The Epic Dragon Titan

"That's impossible. Even a peak legendary lich couldn't trigger a continent-wide calamity prematurely," Muria reassured himself. If it truly were his actions that caused the calamity to erupt two hundred years early, he would never find peace. Although the calamity had always been inevitable, the difference between an on-time and an early eruption was too significant.

Facing a sudden calamity with no preparation, the subcontinent would suffer unimaginable casualties.

"Your Highness is merciful," the red-robed cardinal said, his face lighting up with joy upon hearing Muria's agreement. This was the best news he had heard since learning of the impending calamity.

When he had reached out to some legendary figures on other continents for support, most had refused. Honestly, it was obvious to anyone that this time, the undead calamity in Obistor was highly unusual. It was breaking out two hundred years early, something unprecedented, which clearly indicated a problem. No one would risk their life for a bit of profit by getting involved in such dangerous circumstances.

After all, reaching legendary status wasn't easy for anyone. It would be foolish to risk their lives for some resources that might increase their power. No treasure is worth dying for.

Thus, unless they had close personal ties, it would be difficult for the Obistor continent to secure outside help. The legendary figures willing to stay in Obistor were either doing so because it was their homeland or due to other personal interests. Otherwise, many of them would likely avoid the danger altogether. The world is vast, with plenty of places to hide.

"This is your advance payment, Your Highness. If you manage to save more humans and protect more cities, there will be additional rewards," the cardinal offered after receiving Muria's definitive response, providing him with a set of coordinates.

"What's this?" Muria asked, puzzled as he looked at the coordinates. According to the calculations, this location wasn't far from where he was.

"Your Highness, we've recently discovered a large elemental crystal mine there. Its yield could exceed five billion cubic meters," the cardinal explained with a smile. For a being with dragon blood, the perfect gift required no thought.

"In that case, I'll accept it," Muria responded without hesitation. In this world, modesty was not considered a virtue.

Seeing Muria accept the offer, the cardinal smiled in relief and then took his leave. There was no need for the prince to swear an oath. A being of such noble lineage would never lie. If he agreed to something, he would follow through.

After Muria agreed, he began deploying his giant legions, sending airships from Synapse to patrol the surrounding areas and assist local forces in suppressing the undead rising from the caverns.

...

"Prepare Fireball spells!"

On the battlefield, shrouded in gray mist, the general in charge of the defense raised his saber and shouted. His eyes were locked on the horde of skeletons charging out of the necrotic caverns, concealed by the mist.

The undead, driven by an insatiable desire for the living's flesh and souls, which were irresistible to them, immediately targeted the defending legions.

"Attack!" At the general's command, dozens of fireballs launched in a loose formation, barely forming a line, before crashing into the skeleton horde about to breach the army's defenses. The explosions turned the leading hundreds of skeletons to charred remains.

The general frowned at the sight, displeased with the results, which fell far short of his expectations. He glanced at the ten or so mages accompanying the legion, noting their pale faces and the pile of empty potion bottles at their feet, but he said nothing.

"Shield wall! Spearmen, ready!" The general's expression turned resolute as he swung his saber, issuing new orders as the skeletons advanced up the slope toward them.

The defensive position of the legion had been carefully chosen. The entrance to the necrotic caverns was below them, and the undead had to charge up a slope to reach them. While this terrain didn't tire the undead, it did slightly reduce the force of their charge.

"Kill!" The defending legion soon clashed with the skeletons. The soldiers in the front line formed a temporary wall with their tower shields, blocking the undead assault. The spearmen in the second row thrust their spears through the gaps in the shields, but unfortunately, they were fighting undead whose only weak point was their soul fire. Striking anywhere else was futile.

Quickly, more skeletons trampled over the bodies of their fallen comrades, breaching the first line of defense and plunging into the formation. Wielding bone swords that had formed from their own bodies, they engaged the human soldiers in brutal close combat.

Under the influence of the death energy, the skeletons resembled armored soldiers, nearly invulnerable, tireless, fearless, and relentless.

"Do not fear! Do not think of retreat! Think of your families behind us!" In this desperate battle where humans had little advantage, some soldiers began to succumb to fear, contemplating retreat. Seeing this, the leading general quickly shouted to rally them.

But in the face of death, words often fell short. Only a small portion of the soldiers regained their courage, while most of the would-be deserters continued to fall back.

"Execution squad, cut down all deserters!" At the general's command, a group of burly men wielding large blades emerged from the rear, cutting down those who tried to flee.

Seeing the execution squad, the deserters were herded back like sheep, but the executioners did not pursue them further, for their true enemies were the undead.

The battle was nearly one-sided. The humans, after holding out for less than an hour, were completely defeated, even the execution squad, which had been held in reserve, was eventually ordered into battle by the general.

In truth, if not for the gold-ranked general's desperate efforts, the defending legion would have collapsed much earlier.

"The Woodleaf Legion is finished," the general muttered as he looked around. All he could see were endless waves of undead. Few of his soldiers remained standing, and almost none of the familiar faces he had fought alongside were left.

"Where are the reinforcements? Why haven't they arrived yet?" The general shouted in despair. He had held the line for an hour, but no reinforcements had come from the nearby city.

What the general didn't know was that the sudden outbreak of undead had caused the city's lord to activate the city's defensive formations. The lord was now cowering inside the city, even refusing entry to the messengers sent to request aid.

"Boom!" A massive bolt of blue-white lightning descended from the sky, instantly clearing the horde of skeletons surrounding the general. Then, roars from massive beasts echoed through the skies.

The general, who had almost given up hope as the skeletons overwhelmed him, looked up through the gray mist and saw a giant, surrounded by lightning, riding a giant roc—a figure that resembled a god from legends.

This purple-skinned giant, clad in armor and wielding a spear of pure lightning, descended from the heavens. Behind him followed twenty-four snow-white-skinned giants, accompanied by a massive flock of griffons nearly four times their number.

"Finally, reinforcements!" A lightning spear struck directly above the general, exploding with devastating force. The resulting chain of lightning shattered all the undead that had been pressing down on him.

The general staggered to his feet and looked around, finding the battlefield cleared of all undead. Out of his entire legion, fewer than ten soldiers remained.

"Why weren't they humans? Why giants?" The general clenched his fists as he gazed at the awe-inspiring giants in the sky, feeling a surge of sorrow and frustration.

The giants, who had saved the humans, merely glanced at the surviving humans with disinterest, then left without so much as a word.

_________________________

[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!] 

[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]

[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter]