The deformed giant charges. Anger and hatred were etched into the grimace it wore as it ran.
Swinging its arm horizontally in a wide arc, the giant disrupted its own balance. Aslan saw the giant’s arm sweeping towards him and extended his sword to block it.
Zeeeeeeng!
An immense impact. In that moment of collision, Aslan realized the tremendous strength behind it.
Aslan quickly leaped back to disperse the shock.
Bang!
The sword was deflected, and Aslan’s body was pushed back significantly. Despite the chaotic spinning scenery, Aslan calmly analyzed the situation.
Indeed, a giant was still a giant.
Even a deformed giant retained its monstrous strength—enough to easily twist and tear a human apart. Had Aslan not dispersed the force by leaping, his arms or legs might have been broken outright.
Considering that most wild wizards enhance their strength constantly, this giant could potentially be stronger than an ordinary one.
If the giant’s strength was ten, then this wild wizard was at least eleven. Even while being hurled through the air, Aslan flipped to land gracefully.
A lesser divinity charged toward the landing Aslan, eyes streaming with blood from rage, whites exposed wildly.
“Aaaiieee!”
The lesser divinity swung both arms, each left arm coming down simultaneously—a difficult attack to dodge under normal circumstances.
But Aslan lightly jumped, flipped his body, and slipped between the arms. The wind howled chaotically as the trajectory passed by.
With a roaring sound, the swinging arm smashed several trees before stopping just as Aslan landed. At the very moment he touched the ground, a blue light overflowed from the tip of a pistil on his hand.
“Die…!”
Aslan noticed the glowing pistil, narrowed his eyes sharply, and retreated backward while maintaining his crouched position. Half a beat later, the spot where Aslan had been disappeared with a ‘kugugu’ sound.
The dark-blue mana filling the air was thick and sticky—something impossible to withstand directly. Aslan believed retreating had been the right choice as he scanned the glowing mana.
‘Soul-manipulating magic? Or another type of wild magic?’
The area swept by the mana glowed and shone eerily blue. Careful not to touch the space affected, Aslan took a deep breath.
‘A tough opponent indeed.’
Even if it were just a soul-manipulating wild wizard, it would have been challenging enough. But with the combination of a deformed giant, wild wizard, and lesser divinity possession—it was more than just a tough opponent.
Perhaps even more difficult than a priest. Especially since it represented a new type of enemy.
But nothing was impossible to defeat.
It could be killed.
It was merely cumbersome to fight. Aslan glanced around and spotted a specter rushing in while narrowing the encirclement.
The specter resembling a giant swung its massive arm. As soon as Aslan caught it out of the corner of his eye, he moved.
Aaaak!
With a sword wrapped in purity, Aslan spun his body and slashed. Following the faintly glowing trajectory, the severed specter clutched its wrist and retreated as Aslan muttered softly.
“Heat metal.”
Spinning while reciting, Aslan incorporated the rotation and centrifugal force from swinging his sword to make a large slash, turning in the opposite direction. The axe he swung heated up and cut off the specter’s head.
Kwajik!
Handling two-handed weapons like great axes, great swords, or great hammers with one hand was usually impractical, but for Aslan, it wasn’t a strain.
It only added more preparatory motions and limited his actions due to the cumbersome handling.
Against humanoid enemies, this style wouldn’t work, but most specters charging at Aslan were larger and slower than him.
This method was actually more suitable.
As Aslan’s axe glowed red and formed a circle, a white circle overlapped it, slicing through snake-like and wolf-like specters in sequence.
“Didn’t we talk about having a conversation?”
A voice came from the side.
Ereta dodged the specter’s attacks gracefully, chopped it down with her axe, and spoke.
Aslan glanced at Ereta, who seemed to be struggling or troubled, and replied.
“We did.”
The restless lesser divinity appeared to be plotting something, drawing specters closer. Aslan guessed what it was doing and continued.
“And we decided to kill.”
At this, Ereta asked slightly bewildered.
“You seemed quite sympathetic. Are you sure…?”
Her words were cut off as a dog-shaped specter charged.
Ereta thrust her hammer into the specter’s mouth, slightly sidestepping and swinging it so the spectral dog tumbled on the ground. Her axe struck down from above, causing the specter to scream.
“Are you sure?”
While continuing her interrupted sentence, the lesser divinity was crushing and merging the specters. As the crushed specters screamed, the lesser divinity fidgeted and reshaped them into a massive sphere.
“What… is that?” Ereta asked.
Aslan replied.
“I sympathized. I still do. If possible, I’d prefer to avoid fighting and move on. But… there was no choice. If we let it go, people will die.”
The lesser divinity, which considered this entity its mother, was sending murderous intent. If it treated its mother this way, what about ordinary humans? Aslan had already decided to kill and lowered his stance.
The screams of the merged specters reached their peak.
“Die! All of you!”
With the lesser divinity’s shout, the merged specters were launched.
With a heavy mass, the materialized specters surged forward like a pillar.
A rush capable of effortlessly crushing humans and reducing giants to pieces upon contact.
Seeing the enormous spectral pillar flying towards him, Aslan shouted to Ereta, who looked startled.
“I’ll handle the front!”
And before any response came, he dashed forward.
The spectral pillar launched by the lesser divinity seemed determined to crush both Aslan and Ereta at once. It was overwhelmingly massive. Simply dodging wasn’t feasible due to its wide range and speed. The only option was to cut through it massively.
Aslan raised his single-edged sword enhanced with purity and took a deep breath.
‘Mooncutting.’
Using the special technique of long weapons, Mooncutting.
A technique that greatly extends the cutting range and length, capable of slicing even the moon reflected in the lake.
As Aslan’s determination flared, a faint sword strike drew a long and large trajectory, carving through the spectral pillar.
Kwajijijik!
A sound like a sword piercing and tearing through glass filled the air as the fragmented spectral pillar caused specters to scream.
Aslan dashed through the collapsing encirclement of specters and charged towards the lesser divinity.
“Mother, die!”
The lesser divinity attacked with hatred, attempting to smash down using the wild wizard’s arm. Aslan plunged his sword straight into the elbow as he rushed in.
Pooehk!
Accurately striking the elbow with the sword point, the downward smashing arm was blocked. Aslan twisted and slashed the sword while ducking beneath the oozing pus.
“Huff…”
Exhaling the held breath, Aslan swung his sword.
The pure white single-edged sword carved a long line from the pus-oozing breast to the side. Avoiding the bursting pus, Aslan rotated using the momentum from swinging the sword.
Yujik!
Rotating and making a large swing with the double-handed axe, the sharp axe blade and weight severed the lesser divinity’s ankle.
The lesser divinity screamed and, mid-scream, struck down towards Aslan’s head.
“Mother dies too!”
A scream close to a howl. Aslan clashed blades upward.
Kaahaaang!
Twisting his body at the moment of impact, Aslan deflected the sword. The recoiling arm sent the lesser divinity tumbling. Aslan gritted his teeth, feeling his tingling forearm and cracked, stinging pain racing through his leg.
Retrieving his sword and turning his body, the key was rotation.
Lacking strength, Aslan pursued rotational power to cut through monsters.
Utilizing that rotational power, he used the rebound force to chop down with the axe. With a sound like being pounded into a tree trunk, the deformed giant’s arm rolled across the ground.
Kwajik!
“Kreeeaaaagh!”
The lesser divinity’s cracking scream. Amidst the scream, she felt anger.
Anger that her mother could inflict such pain, that her arm had been cut off.
Through that anger, she endured the pain and grabbed the axe.
Chiiiiik
Despite the burning palm from the heated axe blade, the lesser divinity clenched her teeth and raised her fist.
Kaahaaang!
Holding the axe and punching.
The attack was too close and fast for Aslan to react. All he could do was defend.
He barely managed to block with his sword at the last second, lifting his leg to disperse the shock.
But that wasn’t enough. Aslan’s body flew through the air and crashed into a tree.
Ujigeun
The breaking tree. Colliding with his back, blood gushed from his mouth as Aslan fell.
Seeing his motionless mother, the lesser divinity perceived an opportunity rather than pity or sympathy.
The chance to permanently kill her mother. Feeling remorse, the lesser divinity charged.
“Die, die, die!”
She leapt high into the air. Suspended mid-air, her body displayed an enormous mass. The simultaneous rise created winds that felt like a storm.
Amidst that storm, the lesser divinity’s plan was simple. Using her massive weight, she would smash down on her mother, flattening her into pieces.
Smiling grotesquely as she prepared to smash down.
“Equalization.”
The fallen Aslan’s lips moved. His body rewound as if cleaned, though the blood in his mouth and fractured bones remained, he moved. Aslan rose, gripping his sword with both hands.
Kwaaaaaaang!
He resisted the descending mass with just a sword and skill.
Blood spurted from Aslan’s legs. The soaked pants and pooled blood on the ground grew.
But he withstood it. Aslan, feeling the blood gushing from his mouth, raised the sword blade.
Tjak!
Two severed arms. Only now did Aslan fully grasp one effect of purity.
As long as there’s resolve, it persists.
Meaning, as long as Aslan wished to fight, it wouldn’t break.
Feeling his creaking knees, Aslan charged forward.
“Stay… awayyy!”
The screaming lesser divinity. Now with three severed arms, only one remained.
What Aslan aimed for was there.
Fighting a four-armed deformed giant in close combat didn’t offer much hope. There were too many variables.
But fighting a one- or two-armed giant was easy.
No variables.
Thus, Aslan wouldn’t falter.
His cold eyes read the battle situation and envisioned victory.
Kaahng!
The first diagonal downward strike came swiftly. Aslan parried with the sword’s spine and deflected it by tilting the hilt.
Deflecting immediately followed by a slash. Blood spurted from the split knee of the lesser divinity.
Then, retrieving the arm to thrust, Aslan leaned to evade and swung the blade, leaving a large slash on the side where internal organs spilled out.
Dodging the overhead strike from above, Aslan leaped sideways.
“Die, die, dieeee!”
Screaming and swinging attacks, Aslan perfectly countered, deflected, and overwhelmed.
Using the momentum from deflecting, he slashed, cut, and tore.
Gradually, the blood loss increased. Fearing death, the lesser divinity gathered specters, but they couldn’t escape Ereta.
Even if they did escape, Aslan, understanding luck, preemptively killed them. Either by deflecting and killing or using the lesser divinity’s own attacks against them.
Aslan’s teal eyes darted around during the fight, analyzing the lesser divinity’s muscles and arms.
Wild magic was body-altering magic.
Though comprehension was necessary, to some extent, it could be mimicked.
With appropriate “data,” “experimentation,” and “verification.”
Comprehension could be mimicked.
The accumulated wild magic enhancing strength used thus far began transforming Aslan’s body.
The reason Aslan willingly used risky wild magic, continuously expending mana, started manifesting.
Muscles hardened and transformed, becoming more efficient.
Kaahaaang!
In that transformation’s end, Aslan deflected the lesser divinity’s rising punch.
Seeing the drastically tilted posture and the message beyond it, Aslan whispered quietly.
“Thank you.”
[Wild Magic Acquired: Strength +1]
[Aslan]
[Strength 2] [Agility 1] [Health 1]
[Mana 6] [Resolve 7] [Luck 5]
Pulling the sword back from the lesser divinity’s arm, Aslan dragged it downwards, bringing it close to the side. He took a deep breath. A regular stab would be blocked by the deformed giant’s internal organs, muscles, or bones.
To finish it in one decisive blow, he had to cut through all of it.
Fortunately, Aslan had an appropriate technique.
Knight-Killing Technique.
Aslan’s sword, blazing with pure white, turned black just as the lesser divinity distorted her face and screamed.
Aaaak!
The blackened blade pierced the abdomen, ignoring the internal organs, bones, and muscles, cleanly severing the spine.
The exit wound grotesquely spewed out, dripping a handful of blood.
The halted lesser divinity and Aslan standing beside her with his sword hanging low.
In the quiet moment where one and the beast stood silently, the lesser divinity murmured weakly.
“Why…?”
Kung!
With those words, the lesser divinity collapsed and died.
In the silent forest, Aslan retrieved his sword with a bitter expression.
