My alter ego is becoming a big shot - Episode 263
#263
king of madness (2)
The Iron Fortress located in the northernmost part of the County of Aonia, the Kingdom of Tulk..
This was the kingdom's front-line fortress built to block monsters coming from the notorious northern mountains..
It usually served as a base for those entering the mountain range to collect unusual materials and hunt, and was also a reconnaissance base that identified abnormal situations in real time through periodic reconnaissance..
In particular, the monsters' movements intensified due to the madness incident, and after experiencing a large-scale invasion by monsters, additional reinforcements were added, so the place was equipped with defenses that were no better than an impenetrable fortress.···.
“Ugh! My legs... my legs!”
“Heo, heo, heo···.”
“Move quickly! Taking care of the injured comes first!”
That place was now turned into chaos..
Injured people scattered everywhere were groaning in pain, and there were many limbs that had lost their owners and bodies that had been horribly crushed..
patter—
In response to the monster's attack, one side of the castle wall, which had been reinforced higher and stronger, collapsed in an unsightly manner, and the scene of destruction continued all the way to the city area inside the fortress..
“Captain! Are you okay? Hurry up and take the potion!”
“This way! Bring the leader quickly.!”
And the person in charge of the defense of this steel fortress was also the one who suffered the same fate..
The best knight of the county, who is considered to be on the verge of becoming a master and leads the first knights of Aonia..
However, his appearance, taken out from under the remains of the collapsed castle wall, was so miserable that it did not live up to his reputation..
A middle-aged man who was not only completely disfigured but also lost one arm was given first aid by his subordinates and was quickly transferred for follow-up treatment..
“Wow... that guy···?”
“Oh! Captain, are you out of your mind??”
Meanwhile.
Perhaps because of the strong vitality he had trained as a knight and the fact that he had even received first aid with a potion, he came to his senses and muttered with difficulty..
But as he slowly opened his eyes, he had no choice but to close them again as he saw the mess around him..
Because it was a situation where you could find out how things had progressed after he lost his mind without having to hear the answer..
‘white giant···.’
I've heard rumors about him before..
After all, he is one of the main culprits, along with the Immortal Army, who brought terror to the entire continent. There is no way the knight commander wouldn't know that.?
‘But it was different from what I heard. It was much bigger, and the paintwork on its face wasn't sealed. and···.’
Above all—its strength was incomparable to what we had previously heard in rumors..
I thought I could take some time if I held out against the walls reinforced with all kinds of magical barriers..
It was a truly unreasonable mistake..
The castle wall, built high and thick to accommodate large monsters, only reached the chest of the knight, and the knight commander and the knights under his command were unable to even offer much resistance to the monster..
‘Even though it didn't look normal, it was at that level. What a monster he was originally.?’
A giant whose entire body was covered in scars from the time he first appeared..
But the majesty he showed was so overwhelming that it seemed like he was brave to be alive today..
“First, we spread the situation through payment. Captain, please take a break..”
“Wow, that's pathetic... He didn't even allow that guy to break through, he just lay there and couldn't do anything.···.”
“It was a disaster. How many people would be able to stop such a monster in the first place? Unless it's that famous saint···.”
“···In the temple?”
“I contacted them right away as well..”
“···Phew, please, there shouldn't be much damage.···.”
No matter how much I thought about it, it wasn't a monster that could be dealt with at the kingdom level..
In the end, they say they have no choice but to borrow the help of the denomination..
The key now was how little damage they could endure until the death squad led by the saint arrived..
“Dear Lord···.”
With those words, the knight commander, who had been struggling to hold on, soon lost consciousness and fell limp..
When the Iron Citadel was in chaos after experiencing such a sudden situation..
The evil beast that brought that place to that point was moving south at an incredible speed..
A place just a day's ride away.
Tarakro, the northern city.
***
ominous.
My heart started pounding at that sudden thought..
The sense of crisis was rising, as if something was going to happen at any moment, and I was becoming anxious without realizing it..
“Diana? Are you okay??”
“ah?”
Diana, a girl who had been unconsciously biting her nails, flinched at the sudden sound of the voice and answered while managing her expression..
“···Yes, sorry. Then please handle it that way..”
“all right.”
She came to her senses and finished her work instructions..
The employees bowed their heads and dispersed busily..
“Diana seems unwell today..”
“The soldiers' movements seemed unusual earlier, so I wonder if something happened.···.”
“Now that I think about it, I went to the castle wall for a while and I went there too.···.”
Merchants doing their own work while chatting amongst themselves..
But Diana, who was visiting a warehouse area on the outskirts of the city, was in no condition to worry about such trivial things..
She took another deep breath and placed a hand on her chest..
Thump—thump—thud—
My heart was still beating faster than ever and my breathing was getting harder..
Even though nothing in particular happened right away.
‘Why is this happening all of a sudden? It's like···.’
It was similar to when she smelled something 'extremely dangerous' in her hometown of Azantu in the past..
An item that I kept avoiding for a while and then looked for for my uncle..
No, actually it was more than that..
Unlike then, now I feel like my life is being threatened in real time by something real..
‘The vampire guards you gave me are definitely hiding, and this warehouse area is bustling with mercenaries from our company. A place where you don't have to worry about safety...?’
Just as I was frowning and analyzing the cause,.
Diana unconsciously plugged her nose at the sudden smell of a certain smell..
“Ugh, this is?”
A smell so dangerous that it gave me a headache began to vibrate from all directions..
As a merchant, I often encountered monster by-products and became quite accustomed to the smells they gave off, but what I was feeling now was on a completely different level..
‘···suddenly where?’
Her gaze turned to one side without me realizing it..
Because the smell was so strong, I couldn't pinpoint the exact location, but I could definitely tell the general direction..
It's quite far away from here on the outskirts of the city..
Diana's head turned north.
And it wasn't until then that she realized another thing:.
Cold sweat formed on my forehead..
That unidentifiable smell.
getting more and more.
Because it was approaching at an incredible speed..
right here where she is.
Why, why?——
Ding ding ding ding ding—!
At the right time, a loud alarm sounded throughout the city..
It looks like something unusual is happening..
‘Let's go back first. ASAP.’
She was moving quickly with the people at the top..
Kwaaaaang—!
I stumbled from the sudden shock that shook my whole direction, and was barely able to stand upright until an escort helped me..
“What is it, suddenly!”
“The castle wall's protective barrier has been activated! It's an external attack!”
“First, let’s take Diana first! Immediately to the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry···!”
Shouts erupted from everywhere at the sudden change..
Not only Hubert's company but also others nearby were in confusion..
However, the situation did not end there.
Cooung—! Kwaang—! Quad deuk—!
With successive shock waves.
Stone chunks flew from the castle wall and hit the surrounding warehouse buildings, making a loud noise..
Grumble—
Outskirts being devastated.
buildings collapsing.
And beyond that—.
“Well, the castle wall collapsed.!”
“Now, wait a minute. Hey, what is that??”
“Uh, uh... no way. giant, giant···?”
A gigantic being that ignores perspective even though it is still quite far away..
A white giant radiating overwhelming intimidation was looking at this place..
With a bizarre smile on his lips.
“iced coffee.”
“Ugh···.”
Regardless of whether it was a merchant, worker, mercenary, or soldier, everyone who made eye contact with that being froze in place..
Like a poor lamb facing an overwhelming predator.
“Squeak, I found it.—!”
A word from a giant full of joy.
And right after that.
Kwaaaaang—!
A huge shock struck the outskirts of Tarak..
***
Accidents come and go.
My mind was so tangled up that I couldn't think straight..
what was i doing?
I left home as usual, went to work at the store, had lunch, and went to inspect a warehouse on the outskirts..
And while directing work... I felt something..
‘ah! and···.’
An incredibly huge, pure white giant appeared..
Everyone froze at that gaze, and was shocked by the voice that followed and lost consciousness..
And himself···.
‘What happened to me...···?’
Right after I had that question,.
Diana then became aware of a certain smell and twitched her nose..
A very warm and familiar scent.
Perhaps thanks to that, she opened her eyes and her consciousness began to return quickly..
“Ugh!”
I closed my eyes again and turned my head as the strong wind hit my face..
Into the arms of the one holding you.
“Are you coming to your senses now??”
Then a very familiar, calm voice as always flowed into her ears..
“Lord of the store? how did this happen···.”
Diana, calmed down by that calm voice, cautiously opened her mouth..
Then, she gently opened her eyes and slowly looked around.—.
“ah?”
Immediately, I opened my mouth and closed my eyes..
Gooooo—
Meadows and trees passing by at dizzying speed.
they were flying in the sky.
To be exact, Hubert was holding Diana with both hands and was crossing the air at incredible speed..
When she stares blankly at her surroundings in a sudden situation.
Hubert glanced down at the scene and breathed a sigh of relief..
‘It was pretty close. He arrived in Tarak faster than expected..’
Even though we prepared and moved right after he disappeared from the border, we were almost late..
Also, the fact that Diana went on an external inspection at that time also played a role..
In that situation, the reason he was able to quickly retrieve her and escape was all thanks to one object..
This is the armor that Howard was currently producing..
‘It was the ‘all-purpose combat full body suit Mk.1 (prototype)’..
It's still unfinished, so it's just partial armor made up of a few parts..
“Hey, top lord. That armor is···?”
Diana, who happened to notice this, cautiously expressed her question in a puzzled voice..
The suit had a very different appearance compared to regular armor..
A smooth and elegant exterior made of an unidentifiable metal and complex circuitry engraved on its surface..
The light emitting from the core of the heart area flowed continuously along the circuit as if flowing through the blood vessels, and it continued to the soles of the feet and the back of the waist, turning into a fierce flame and spraying outward..
“This is a magic tool that has recently been produced. It's still a prototype, but thanks to you, it's not too late..”
「The current situation was that Hubert, who had been provided with a suit through "Avatar Cloud," used it to quickly snatch Diana, who was in a near-death situation, and run away..
‘The process was so overworked that the lifespan of the material was shortened to the point where it had to be discarded once this project was over. ···Well, considering that we obtained actual data, that would be a cheap price..’
Considering the price of the materials used here, it was a waste to use it for one-time use, but it was inevitable in order to escape the attention of that giant even for a moment..
“ah! Giant, what happened to the giant??”
Diana, who was dazed, also urgently asked a question as if she had just thought of that..
I guess I'm finally coming to my senses, and my eyes are becoming more and more alive..
“Ah, that giant.”
Immediately after Hubert fled with Diana, the bastard immediately lost interest in the city and came after them..
I was able to temporarily escape from the giant thanks to the explosion of the highest grade magicite core obtained through the Karma Store, but of course, that didn't last long..
The giant followed at an incredible speed and approached their backs in just ten seconds.—.
“I was lucky. There was someone nearby who could deal with this guy..”
Immediately after, he was caught by the person who was blocking his path and lost sight of them again..
‘Still, you never know. We need to keep Diana as far away as possible until this is definitely over..’
When I saw his reaction, it seemed like her existence was more important than I thought..
That was the reason Hubert continued to fly even though he had free time now..
and same time.
The person who created that space was having a busy time..
***
Kwaaang—!
Heavy drinking erupted again in an area a little away from Tarak..
“Big! What the hell! How are you here? You must have been in the south.!”
The giant roared harshly and expressed his anger..
It was natural for him to react as one of those who ruined his plans was once again holding him back..
“Hahaha! This is extra large! You can't miss something like this!”
Either that or not.
Harley, not paying attention to the opponent's anger, burst into laughter and rushed at the guy again..
The reason he could be here was simple..
Doesn’t he have “hero’s footsteps” that allow him to go wherever he once went?!
At first, it was a perk with a long cooldown and a short distance, but thanks to Heinrich continuing to follow the steps of a hero, he can now go anywhere within the same continent..
‘It was a little late because I had to roughly explain the situation to Misty..’
Anyway, things weren't that bad now..
The damage caused by the fight with Hans, as well as the additional strengthening effect in that space, must have been greater than expected, and the guy's momentum had clearly decreased compared to when he faced him at the edge of the abyss..
‘Seeing as he can't recognize me right away, it seems like his power has weakened..’
Of course, he could grab his ankle right away, but even so, it wasn't an opponent that Harley could beat on his own..
If we keep going like this, we'll probably end up losing..
“Kahahaha—! Let's have some fun!”
“OK! I'll kill you first, you barbarian.!”
But he wasn't worried about that at all.
that time.
A blood gate opened in the residence of the vampires dispatched to Tarak..
At the same time, sacred light emanated from the gate of the temple..
Comments