Interlude: Attacking Giants
Dragon Island, offshore.
In the jet black depths of the sea god knows how far away, in an unknown area that was supposed to be âsilent, a dazzling light capable of penetrating through the dark blue sea swelled out from within.
The surrounding seawater had been forced away by a gigantic magic array, forming a semi-spherical void with a radius of a hundred kilometers. It projected beams of colorful lights from the various colored gems and crystals present, crisscrossing through each otherâs paths, suffusing the entire area with a banquet-like atmosphere.
From the massive gems and pearls, to the various kinds of decorative ornaments, alluring seasonal music, the cacophony of voices, the clinking of wine glasses and the flattering comments that would ring out from time to time, this place truly appeared just like a high society banquet hall that could be found in human countries.
Certainly, that would be the case if they reduced the size of everything present.
Thatâs right. The upper-class âpeopleâ present here were hundreds of meters tall, and their habits differed completely from your average human habits.
Therefore, the actual situationâ¦
âOh! Isnât that elder bro Argyll?â
âHa! Long time no see, younger bro Hawk!â
The two brothers that have not seen each other for quite some time were delighted to have bumped into each other. Rushing forward, they clapped at each otherâs shoulders, causing thunderous sounds to ring out that showed the surging emotions within their heart. The dust that was kicked up by their actions had settled into the wine cups carved out from the bones of some unknown sea beast.
âHaha! Youâre still as strong and healthy as ever, elder bro Argyll!â Hawk roared out with a huge grin as he sent a punch towards Argyllâs face. However, right at the instant his fist made contact, the sturdy and resilient muscles of his target almost caused his âwestern suitâ crafted from the leather of some unknown skin to rip apart.
âYouâre also very fit and healthy, younger bro Hawk!â despite his face being warped by the punch, to the point of there being an audible crack that sounded suspiciously like the cracking of bones, Argyll appeared not to give a damn. With a wide grin, his lower body was sent flying. Relying on the momentum, he raised his foot, while simultaneously exerting force with his waist. Thirty-two different abdominal muscles contracted in succession, appearing just like a dragon as it rippled down his leg, sending it sweeping out towards Hawkâs waist in a whip-like motion.
Both of them tumbled across the ground simultaneously, kicking up dust clouds that towered a few hundred meters highâ.
âHahahahaha!!â unable to stand on their feet, the two men burst into hearty laughter, all while completely ignoring their deformed bones and shattered organs.
Despite their pitiful appearances, the actions of the two did not incur any repercussions towards their surrounding environment. In fact, there wasnât even a single gaze pulled over by the commotion.
Thatâs because similar spectacles were happening throughout their surroundings.
The two old friends exchanged greetings, beat each other up, before collapsing onto the ground. Even females were no exception to this.
There would occasionally be a victor âable to stand up. However, the victorâs face would ânot wear a pleasant expression, with most of them clenching their teeth as they looked towards their blood-vomiting companions.
This wasnât some kind of suicidal meeting, but the Deep-sea Giantâs Gathering of the King thatâs held once every 3 years.
Thatâs right, these western-suit wearing upper class âpeopleâ, were precisely members of the Giant Kingdomâs royalties and nobilities. The blows they exchanged with each other were precisely the ancient greeting customs of the Deep-sea Giants, with the harder the blow being correlated to the depth of emotion one felt for the other.
These actions were demonstrations of oneâs strength and love.
If the other party doesnât even have the strength to knock one over, it meant that he did not love one at all.
This was the reason behind the ugly expressions present on those who could stand, as they had felt that their companions had more or less treated them akin to weeds growing by the side of the road.
âQuiet!â
A stern voice rang out from the highest point of the area, causing the entire area to instantly quiet down. It was entirely possible that some folks below had been quiet for a long while already.
A massive stone throne descended from the sky, slowly landing at the centermost position.
Seated on the throne was a Deep-sea Giant, significantly larger than ordinary giants, radiating an aura utterly unlike any other.
Not only was this Deep-sea Giant larger than the other giants, but his skin was also purple, a color that was exceedingly rare for giants, as only the purest of bloodlines within the Giant Royalties were born with such color.
Sweeping his gaze across his surroundings, the Giant King adjusted the crown he wore on his head before saying: âWe⦠are extremely displeased.â
The Giant Kingâs gaze was like lightning, emanating his prestige. The other Deep-sea Giants didnât dare raise their head to look at him, each one lowering their head in succession and âhelpingâ any unyielding fellows by their sides to press their head into the dirt.
âWe are married to 38 queens, but all of them donât love us.â
Rubbing his chin, the Giant King continued, âIn fact, they even left a scar on our face.â
âCould it be that we are really that hated?â
âBy why us? We love them so much that we used our most powerful punch during the night of our weddings!â
âBut why did they have to react like that? All of them had left us without even batting an eye.â
âWhy! Exactly what is wrong! Was it because weâve trained for too long, that we donât even have any fate with women after becoming the strongest in our kingdom?â
The Giant Kingâs face scrunched up malevolently, showing his unbearable impulsion to devour the group of fellows before him: âHowever, you people⦠not only do you not share our woes, you âlet a little girl climb over our head in such tumultuous times!â
The Giant King raised himself furiously off his throne, before roaring out in fury, âAnd you fellows dare to proclaim yourselves as the strongest Deep Ocean Race in the entire world?â
âBut they proclaimed themselves to be of the Dragon Race.â a weak voice rang out in reply.
âDragon?â the Giant King swept his gaze across his subjects to lay eyes on that fellow who lifted his head from the lack of oxygen.
âWas it the Skycleave Clan of the Western Sea that had kidnapped our subjects?â
âNo⦠not them.â the giant carefully handed a drawing to the Giant King, âIt seemed to have the appearance of the Dragon Race based on our previous investigation.â
The Giant King shot a glance at the drawing, before proceeding to explode with anger: âA lizard with a pair of wings dared to claim itself as a member of the Dragon Race?â
The giant scrunched his neck up before replying, âItâs actual appearance looks slightly more formidable than the drawing.â
The Giant King shoved the drawing back at the latterâs face: âSo what? No matter how big it is, itâs still a lizard! Remember! Only the Skycleave Race of the West Ocean is qualified to be our match! They are the only ones that have the qualification to proclaim themselves as dragons!â
âY-y-yes! Your Majesty is the wisest.â
âWe have heard that the one that had been harassing our subjects for the past 3 years is merely a juvenile of this lizard race! This is an utter humiliation! This humiliation is even greater than what we felt after being betrayed by our 38th queen!â
âThereforeâ¦â the Giant King stood up before roaring in a stern voice: âEveryone, here are your orders! We command all of you to lead our most elite subordinates, and follow us on a crusade against those lizards, to let them know⦠That there is always a taller mountain! That ignorant fools will dig their own graves!â
âYes!â
âAs for you,â the Giant King turned his gaze back to the Giant that had handed him the drawing, âWe task you with the mission to search for our 39th queen. You are required to find her before we return!â
After barking out his orders, the Giant King turned his attention away from his subjects. Turning his body around with confidence, he rushed through the sky, disappearing out of sight in an instant.
As this happened, the face of the Giant that was handed the final task by the Giant King turned deathly pale.
For some unknown reason, the females of their Deep-sea Giant race have a high mortality rate. As of now, the ratio between the male and female population has already become the number one problem in their Kingdom, so how the hell was he going to find the 39th queen for his king!
The Giant scratched his head as he pondered. âShould I just offer my âwife?â
â¦â¦
â¦â¦
Dragon Island, near the sea.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Leading a hundred of his elite troops, the Giant King proceeded with his ambush.
âOur generals! Our kingdomâs great foes, those insufferably ignorant lizards that dare to proclaim themselves as the Dragon Race, are right before us.â the Giant King pointed to the sea before him as he started his pre-battle speech, âYour fellow subjects have been harmed by them! Are you able to endure it?â
âNo!â
âSo what should we do!â
âKill their men! Snatch their women!â
âThatâs right! That is precisely what our Giant Kingdom should do! Now, generals, follow us and charge!â
âROAR!!!â
Leading the rush, the Giant Kingâs massive frame shot forward at a speed not inferior to a cannonball, breaking through the surface of the water like an arrow, beforeâ¦
He gawked at what he saw.
Azure flames and jet black smoke dominated two halves of this world, etching a deep scar across the heavens. Red creatures that appeared identical to the drawing, except many times larger, were engaged in mortal combat against jet black things whose appearance could not be explained with words. Every single action they made raised giant waves towering tens of thousands of meters high, which somehow got dispersed before they could come near their creators.
There were also massive life forms orbiting in the air above the huge island located not far away. Yet, the auras radiating unconsciously from their bodies caused the Giant Kingâs soul to shiver.
Run, I have to run! If I donât run⦠Iâll definitely get killed! This was what the Giant Kingâs instincts were telling him.
Howeverâ¦
âAll hail his majesty! Kill!â arriving behind him, his subordinates took a valiant stance to showcase their bravery as they rushed out from the water.
The mentally stunned Giant King attempted to stop his mentally challenged subordinates. However, the instant he turned his head, he felt a mighty existence look right into his eyes.
âBang!â
Azure flames and black smoke collided against each other once again, as the fight between the two demigods continued.