## Chapter 944 – How Long Has It Been?

The power emanating from that formidable physique was beyond imagination. The instant that thing kicked off the ground and flew towards me was truly instantaneous, and the impact of that massive sword striking me was equally swift.

However, I’m not one to be unable to block this.

—Clang!!!!

I, too, countered with Vigal, engulfed in sword energy, to nullify the impact. But damn, even after blocking, I felt an unbelievable force. This was a cruel weightiness that couldn’t even be compared to a Death Knight.

—Fzzzt!!

Sparks flew from the blade.
Was this the pressure Atlas felt when holding up the Earth?

“Damn it, you son of a bitch…!”

A massive sword.
And long arms.

Even though I had nullified the attack, my sword wouldn’t reach its body.

As expected, a difference in reach and size is incredibly tricky. With such a difference, I can’t directly strike the thing’s body while countering.

When you think about it, swordsmanship is ultimately designed to fight people, so when facing such a superhuman giant, you have to use different methods.

This is obviously disadvantageous.

For example, imagine a giant race with the same intelligence as humans. If that giant used mana cultivation techniques or mana mind methods to accumulate mana in their body, honed their swordsmanship, and became a master of killing… they might eat more than humans, but could human assassins really stand a chance against such a being?

Strengthening the body with mana is ultimately based on the inherent basic specs of the body. Unless you have an absolute amount of mana, the bigger and stronger you are, the more efficient you’ll be.

Of course, it would use more energy as well.

“Didn’t you say you were testing my mettle, human hero!!!!”
“I’m already testing it, you muttonhead!!!”
“Interesting! What’s the result!!!”

Of course.

Even with this extreme size difference, I can hold my own.
Which means I’m going to win.

—Whoosh!!!

I glared at the thing and ignited sword flames. It would be better to just break its sword in half!!! I need to destroy the sword first so I can split its head open!!

“Such petty tricks won’t work on this Dor!!!”

—Clang!

The moment I ignited the sword flames, the thing detonated a shockwave as if it had exploded with demonic energy! —Fzzzzzt!! At the same time, black lightning raged, raining down area-of-effect damage around us.

“Kuh-ahhh!!”
“Aaaaargh!!”

That sent the paladins, who were just about to support me, flying back again.

—Whoosh!

I, too, couldn’t withstand the shockwave and was blown away. I was sent flying backwards. That’s why these damn magic swordsmen are such a pain in the ass! It’s so annoying!!! If things get tough in a fight, they can just blast the enemy away like that…! I’d want to learn that if I could.

That’s an inhumane cheat!!!

And Vigal, that son of a bitch, doesn’t seem to have changed much even after eating the Overlord of the Otherworld’s Orb! It seems like his destructive power has increased, but that’s not the deciding factor!

Still a pain in the ass!

—Boooom!!!

Baphomet, who had sent me flying, once again shot out beams of light from his eyes, kicked off the ground, and charged like a torpedo. He intends to finish me off first, without paying attention to the other paladins.

Well, whether or not anything else matters, it’s best to eliminate the one who can deliver the finishing blow first. I would have done the same.

I don’t know how much energy the thing has left, but the paladins’ Holy Enchant can’t completely penetrate its defense right now.

Anyway.

—Thwack!

While flying, I immediately twisted my body, changed my posture, and planted my feet on the wall. —Flex! If I’m standing on solid ground, I have nothing to fear. At the same time, I felt the superhuman power of my lower body. I released the condensed mana as if exploding it, and used the Heavenly Demon Advent Footwork with both feet.

—Kugugugugugung!!!

I launched my body with such force that it almost broke the wall.

“I won’t forgive trash!!!!”
“…!”

In the midst of a full-force, head-on charge, we swung our swords simultaneously.

—Swoooosh!!!

Vigal, engulfed in sword energy, and the thing’s heavy ring sword collided.

—Kaaaaaaang!!!

The impact perfectly canceled out each other’s charging energy, and the thing and I came to a standstill.

—Shiver…!

“Kuh…!”
“Heavy!”

The ensuing power struggle in a standstill was very brief, —Clang! Clang! Clang!! I immediately scraped my blade, kicked off the ground, and tried to get inside the thing’s reach. I have to break through this reach somehow to kill it…!

—Thud!

However, the thing retreated a step the moment I came in, instantly creating a distance of several meters.

“Damn key difference!!!”

The difference between this bastard’s step and my step is so big that it’s not easy to get in even with footwork!

“Your body seems too small to withstand your fighting spirit!!”

Is this bastard mocking me because he knows that?

“Are you unaware that you’re abnormally large!!”
“That’s just a cowardly excuse!!!”
“Are you saying that knowing full well, you bastard!!! To give birth to you, your mother’s womb would have to be the size of a palace!!”

That’s what it would take to give birth to something like that!!

“You’re spouting nonsense like fanatics!!! Even for us Baphomets, we’re small when we’re born!!!”
“Don’t give me that crap! Your mother’s womb would swallow even a palace whole!!! I saw a city destroyed because of it!!! I’m saying this because I saw it with my own eyes!!”
“Stop the nonsense and fulfill the honor of a warrior!!!”

—Clang!

I immediately used an upward slash and took another step in. The thing reacted nimbly to my speed, retreating, swinging its fist, or pulling its blade to respond. As expected, the only answer is to keep attacking until I succeed! The thing is trying to block me right now!!!

That’s when my advance continued.

—…!

After several attempts, the moment I tried to get inside the thing’s reach.

—Whoosh!

The thing pretended to pull back, but instead kicked me with its massive leg. Because of the difference in size and height, even a casual low kick from the thing is deadly. Obviously, getting hit by such a kick would shatter the bones in my entire body, but I immediately burned with the spirit of counterattack and raised my palm.

“Heavenly Demon Shattering Palm.”

Just like when my mom used to give me a backhand smack on the back, I slammed a very powerful smack into its ankle.

—Clang!!

“Kuh-uhhhhh!!!”

That made Baphomet scream, and my body was shot upwards. As expected of the power of the Heavenly Demon Shattering Palm. It also used the thing’s kicking power, but the impact of slamming my palm shot my body up to this height.

—Whirl!

Soaring up, I immediately grabbed Vigal’s hilt with both hands, spun my body intensely, and slammed a spinning slash into the thing’s head.

—Shhhhk!!

The sensation transmitted from the tip of the blade. The thing’s nose, which hadn’t been able to react in time, was severed by the spinning slash.

—Pffft-hahhhh!!

That sent bright red blood spurting out.
The first effective attack.

“Boooom!!!”

—Grasp!!!

“Damn it!!!”

Right then, the thing spurted blood from its nose and reached out its massive hand to grab my body! Fortunately, I was able to raise both hands just before being grabbed—

“—Powerful pressureeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!”

The thing’s grip was beyond imagination!!!!!
Damn it, my body is going to be crushed like thisssss!!

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!”

I focused to the extreme, threw away the pain, ignited sword energy, and thrust Vigal, held in reverse grip, straight down, piercing a large hole in the thing’s hand.

—Thwack!!!

That released the thing’s hand, and just as I was about to fall.

—Swoooosh!!

Cloudy, flying like a shooting star, aimed for the side of the thing’s head—

“—!!!”

The moment it was about to, Baphomet, whether it was the manifestation of an almost beast-like sense, brought its palm to the side of its head to block Cloudy with the hand that had grabbed me.

—Shhhhhhhkkkkkk!!!!

Of course, the ending wasn’t good. Baphomet’s palm was torn apart and shattered!!! It was a very good timing!!

“Cloudy!!!”
“Boooom!!!”

Baphomet roared, and Cloudy, who had blown away the thing’s hand, bounced off the wall, landed, and disappeared somewhere!

“It’s taken a critical hit!!!”
“Subdue it!!”
“Never let it go—!!!”

Taking advantage of the gap, the paladins, bursting with fanatical courage, threw themselves at Baphomet like they did at the beginning.

“Kuh-ahhhhhh—!!!”

Right then, Baphomet, as if having lost its mind, raised its arm, which was now like Rockman because it had no hand, like a gun and aimed it at the paladins!!

“Dangerous!!”

—Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
—Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
—Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Then, black magic bullets poured out of the thing’s Rockman-arm. I immediately protected my body with my sword, and the paladins protected themselves in a similar way.

Looking closely, it seemed to be using its own blood, which was about to flow down, to use magic. Since it was going to spill anyway, it was just going to use blood magic!!!

“Not bad, humans!!!”

Baphomet, who had fired off a barrage of black magic, shouted as if declaring it. There was no more bleeding, as if the bleeding had stopped.

“However, there is no defeat for this Dor!!”

—Grasp!

The thing gripped the ring-shaped greatsword tightly with its good hand, roared once, then kicked off the ground and dashed through space.

—Whoosh!!!

And it swung its sword wildly as if trying to harvest the paladins!

“Dodge it!!!”
“It’s struggling!!!”

It was as if it was sweeping through space itself. It already had a big sword and long arms. One big swing would wreck a radius of several meters.

Of course, the paladins, who had received high-level training and honed their skills in actual combat, perfectly dodged the attacks, but because there were so many of them, there were those who got caught one by one.

—Clang!!!

The blade collided with an unlucky paladin.

“Nooooooooooo!!”

A paladin, who had protected his body with his sword at the decisive moment, was sent flying like a baseball. Since the sword didn’t break, it seems he didn’t die! Damn, I thought he was going to be chopped into pieces and sent flying like a Devil Fruit user!!!

It was a good thing he blocked, because if he had been hit head-on by such an attack, his body would have been messed up and exploded like bowling pins hit by a bowling ball!

—Swoooosh!!
—Whoosh!!!

It goes without saying that the big sword seemed to be something like the thing’s favorite sword, and that’s why it was wielding it so freely and causing such a ruckus. It wielded the giant sword with a single hand, sweeping through space itself and keeping the paladins in check.

But it just looked like a desperate struggle.

The paladins who knew that threw themselves, stubbornly clinging to the thing’s back and shoulders, struggling to slit its throat, and aiming for its legs, stabbing their swords into it. I had already accumulated damage and consumed its energy, and Cloudy had blown away one of its hands.

If we concentrate our attacks now, we can definitely slaughter it!

This is what teamwork is all about!

“Annoying!!!”

The thing struggled, but it still couldn’t display the same power as before. Even if the thing was dashing through space, the paladins could still track it.

“Hehehehehehe!! Dor! No matter how much you struggle, you won’t be able to defeat our warriors of faith!!!”

I aimed my sword at the thing and shouted proudly.

This is a no-brainer.

We’re going to win in this state.
It will fall before long.

It can’t beat all of us with such injuries.

“I know that your strength is waning!!! The energy that giant beings consume is also enormous! What can you do when you’ve even lost a hand!!!”

Ignoring my words, Baphomet was just dashing through space, swinging its sword, shaking its body to shake off the paladins, and fighting hard.

We drive the thing into a corner.

—We drive it into a corner again.

I recovered my energy for a moment and surveyed the battlefield.

“Haa…”

Still, it was a damn tough opponent.
Even I’m exhausted from overusing sword flames.

“To drive this Dor to this extent…!”

—Shhhhk!

At some point, Baphomet stopped dashing and came to a standstill.

“Good! Fanatics! The reason you’re on this land must be because the evil god Gothsmoth has been defeated!!”

What the hell is Gothsmoth?

“Elise—!!!!!”
“Saintess!!”

When I called out her name loudly, Elise answered from over there.

“Who is Gothsmoth!!”
“I, I don’t know!!!”
“They say it’s an evil god!”
“I don’t know anything about it!!”

Elise doesn’t know?

“I don’t know either!”
“I don’t know either!!”
“It’s the first time I’ve heard that name!!!”

The paladins who were struggling also took the time to tell me that answer.

What the hell?

“Gothsmoth has been forgotten…? Then that must mean he’s dead.”
“What does this bastard… know?”

—Clang!

When Baphomet stomped its foot once, the power of black magic was released and a shockwave erupted. That sent all the paladins flying.

“What!!”

The paladins who had been sent flying stopped their charge and burst into panic.

—Zzzzzzz.

A barrier had formed around the thing!

“What are you plotting!!!”

Right then.

“…The great demon of Infernal.”

The thing that had created the barrier sliced its wrist with its sword. That is, the wrist that had stopped bleeding and become like Rockman.

—Gush.

That sent bright red blood gushing out like a waterfall.

“You crazy Rockman addict!!! Are you out of your mind!!!!”
“If there is no evil god Gothsmoth, then I can summon the existence of Infernal.”

The thing, muttering incomprehensible words, began to draw a picture in the air with the blood spurting from its wrist. No, it wasn’t a picture, it was a magic circle. But strangely, the magic circle was being drawn.

The blood wasn’t flowing down, it was fixed in the air, drawing the magic circle.

“We, we have to stop it!!”
“Stop it!!”
“We have to stop it!!!”

The paladins, sensing the ominousness, charged, and I, too, squeezed out sword energy and hammered at the barrier. —Thud! Clang! Clang! Clang!!! As I hammered at the barrier like crazy, a roar echoed.

But it was just cracking, not breaking.
It looks like it will take a few more seconds to break it…!

—Fzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!!!

Then, the magic circle activated.

—Kuuuuoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

“Ugh, ughaaaaaargh!!”
“This sound is…!”
“What the hell!!!”

I sensed that I was screwed.

From beyond the magic circle, no, the gate that had now become, an endless roar of a monster could be heard. The paladins also noticed that and screamed.

—Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

And.

Something began to poke its head out from inside the grotesquely swollen gate.

—…!!

A giant head.

—Kugugugugugugugugugu!!

A black behemoth emerged head first. The very large head of the thing had a lantern-like light attached to it, like an anglerfish. It didn’t look like a fish at all, but it had a similar organ attached.

Silver light was emanating from that lantern.

If the head is that big… how big is the body?

“With this light… my brethren will be guided.”

This is fucked up.
What to do.

—Wooong!!

Suddenly, Vigal trembled violently.
What the hell is this?

“Vigal…?”

I immediately checked Vigal’s condition.

But from its black blade… something rainbow-colored was wriggling.

—Rainbow-colored flash!!!

The light that came from the Overlord of the Otherworld’s Orb.
An Orb containing the power to cut down beings from another world!!!

—Crash!

As the behemoth, which was gradually emerging, poked out its head completely, Baphomet’s barrier shattered into pieces.

—Pow! Pow! Pow!

“Stop ittttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt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