"There was a mechanism like this set up?"
The first to grasp the situation—naturally—was Regant, the master of the Magic Tower.
A twisted, warped space had opened, and from it emerged the grotesque face of a giant.
From his perspective, one who combines magic and sorcery, such a result was utterly impossible.
It was like children building a sandcastle, only for a steel fortress to suddenly rise from it.
A phenomenon completely beyond his understanding or perception—he judged that it could only have happened with third-party interference.
'They have an extreme aversion to humans dabbling in sorcery.'
This wasn't just about protecting their own sorcery.
Just like a child who touches fire once and never dares to touch it again—
This scene was like a traumatic reaction from those who had been severely burned in the past.
Boom!
"HOW DARE YOU TRESPASS?!"
The giant's form emerged more and more through the tearing space. His voice alone shook the entire collapsed mine, causing stalactites to crash down from the ceiling.
"Run!"
"Fight!"
The responses diverged.
Regant hurriedly tried to lead the mages out.
But Isaac, drawing his sword, stepped forward.
Fight?
Here and now?
That giant could collapse the ceiling with a single punch and kill them all in an instant.
Humans cannot defeat the sun, the sea, or the mountains.
That being was like those—a force that cannot be overcome.
"You're too agitated!"
Regant slammed his staff against the ground with a loud thud and raised his voice.
"Mages, immediately—!"
He was about to order a retreat again—
Crunch!
In a flash, the Grandmaster grabbed Regant by the neck, silencing him.
"Ke—ugh?!"
"I'm sorry, but we can't have confusion right now."
"Wh-what are you—!"
"Look closely. Do you see how the space is widening?"
The giant had only pushed his face through, but now—the opening was expanding.
It looked as if the space itself couldn't bear the giant's mass.
"If he stands up, he'll be bigger than the entire Magic Tower. That's what's trying to come through now."
At the Grandmaster's words, Regant flinched and checked.
It was true.
The torn space was gradually opening wider.
The space that had barely allowed a face through now had fingers poking out.
Four massive fingers pulled at the gap with force, as if trying to tear it wider.
If that thing truly possessed the weight to distort space…
"What do you think? From my perspective, we absolutely cannot win."
"..."
"This is our chance. While only its face is out."
If its entire body emerged, that alone would be a catastrophe.
At this point, even Regant understood.
Running away wasn't the answer.
On the contrary—
"Summon all the mages! We'll intercept it now!"
Even if it meant dragging every mage in, they had to kill it now.
Regant's magically amplified voice spread, and the mages began to move in haste.
Many of them, with little real battle experience, clutched their pounding hearts and moved in confusion—
But thankfully, many veterans from the northern front were present.
Blocking the fleeing mages with his body stood Reian, the noble of the Leviath family.
"Hey! Only one mage who can cast amplification magic should go. If we all send messages, it'll only cause confusion!"
"Y-Yes, understood!"
Marlin looked up, asking if there was a spell that could stabilize the collapsing mine, and began directing the others.
A perfectly coordinated response.
"S-Sis, can you fight?"
Sharen checked on Liana.
If she could fight, she'd be a huge help—
But even Sharen knew it was a meaningless question. She just desperately wanted to hold onto her.
Liana shook her head, and Sharen clenched her fists tightly.
"Then… I'll go alone."
Liana looked at Sharen with gentle eyes. As Sharen stepped forward, gripping her greatsword, she muttered to herself like a vow.
"Because I'm a Helmut."
"..."
Thunk!
Sharen advanced, scattering red sparks. Even in the darkness, the crimson light she radiated captured the attention of many.
They knew.
Even Liana knew about Sharen's growth.
But watching her back as she walked forward alone…
'She's grown so much.'
It was impossible not to feel moved.
As Sharen passed by, the Grandmaster and Mu-myeong watched her for a moment.
The giant's head was twisting further, stretching the space even wider.
At the very front, Isaac didn't swing his sword meaninglessly—he simply stared up at the being.
"They had things like that?"
At the Grandmaster's question, Mu-myeong shook his head.
"Never seen it, never heard of it. That thing shouldn't exist in our era."
"Hmm, and it doesn't even seem like sorcery."
"If it were sorcery, the human world would've been destroyed already. The hatred toward humans seems strong too… I guess even the transcendent race couldn't handle it lightly."
That much was true.
If such a creature existed, what meaning would war even have?
It could simply bulldoze everything and leave the land in ruins.
At that moment, they saw their student swing a sword.
He tried to cut the giant's protruding fingers—but unfortunately, it only produced a resonant sound, doing no real damage.
"Tsk. Why does that child always insist on challenging the impossible?"
The Grandmaster looked at Isaac with pity.
It was always like that.
Previously, he had crossed swords with Helmut's crimson aura and cleaved through it.
But now, an unprecedented being had appeared—testing Isaac once again.
"…A burden he must bear."
The fate of one who carries the burden of regression.
When Mu-myeong spoke with that meaning, the Grandmaster clicked her tongue.
"I don't believe in fate."
She stepped forward.
Mu-myeong followed her.
"Can you still wield a sword? I heard the sorcery causes resistance."
"I told you—it only affects the transcendent race. And that thing doesn't look like one of them."
"Heh, guess it's been a while since we wielded swords side by side."
"Gotta help our little disciple. But you know… he's followed us quite far."
At Mu-myeong's words, the Grandmaster chuckled and nodded.
"He's growing quickly. Just like a child. And that pure heart toward the sword… Maybe it's time to send him out into the world sooner than expected."
And then—
"He's my disciple. Don't go calling him yours so lightly."
With that, the Grandmaster leapt forward. Nameless too kicked off the ground and followed.
At the front—
Isaac, staring directly at the giant, looked up at it.
He had tried slicing its fingers—but it was ineffective.
His Iaido, his Flying wings, techniques that had once cut through crimson aura like paper, were useless against this seemingly invincible creature.
'What the hell am I supposed to do?'
Isaac decided to conserve his strength.
There was no point throwing an egg at a boulder—he'd only exhaust himself.
He had to find a way.
"Crimson Flame Wave!!"
BOOM!
A red flame wave flew in from behind, startling Isaac.
It wasn't the usual playful Crimson Flame Wave.
'Has she really grown this much?'
The power it unleashed was far beyond what he'd expected.
Sharen's growth was undeniable.
But unfortunately, their opponent was just too overwhelming.
"Wha—?! Why is that thing so hard!?"
Sharen grumbled as she stood beside him.
Isaac also nodded.
"Exactly. It feels impossible to cut through."
"…It reminds me of Nureumdol."
Even in a dire situation, Sharen was still Sharen.
That Nureumdol was probably rolling around the rose garden at the Helmut estate right now.
"You hateful wretches—!"
"Ugh!"
The two of them frowned simultaneously.
The giant's roar alone felt like it could send their bodies flying through the air.
Thanks to Sharen, who drove her sword into the ground and unleashed crimson aura, they weren't blown away by the roar.
Their two masters arrived behind them.
"My ears are practically bleeding."
"…It looks even bigger up close."
The Grandmaster and Mu-myeong chuckled bitterly as they drew their swords.
Two sharp lines slashed through the air at the same time.
Great Iaido.
Great Iaido.
These were swords meant to strike true at the end—but this time, they did not.
KAAAAANG!
A long, sharp metallic clang echoed out.
Unfortunately, the two masters' swords only left a shallow dent in the giant's finger.
That alone was an incredible feat, but the giant didn't even seem to register it as a wound.
They were indeed facing an enemy—but the overwhelming gap made the situation feel almost laughable.
"Do you think if you keep going, you can cut it down?"
Isaac asked, clinging to a sliver of hope. He had pinned his hopes on the two who could rightfully be called masters of the sword.
"Impossible."
"This thing can't be cut."
They both clicked their tongues.
"This isn't something that can be cut with a sword. To do so, we'd need to break the very concept of what a sword is."
"Tch… There are swordmasters who can cut things that shouldn't be cut, but… we're not there yet."
The masters shook their heads.
Hearing that even they couldn't cut it down, Isaac let out a long sigh.
"Then we'll have to settle for pushing it back for now… In the end…"
"…there's nothing we can do."
The Grandmaster scratched her cheek awkwardly.
They had marched in proudly, only to be faced with an enemy they couldn't even scratch. It was truly disheartening.
Now all they could do was watch as the mages prepared their spells.
The giant's massive eyes locked onto Isaac.
"You… you reek of that vile woman's remnants."
"That woman?"
"Who did you seduce this time?"
The Grandmaster's sarcastic tone made Isaac wear a bewildered expression.
He wasn't sure if now was really the time for jokes, considering the urgency of the situation.
But there was nothing else to do but wait for the mages to finish preparing.
"Are you talking about the Silver Watch?"
The giant confirmed.
Isaac recalled that the creature had mentioned the Silver Watch when it first appeared.
It made sense—Isaac had used the Silver Watch as a conduit when he escaped from the Abyss Realm.
"You, above all, must die."
"..."
"You sure hear that kind of thing a lot, huh?"
"Heh, you're right."
The Grandmaster and Mu-myeong nodded.
Lately, people kept saying they were going to kill Isaac—it was becoming a pattern.
Even Isaac couldn't help feeling frustrated at this point.
"What exactly did the woman known as Silver Watch do to deserve this? I know she became a star in the Abyss in exchange for her sorcery, but…"
She had said that herself—Isaac remembered clearly.
At that, the giant roared in rage.
"She turned our land into an Abyss—! She slaughtered all my kin—! I am their vengeance! Their hatred! The last surviving soul who has come to seek you out—!"
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[TL Note]
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