Chapter 436: Battle against Hekqet (1)

“Advance...!!” Viola shouted at the top of her lungs, pointing ahead with her Silver Wrath. Although delicate, the blade gleamed like a star, its aura felt across the entire battlefield.

“Huah!”

Greys Fanpinel charged with his knights at the enemy.

“First Magic Division, deploy shields!”

Behind the knights, sorcerers riding in carts pulled by cavalry began casting their spells. Despite racing at full speed over rocks and bumps, the Ulkas Magic Division didn’t waver in the slightest. Even in Thomson’s absence, they held perfect formation.

It was no surprise. These weren’t the typical Academy-trained spellcasters who only knew drills and theory. These sorcerers had seen battle—they were veterans who had survived countless monster hunts within the guild.

Karrak...! Karraaaak...!!

The frog abominations screeched out as they wildly thrust their crude spears at the advancing knights.

“Do not slow down!”

Hekqet’s army was overwhelming in terms of numbers. Thousands of monstrosities charged at the knights, but Greys did not falter. He only spurred his horse faster.

“Hup...!”

As the Mana Blade flared on his sword, Greys leapt from his horse and dove into the heart of the monster horde like a storm.

Fanpinel Family Swordsmanship: Stone Skipping

As the swarm of monsters closed in, Greys swung his sword horizontally and struck the ground as if to scoop it upward. The next instant, shockwaves rippled around him, blasting away the murderous abominations.

Thoom...! THOOM...!! BOOOOM...!!!

Though executed perfectly, Greys’s move bought him little time. The swarm was already closing back in, as if nothing had happened.

“Captain!”

The knights cried out as Hekqet’s minions lunged at Greys with their spears.

Clang! Clang! Clang...!!

Sparks flew amidst the fierce clash of metal, but the monsters failed to draw blood from Greys. Whenever a spear was about to hit, a shimmering blue barrier flared around him.

Fwoosh! Boom! Boom!

As the barrier deflected the monsters’ strikes, flames rained down on them. The knights saw the Ulkas sorcerers chanting in the distance.

“Everyone, charge! The magic division will cover us!” Greys shouted urgently, as though he had been waiting for this chance.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

Now the spears came from the other side. The knights pierced the monsters’ ranks, cleaving through their formations as though parting waves.

Karrak! Karrarak...!

“Fucking die!”

“Krrrkk—! Ack...!”

“Hyaah...!”

The frontlines erupted into a storm of violence, with sparks and blood flying everywhere, bodies quickly littering the ground.

“Deploy shields!” Viola shouted to the tangled knights as she observed the battlefield.

Tactical Wall – Iron Fortress

“Huaaa...!”

The knights pulled the long cords hanging at their waists, and blades unfurled from the backs of their armor like wings, forming fan-like shields.

“Strike!”

With those razor-sharp shields, the knights quickly managed to put some distance between themselves and the monsters. They interlocked their shields into a barrier, a wall that split the monsters down the middle.

“Greys! Hold the right flank with your knights to keep them from breaching the wall! Left flank, follow me. We’ll annihilate them!” Viola shouted as she plunged her silver rapier into the enemy ranks.

“Chargeeee...!! Protect Lady Viola!!”

“Protect the queen with your life!”

As she cut her way through the monsters, the knights followed her lead, rallying to her defense.

“Impressive. I thought the sword was just for show, but she actually knows how to wield it,” remarked a short, young girl with a pout on her face as she watched the battle of the Ranion Alliance from a nearby hill.

“That’s what you call impressive? Can’t you see the knights scrambling to protect her? You’re too soft on these central nobles, Sister.”

The shortest and youngest-looking of the three women sneered at the knights. They watched the clash from the nearby hill.

“Look over there, that large creature in the back. I’m sure it’s the Hekqet our lord mentioned. Slashing through these underlings is pointless. In the end, they won’t be able to do anything without us.”

“That’s why we’re here, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. And yet, when we come to help, they get all the praise while we get to roll in the mud,” grumbled the younger girl, shrugging.

She was none other than Digg, the youngest of the Three Sisters of Digon.

Kanotcho, the middle sister, gave a chuckle. “She’s a queen, and we’re warriors. Of course, they treat her differently.”

“A queen? Only the head of Digon should wear that title. It ain’t fitting for that flower over there,” Digg scoffed.

“Our queen of Digon is unique,” Kanotcho retorted. “Comparing her to them is foolish. We ain’t knights, so calling our elder sister ‘queen’ isn’t exactly fitting either.”

Kanotcho drew the crescent blades from her back. “Empress Miliana. I reckon that’s far more fitting for the unparalleled leader of Digon.”

Thwomp—!

She made the first move, guiding her Cargon down the slope, seeking to pierce the heart of the enemy ranks.

“We ought to set ourselves apart from common knights. Let’s go. We’ll be the first to take Hekqet’s head.”

Kanotcho’s large crescent blades glinted in the sun.

“Say no more.”

Following her lead, Digg drew her own twin blades and stood up on the saddle, balancing one leg on the Cargon’s head with practiced ease. One might say she was showing off, as she wasn’t even holding the reins.

“At ease!”

Just then, Miliana called out, halting both of them. The sisters quickly reined in their Cargons.

“What’s the matter?”

“Why stop us?”

“As always, we shall be the first to draw blood. These creatures are said to be scattered all over the continent. We must be the first to cut one down,” Miliana explained.

Her two sisters looked at her, wondering why she had stopped them if that was the plan.

“While we fight in the name of Digon, this time, it’s not us who will take Hekqet’s head. We’re only here to signal the start of the war,” Miliana went on, turning to the man who stood behind her and her sisters.

“The task of retrieving Hekqet’s head falls to you.”

“M-Me?” the man stammered. He was clad in thick, heavy armor that most couldn’t wear in battle. But despite that, there was no confidence in his eyes.

“Karyl entrusted you to us for this very reason. Be the first to raise Hekqet’s corpse high for all to see. With this battle, your name will echo across the continent,” Miliana told him, her gaze unwavering.

“Hawat Tashun.”

Hearing his name, the giant of a man swallowed hard.

“Well, well... Are we stuck babysitting now?” Digg grumbled as she tapped the massive hammer Hawat was holding, nearly as large as herself.

“Consider it an honor. The Three Sisters of Digon don’t clear a path for just anyone.”

“Let’s go.”

Thwomp—!

At Miliana’s words, Digg promptly climbed onto Hawat’s shoulder, fitting perfectly into the gaps of his armor. Standing with one foot balanced on his shoulder, she looked down at him and said, “Don’t worry. I’ve got your back.”

Hawat glanced at the tiny warrior perched on his shoulder, impressed by the fearlessness that contrasted so sharply with her size.

“Let’s obliterate them.”

BOOM—!!!

As he nodded and charged down the slope, Digg’s eyes widened in surprise at the incredible speed.

“Haha...”

The cold wind whipped against her face, and with each long stride Hawat took, the distant figure of Hekqet seemed to draw nearer.

“Hah, this is something else! My Cargon can’t compare!” she exclaimed, taking in the battlefield spread out below.

To Digg, the vast expanse of clashing soldiers and monsters looked like a living map, every detail laid out beneath her.

“So this is how a Giant sees battle,” she murmured with a grin, biting her lip in satisfaction as she looked around. “Now I’m even higher than my sisters on the battlefield.”

Woosh!

When they got close enough, Digg leaped forward from Hawat’s shoulder.

Digon Twin Blade Technique - Third Form: Soaring Bird Wave

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

She flew through the air, her crossed daggers glinting with a shimmering light. She seamlessly cleaved through the monstrosities like a bird weaving through the trees, heading straight for Hekqet.

Shing—! Slash!

After cutting through several monsters in mere seconds, Digg turned her head and shouted, “Hawat!”

Without missing the beat, Hawat swung his massive hammer in a perfect arc, striking the bleeding creatures without any resistance.

Splat—!!

A geyser of blood erupted from the creatures around him, their heads splattered across the ground.

“Ugh?!”

The effect of his attack almost caused Hawat to drop his hammer. He accidentally stepped on another monster as he stumbled backward.

Karrak! Kararrak...!!

With a sickening crunch, the creature beneath him burst like a balloon.

“...”

Before long, all the monsters surrounding Hawat lay crushed on the ground, their blood pooling beneath them.

Digg blinked in disbelief, her mouth slightly open as she took in the scene.

“Sister,” she called, looking at Miliana.

“Huh?”

“I think I found him. Wish me luck.”

“What are you talking about?” Miliana yelled back as she decapitated another creature. There was a hint of amusement in her irritated tone.

“She’s at it again. Don’t pay her any mind. She always does this when she sees someone strong,” Kanotcho sighed, shaking her head.

“No. This time it’s different,” Digg corrected, her eyes sparkling. “He’s not just strong. He’s also tall.”

“He’s... a bit too tall, don’t you think?” Kanotcho muttered wearily.

However, Digg’s smirk persisted as she scanned Hawat up and down.

“You.”

Hawat flinched as Digg pointed her bloodied dagger at him. Though his helmet concealed his face, save for his eyes, he was clearly bewildered by Digg’s suddenness.

“Be mine.”

“...What?” Hawat murmured, unsure if he had heard that correctly.

“From now on, just follow me. As a token of our bond, I’ll give you Hekqet’s head,” she declared, pounding her small chest confidently with her fist.

“So follow me!”

“...Y-Yes, ma’am!”

Hawat resolutely followed behind his new companion, his armor emitting a golden glow.

“It seems that the power of the sun isn’t limited to the Ivory Tower,” Miliana mused, watching the pair with a smirk.

“A Giant’s sun has already risen on the battlefield. Is this what you envisioned, Karyl?” she murmured to herself.