Kuuooooooo!
The deafening roar shook my eardrums, and I couldn’t help but squint. Even though I summoned all my magical power to shield myself, my body trembled uncontrollably under the onslaught of the overwhelming sound waves. I felt like collapsing right then and there.
Hwaruk, hwarureuk!
Only after unleashing Hwajeong’s power was I barely able to shake off the aftereffects of the roar.
‘This is no joke.’
I let out a bitter chuckle inwardly, drew my sword, and spoke.
“Everyone, prepare for battle.”
Immediately, I scanned the grasslands, analyzing the situation.
‘Location: grasslands. Opponents: users, giants, and monstrous birds.’
Judging by what I could see, the situation wasn’t too bad. Most of the bodies lying on the grass were giants; only a few users or monstrous birds had fallen.
But something felt off. Despite the apparent advantage, the users were hesitating, slowly retreating.
The monstrous birds were even more pitiful. Instead of soaring in the sky, they all lay fallen on the ground, bowing their heads toward the giants.
Of course. It was because of the giants.
The reason the situation felt unfavorable despite appearances was those giants. From the center, their eyes gleamed pure white, their presence dominating the entire grassland. Their sheer aura was enough to overturn the numerical advantage. I instinctively sensed it.
‘The curse has been lifted.’
Suddenly, I felt a gentle touch wrapping around my arm.
“Suhyun…”
Ko Yeonju’s voice carried a hint of unease. Her call snapped me back to reality, and I slowly turned around.
“……”
It wasn’t just Ko Yeonju. Every clan member I had brought along was looking at me with anxious faces. No, they were all focused solely on me.
They must have felt it too—the immense pressure radiating from those giants.
Yet, despite that, they had taken up their weapons and prepared for battle, following my orders. They all knew what this meant: we had to face those monsters now.
I spoke quietly.
“Let’s go.”
Turning my gaze back, I started running toward the direction the users were retreating. Footsteps followed closely behind me.
“Hyung! What are you going to do? Are you really going to flank them like this?!”
Anhyun’s shout came from behind as we crossed the grasslands. Though he yelled bravely, I could tell he was forcing himself to overcome his fear.
“Are you crazy? We’re joining the northern expedition first!”
I shouted back, then, just as I was about to focus on the giants still standing their ground, something strange caught my eye. A massive hammer, radiating a strange energy almost the size of a person, was raised high into the sky.
I recognized it instantly.
‘That’s Mjolnir.’
At that moment—
Kuruurung! Kuruurung!
Suddenly, countless bolts of lightning accompanied by thunder began pouring down from the darkened sky.
Bang!
A bluish flash struck the ground, and the lightning sparked wildly, swirling in a dazzling display. The shockwave swept across the grasslands like a storm.
“Ahhhhhh!”
“Gyaaaah!”
Those struck by the lightning screamed as they were flung in all directions. Others caught in the aftermath were burned black and collapsed helplessly. The power was terrifying beyond words.
But it wasn’t over yet. The thunderous roar continued from the storm clouds above.
As the clouds clashed again, just as thunder was about to strike, half the sky suddenly turned golden. Then, as a blue lightning bolt descended toward the ground, a yellow lightning bolt struck it midair.
Lightning clashed.
Flash!
The explosion in midair instantly whitened my vision, and the white noise mercilessly battered my eardrums. A fierce wind tore through my body as if trying to rip me apart.
When my vision cleared, the clash had already ended. Sparks rained down from the sky, igniting fires across the steel mountain range.
With the roar and screams filling the air, the brief pause in battle was over. The heavy thuds of giants’ footsteps echoed all around.
But that wasn’t all.
The monstrous birds that had been bowing their heads to the giants were now slowly stirring. Like stretching after a long rest, they spread their wings wide and flapped. This was a very bad sign. Facing just the giants was hard enough; if the monstrous birds joined the fight, it would be nearly impossible to handle.
At least there was one small relief: from the recent clash, I had pinpointed where my brother was.
‘In the end, there’s only one way.’
Turning toward the place where I felt his power, I shouted loudly.
“Vivian!”
“…What?”
Her reply came half a beat late.
“See those monstrous birds? Can you take them on? With your beast army!”
“W-what?!”
“No, you don’t have to win! Just buy us some time while we deal with the giants!”
“T-those guys…?”
Surprisingly, Vivian stammered, sounding uncertain.
I waited a moment, but she said no more. We were close to where my brother was, so I clicked my tongue and spoke.
“If you’re not confident…”
“I can do it!”
Suddenly, Vivian shouted sharply.
“…You can?”
“Yeah! Who do you think I am?!”
“You don’t have to overdo it.”
“Overdo it? I’m going to wipe them all out!”
Her bravado was obvious, but so was the confidence in her voice. She had never let me down before, so I strongly believed she wouldn’t now. No, she had to succeed.
“Then I’m counting on you!”
“You only say that when it matters…”
She muttered and grumbled, but I just smiled and turned my gaze forward.
Soon, I saw my brother up ahead, urgently giving orders to the users.
With Kushan Thor’s awakening, the tide of battle turned in an instant. All the users were thrown into chaos, and Kim Yuhyun was no exception.
But he was the first to regain his composure, issuing orders as the giants closed in.
“Groups of fifty! Fifty per squad!”
“Never engage head-on! Avoid direct confrontation at all costs! Just buy time!”
The northern expedition had everyone except the mages positioned at the front.
Kim Yuhyun chose a scattered formation, facing the giants in squads of fifty. Though this made them vulnerable to being picked off individually, there was no other choice. There was no time to form a tighter formation, and gathering together would only mean being crushed mercilessly.
Better to scatter and stall as long as possible, relying on the mages’ concentrated fire.
As Kim Yuhyun gritted his teeth, watching the giants now just a hundred meters away, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears.
“Hyung!”
He blinked in disbelief, eyes widening.
“Hyung!”
When the voice came again, doubt turned to certainty.
His eyebrows shot up, disbelief written all over his face as he looked toward the sound. There, leading about thirty mercenary clan members, was Kim Suhyun.
“Y-you… huh?!”
As soon as Kim Suhyun reached him, he covered Kim Yuhyun’s mouth before he could speak, then leaned in close, their noses almost touching.
“Let’s talk later, okay?”
“……!”
“The situation’s urgent. For now, we’ll help you. Let’s take care of those guys first.”
“……”
Kim Yuhyun’s eyes, which had been shining brightly, slowly dimmed. A flicker of conflict crossed his face.
When he first saw Kim Suhyun, relief was the strongest feeling after surprise.
The situation was dire. The scattered formation was a desperate measure, but it had many flaws.
Most importantly, the users leading each squad were mediocre. There was no strong leader to face the giants head-on and guide the others. Maybe only Gong Chanho was somewhat capable.
But then Kim Suhyun appeared.
Among the mercenary clan, at least a dozen were well-known users wherever they went. Just their presence was enough to boost morale. Evidence of this was the users nearby shouting excitedly that Kim Suhyun had arrived.
“Got it?”
Kim Suhyun asked to confirm.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Even in the short time since, the sound of giants’ footsteps hitting the ground grew louder, closer.
Glancing aside, Kim Yuhyun saw the giants were now just eighty meters away. He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his teeth until they ached.
After a moment, Kim Suhyun’s hand slowly dropped from his mouth.
“…Help us.”
Finally, Kim Yuhyun’s quiet voice pleaded for aid.
“Brother-in-law, may I take temporary command of the mages?”
At that moment, Jung Ha-yeon stepped forward decisively, requesting to lead the mages. Technically, it was a blatant disregard for protocol, but there was no time to argue—things were far too urgent.
“Please. All the mages are gathered in the rear.”
Kim Yoo-hyun nodded in agreement.
This time, Jung Ha-yeon turned her gaze to Kim Soo-hyun.
“Go ahead.”
Soo-hyun gave his approval as well.
“Thank you. Han-byul, Helena, come with me.”
With a bright smile, Jung Ha-yeon took Kim Han-byul and Helena and hurried toward the rear lines.
“Fifty meters…”
Kim Soo-hyun muttered quietly.
Thanks to Kim Yoo-hyun’s quick efforts to calm everyone, the northern expedition forces were slowly organizing into squads and forming battle lines. Though they fought in a scattered formation, it was essentially a chaotic melee.
In a situation like this, there was only one way to turn the tide and seize victory. Kim Soo-hyun was fully aware of that.
“All right, then…”
He spun around and addressed the clan members.
“Seon Yoo-woon, Go Yeon-ju, Ahn Sol, Baek Han-gyeol—you four, follow me and my brother.”
The four called out immediately stepped up beside him.
“We’ll split into two squads. One led by Nam Da-eun, the other by Cha So-rim…”
As Soo-hyun gave his orders, the mercenary clan members moved with precision.
“And Vivian will take on the monstrous birds, just like we discussed earlier…”
“Wait, Soo-hyun. You want Vivian to face the monstrous bird legion?”
Kim Yoo-hyun was also aware of the behavioral changes in the monstrous birds and had been wringing his hands, unsure how to handle them. By chance, Soo-hyun had just come up with a solution.
“Exactly. We have a resident who can summon a legion of demonic beasts on our side.”
A brief flicker of hope crossed Yoo-hyun’s face.
“So…”
“Of course, we have other targets to deal with separately.”
Soo-hyun grabbed Yoo-hyun’s arm and pointed straight ahead.
“Look over there.”
“…?”
Following his brother’s gesture, Kim Yoo-hyun’s gaze shifted—and his heart sank.
“That has to be the leader.”
There, in the center of the plains, a giant walked forward, flanked by several towering guardians. Though the smallest in stature, his eyes blazed white-hot, and in one hand he wielded Mjolnir.
How could anyone forget that giant?
“Kushan…”
Kim Yoo-hyun muttered the name in stunned disbelief.
“Kim Soo-hyun! Kim Soo-hyun is here?”
Suddenly, a burly man charged forward like a wild boar from one side.
“…Gong Chan-ho?”
Soo-hyun’s eyes flickered with surprise at the sight of the man.
“Perfect timing. You, come here.”
“You… uh, what?”
Just as Gong Chan-ho was about to speak, Soo-hyun waved him over urgently.
“This is serious! What are you waiting for?”
Pressed again, Chan-ho’s face showed reluctance, but he hesitantly stepped forward. Soo-hyun immediately grabbed his shoulder and whispered quietly.
“Listen carefully. While our allies handle the monstrous birds and other giants, we’re going after the king.”
Chan-ho flinched for a moment.
“W-we?”
“There’s no time for long explanations. Just think of it as a caravan. Your job here is simple: hold out as long as you can and draw their attention. Got it?”
Chan-ho was somewhat aware of the situation. He gave a half-hearted nod and glanced around, noticing the other users standing nearby.
“Okay, I get it.”
This was the first time a user had teamed up with Kim Soo-hyun.
As the situation settled, the giants closed in—now just within striking distance.
The seven users remaining in the center all wore tense expressions as they stared down the approaching giants.
The warrior, “Master of the Surama Spear,” Gong Chan-ho.
The assassin, “Shadow Queen,” Go Yeon-ju.
The mage, “Thunder God,” Kim Yoo-hyun.
The archer, “Divine Archer,” Seon Yoo-woon.
The priest, “Radiant Cleric,” Ahn Sol.
The keeper, “Shield of the Gods,” Baek Han-gyeol.
The joker, “Swordsmanship Expert,” Kim Soo-hyun.
Together, this was the strongest caravan assembled to face the awakened demigod, Kushan Thor.
Then, something changed.
At thirty meters, Kushan Thor slowed his pace, then suddenly lifted his foot high and slammed it down with tremendous force.
KRAAANG!
Like thunder crashing, a terrifying shockwave surged forward. The ground writhed like waves, and dirt and rocks exploded in all directions. No magic was involved—pure brute strength caused the tremors.
The shockwave bore down on the users.
But Kim Soo-hyun wasn’t about to take it lying down.
“Hup!”
With a sudden, fierce shout, Soo-hyun slammed his sword into the ground with all his might. The air around him roared violently, forming a powerful wave.
And then—
KRAKAKAKAKAKAKAK!
A swirling mass of magical energy tore through the air, carving a deep groove in the earth as it surged forward in a straight line.
Soo-hyun’s wave collided head-on with the incoming shockwave.
BOOM!
An enormous explosion erupted in midair, followed by a deafening roar.
Did Kushan sense something was amiss?
“Kuuoooooo!”
The giant paused, then let out a mighty roar. His eyes, now blazing white-hot, burned with fierce intensity.
At the same moment, clear flames flickered in Kim Soo-hyun’s eyes, baring his teeth in a fierce grin.
As the two monsters locked eyes, a new battle truly began.
Among all five of Soo-hyun’s fiercest fights so far, this was the opening act.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
We’re finally approaching the climax of the third region’s conquest. Ha ha ha.
The demigod awakened: Kushan Thor.
VS.
The strongest users we can assemble right now.
And in the next chapter, a new legion of demonic beasts will make their appearance. :)
Thanks for reading, and I hope all my readers have a peaceful night!
P.S. Thanks to the person who recommended the BGM “Bios.” I checked it out on a whim after reading the comments, and it really helped me enjoy writing today. :D