The Steel Fortress, located at the northernmost tip of the Aonia Earldom in the Tulk Kingdom.
This was the kingdom's frontline fortress, built to defend against the monsters emerging from the infamous Northern Mountains.
It served as a base for those venturing into the mountains for resource gathering and hunting, and as a reconnaissance outpost, constantly monitoring the situation through regular patrols.
Especially after the madness incident, with the increased monster activity and the large-scale demon invasion, additional reinforcements had transformed it into an impenetrable fortress…
“Ugh! My leg… My leg…!”
“Gasp… Gasp…”
“Quickly! Tend to the wounded first!”
…But now, it was a scene of chaos and despair.
The wounded lay scattered everywhere, groaning in pain, and severed limbs and mangled corpses were a common sight.
Rumble—A section of the reinforced wall, built to withstand even large monsters, crumbled pathetically, the destruction extending into the city within the fortress.
“Commander! Are you alright?! Quickly, a potion!”
“This way! Quickly, carry the Commander!”
And the Commander, the one in charge of the Steel Fortress’s defense, was also a victim of this disaster.
A knight on the verge of mastery, the leader of Aonia’s First Knights, the strongest in the Earldom.
But his appearance, as he was pulled from beneath the rubble of the collapsed wall, was a far cry from his reputation.
His entire body was mangled, and he had even lost an arm. He received emergency treatment from his subordinates and was quickly transported for further medical attention.
“Ugh… Where… Where is…?”
“Commander! Are you awake?!”
And then.
Perhaps thanks to his knightly training and the potion's effects, he regained consciousness and muttered weakly.
But as he slowly opened his eyes and saw the chaotic scene around him, he closed them again.
He didn’t need an answer to know what had happened after he lost consciousness.
‘The White Giant…’
He had heard rumors about it.
As the commander of the knights, he couldn’t possibly be unaware of one of the main culprits behind the continent’s fear and chaos, along with the Immortal Army.
‘But it was different from what I heard. It was much larger, and its face… there were no seals. And…’
Above all— its strength was far beyond what the rumors had suggested.
He had thought they could at least buy some time by holding their position behind the magically reinforced walls…
He had been wrong.
The tall and thick walls, built to withstand even large monsters, only reached the giant’s chest, and he and his knights had been powerless against it.
‘It was already that strong, even though it didn’t seem to be in its best condition. How powerful must it be normally?’
The giant had appeared covered in wounds from the start.
But even then, its power had been overwhelming.
“We’ve already sent out an emergency alert. Please rest, Commander.”
“Ugh… Pathetic… To be defeated… and lie here… doing nothing…”
“It was a disaster, Commander. How many could possibly stop such a monster? Only the renowned Saint, perhaps…”
“…The temple?”
“We’ve already contacted them.”
“…Sigh, I hope the damage isn’t too severe…”
He knew that a monster of that level wasn't something the kingdom could handle alone.
They needed the Church’s help.
The key now was minimizing the damage until the Saint and his expedition arrived.
“Main God…”
With that single word, the Commander lost consciousness again, his body going limp.
As the Steel Fortress descended into chaos,
The culprit behind it all was moving south at an incredible speed.
Towards Tarak, a city barely a day's journey away by carriage.
______________________
An ominous premonition.
Her heart pounded in her chest, a sense of impending doom washing over her.
She fidgeted nervously, unable to shake the feeling of unease.
“Diana? Are you alright?”
“Ah?”
Diana, unconsciously biting her nails, flinched at the sudden voice and quickly composed herself.
“…Yes, I’m sorry. Then please proceed with that matter as instructed.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She finished giving her instructions, her voice steady.
The employees bowed and dispersed, returning to their tasks.
“Diana seems to be unwell today.”
“More importantly, the soldiers have been acting strangely since earlier. Did something happen…?”
“I went to the walls a while ago, and there…”
The merchants chatted amongst themselves, going about their usual routines.
But Diana, currently inspecting the warehouse district on the outskirts of the city, couldn’t afford to be distracted by such trivial matters.
She took a deep breath, placing a hand on her chest.
Thump— Thump— Thump—
Her heart pounded relentlessly, her breathing becoming ragged.
Even though nothing had happened yet.
‘Why am I feeling like this? It’s like…’
It was similar to when she had smelled something ‘incredibly dangerous’ in her hometown, Azantu.
Something she had desperately avoided, something she had even searched for, for her uncle’s sake.
No, it was even worse than that.
Unlike then, this time, she felt like her life was in immediate danger.
‘Uncle Bolt assigned vampire escorts, and this warehouse district is swarming with our mercenaries. There’s no need to worry about safety…’
As she frowned, trying to analyze the situation,
A sudden scent made her instinctively cover her nose.
“Ugh, what is this?”
An incredibly dangerous smell, so strong it made her head spin, began to permeate the air.
As a merchant, she was used to the smell of monster byproducts, but this was different.
‘…Where did it come from?’
She turned her head, trying to pinpoint the source.
The smell was too strong, she couldn’t pinpoint the exact location, but she could at least determine the general direction.
Far away, even from this already remote district.
Her gaze shifted north.
And then she realized something else.
A cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
That unidentified scent…
Was approaching.
At an incredible speed.
Towards her.
Wee-ooh—! Wee-ooh—!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
At the same time, a loud alarm echoed through the city.
Something was definitely happening.
‘I need to get back. Quickly.’
As she hurriedly led her group back towards the city center,
Kaboom—!
A sudden shockwave made her stumble. She would have fallen if her escort hadn’t caught her.
“What was that?!”
“The protective barrier on the walls has been activated! It’s an external attack!”
“Protect Diana! Get her back to headquarters…!”
Shouts erupted from everywhere.
Not just from Hubert’s Trading Company, but also from the others nearby.
But it didn’t end there.
Koooong—! Kaboom—! Crack—!
Another shockwave, followed by the sound of crumbling stone.
Rocks, launched from the direction of the walls, crashed into the nearby warehouses, creating a deafening roar.
Rumble—
The outer district was being devastated.
Buildings collapsed.
And beyond the destruction…
“T-the walls have fallen!”
“W-wait! What is that?!”
“Uh, that, that… Could it be… a g-giant…?”
A massive figure, defying perspective, even at a distance.
A White Giant, emanating an overwhelming presence, was staring at them.
A sinister smile twisted its lips.
“Ah…”
“Ugh…”
Merchants, workers, mercenaries, soldiers… Everyone who met its gaze froze in place.
Like lambs before a predator.
“Khehehe… Found you—!”
A single word, filled with glee, echoed from the giant.
And the next moment.
Kaboom—!
A massive shockwave engulfed the outskirts of Tarak.
______________________
Her thoughts were fragmented, her mind a jumbled mess.
She couldn’t think straight.
What was she doing?
She had left the house, gone to work, had lunch, and then went to inspect the outer warehouse district.
And then, while giving instructions… she felt something.
‘Ah! And then…’
A massive, white giant appeared.
Everyone froze at its gaze, and then she heard a voice, and everything went black.
And she…
‘What… happened to me…?’
As she pondered that question,
She suddenly noticed a scent and wrinkled her nose.
A warm and familiar fragrance.
It cleared her mind, and she opened her eyes.
“Ugh!”
A strong wind whipped at her face, and she instinctively turned her head, burying it in the arms of the one holding her.
“Are you awake?”
A familiar, calm voice.
“Chairman? What happened…?”
The soothing voice calmed her, and she cautiously spoke.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked around—.
“Ah?”
…and gasped, blinking repeatedly.
Goooo—
The ground and trees blurred beneath them, a dizzying spectacle.
They were flying.
More precisely, Hubert was carrying her, soaring through the air at an incredible speed.
As she stared blankly at the passing scenery,
Hubert glanced down at her and sighed inwardly in relief.
‘That was close. It arrived faster than expected.’
He had started moving immediately after sensing the giant’s disappearance from the boundary, but he had almost been too late.
And it was partially her fault for being out on inspection.
He had been able to retrieve her and escape thanks to a single item.
The armor Howard had been working on.
‘Multipurpose Combat Power Suit Mk.1 (Prototype)’
It was still incomplete, just a few parts cobbled together, but…
“Um… Chairman, that armor…?”
Diana, noticing his attire, cautiously asked, her voice tinged with confusion.
It looked vastly different from ordinary armor.
A smooth and sleek design, made from an unidentified metal, with complex circuits etched on its surface.
A glowing light emanated from the core at its chest, flowing through the circuits like blood vessels, extending to the soles of his feet and converging at his back, where it transformed into a powerful jet of flames.
“It’s a magic tool I’m developing. It’s still a prototype, but it got us here in time.”
Hubert, equipped with the suit through “Avatar Cloud”, had swiftly retrieved Diana from the imminent danger and escaped.
‘I pushed it too hard, though. It’s practically scrap now. …Well, I guess it was worth it for the real-world data.’
Considering the cost of the materials, it was a shame to use it as a disposable item… but it had been the only way to escape the giant’s attention, even for a moment.
“Ah! What about the giant?! What happened to it?!”
Diana, finally snapping out of her daze, asked urgently.
Her eyes were regaining their focus, her mind clearing.
“The giant…”
After Hubert escaped with Diana, it had immediately abandoned the city and pursued them.
Thanks to the high-grade magic stone core he had purchased from the Karma Shop, he had been able to temporarily shake it off… but it hadn't lasted long.
The giant had caught up in mere seconds—.
“We were lucky. Someone else was there to intercept it.”
…And then its pursuit had been interrupted.
‘I should keep Diana as far away as possible, just in case. Until everything is resolved.’
Judging by the giant's reaction, her presence seemed to be more important than he initially thought.
That was why Hubert continued to fly, even though he had a chance to rest.
And at the same time,
The one who had created that opportunity was having a very busy time.
______________________
Kaboom—!
Another explosion echoed from a distance.
“Kuh—! What?! How can you be here? You were supposed to be in the south!”
The giant roared in frustration.
One of the ones who had ruined his plans was interfering again.
“Khahaha! This one’s huge! I can’t miss this!”
But Harley, ignoring the giant’s anger, laughed and charged towards it.
His presence here was simple.
He had “In the Hero’s Footsteps”, an ability that allowed him to instantly travel to any location he had visited!
It had initially had a long cooldown and limited range, but thanks to Heinrich’s heroic deeds, he could now travel anywhere within the same continent.
‘I was a bit late, though. I had to explain the situation to Misty.’
But the situation wasn’t bad.
Despite the damage he had sustained in his previous battle with Hans and the amplification effect of the boundary region, the giant’s aura was significantly weaker than when they had clashed in the abyss.
‘It can’t even recognize me at a glance. Its power must have weakened outside that space.’
Of course, he could only stall it. He couldn’t defeat it alone.
If this continued, he would eventually lose.
“Khahaha—! Let’s play!”
“I’ll kill you first, barbarian!”
But he wasn’t worried.
At that moment.
A Blood Gate opened in the vampires' hideout in Tarak.
And a holy light emanated from the temple gate.
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