Chapter 81: The Old Man of the Snowy Mountain. (4)
In front of the massive Ice Giant.
Hardin and deia stood side by side, raising their heads and gripping their swords tightly.
“Hardin.”
“Yes.”
“That thing… how are we supposed to deal with it?”
“What do you an, ‘how’? We just beat it up. Doesn’t look like much to .”
When Hardin grinned slyly, deia gave him a look of disbelief.
‘Doesn’t look like much?’
Where was that confidence coming from?
anwhile...
“Ohohoho, ‘doesn’t look like much,’ you say. I must look quite easy to you.”
With the old man’s voice, the Ice Giant slamd its massive fist down with force.
“Dodge!”
Hardin and deia split to either side.
Kwaaaang!
The fist crashed down, violently shaking the earth.
“Hup!”
At that mont, both deia and Hardin used the giant’s hand as a springboard and leapt upward almost simultaneously.
Then, taking advantage of the mont when the giant tried to rise—
“The shoulder!”
Kwazi-jijik!
The two of them slashed vertically with mana-charged swords at the left and right shoulders, respectively, then landed on the ground.
Kuuung!
The Ice Giant’s cleanly severed arms fell and crashed onto the earth.
“See? Told you I was right.”
Just as Hardin boasted, brushing snow shards off his face—
Kududuk! Kududuk!
“Huh?”
From the severed arms, ice rapidly regrew... and within re seconds, the limbs returned to their original form.
Wrinkles appeared almost simultaneously on both Hardin and deia’s brows.
“Hnnngh!”
Then, as the old man inside the ice barrier drew a horizontal line with his finger—
Kuuuooooh!
The giant twisted its waist and swung both of its arms like a windmill.
Kyaaaang!
“Urgh!”
deia and Hardin barely managed to extend their swords in ti to block the blow... but the force hurled them far back before they landed.
“……”
deia stood firm, her face stiff with tension.
“How the hell does it regenerate that fast?”
Hardin widened his eyes, staring at the fully restored arms of the Ice Giant.
At that, the old man once again raised the corners of his mouth and shouted,
“Let’s see how long you can stay so smug!”
At that mont, dozens of ice spikes sprouted from the giant’s body like a porcupine.
And when the old man clenched his fist—
Pabababat!
Kuuuooooh!
As the giant raised both arms, the ice spikes embedded in its body shot out in all directions simultaneously.
“Dodge!”
“Goddammit!”
deia and Hardin split to the sides, narrowly avoiding the barrage of ice spikes.
Kwaang! Kwaaang! Kwaaang!
Each spot where the ice landed erupted with snow pillars and explosive sounds.
Each strike packed power no less than cannonballs loaded with gunpowder.
Just as they narrowly dodged the attacks, and the onslaught of ice spikes began to subside—
“Now!”
The two of them charged at the giant once more, swinging their swords.
As if previously arranged, their movents were nearly identical.
This ti, their target was the old man seated inside the giant’s chest.
‘Hooh?’
The mont both blades extended toward him, the old man feigned surprise.
“Oh my.”
Kyaaaang!
Their swords struck the ice barrier at the giant’s chest simultaneously.
But they couldn't even shatter half of it and were flung backward.
deia’s face twisted.
‘It’s tough.’
No, more than just tough... the real problem was that the ice barrier was regenerating.
Both Hardin and deia had infused their strikes with considerable mana.
But through the earlier exchanges, they’d realized sothing.
No matter how many of these attacks they unleashed, they couldn’t get to the real body inside.
Then, as if he had never been startled, the old man let out a mocking laugh and spoke.
“Ohohoho. Were you hopeful, Princess? I did tell you, didn’t I? This creature is not so easily dealt with.”
The flow of battle didn’t change much after that.
Kyaaang! Kyaang!
“Ahahaha! Delightful! How many more chances will I have to play like this with Your Highness?”
The two of them swung their weapons, heavily reinforced with enchantnts, but each ti, the Ice Giant’s body regenerated and returned to its original state.
It felt like pouring water into a bottomless jar.
“Damn it.”
“Huuuuuugh...”
Sweat now soaked deia’s forehead as she danced through the battle with elegant strikes, and irritation began to show on Hardin’s face as well.
Especially in deia’s case, red blood seeped from the fine wounds across her body.
They were cuts made by the ice spikes that had grazed her in those near-miss monts.
Her stamina.
Her mana.
And her ntal strength.
With every exchange of blows, they were being shaved away in chunks.
‘A way... I need to find a way.’
Just as the battle raged on—
“Hup!”
Kwajik!
One of the relatively smaller ice spikes pierced deia’s thigh.
Her face contorted in agony, and as her body faltered—
Shreeeeek!
She saw another ice spike plumting toward her face.
If that hit her, her head would be impaled.
‘Too late.’
deia clenched her teeth, bracing for the end—
Kyaaaang!
At that mont, a burst of sparks exploded in midair, and deia’s body was hurled backward.
“Hey, pull yourself together.”
Thud!
Right after, Hardin, who had leapt into the air, placed deia down far from the giant.
“Pull the ice out. Stop the bleeding.”
“...Got it.”
Was it this guy who saved her?
‘How humiliating.’
Pusshk!
Gritting her teeth, deia yanked the ice spike from her thigh and channeled mana into her palm, pressing it over the wound.
Then, slowly, she lifted her head and turned to face forward.
Inside the giant’s chest—
The old man was peering down at them with a sinister smile.
“Hoho, wouldn’t it be best to wrap this up soon? I no longer wish to see the princess in pain.”
Unlike them, who were in tatters, he seed completely untouched.
It was despairing.
deia’s eyes sank deeply.
‘Can that thing even be taken down?’
Its attacks were simple, but each blow was powerful, and unlike them, it had no limit to its stamina.
The longer the fight dragged on, the clearer their defeat would beco.
Her hand, gripping the sword, trembled ever so slightly. Her lips were dry and cracking.
deia’s gaze naturally shifted toward Hardin.
“Good grief.”
With not a hint of seriousness, he panted like a mutt and slapped his lower back.
A vulgar, undignified figure with no grace or gravity.
deia furrowed her brow, then quickly turned her gaze away to hide the expression.
‘Was trusting that guy the right choice?’
Of course, she knew it was just an excuse.
As long as she didn’t abandon the fortress.
As long as she didn’t abandon the refugees and run away.
This scene.
This outco.
Whatever choices she made, this was always the sight she would have to face in the end.
‘No, more likely than not, I wouldn’t have even made it this far and would’ve dried up and died inside that fortress.’
Hardin Daphne.
Thanks to that idiot who claid to be a descendant of the great knight Varlach, they’d made it this far.
Maybe that’s why she felt such regret.
It felt like they were only one step away.
That just one more push would do it.
But... that final step couldn’t be taken, and now they were stuck here.
Biiiiii—
A ringing pierced deia’s ears, and a drop of blood from the wound on her forehead trickled down her chin and fell.
“Your Highness.”
“...”
“Your Hiiighness?”
“...”
anwhile—
Once again, the giant launched dozens of ice spikes.
Kyaaang! Kyaaaang!
“Dammit!”
Hardin slashed through them, scattering the spikes in the air, and shouted like thunder.
“Ah, Your Highness! Snap out of it, wake up!”
deia flinched, and focus returned to her eyes.
“...Why are you calling ?”
“You’ve got the hang of it now, right?”
“If by that, you an...”
“You’ve gotten used to its movents, haven’t you?”
“You can use Solatail, right?”
“Hmm?”
deia’s eyes widened in surprise.
Solatail (Sola-tale).
Also known as the Sword of the Sun, it was a ceremonial sword technique of the imperial family.
It could only be used by those of royal blood, but since it was a technique used in rituals to serve God Faeron, it wasn’t suited for actual combat.
deia, being of imperial lineage, could use it—but… how did that guy know about it, and why bring it up now, of all tis?
“I know it, but what do you plan to do with it? Solatail is just a ceremonial sword technique.”
“Well, that depends on how you use it.”
“…What?”
Hardin shrugged as he spoke.
“The sun lts ice, doesn’t it?”
“……”
Could it be…?
deia’s eyes shot open, and Hardin smirked.
“Looks like you get it.”
That sword technique… I know it really well.
—
Varlach, what do you think of this sword technique? I tried learning it recently.
It’s perfect for kids playing soldier.
Uuuuhh, how can you say that?!
—
As Hardin briefly recalled a mory with Linian—
A voice rang out from ahead.
“You seem relaxed. Chatting even in the middle of this!”
Pababababat!
The Ice Giant once again fired dozens of ice spikes.
A concentrated barrage flew toward the two of them.
deia deflected most of them and prepared to strike down the final one aid at her head—
Kyaaaaang!
Hardin appeared in front of her and swatted the ice aside in her stead.
“Just be ready to lt that thing.”
“……”
At that mont, deia silently gripped her sword.
Then, drawing forth her mana, she cloaked her blade in an orange light.
‘Flare.’
Solatail’s unique weapon enchantnt technique.
In an instant, a scorching heat and intense energy enveloped the blade.
“Let’s go!”
Taat!
Hardin and deia charged together toward the giant.
The distance—roughly 30 ters.
Across from them, the old man furrowed his brow as he saw the orange glow on deia’s blade.
‘A last-ditch effort, is it…?’
He knew instinctively—
As long as he could block that strike, his victory would be assured.
The old man's hands moved rapidly as he controlled the giant.
Kuuoooooooh!
The giant picked up a nearby boulder and hurled it straight toward the two.
In that split second, deia’s brow twitched ever so slightly.
“Don’t slow down!”
Hardin roared with even more montum, increasing his speed.
At the sa ti...
“Hyah-cha-cha!”
With a shout, he slashed through the air, drawing multiple blue lines in midair.
Chwaaaaa!
The boulder, as large as a house, shattered into dozens of pieces and scattered harmlessly to their sides.
Annoyance flared visibly on the old man’s face.
“Insolent...!”
The old man’s eyes glowed brighter as he shouted furiously.
Kuuoooooh!
“This ends your wild antics!”
The Ice Giant launched a relentless barrage of ice spikes.
An overwhelming bombardnt, leaving no room to dodge.
But deia didn’t swing her sword. She simply ran forward.
“Let’s gooo!”
Kakang! Kakang! Kaaang!
Hardin, right ahead of her, swung his sword non-stop, smashing and deflecting all the ice spikes.
Shards of ice flew in every direction, grazing Hardin’s skin. Occasionally, smaller spikes that slipped past pierced into his body.
But Hardin didn’t stop.
On the contrary, he only pushed harder and moved faster.
deia bit her lip.
‘Doesn’t he feel anything?’
Her sword blazed with a fierce orange light.
She had already wanted to thrust it forward dozens of tis.
A pressing urge to do sothing, anything, right now made her body flinch.
But each ti, Hardin pressed on—fiercer, rougher.
He didn’t speak, but his actions said enough.
He was saying, ‘Not yet.’
‘...Damn it.’
Clench.
With a rough bite to her lower lip, Princess deia braced herself, her face filled with resolve.
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