Chapter 117

“Hey, Benito.”

“…What is it, Eremai?”

“Was it really necessary for us to come here all together like this?”

“…Well, I don’t know.”

Normally, Benito would have been angry at Eremai’s words, but this time he quietly agreed.

Benito’s gaze was cloudy as he took in the scene before him.

When Terato first stepped forward, he thought everything would end quickly.

A world where size and strength dominate everything.

Even the strongest race, Titans, had no choice but to bow their heads to this massive entity.

Small humans, faced with Terato, could only submit in fear.

In fact, the moment Terato revealed his majesty, the chaos of the small humans beyond the city walls was palpable.

The thick city wall, which felt burdensome to the Titans, seemed nothing more than a fragile wall made of sand in front of Terato.

They were precariously near being swept away with a single kick.

“…That.”

But something changed the moment Eremai absently pointed into the air.

Despite facing the towering Terato, the small humans who foolishly thought about resisting, kicking aside the merciful conditions, found Terato’s body swaying for a moment as if to deliver punishment.

“That tiny girl is flying in the sky.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

When the other Titans and Benito looked on in confusion, Eremai emphasized the finger pointing at the sky once more.

“So, what exactly…!”

“Captain, there’s something in the sky.”

Frowning at his subordinate’s nonsense, Benito looked up and saw a small human with an expression of defiance standing before Terato.

“…How is a small human without wings doing that?”

“Don’t look at her with common sense. That little body sliced through Grandidi and my subordinates in an instant. Now, she’s even stabbed right into the heart of her father.”

“…Is that so?”

At Eremai’s tsk, Benito gazed at Araya with a puzzled expression.

And without any further conversation, an absurd fight began between a mountain-sized giant and what could be deemed a small human compared to the giant.

However, that absurdity was nothing compared to the events unleashed by their combat.

The atmosphere burned, the ground split and rose, reshaping the terrain.

The blue sky turned dark with black dust like an ominous shroud.

The phenomena resembling disasters caused by the battle of transcendent beings did not spare the Titans.

“Grraaaah-!”

Several Titans caught in the aftermath perished, unable to even let out a proper scream.

“Everyone! Retreat out of the range of the battle!”

In terror, the Gigantes hastily issued retreat orders to the Titans.

And from that moment, this was the scene.

Titans, who had once roamed the natural world with no predators, stood by and watched helplessly as the catastrophe of the transcendent beings unfolded.

It was a battle in which there was not even a chance to intervene.

Even those who, until they reached this point, boasted of being a chosen race without any understanding, gazed blankly, seemingly brought low by the true battle of the transcendent beings.

When Araya, the Elf who had been dodging all attacks effortlessly, collided with Terato’s fist, it seemed finally over, but suddenly a massive tree, as huge as Terato and Gal Dragon, sprouted from the ground.

Finally, the giant tree generated a lush forest in the place that had been devastated by the battle.

Thus began the second battle.

Gal Dragon suddenly vanished inside the city, but Terato and the gigantic tree known as El Prigion struggled while entangling Terato’s massive form with its branches.

As that battle began to conclude, Eremai, who had felt the most self-loathing among the Titans who were merely bystanders, spoke to Benito.

“…Looks like it might end soon; should we just prepare to go home?”

“…Don’t act hastily. Nothing is over yet.”

However, watching one by one as the branches of El Prigion, which served as a weapon, were crushed, it seemed the battle would not last much longer.

If El Prigion could not withstand Terato’s advance, the mysterious power that protected the city—which the Titans could barely sense as mana—would eventually be destroyed by Terato’s hands.

“…That tiny girl. I wonder if she’s still alive.”

Even if she was, rushing in would be dangerous for us.

But then, Gal Dragon, who had disappeared inside the city walls, reappeared, and Terato’s attacks, which had easily shaken the power guarding the city, ricocheted off, causing Terato’s massive body to topple and leave a huge mark on the ground.

Then Terato seemed to converse with Gal Dragon and gave the command to advance to the Titans.

The Titans, who had merely watched the fight of the transcendent beings with blank expressions, appeared lost and confused by Terato’s sudden words.

“Ha ha. It seems your boasting isn’t holding up well.”

“…Are you intending to humiliate me! Benito. Foodret. Beryl! Move now!”

The first to respond to that shout was Eremai.

Eremai drew his sword from its sheath, discarding the sheath as he ignored the other Titans, who were standing dumbly, and dashed towards the city walls.

Though the flat plains were blocked by the forest created by El Prigion, it posed no real obstacle for Eremai, who was a Gigantes.

Forty paces.

It took Eremai only that many steps to reach the base of the city wall, clearing away all the trees around him without any hindrance.

Reaching the base of the wall with surprising agility, Eremai crouched like a frog and leaped straight up towards the top of the wall.

“Peek-a-boo!”

In an instant.

The massive body of Eremai, propelled into the air, struck down onto the city wall with all its weight behind the giant sword.

Boom-!

Just moments ago, with the assistance of the duel, the city wall, as resilient as iron, crumbled under the giant’s strike with a thunderous roar.

Having withstood Terato’s kick, many of those on the city wall, unprepared for Eremai’s approach, were turned into bloody messes along with Eremai’s terrifying blade.

Among the tragic victims was an Elf who had been a guardian of the forest.

“I didn’t want it to come to this, but given the situation, there’s no need for formalities, right? We’re way too far gone to be nice to each other now.”

As Eremai retrieved the sword he had struck down, only Saraswati, Anart, and Priegoss reacted among the people staring, stunned, at the wall.

“Ugh!”

In that instant, when a massive stone arm suddenly rose from the wall to grab him, Eremai halted his sword mid-swing and rolled inward toward the wall.

“Ouch! That hurts!”

But a sharp, compressed wind sliced through his skin, causing him to scream.

Fortunately, safely landing inside the wall, Eremai looked up and grinned.

“You Elves really use some bizarre tricks. Still, it’s not as threatening as that tiny girl. After all, she’s completely insane.”

Then he lifted one foot and aimed it at the wall.

Bam-!

With all his might, he kicked.

“Augh!”

“It’s collapsing!”

“First, let’s take care of this annoying thing!”

The city wall, which boasted its height and thickness, providing great reassurance and security for the citizens, completely crumbled under Eremai’s single strike and a few kicks.

The quickly recovered guardians of the forest rapidly escaped from the collapsing zone, managing to save even the bewildered human soldiers if they had enough time.

Splash-!

Splash-!

The humans who were unable to be saved fell from the high wall, making a sound like ripe fruit dropping, and the stones crumbling above them concealed their traces.

From within the city wall, where Eremai had just demolished, he finally regained his senses and laughed as he watched his comrades approaching through the forest.

“Ha ha! You’re way too slow. Be grateful. Thanks to me, you’ll have an easy start.”

Then, he looked up with an enraged expression at those who stared down at him arrogantly from the wall and smirked threateningly.

“I hope one of you had someone important to that girl.”

◈ ◈ ◈

“Your expression doesn’t seem very good already, does it?”

“…Hmph.”

“Though I appreciate the power of that false god for blocking me. Have you forgotten? While I had my reverse heaven’s magic and assistance, it was my children who pierced you with blades.”

Terato gazed down, satisfied with the unfolding situation far below.

“Do you think any creature exists in this world that can stop my children? Even if you manage to block me, ultimately, my children will bring forth what I desire. How unfortunate. Those pitiful creatures below will learn an unforgettable and painful lesson due to their misguided belief.”

“Well.”

El Prigion countered Terato’s words.

“This is just the beginning. Babel Terato, arrogant giant.”

The forest generated by El Prigion began to ‘move.’

Flowers, grasses, trees.

The Titans crossing through the forest were startled by the bizarre phenomenon of the vegetation suddenly disappearing or moving.

The woods that had been outside the city walls blossomed again inside the walls.

Although the barrier was protecting them, all the humans living near the walls fled in panic, leaving their empty homes and yards overrun with flowers, grasses, trees, and vines.

Before long, the areas around the World Tree, which had risen majestically at the center of the forest, were barren again, aside from the World Tree itself.

“What difference does it make to move the forest inside?”

In response to Terato’s sneer, El Prigion replied with humor.

“Many things are different. My children will become entirely different beings ‘in the forest.’ And also…”

Suddenly, distortions in space began to arise from various spots in the city area that had transformed into a forest.

“The inside of that barrier is my territory as well. Therefore, I can do things like this.”

The sound of chortling spirits echoed from all around the forest.

Along with that, more than two hundred elves dressed in green clothing started to appear silently from mid-air, stepping down onto the forest ground.

“…You’ve utilized the spirits’ path, haven’t you?”

“I do not relish my children fighting needlessly and shedding blood, but this is simply destiny. An occurrence that would inevitably happen in the age of barbarism. Adults among adults. Children among children. Let’s see who is truly right in this clash. Babel Terato.”