Chapter 37: The Cry from the Depths (4)

Chapter 37: The Cry from the Depths (4)

“Well, if we keep killing them, something will definitely come out.”

“Groooaaarrr!!”

The Stone giants roared simultaneously. Ronan, gripping his sword tightly, charged forward.

Knowing the power of his sword, there was no need for heCitation. Ronan dashed forward in a straight line, swinging his sword. The legs on both sides of the giant at the forefront were severed.

“Growl...!”

The torso of the legless giant collapsed forward. Ronan leaped over the falling giant’s back, using it as a springboard, and landed on the shoulders of the giant right behind.

Thud!

As Ronan spun through the air, the giant’s head landed on the ground.

Thud!

“Roooaaargh!”

Blood spurted from the clean cut. The giants on either side clenched their fists in anger. Ronan leaped vertically to evade their attacks.

Kwaaang!

Two massive fists collided in midair.

‘They really look damn ugly.’

Had he been hit, he would have been smashed beyond recognition, but since he wasn’t hit, it didn’t matter. Debating between left and right, Ronan sprinted along the arm of the less attractive left giant.

Thud!

Ronan drew a circle with Lamancha once again. A yellow line appeared around the giant’s nose, and its upper part fell off. The giant whose half of the face was missing looked at Ronan with widened eyes.

“Gro... growk?”

“What are you looking at?”

Ronan swiftly turned his body and struck the left giant’s eye socket with a well-aimed blow.

Shlaaack!

Oozing liquid spurted from the giant’s bisected pupil.

“Gr-groooaaargh!!”

A scream of agony erupted from his mouth. Despite cutting into rocks, there was no resistance as if cutting through water. Even without infusing mana, the effect was impressive.

The giant who had become a leader raised its hand to cover its eyes. Ronan’s arm shot forward.

Thud!

Ronan, with his blade embedded between the giant’s fingers, scrambled the giant’s brain before retracting.

“Grawk.”

The lifeless body began to tilt. Less than a minute had passed since the start of the battle. The blood-soaked blade was gleaming triumphantly. Ronan looked around at the other giants and spoke.

“At this point, you should be frightened. Aren’t you even a bit afraid?”

He felt that unnecessary killing was starting to weigh on him. Frankly, Ronan hoped that scaring them a bit would make the giants flee. The giants responded with defiant roars as they charged relentlessly.

“Groooaaargh!!”

Ronan sighed. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to stop now. He leaped towards another giant and muttered to himself.

“Well, if that’s how you want it.”

The smooth black blade extended like a snake. As always, it didn’t take long for the job to be done.

****

“Wow, this is amazing. It works like this too.”

Ronan dipped the tip of Lamancha’s blade into the pool of blood at his feet. As the pool rapidly diminished, a radiant energy akin to a crest began to emanate from the sword.

Behind him, the dismembered bodies of Stone giants were strewn everywhere. Looking at the carnage, Ronan shrugged his shoulders.

“What were these guys trying to achieve in the end?”

“...What exactly are you?”

Doron stared at Ronan in disbelief. Steam was rising from his body, soaked with the giants’ blood.

It was unbelievable even when he saw everything that happened. Ronan hadn’t set foot on the ground until he wiped out twenty-six giants. It was a sight akin to a predator hunting its prey.

“By any chance, do you not have a scabbard for that sword? If you keep carrying it on your back like this, your butt might fall off.”

Ronan swung Lamancha, now soaked with blood, into the air. The sound echoed like a ghost whistling. Doron, who belatedly regained his senses, opened his mouth.

“Ah... looks like I need to make a scabbard again. Sorry, but could you wait a bit?”

“Why do you need to make it again?”

“I entrusted the final decorative work to another smithy, but they barged in. It probably wasn’t destroyed, but the remnants might be buried somewhere deep.”

“Hmm... Well, we can look for it later. Anyway, what were you about to say earlier?”

“What was I going to say? Ah, right. Your memory is good.”

Ronan nodded his head. Doron couldn’t hear his words fully due to the interruptions from the oblivious rock creatures. Without taking his eyes off the unreal carnage, Doron continued speaking.

“I think... there’s a possibility that the king of the Stone giants has appeared.”

“A king?”

“Yeah. Whether it’s a king or a leader, it’s someone who plays a role at the top. The fact that so many gathered here, along with the actions the Stone giants displayed today, made me sense some sort of organization.”

“Hey, isn’t that a hasty judgment?”

“Of course, there’s a high chance. But, as you know, we dwarves have the most interaction with the monsters underground.”

Doron recounted the stories passed down among the dwarves about the king of the Stone giants. The king, several times larger than the typical Stone giants, resided deep underground, ruling over the Stone giants’ kingdom.

“So, the attacks on the miners in the tunnel and the dozens of them following us all the way to the forge... you think it’s the doing of the Stone Giant King?”

While walking and looking at the floor, Ronan bumped into something and hit his forehead. As he cursed and raised his head, he saw a wall made of yellow crystals.

The wall extended upward with a gentle curve. What the hell are these doing in the middle of the Stone? It was a moment of absentmindedly inspecting the wall.

“Damn.”

Ronan took a sharp breath and staggered back, nearly dropping his scabbard.

It wasn’t a wall. A giant covered entirely in crystals was sitting hunched over. Ronan had mistaken the giant’s back for a wall.

This giant was on a completely different scale than ordinary Stone giants. Even while hunched, it was impossible to gauge how large it would be when standing.

But something was off. Ronan frowned.

“...Dead?”

The giant remained hunched, unmoving. There was no sound of a heartbeat, no scent of sulfur that emanated whenever Stone giants breathed.

What in the world is this? Could it really be a Stone giant? Ronan tried to closely examine the giant. Just then, he heard a voice from across.

“Got a problem?”

“Not exactly sure. The connection with the last dispatched entity has been severed.”

“Damn it, what do we do now? There are no giants left.”

“It doesn’t matter. We’ve confirmed that all the facilities have been destroyed anyway.”

Instinctively, Ronan concealed his presence. He pressed his body against the giant and slowly moved in the direction of the voices. Before long, he spotted a man and a woman engaged in conversation.

“Well, that settles it. With this, the empire’s alchemy and metallurgy will likely experience a setback.”

“There’s a high chance of that. Most of the craftsmen are probably dead.”

‘Who are these bastards?’

Listening in on their conversation, Ronan furrowed his brow. Judging from their physique, both of them were human. The woman wore a pure white robe, while the man was clad in armor.

The appearance of the robe was particularly unique; the hood that covered the face down to the nose reminded him of the messengers depicted in fairy tales. Just as the woman raised her palm, she interrupted the man.

“Wait a moment.”

“Hmm? Why?”

“I sense an intruder.”

“An intruder? How did the mana barrier not detect anything?”

“I can smell sulfur. Right over there.”

The woman pointed in Ronan’s direction with her chin. The man in armor raised an eyebrow.

“Really? I’m not so sure.”

“Wait and see. I’ll be back.”

“No, let’s just shoot once. We’ll know. Fireball.”

Suddenly, the man raised his arm. He cast a spell and a fireball shot forth from his hand, heading straight for Ronan.

“Damn it...”

Cursing, Ronan leaped back, hitting the ground. The fireball that hit the giant exploded, producing a loud noise. The man who saw Ronan’s reaction whistled in admiration.

“Hey, there really was something!”

“He got quick reflexes. Be careful not to miss it.”

“Sure. Fire Wall.”

As Ronan turned to face the man, suddenly, a wall of flames sprang up around him. The flames surrounded Ronan. The man approached Ronan slowly and spoke.

“What are you?”

“...I was going to ask you that same question. What is a man and a woman doing alone together in this gloomy underground?”

“Huh, a cheeky little brat, aren’t you? I don’t particularly like your attitude.”

The man flicked his finger into the air. The wall of fire began to narrow gradually. The mushrooms and mosses that came into contact with the flames crackled and sizzled as they burned.

“What should we do? Killing him is probably the right choice after all, right?”

“Though I have many questions I want to ask him... but it seems like killing him is a better option.”

“Indeed. Such minor issues could delay the arrival of the stars.”

“What?”

Ronan’s eyes widened. His heart started racing in response to a specific word. The two people turned their heads upon hearing Ronan’s voice.

“What’s up, kid? Do you have something to say?”

“What did you just say?”

“Hmm?”

“Arrival of the stars, what does that mean?”

The man and the woman faced each other. The woman tilted her head. The man scratched the back of his head and looked at Ronan again.

“As much as it pains me to admit it... I can’t answer that question. Unfortunately, that’s one thing I can’t tell you. Since you’re going to die anyway, ask me something else.”

The man shrugged as if regretful. Ronan clenched his scabbard. He felt his breathing quicken. A slightly defiant voice escaped his lips.

“No, You both have to answer. You need to come with me.”

“Huh, you think you can catch me?”

The man chuckled. ‘He’s really quite amusing.’ Just as he was about to say that, Ronan’s figure vanished from sight. Only the divided wall of fire remained, flickering in the darkness.

The man’s eyes widened. A voice echoed in his ear.

“Yeah.”

The disappeared Ronan reappeared between the two.

Thump.

The man’s left arm fell on the ground.