful existence? Even the current me, who has half given up on being human, wouldn’t be able to handle the completed giant.

“We have to destroy it now.”

Before the giant opens its eyes. We have to finish it off while it’s revealing its vulnerable inner flesh.

“Iris! How much have you recovered?”

“Th-there’s not enough time, I haven’t fully recovered yet! If I squeeze it out, I can probably do Elemental Burst about twice….”

“Then just pour all your remaining mana from the wall at the right timing! Professor Iona…”

“I’m fine! Even if I run low, I can just drink Student Yandel’s blood a few times!”

“Alright! Then let’s go! Everyone else, throw whatever you can! And Senior Faye…”

“Yeah! I just need to help the other dwarves, right? I’ll go tinker with the cannons deployed on the wall!”

I nodded at Faye, who had a determined expression, and then threw myself into the air.

In my Dragon Form, I looked down at the ground from the air.

“Now, throwing small fries won’t mean much.”

“Uh-huh. Since it’s absorbing even the dead bodies, we have to use magic that leaves no corpses behind…”

“With that much power, we should aim for the main body.”

I nodded and looked at the patchwork giant, which grew larger as I got closer.

Cannonballs fired from the distance were relentlessly pounding the uncompleted body, but they didn’t seem very effective.

Perhaps the divine power of the Reckless Roar had already manifested, as the cannonballs bounced off if they missed even slightly.

Of course, if they hit properly, they tore off chunks of flesh… but since the giant was so huge, it was only at the level of scratches. And it regenerated quickly.

The only saving grace was that occasionally, cannonballs with unusual power flew in. Faye must have somehow strengthened the cannons. However…

“It doesn’t seem like it’ll be more than just a distraction.”

“Yeah, yeah. That means we have to step up, right?”

“Please give it your all.”

“If Student Yandel gives me that much blood, then!”

Iona, who playfully raised the corner of her lips as if trying to ease the tension, lifted one arm and gathered her magic.

A crimson aura enveloped her ideal female form. However, it was too ominous to simply be residual mana flowing around.

Perhaps something using blood itself, with the power of a vampire, was mixed in.

A large amount of blood began to gather above Iona’s hand as she quickly chanted. The shape was somewhere between the familiar stake and a spear.

Originally, the way to use Țepeș would be to throw it as it is to pierce or explode.

But Iona didn’t stop there. The chanting didn’t stop, and thorn vines began to wrap around the thick blood spear.

The vines stopped growing only after completely covering the blood spear. Just as a black rose bloomed at its tip…

Iona, who was already pale, became even paler, as if she had anemia, and declared her full power.

“Vlad Țepeș.”

Screeeeeeeech!

A speed that was difficult even for my current eyes to follow. The target was set. There was a weak point that anyone could see.

Svid’s face, embedded in the center of the giant. Relief appeared in his eyes, which were contorted with pain. And then…

Thwack.

The blood spear pierced Svid’s head. At the same time, the flow of cultists and monsters that had been merging madly faltered.

Did we get it? I didn’t say those words. Instead, I immediately slammed down the magic I had prepared in the meantime.

“Punishment.”

Thump.

The Dragon Heart pulsed intensely. Centering around it, the mana within my body seethed, forcibly resonating by scraping together all the surrounding mana.

A small storm arose simply from the aftereffects of the magic. Within it, a burning greatsword fell.

The sword, which had pierced the still uncompleted giant from the crown of its head, began to glow white-hot.

Iona’s thorned blood spear also began to tremble as if resonating with it, and it exploded in time with the impact of the other women’s magic and the enhanced cannonballs that arrived half a beat later.

Crack… Kwaaang! Bang!!

The sound of something breaking and exploding didn’t stop.

The giant’s body, directly exposed to the chain explosion, swelled up like a balloon and then began to collapse, spewing blood.

Especially the heart area, which was hit by Iona’s Vlad Țepeș, had a rough hole as if it had been bitten by a sharp-toothed beast.

It was a sight that showed a fatal wound to anyone.

Indeed, the giant, which had been constantly wriggling and absorbing surrounding flesh, stopped with one knee on the ground.

Both I and Iona were in a state where we couldn’t properly support ourselves due to the recoil, but we couldn’t take our eyes off the giant.

The wound was large, and it couldn’t move anymore… but wasn’t it an existence beyond common sense, made of the Evil God’s divine power?

I couldn’t relax until I confirmed that it was truly dead.

“I-is it over?”

“Not yet, not yet, Student Yandel. Look over there!”

Just as expected. As if it wasn’t over here, there was a small woman approaching the solidified giant.

Astrid. The madwoman who sacrificed her own son to create the giant was crossing a lake of blood.

Perhaps due to the enormous amount of blood loss, comparable to the giant’s size, and the dwarves’ characteristic short stature, the blood had risen to her chest.

But Astrid only wore a sad smile without any sign of fear.

“Ah… my poor son. Did it hurt a lot? Don’t worry now, Svid. Now it’s my turn to take your place. Rohan will also become one soon, so please wait just a little longer.”

And then she cautiously reached out towards the patchwork giant.

“[…Stop!]”

It was obvious at first glance that something ominous was about to happen, so I unleashed Dragon Fear with all my might.

Fear that wasn’t spread over a wide area, but aimed solely at Astrid.

If she was a dwarf, she shouldn’t be free from it.

Indeed, Astrid’s complexion turned pale, and her whole body began to tremble like an aspen leaf… but that didn’t stop her movement.

Instinctive fear. Something even greater than that must have been moving her body.

With an ominous premonition, I forcibly squeezed out my mana. The recoil hadn’t completely subsided yet… but I ignored it and completed the magic.

“Light Spear!”

Pure white light took the form of a sharp spear and then crossed the empty air.

…But it was too late.

Before my magic could reach or Astrid’s hand could touch, the giant’s legs spread wide, revealing sharp teeth and a wet tongue.

A maw that evoked instinctive disgust. The tongue that stretched out from within grabbed Astrid and pushed her into its mouth.

Crunch.

The sound of chewing as if swallowing something. The light spear slammed into the mouth that had eaten Astrid, but what meaning did it have now?

“Should I have killed Astrid first…?”

Along with my feeling of emptiness, the halted fusion resumed. At a much faster rate than before.

Creak.

The wounds inflicted by my and Iona’s magic healed in an instant. No, it went beyond that; the missing muscles swelled, and skin covered the surface.

One peculiar thing was that another head sprouted.

I don’t know if this giant originally had two heads, or if another head appeared when Astrid was incorporated.

I also don’t know how such a thing is possible with just Astrid as a sacrifice.

Perhaps Svid had been resisting something that should have happened long ago. After all, what appeared on his face at the last moment was none other than peace and relief.

However, such speculation now is meaningless.

The important thing is that after Astrid was devoured, the giant, which had been on the verge of death, not only recovered in an instant but also reached the point right before completion.

It still had its eyes closed, but I could feel an immense divine power gathering. It was obvious that the worst-case scenario would unfold if we left it like this.

Vast mana flowed into my creaking body. Perhaps it was too much of a strain, as regurgitated blood gushed out, but I just spat it onto the ground and recited the activation word.

“Punishment…!!”

A greatsword, weaker than before but still possessing overwhelming destructive power, pierced the giant’s heart and exploded.

Puh-wuh-wuh-woong!

Once again, the giant’s heart was blown away… but the hole that was created was smaller than I expected.

I had intended to blow away its entire upper body… would this much be enough?

As if to add certainty to my worries, the cross-section wriggled and instantly filled the hole in its chest.

“…Did its regeneration get better?”

“Maybe, maybe. It seems so?”

Iona, who was sinking her fangs into my neck and drinking blood as soon as I cast the second Punishment, nodded.

This is troublesome.

Punishment still works. In fact, it would be strange if it didn’t. It’s magic that even wounds the divine body.

But the problem is that the giant’s size is too large for the wounds inflicted to be fatal, and the wounds heal at an abnormally fast rate.

It’s as if it possesses the body of the Reckless Roar and the regeneration of the God of Tainted Unity.

The only saving grace is that even though another head appeared and its body was completed, it still couldn’t move with its eyes closed.

It doesn’t seem like it will attack immediately, but it also doesn’t seem like it will take long for that to happen.

“…If we don’t have a clever plan, let’s go back for now and look for a way.”

“You’re right, Student Yandel. This is not an opponent we can handle with our current strength.”

That’s true. But it wasn’t as if there was absolutely no way.

If we received help from Iris, who hadn’t fully recovered and was left behind, Helena, who was focused on defending the walls, and the other companions, as well as the dwarves, we could probably manage somehow.

“Before that, it mustn’t open its eyes…”

I sighed deeply and returned to the wall. As soon as I took a step and caught my breath, Helena came running towards me.

No, judging by the lion ears sprouting from her head, it was Solari.

The moment she was about to open her mouth with a hurried expression…

Kwaaaaa!

Suddenly, an intense pressure was felt from behind.

The moment I turned around, I couldn’t help but groan.

“Ah.”

The black and red divine power of the Evil God began to burn the giant’s body.

As if trying to paint a blank canvas with its own colors.