Chapter 263

#263

King of Madness (2)

A steel fortress located in the northernmost part of the County of Aonia, the Kingdom of Tulk.

This was the kingdom’s front-line fortress built to block monsters coming from the notorious northern mountains.

It usually served as a base for those entering the mountain range to collect unusual materials and hunt, and was also a reconnaissance base that identified abnormal situations in real time through periodic reconnaissance.

In particular, the monsters’ movements intensified due to the madness incident, and after experiencing a large-scale invasion of monsters, additional reinforcements were added, so the place was equipped with defenses that were no better than an impenetrable fortress…

“Keueuuuu! “My legs… my legs!”

“Heo, heo, heo…”

“Move quickly, quickly! “Tackling the injured comes first!”

That place was now turned into chaos.

Injured people were scattered everywhere, groaning in pain, and there were quite a few missing limbs and miserably crushed bodies.

Patter –

One side of the castle wall, which had been reinforced higher and stronger in response to the monster’s attack, collapsed in an unsightly manner, and the scene of destruction extended all the way to the city area inside the fortress.

“Captain! Are you okay? “Hurry up and take the potion!”

“This way! “Quickly bring the leader!”

And the person in charge of the defense of the Steel Fortress here was also the one who suffered the same abuse.

The best knight of the county, who is considered to be on the verge of becoming a master and leads the first knights of Aonia.

However, his appearance, taken out from under the remains of the collapsed castle wall, was so miserable that it did not live up to his reputation.

A middle-aged man, who was not only completely disfigured but also lost one arm, received first aid from his subordinates and was quickly transferred for follow-up treatment.

“Off… is he…?”

“Oh! “Captain, are you out of your mind?”

Meanwhile.

Perhaps because of the strong vitality he had trained as a knight and the fact that he had even received first aid with a potion, he came to his senses and muttered with difficulty.

However, as he slowly opened his eyes, he had no choice but to close them again as he saw the mess around him.

Because it was a situation where I could tell how things had progressed after he lost consciousness without having to hear an answer.

I had already heard rumors about the

‘White Giant…’ .

After all, he was one of the main culprits, along with the Immortal Army, who had terrorized the entire continent. There was no way the knight commander wouldn’t know about it, right?

‘But it was different from what I heard. It was much bigger and the paintwork on its face wasn’t sealed. And…’

Above all—its strength was incomparable to what I had heard in rumors.

I thought I could hold out for some time if I held out against the walls reinforced with all sorts of magical barriers.

It was truly an unreasonable mistake.

The castle wall, which was built high and thick to accommodate large monsters, only reached the chest of the knight, and the knight commander and the knights under his command were unable to even offer much resistance to the monster.

‘Even though it didn’t look normal, it was at that level. How much of a monster was he originally?’

A giant whose entire body was covered in scars from the time he first appeared.

However, the majesty he displayed was so overwhelming that it was considered brave to be alive today.

“Once we spread the situation through payment. “Captain, please take a break.”

“Kuh—that’s pathetic… Not only did I allow that guy to break through, but I was left lying here unable to do anything…”

“That was a disaster. How many people would be able to stop such a monster in the first place? Unless it’s the famous saint…”

“…In the temple?”

“We contacted them right away.”

“…Hehe, please, there shouldn’t be much damage…”

No matter how much I thought about it, it was not a monster that could be dealt with at the kingdom level.

In the end, they say they have no choice but to borrow the help of the religious denomination.

The key now was how little damage they could endure until the death squad led by the saint arrived.

“My lord…”

With those words, the knight commander, who had been struggling to hold on, soon lost consciousness and fell limp.

When the Iron Citadel was in chaos after experiencing such a sudden situation.

The evil beast that brought that place to that point was moving south at an incredible speed.

A place that is only a day’s journey by carriage.

Tarakro, a large city in the north.

***

It’s ominous.

My heart pounded at that sudden thought.

A sense of crisis was rising, as if something was going to happen at any moment, and I was becoming anxious without even realizing it.

“Diana? Are you okay?”

“ah?”

Diana, the girl who had been unconsciously biting her nails, flinched at the sudden sound of the voice and answered while trying to control her expression.

“…Yes, sorry. Then please handle it that way.”

“all right.”

She struggled to come to her senses and finished her work instructions.

The employees bowed their heads and dispersed busily.

“It looks like Diana is unwell today.”

“Before that, the soldiers were moving unusually. I wonder if something happened…” “

Now that I think about it, I went to the castle wall for a while and there too…”

The merchants were chatting amongst themselves and doing their own things. field.

However, Diana, who was visiting a warehouse area on the outskirts of the city, was in no condition to worry about such trivial things.

She took another deep breath and placed a hand on her chest.

Thump—thump—thump—

My heart was still beating faster than ever, and even my breathing was becoming difficult.

Even though nothing in particular happened right away.

‘Why are you doing this all of a sudden? This was like…’

It was similar to when she smelled something ‘extremely dangerous’ in her hometown of Azantu in the past.

An item that I had been avoiding for a while and then looked for for my uncle.

No, actually it was more than that.

Unlike then, now I felt like my life was being threatened in real time by something real.

‘The vampire guards you assigned are definitely hiding, and this warehouse area is bustling with mercenaries belonging to our company. A place where you don’t have to worry about safety… a town?’

Just as I was frowning and analyzing the cause.

Diana unconsciously plugged her nose at the sudden smell of a certain smell.

“Ugh, this?”

A smell so dangerous that it gave me a headache began to emanate from all directions.

As a merchant, I often came into contact with monster by-products and was quite familiar with the smells they gave off, but what I was feeling now was on a completely different level.

‘…Where all of a sudden?’

Her gaze turned to one side without me realizing it.

Because the smell was so strong, I couldn’t pinpoint the exact location, but I could definitely tell the general direction.

This place is quite far away from the outskirts of the city.

Diana’s head turned north.

And only then did she realize another fact.

Cold sweat formed on my forehead.

That unidentifiable smell.

increasingly.

Because it was approaching at an incredible speed.

Right here where she is.

Why ding ding

ding ding—!

At the right time, a loud alarm sounded throughout the city.

It looks like something unusual is happening.

‘Let’s go back first. ASAP.’

She was moving quickly with the people at the top.

Kwaaaaang—!

I stumbled due to the sudden shock that shook my whole direction, and was barely able to stand upright until an escort helped me.

“What is happening all of a sudden!”

“The castle wall’s protective barrier has been activated! “It’s an external attack!”

“First, take Diana first! “Go straight to the Chamber of Commerce headquarters…!”

Shouts erupted from everywhere at the sudden change.

Not only Hubert’s company but also others nearby were in confusion.

But the situation did not end there.

Cooung—! Kwaang—! Quad deuk—!

With continuous shock waves.

Boulders flying from the castle wall hit the warehouse buildings around them and made a loud noise.

Kurrung—

Outskirts being devastated.

Buildings collapsing.

And beyond that—.

“The west wall has collapsed!”

“Now wait a minute. “What is that?”

“Oh, that… no way. Giant…?”

A gigantic being that ignores perspective even though it is still quite far away.

A white giant radiating overwhelming intimidation was looking at this place.

With a bizarre smile on his lips.

“iced coffee.”

“Ugh…”

Regardless of whether they were merchants, workers, mercenaries, or soldiers, everyone who made eye contact with that being froze in place.

Like a poor lamb facing an overwhelming predator.

“Squeak, I found it—!”

A word from a giant full of joy.

And right after that.

Kwaaaaang—!

A huge shock struck the outskirts of Tarak.

***

The accident comes to a halt.

My mind was so tangled up that I couldn’t think properly.

What was I doing?

I left home as usual, went to work at the store, had lunch, and went to inspect a warehouse outside the city.

And while directing work… I felt something.

‘ah! And…’

An incredibly huge white giant appeared.

Everyone froze at that gaze and were shocked by the voice that followed and lost consciousness.

And himself…

‘What happened to me…?’

Right after I had that question.

Diana then became aware of a certain smell and twitched her nose.

A very warm and familiar scent.

Perhaps thanks to that, she opened her eyes as her consciousness quickly began to return.

“Ugh!”

I closed my eyes again and turned my head as the strong wind hit my face.

Into the arms of the one holding you.

“Do you come to your senses now?”

Then, a very familiar, calm voice as always flowed into her ears.

“Shanghoe Lord? “How did this happen…”

Diana, calmed down by that calm voice, cautiously opened her mouth.

Then, she gently opened her eyes and slowly looked around—.

“ah?”

Immediately, he opened his mouth and blinked his eyes repeatedly.

Goooooh—

Meadows and trees passing by at dizzying speed.

They were flying in the sky.

To be precise, Hubert was holding Diana with both hands and was crossing the air at incredible speed.

When she was staring blankly at her surroundings in a sudden situation.

Hubert glanced down at the figure and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

‘It was quite close. ‘He arrived in Tarak faster than expected.’

Even though we prepared and moved immediately after he disappeared from the border, we were almost late.

Also, the fact that Diana went on an external inspection at that time also played a role.

In that situation, the reason he was able to quickly retrieve her and escape was all thanks to one object.

This is the armor that Howard was currently producing.

It was the ‘all-purpose combat full-body suit Mk.1 (prototype)’.

As it is still unfinished, it is only partial armor made up of several parts.

“Hey, top lord. “What about that armor…?”

Diana, who happened to notice this, cautiously expressed her question in a puzzled voice.

To that extent, the suit had a very different appearance compared to regular armor.

A sleek and elegant exterior made of an unidentifiable metal and complex circuitry engraved on its surface.

The light emitting from the core of the heart area flowed continuously along the circuit as if flowing through the blood vessels, and it continued to the soles of the feet and the back of the waist, turning into a fierce flame and spraying outward.

“This is a magic tool that has been recently produced. “It’s still a prototype, but thanks to that, it’s not too late.”

The current situation was that Hubert, who had been provided with a suit through “Avatar Cloud,” used it to quickly snatch Diana, who was in a critical situation, and escape.

‘The process was so overworked that the lifespan of the material was shortened to the point where it had to be discarded once this project was over. … Well, considering that we have obtained actual data, it must be cheap.’

Considering the price of the materials used here, it was a waste to use it for one-time use, but it was unavoidable in order to escape the giant’s attention even for a moment.

“ah! What happened to the giant giant?”

Diana, who was dazed, also urgently asked a question as if she had just thought of that.

As if I was finally coming to my senses, my eyes were becoming more and more alive.

“Ah, that giant.”

As soon as Hubert fled with Diana, the bastard immediately lost interest in the city and came after them.

I was able to temporarily escape from the giant thanks to the explosion of the highest grade magicite core obtained through the karma store, but of course that didn’t last long.

The giant caught up with them at an incredible speed and came close to their backs in just over ten seconds.

“I was lucky. “There was someone nearby who could deal with him.”

Immediately after, the person blocking his path caught his ankle and he lost sight of them again.

‘But you never know. ‘Until the matter is clearly over, we must keep Diana as far away as possible.’

When I saw his reaction, it seemed like her existence was more important than I thought.

That was the reason why Hubert continued to fly even though he had free time.

And same time.

The person who created that space was having a busy time.

***

Kwaaaang—!

Heavy drinking broke out again in an area a little away from Tarak.

“Ugh! What the hell! How are you here? “You must have been in the south!”

The giant roared harshly and expressed his anger.

It was natural for him to react as one of those who had ruined his plans was once again holding him back.

“Hahaha! This is extra large! “You can’t miss something like this!”

Either that or not.

Harley, not paying attention to the other person’s anger, burst into laughter and rushed at the guy again.

The reason he could be here was simple.

Doesn’t he have “hero’s footsteps” that allow him to go wherever he once went?

At first, it was a perk with a long cooldown and a short distance, but thanks to Heinrich continuing to follow the steps of a hero, he can now go anywhere within the same continent.

‘I was a little late because I had to briefly explain the situation to Misty.’

Anyway, the situation now wasn’t that bad.

The damage caused by the fight with Hans, as well as the additional strengthening effect in that space, may have been greater than expected, and the guy’s momentum was noticeably reduced compared to when he faced him at the border of the abyss.

‘Seeing as they can’t recognize me right away, it seems like their power has weakened.’

Of course, he could grab his ankle right away, but even so, it wasn’t an opponent that Harley could beat on his own.

If we continue like this, we will probably end up losing.

“Kahaha—! “Let’s have some fun!”

“Come on! I’ll kill you first, you barbarian!”

But he wasn’t the least bit worried about that.

That time.

A blood gate opened in the residence of the vampires dispatched to Tarak.

At the same time, sacred light emanated from the gate of the temple.