My Alter Ego's Path to Greatness

The sight of the giant fist descending was reminiscent of a landslide.

Kuuoong—!

The resulting shockwave instantly ripped apart the surrounding space, causing a massive earthquake.

A huge crater formed in the earth, soil and dust flew in all directions, and a violent storm swept the area.

That was a result of a single blow.

A normal punch.

"Khahahaha! This is thrilling!"

But his opponent didn't flinch at the display and moved immediately.

Harly, having inflated his body to about 15 meters tall, reaching the giant's thigh.

Kwaadduk!

Covered in crimson scales, he charged like a beast, tearing at the giant's forearm with his sharp claws.

The tough muscles were torn to shreds, and white blood instantly stained the surroundings.

Pweoek—!

Kwaang!

Ignoring this, the giant swung its arm, knocking Harly back.

With an incredible reaction speed befitting its size.

"Annoying, barbarian. No matter how much you jump and squirm, how can you possibly defeat me?"

The giant growled, annoyed.

The wounds on its arm had healed instantly.

Of course, Harly immediately got back on his feet thanks to the madness stored in his body, but there was a significant difference in overall power, putting him at a disadvantage in the exchange.

'Furthermore, its senses are too sharp, making it difficult to utilize my smaller size and speed advantage. No matter how erratically I move, it counters as if it's anticipating my actions.'

When fighting Hans, it was hard to notice because of the overwhelming pressure and power, but this close-quarters combat allowed him to fully grasp the overpowered nature of the giant's abilities.

That even Harly, whom he thought had become quite strong, couldn't possibly win against this thing.

'It's good I got far away from the city. Otherwise…'

Only about a minute had passed since Harly and the Revolutionary had clashed one-on-one, but the surrounding area was already devastated as if it had been bombed.

The earth twisted and groaned under the terrible physical force, and the energy clash of aura and madness violently agitated the surrounding energy.

'…I need to get further away. Tarak is Hubert's base; I can't let it be damaged.'

They were already at least 5 kilometers away, but the situation was still unsettling.

It would have been better if Hubert had escaped further.

It was a significant factor that the giant caught up to them so quickly when he snatched Diana and fled.

Even though he used the expensive suit to reach supersonic speeds, he still needed to use protective magical tools.

"Kahahaha! It's not easy! I see, it's not just a big brute like the ones we've faced before?"

"Ho! How dare you compare me to those!"

At that moment, the giant's relaxed expression froze.

It turned around like lightning…

Whiuung—!

It swung its giant arm through the air.

The violently swirling storm blew away the remaining trees.

And immediately after.

"Tsk, to notice that. How bothersome."

A man silently appeared from a distance, his voice cold.

Heinz II, a Holy Blood vampire who had intended a surprise attack using "Existence Negation."

He clicked his tongue, calmly adjusting his clothes.

Just as the giant frowned and was about to speak.

A second incident occurred.

Pwaat—!

Brilliant light erupted from a distance, illuminating the sky.

"You're here. A wicked creature who defies the Lord's will."

A man appeared with the flash of light and calmly continued.

A sacred aura of light emanating from his body spread widely, instantly subduing the churning energy nearby.

It was Heinrich, the Saint of the Ju-shin Church, who had joined using "Blessing: Leap."

Transcendents surrounding the giant from three directions.

The giant, silent for a moment with narrowed eyes, twisted the corners of its mouth.

"Khat! A hybrid barbarian, a vampire lord, and the Saint of the Ju-shin Church? This is really… hmm?"

But the giant's sarcastic remark was cut short.

Its expression subtly contorted, and it sharply turned its head, staring intently at Harly.

Its gaze shifted to Heinz II, then to Heinrich…

"…What are you, all of you?"

It unwittingly let out a gruff voice, filled with genuine curiosity.

He wasn't sure. He didn't have the sense of smell, the appropriate ability.

But he could clearly feel the incongruity from them.

Of course—.

"Khahahaha! I am Harly, the overlord of the South!"

"Hmph, a dying man. Disappear quietly."

"A heretic who defies the Lord's will and disturbs the world. I shall execute you here and now."

'They' had no intention of answering his question.

Kwaang——!

A deafening roar shook the heavens and earth.

A huge explosion sent up a cloud of dust, and the shockwave emanating from the epicenter swept through the surroundings…

"The shockwave is coming! Prepare to counter!"

"Strengthen the barrier!"

It greatly affected the Tarak walls, about 10 kilometers away.

Kurururung—!

The shockwave, compressing the atmosphere as if distorting space, pressed down, and the protective barrier around the city became clearer.

The barrier, temporarily shaken by the powerful wave, soon stabilized thanks to the desperate efforts of the mages, and another crisis, the nth one, passed safely.

"Hoo— That was close."

A knight guarding the northwestern wall of Tarak sighed in relief.

It was the common sentiment of everyone on the wall, but the relief didn't last long.

They couldn't even estimate how many more waves like this would come.

"Damn it, if the wall hadn't broken, things would have been better! The repairs? Still not done? What do the mages say?"

"They say they're somehow holding on with a makeshift structure, but fully restoring the barrier in this situation is impossible! They can do this because the wall hasn't completely collapsed…"

"…Damn it, should we be thankful that they're fighting so far away? If that monster had run rampant in the city…"

It wasn't a joke; the entire city might have been completely vaporized.

The knight glanced at the busy mages and turned his head towards the source of the incident.

Kuung—!

Another shockwave erupted from the origin.

But this time, it was smaller, not worth making a fuss about.

While the mages groaned, he strengthened his eyesight using aura and stared intently at the battleground in the distance with a stern face.

"Incredible. What the hell…"

"Ha, ha… Crazy…"

And he wasn't the only one staring blankly.

The other knights who were stationed on the wall, but had nothing to do like the mages, also watched the spectacle with sweat dripping down, stunned.

Beyond the trees and hills that had been completely flattened.

Even from a considerable distance, they could see the huge giant.

A monster that gave the illusion of being several hundred meters tall, thanks to its terrifying aura.

Its mere existence was violence.

Its simple movements agitated the atmosphere, and each attack distorted space, spreading destruction around it.

Even merely looking at it placed a tremendous burden on one's mind, making it a being against which normal combat was impossible.

In fact, the knights could stand here thanks to their distance, the protective barrier, and their own skills. Ordinary soldiers had already collapsed the moment they saw the giant.

Kururung!

Before those who had the bare minimum qualifications to watch.

A battle worthy of legend was unfolding.

"…Am I dreaming? This is too unrealistic."

"Puh huh— I've heard a lot about how great it is, but the rumors were downplayed. I've been living in a well…"

Not only was it matching the gigantic giant, whom they thought was absolutely invincible, but it was even pushing it back—.

Three beings moving organically as one.

The savior-like hero and Saint of the Ju-shin Church, a vampire seemingly from the neighboring country of Thalia, and finally…

"…Could it be, Harly the Dragonkin? I heard he had been away for quite some time."

"Harly? Harly? I heard he did amazing things during the Steel Fortress defense… Is that red giant Harly?"

"Hmm, since so little is known about the Dragonkin…"

A large creature with its entire body covered in crimson scales, sharp claws, and teeth.

Although it was only about the size of the White Giant's thigh, it was bravely confronting and holding the giant.

To give the others a chance to attack.

Harly charged at one of the giant's legs like a great tiger.

The giant reacted immediately, trying to kick him, but one arm was entangled by numerous blood-red chains that appeared at the perfect moment, temporarily causing it to lose its balance.

Heinrich, appearing before it, swung his holy sword, enveloped in a pillar of light, cutting at its eyes, forcing it to tilt its head back to avoid it…

Kwaang—!

Harly's fierce body tackle immediately followed, hitting the giant's leg as intended.

As the giant staggered, losing its balance, the vampire and Saint attacked its body again.

"Kraak—! You vermin—!"

The giant's deafening roar echoed.

The following combination attacks were the same.

The three were so well-coordinated that it was astonishing. They methodically cornered the giant, hunting the huge monster, slowly tightening the noose.

"Beautiful… This is the ultimate in coordinated tactics."

"Hoo— The vampire hasn't coordinated with them before, yet they're so well-synchronized? Do those who have reached that level have a shared mind?"

"Kghkhem, just watching makes my stomach churn. If not for the barrier, ordinary people would have died en masse."

While the knights marveled at the precise coordinated attack, which seemed to divide a single breath into tens of thousands of parts.

Unlike those who had nothing to do, the mages were engaged in a fierce battle.

"Magic stones! Are they still far? Bring them, whatever you have!"

"Don't just stand there! Move quickly! If this collapses, the civilians will be annihilated!"

"Change! Roccapeli Tower out, Tenure Tower in! Hurry!"

To protect the city from the ceaseless wave of destruction, mages from the territory and the magic towers were mobilized and clung to the walls.

As the faces of those who were continuously being ground down gradually lost their color.

["It seems quite perilous. I shall offer my assistance."]

A strange woman's voice clearly entered the heads of the struggling mages.

Her refined magic control was astonishing.

"What?"

"Wait, who is this…!"

The moment the surprised mages looked up.

Creak creak creak—!

The surface of the wall instantly froze.

It quickly expanded, covering the collapsed section, and began to replace the broken protective barrier, emitting a strange wave.

"W… What is this…? The barrier's circuits are being forcibly overlaid using ice magic?!"

"Does that mean she has identified all the circuits of this giant wall?!"

"More than that, what is this amount of magical power? She's not just an Archmage! Could it be…!"

Above the heads of the mages, now confused in a different way.

Isea, the Archmage, remotely assisting in the city's defense, exchanged glances with her companions and nodded slowly.

"I wonder if we can be of much help in such a battle. I don't want to hinder them."

"Let's prioritize assisting the Saint. If we use the sky, we can minimize the risk."

Lydia, the High Elf, the strongest of the Elven Kingdom before Harris' appearance, and Priestess Liesta, possessing the strongest divine power in the church.

All members of the hero party who had stayed at the Great Temple during the Pope's funeral arrived urgently after Heinrich.

But that wasn't the only additional reinforcement.

There was another place where powerful beings had gathered on the surface.

"As expected of the High Lord! You are not inferior to the Saint of the Church!"

"Ah— I shall offer this life for the glory of the Hybrids!"

"Hmm, I can't use the giant's blood. This is troublesome."

Many High Blood vampires, including Frigia Brokoslak, and…

"Huhuhu, you shouldn't overexert yourselves. It's a rare, interesting opponent."

"Yes! Briki-sama!"

Briki, another Holy Blood vampire, had also arrived in Tarak.

To decisively finish off the Revolutionary.