Ch.5151. Hero (5)

“It’s the first time I’ve seen someone ask me to take care of monster cleanup.”

Duke Quenore snorted derisively. I narrowed my eyes as I looked at him. Even at a glance, the Duke’s physical condition was far from normal. His mana circulation was precarious. Though his aura was sharp, it was disorganized and scattered. After fighting for two days straight, pouring out aura without rest, it would be strange if he were in good shape.

“Be grateful I didn’t send you back. Your condition is concerning, Duke. You can’t even circulate your mana properly.”

At my words, Duke Quenore showed a surprised expression, then quickly shifted to a subtle smile. It was like the gaze of a master looking at a disciple who had grown to match him.

“So you can see such things now, Ilroy?”

“Somehow it turned out that way. If you’re confident you can fight without overexerting yourself, you can help me later.”

I looked at the giant. The Holy Sword’s second stage wasn’t fully opened yet. I could forcibly increase its power, but I hadn’t completely mastered the second condition the Holy Sword mentioned—the method of handling its power.

“[Know that I understand this is no situation to be picky about conditions, Ilroy.]”

I nodded at the Holy Sword’s words. Opening the second stage was completely different from the first. A power much stronger than when I first opened the first stage surged through my body, putting severe strain on my body even with the crown’s enhancement. If I had opened the second stage without unlocking the crown, my body would have been destroyed, unable to withstand that power.

Yes. Thanks for understanding the situation.

I felt like I was almost reaching that level, but we didn’t have the luxury of time. I looked up at the giant’s towering body. The giant’s silhouette visible through the blizzard was hundreds of meters tall. Looking at the giant, I recalled the abyss shown to me by the crown.

The giant is not deeper than the pit. The brief night beginning to cover above the clouds at the limit line was not darker than the darkness in the pit.

“It seems it’s not yet time for the world to end.”

I muttered as I raised the Holy Sword. The blizzard was intensifying.

“[Do you have a plan for how to approach this?]”

I’ll have to confront it first. To see how it reacts.

I closed my eyes and began to concentrate. A small spark at the center of my heart. From it, streams of mana extended and circulated through my body. A whirlwind formed beneath my feet. A phenomenon similar to when Duke Quenore activated his aura was occurring. The vortex of mana began to tear through the wind with its aura. The mana erupting from me devoured the blizzard and revealed its presence.

“…! Everyone, move away from Hero Ilroy.”

Duke Quenore commanded in an astonished voice after noticing my transformation. The giant still held its head high arrogantly. Judging by the change in its aura, it seemed ready to advance again.

“Then, I’ll make you look this way.”

Stronger, even stronger. The ground beneath me cratered. The accumulated snow scattered into the air, exposing the bare earth. Light was gathering in the Holy Sword. The auspicious energy collecting on the blade extended in a spiral pattern. The first strike would be a direct slash falling from above in a straight line.

“Do not look beyond, giant.”

The Holy Sword’s blade screamed as it tore through the mirror within the limit line. The light tore apart all the monsters charging forward and flew toward the giant’s body.

KWAGWAGWANG-!!!

An explosion erupted. Though the giant’s body remained unwounded, the atmosphere suddenly began to change. A small earthquake occurred. The giant’s feet, which had been steadily advancing toward Evernode, slowly began to turn—toward me.

“[You’ve caught its attention.]”

Indeed, I seemed to have definitely caught the giant’s attention. There was a sound like a massive tree falling. Looking up, I saw the head attached to the giant’s shoulders creaking as it turned toward me.

“It moved…”

The giant’s gaze pressed down not just on me but on all the knights. The color drained from the faces of most knights except Duke Quenore. The giant’s gaze weighed down on both allies and enemies, even the monsters. The monsters, who had been attacking us despite the calamity’s change, now cowered and trembled.

KUGUGUNG.

Would a whole mountain moving make such a sound? The giant’s feet changed direction, erasing everything in their path. Trees turned to dust and disappeared, monsters were crushed leaving only streaks of blood. The giant had clearly recognized me. The world within the limit line recognized me too and turned ferocious. With the sole purpose of killing me.

The wind literally became blades tearing through the world. It clawed at the zone formed by my mana vortex. Tree trunks shook violently, then became giant spears flying toward me. I swung the Holy Sword, pouring out mana to prevent the impact from reaching the knights behind me. The wind randomly slashed the world, then began blowing from the opposite direction to prevent me from advancing.

“[Hold on.]”

I shook my head at the Holy Sword’s words. No, I’ll go beyond just holding on.

The small spark in my heart grew larger. The essence of mana, leaping fiercely, responded to my will and expanded the size of the barrier. The giant’s mana pressed down on me as if I were insignificant, as if I were nothing. I could feel the giant’s gaze looking down on me. I didn’t avoid that gaze but met it head-on.

Even if you can place the world beneath your feet, I will not yield. For I must carry the world on my shoulders.

“Until you bow your proud head at my feet—”

I took one step forward, gritting my teeth. The reward for that step was even fiercer resistance. The giant pressed down on me with its mana, refusing to allow my advance. The ground I stood on began to sink. I took another step forward.

“I will not bend my neck.”

The power struggle between the giant and me continued. The giant’s mana is infinite. My mana is abundant but not infinite. If this tug-of-war continued, eventually my mana field would be torn apart. I might survive, but the knights behind me would not. I had to break through. I couldn’t fall back. Not like this—!

At that moment, someone came and stood beside me.

“Well, this is quite embarrassing for Evernode.”

The burden lightened.

I looked to the side with wide eyes. Duke Quenore, who had somehow shaken off the giant’s pressure, was smiling as he raised his mana. His blue mana mixed with my silver mana, reinforcing the barrier. His mana circulation had seemed unstable earlier, but now he appeared quite recovered, even stronger than before, supporting me.

“Did you think a knight of the North would succumb to mere cold and blizzard?”

Duke Quenore said with a smile. He looked back. The knights of Evernode, who had been struggling to withstand the pressure with their swords planted in the ground, were now rising using their swords as support. Duke Quenore raised his voice sternly, as if urging the knights.

“Were the dozens of winters we’ve endured and overcome weaker than this?”

“…No, sir.”

Hemil was the first to rise. He drew up his mana and formed aura on his sword. Another hand joined in supporting my mana field. Hemil looked at me and nodded.

“Tell me, Hans, Adrian, Tiron. Were your winters warmer than this? Did we surrender our fortress then? Did we let the cutting wind tear down our walls?”

At Duke Quenore’s rebuke, the knights shook their heads. Tiron stood up, followed almost simultaneously by Hans and Adrian. They too raised aura on their swords like Hemil.

“No, sir.”

“Absolutely not. This cold is nothing compared to a single winter.”

One by one, the knights rose. Duke Quenore raised his voice even higher.

“Answer me, Knights of Evernode! What is your duty?”

Serin, who had followed me, spoke up.

“To protect… Evernode… with our lives.”

“And yet you would cower behind someone else’s back? You should be eager to take the enemy’s head first, not kneeling in humiliating submission! Will you let those filthy feet trample the fortress of Evernode?”

“NO, SIR!!”

All the knights rose to their feet. Gradually, more hands supported my back. The barrier thickened. My mana stabilized. The knights’ mana intertwined, creating a solid wall. My vision cleared. The giant appeared before me. Though the giant’s mana was growing stronger, it couldn’t penetrate the tightly woven mana of the knights. Instead, their mana drove away the blizzard and cold, beginning to open a path for me to charge forward.

The snowfall subsided. The wind could not invade us. Beyond the exposed ground, a straight path extended. At the end of that path, the calamity I had to face was lurking. I gripped the Holy Sword firmly and organized my mana. My heart began to beat violently.

“Stand firm! If you cannot behead that giant yourselves, at least do not become a burden to the one who goes forth to do so.”

“YES, SIR!!”

Duke Quenore looked at me. I was looking back at him. The knights’ aura blocked the giant’s blizzard and shone brilliantly with all kinds of light.

“Go, Hero Ilroy.”

Duke Quenore held someone else’s sword in his left hand and extended his own sword to me. I blinked, looking alternately at Duke Quenore and his sword.

“It may not match the Holy Sword, of course, but it won’t be a hindrance. This sword has protected the Strope family since its beginning.”

I nodded and drew the Duke’s sword from its scabbard. The sword responded to the Duke’s will with a small cry and wrapped around my hand. I felt the weight of the swords as I turned to face the giant.

“I’ll use it well and return it.”

“I won’t forgive you if there’s even a single scratch.”

At the Duke’s joke, I chuckled and shrugged.

“I’ll try to be careful.”

The path of aura. I stepped onto it. The knights’ wind, will, faith, hope. The aura told me many things. Another step. Another step. Feeling all those emotions, I changed my walk to a run. I accelerated. Accelerated endlessly. Until my body was wrapped in the light of aura and shone. At the end of the aura path, I crouched and then leaped up.

The blade of the Duke’s sword in my left hand was enveloped in my silver aura, and the Holy Sword opened, emitting a pure white light. My body felt weightless, as if liberated. I soared infinitely high, piercing through the blizzard, the cold, the clouds, and ascending into the sky. The limit line’s clouds scattered at my aura, revealing the dark blue sky. Night had passed, and dawn was approaching.

At the end, I saw the giant’s head. A mannequin-like appearance with no eyes, nose, or mouth. Above it was a glowing red cross-shaped crack.

“So, that’s what your face looks like.”

WOOOONG.

A sound like an amplified whale’s cry echoed. It seemed to be the sound of the angry giant. The giant’s head turned to follow me. Before the giant could reach me, I triggered my aura and launched myself toward its head.

KWAGWAGWANG-!!

An explosion erupted from the giant’s head. For the first time, the giant staggered and stepped back. Cold invaded my body through the sword. The mana racing through my body quickly drove out the cold. The sphere glowing within the cross on the giant’s head rotated and locked onto me.

“One strike won’t be enough.”

I said as I brought down the sword in my left hand.

KWAGWANG.

The giant staggered back again. I didn’t stop. My sword dance began. I struck down with both my left and right hands, beginning to dismantle the giant’s defensive wall. KUNG. KUNG. The giant retreated, pushed back by me. I still couldn’t cut it. Then I would push it until I could.

KUGUGUNG-!!

The retreating giant collided with a mountain ridge. The mountain’s body collapsed with a thunderous sound. The giant twisted and fell, and I accelerated above it, dropping my two crossed swords.

KWAGWANG-!!

The giant let out another angry howl. And now, the giant seemed to recognize me not as a pest to be brushed aside but as an enemy. The giant extended its arm, trying to strike me down as I flew. I rotated my body in mid-air and plunged my sword strike into the giant’s incoming fist. I poured out mana, resisting the enormous physical force pushing me back, but soon I couldn’t overcome the giant’s strength and was flung away, crashing into the opposite mountain peak.

“Kuhek-!”

As my aura shattered, the impact hit my body. I spat blood and staggered. Just one attack. That attack, which I had barely blocked, was enough to half-destroy my body. The giant’s offensive wouldn’t end with one strike. Looking at the enormous shadow covering the sky, I gritted my teeth. I had to get up and block it.

KWAGWAGWANG-!!

I slipped through the giant’s fingers. The giant’s hand mercilessly pressed down on the mountain, beginning to crush it. I stood on that hand, kicked off, and ran again. I ignored the pain. Whether bones were broken or internal organs ruptured. As long as my body maintained its form, I could fight.

WOOOONG.

With the giant’s cry, its other hand flew toward me. Another collision. This time, after being flung away, I caught myself in mid-air. The giant now spread both hands, seemingly trying to crush me to death by clapping them together. I descended straight down.

KWANG-!!!

Wind rose from the giant’s clap. I staggered and crashed into the ground, and the giant raised its foot high toward me. I won’t just take this lying down.

I rose again. My aura burned like a flame doused with oil. Before the giant could stomp down, it staggered from my attack. Still not enough. I needed to go further. As I gritted my teeth and gripped my sword, the Holy Sword’s words reached my ears.

“[Do not try to subdue the calamity with strength.]”

The Holy Sword’s voice was unexpectedly gentle for the situation. At that moment, time seemed to pause briefly.

“[Strength can be your weapon, but it cannot be your foundation. The calamity will always be stronger than you, bigger, heavier, more overwhelming.]”

The strength in my hand eased slightly.

“[To cut it down with your hands means to subdue strength with another power.]”

If it’s the current you, you’ll understand what this means.

A snowflake fell. While snow was falling, that one snowflake stood out strangely clearly. Snowflakes flutter and cover the world. That one snowflake.

I raised my sword very carefully. The Holy Sword’s blade was as light as a feather. And so, I thrust the sword toward the falling snowflake.

Pik.

The tip of the Holy Sword pierced the exact center of the snowflake. At that moment, the sword and I became one.

“[Try placing dew on the tip of your sword. I remember saying that.]”

The Holy Sword’s voice contained pride.

“[A single snowflake would be even more difficult.]”

The giant was rising again. I looked down at my hand. I couldn’t feel the weight of the sword at all. The sword seemed to have been one with me from the beginning. Again, this time I swung the sword in my left hand to pierce a snowflake. Its form remained intact on the sword’s tip, undamaged.

“…I did it.”

The voice escaped my lips naturally. I spoke to the Holy Sword in a dreamy voice.

“Holy Sword.”

Again, as unprecedented power enveloped my body, my vision turned white.

It was a quiet, clean space. I looked up, and at the edge of my vision was a woman with her back to the light, making her face difficult to see. At a glance, she wore a flower crown on her head. The woman wore a gentle, warm smile.

“You’ve come this far well, Ilroy.”

The woman slowly walked toward me. She reached out and took my hand, and I blinked, feeling that warmth. I could see her face for just a brief moment. Snow-white hair and warm, red glowing eyes. The woman looked into my eyes and spoke with a smile.

“Continue to move forward.”

Again, the dream disappeared. I found myself standing dazed in the cold air.

My aura and the Holy Sword, drawing a spiral, bloomed like wings. The giant approached, howling and destroying mountains.

“[Can you do it?]”

The Holy Sword’s voice reached me. I nodded and raised both swords. And then,

I delivered what would be the final strike toward the giant and the limit line.

==

Quenore watched as the silver meteor drawing a white light engaged in a desperate struggle with the giant. The meteor seemed to be pushed back and crashed to the ground.

But the light didn’t disappear. The knights were now standing beside Quenore, watching that light together.

“He will win.”

Serin said with conviction. The Duke nodded.

“Because he is the hero.”

==

Another monster fell to Daphne’s hand. There had been almost no offensive today. Even before afternoon, the monsters had all hurriedly disappeared back into the forest. The limit line grew darker, spreading its influence, and the hero’s party and Evernode’s soldiers gazed anxiously at the limit line.

Please, let Ilroy and the Duke return safely.

Earthquakes occurred several times. It seemed the fierce battle with the giant continued. Standing at the crossroads of despair and hope, they felt the shadow of despair growing.

Ilroy.

When Daphne clasped her hands tightly, suddenly the sky cleared. The soldiers and knights looked up at the sky, not understanding what was happening. Daphne stared at the increasingly splitting sky with wide eyes.

Two streams of light were shining brilliantly as they cut through the dark clouds.

==

Winter disappeared, leaving only snowflakes. The limit line was cut by my hand and sword. I exhaled and looked ahead. The traces left by my sword path were clearly engraved on the earth and mountains. Looking at the end of that scar, I planted the Holy Sword and the Duke’s sword into the ground.

The fourth calamity, the Giant, had fallen.

Evernode did not collapse.

In the cut sky, the sun was breaking through the night, pouring down its brilliant light.