Ch.1220Giants and Orcs

A giant’s lifespan is not infinite.

It may seem endless to humans who live barely a hundred years, but giants too are mortal beings who cannot escape aging and death.

That’s why after the formation of Heaven’s Wall, most giants transformed their bodies into mountain ranges and rocky hills, falling into a long slumber like hibernating beasts.

By transforming themselves into something as close as possible to inanimate objects, they sought to delay the aging of their bodies to the utmost limit.

But Bergelmir couldn’t spend thousands of years just sleeping like that. He had a country and people to rule and care for.

Thousands upon thousands of foolish and weak trolls and ogres who would surely perish under the harshness of Naraka without his protection.

So Bergelmir, along with the countless monsters who served him, simply let the long years flow by like water, remaining awake.

He sacrificed his lifespan to protect his country and people—his sense of responsibility was worthy of being praised as that of a great ruler, but…

– KUUUUUNG!

“Khahah! You’ve grown slow, Bergelmir!”

This meant he had ultimately failed to escape the passage of time and had weakened significantly compared to his prime.

“…You dodged. Quicker than you look.”

“You’re just too slow!”

Though he had compensated for his diminished strength and agility with mechanical armor mimicking dwarven technology, it was no match for his physical abilities in his prime.

For that very reason, Caljarat, weakened by the aftereffects of resurrection, could still maintain an equal fight against Bergelmir.

—-

– KWADDDDDDK!

The forest of giant trees vanished in an instant with a thunderous explosion.

The earth, split by an axe blade the size of a house, convulsed and collapsed with a rumble, while a storm of thick dust and rock fragments swept across everything like claws, crushing all in its path.

“GROOOOOAR!”

The pale-haired giant roared like thunder as he tore up the land in all directions, his dark gray mechanical armor clanking as metal pipes expelled high-temperature steam.

– KWARRRUNG! KUKWAKWAKWAKWANG!

Rapidly swirling rocks collided with each other, scattering lightning, while torn clouds poured down rain like blood.

A battlefield resembling a natural disaster.

Even a mere human—no, even Turangkai, who was at the highest tier of heroes, would be reduced to a puddle of blood in an instant if he stopped moving in this hellscape.

“Slow, too slow! What’s the point of strength if you can’t hit your target!”

Yet Caljarat pranced through this hell as if it were his own home, displaying his fierce prowess.

He smashed rocks flying at meteor speeds, tore apart storms with his arms glowing with magical engravings, and kicked floating tree trunks, shooting them like javelins.

“Have you grown so old that even moving your limbs is difficult?”

All the while, he continuously spewed blatant provocations, and with his sword hand, he swung relentlessly, imbuing his strikes with the power of severance he had stolen.

“I can see through everything—you’re clumsy and slow!”

Like a berserker intoxicated by the heat of battle. As if he didn’t care about conserving energy, fighting with passionate intensity.

‘…His attacks are heavy. The fragments and wind pressure make aerial approach difficult too.’

But contrary to his passionate exterior, Caljarat’s mind was surprisingly calm. Or more precisely, he was forcing himself to remain calm.

‘With the rain and lightning too… if I stop due to electrocution, it’s over. This won’t be easy.’

His opponent was a giant. Though he was dodging well now, if he allowed even one direct hit, he would burst like a crushed maggot.

“From the looks of it, I just need to stall for time! How many minutes do you have left before dying of old age?”

So he had to use any means necessary to disturb his opponent’s composure, to prevent him from displaying his true abilities by keeping him off balance.

“…What ridiculous mockery. You too must have lived no small number of years? Caljarat the demigod, self-proclaimed last of the orcs.”

Unfortunately for Caljarat, his provocations had little effect on Bergelmir.

His taunts were far too mild to drive his opponent into a rage and strip away his reason.

“Tell me, do you still remember the faces of your kin? Their names, their voices? Have you forgotten everything? And yet you dare call yourself the last king.”

“You bastard…!”

It turned out that Bergelmir wasn’t the one vulnerable to provocation—it was Caljarat.

Though he knew it was an obvious taunt and understood he needed to stay calm, true to his orcish nature, Caljarat momentarily lost his temper, stopping in his tracks and revealing a clear opening.

– HWUUUNG!

“Oh no…!”

He quickly realized his mistake and hurriedly moved his feet again, but the giant’s axe had already reached his vicinity in that moment of hesitation.

‘I made a mistake…!’

As Caljarat gritted his teeth, prepared to sacrifice an arm or two, judging he couldn’t completely avoid the blow.

“What are you doing, you fool!”

– PEOEOEOEK!

Two rocks that had been swirling in the vortex unnaturally changed direction, accelerating to strike Caljarat’s back like a massive hammer.

“Kheuk!”

Caljarat was knocked away like a struck ball, letting out a suppressed groan.

“Turangkai, how dare you…!”

Turangkai, who had been hiding and watching the situation before hurling the rocks at Caljarat, felt a satisfying impact that made his heart feel refreshed.

“You should be grateful. I just saved your life.”

Though his back was torn open with flesh gouged and blood streaming, thanks to the rocks, Bergelmir’s axe had missed—so he should actually be thankful.

Without Turangkai’s help, he would have suffered at least a severe injury, possibly even instant death in that critical moment.

In effect, Turangkai had saved Caljarat’s life.

Not because he considered him a comrade, but because if Caljarat died pathetically, he would be the next to be stomped to death.

– ‘Please, either kill each other or be wounded so severely you barely cling to life…’

That’s why Turangkai hoped this fight would be as fierce and desperate as possible.

If possible, he planned to hide as much as he could and intervene at appropriate moments to guide the situation in that direction.

‘Why did this orc suddenly lose his temper there…’

Ideally, he would have hidden himself to the limit and intervened at the most critical moment, but since Caljarat had inexplicably lost his temper and faced death, what choice did he have?

Even at the risk of making Bergelmir aware of his presence again, he had to reveal himself to save Caljarat first.

“Ah, right. I had forgotten about you, monkey. I’ll at least praise you for not fleeing during this chaos.”

Of course, Turangkai immediately regretted it after making eye contact with Bergelmir.

‘What kind of eyes…!’

Beyond the crude metal visor covering his skeletal face, eyes like red flames burning with clear killing intent.

“Foolish but right. That’s how a warrior should be.”

Turangkai, momentarily intimidated by the overwhelming pressure like facing an active volcano, swallowed dryly and took half a step back.

“…Thanks for that. As a reward, couldn’t we just make peace?”

“Would that be possible?”

Though he was forcing himself to appear calm and even cracking jokes, his drooping tail clearly showed how intimidated he was.

“Well… I guess not. I wasn’t expecting it anyway.”

“Good that you didn’t expect it. Then, now, stop interfering and die.”

The giant’s axe, which could kill even a demigod with a direct hit, rose high again, charged with blue lightning and steam.

As it was about to carve another canyon beside the already ruined and collapsed one in the ground.

“—Where are you looking? Your enemy is right here!”

Caljarat shouted fiercely as he struck through the air, wielding his two great swords and a spear-sword acquired during his journey, aiming for the giant’s nape from behind like lightning.

– KWAAAAANG!

“Such an obvious sneak attack.”

“Kuk…!”

But Bergelmir turned his body and swung his axe diagonally to block Caljarat’s surprise attack, knocking him far away into the newly formed canyon.

“To respond to your pathetic provocation… I should say that now I can see you too.”

– GOOOOO….

Dust rose like a fountain, settling quietly and dispersing in waves.

“GRAAAAAH!”

– KWAAAAAAANG!

As Bergelmir struck down with his axe once more, the long, snake-like canyon crumbled from the impact, causing overturned bedrock to surge upward.

“What are you doing? Are you going to keep hiding like a coward?”

And as the giant stepped forward and mocked Caljarat, who seemed unwilling to emerge from the pile of debris, calling him a coward.

– KWAJAJAJAJAK!

Something semi-transparent and nearly invisible, yet clearly existing in that space, became a massive blade that tore through space, extending toward the giant’s waist.

‘This is…!’

Bergelmir reflexively tried to block it with his axe, but recognizing the power contained in that slash, he hurriedly rolled to the side.

– KURRRRRRRUNG!

As the mountain-sized giant clad in metal rolled quickly across the ground, the aftermath was like the entire world turning upside down—earthquakes, landslides, and waves of dirt sweeping across everything.