Chapter 123: The Giant Destroyer (1) |
TL/Editor: Rungir
Schedule: none
Illustrations: none
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At noon on the day when the Horrible Monster King was officially executed at the Steel Fortress, Zion and Liushina found themselves once again in the Achilles Basin, where they had recently waged a fierce war.
Perhaps it was because not much time had passed, the basin still bore the stark aftermath of the war.
The landscape of the basin was littered with the corpses of monsters and humans alike.
Crows and other birds of prey, along with scavenger-type monsters, were everywhere, turning over and feasting on the bodies.
This gruesome scene, which vividly illustrated the horrors of war, was so repulsive that it could make an ordinary person vomit at the sight. Yet, as Zion and Liushina passed through the corpses, their expressions remained as usual.
Liushina, in her past, had even taken pleasure in creating such scenes herself.
"Why have we come here again, Master? There's nothing left alive," asked the indifferent Witch of a Thousand Murders, who derived her greatest joy from killing living beings. She found no interest in a place filled with nothing but death, a stark contrast to her gleeful demeanor in the midst of yesterday's battlefield.
"There's something I need to obtain," Zion answered without even turning his head.
If the Monster King Horrible was a secondary reason, what he was about to seek was the primary reason he had chosen the Monster Legion.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Do you know why this place is called the Achilles Basin?"
"No, I don't."
Her response was confident, as expected. Not many in the world knew, considering it was a secret history that occurred on the outskirts of the continent.
"Achilles was the name of a person, more precisely, a hero."
"A hero?"
"Yes, a hero who killed the giant king who had turned into a demon."
Long before the Agnes Empire was established, the northern lands were inhabited by numerous giants, including one so exceptional he was called the Giant King.
He was the one who initially unified and led the early giants before they formed larger communities. However, for some unknown reason, the Giant King went mad, committing countless massacres and transforming into a great demon.
And it was Achilles, the hero, who killed this Giant King.
"Achilles, born between a human and a giant, ended the Giant King's life after three days and nights of fierce fighting in this basin. And he sealed the weapon he used to kill the Giant King right here."
"So, the weapon you're looking to acquire is that very one?" Liushina asked.
"Exactly," Zion nodded in response.
The Giant Destroyer, Gigapherses.
This was the weapon Zion sought to obtain and also the key to killing Utekan.
"Then, is the weapon located over there?"
As she spoke, Liushina pointed towards a massive temple placed right in the middle of the basin. The temple, which appeared as if a giant rock had been carved out in its entirety, was the very place where the Monster King had resided until recently.
"Yes."
In the chronicles, it was not until just before the war with the demons that the hero Frosimar obtained the Giant Destroyer and killed Utekan.
But Zion wasn't planning to wait that long, nor did he intend to leave the task of killing Utekan to the hero. He preferred to hunt down those who revealed themselves as his enemies.
"It's amazing, Master. Weren't you confined to the imperial palace until just half a year ago? How do you know all this?"
The witch, Liushina, looked at Zion with eyes full of questions. She was no fool. In fact, she was a genius, having reached the pinnacle of blood magic. She knew very well how absurd everything Zion was doing seemed.
'It didn't make sense from the start when he subdued me at Myeolhondaejin.'
How had her master known the location and method to use Myeolhondaejin? The most baffling part was the strength Zion displayed within Myeolhondaejin. Even recalling it now sent shivers through her body, a mythical power that she couldn't touch no matter what, marking the first and last time in centuries she had felt such despair.
'But the current Master isn't at that level yet.'
Though the current Zion was incredibly strong and growing at an astonishing rate, he still didn't possess the transcendent something she saw in Myeolhondaejin. How could there be such a difference between the power of a soul and a physical body?
Unable to understand, she looked at Zion, filled with questions.
"Just read a lot of books," was all Zion said with a smirk.
Meanwhile, they had reached the front of the temple. Without hesitation, Zion entered, followed by Liushina, shaking her head in disbelief.
Was it because the carved rock itself was black? Despite it being midday, the inside of the temple was dark.
'Was it this way?'
The scene where the hero in the chronicles obtained the Giant Destroyer wasn't described in detail. Thus, Zion had only a few clues to work with.
"Master, isn't it over there? That wall looks a bit odd."
"Master, look here! Look! The color of the floor here is different, isn't it?"
Ignoring Liushina's continuous but misguided suggestions, Zion wandered the temple. Then, his eyes sparkled as he discovered something.
'Found it.'
There, in the deepest part of the temple, stood a pillar.
The pillar was engraved with small letters in an ancient language, not the current Imperial language. However, Zion could read it.
'Only those who carry the blood of giants shall gain the power to destroy them.'
The phrase was straightforward. It meant that only giants or those of mixed giant heritage could access the location of Gigapherses.
'So that's why Horrible stayed here so long without gaining anything.'
In the chronicles, the hero Frosimar had obtained the Giant Destroyer because he had a giant among his companions. In contrast, Zion had no connection to giants.
But there was no sign of disturbance in Zion's eyes.
'If I couldn't have obtained it, I wouldn't have come here.'
With that thought, Zion reached out and touched the letters.
"What are you doing, Master? Shouldn't you be dripping blood on the inscription? And it seems like it has to be the blood of another race..."
Liushina, a pinnacle of blood magic, quickly grasped the principle just by looking at it. It was indeed correct that giant's blood needed to be dripped on the inscription, but Zion kept his hand there, drawing up his black energy.
The entire area, including the pillar, began to shake as if startled by the foreignness of the black energy seeping through the inscription.
But Zion pushed even more forcefully, driving the black energy deeper into the pillar.
The most alien force in the world, a power that negates everything.
It permeated deep into the pillar, devouring and erasing the complex enchantments within, a method made possible by his recent ascension to four stars.
The trembling spread, and eventually, the entire temple began to shake, but it was already too late.
The black energy, antagonistic to all supernatural abilities in the world, had already erased the ancient enchantments extending below the pillar.
With a loud crash, the front of the engraved pillar split open and crumbled, revealing a passage leading downwards.
It felt more like the inside had been completely destroyed, forcibly opening the passage rather than a mechanism smoothly unlocking.
"Quite a violent way to break through," Liushina commented, sticking out her tongue.
Despite observing for several months, she still couldn't grasp the nature of the power Zion wielded.
"It's the easiest way," Zion replied shortly, stepping into the passage.
The path was even darker than the temple.
Step by step.
Perhaps because most of the magical traps had been destroyed?
It was almost like illegal entry, but nothing really hindered or obstructed Zion and Liushina as they descended.
Occasionally, some of the enchantments that hadn't been completely destroyed would activate, aiming at them, but with a loud crash!
The traps were immediately obstructed or shattered. It seemed the creators hadn't anticipated this method of intrusion.
After descending for some time...
Suddenly, light burst forth, widening the passage and revealing a vast cavern before them. In the center of the cavern was a dais, and atop it, an object.
"That's it, right? The thing you're looking for, Master."
Even without Liushina's words, Zion would have recognized it instantly. The object was exactly as described in the chronicles.
A dark blue light.
A massive iron chain with enough length and thickness to cover the entire cavity when unfurled.
And an indescribable oppressive aura that seemed to weigh down the air around it.
'The Giant Destroyer, Gigapherses.'
A legendary weapon like Agdvar, but surpassing even mythical weapons when it came to combating giants.
As Zion's hand touched it, unlike the temple that repelled anyone not of giant descent, the Giant Destroyer immediately coiled around his wrist, as if it had been waiting for him. The Giant Destroyer could be used by any race. It was only sealed here by the hero Achilles because he feared its misuse in the hands of other races. He, being half-giant himself, knew all too well how lethal this weapon could be to the giant race.
The Giant Destroyer vibrated slightly on his wrist, as if it were a puppy delighted at the prospect of finally getting outside.
"Let's return to the imperial palace," Zion said with a slight smile, after observing the Giant Destroyer for a moment. The time to confront Utekan was drawing ever closer.
---
"Huh..."
Sir Winix, guarding the main gate of the imperial palace, witnessed a rare sight since morning.
The royals of Agnes, rulers of the empire, bearing the most noble blood, never lose their dignity for any reason. Even their simplest gestures are filled with nobility, and their steps are always dignified.
But now...
"Open the gate!"
The Fourth Prince Utekan and the Fifth Princess Diana, who were approaching at tremendous speed, lacked such dignity. They were rushing as if passing through the main gate of the imperial palace was their life's sole purpose, using every means, including Cheonseongha and spirit magic, to increase their speed.
"Hurry, open the gate...!"
The guards hurriedly opened the gate in a panic.
With a whoosh, Diana, Utekan, and their personal guards passed through the opened gate and quickly disappeared from Winix's sight.
"You've come sooner than I thought, Brother Utekan?"
Diana, riding beside Utekan on the legendary horse Hogeros, spoke with a smile despite their high speed.
"Ha ha, Diana, I didn't expect you to subdue the disaster this quickly," Utekan replied with a hearty laugh, accelerating his horse even more.
The reason for their hurry was simple.
It was to fulfill the condition of being 'the first' in the imperial succession battle and the subjugation of the calamity.
'We are the first ones.'
Diana was confident of this. They had rushed back with only their personal guards immediately after subduing the calamity, so they hadn't heard any reports about the other royals.
However, she vividly remembered the reactions of the people when they entered the capital.
-Princess Diana has arrived!
-Princess Diana is the first to arrive!
Such reactions would not have occurred if another royal had arrived first. If someone else had been seen before them, there surely would have been mention of it.
The advantage in the imperial succession was getting closer.
'If only I can outdo the person beside me.'
Diana thought this while looking at Utekan. Ideally, the competition would have ended the moment they entered the imperial palace, but since they entered simultaneously, it was invalid.
Therefore, she was thinking of the small conference room in Baeksung Palace, the secondary destination, where the calamity subjugation had started. Without much discussion, it seemed Utekan was thinking the same, as their paths were identical.
"Will you yield?"
"Do you think you could?"
Utekan replied with a sly smile to Diana's question.
He, too, had his reasons to win this competition.
Soon, they neared Baeksung Palace.
Then, with a loud crash!
Utekan's bulky figure soared into the air from his horse.
Twisting in midair, he smashed through a window on the floor where the small conference room was located and entered.
"Hey...!"
Diana followed late, entering Baeksung Palace through the broken window.
Soon, she saw Utekan standing in front of the conference room. For some reason, he didn't enter but stood there with wide-open eyes, staring inside.
"Why aren't you going in...!"
Feeling something was wrong yet approaching Utekan, Diana also looked inside the conference room. Her eyes, too, began to widen in shock.
There was already a guest inside.
A man sat alone on a chair, lazily placing a coffee cup on the round table.
"You're a bit late."
It was Zion.