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Archduke Quenor snorted in disbelief. I narrowed my eyes and looked at him. With a quick glance, I could tell his condition was far from normal. His magic circulation system was off. His gaze was sharp, but his tired stance said it all. He must have fought nonstop for two days, using his aura to slay monsters. It was strange that he could still stand.

“You’re lucky I didn’t send you back, Archduke. You’re in a strange state of mind if I say so myself. You’re not even circulating your mana properly.”

Archduke Quenor looked puzzled at my words, but then a subtle smile appeared on his face. It was like the eyes of a master looking at a pupil who learned a new trick.

“Are you beginning to see it all now, Elroy?”

“Somewhat. I wouldn’t mind your assistance if you could fight without overdoing it.”

(Sigh~)

The Holy Sword said. I had not truly awakened its second stage. I forcibly opened it, but I had no time to practice controlling it.

(Know that it’s because I know you’re not in a position to say that, Elroy.)

I nodded at her words. The opening of the second stage was completely different from the first stage. The strain using the second stage was making my crown-enhanced body heavy. Had I opened it without the crown, my body would have broken.

I could have gotten used to it over time, but I don’t have that luxury. I stared at the silhouette towering above me. The Giant, outlined in the blizzard, must have been hundreds of meters tall. I thought of the vision shown by the crown.

“It is not yet time for the world to end.”

I muttered to myself as I raised my Holy Sword, the blizzard intensifying.

(Do you have a plan?)

‘First, I’ll hit him and see how he reacts.’

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the tiny ember at the center of my heart. Mana radiated out from it, circling my body and swirling beneath my feet. The vortex of mana grew in intensity, tearing through the wind. The magic emanating from me made its presence felt, devouring the blizzard.

“…! Everyone, stay away from the warrior Elroy.”

Archduke Quenor, sensing my change, commanded in an alarmed voice. The Giant still held his head high in arrogance. Judging by the slight rumbling, it seemed he was about to begin advancing again.

“Ignoring me won’t be that easy.”

The ground beneath me gave way. The snow around me scattered, leaving the area bare. Light gathered on my Holy sword. The mana gathering at the hilt spiraled and stretched out. My first strike fell in a straight line from top to bottom.

“It is useless to look beyond me, Giant.”

My blade roared as it tore through the air, as a light obliterated the rushing monsters before hitting the Giant’s leg.

It exploded. He was unscathed, but the atmosphere suddenly began to change. His toes, moving steadily toward the Evernode, slowly began to turn right toward me.

(You’ve got his attention.)

Yes, I had indeed gotten the giant’s attention. There was a slight rumbling followed by a large tree falling. I looked up, feeling the weight of the Giant’s gaze on me, and saw its head resting on its shoulders, looking toward me.

“He… looked….”

The knights around me were also crushed by his gaze. Blood drained from most of them, except for Archduke Quenor. However, the monsters around us were no different. Instead of attacking us, the creatures flattened and trembled at the Disaster’s sight.

‘I wonder if an entire mountain would crumble at its mere presence.’ The Giant’s foot changed direction and obliterated everything in its path. Trees crumbled to dust and disappeared, and monsters were crushed, leaving only a trail of blood in their wake. He acknowledged my existence. The embodiment of catastrophe walked with the sole purpose of killing me.

The wind from its steps tore the world apart. I protected the people around me using the mana vortex as a shield. A tree trunk rattled and swayed, eventually flying in my direction. I swung my Holy Sword, channeling mana to keep the debris from reaching the knights behind me. The wind prevented me from advancing.

(…Hold on.)

I shook my head at the Holy Sword’s words. I wasn’t going to wait for it.

A small fire in my heart grew in size. My mana responded to my will, increasing the size of the storm around me. The Giant’s magical power oppressed me as if I had done nothing. I could feel the gaze of the giant looking down at me. I didn’t avert my eyes and met his.

Even if you can put the world at your feet like that, I won’t give in. I’ll carry the world on my shoulders.

“Until your arrogant head bows below my feet,”

I grit my teeth and take a step forward. Each step was met with more resistance. The Giant refused to let me move forward, crushing me with its magic. The ground I stood on began to cave in. I took another step forward.

“I will not fall.”

The Giant and the Hero had their first battle. The Giant’s magic is infinite, while I had a limit. If this deadlock continues, I will be the first to break, and the knights behind me will be in trouble. ‘I must break through. I must not be pushed back. Not like this-!’

At that moment, someone stepped up beside me.

“I’ll represent Evernode.”

A large part of the weight was suddenly removed.

I looked sideways. Archduke Quenor, who had finally shaken off the pressure of the Giant, was smiling and conjuring his blue mana, reinforcing my storm of silver. His unstable heart had recovered and was even stronger than before.

“Did you think a northern knight would succumb to this much cold and blizzard?”

Archduke Quenor said with a smile. He turned around. The knights of Evernode, their swords dug into the ground and desperate to withstand the pressure, were using their swords to pull themselves up. Archduke Quenor raised his voice to the knights, a stern look on his face.

“Were the past dozens of winters we have passed, the ones we have overcome, weaker than this?”

“…No.”

Hedwig was the first to rise, and he made his aura flow into his sword. Again, I felt as if a weight was lifted off my shoulders. He looked at me and nodded.

“Speak, Hans, Adrian, Tyrone. Were your winters warmer than this, and did we surrender our citadel, allowing the winds to tear down our walls?”

The knights shook their heads at Archduke Quenor’s rebuke. Tyrone rose to his feet, followed almost simultaneously by Hans and Adrian. Like Hedwig, they raised their swords, auras rising with it.

“No.”

“This is the cold of typical winter.”

One by one, the knights rose to their feet. Archduke Quenor raised his voice.

“Answer me, knights of Evernode, what is our purpose?”

Serene, who had followed me, spoke up.

“To protect… Evernode… with our lives.”

“And how long will you continue to cower behind someone else’s back? They’ve asked us to kneel before them and humiliate us as if it weren’t enough to tear our throats out. Will you allow their filthy feet to trample the citadel of Evernode?”

“”Never!!!””

The knights all rose to their feet. I slowly raised my back. The shroud thickened as my mana stabilized. Our auras and mana have interwoven, creating a solid barrier. My vision cleared. I could see the Giant more clearly. His magic was strong but could not penetrate the knights’ tightly woven magic. Instead, it began to drive away the blizzard and the chill, clearing a path for me to move.

The blizzard dissipated. The wind failed to stop us. Beyond the bare ground, a path stretched in a straight line, and at the end of it, the disaster I must face. I gripped my Holy Sword tightly, and my heart beat wildly.

“Hold your ground! If you cannot cut the Giant’s throat, at least you should not be a burden to those who can.”

“”Yes, sir!!!””

Archduke Quenor looked at me. I turned to face him as well. The aura of the knights glowed with different colors around us.

“Greetings, Hero Elroy.”

Archduke Quenor walked toward me with his sword and a knight’s sword. Then he held out his sword toward me. I blinked, alternately looking at Archduke Quenor and his sword.

“It’s not as good as the Holy Sword, of course, but it shouldn’t get in the way. This sword has protected House Stroff since the beginning.”

I drew the Archduke’s sword from its scabbard, and it as I unsheathed it. I turned and faced the Giant, feeling the weight of the steel.

“I’ll use it well.”

“I will not forgive you if there is a scratch on them.”

I smirked at the Archduke’s joke, then shrugged.

“I’ll try to be as gentle as I can.”

I stepped onto the path opened by the aura made by the knights’ desire, will, faith, and hope. I took another. I walked until I could run, feeling all their emotions. I ran. I accelerated as my body glowed in the light. At the end of the path, I used my momentum to launch myself toward the Giant.

The hilt of the Archduke’s sword in my left hand was enveloped in a silver aura, and the Holy Sword awakened, emitting a pure white light. My body felt light, as if free from gravity. I soared, rising through the blizzard and cold. Clouds scattered as I moved past them, revealing a black sky. Before I knew it, the night had passed, and the dawn came.

At the end of it, I saw the head of the Giant. It was mannequin-like, with no eyes, nose, or mouth. Above it was a cross-shaped crack.

“So that’s what your face looks like.”

A sound like an amplified whale’s cry rang out. The Giant’s head turned to follow me. I gathered my aura, sending a blast of light into its head.

An explosion erupted from the giant’s head. The giant staggered backward for the first time. A chill invaded my body, but the energy rushing through me quickly drove it away. A glowing orb spun in the cross on the Giant and turned to me.

“This won’t be a one-time thing.”

I slashed down with the sword in my left hand.

He staggered back, but I didn’t stop there. My sword dance had begun. I struck down with my left and right hands, breaking down the Giant’s defenses. He stumbled as I pushed him back. However, I haven’t made a single cut yet. ‘If I can’t wound him, I’ll push him back as far as possible.’

The Giant stumbled backward and hit the ridge. It crumbled beneath him with an enormous crash. He twisted and fell, and I accelerated above him, dropping with crossed swords.

He let out another howl of rage as if it had finally recognized me as an enemy rather than another obstacle. He stretched out his arms and tried to strike me down as I flew past. I spun in midair and slammed my sword into its flying fist. I poured my magic into it, resisting the immense physical force that pushed me back, but it was no match for the Giant’s strength, and I bounced off, crashing into the opposite mountain peak.

The aura shattered, and I spat blood from my mouth as I came to a stop. Only one attack. It was enough to break my body. However, the Giant’s onslaught didn’t end with one strike. I gritted my teeth as I watched his shadow cover the sky.

I slipped through the hand that tried to grab me, but he began to crush the mountain, bringing it down mercilessly. I clambered and ran, ignoring the pain. Broken bones, ruptured intestines. As long as I could move, I will fight.

The Giant’s hand flew toward me. This time I bounced off it, launching myself. He opened both hands, intending to clap them together. I rushed downward.

It created a gust of wind. I crashed into the ground at full force, and he raised his foot above me. I wished I could lay here. But he would not me rest.

I forced my aura to strike the Giant’s foot. He stumbled under my attack before he could bring his foot down to crush me. ‘It’s still not enough. I must go further.’ I gripped my sword tightly, then heard the words of the Holy Sword in my ear.

(Do not try to bend the Disasters with your strength alone.)

Her voice was uncharacteristically soft, and time seemed to stand still for a moment.

(It can be your weapon, but it will never be your root. They will always be stronger than you, bigger, heavier, and more overwhelming than you.)

My grip on the sword weakened.

(Cutting it down with your hands means you gave in to another power.)

I now knew what to do.

As the snow fell, I saw a strangely visible snowflake. It fluttered and covered the world. That one snowflake.

I carefully lifted the Holy Sword, its blade as light as a feather. I thrust it at the falling snowflake.

The tip pierced the center of the snowflake. At that moment, the sword and I became one.

(The time you spent catching dew was not a waste,)

The Holy Sword’s voice was filled with pride.

(As catching a single snowflake is much more difficult.)

The Giant was pushing himself up again. I looked down at my hand. I didn’t feel the weight of the sword at all. It was as if the sword had been with me from the beginning. Again, I swung, this time with the blade in my left hand, and pierced the snowflake. The shape remained intact at the tip, unbroken.

“…It’s done.”

My voice seemed to slip from my mouth. I spoke to the Holy Sword in a dreamy voice.

“Holy Sword.”

Again, my vision went white as an unseen force enveloped my body.

It was a still, clean space. I looked up, and at the end of my vision was a woman with her back to the light, her face barely visible, looking at me. At first glance, she wore a wreath on top of her head. She had a soft, warm smile on her face.

“You’ve come a long way, Elroy.”

The woman slowly walked over to me. She reached out and took my hand, and I blinked at the warmth of it. I could see her face, if only for a moment. Her hair is as white as snow, her eyes a warm red. The woman looked into my eyes and opened her mouth with a smile.

“Keep moving forward.”

The dream fades. I stood there, dazed, in the cold air.

My Holy Sword and aura carried me into the sky. The Giant cried out, toppling mountains to reach me.

(Can you do it?)

I nodded and raised both swords.

I then brought down the Fourth Disaster.

***

Quenor watched as a silver meteor collided with the Giant. He was pushed back, then crashed to the ground.

But the light did not fade. Everyone present had the same thought.

“We’ll win.”

Serene spoke up. The Archduke nodded.

“At the end of the day, he is truly the Hero.”

***

Another monster fell at Daphne’s hands. Today’s siege was the weakest it’s been. Before afternoon, all the creatures had scurried back into the forest. The white of the veil grew thicker. The Hero’s party and knights desperately watched it with the same prayer.

‘Please, may Elroy and the Archduke return safely.’

Earthquakes repeatedly happened as the fierce battle with the Giant seemed to drag on. Despair and hope. Standing at that crossroads, they could feel the shadow of despair growing.

‘Elroy’

Daphne clasped her hands together firmly, and suddenly the sky opened up. The soldiers and knights looked up, unable to say any words. Daphne’s eyes widened as she watched the sky part.

Two beams of light cut through the dark clouds, shining brilliantly into the heavens above.

***

Winter was gone, leaving nothing but snowflakes. I exhaled and looked ahead. The scar left by my sword was clearly engraved on the land and mountains. Looking at the edge of the wound, I thrust the Holy Sword and the Archduke’s sword into the ground.

The Giant, named the Fourth Disaster, fell.

In the slashed sky, the sun poured down its brilliant light.

Translator’s Corner

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Also, now that the Holy Sword has shown this form, I remembered there was official art for this novel. So if you want to see it, tell me here, and I’ll consider putting it on the discord server.

Also, sorry for leaving it on a cliffhanger last time…

-Ruminas