Chapter 70 : Square (6) (2/2)

I raised my voice again.

“[Open your eyes, my child]!”

The fiery giant’s eyes flared open, blazing with light.

Roar!

Its deafening roar echoed across the square, shaking the very ground beneath us.

This spell, my signature in battle, was called:

[Giant of Flame].

For the first time, this magic—never before revealed in human lands—was unleashed here.

I slowly raised my hand and pointed at the Hero.

“Attack,” I commanded.

Roar!

The giant bellowed once more, slamming its massive fist down toward the Hero.

The colossal fist crashed toward him, but he leapt away just in time.

Boom!

The ground where he had stood caved in, leaving a deep crater.

“So, he dodged,” I thought, watching the smoke rise.

I had expected as much. The giant’s fists weren’t particularly fast, and I hadn’t counted on them landing the first blow.

This spell wasn’t designed to hit immediately.

I gestured toward the Hero.

Roar!

The giant swung again, its fist hurtling toward him.

Unlike typical attack spells, [Giant of Flame] wasn’t a single-use magic. As long as I had mana, it would persist, continually assaulting my opponent.

The giant’s attacks wouldn’t stop with one punch.

However, the spell did have a weakness. Like a human, the giant had a vulnerable spot: its heart. Unless its heart was attacked, the spell wouldn’t dissipate.

That vulnerability made it hard to destroy without magic. Striking the giant’s heart with an ordinary weapon was nearly impossible.

There were only two ways to defeat it.

First, launching a sword aura directly at its heart.

Second, approaching the giant and driving a weapon into its core.

If neither was possible, the only option left was to keep running, hoping to avoid its flaming fists.

And that meant the Hero would have to constantly stay on the move to avoid the giant’s attacks.

He had no choice. He couldn’t destroy the giant. If he tried to launch a sword aura, I’d block it with my magic. And if he tried to approach, I’d pin him down and let the giant’s fists crush him.

For now, all he could do was dodge the giant’s punches and try to come up with a plan.

That was exactly what I was waiting for.

To be precise, I was waiting for the moment he leapt into the air to dodge the giant’s fists.

Roar!

The giant swung its fiery fist once again, and the Hero jumped high to avoid it.

Not yet.

To deal him a decisive blow, I needed to set up a little more.

I reached out my hand.

“[Bind].”

Black chains erupted from below the Hero, wrapping around his body mid-air.

His eyes widened in surprise, his expression betraying his panic.

The sight was satisfying, though I knew the spell wouldn’t hold him for long.

True enough, the Hero tore through the chains with brute force.

“That lunatic just ripped them apart with his bare hands,” I thought in disbelief.

But it didn’t matter. The brief moment he was restrained was enough.

Roar!

The fiery giant’s fist reached him.

It was time.

Just before the giant’s hand made contact, I whispered quickly.

“[Lightning].”

Six sharp, arrow-shaped bolts of electricity materialized behind me. This spell allowed me to control their trajectory, like guided missiles.

I could manipulate up to six bolts at once. While doing so caused significant backlash later, now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

I pointed forward.

“Go.”

The six bolts shot toward the Hero.

At the same time, I gripped my sword and whispered again.

“[Acceleration].”

My body surged forward, chasing after the bolts with incredible speed.

The sudden burst of acceleration made my hair whip around, and I felt the rush of air against my cheeks.

In an instant, I was right behind the giant’s fist.

Now, everything was ready.

“Brace yourself, Hero. This one’s going to hurt a lot.”

I smiled, preparing to unleash my triple assault.

The first to make contact was, of course, the giant’s fist.

However, the fist couldn’t burn him.

Just as it was about to hit, the massive hand shattered into dozens of fragments.

The Hero had swung his sword with incredible speed, cutting the fist apart in an instant.

I watched this happen and thought to myself:

“Looks like he’s weakened.”

If the rumors were true, the Hero should have been able to slice through the entire arm, yet he only managed the hand.

Well, that’s good news for me.

Next came my second attack—the five bolts of electricity surged toward him. Just as they were about to hit, the lightning bolts dimmed and disappeared.

“He cut them down too? How absurd can one man be?”

Once again, his insane speed allowed him to slash through each bolt before they struck.

But I had expected this. Annoying as it was, it was within my calculations.

Clicking my tongue, I swung my sword toward his neck with all my might.

The Hero quickly raised his own sword to block.

Clang! The clash of blades rang out as I pushed forward with all my strength.

“I usually avoid power struggles like this,” I thought as I added more force.

In response, the Hero applied his own strength, his sword resisting mine. The metal vibrated slightly as the clash intensified, each of us trying to overpower the other.

The balance of strength seemed almost equal. Neither blade advanced nor retreated.

At first glance, it looked like a stalemate, but for me, it was a losing battle.

Despite my buffs, the Hero’s monstrous strength was starting to wear me down. Bit by bit, I felt my power falter.

It didn’t take long for the effects to show. My blade began to inch backward, and the Hero smirked, sensing victory.

And then—

Crackle!

A small sound came from behind me.

I grinned at him.

Before attacking, I had anticipated that my lightning magic might fail. So, I had prepared a contingency—a single hidden bolt positioned behind me for just such a moment.

This was that moment.

The Hero’s eyes widened as he tried to pull his sword back, but I pushed harder, locking his weapon in place.

His expression grew anxious.

Enjoying his panic, I whispered softly:

“Go.”

The last of the six bolts of lightning surged toward him.

Zap!

“Argh!”

The bolt struck him squarely.

As his cry of pain rang out, I released my sword and closed the distance between us, driving my fist into his abdomen.

I didn’t have to worry about a counterattack.

Every lightning spell I cast carried a secondary effect—paralysis.

The Hero, now stunned by the magic, was temporarily unable to move.

Pressing my fist against his stomach, I muttered quietly:

“[Absorb].”

Mana from the surroundings began to gather into my fist.

I didn’t collect it for long—only three seconds. Any longer, and the paralysis would wear off.

“Brace yourself.”

Just before the three seconds ended, I unleashed the stored energy.

“[Release].”

Boom!

A massive explosion erupted as the concentrated mana slammed into the Hero.

“Ugh!”

The force swept through his body, causing him to cough up blood.

He crumpled to the ground, motionless.

His body was bloodied all over, and his head hung limply. He appeared unconscious.

Panting heavily, I picked up my sword.

“It’s over now,” I muttered.

Pointing my blade at his heart, I prepared to strike.

“Just one thrust, and…”

I drove the sword forward.

But it didn’t pierce his heart.

The blade stopped just short, held in place by something.

I looked down to see what was stopping me.

It was his hand.

The Hero was gripping the blade with his bare hand, blood trickling down the edge.

“How…?”

I searched for an explanation and quickly realized:

“Unyielding Will.”

“I’ve got you,” he said, lifting his head.

The Hero was smiling.

A chill ran down my spine.

“Atta—”

Before I could issue the command, he moved faster.

Springing to his feet, he swept my legs out from under me.

The world spun as I hit the ground hard.

Before I could recover, the Hero was on top of me, pinning down my lower body.

Cursing under my breath, I summoned lightning to my hands.

If it’s come to this, it’s all or nothing. The first to strike wins.

As I prepared my spell, the Hero raised his sword.

We moved simultaneously—my lightning and his blade aimed at each other.

The sword came hurtling toward me but stopped inches from my chest, trembling slightly.

I quickly assessed the situation.

“I need to protect Aelia… No, wait. What am I doing? What’s happening to me?”

It seemed the victory was mine.

“Bliss’s prayer must have worked,” I thought.

Contrary to my fears, her prayer appeared to be effective in dispelling the Hero’s mind control.

Now, there was only one thing left to do.

I quietly moved my hand toward his heart.

But just as my hand neared, his body flinched, and he grabbed my wrist with alarming speed.

“Instincts…”

Even in his unstable state, his body reacted instinctively to defend itself.

“Unfortunate, but I’ll have to postpone this,” I thought.

First, I needed to resolve the current situation.

If he reacted to attacks, I’d have to make it seem like I wasn’t attacking.

Carefully, I removed the sword from his grip and tossed it aside. Then, I gently wrapped my arms around his neck, making it look like an embrace rather than an attack.

With his head close to mine, I whispered in his ear:

“[Sleep].”

Normally, such a spell wouldn’t work. But with his mind in disarray, it took effect.

His eyes closed, and his body went limp.

Pushing the now-unconscious Hero off me, I stood up and dusted myself off.

As I healed my wounds, Kairen’s voice rang out.

“Oh my! The Hero’s been defeated! Ruina, that was incredible! Just as I expected, you’ve shown an amazing performance!”

She continued, her voice filled with mock excitement.

“Now, every champion deserves a reward! Tell me, Ruina, what do you want?”

Ignoring her words, I raised my middle finger and pointed at the statue.

Then—

Roar!

The fiery giant let out another deafening bellow.

Crash!

The statue crumbled to the ground.