The army of
Though their formation had been disrupted, by the time they clashed with the Undead Army, they had reformed their ranks.
They accepted the deaths of their comrades as if nothing had happened, overcoming their losses without hesitation and pressing onward.
What shone in their eyes was absolute trust and unwavering loyalty toward Dagruel.
As if fear were something entirely foreign to them, the giants marched forward.
Two hours since the battle began.
The battlefield had fallen into a stalemate.
The majority of the giants stood between three to five meters tall, with some exceeding ten meters—truly behemoth-sized specimens.
At first, the giants had leveraged their enormous size, crushing the Undead Army like so much kindling. But as time passed, the situation changed dramatically.
This was due to the supreme art of necromancy that Adalman had unleashed.
Using the shattered remains of destroyed Skeletons, she re-summoned Giant Skeleton Warriors. Covering their massive frames was an assemblage of Magical Armaments forged from
Because they were an amalgamation of the vengeful grudges of the dead, the armaments transformed in accordance with the will of their bearer.
Multiple Giant Skeleton Warriors, each standing seven meters tall, had been created in this manner.
The giants had been overwhelming the Undead Army with sheer numbers and brute force, but the appearance of the Giant Skeleton Warriors stripped them of that advantage.
Cloaked in a holy aura, the Undead Army received Adalman's Light of Recovery—the very light that should have burned their undead forms to nothing—and achieved true undeath.
No matter how many times they were shattered or destroyed, they rose again instantly.
But the giants were no less resilient.
Any wound they sustained would be repaired through self-regeneration, so long as it wasn't a killing blow.
Neither side could reduce the other's numbers, and so the battle devolved into a back-and-forth stalemate.
Well then. What was to be done about this?
Thanks to the grand magic of Adalman and
At first, she had thought victory might be achievable through sheer numerical superiority. But as Adalman and the others had reported, the giants knew no fear.
And worse still was their regeneration—far exceeding what the reports had described.
While they were no longer being unilaterally overwhelmed, the giants lost very few combatants in their clashes with the Undead Army.
The strategy was to use the Giant Skeleton Warriors to pin down the Colossal Giant-class enemies while the Necromantic Knights delivered the finishing blow.
It was a coordinated operation, but proving fiendishly difficult to execute.
Shion had been holding her personal guard—the Terror Knights—in reserve, but she judged that deploying them, whose ability could plunge enemies into a state of panic, would have little effect on the battle.
After all, those who felt no fear would be highly resistant to mental interference designed to induce panic. They would likely shrug it off with ease.
Annoying. Shion bit her lip in frustration.
Immediately after the battle began, she had held a strategy meeting with Adalman and the others upon their return.
The conclusion had been that numerical superiority meant nothing, and that they should deploy the Undead Army—their immortal forces—to test the waters.
It was a cautious approach, but she had accepted the reasoning that they should avoid an all-out confrontation from the start in order to analyze the giants' combat capabilities.
Then she recalled something Gadra had mentioned that had been nagging at her.
"I couldn't help but wonder... How exactly did they neutralize the Void? It was as though they simply negated the magic entirely..."
That was what he had said.
His magicule reserves had been depleted, so he couldn't afford to cast his grand magic again, but the intuition of a Grand Magician told him something was off.
The meteor strike hadn't been as effective as expected either, and the manner in which the Void he had unleashed had vanished struck him as unnatural.
He had said it might just be his imagination, but that it would be prudent to stay alert.
For Shion's part, she didn't use magic herself, but there was a possibility that the same principle could apply to magicule-based attacks. Being cautious of the worst case was only natural.
As she turned these thoughts over in her mind, Shion continued to observe the battlefield.
Behind her stood Dagla, Ryura, and Debra.
In her line of sight, what appeared to be a commander of Dagruel's army was engaged in single combat with
The commander swung a massive greatsword with a strength that set him entirely apart from the rest. No one besides Albert could have stood a chance against him.
Despite possessing a hulking frame nearly three meters tall, he moved with startling agility and wielded refined technique.
Considering that Albert was a swordsman of the absolute highest caliber, the fact that this enemy could match him blow for blow was the truly abnormal thing.
"He's strong, isn't he. I didn't expect there to be a warrior among the giants who lived by the sword."
"Yes, ma'am. That there's Glasword-uncle, the one who serves as Dad's adjutant."
At Shion's murmur, Dagla responded.
Glasword. A supreme two-handed swordsman. And vice-commander of the giant army.
It was said that while his magicule count fell short of Dagruel's, his swordsmanship surpassed even the giant king's.
Conversely, if Albert could hold his own against such a man, perhaps it was Albert who was the truly extraordinary one.
A crushing strike that would have flattened anyone who tried to block it head-on—he parried it like a willow in the wind and even managed to counter.
It was a feat made possible only because Albert had been outfitted with a complete set of Mythical Grade equipment. Any gear of Legendary Grade or below would have been destroyed the instant it made contact.
The properties Glasword possessed were "Magic Negation" and "Armament Destruction."
With normal equipment, anything he struck would shatter on impact. His armor too would be destroyed outright, leaving him to take the killing blow with nothing but his bare body.
This was a fact that not even Dagla and his two brothers knew, and Albert's ability to withstand it had been nothing short of miraculous coincidence.
Yet, thanks to that miracle, the battle line had barely been held from collapsing—and no one had realized it. The irony of it all was quite something.
The threat had been real, but because someone capable of countering it had been there to meet it, the danger had gone entirely unnoticed.
Not that it mattered to the two combatants in the slightest. Regardless of such concerns, their duel only intensified.
"Still, Dad hasn't made a move. If he does, shall we handle him?"
"Don't be hasty. Obviously, I will be the one to face him. You three are to lead the Terror Knights and make sure no one interferes."
"Roger that. But I'd advise you not to underestimate Dad, you know? No matter how strong Big Sister is, Dad is a genuine monster."
While exchanging such banter, Shion and her subordinates turned their attention to the enemy's main camp.
There was no sign of movement. And yet, that very stillness was what made the atmosphere so deeply unnerving.
With the enemy command staying put, moving first felt dangerously reckless.
Her personal guard wasn't yet ready to be deployed, but standing here watching would only see the battle remain in its deadlock.
The frustration was beginning to gnaw at Shion.
(Should I just charge in with everything we've got right now?)
Just as Shion was entertaining that thought— A sudden change swept across the battlefield.
It was abrupt, and violent.
"That is..."
Hearing Ryura's whispered words, Shion—who had been watching Albert's duel with Glasword—turned around.
Following where Ryura pointed, a lone figure was walking out from Dagruel's main camp.
A gaunt man, his body bound multiple times over with heavy chains.
Standing roughly two and a half meters tall, he would have been considered small among giants.
And yet, even restrained as he was by those chains, the ferocious aura that bled off him outshone every other giant on the field.
Her survival instincts screamed at her about this man's lethality.
"That... could that be the uncle who was sealed away?"
"That's... the one they called the War God, the Rampaging Demon God...
"Fue-he-he-he! I'm starving!"
Without a word, he drove a corkscrew punch straight into Debra's gut.
Then— "Full now? Next time you run your mouth, I'll kill you!"
Shion spat the words out.
But with Debra's stupidity having unexpectedly broken the tension, she could at least observe the situation with a clearer head.
She studied the man carefully.
Chains writhed and pulsed—sinister things, yet despite being completely bound by them, the man wore a mocking grin.
He looked like he was having the time of his life.
When she probed his existence value, the estimated magicule count exceeded even Dagruel's.
Shion was staggered.
Among her own allies, many were already extraordinarily high in magicule count, but this being had surpassed even them.
In fact, by Shion's knowledge, this placed him at the absolute peak—the same tier as the Dragon
"Hey... that guy is an absolute monster! There's no way you lot can handle him!"
Shion was at a loss for words.
She had never anticipated that a being of this caliber existed outside of Dagruel.
Two of the Twelve Guardian Kings were present on this battlefield, and honestly, she had considered that an overcommitment of forces.
After all, Demon Lord Luminous was here as well.
No matter how massive Demon Lord Dagruel was, with three Awakened Demon Lords on hand, she had believed they could handle the situation with room to spare.
But this development proved just how naive that assessment had been.
She realized it was nothing short of a stroke of incredible luck that Albert had been the one to face the vice-commander alone.
"So, that looks pretty bad. That's the uncle down below—Fenn, is it?"
"Come on, even I have to admit that's an absolute beast of an opponent...
Glasword-uncle is one thing, but Fenn-uncle is on a whole different level—"
"Fue-he-he-he! In terms of weight, I can totally win against a skinny thing like that!"
I ought to kill this fat idiot.
Just as Shion was thinking that, the man changed.
The chains came undone.
"Those chains—the Sacred-Demonic Binding Chains!? If so, this is extremely dangerous!"
Gadra, who had been waiting in the rear, came forward to advise Shion.
Having exhausted his magic reserves, he had been catching up on sleep as soon as the war council ended, but he must have sensed the shift in the battlefield's atmosphere and woken.
"Gadra. So, these Sacred-Demonic Binding Chains—what exactly are they?"
"Yes. It's a legend recorded in ancient texts...
During the Age of Mythology, the Dragon Emperor is said to have sealed away an Evil God.
Of the three brothers, two had been reformed, but because the third retained his violent nature, he was bound and sealed with divine chains.
Those divine chains are what's known as the Sacred-Demonic Binding Chains."
Sacred-Demonic Binding Chains.
Chains that had once sealed an Evil God who radiated immense magical power during the Age of Mythology.
If that legend was true, then the chains would have been absorbing the Evil God's magicules throughout that time, evolving in the process.
Originally a divine artifact of the Dragon Emperor capable of sealing both Holy and Demonic energies, it would hardly be surprising if their performance in the present age had surpassed even Mythical Grade.
But what truly needed to be feared was not the chains.
The Evil God that those chains had sealed—that was the threat they needed to guard against.
"Do you believe the legend is real?"
"I do... I must recommend that withdrawal is the prudent course."
At Gadra's cautious recommendation, Shion's brow furrowed.
But she did not fly into a rage.
She weighed the fact seriously: that a sage like Gadra, fully aware of Shion's headstrong nature, had nonetheless offered such counsel.
This was a warning from someone who understood the true strength of the Twelve Guardian Kings.
"We will not withdraw.
We were charged by Master Rimuru with the defense of this land.
To withdraw would be an act contrary to Master Rimuru's will.
Currently, Master Rimuru has concealed himself, and we may be permitted to conclude this great battle on our own judgment.
But! That is only after this land has been secured.
Our orders must be fulfilled.
That is the proof of our loyalty to Master Rimuru, and it proves the soundness of Master Rimuru's strategy.
Does anyone object?"
"——No."
"Good."
Retreat was simply not an option.
To withdraw would be tantamount to declaring that Master Rimuru's strategy was wrong—that Shion alone could not successfully defend this land.
Such a thing could not possibly be allowed.
Even if they were to be defeated... even including that defeat, everything was in accordance with God's Divine Will.
Accepting Shion's fierce resolve, the expressions of her personal guard shifted.
The Terror Knights assembled below the outer wall had also been listening to Gadra and Shion's exchange.
Nothing had been concealed, so everything was out in the open. They absorbed Shion's will and prepared for battle.
And at that very moment— Fenn moved.
He became a gust of wind and tore across the battlefield at a staggering speed.
He struck Adalman, who had been providing magical support from the rear.
Adalman—who should have been protected by multiple layers of magical barriers—was sent crashing to the ground by that single blow.
In an instant, Fenn seized control of the battlefield.
A terrible, deathly silence fell over the field.
"I-Impossible!! That speed—no, that power!?
Adalman maintains multiple magical barriers at all times!"
Shion screamed.
What was truly shocking was the sheer force of it. Not through any special ability—merely by wrapping his fist in fighting spirit, he had flattened Adalman.
The Necromantic Dragon Wenti immediately moved to support Adalman, but was blasted away by the energy blast Fenn launched from his palm.
Witnessing such absurd combat power, even Shion could not conceal her astonishment.
Adalman was fundamentally a rear-support type and admittedly unskilled in close combat.
But even so, as one of the Twelve Guardian Kings, she should have been able to avoid such an attack using high-speed perception and spatial transfer.
The fact that she could not meant there was a high probability that Fenn also possessed perception-interference capabilities.
What a monster—someone needs to help her right now— Just as Shion was thinking this— "Hmm. To be watching from on high with me right in front of you... my, how carefree."
A voice came from behind her.
This was Shion's own main camp, and naturally, multiple defensive barriers had been erected.
To bypass all of those barriers, and furthermore, to appear behind Shion without being detected?
Impossible! That was what Shion thought, and she whirled around.
There stood the giant.
On the outer wall, behind Shion.
Dagruel, the Demon Lord, with his towering frame of nearly three meters.
They had once met at the Banquet of the Demon Lords, but the kingly pressure he radiated now was something she had never felt before.
"When did you—!?"
"Just now, actually. What, couldn't see me?
If so, there's no contest. It'd be a waste of time to take you seriously!"
"That's impossible—there's no way—!!"
Shion shouted, drawing her sword.
Impossible. She told herself it had to be a bluff.
She simply could not accept that the giant before her had moved at a speed beyond her perception.
To admit it would be the same as admitting defeat.
Shion's Unique Skill, "Cookery," allowed her to alter phenomena and exert power far beyond her natural existence value.
Her Physical Body, with its extreme durability, was able to withstand forces beyond the limit and answer to Shion's will.
Pouring everything she had into a single strike that brought her closer to the power of an Ultimate Ability—Shion intended to bury Dagruel with this one blow.
"Don't! The entire outer wall, Anti-Magic Barrier and all, will be blown away!"
Gadra shouted, and her personal guard retreated.
Confirming their evacuation out of the corner of her eye, Shion unleashed her slash toward Dagruel.
Dagruel stood motionless.
And the instant Shion's blade touched the crown of his head— "Too slow!"
He roared.
A surge of fighting spirit so intense it shook the very atmosphere erupted forth, and the pressure it generated stopped Shion's blade cold.
The fighting spirit was so超高密度 that Shion's slash could not penetrate to Dagruel's Physical Body.
A true monster.
"What!?"
Shion's eyes went wide with shock, and she froze for a single, critical instant.
Dagruel was not one to let such a fatal opening pass.
"It seems you didn't even qualify to stand before me."
So saying, he closed the distance at a speed beyond Shion's comprehension and brought his fist crashing down.
The outer wall crumbled under the force of his blow.
What happened to Shion upon receiving the direct hit goes without saying...
It could not even be called combat.
A supreme being had simply used his overwhelming violence to remove an obstacle.
But at that very moment— "You're the slow one!"
Along with a sweet scent like that of roses, a streak of crimson light fell upon the crown of Dagruel's head.
And then, descending gently, a silver-haired girl.
Clad in a pitch-black dress, her beautiful Gold-and-Silver Evil Eyes shone with unmistakable will.
Demon Lord Luminous.
The moment the ruler of this land entered the battle.
"Hmph. A creature like you always lets its guard down at the moment of triumph.
Even I, since breaking through your defenses with a head-on assault would prove difficult, had been waiting to see how things developed.
You let your guard down, Dagruel.
Don't take it the wrong way. You should rest there for a while."
As her words suggested, Luminous had been observing the battle the entire time.
She understood that her odds of victory in a direct confrontation with Dagruel were slim.
Luminous possessed a perfect understanding of her own power. That was precisely why she did not consider such tactics cowardly.
Fight in a way that allows you to win, and then win. That was her way of living.
A full-power strike against Dagruel, who had let his guard down.
Luminous was even capable of using resurrection magic, so she had held nothing back—this was a killing blow, through and through.
That was precisely why— "Hmm. Luminous, is it. Yes, I suppose I did let my guard down.
But can you honestly say it matters? I haven't sustained any damage."
Her words froze her in place.
Luminous's sharp intellect correctly processed the impossible reality before her.
Dagruel was, in fact, completely unharmed.
That single fact illuminated one undeniable truth—namely: "If that was all you had, then it's my turn next.
Be warned! The moment you let your guard slip, you die!"
Yes.
The moment that attack had failed to bring him down, it meant Luminous and the others had no path to victory.
The time of terror was about to begin.
In this land, the absolute might of Demon Lord Dagruel would reign supreme over the battlefield.