Chapter 346: The Giant God Strikes

“Beikan...!!”

Karyl’s voice, charged with mana, echoed loudly across the vast battlefield. In response, Beikan’s cavalry from the Tu tribe surged toward him in unison.

“Left flank! Magic battalion, raise shields!!”

The imperial knights shouted in panic as they watched the wave of cavalry rushing toward them like a storm.

“Seventh and Eight Armies! Shield bearers, form a horizontal line to slow the enemy’s advance! Take defensive positions!”

Clang—! Boom!!

Though momentarily shaken by the sudden attack, the imperial army quickly mobilized and retaliated.

“Archers! Fire!”

Swish, swish, swish...!

Darkness fell over the battlefield as the hail of arrows blotted out the sky.

“Tu tribe, break through!”

Seeing the incoming arrows, Beikan spurred his horse onward. Even amidst the chaos of battle, they held their speed, charging straight into the path of the arrows.

“Shield bearers!!”

Under the shouts of their commanders, massive tower shields formed a thick wall, layer upon layer.

“D-Don’t tell me...!!”

The cavalry of the Tu tribe, now only dozens of meters away, showed no signs of slowing, even as they approached the shield bearers. The commanders shouted frantically, panicking in the face of the unwavering enemy.

Crash—!!

Beikan’s enormous axe cleaved through their defense with ease, sending several soldiers flying with his devastating blows. Splinters from their shields were being scattered everywhere.

“Don’t slow down!”

Seizing the opening Beikan had created, the Tu warriors pressed forward.

“Sir Azif! The Seventh Army is requesting support...!”

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Azif, fighting at the front, frowned at his lieutenant’s report. The Seventh and Eight Armies, formed primarily with defensive troops to protect the magic battalion at the rear, had been the first to break.

Azif realized that if he didn’t act quickly, his own forces might be outflanked, placing him in a dire situation.

“Infantry, circle to the left and hit their rear! Surround them and support the shield bearers! Fix the broken front lines now! Cut them off at the waist!!”

“Huaaaaahhh...!!”

At Azif’s command, the soldiers began to form up, opening a path. The knights of his unit turned and charged at the Free Army led by Karyl, pursuing their rear.

“Advance!!”

Boom!!

The infantry struck at the Free Army’s flank, while Azif’s knights chased their rear, spurring the chaos. Though they were normally stationed at the imperial palace to be the emperor’s personal guard, the Golden Knights were some of the best warriors in the empire.

Having risen to the position of vice captain through sheer effort and dedication, Azif was considered a top commander, even though his reputation was overshadowed by the legendary Kuwell MacGovern.

His leadership was unquestionable.

“Scatter again. Focus. I’ll send you my magic. Raise the waves.”

Yet, despite being confronted by Azif and his knights, Karyl spoke calmly, a look of confidence on his face.

Hummmmmm...!!

Hot, intense mana surged from Karyl’s core, flowing through Lakna.

Crack—!! Crunch—!!!

The magical energy erupting from Lakna’s hilt was no longer contained in the familiar shape of a sword. It had transformed into something entirely different.

A massive pillar of energy shot up from the hilt in Karyl’s hand, splitting like lightning into hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of branches, spreading all across the sky.

“...”

Azif was left speechless, gaping at the sight.

What in the world is this power...? Has he become a Great Sorcerer? I can’t believe it... This is nothing like what I saw at the Twin Armor.

Even though he was familiar with the imperial court’s Great Sorcerer, Azif couldn’t imagine Kadin Luer being capable of something like this.

“Advance,” Karyl’s low voice cut through his thoughts.

Karyl stood at the center of the Formless Formation, a formation that constantly scattered and reformed. It was a risky tactic, one that could easily result in defeat if mishandled. To break ranks and fight like this required each soldier to be incredibly skilled.

Anthem himself had admitted that this strategy shouldn’t work, but luckily, they had a crucial variable that made the impossible possible—Karyl MacGovern himself. His ability to imbue his soldiers, even the barbarians, with mana and amplify their abilities made this strategy feasible.

“The empire wouldn’t manage to do this, but we can,”

Anthem had said.

The stones Anthem had scattered in the barracks were fragments of Clear Distilled Water, a material that could absorb magic. Though the strategy seemed absurd, it was made possible by the Free Army’s equipment, which had been crafted from that very material.

Even for a Great Sorcerer, it would be nearly impossible to selectively channel magic to just one army in the midst of a chaotic battlefield. But the Free Army, using Clear Distilled Water equipment, was able to absorb Karyl’s magic, which coated their armor, drastically enhancing their abilities.

Though they had no natural affinity for magic, the barbarians and tribesmen far surpassed ordinary imperials in terms of physical prowess. Now, with Karyl’s magic amplifying them, even the least remarkable warriors were on par with the knights.

“Ugh?!”

Azif attempted to lead a counterattack against the rear of the Free Army, but he was met with a fierce and unexpected retaliation as the cavalry, enhanced by Karyl’s magic, clashed head-on with his forces.

“Break the shield bearers! Keep up the momentum of the first wave! The second and third follow-up strikes began with the first assault. Support the Tu tribe. Collapse the magic battalion hiding behind their shields.”

Suddenly, arrows rained down from the side.

“...!!”

The scattered archers had regrouped, and with Kinu Mukari’s command, the archers of the Flying Bow tribe unleashed a deadly volley. Their arrows slipped through the gaps between the enemy shields, finding their marks with deadly precision.

“Aaaah!!”

“Ugh...! Gah—!!”

The shield bearers fell one by one, despite their heavy shields. The arrows, enhanced by Karyl’s magic, struck as hard as a knight, rendering those shields useless.

Whistle—!!

At Karyl's signal, a red-scaled figure soared above the heads of the knights. With a sharp pull of the reins, Karyl mounted the wyvern and shot toward Bran at breakneck speed.

“By abandoning your fortress, you gave up the one advantage you had... A most foolish blunder, Bran Gamont.”

“...!!”

A chill ran down Bran’s spine.

“S-Stop him!! Do whatever it takes to stop that man!!” he shouted frantically as watched Karyl speeding toward Azif.

For the first time in this battle, Bran had lost his nerve.

“You relied on a single dragon and changed your strategy. Now I see why you could never beat Anthem in warfare. Even if it seems reckless, you must have faith in your strategy and push it through with confidence.”

Whoooosh—!!

The red-scaled wyvern tucked its wings in, surging even faster toward its target. Karyl soared sharply above the army, descending directly over Azif’s head with precise accuracy.

“Your downfall is your lack of faith.”

“...!!”

Azif instinctively gathered his magic, but deep down, he knew it wouldn’t be enough to stop Karyl.

Death had come.

The moment Karyl had appeared on the battlefield, Azif had felt a chilling premonition. Now, he understood there was no escaping it.

“You! That’s as far as you go!”

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice boomed across the battlefield.

VOOOOSHH...!!

A powerful gust of wind, sharper than anything seen before, roared across the field. The knights who had rushed to Karyl’s side were thrown off balance, as if they were mere specks of dust blown away by the storm.

“

Cough

...

Cough

...!!”

“Argh...!!”

Even the red wyvern that had been flying at full speed faltered, its movements disrupted by the gust.

ROARRRR...!!

A deafening roar echoed as a massive shadow loomed over Karyl’s head. Looking up, he saw the sharp, deadly fangs of Python, the Red Dragon, bearing down on him.

“R-Retreat...!!” Beikan’s voice quavered with panic as he gazed at the dragon, which seemed about to devour Karyl whole.

But Karyl didn’t retreat. Instead, he tightened the reins of the wyvern, refusing to slow down.

“My lord!!” all of Karyl’s subordinates shouted desperately, including Kinu Mukari and Kayla Spear.

ROAAAARRR...!!

In the blink of an eye, Python’s jaws rushed toward Karyl, ready to tear him apart.

“Hah... This is the end for you!!”

Azif, his face pale with cold sweat, managed a shaky laugh, watching the dragon’s impending strike.

“Die!!”

THWACK—!!!

But in an instant, something incredible happened. Python’s head, which had been charging toward Karyl with lethal force, suddenly twisted and crashed to the ground, as if struck by an invisible, tremendous force.

“...!!!”

“...!!!”

A colossal shadow had slammed into the dragon’s head, like a meteor crashing down. The ground quaked, and the battlefield was engulfed in dust.

“W-What...?!”

“What in the world?!”

The imperial soldiers were stunned. Python, the fearsome Red Dragon, flailed desperately, trying to rise, but he was helpless against the overwhelming weight pressing down on him.

“...”

Azif, too, collapsed to his knees, dumbfounded by what he had just witnessed.

“

Die

? Were you talking to

me

just now?” Karyl’s voice came from above, cold and calm. His wyvern had come to a stop, and he now gazed down at Azif with piercing eyes.

Azif’s throat had gone dry. He could only swallow nervously, his face drained of color.

“Am I late?”

a mechanical yet familiar voice rang out.

Karyl smiled faintly and shook his head.

“No. You arrived just in time.”

Boom—!

Karyl turned his gaze upward. Standing before him was a colossal figure, its hand placed over its chest in salute. The giant war machine, clad in shiny armor and equipped with an array of formidable weaponry, made for an unparalleled sight.

“You wretched...!”

Pinned beneath the colossus, Python growled in fury, baring its sharp fangs. Though it seemed like the giant’s fist had crushed the dragon, Python had actually managed to cast a powerful defensive spell to protect its head against the crushing blow.

Clang—!!

But the Red Dragon’s magic, impressive as it was, didn’t seem to faze the war machine. As it rose its hand, sharp metal spikes extended from its fist, gleaming ominously in the sunlight. The spikes were a dark, metallic brown, exuding a strange and mystical glow.

CRACK—!!!

Wingel Hart, seated in the cockpit of the golem, brought its fist down on Python’s head once more.

Boom—!! Boom—!! Boom—!!

The giant kept hammering down on the dragon, each punch rocking the creature’s skull and shattering the layers of protective magic. Python writhed in pain, and eventually, his magic faltered against the golem’s onslaught.

Karyl quickly recognized the spikes on the machine’s hand—they were made from a combination of Clear Distilled Water and adamantite, two minerals known for their ability to absorb magic.

[Combining two magic-absorbing minerals into one... Heh. That must be the work of that gnome. Look at the size of that thing. Everyone around you is insane.]

Alren’s voice echoed in Karyl’s head, chuckling at the sight.

Thud—!!

At that moment, a dull crack echoed across the battlefield, as if Python’s skull had finally given way.

“Ugh...! Ghraaaaa...!!” Python let out a pained roar, but the war machine didn’t relent. It mercilessly kept pounding its head into the ground.

“

Cough

... Damn... You bastards...!” he weakly cursed his attackers, though it was clear he could no longer resist. Blood dribbled from his mouth.

THOOM...!!

In response to the dragon’s groaning, the giant delivered yet another punishing blow to Python’s face, offering no mercy.