Chapter 342: 179. The Frost Giant -2 (Part Two)

Translated by A Passing Wanderer

Edited by RED

The Skeleton King barely managed to raise its golden bone sword in time. The two spearheads collided against the raised blade, causing a massive explosion.

The giant undead staggered unsteadily.

Meanwhile, Hrímr moved its huge body in a shockingly agile manner, displaying great nimbleness.

Its feet danced around as if it was having fun, and it continued to swing around its spears. The ice spears were well over twelve metres long, and they crossed, danced, and sliced, utterly demolishing their surroundings. Everywhere they swung past, frozen mountains of ice shot up.

Eventually, one of the ice spears managed to deflect the Skeleton King’s sword away.

-It’s now!-

An opening had finally presented itself.

The other ice spear instantly stabbed into the unguarded ribcage of the Skeleton King. The undead’s glowing eyes widened greatly. On the other hand, a thick and slimy smile formed on Hrímr’s lips.

-Explode!-

Spikes of ice exploded within the Skeleton King’s torso. The bone giant’s body creaked noisily before completely freezing over, unable to move any more.

Only its glowing eyeballs could shift around to stare at Hrímr.

The Frost Giant guffawed. -What’s this? You’ve been talking big, yet only after this much…!-

The Skeleton King’s free hand punched straight into Hrímr’s gut just then. The giant’s frame, at least thirty metres tall, was lifted clean up off the ground.

-…You bastard!-

Hrímr grabbed the Skeleton King’s skull and slammed it into the ground in retaliation. The Frost Giant’s fingers of ice dug deeper and deeper into the skull.

After making sure that the huge skull had been driven deep into the ice-covered ground, Hrímr heaved forward, smashing the Skeleton King’s head into the frozen iceberg before it.

-Fuu-wuu…-

Hrímr watched on in satisfaction as the Skeleton King was trapped under the crumbling ice mountain.

The Frost Giant let down its guard for a moment. At that very instant, a spike made out of bones thrust out from the ground and impaled Hrímr through the torso.

Snow spewed out from Hrímr’s mouth like blood, and the giant’s expression distorted greatly.

-How persistent are you, you measly bag of bones!-

-That’s what I should say to you, oh King of Ice!-

Whenever these two massive kaiju-like creatures made a move, the city around them was demolished even further. But there were no survivors around anyway, meaning the Skeleton King didn’t have to hold back anymore.

‘What in the hell is…!’

Hrímr couldn’t help but furrow its brow while dealing with the Skeleton King’s attack.

This undead was powerful. As a matter of fact, it was getting even stronger with every passing second. But it was different from the concept of ‘becoming stronger’, but more like it was releasing more and more of its previously-sealed strength!

Hrímr’s glare shifted to the lower torso of the Skeleton King. The Frost Giant sensed this unexplainable ‘power’ emanating from beneath the frozen holy water’s surface.

That had to be the source of the undead’s strength!

Hrímr loosened itself. -I see now. If I drag your body out of there, then…-

…Then, it’d become that much easier to subdue this undead!

Hrímr rushed up to the Skeleton King, grabbing onto it. The giant’s right hand found a secure hold on the skeletal giant’s shoulder.

The snow-covered giant began pulling at the giant of bones in order to forcibly yank the latter out into the open.

BOOM-!

The ice below shattered, and the Skeleton King’s upper torso was dragged out even further, but that was about it.

There was a loud thud, and something stopped it from coming out.

-Bloody hell! Stop thinking of hiding away! You proclaimed to be a King, so you better reveal the rest of yourself!-

Hrímr’s left hand thrust into the frozen lake of the holy water where the Skeleton King’s lower body should be.

The bone giant stared at the Frost Giant and narrowed its glowing eyeballs.

-Are you confident of not regretting your decision?-

The Skeleton King suddenly warned it. It was promptly ignored by the Frost Giant.

-There is no point to your struggles, undead! To me, you are merely…?!-

Hrímr’s fingers began distorting and tearing at space. Thinking that it had finally found the opportunity, the Frost Giant forcibly ripped the fabric of space apart.

And it was right at that moment Hrímr’s expression truly froze.

-…Ah.-

It even let out a dumbfounded gasp.

The distorted space that seemed to be connected to the Skeleton King’s upper torso…

It turned out to be the depths of the abyss, where not even a speck of light could reach. It was darkness itself.

But then, Hrímr still could see ‘something’ within all that pitch-black darkness. Fear instantly filled the Frost Giant’s face. Its eyes rattled uncontrollably, and its jaw fell as a terrified scream escaped from its mouth.

-W-w-what is that?!-

Massive hands suddenly erupted out from the jet-black space. These hands made out of bones grabbed onto all four of Hrímr’s limbs to pull the giant in.

Right into that distorted, jet-black space…

The dragging force was truly, indescribably strong.

This… this could not be allowed! If Hrímr got sucked in there, it would definitely…!

-You, you bastard!-

Hrímr drove its feet into the ground and froze the surface in ice in an attempt to secure its footing, but even the ice shattered helplessly, and the giant was still dragged inside.

Rather ironically, Hrímr was getting sucked into the mouth of the space it had ripped open.

The Skeleton King lowered its gaze. From the lake of holy water where its lower half was contained, a truly horrifying noise could be heard.

The noise of something being crushed. Shattered. Sounds of something being eaten away resounded from below.

Hrímr’s despairing scream could be heard rising next.

-Uwaaaaaahk!-

Hrímr’s hand shot out from within the distorted space. It clutched onto the ground, and the Frost Giant mustered every ounce of its energy to pull itself out from there.

Countless skeletons were clinging to the giant’s body. These undead were gnawing away at the giant’s ‘flesh’ like some kind of parasitic bugs.

Hrímr fearfully looked back at the interior of the holy water, where its lower half was still stuck.

‘That, that is not possible!’

Something inside that pitch-black space could be seen shifting around ominously. Just what the hell could that thing even…?!

The legs of the Frost Giant were suddenly grabbed by something within that abyss.

This could not be allowed to happen! Hrímr knew instinctively that getting dragged in there would be its death.

The Frost Giant screamed in terror, and chose to sever its connection to the nerves of its own legs. The two legs made out of ice and snow were ripped off its body, allowing the giant to finally escape from the distorted space.

Almost at the same time, the mouth of the space closed shut.

Hrímr crawled on the ground pathetically, howling out like a madman, -Monster, monster!!!-

The expression of the Frost Giant was deeply twisted by sheer terror of it all. Not too long afterwards, snow piled up on where its legs used to be, froze into recognisable shapes, and the limbs were restored in full.

But Hrímr had shown its back by now. It no longer held the drive to continue on with this battle.

The Skeleton King held its head high. But just as it raised its golden bone sword up…

-Not yet! I, I’m still alive!-

Hrímr staggered back up to its feet.

-As long as I live, I can get my revenge! Y-yes, that’s right! If I join forces with other kings, then you, you bastard! I will…!-

The Frost Giant quickly retreated from there while glaring at the Skeleton King.

-…I will kill…?!-

KA-BOOOOM!

Hrímr’s head was enveloped in a vicious explosion. Thick black plumes of smoke rose up.

-Ku-aaaaahk?!-

Hrímr toppled down as water containing frost vomited out from its mouth. The Frost Giant’s shaking eyes shifted over to the side.

In the far distance… It could see a human army beyond the city limits.

-What are those things now?!-

The army was made up of soldiers clad from head to toe in pure-white armour with Runes engraved on their surfaces, and about fifty or so large cannons arranged in a formation.

They were being led by a woman with silver hair riding on a magnificent horse.

That was none other than Charlotte Heraiz.

Hrímr was deeply enraged by their sudden appearance.

**

Her neatly tied silver hair danced in the howling winds. Her sharply-furrowed brow and crimson eyes were glaring at Hrímr the Frost Giant.

She wasn’t late.

The command Charlotte had received from His Majesty said that on the fifth year from the prophecy, she must lead the army forth and set up a camp around the capital city of the Ariana Duchy.

Her job was to prepare for the possible invasion of the giants. She was to be on standby here for the next year or so.

However, there was no need to be on standby anymore, all thanks to the Jötnar choosing to make their moves first.

Now, she only had one job to do here.

To massacre the giants!

-You bastards dare…! You mere insects…!- the Frost Giant roared out, but Charlotte didn’t even pay any attention to it.

She issued a new command, “Fire away!”

The fifty or so cannons spat out intense flames. Shells made out of divinity drew mesmerising arcs in the air like some kind of shooting stars. They rose high, high up, before falling back to earth.

-N-no, wait!-

Hrímr took the full brunt of the bombardment, and its whole body began breaking down. The legs of snow and ice that had been regenerated earlier were destroyed once more, causing the massive giant to fall face first to the ground.

Its ice armour was cracked and split apart, and the intense flames burning on it melted the ice down.

Hrímr screamed as a horrifying pain it had never experienced before in its entire life assaulted it relentlessly.

Charlotte pulled at her mount’s reins. The Unira, the descendant of the legendary Unicorns, neighed and reared up powerfully before dashing forward at a breakneck speed.

Her neatly-tied silver hair danced behind her head.

‘He’s somewhere here.’

She could feel it. She could sense his aura.

With a shield on her left hand and a sword in her right, she leapt towards the collapsed Frost Giant flailing awkwardly about in the demolished cityscape.

-You, you measly insect…!-

“Oh, goddess of the world…”

Hrímr’s jaw opened wide. It used more snow to reconstruct its destroyed legs, then lunged at her.

“Grant this servant your Grace…”

A robe and hood of divinity materialised over her leaping figure, and even the sword in her hand was encased in divine power, becoming a humongous greatsword of light.

The Grim Reaper Transformation was now active.

A powerful aura of divinity gushed out from her whole body.

Hrímr, water leaking out from its eyes, nostrils, and mouth like blood, desperately grabbed for her, but the Skeleton King’s sword impaled the Frost Giant from behind first.

“Grant this servant a sturdy shield, and…”

Charlotte viciously swiped with the shield on her left hand.

Hrímr’s large head was greeted by a powerful explosion, and was jerked away to the side, exposing its unguarded neck.

“…and a sword to slaughter your enemies!”

The greatsword of light in her right hand rose up to pierce the heavens. Divinity and the blade, now acting as one entity, came down in one almighty strike.

A brilliant flash of sword light exploded out, and cleanly severed Hrímr’s head from its torso.

-Ah… ah…-

The severed head of the giant fell and rolled around on the ground. It was still alive somehow, and it continued to moan pitifully away as icy tears streamed down from its eyes.

Charlotte landed on top of the severed Frost Giant’s head. She pushed back the strands of her dancing hair and looked up.

Her eyes took in the sight of a citadel about to collapse, and a figure on top of that very structure.

She could see Allen currently fighting against the Jötnar over there.

“…”

Her sharp brows softened ever so slightly. A hint of gentle smile floated on her lips as the light in her eyes betrayed just how much she had missed him.

“The shield and the sword of the Imperial Family, Charlotte Heraiz,” she spoke in a whisper so soft that the intended audience would never get to hear her. Despite knowing that, she still murmured on, “…will now participate in the hunt for the giants as well, Your Majesty!”

She climbed aboard the Unira once more and rushed towards Allen’s location.

< 179. The Frost Giant -2 (Part One and Two) > Fin.

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