Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 58 - Black Giant

Chapter 58 – Black Giant

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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As Elbridge walked down the slope, the clanking footsteps characteristic of paladins could be heard from behind.

However, that sound was not very close.

“Those guys, they don’t seem to have any intention of fighting together, do they?”

At Rombel’s words, Elbridge glanced back.

Indeed, the paladins were following. However, they did not look like they were in the mood to participate in battle.

Since they were in no position to stop Elbridge anyway, and Elbridge had said he would show them something, they were merely following.

“It would be difficult for them to directly defy the order’s policy. It is not as if the order’s policy lacks persuasiveness, either.”

“So, are you planning to fight without support?”

Elbridge stared blankly at Rombel.

“You told me not to calculate this and that, yet are you trying to back out if there is no support?”

“No. Rather, it is for the better. Wouldn’t the Chief God watch over me only if I play an active part in a harsh battle?”

Elbridge laughed.

“There won’t be absolutely no support.”

A look of doubt crossed Marcus’s face as he listened to the conversation.

Except for a few extremely small orders, had not all the orders up in the shantytown united their wills?

“Is there anyone who will come to help?”

“There is one combat order.”

“If it is too small of an order, it won’t be of much help.”

“It is not that small of an order. Rather, it is on the larger side.”

Marcus pondered which order it might be. However, he could not easily come up with an answer.

In no time, they had walked all the way down the slope.

Then, the sight of an immense crowd filling the wide street came into view.

Among them, there was a place where a particularly large crowd gathered. It was none other than the Order of the Golden Platter.

Countless people pushed, pulled, and clamored. A few people were shouting at the top of their lungs from slightly elevated spots.

“Just a little more, just a little more!”

However, as Elbridge took a few more steps forward, the commotion that had continued for the past few days subsided in an instant. The number of paladins who had descended from the hill was too large to ignore.

A few people who were shouting on the platform noticed Elbridge and the paladins, then jumped off the platform and approached.

Among them, the youngest man matched his pace beside Elbridge.

“Hello. You are Sir Elbridge, correct?”

“That is correct.”

“I am called Hans. I was deeply impressed by the activity you showed during the last Grand Festival.”

“I see.”

“Sir Elbridge. For what reason did you descend from the hill?”

“Because a demon has appeared.”

“And…?”

“What more is needed?”

Elbridge’s tone was somewhat blunt. It was because he knew Hans, and those who appeared with Hans, were representatives of the ‘White Hands.’

The people of old also moved orders, being swayed here and there in pursuit of benefits. Clashes between orders were also frequent. However, it had not been as chaotic as it was now.

It was probably because there had been no one attempting to rally the benefit-seeking people to form a faction.

Hans failed to grasp Elbridge’s thoughts and spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

“Sir Elbridge. The demon looks powerful beyond imagination.”

“What is it you wish to say?”

“Sir Elbridge. You only have one life. If you are going to fight anyway, shouldn’t you grasp a certain victory with even more powerful authority?”

Elbridge’s response was curt.

“Considering you worry about such things, it seems you do not wish for this situation to end quickly.”

“Not at all. I merely wish to coordinate the situation.”

“Coordinate, you say.”

“As you know, the arguments of both the combat orders and non-combat orders are persuasive, are they not? We are merely coordinating which side we should lend our strength to, and to what extent.”

“Why would you interfere in that coordination?”

“Because it is difficult for countless people to immediately participate in this crucial consultation. There must be agents like us to end the confusion quickly.”

“I see. Thank you for your hard work.”

When Elbridge only replied bluntly and did not stop his steps, Hans ultimately blocked his way.

“Sir Elbridge. Please wait for just a day and a half. This is indeed for everyone…”

However, Elbridge drew his sword and plunged it into Hans’s shoulder without any hesitation.

“Aaaaack!”

Hans rolled on the floor while clutching his shoulder.

At that, the people beside Hans shouted.

“You, what are you doing!”

“I am on the move for battle. It would not be right to block my way and talk, would it?”

As Elbridge replied dryly, a scrawny man roared.

“If you are still alive after the battle ends, you will have to explain this matter!”

At that, Elbridge stopped his steps and asked back.

“An explanation?”

“Yes! You will have to explain!”

“Me? To you?”

The scrawny man shrank back a little, but ultimately answered while suppressing his fear.

“Absolutely!”

Elbridge chuckled.

“I am a person who feels uncomfortable when postponing things that must be done.”

Elbridge pointed a few steps ahead with his blood-stained sword and said.

“Come in front of me. Because I feel like I should make the explanation first before going.”

Elbridge’s voice was calm from beginning to end.

However, it was not that one had to raise their voice and scream to be felt as threatening.

The scrawny man spoke, unable to bring himself to stand in front of Elbridge.

“…You will have to bear the anger of Solenion’s residents.”

Elbridge smiled faintly. It was because it did not seem like anger would particularly follow.

Rather, there were many people looking at Elbridge with subtly excited expressions.

‘Indeed, the White Hands could not have looked pleasant in the eyes of the believers who had already cast their votes.’

Elbridge stared blankly at the scrawny man.

“I am going to perform my mission. You perform your mission. Whether we lose or win, I hope the coordination is finished when the battle ends. Otherwise, I feel like I will want to hear your explanation as well.”

Elbridge led the people and moved a bit further. Then, a vacant lot filled with the rubble of collapsed buildings appeared.

The gazes of the people, and Elbridge’s gaze, turned toward the exact center of the vacant lot.

There was a giant demon in that place.

The height of the demon was literally as tall as a temple steeple, and its limbs were as large and thick as the massive pillars of a temple. Even on its pitch-black skin, what looked like flames flickered and burned.

However, the blackly burning giant did not make any hasty movements, merely waiting quietly for its opponent.

Elbridge discovered familiar paladins at the edge of the vacant lot.

“Have you been well?”

Viveca replied to Elbridge’s greeting.

“It has been a long time.”

The Order of Spring Rain and Moss was not an order belonging to the shantytown, but was strictly classified as a combat order.

It even held the most seats among Solenion’s combat orders. In effect, they were the best reinforcements for today’s battle.

“Did you train a lot?”

“My skills have improved a bit more than before.”

“I look forward to working with you. Since Sir Viveca holds my life today.”

“Hmph.”

Viveca cast a sidelong glance, and Elbridge smiled sheepishly.

Elbridge had left Solenion without a word and returned after a few months. It was more than enough time for Viveca to fathom Elbridge’s thoughts.

And fortunately, Viveca did not seem to harbor any ill feelings toward Elbridge.

“Let us go.”

Elbridge and Rombel the lead, Marcus, and the paladins of the Order of Spring Rain and Moss stepped onto the rubble of the collapsed building.

At that, as if to punish those who invaded its territory, the sitting demon slowly raised its body.

Marcus looked back. The paladins of the other combat orders could not enter the vacant lot created by the demon. Ultimately, they chose the path of remaining as bystanders.

“Ah, I’m starting to regret coming…”

Marcus could not shake off his anxiety.

However, Elbridge deemed it fine nonetheless. At any rate, was Marcus not standing on the rubble of the building?

Marcus was always like that. He might not be very brave, but he was not cowardly either.

“Do not overdo it. Since Rombel and I will lead the battle, Mr. Marcus just needs to aim for opportunities from an appropriate position.”

“I’d prefer it if I didn’t have to do anything until the battle ends.”

“That probably won’t happen.”

Rombel asked Elbridge with a grumpy expression.

“What are you going to do?”

“First, we should find out what kind of guy it is.”

“Shall we give it a deep stab?”

“Let’s do that.”

Elbridge and Rombel widened their distance and approached the black giant.

The black giant pondered for a moment, then looked toward Elbridge.

Elbridge approached the black giant while holding his sword and shield.

One step. Two steps. Three steps…

While approaching a few steps like that, the black giant suddenly twisted its body. Elbridge threw himself while watching the giant’s movements. And—

Crash!

The black giant’s fist drove down onto the place where Elbridge had been.

Despite having a massive body, the black giant moved as fast as an ordinary knight.

Its strength also transcended imagination.

The giant’s fist struck the ground, crushing the rubble of the building piled on the earth, and Elbridge, Rombel, and even the onlookers felt a sensation of their soles shaking violently.

‘It’s swifter than I thought.’

Koong!

The giant’s second fist drove down. Elbridge flew his body again and, while in midair, swung his sword to try and slash the giant’s fist. There was a sensation of the blade piercing the giant’s skin.

‘…It isn’t very hard. But the heat is stronger than I expected.’

Subsequently, the giant raised its right foot, seeking to trample Elbridge. However, there was no way Elbridge, whom it could not even catch with its fists, would be trampled by the giant’s foot.

However, the giant’s target was not its foot.

Kwarararak—

Elbridge hurriedly turned his head and looked in the direction from which the sound was heard.

The giant’s left arm was approaching, sweeping across the ground and the rubble of the building piled on the floor.

Was it trying to attack Elbridge with its grip?

It was not.

Taak—

The moment the giant’s palm, which was sweeping the ground, rose from the floor, the building rubble spread on the floor was launched at an enormous speed. As if giant rocks and timber had been shot out with a slingshot.

Elbridge threw his body to escape from the trajectory in which the rubble was bouncing away.

However, the reactions of the onlookers and paladins watching the battle were not as fast.

Crunch.

“Ah, aaaaack!”

A sound like something being crushed or bursting rang out.

Though he did not know for sure, not a few people must have died and been injured by the blow just now.

However, Elbridge had no way to help up to that point either.

‘Did it collapse the building for this purpose?’

Without even a moment to catch his breath, the black giant’s right fist flew toward Elbridge.

This time too, the moment Elbridge sought to evade, the building rubble beneath his feet collapsed, throwing off Elbridge’s balance.

Lurch—

Thanks to that, Elbridge’s evasion became slightly clumsy.

At the very next moment, Elbridge’s left leg was crushed as it was pressed down by the giant’s fist.

Crunch.

“…”

A powerful shock felt after a long time. However, Viveca’s reaction was fast.

“The authority of healing!”

As Viveca shouted, Elbridge’s left leg was enveloped in a pure white cluster of light.

The pain was still there. However, Elbridge’s crushed left leg bones began to fit together in an instant.

‘As expected, the efficiency is good only when a paladin belonging to the order directly unleashes the authority.’

This time, the giant’s face turned toward Viveca. The appearance of the giant’s shoulders twitching was also visible.

Instead of his left leg, which was still not fully recovered, Elbridge used only his right leg to leap his body. The target point was in front of Viveca.

Elbridge arrived in front of Viveca slightly faster than the giant’s attack. And supporting his upper body with his right leg, he requested the first authority of this battle.

“Goddess! Grant me the authority of no retreat!”

Over Elbridge’s white-glowing shield, the giant’s fist slammed.

Boom!

An incomparably large difference in physical size.

However, Elbridge’s shield cleanly blocked the demon’s attack.

However, even the flames wrapping around the giant’s body could not be blocked with the shield.

Heat that seemed like it would burn his entire body rushed in. The heat was so strong that Elbridge had to temporarily halt his breathing. Otherwise, his lungs would burn.

“Heok, heok, cough, cough!”

Unlike Elbridge, Viveca could not immediately stop her breathing.

Still, a big problem would not arise. Since Viveca was slightly further back, and could also heal her own wounds.

The giant’s shoulder was drawn back again.

However, there was someone the giant had missed until now. Rombel.

Rombel, who had run over quietly, threw his body as if brushing the ground and swung his massive double-bitted axe.

Slash. The back of the giant’s ankle was deeply cut.

“…”

With a cry that was hard to express in words, the giant tottered.

However, Rombel’s attack was not finished. Rombel, who cleanly rolled twice and balanced himself, used one leg as an axis to rotate his whole body a couple of times.

And utilizing centrifugal force, he threw the massive axe at the giant.

“Eat this!”

Rombel’s double-bitted axe flew toward the giant’s head.

The black giant immediately crossed both arms to block Rombel’s axe.

However, Rombel’s attack was not meant to kill the giant, but to restrict its actions. In the meantime, Elbridge, who had recovered his left leg, leaped toward the giant.

Sizzle—

The blazing black flames heated up the armor in an instant. If he hesitated even slightly, his skin might be roasted golden brown.

However, Elbridge reached the giant’s bent knee in just three steps.

And on the fourth step.

Elbridge kicked off the giant’s knee and leaped toward the giant’s wide-open chest.

Thud!

Elbridge drove his sword right into the center of the giant’s chest.

“…”

The giant let out a silent scream once again.

Elbridge, hanging onto the sword, slid down, leaving a deep and long wound on the giant’s chest and abdomen.

The paladins gasped, watching the joint attack of Elbridge and Rombel that unfolded in an instant.

“…Insane.”

Roughly a month ago, even though dozens of paladins who had finished full preparations charged at it, far from subduing that giant, they could not even inflict a proper wound.

But now. Elbridge and Rombel inflicted a fatal wound on the giant with a close yet perfect joint attack. Even though not much time had passed since the battle began.

“Just the two of them defeated the demon?”

“No, to be precise, it wasn’t two…”

Was it not a boast that he would show them how to hunt a demon?

While the paladins were thinking so, Viveca, who had healed her wounds, asked.

“Did you defeat it?”

However, Elbridge and Rombel did not have particularly excited or joyful expressions.

Elbridge answered calmly.

“No. Viveca. We only wanted to see its reaction.”

“But, the demon is like that…”

Viveca stared quietly at the giant.

The black giant was still twisted, and cracks centered around the wound on its chest were spreading throughout its entire body. As if a rock had been broken with a chisel.

Finally, the black giant shattered and exploded.

An nameless young paladin shouted joyfully.

“They defeated it!”

However, it did not take a long time to realize that the prediction had missed the mark.

Because dozens of fragments of the exploded giant slowly stood up.

The fragments of the giant had only shrunk in size, each possessing the complete form of a demon.

The physical size of each fragment was roughly twice that of a person.

“…”

No, rather, the situation might have worsened.

Because now, the black giant’s movement was not restricted to the vacant lot.

The giant’s fragments began to run in all directions in search of victims.