Ch.1258Reversed Fortunes in an Instant

The best way to break a stalemate on the battlefield is to deploy reserves at a timing when it’s already too late for the enemy to withdraw.

Caliburn’s hidden insurance.

Another ancient dragon that had been concealing its presence to the limit while hiding in the ceiling of Naraka, waiting for the right moment to strike, was literally a dagger that pierced through the giants’ hearts.

“This can’t be…!”

The giants who finally noticed him tried to respond with pale faces, but unfortunately, all those capable of doing so were already tied down.

Geirrod was struggling to hold back Caliburn’s muzzle that was trying to tear his face off with both hands, while Hrungnir was too busy deflecting Krakbabel’s tail with his sword to move.

“Stop it! Stop it somehow—!”

“Arrows and spears don’t work, what can we possibly do?!”

The strength of ordinary giant warriors, apart from those two, was insufficient to inflict any meaningful wound on the ancient dragon clinging to the high ceiling, whether they shot arrows or threw spears.

– Grooooooar…!

Thanks to this, Valaur was able to gather sufficient power and unleash it without any interference.

“Turn to dust and perish. Like the worthless vermin you are!”

A declaration that resounded like a roar across the entire battlefield.

The next moment, a waterfall of light with countless mixed colors swept across the land.

—-

Long ago, Valaur had contemplated the power of divinity.

Divinity was a seed of transcendence that could transform short-lived vermin into beings as powerful as dragons.

If so, what if he—an ancient dragon, already a powerful being—obtained that power? Couldn’t he transcend even the limitations of dragonkind and step into a new realm that no one had reached before?

Though there was no certainty, it seemed like an experiment worth trying since he had nothing to lose even if he failed. Thus, Valaur began hunting demigods.

Of course, it wasn’t as easy as he thought.

The power of demigods was generally comparable to ancient dragons. Not all of them were equal to dragons due to differences in strength and gaps between them, but they were certainly formidable opponents that couldn’t be taken lightly.

Therefore, Valaur had to be extremely cautious when choosing his targets to avoid encountering excessively powerful demigods.

Hundreds of years passed like this.

Perhaps his caution paid off. Valaur was able to devour several weaker demigods without being hunted down by stronger ones, becoming known as the Dragon of God-Slaying.

Nevertheless, he failed to achieve his goal of transcendence.

Was there a problem with the method of devouring and stealing? Or was divinity itself a realm that was inherently forbidden to dragons?

Despite devouring nearly ten demigods and becoming infamous throughout the world, it was impossible for him to bloom divinity and transcend beyond even an ancient dragon.

In fact, it was only natural.

Ancient dragons were already beings that had transcended the limitations of dragonkind. Though their origins differed, they were essentially equal to demigods.

The divinity that gods spread across the earth was a seed leading mortals to the path of transcendence. What meaning would it have for those who were created as transcendent beings from the beginning?

For ancient dragons, divinity and transcendence weren’t unreachable realms, but rather meaningless pursuits because they had already reached that state.

However, Valaur failed to realize this. Perhaps he had already realized it midway but unconsciously chose to ignore it.

‘It’s because I lack enough. I must devour more, more divinity…!’

It would have been better if he had simply forgotten about his failures and sought other goals. Instead, Valaur became increasingly obsessed, growing more persistent and radical.

What began as an experiment out of curiosity, a means to achieve transcendence through hunting demigods, had somehow transformed into a lifelong obsession that he felt compelled to fulfill at any cost.

A meaningless and worthless obsession where the means and the end had become reversed.

Yet, it wasn’t entirely without results.

Whether as a consequence of his greed, his scales had disappeared and his flesh had degenerated until not even a trace of his original form remained, but in exchange, he had gained a new power.

He failed to bloom divinity and achieve transcendence. After all, ancient dragons were beings that neither could nor needed to transcend.

However, would the divinity he had already swallowed simply disappear naturally?

The divinity Valaur had devoured accumulated within his body until it became visible externally—the light surrounding his flesh was the radiance emitted by that divinity.

Neither awakened and bloomed nor absorbed into his flesh, but rather the divinity of demigods stored within Valaur’s body, which served as a kind of container.

Whenever Valaur unleashed his power, this divinity was drawn out with it, becoming a storm of pure destruction that swept away his enemies.

Though it was an absurdly inefficient and wasteful method, the end result was that his destructive power had nearly doubled.

– KWAOOOOO—!

Just like now.

—-

A torrent of light with dozens of chaotically mixed colors radiating.

Valaur’s breath, filled with divinity, swept horizontally through the rear of the giant army, pulverizing everything it touched without exception.

Masterless divinity with amplified power—a flash of destruction so powerful that even Geirrod or Hrungnir wouldn’t survive a direct hit.

Unless they were warriors from their prime who could stand against gods as equals, it was impossible for the giants, weakened by curses and time, to withstand such power.

– Groooooar…!

All that remained where the raging light and thick smoke had cleared was carved earth and pulverized bone dust.

The giant army had lost 30% of its forces in an instant.

Considering that giants could no longer produce offspring, this was a critical loss that could potentially threaten the very survival of their race.

While the death of 30% of warriors might be bearable though painful in peacetime, the problem was that this happened during battle.

The situation had already been slightly unfavorable, but now with such massive casualties in an instant, the survival of the remaining 70% was also uncertain.

‘I made a mistake. I should have committed all forces instead of dividing them….’

Geirrod lamented amid anger and shock.

He had committed 80% of his total forces to this battle. The remaining 20% were left as garrison troops to guard their stronghold against unexpected developments or diversionary tactics.

From Geirrod’s perspective, it was a sensible decision, and there was nothing particularly wrong with it.

Though they were outnumbered, they weren’t so overwhelmed that they would collapse helplessly. At an appropriate time, they could have retreated, joined forces with the fortress troops, and potentially counterattacked to victory.

If only it weren’t for the existence of the powerful enemy Valaur, whom he had failed to anticipate, and the surprise attack launched at a timing when they couldn’t respond.

‘…No, that’s not right. Even if I had committed all forces from the beginning… the only difference would have been the casualties they suffered.’

But thinking about it again, there was no reason to lament this as a misjudgment.

Even if he had mobilized the remaining 20% of his forces, it would have been impossible to defeat Caliburn’s forces with the addition of the powerful Valaur.

They might have killed more enemies, but with such a clear difference in strength, the result of annihilation wouldn’t have changed.

Seen that way, it was actually fortunate that they had preserved that 20% of their forces.

“Barkas! Urd!”

Therefore, Geirrod signaled to some of his subordinates, ordering them to inform their kin remaining at the fortress that they had—or would—lose.

‘We can’t win anyway. At least they should…!’

It was a measure to save the lives of the remaining 20% of warriors and non-combatants.

If the rest abandoned the fortress and fled into hiding while they held back the werebeasts here, they could at least preserve the lineage of their tribe.

“Hold! Hold with all your might! We must buy time somehow!”

No longer a struggle for victory, but a desperate fight to avoid extinction even in defeat. The giants’ battle had transformed into such a struggle.

With their forces, there was no way to defeat Caliburn’s army unless a miracle occurred and reinforcements descended from the sky.

‘But such a miracle is impossible….’

However, what miracle would come to a race cursed by the gods? At least, that’s what Geirrod thought—that there would be no miracles for them.

– Gruuuuung…!

Therefore, when unexpected reinforcements arrived—something he couldn’t even hope for—the emotion he felt was not relief but bewilderment.