-Bang! BANG!
Buildings crumble under the hammer, craters pockmarked by the stomp.
The city is crumbling in real time before the immense violence wielded by the Holy Knight of Life and Abundance.
'Strong, I hear he's a rookie Holy Knight.'
Maghar thought little of the rookie Holy Knight at first.
Just as Orc Champions are the legendary warriors of history, Holy Knights are the heroes of the ages.
Their awakening is shaped by years of training and quests, which is why we know that one Holy Knight will long reign as saint of the realm.
A Holy Knight is such a being.
A hero recognized by even the gods after a long period of training and discipline.
Not just a hero of his time, but a saint who was still alive in his time, the kind of hero that ordinary peasants for generations and generations would have seen in their great-grandfather's childhood storybooks.
Therefore, the Holy Knights are considered to be the agents of God by the peasants, and they are knights among knights in a very high position.
Maghar shook his head.
A Holy Knight would not appear so easily. This guy had become a Holy Knight through trickery.
There was no way he could be the same enemy his ancestors had fought so fiercely against.
"Immature!"
The rubble of the shattered buildings clumps together. Piles of garbage rained down on Koo Dae-sung.
"Ugh!"
Koo Dae-sung dodges it with his bare legs, running through the streets. He tries to pierce through with the overwhelming defenses, but thousands of tons of scrap metal are too much to overcome.
Maghar's use of Golem Combine makes it seem as if the gravity of this world has been reversed.
"Annoying---!"
A hammer blows it away. This great holy artifact, left behind by Holy Knight Georgic, channels the wielder's holy power and transforms it into a massive destructive force.
Thousands of tons of scrap metal scattered in a single blast. Koo Dae-sung had just managed to clear a path of advance, but──
-Gooooooo---!
'Here they come!'
Beyond the view obscured by the pile of scrap metal a ghastly beam of light poured down.
A destructive beam from Gokrok's tower frightening gaze strikes Koo Dae-sung but he doesn't have the agility to dodge it.
"Damn it!"
Once again, he blocks with his earth shield. The destructive rays that melt upon contact are met with infinite life force.
"Miss So-yeon!"
"Don't lose your balance!"
While Koo Dae-sung holds on, the holy sword, which concentrates the power of light, scatters the intensity of the beam.
Only Chun So-yeon, a leader-level knight who can control the nature of light, can withstand flesh-melting firepower--only Chun So-yeon can offset this attack.
"Kim Jae-hyuk!"
"Prepare!"
Holy Law
The lightning induced by the Holy Spear of Thunder fell precisely towards Maghar.
-Crack! Thwack!
A brilliant explosion lights up the sky above the city but everyone sensed it wasn't the end.
────!!
Something erupts from the ground.
With an earthquake-like rumble, something huge is about to be completed.
"Uh, uh, uh---!"
Kim Jae-hyuk tries to stop it before it's completed by unleashing the Holy Law. But not even the thunderbolts can stop it from being completed.
"Too late, fakes! Behold the feast of Maghar, the High Shaman of the Orcs!"
The crushing concrete floor of the city it's so heavy that it swallows buildings and their remains, revealing the appearance of a massive monster..
"That, that's from Shanhaiguan---!"
The knights, puzzled and bewildered, recall in horror the Super-Giant Golem created by combining numerous rock faces in Shanhaiguan. Certainly it is not unlike it in design, but it is even more massive and--- vague.
[Behold, this is my feast, and you will be crushed like worms before its enormity!]
A giant that piles up crushed asphalt roads and even cars like shoes.
A deification of the city that makes you wonder if there were such behemoths in mythological times.
Considering that orc golems are basically made from large and heavy objects that are noticeable around them, modern cities may be places where materials are easier to supply than the front lines.
And Maghar, the champion of the Gokrok, is inexhaustible.
It's not so much about creativity as it is about destructive power, as it is about mindlessly creating massive building golems.
Being big is violence in itself.
"Isn't this a heavyweight level?!"
"We don't have time to talk!"
The super-sized golem raises its fist, a phenomenon that creates storms with the mere swing of its weight. The moment it strikes, it sends out a shockwave that can destroy even the largest armies.
"Huh!"
Human-sized figures are bounced off far too easily by the shockwave. It's not the kind of physical strength that would cause damage, but the difficulty of holding a stance is a huge minus for the knight.
"Let's smash it---!"
All the while, Koo Dae-sung binds himself with the roots that grew from the ground. Everything in the earth was there to protect and defend him.
The roots barely supported his body, and Koo Dae-sung was able to prepare for a counterattack.
-Bang!
A devastating hammer strike that could even explode the head of an Archdemon was against the golem's fist.
-Kwazizik!
The golem's fist smashes into the ground. It's not very strong because it's made up of waste materials. But------
"Reunited?!"
The remains are instantly combined by the Maghar's divine power. Maghar, swinging his staff atop the golem, let out a loud laugh.
[It's no use, not even that firebender can crush this golem once and for all, let alone you fakes!]
At Maghar's declaration, Chun So-yeon clicked her tongue and narrowed her brows.
"Fake, fake---so loud."
"Well, we're a little bit lacking."
They know. Though they'd been cadets at the academy and had been subjected to Leon's unorthodox teachings, they'd thought they'd been hardened by the time they were knighted.
But when Leon returned from the Demon Realm with Vulcanus and the Knights of the Burning Sword, they realized that their strength was in a different "dimension".
Individual strength, collective combat power--- faith in the gods.
The culture they grew up in naturally held the gods close, and honor and loyalty were virtues.
It is undeniably true that they fall short in comparison.
"Then why are the orc beasts so eager to judge us?"
"I agree."
As Koo Dae-sung had said, they don't need the orcs' judgment.
They have learned one thing from the great knight-king, a righteous anger against demons and orcs.
"Let's go."
The Holy Knight leads the way. He picked up the hammer of Georgic and the shield of Earth and began walking toward the golem, which was a thousand times larger than he was.
"Is there any way to beat it until it can't regenerate?"
"This method is too ignorant."
As a living saint with perfect vitality, it might be possible to fight indefinitely, especially if you were the Holy Knight of Life, Koo Dae-sung.
But that would only work against lowly minions. If it came down to a battle against a powerhouse of equal strength, the more experienced would win.
"We have no choice but to settle for a short battle, if only to ease the burden on His Majesty."
Their objective is to destroy the idols of the Orc gods, which are said to hold great favor with the orcs.
To top it all off, the tower is charging and unleashing a barrage of city-splitting firepower.
Right now, Koo Dae-sung is taking most of that fire, and if the target changes, their allies will be in danger.
"I'll go to the front, while you and Jae-hyuk destroy the 'strategic objective'."
"But, Mr. Koo Dae-sung, without So-Yeon, how will you deflect those beams?"
"I'll hold on somehow. The other Templars won't last long, and we need to make a quick decision."
To do so, Koo Dae-sung will have to take the greatest risk of all. But he's up for it.
He's always been ready for this, ever since he undeservedly took up the mantle of Holy Knight.
"I'm going!"
Koo Dae-Sung sprinted straight ahead, and Maghar unleashed a barrage of spells on him.
Curse of Slowness, Curse of Life, Curse of Distance.
He activated the golem with his divine power, while simultaneously blocking the Holy Knight's movements with his curses. Koo Dae-sung's body grew heavier in real time, hindering his movement.
[Smash]
The golem's fist struck as soon as it noticed the slowdown. The Holy Knight could have easily dodged it, but the curse that binds him prevents it.
"Damn it---!"
A giant fist the weight of a building strikes down and Koo Dae-sung blocks it with his earth shield.
[Crackle, crackle, crackle]
No single entity can withstand this much weight. Just when Maghar thought he had dealt with the Holy Knight.
[Hmm?]
The golem's fist is raised. It was impossible. Even the Holy Knights have a limit to his physical strength, and right now, that thing is overcoming the weight of a building!
It was a power beyond comprehension but Maghar soon realized the source of the power.
[Tree Roots?]
Huge tree roots that grew from the city's underground were helping Koo Dae-sung push back the golem's fist!
[Ha---! You're the Holy Knight of Life!]
Maghar immediately fired his curse at the tree, a life-sapping curse of decay. The roots of the tree, once strong and fibrous, were sliced away in an instant.
"No way---!"
Holy Law
An ancient holy power counteracted the curse as the Holy Knight of Life, promises growth and prosperity to all living things.
As long as he is in place, no amount of weathering and decay can extinguish the persistence of life.
"Now go away!"
Koo Dae-sung swung his hammer through the gap created by the tree's roots and the golem's fist shattered with a bang.
Despite its weight, it's nothing compared to polished steel, as it's made of scrap metal and other debris.
[No use!]
Maghar's power reconstructs the golem's fist. This time, instead of a single solid fist, it hurled a pile of scrap metal at Koo Dae-sung.
"Ugh...! Something like this...!"
He couldn't hurt Maghar.
'Wait, my vision is blocked?'
It was a split second but the tower of Gokrok fired a beam of green light.
"What?!"
He blocks it with his earth shield, but it's more than Koo Dae-sung can handle.
The beam of destruction that melted even the Holy Knight's stellar iron armor was something that only a knight who uses light holy art would be able to block.
"No way!"
Koo Dae-sung raised one foot as he desperately held back the destructive power of the beam, praying that the earth would respond to his will.
Holy Law
Sharp earth and sand rise from the ground. The terrain that rose up according to his will had the shape of a spear, but its function was different from before.
[He's going to change the terrain and use it as a shield, but---!]
"------?!"
Koo Dae-sung felt that his hands were empty for a moment. The wave of scrap metal that was so rampant that it obscured his vision snatched the hammer in his hand!
"Oh no---!"
He had carelessly lost his weapon and Koo Dae-sung felt a sense of defeat.
"You're not lacking in strength as a Holy Knight, but you're lacking in skill. You're too easily defeated by hand-to-hand combat, psychological warfare, and trickery."
That was Karina's warning as she trained him and in the end, Koo Dae-sung did not receive a passing grade from Karina.
Of course, his skills have improved. With one-on-one lessons from a veteran Holy Knight, his skills are much better than before.
But------
'Not good enough for a Holy Knight, not even up to the standards of the Holy Knights.'
There was still a vast gap of experience between his skills and those of the Lionheart Knights that experienced the Great War.
This is probably why Maghar called Koo Dae-sung a fake when he saw him.
[What can you do without a hammer?]
In his mockery, "Forward," Koo Dae-sung muttered through the deafening waves of scrap metal.
"Forward."
Losing your weapon doesn't change what he had to do.
-Quah, quah, quah!
He pushes through the waves of scrap metal with only his shield to protect him. His path is straight ahead, following the path of the Earth Spear.
[You're coming unarmed, you fool!]
Maghar unleashes a barrage of curses, once again immobilizing Koo Dae-sung. Besides, now that he's lost his hammer, he won't be able to destroy the golem as easily as before.
"Forward---!"
But even with heavy legs and thousands of tons of scrap metal blocking the way.
Even if he's called a fake.
"Forward!"
The one thing he can do, the one thing he's sure he can do better than anyone else.
"But one thing is certain, you have grit."
"Forward!!!"
Just plodding forward.
[You ignorant bastard!]
Maghar scoffed at such simplistic ignorance and raised the fist of the golem's other arm in place of the one that was shattered.
[Fuck you, you fake---!]
A fist weighing thousands of tons swings toward Koo Dae-sung.
It's like a giant golem swinging its fist at an ant but Koo Dae-sung didn't miss that awkward posture.
"Once again!"
Holy Law
At that moment, a change in the terrain erupted from the ground. The earth itself responded and shot out a spear that pierced the golem's torso.
[------!]
The spear of earth stops the golem in its tracks. Its fists are out of reach from its awkward position.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah------!!"
In the meantime, Koo Dae-sung runs along the natural road that extends to the golem.
[Hmph--- No use! The destroyed parts will be reunited once they're back together──!?]
Suddenly, Maghar saw what Koo Dae-sung was holding instead of a hammer, a tree root.
The roots of a tree that had been nurtured by his power of growth were in his hand.
[This guy---! No way!]
It must be stopped. That was Maghar's instinct.
-Kaaaaaah!!!
The remnants of the destroyed fist block Koo Dae-sung path, and it instantly turns into a mini-golem---no, a golem three times as large as a regular rock golem---and tries to block Koo Dae-sung.
"Out of the way!"
Koo Dae-sung swung his fist and smashed it to pieces. As if he didn't even need a hammer, he threw his whole body at it, smashing it with torso blows and throwing his tattered earth shield to smash the golem.
As if he had no intention of relying on his hammer as a Holy Knight.
[Stop──!]
The Holy Knight leaps forward. Superhuman momentum propels him like a cannonball, and he lands right in the center of the half-destroyed golem.
Koo Dae-sung punched the golem with his fist holding the root.
-Thud!
The center of the golem, which had been shattered by the spear of the earth, was easily smashed into pieces. The only 'life' in the golem, amidst so much scrap metal, was buried.
Holy Law
At that moment, a tree instantly began to grow inside the golem.
The tree grew from within before Maghar had time to react, and greenery began to spill out of it.
[Oh no---!]
Maghar realized that this was no mere growth. The golem had actually stopped moving.
[The roots have taken control of the interior!]
To remove it, the golem would have to be disassembled and rebuilt from the ground up but they have no intention of giving him that opportunity.
The Holy Dark Swords.
"------!"
An eerie echo was heard as the sharp aura of the Holy and Dark Swords sent chills down Maghar's spine, but the Templar leader was already swinging her sword.
Summoning all the energy she can from a nearby building, she leaps in a single bound. Her sword swings toward the cockpit of the golem protecting Maghar.
[---!]
Maghar quickly reinforces the defenses around him, but his opponent is a Templar captain who wields the power of Ventasis, the god of darkness and vengeance.
The power of the Dark Sword is simple, an absolute cut that cuts through everything. In an instant, the blade sliced through the cockpit of the golem made of scrap metal.
As the scrap metal and rocks fell away and Maghar's figure was revealed, Chun So-yeon's holy sword stabbed towards him.
"This is the end──"
"Don't underestimate me, brat!"
Maghar's eyes flash green, it was the power of Gokrok's champion, Gokrok's gaze.
Kran or Murka could shoot down a satellite in geosynchronous orbit, but even Maghar was strong enough to end the life of the slender knight before him.
"Thwack!"
But Chun So-yeon was quick to react. She quickly blocked Maghar's green flash with the light of her holy sword.
"Aaah---!"
However, she was unable to withstand the force from the front, and her precarious stance collapsed.
"Whoa---!"
Barely out of danger, Maghar immediately tries to deal with the roots that stop him from controlling golem but then he suddenly realized that he couldn't see a single person.
'Where's that kid with the thunder power?'
-Crack!
He had an eerie feeling and at the same time the energy of the sky shook. A golden bolt of thunder, accompanied by dark clouds, struck down.
"You---!?"
In a building across the street, on the opposite side of the building from Chun So-yeon, the spearman was pulling the spear as hard as he could.
'Accompanied by the thunderclap of the spear'.
"Lord Ultima, let my spear strike!"
[Hmph---! Pray fervently, and I, the heavenly one, will grant it]
"I trust and shoot!"
The next moment, Kim Jae-hyuk threw his arm, drawn like a bow, forward with all his might. The Epic-level item, Ultima's Holy Relic, is thrown towards Maghar.
"Thwack---!"
Maghar realized that the spear would pierce him and in a split second of judgment, he made one decision.
"Scatter!"
With his divine power, he scattered the super-sized golem.
"What the hell is that?"
Kim Jae-hyuk panicked as the giant golem quickly dispersed. As the golem scattered, Maghar also fell, but Jae-hyuk's spear grazed him.
"You missed!"
"Koo Dae-sung!"
"Lord Koo Dae-sung!"
The two knights called out and Maghar's eyes flashed.
"You---!"
The Knight of Life threw himself at the falling Maghar. Maghar chuckled as he leaped toward him, bare-chested and without a hammer or shield.
"One step short, fake!"
A dank green divine power gathers in his gaze. It was a situation in which both parties fell without a foothold in the air but in this case the shaman had an overwhelming advantage!
"No, that's enough."
"------?!"
At that moment, Maghar saw a hammer flying through the air with a spinning sound.
"What the---!"
A green beam of light shot out as the hammer came down.
The dark green flash and the lush green color of the hammer clashed, pushing against each other's divine and holy powers.
"I--- win!"
The hammer's blow pushes the flash away and when it finally deflects the flash, the last thing Maghar sees is the cold surface of the hammer.