kscans

Chapter 104 - Humanity's Pride

A little while earlier, in front of the forward base.

Goltor and several dozen soldiers had taken up battle positions.

In front of them were numerous tents, but they were all empty. The air was still and silent. But that silence did not last long.

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. A vibration from a distance where only a shadow could be seen. Everyone here knew what that meant. An overwhelming presence. An instinct that screamed they couldn't possibly win. But they couldn't leave.

If they fled from here, the monster would go elsewhere, and innocent people would become its victims.

They had to inflict a fatal wound, to stop or at least slow its advance. This was their place to die.

The monster's form became clearly visible as it drew closer. Just as the report had said, it was unlike anything they had ever seen.

It was huge, powerful, and intimidating. This was the first time they had ever felt such a thing.

The other soldiers were trembling so much with fear that they couldn't move.

Goltor wiped the sweat from his brow.

"...Anyone who wants to run, run. I won't blame you. I'm staying. Make your choice here."

He was so terrified that he couldn't speak as he normally would.

But his intent was clear.

The soldiers' representative spoke.

"...Commander. We want to run. But we won't. I won't say any more than that."

He said it with a face on the verge of tears from fear.

The other soldiers had similar expressions, but they did not move from their positions.

Goltor said nothing and readied his great hammer, facing the approaching monster.

"...Fire!"

Goltor's shout marked the beginning of the battle.

From behind, catapults launched massive boulders. A continuous barrage of rocks struck the monster. But it didn't seem to take any damage, nor did its speed decrease.

Goltor shouted.

"...Prepare that thing!"

At his command, the soldiers brought out several barrels.

They lit the fuses extending from them all at once. Then, they loaded them onto the catapults and fired. The barrels struck the monster. A tremendous explosion roared.

The contents of the barrels were gunpowder, a byproduct of development sent to the base by the dwarven engineers who had arrived with the Edgeson units. It was to be used as a last resort in the event that the Edgeson units were wiped out. Goltor looked up at the black smoke.

The monster had stopped in its tracks. It would be good if they had defeated it. But that wish did not come true.

When the smoke cleared, the monster stood there, unharmed. Despair. There was no other word for it.

Goltor readied his great hammer.

"...Everyone. That's an order. Run from here, now. And tell them. Tell them of the terror of that monster."

With those final words, Goltor charged toward the monster.

At this point, no one could defeat it. But if he fled here, it would bring shame not only upon himself but also upon his soldiers and his family. He knew that his family had been treated with contempt after the incident at the castle.

Thanks to Lord Yorune's consideration, the situation hadn't worsened, but any further failure would be beyond even Lord Yorune's power to smooth over.

In that case, all he could do was fight and die.

That was the only way he could protect his family and his men now.

He reached the monster's side and was once again confronted by its immense size.

Sweat poured from his entire body. Just looking up at it made him feel death's presence.

Goltor poured all his strength into his great hammer.

"...`Thunder Break`!"

He unleashed all his magic and strength in one blow.

Lightning crackled, and the great hammer slammed into the monster's skin. Goltor had put his everything into that attack.

The lightning faded. Goltor was breathing heavily.

Where the attack had landed, there was only a slight scorch mark. He had known from the beginning. That he couldn't do anything. Goltor looked up.

The monster was looking down at him as if he were an insect. It was raising its right foreleg. He could dodge, but what then?

He had no plan. No means of attack. This was the end. Of everything. Goltor quietly closed his eyes. It was then that a sudden impact and the monster's scream erupted.

Goltor's eyes shot open in disbelief. The monster had been sent flying and was now lying on the ground.

It was an unbelievable sight. What in the world had just happened?

The sky above was strangely bright, so he looked up and saw a man, glowing with red light, quietly descending.

*

A little while earlier

Shinsuke was in a world of black and white.

There, he had acquired the skill 'Awakening'.

I thought to myself.

(What is 'Awakening'?)

In response to my question.

【'Awakening' is a skill that activates when your magic is completely depleted. Upon activation, your magic is fully restored, all your wounds are healed, you can use magic as much as you want, and your stats are greatly increased. However, once activated, it cannot be deactivated, and your magic will leak uncontrollably. When your magic runs out, the skill will be deactivated, after which intense pain will wrack your entire body, and you will be unable to move for at least three days.】

That was the answer.

So, it was like an enhanced version of `Turmoil`. Every skill I acquired, except for `Discernment`, seemed to put a huge strain on my body. But right now, it was a welcome skill.

I accepted. The black and white world faded, and I returned to normal.

I said to Tina.

"...Thank you. You go on ahead without me."

At my words, Tina protested.

"...Wh-what are you talking about?! You can't do anything with those injuries! We need to escape now!"

It was a perfectly reasonable opinion.

But I replied.

"...Don't worry. I've acquired a new skill. A very dangerous one, though."

With that, I let go of her hand. And then.

"...Skill: `Awakening`."

The moment I chanted it, a red light erupted from my body.

The shockwave from it forced Tina, who was nearby, to take a few steps back.

All the pain vanished from my body, magic overflowed, and I felt more power than ever before surging through me. I leaped. I ran so fast it felt like I was flying through the air.

And then, before me, a giant monster.

So that's it, I thought, and delivered a kick.

*

Present

I looked at the monster I had sent flying.

Four legs, three horns, a dinosaur... a Triceratops? I've encountered an incredible monster.

The fact that a dinosaur, the number one creature I thought I'd never meet, was here, got me a little excited.

As I was thinking that, a voice came from behind.

"...Wh-who are you?"

I turned to face the speaker.

"...You're the commander, right? Please stand back. To be honest, I can't fight while worrying about someone else."

I stated it bluntly while bowing my head.

Goltor understood. If he stayed, he would only be a hindrance. Goltor nodded.

"...Understood. But I won't go far. I am a commander and a warrior who has stood on the battlefield. I cannot retreat to the rear. Therefore, I will watch over you from a distance where I will not be in the way."

With that, he stepped back and hid behind some suitable cover.

I was grateful that I could now fight without holding back. Now then, that monster, the Triceratops? It was getting back up. I drew my katana with force.

I manipulated the intense sparks and turned it into a blade of flame. A blue flame was impossible, huh? It seems it won't activate without extremely strong friction or heat. But this wasn't bad. A power with a risk attached to it somehow gets me motivated. It's the feeling of a player taking on a high-difficulty challenge.

The Triceratops seemed to have identified me as an enemy and was scraping its left foreleg against the ground a few times.

The same motion a bull makes before charging. I readied my katana. The Triceratops charged with the speed of a wild boar. For a creature of that size to move so fast was incredible. But I simply jumped to avoid it.

I was surprised by how high I had jumped, high enough to look down on the monster, but I quickly refocused and went into a steep dive with my katana in an overhead stance. The moment I made contact with the monster, I swung down. Its skin was tough. But it was no problem.

The flame blade sliced through its skin and burned its flesh. The monster screamed in agony. Its body thrashed violently. The shaking was intense, and I stabbed my katana into it to keep from being thrown off. The screams grew even louder.

I then channeled the flames into its body. Unable to withstand the heat, it let out a tremendous scream. The monster suddenly started running. In front of it was a wall. It slammed into it.

The vibration was immense, like a magnitude six earthquake.

I desperately held onto my katana, but at this rate, it would take too long to defeat it. I pulled out my katana. I tumbled across the monster's back. I quickly regained my footing to keep from falling off.

The vibrations subsided a little, so I ran. My target was its head. No matter the monster, attacks to the head, especially the eyes, were effective.

The monster pulled away from the wall and seemed to have calmed down, standing still. This was my chance. The moment I reached its head, I stabbed my katana into its right eye.

The pain must have been excruciating. It shook its head violently and slammed it against the wall.

I pulled out my katana at the last second and escaped, landing on the ground.

I aimed at the monster's right eye.

"`Lightning Cannon`!"

I unleashed a concentrated blast of lightning.

It was like a charged particle cannon. It shot in a straight line, at the speed of light, and hit its mark.

Normally, this was a technique that took a long time to activate and left me with too many openings. I had never used it before, but in my 'Awakened' state, I could use magic as much as I wanted. That meant the activation time could be shortened as well.

The monster let out a terrible scream. It was already in pain, and now another attack had been added on top of it. Nothing could withstand that. When the blast subsided, the monster stopped moving.

I added more fire to my flame blade, supplemented it with the heat of lightning, and condensed and focused it.

And then, red turned to blue.

It took a considerable amount of time, but I managed to create it.

I readied my katana.

"...`True Inferno, Kagutsuchi`."

I activated my trump card.