Crash—!
The day of destruction had arrived for the citizens of Moscow, trapped within their fishbowl. The barriers meticulously crafted by Prime Minister Yuri Orlov shattered under the palm of a suddenly appearing giant.
"Uwaaak!"
"Kyaaaaak!"
The appearance of a Monarch! It descended upon Moscow as overwhelming chaos and terror. Shards of the shattered barrier, glittering like diamond dust, rained down upon the heads of Moscow's citizens. Each fragment still pulsed with mana, creating a spectacular, albeit horrifying, display as they ignited into blue flames in mid-air before extinguishing. Beneath it, fear-stricken people poured out of buildings, flooding the streets.
"E-emergency!"
"A giant! A giant has appeared!"
"Where is the Prime Minister!"
The screams of Moscow's citizens filled the city. A veritable crucible of chaos. However, the giant itself paid no attention to the citizens. In fact, it didn't even enter the city, as if to ensure they wouldn't be harmed. Its sole purpose in coming all this way was merely to destroy the barriers Orlov prided himself on. And since the primary objective was already achieved, there was no reason to enter Moscow. It simply waited for him to emerge.
[Where is the Prime Minister! Come out at once!]
The majestic giant's shout thundered across the Moscow sky. Still not satisfied, it stomped its foot once in front of the city.
Boom—!
The earth buckled and shattered. Though it was just a single step, the ground shook as if an earthquake had struck. This only terrified the citizens of Moscow further. But ironically, that tremor did not harm them in the slightest. A single, very thin protective barrier, the only one the giant had left undestroyed, barely shielded Moscow from the quake. Of course, no one knew this was the giant's consideration. From the citizens' perspective, what mattered was only that 'just one' remained, and all of Prime Minister Orlov's other barriers had been destroyed.
"G-good heavens!"
"A magical beast that speaks!"
"The giant is looking for the Prime Minister…!"
This was shocking and terrifying. Under Orlov's dictatorship, the Russian people had lived with strictly controlled access to outside information. News about other countries, about current world events, reached the citizens only as fragmented pieces, censored by Orlov's handpicked officials. Thus, no one knew the giant's identity, nor the reason this colossal magical beast was seeking the Prime Minister.
"Wh-where is the Prime Minister?"
"Didn't the Prime Minister leave the city earlier…?"
"Don't tell me he knew the giant was coming and fled first…!"
"Th-that can't be…"
No! It was entirely possible! He was certainly capable of such a thing! The citizens of Moscow knew Prime Minister Yuri Orlov's selfish nature all too well. Only a few years. That was how long they had lived under Orlov's dictatorship. Perhaps if this period had been several decades or more, the citizens trapped in this fishbowl might have been politically indoctrinated enough to worship Orlov as a god.
But a mere few years was by no means enough. Nor did Orlov possess the extraordinary charisma or skill to sway the hearts of so many. He had merely confined and cultivated the citizens through the primitive means of threats and fear. And the citizens, fully aware of this fact, had no choice but to live under his rule. After all, wasn't it safe inside this fishbowl? It was also true that thanks to the barriers confining them, the monsters outside the city couldn't attack.
But what on earth was happening now? Due to the sudden appearance of a single giant, the city was on the verge of ruin overnight. The barriers Orlov boasted of were powerless before the giant's overwhelming might. However, a moment like this was also an opportunity for Orlov to become a true hero. If only their selfish god would return to protect them!
"Prime Minister…!"
"Please…!"
Did their desperate prayers, filled with terror, reach the heavens…? Suddenly, the lips of the giant, its face hidden by a helm, twitched. Then, tilting its head and looking back, it saw a man rushing towards it like lightning from afar, a fearsome expression on his face.
[Hehe. Of course, he has to show up like this. After I've caused this much of a ruckus.]
Confirming the man's identity, the giant slammed its hand down, shattering even the last remaining barrier. As if for him to see.
Boom!
At the distant roar, Yuri Orlov's face contorted fearsomely. To break the fishbowl he had meticulously created! As the shockwave spread like a tide, reaching his feet, Orlov turned crimson and gritted his teeth. Why was it? Since a while ago, an emotion he couldn't identify as either anger or fear had been seething within his chest.
"Who dares! To destroy my fishbowl!"
Killing intent burst from his shout. At that killing intent, the giant merely erupted in laughter.
[Kuhahahaha! So you've finally arrived!]
'That voice!'
At that booming laughter, Orlov's eyes widened. The citizens might be information-controlled, but how could he not know the identity of this giant that had recently appeared in New York!
"Thomas Andre—! How dare you invade my land! Have you truly gone mad!"
This was a clear violation of international law! A veritable declaration of war! For an S-rank Hunter from America to invade Russia first, this was a situation grave enough for Russia to launch nuclear weapons at the United States immediately. But Thomas was shameless.
[Thomas? Who is that! I am merely a passing giant!]
He was wearing a helm, after all. But it was truly a case of covering one's eyes and pretending not to see. Just because he covered his face didn't mean his voice was altered.
"You madman! Do you think that hides your identity! This is a clear declaration of war! Do you not fear the consequences!"
Faaaaaah—!
Orlov rushed forward at full speed, his entire body emitting a dazzling radiance. The moment he saw that light, Thomas's grin widened even further. His heart began to pound with the joy of finally encountering a worthy opponent.
[Hehe, not bad for a start, eh?]
"You dare! My kingdom!"
Orlov, with a furious shout, threw a punch at the giant. S-rank barriers layered upon that fist, again and again. Even if he wasn't a combat-type, this was power that no S-rank Hunter could dare ignore.
Kwaaaaaang!
With a sound like tearing air, his fist rushed towards the giant. But that fist was futilely blocked.
[Hm? Is this all?]
Thomas flicked Orlov away with a giant finger, as if disappointed. Lightly, as if shooing away a bothersome insect.
…Boom!
Orlov's body shot back in a straight line, landing 10 kilometers away. The ground around him cracked like a spiderweb, dust billowing up.
"Keoheok!"
Orlov coughed up blood as he pushed himself up. Bewilderment was clear on his face.
"Th-this power, what in the…?"
He had realized. The fact that Thomas Andre had obtained an absurd amount of power.
"To be called by the ridiculous name of National-Level… Don't tell me you gained Apostle-level power? How on earth?"
He was confused. This was the power of one who had become an apostle of an Outer God! But at those words, Thomas Andre, scoffed as if displeased and strode towards Orlov.
[Apostle-level? How pathetic. To dare call me, the Monarch of Conquest, by such a trivial name.]
"M-Monarch? What in the…"
[Hehe, silence. Come at me with all your strength. Opportunities like this are rare.]
"You bastard! Thomas! This is a clear declaration of war! Does the US President even know you're doing this here…!"
[Silence! I know not who this Thomas Andre is! I am merely a passing giant!]
"Nonsense!"
Orlov, cloaked in radiance, charged at Thomas again.
Boom!
"Keoheok!"
But the result was the same. Orlov, helplessly slammed to the ground, coughed up blood. He gritted his teeth, his expression utterly humiliated. Blood trickled from between his clenched teeth.
What on earth was this…? He had definitely gained immense power! Using Project 'Unwithering Spring,' an enormous amount of divine power was flowing into him! Just like the apostles of the Outer Gods he had dealt with until now! Yet even that power was nothing but a mere speck before that colossal giant.
[Too weak. Is this all?]
Thomas yawned as if bored. At that blatant provocation, Orlov's last shred of pride shattered. He had lived his entire life as a beggar, rising to this position through his awakening. For him to feel powerless once again…
"Such… such humiliation!"
At that moment, Orlov's eyes turned blood-red. As if waiting, someone whispered in his mind.
'More power.'
'Stronger divine power!'
The power that could be drawn endlessly from the Unwithering Spring! It felt like he could draw it all out now!
"Oh God! Bless me!"
He spread his arms wide, screaming towards the sky. It was the first prayer he had ever offered to a 'god' in his life. Madness and infinite greed were mixed in that scream-like voice.
"Unwithering Spring! Grant me infinite power and blessing!"
Craaackle!
At that moment, with a wave of immense energy, Orlov's shirt tore apart. The fabric pieces fluttered in the wind. Then, Thomas's eyes widened at the sight of his exposed upper body.
[What's that?]
Intricate magic circles were tattooed all over Orlov's entire body. Those magic circles were not mere tattoos. Each one moved, drawing complex geometric patterns. Some spiraled, others pulsed like a heartbeat. Usually, Yuri Orlov used these magic circles to cast powerful barriers around the entire city. And his specialty was using Essence Stones as raw material to draw power from the outside to maintain those barriers. But to think he could engrave those magic circles onto his own body!
Hummmmm—
The magic circles on his body began to glow in unison. Emitting lights of different colors, it was as if the instruments of an orchestra were beginning to play one by one. Red light absorbed divine power, blue light amplified it. Yellow light refined it, and purple light fused it with Orlov's barrier ability.
Fwaaaaaaah—!
Suddenly, the space around Orlov began to distort. The air shimmered like a mirage on hot asphalt. And from that distorted space, endless divine power poured out like a waterfall. Golden energy enveloped his body, creating a vortex.
"Come forth! My god! Grant me that great power and authority!"
From the center of that vortex, Yuri Orlov's eyes, laughing madly, spewed crimson madness.
"Kuhahaha! Yes, this power! This is precisely the great…!"
Orlov smiled brightly and brought his hands together. The air between his hands twisted, and something began to form.
"Sacred Barrier! Descend upon this land!"
Before him, a transparent barrier condensed into the shape of a sharp spear. It was no ordinary barrier. Golden divine power wrapped around the transparent spearhead like threads, and small lightning bolts sparked from its tip. A sharp sound of air being cut echoed continuously around the spear.
"My barrier can separate and sever space! Let's see you handle this!"
Shwaaaaaak—!
That spear flew towards Thomas like a thunderbolt. A golden trail followed behind the spear as it cut through the air, rushing towards the King of Giants with the intent to bisect him.
[Kuhaha! Now this is more like a fight!]
Thomas, genuinely pleased, swung his right fist wide. Immense pressure arose from the giant's fist, colliding with the golden trajectory.
―――――――!
A colossal shockwave spread out in a circle from the point of impact shattered the asphalt and toppled streetlights.
Woooong—
[Harmakan creates an 'Instance Dungeon'.]
Just then, the dimensional wall separated, isolating the shockwave and the citizens in Moscow. After all, he hadn't come here intending to harm ordinary civilians. Thomas Andre, noticing Harmakan's magic, smiled brightly, no longer needing to conserve his strength.
[Oho! Not bad! Now let's do this properly!]
"I will kill you and offer you as a sacrifice to my great god!"
Orlov, too, fully grasped the divine power in both hands, revealing his madness. The cynical Orlov, who usually claimed not to believe in gods, was gone. What remained here was merely an apostle of an Outer God, who had offered himself as a sacrifice and received great power.
"Prison of Dimensions!"
From Orlov's other hand, transparent barrier walls extended in all directions. The space around Thomas began to be enclosed and compressed by a hexahedron-shaped barrier. The walls gradually closed in, attempting to crush the giant.
[Amusing!]
But Thomas was still relaxed. As he tensed his entire body, his massive muscles bulged.
Spiritualization…
The Primordial Darkness enveloped his entire form.
Crack!
Like glass cracking, numerous fissures spread across the barrier's surface in a lightning pattern.
"What?!"
Orlov, bewildered, poured more power into it. But the barrier had already reached its limit.
Snap!
Finally, the Dimensional Prison shattered into pieces. Transparent fragments scattered in all directions, glittering.
"Reflective Barrier!"
A giant shield-shaped barrier appeared in front of Orlov. This barrier wasn't mere defense. It was an advanced technique that absorbed Thomas's attack and amplified it with divine power to return it. The moment Thomas's fist touched the Reflective Barrier, ripples spread across its surface. Those ripples began to analyze and absorb Thomas's attack power.
Wooooong—
A moment later, the impact Thomas had dealt was returned to him from the Reflective Barrier, doubled.
[Kuhaha! Amusing! This is amusing!]
Thomas laughed, taking the attack head-on. The giant's body was pushed back, his heels digging deep trenches into the vast Russian land.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each time the two clashed, mountain ranges and plains near Moscow collapsed sequentially. With each spreading shockwave, immense natural disasters struck the vast continent. But Orlov didn't care at all. In fact, he was even more excited.
"Such power! The infinite divine power I desired, finally!"
The magic circles engraved on his entire body shone even more intensely. Endless divine power from the 'Unwithering Spring' in the North Pole filled him. Each time the magic circles glowed, golden threads appeared in the air, connecting Orlov to some unseen place.
[Yes, this is how it should be!]
Thomas, too, laughed with joy, exerting his full strength. The true power of the King of Giants, the Monarch of Conquest. An immense aura surged from his body, covering the sky.
* * *
At that moment, in the Arctic secret base, a completely different hell was unfolding.
"Director! Output has exceeded the safe range by 500%!"
"Th-this is completely different from what we designed!"
"Please, stop now…!"
"We're all going to die at this rate!"
Director Petrov's face was also streaming with cold sweat, like a waterfall. The measuring device in his hand beeped madly, sounding alarms. Red lights flashed, signaling that the danger level had been surpassed.
An insane amount of divine power was spewing from the giant Void Gate. The energy flow, initially a small stream, had now become a massive river, pouring out like a torrent. Through various devices, magic circles, and suspicious cracks, that divine power was being transmitted to the distant Orlov, like blood flowing through veins.
Gooooooooo—
The aftermath was the problem. The entire base vibrated as if an earthquake had struck. The instrument panels on the walls began to spark and fail one by one. Eventually, someone, overcome with fear, placed a hand on the control device.
Zap!
"Huk! Wh-what is this!"
At that moment, he realized. It was no longer possible to control or manage this situation.
"Director! This is strange! The magic circle is operating on its own!"
"It's like someone… someone is tampering with our magic circle!"
"No, who on earth!"
"Th-there…!"
A technician shouted with a trembling voice. His finger pointed at the Void Gate. A giant eye was visible beyond the gate. Its size was so immense that at first, it couldn't even be perceived as an eye.
But it was definitely an 'eye'! A massive, inorganic eye was slowly moving, observing this side. It wasn't just looking. Like a scientist examining cells through a microscope, it was analyzing and manipulating everything. Just looking wasn't enough for this.
"Don't tell me that's… Ita—!"
"Enough! Shut that mouth!"
Alexei urgently covered his colleague's mouth. He didn't know why, but he had a strong premonition that something terrible would happen if that name was spoken. It was a kind of superstition. A superstition on the level of an old folktale passed down orally in Russia.
"If you call the name…"
It becomes a 'prayer.' If the proper materials and preparations are made. It was a superstition that simply mentioning the name of a high-ranking being could cause that being to descend upon this land. But even though he didn't utter the name to the end…
"It's already too late…"
Gulp.
Someone swallowed dryly and collapsed weakly to the floor. It was already too late. The giant eye had blinked slowly, as if it had heard their conversation.
Shuuuuung—
Suddenly, the lights inside the base began to flicker. Like Morse code, the fluorescent lights turned on and off irregularly. And strange patterns began to be automatically engraved on the walls. It was as if an invisible finger was scratching the wall, drawing a picture. As that happened, the amount of divine power being transmitted to Prime Minister Orlov increased even further.
"Uwaaaak!"
A technician suddenly screamed and began to bang his head against the wall. He had been consumed by fear.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Blood splattered on the wall with each rhythmic bang of his head. But he repeated the action as if he couldn't feel pain. Another technician began to mutter incomprehensible words into the air. From his mouth, all the operating principles and formulas for the 'Unwithering Spring' project set up in this secret base flowed out. As if answering the questions of some unseen entity. Desperately.
"Project progress 95%. Prime Minister's satisfaction level: highest! The Outer God's blessing has been bestowed!"
"Prime Minister! He'll be here soon! The great god…!"
Ivan muttered, smiling brightly. His eyes had turned white, and the corners of his mouth were torn up to his ears. But there was no emotion in that smile. It was as if a puppet was being forced to laugh.
Swaaaaaa—
The blue mist, firmly held back by Orlov's barrier, began to seep out from beyond the Gate.
Crrrackle—
Accordingly, the entire internal structure of the base began to subtly distort. Straight corridors gradually bent, and rectangular rooms transformed into strange shapes. Corridors seemed to stretch endlessly, and even standing still made one's entire vision spin.
"C-corrosion…"
Director Petrov, clinging to his last shred of sanity, grabbed the communicator. His hands trembled so much that it was difficult to even press the buttons. Dimensional cracks were spreading and branching out like tree roots, and all the facilities inside the base were beginning to be corroded. He had to report it. This place was becoming something no one could control. Because of that single eye!
"E-emergency! The base is being corroded! Someone… someone help…"
But his voice grew fainter. The light of reason was disappearing from his eyes. At the last moment, he finally lost consciousness and was engulfed in the blue mist.
Fwoosh!
He thus became a 'Mist Burn,' placed the communicator back in its place, and began to trudge somewhere. And his hand turned off the control device for the Unwithering Spring, then amplified it even further.
Fwaaaaaah—
Ultimately, the divine power extending to Prime Minister Orlov went berserk.
Just then. Someone appeared, piercing through the harsh cold of the North Pole.
"Grrrr…"
Gray sniffed the air, then precisely pointed towards the location of the Arctic base. For Gray, who had awakened as the King of Beasts, Monarch of the Hunt, tracking a target was now the realm of authority.
"Is it there?"
At Suho's words, Gray nodded, letting out a low growl. Suho's gaze, looking in the direction where the Arctic base was hidden, turned cold. Even though Gray had confirmed it, in reality, there was nothing there. No energy was felt. Neither vitality nor killing intent. No energy whatsoever was felt. As if someone was intentionally concealing the situation occurring beyond. Like an instance dungeon, thoroughly hidden in the cracks of a dimensional rift, undetectable by anyone…
Wheeeeen—
Just then, a Void Insect appeared before Suho.
[Shall I pierce a hole?]
Arsha materialized, awaiting Suho's command. He nodded.
"Yes, while Mr. Thomas is buying us time, let's finish this as quickly as possible."
A pincer operation. The opportunity when Yuri Orlov's attention was entirely focused on Moscow. It wasn't that he was afraid of him, but his barrier ability was certainly troublesome. If he appeared here, he might create a new barrier or cause unexpected variables. In the worst-case scenario, wouldn't he be able to take other people hostage?
Whoooosh—
Arsha's Void Insects swarmed, beginning to gnaw away at the dimensional wall blocking Suho's path. Then, finally, the true image of the word beyond the barrier was revealed. The secret base that Orlov had hidden even from the apostles was exposed before Suho