Though it was ranked as gold, my true abilities fell far short of that. To be honest, I was terrified even of mid-silver-ranked individuals.
After all, the title of Hero and the ability to influence others, along with intelligence, were what allowed me to communicate and barely scrape by with leadership skills.
So, my place wasn’t among the adventurers below wielding weapons but rather up here on the wall.
To be frank, I wouldn’t be any help at all against giants. The moment I touch another being, my magic is drained in proportion to the gap in strength, power, and size. If I were to face a giant, I’d…
…well, immediately suffer from magical exhaustion, faint, and then probably get trampled into the ground or stepped on painfully by adventurers.
The only reason I could touch Alterra was because she was roughly my size and somewhat weakened at the time, and even then, I nearly passed out.
So, I should stay up here and handle fixed, large ballistae or cannons. Several others were also up here adjusting the cannons and ballistae while waiting for the giant to appear.
Ironically, those who fight below are the ones who defy common sense—monsters. How can someone swing such a massive sword without falling over? Are they even human?
Even if we consider Alterra as non-human, how can a human body possibly do that?
“…Yuna, do you think Alterra will really pull this off?”
Yuna, who was adjusting her arm and bow in preparation to unleash a barrage of arrows at the soon-to-appear giant, answered my question straightforwardly.
“She’ll definitely manage. After all, it’s Alterra we’re talking about. But… yeah, there is some worry she might lose focus midway and start doing something like ‘it’ll somehow work out’ and mess things up.”
It seems we share the same thoughts; Yuna also revealed a slight unease. After all, no one thinks Alterra would fail or get hurt since she’s so strong.
Her ability to freely manipulate the ground is already beyond comprehension, yet she’s also incredibly powerful and durable without armor.
If a god created this world, it feels like Alterra has been overly favored. Of course, her complicated and tragic past, along with her hatred for the gods, might balance the scales somewhat, but that’s something we can’t directly perceive.
“I feel the same. Still… I wonder if helping Alterra with her revenge is the right thing to do. No matter how strong she is, she can’t possibly take on a dragon…”
And considering those involved, we might not survive either. Well, when Akashi fights for his life, we can always ride his coattails…
“I think the same. Despite her strength, she only has half the power she inherited, so she can’t defeat a full-fledged dragon. But dreams should still be free to dream, shouldn’t they?”
“Even if it means dying while pursuing them?”
Just as Yuna was about to reply, a shout rang out somewhere on the wall announcing the arrival of the giant.
“Let’s prepare. Myungho, it looks like she managed to bring it here.”
That’s right. With that response, I loaded the cannon with ammunition and adjusted the angle. This isn’t trivial, so I’ll have to give praise afterward.
There’s still plenty of time to discuss revenge later. Besides, something tells me that whatever is lurking in the elven forest isn’t Alterra’s father.
On the horizon, a massive hill-like creature was slowly crawling toward us, raising clouds of dust as it charged fiercely in our direction.
Seeing its size now, I understand why it’s called the Tree Devourer. It makes sense why there aren’t many trees around here. Watching it up close, the reason is clear.
The hill-shaped creature rapidly approached our position. When it was about 1km away from the wall, following the commander’s orders, the cannons fired.
The projectiles flew through the air, striking the turtle’s shell with tremendous explosions, but that was all.
At best, they chipped away a bit of dirt and rock from its back. The giant turtle didn’t seem to care and continued charging blindly toward us.
Then Alterra appeared, endlessly throwing rocks at the turtle’s head, teasing it just enough to keep it agitated.
I momentarily lost myself watching her run effortlessly before snapping back to reality as another command rang out, causing me to scramble and reload the cannon.
Despite the lack of visible damage, seeing Alterra reassured me.
It’ll work. Though I can’t do much myself, Yuna was also lending her strength by pulling her bowstring taut and releasing arrows amidst the cannon fire.
The rain of cannonballs finally blew away the dirt covering the turtle’s shell, revealing a layer of rock beneath.
Not the shell itself, though. We’re still far from breaking it. Eventually, the giant turtle reached almost 100 meters away.
“Everyone! Brace for impact!”
Someone who looked like a commander quickly grabbed a flagpole, crouched down, and lay flat.
I also clung to anything I could find, fearing I’d be flung away, while Yuna used her bow as a support by driving it into the ground.
Alterra simply buried herself halfway into the ground by rolling around.
Wait, why is Alterra here?
Before I could finish thinking, an earth-shattering sound erupted, making my whole body tremble. The shockwave felt like it was shaking my insides, threatening to knock me unconscious.
I can’t show weakness in front of Alterra. As she said, I must endure ‘like a man,’ even though I’m wobbling and struggling to stand upright.
“…Alterra, when did you… come up here?”
“I just got here. Ugh, my stomach feels like it’s vibrating. Even so, I did well, right? I brought it here unharmed. Though I couldn’t stop it completely…”
Hold on. You didn’t hold back? When I asked in surprise, she explained that attacks during its charge were futile.
“…Seems like I underestimated it. This might be a tougher fight than expected. I’ll head down! Keep going up here!”
Alterra flexed her greatsword and leapt down the wall. I tried calling her back briefly but let her go. She’ll definitely do fine.
Moreover, the abilities she used while moving didn’t cause much damage, but her stationary abilities might inflict significant harm.
“…Let’s keep pushing, Yuna. Be careful not to fall.”
“Hah. Are you worried about me now? You’re the one who almost passed out just now.”
Caught.
After a brief moment of embarrassment, I adjusted the misaligned cannon to aim at the turtle’s head.
Or rather, where its head should have been. The turtle had withdrawn it inside its shell.
…Will shooting the shell even break it? I decided to aim at the legs instead, but suddenly the turtle’s body moved backward.
Then, after creating enough distance, the turtle rammed its head like a battering ram straight into the wall with its massive bulk.
—
What is this thing made of…!
“No matter how hard I strike with my greatsword or launch sharp rocks from below, I can barely scratch it.”
Even attacking its scaly limbs and tail with all my might felt like trying to dig into a mountain of clay.
Clearly, I’m inflicting some damage, but it’s nowhere near enough to take it down.
Other humans are swarming the legs, which are the only vulnerable spots, striking with all their strength, but the most they can do is make it bleed.
Even that blood is coming from the wounds I’ve created. The only self-inflicted damage is the occasional broken claw.
It doesn’t collapse or buckle; it merely sheds some outer layers and bleeds slightly.
Moreover, it seems its target has shifted from me to the wall, as it relentlessly charges, using its immense mass to try and demolish it.
Already drained from excessive use of magic to the point of losing consciousness…
If I turn off my senses and focus solely on killing it, I could probably do it, but everything nearby would be caught in the crossfire.
Not that I ever cared about humans before, but Myungho could also be affected. And without Akashi around to stop me…
Roughly three more body slams and the wall will collapse.
Reinforcing the wall might buy us more time, but with my entire body covered in scales now, attempting that would definitely trigger a rampage.
This situation turned out to be more troublesome than expected.
Frustrated by the turtle’s unimaginable durability, I heard Myungho shouting my name from above.
Since the turtle isn’t actively attacking anyone below, my absence won’t make much difference. The group has already done enough by creating a few open wounds.
Climbing vertically up the cliff, I found a somewhat weary Myungho and Yuna.
“Altera!! The turtle will soon charge into the wall again!! Can you create the sharpest and strongest spear possible where it will hit??!!!”
Amidst the noise of cannons and mages, and the continuous firing of large ballistae, Myungho shouted loudly to convey his idea.
When the turtle charges again, we’ll pierce its head with a large spear.
Looking at myself, scales cover my chest, stomach, arms, and legs.
My eyes are likely not normal anymore. My horns have grown, meaning my sclera has probably darkened too. My neck is likely covered in scales as well.
“Understood. I’ll try.”
Still, if asked, I must attempt it. His suggestion made sense: hitting a pointed spear instead of a flat surface when it charges.
Will the turtle’s head fare better against a flat surface or a sharp point?
A worthwhile gamble. Kneeling next to Myungho, I plunged my hands into the ground to shape the material as I desired.
“…Altera! Get ready!! It’s about to charge again!”
He doesn’t need to tell me; I can see it. He’s pulling back his body to prepare for another collision with the wall.
The moment the massive creature slams into the wall, I’ll raise the sharpest and strongest stone spear I can create where its head will strike.
Instead of the usual thunderous crash of rock against rock, an ear-splitting screech echoed throughout the land.
Checking the result, part of my spear was embedded in what could be considered the turtle’s snout. The base remained fused with the wall.
“Did it work?!?!”
“…No, it’s not enough!”
The turtle retracted its bleeding head into its shell and attempted to flee by turning its body.
Well, there’s nothing we can do about that.
“Hey, Myungho. Can your brush put me to sleep or calm me down?”
“With the brush?! Why suddenly?”
“I think if I use any more magic here… I might fully lose control. Still, I don’t want to watch this thing escape. So, I plan to explode what’s stuck in its face. If you can’t do it, I won’t proceed.”
Myungho hesitated, clutching his head in thought before firmly deciding he could manage it.
Good. A man should have this kind of determination.
Extending my magic widely to reach the spear embedded in the turtle’s snout, it was deep enough that detonating it might crush its brain.
“Write it down beforehand. Just finishing the last character will make me pass out instantly.”
Myungho took a deep breath and placed the brush on my body. The cold, slightly unpleasant sensation accompanied by his strained groans as he tried to maintain his focus.
Is he holding on? But he persevered and inscribed characters onto my body.
That’s the spirit. Clenching my fists, I detonated the spear embedded in the turtle’s head.
And immediately lost consciousness.
