𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝟎: 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐠𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 (3)
Arriving at the front line under the guidance of a squad, Oswald found himself in the midst of a chaotic battle where countless powerful beings clashed relentlessly.
Vivid magic circles formed in the air, launching bolts of energy at the azure-winged Chaos Demons, who countered with an array of their own spells.
The sky was ablaze with a mesmerizing display of magical prowess. . . . . .
Had Oswald been unaware of the true nature of this conflict, he might have been awestruck by the spectacular fireworks. But he knew that each explosion was a manifestation of immense magical power.
‘𝘈𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥. . . 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘨𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩.’
He was a powerful chaos demon, second only to the Archduke Demon of Truth. A formidable wizard who had ascended to, or perhaps even surpassed, the tenth circle.
And his physical prowess was equally impressive. . . making him an absolute monster.
That was why he was commanding an entire field army despite his rank as an Earl. Even with the combined might of Jupiter’s champion, Minos, they struggled to gain an advantage.
‘𝘈𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱. . . . . .’
In this dungeon, where demonic power was abundant, Cardga was virtually invincible. He effortlessly held his own against two of the world’s most powerful beings.
‘𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵, 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘨𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦-𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺.’
「Final Chapter」 Having encountered Cardga dozens of times while playing, Oswald knew that defeating him alone was an impossible task. Even if he focused on leveling up by defeating other enemies, . . . the continent would fall to ruin before he could hope to challenge Cardga and his forces of Truth.
Ultimately, it required at least three diamond-class individuals to defeat him, and seven or more if the battle took place within the dungeon.
‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘦.’
Valerian, in particular, stood out as he effortlessly unleashed a torrent of magic against Cardga. He had received a dragon heart from a gravely wounded dragon, which he had implanted in place of his own.
Originally a ninth-circle Archwizard, the dragon heart had granted him the ability to cast spells comparable to an ancient, five-thousand-year-old dragon.
Furthermore, it was a dragon heart. Not only did it contain an immense amount of magical power, but it also accelerated his recovery rate.
‘𝘈 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘹𝘪𝘳. 𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺. . . 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴. . . . . .’
Scanning his surroundings, Oswald noticed a man dressed in similar attire to his own, wielding a sword as he charged across the trenches. He was quite a distance from the battlefield where Valerian and the others fought, where knights from the Order of the White Dragon and the Order of the Black Dragon clashed.
‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.’
Oswald looked back at his escorts and suggested they move to a different location. Relieved to avoid the chaos of the front lines, they readily agreed to his proposal.
Oswald’s destination was the battlefield where the Golden Lion Knights and their commander, Marquis Legas von Lionheart, fought.
The Golden Lion Knights had charged to the forefront to break through the enemy lines, but . . . chaos demons of truth blocked their path, using their Chaos Jotunn legions to decimate the imperial forces.
‘𝘈 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴. . . . . . 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺. . . . . .’
Having stocked up on holy water and potions before arriving, Oswald devised a plan to breach the enemy lines.
‘𝘈 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘬? 𝘕𝘰. . . . . . 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘐’𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘬. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘶𝘯? 𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤. . . 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴.’
He needed something large, sturdy, maneuverable, and destructive enough to overcome the trenches.
‘𝘎𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘵!’
The mecha unit that came to Oswald’s mind was none other than the Gigant. A weapon still under development at the imperial armory ‘Osiris.’ Its predecessor was an artifact discovered in the ruins of an ancient era of magic.
Initially, it was dismissed as a mere statue. . . . . . But upon closer examination, various magical circuits and runes were discovered, revealing its true nature as a pilotable weapon.
‘𝘈𝘭𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘭𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘵.’
Having made his decision, Oswald immediately activated his Blood Daemon skill. Using shapeshifting, he first envisioned a suit that could accommodate the holy water and potions. This would mitigate the risks associated with transforming into the larger, more complex Gigant.
Donning the potion suit, Oswald inserted the holy water and potions before shapeshifting into the Gigant once more. The Blood Daemon swirled around him like crimson liquid, gradually forming the desired shape.
For the Gigant’s appearance, he chose the most fantastical of the robot designs from his childhood memories. Specifically, 「Soul Knight LaXKa」, though 「Armored Trooper Votoms」 was also a contender. . . Votoms leaned more towards science fiction than fantasy.
‘𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳. . . . . .’
The immense amount of blood required to create a construct that matched his mental image nearly drained him. Oswald was grateful for his foresight in preparing the holy water and potions in advance.
Meanwhile, the sudden appearance of a crimson giant sent shockwaves through the imperial ranks. As the soldiers who had escorted Oswald reassured them that he was an ally, their fears subsided, replaced by awe at the sight of the blood-red colossus.
Oswald retrieved a short lance from his belt. He would have preferred to draw his beam saber, but the amount of blood required to maintain its form would be excessive. Instead, he settled for a greatsword, anchoring its shape with the blood.
‘𝘈𝘭𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘭𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘶𝘱𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺.’
It cost 1,000P to upgrade proficiency to mastery, but Oswald did not hesitate to invest the points. As a result, his points dropped from 120,000P to 105,510P.
‘𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘨𝘰!’
Oswald would have preferred to use his boosters to fly, but. . . the boosters also consumed his own blood.
Therefore, it was most efficient to simply move and fight on foot. After all, the Gigant’s endurance was designed to withstand even a nuclear missile. Unless a meteor struck, it could endure indefinitely.
Furthermore, its immense size and weight of 20 meters and 45 tons, respectively, made it virtually impossible to topple with conventional attacks.
The cockpit was designed to simulate the movement of a virtual reality avatar, so all Oswald had to do was think about moving his body.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Oswald began running on the spot.
As his giant mecha surged forward, the imperial soldiers nearby felt their bodies tremble.
The Golden Lion Knights and Chaos of Truth Garudas, who had noticed the approaching figure, took to the skies and unleashed a barrage of magic.
Crackle! Whoosh! Boom!
Lightning magic, fire magic, and laser beams rained down upon them. Oswald raised his shield, materializing it in his left hand, and extended it forward.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The magic spells exploded upon impact with the shield. . . but the crimson giant continued its relentless advance. Upon reaching the front lines, the shield swung around, sending the Chaos Garudas flying like ragdolls. They crashed to the ground, their bodies broken.
Boom! Boom!
At their feet, the Jotunns continued their assault with magic rifles. . . but their attacks failed to leave a scratch on the giant. Oswald swung his greatsword, effortlessly flipping them over and neutralizing the Chaos Jotunns.
From that point onward, the battle became a clash between a giant and ants. The giant stomped and kicked, sending dirt and debris flying. The earth and stones it churned up tore through the Jotunns’ bodies like a blender.
“Now’s our chance! Charge!”
“Hu. . . Uwaaaaaa!”
“Uwaaaaaa!”
“Uwaaaaaa!”
The imperial soldiers, who had been watching in stunned silence, erupted in a chorus of cheers as they surged forward behind the crimson giant.
The appearance of the crimson giant had turned the tide of battle in an instant, forcing the Chaos of Truth legions to retreat. Ultimately, they were forced to divert a bombardment from another front to stop Oswald.
Moments later, three airships, each measuring 100 meters in length, aligned their cannons and opened fire. The azure beams of light shot forth from their cannons, striking the crimson giant with full force.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Crash!
【Is that all you got!! 】
Oswald bent his knees and leaped into the air. However, he fell slightly short of reaching the airships. With no other option, he activated his boosters, propelling himself high into the sky before landing on top of an airship.
Whir!
The massive weight of the giant caused the airship to creak and groan. Oswald pointed the tip of his greatsword downward and plunged it into the deck.
With all his might, he struck again and again. . . The shield initially blocked the blows, but after the second and third strikes, the immense force proved too much for it to bear. The greatsword pierced through the airship’s hull.
Unrelenting destruction ensued, and the airship plummeted to the ground, unable to withstand Oswald’s assault.
【Next is your turn! 】
Leaping from the falling airship, Oswald used his boosters to land on another airship. He repeated his strategy, plunging his greatsword downward. The second airship also crashed, leaving only one remaining.
Oswald materialized a railgun in place of his shield in his left hand and aimed it at the fleeing airship.
‘𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬. . . . . .’
Oswald fired the railgun after consuming two bottles of holy water blessed by the Saintess Estell.
A crimson beam shot forth from Oswald’s left railgun, piercing through the third airship. The shield shattered instantly, and the airship exploded from within, crashing to the ground.
At that moment, a Chaos Demon (Garuda) enlarged itself using a growth spell to confront Oswald.
“Wroooooo!”
It let out a deafening roar as it grew in size. However, . . . it only reached about the height of Oswald’s waist.
【Is that all you got!! 】
Oswald immediately unleashed a roundhouse kick, displaying incredible speed that belied the giant’s size.
In an instant, Oswald created boosters behind his raised right leg and activated the engines, further increasing his speed. The devastating roundhouse kick struck the enlarged demon’s shoulder, sending it flying to the left.
Crash!
The enlarged demon ended up landing in the midst of Cardga and Valerian, who were engaged in a fierce magical duel. It fell upon Cardga, pinning him down.
【Wroooooo! 】
Raging at the sight, Oswald became even more ferocious.
Realizing the futility of their efforts against Oswald’s giant, the Chaos Jotunns took flight in retreat.
【Where do you think you’re going!! 】
Without hesitation, Oswald materialized a launcher capable of firing hundreds of miniature missiles from his entire body and loaded it with warheads.
【Uhhhhh? 】
Only after a massive amount of blood had been drained did Oswald hurriedly replace his holy water and potions. He then created a targeting system and locked onto the fleeing enemies.
【Dieeeeeeeee! 】
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Oswald deactivated the Gigant and returned to the ground. He retrieved another bottle of holy water to replenish his stamina and began collecting the orb essences scattered on the ground.
Thanks to the chaos he had caused, Oswald had slain dozens of chaos demons.
As he diligently gathered the orbs, Marquis Lionheart, the commander of the Golden Lion Knights, approached Oswald and lifted him high into the air.
“Wh. . . what?”
Cheers erupted around him, and only then did Oswald realize that he was still on the battlefield.