Chapter 1, Episode 8: Glimpse

 

Hiro was welcomed by a ray of blinding light as he went outside with Liz.

He takes in the brisk air, and as he looks around, he notices all the tents the soldiers slept in have been put away neatly.

The only tent left was the one Hiro and Liz were in until now, and the one who stole his breakfast was sunbathing on a rock nearby.

 

After everyone worked together to put away the last tent, they were finally off.

Their goal was the small country of Baum. They would head south along the mountain after they made their descent.

It would take 16 days by foot for them to reach their destination of Margrave Grinda’s territory.

He was prepared for the journey, but he didn’t think it would have been such a long one.

But he wasn’t necessarily regretting it.

Every joint in his body hurt, but he just had to bear with it.

Somewhere deep in his heart, he was enjoying the journey. That much was certain.

 

As they descended Mt. Himmel, about halfway down, they encountered a new monster.

Neither ogle nor ogre, a large giant with an even greater physique appeared before them.

 

「… It’s huge.」

「… A gigas. It’s said that they were originally spirits, but they were banished to Aletia after they rebelled against the Spirit King.」

「So is it as strong as it looks?」

 

It was three times Hiro’s height, and its torso was covered in rusty armor.

Its lower body was long and slender, and twisted like a snake.

 

「Even if it’s corrupted, it used to be a spirit, so it’s strong. Compared to an ogre, it has intelligence, and-?!」

 

An enormous tail came swinging down at Liz who was in the middle of her explanation.

BOOM!

A cloud of dust rose up, and debris came falling down.

Liz stepped to the side and evaded them.

 

「It’s a hostile monster!」

 

Crimson sword in hand, she sped off.

Following behind her was a unit of light infantry, while Tris was yelling out orders to the soldiers on standby.

 

「Archery unit! Once the formation’s set, cover the Princess! Heavy infantry, create a wall and advance!」

 

Immediately, the heavy infantry unit created a two files of s.h.i.+eld walls and began to advance.

Behind them was the archery unit, stepping forward with bows drawn.

Hiro would stay behind them and watch the fight.

 

「I’ll draw its attention! Use that time to ready the javelins!」

 

Liz yelled at the light infantry troop and swung Laevateinn towards the gigas.

A cloud-like ma.s.s of fire began to burn and spread in front of the gigas.

 

『GOYA?!』*

*TL note: The cries of the gigas were written in English, so they’re left as is.

「Now! Throw them!」

 

The light infantry unit let their spears fly towards the gigas who was recoiling.

Then, Liz’s voice rings out.

 

「Archery unit, fire!」

 

Whoosh. Whoosh.

The arrows tore through the air and fanned out in the sky.

In an instant, a scream could be heard from the gigas who became a bed of needles.

 

『GURYAUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!』

「Retreat!」

 

As Liz shouted sensing danger, a tail came swinging down at the light infantry unit.

 

「Gah!」

 

A number of light infantrymen who were late in escaping disappeared into a cloud of dust.

Liz went slas.h.i.+ng at the gigas with Laevateinn, but it immediately s.h.i.+fted its body and evaded her attacks.

Rumble-

The gigas swung its arm towards the young girl with such force, you could hear the wind roar.

 

「Haa!」

 

Liz flipped Laevateinn around and swung upward!

 

『UGYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!』

 

Blood gushed out of the gigas’s arms and was sprayed all around, while the flames burned its arm off.

The gigas goes on a rampage, as if to distract itself from the pain. The surrounding light infantry unit gets caught up in it and gets blown away.

Hiro’s face is full of despair as he pictures the light infantrymen being trampled as they roll down the slope.

 

「Princess! This way!」

 

The heavy infantry unit led by Tris had made it in time. They thrust their s.h.i.+elds into the ground and instantly created an iron wall.

 

「Put your strength in your core, all of you! Dig your feet into the ground! You won’t be able to call yourselves heavy infantrymen if you’re blow away!」

 

The archery unit provided cover fire as the light infantry unit withdrew.

The gigas evaded the rain of arrows and took pursuit with a fearsome expression, but it simply ended up ramming into the iron wall with its tail.

 

「Hurry and take the injured to the rear!」

 

Liz, who had escaped into the wall, yelled out orders, and the injured soldiers were taken to the rear.

The heavy infantry unit’s wall of s.h.i.+elds shook violently from the gigas’s fierce attacks.

The iron wall began to change shape after taking just two attacks from the gigas.

It’s likely that it’s only a matter of time before the wall of s.h.i.+elds crumbles.

 

「Princess! We must first do something about these attacks!」

 

Tris yelled out.

 

「I’ll draw its attention, so can you take that chance to cut off its tail?」

「You speak of such recklessness! Attacking with the heavy infantry first and creating an opening is the wise thing to do!」

「But that’ll result in a lot of casualties. It’s a sounder plan for me to draw it’s attention in this situation.」

「We can not risk having anything happening to you, Princess. That will be our last- Wait, b-boy?!」

 

Liz s.h.i.+fted her gaze after hearing Tris’s surprised voice.

There was one s.p.a.ce in the wall of s.h.i.+elds big enough for a person to pa.s.s through, and in front of it, stood Hiro.

 

「Hiro?! What are you doing?! Get back here!」

 

Liz tried to race after him, but Hiro had disappeared to the other side.

 

「You idiot! Wait!」

 

Liz’s angry voice came flying in from behind.

-It’s not like… I want to do something this scary, either.

But I can’t call myself a man if I don’t take action here.

I haven’t done a single thing to repay my debt.

 

「… I see it.」

 

The gigas’s tail shakes the wind as it pa.s.ses by its nose.

The earth beneath its feet is gouged out, and an infinite number of debris comes flying in.

But surprisingly, Hiro evades it all.

He moved his head, feet, hands, and shoulders, only slightly to literally sidestep all of it.

If he had made one mistake, he would’ve have gotten off with a simple wound.

Hiro’s legs were shaking, but he hit his thighs as if to scold himself.

 

「Liz! I’ll draw its attention, so you defeat it!」

 

He picked up one of the javelins that were thrown by the light infantry and glared at the gigas.

 

「What are you saying?!」

『GURUAAAAA!』

 

Liz’s voice was drowned out by the gigas’s roar.

The gigas began its attack, but it was in vain.

Hiro dodged everything.

 

「No way…」

 

Liz watched the spectacle carefully with a look of disbelief.

 

「I don’t believe this. Is that really something a person can do?」

 

Tris was the same. His mouth was gaping wide open from surprise.

 

-After effects from 3 years ago.

 

Hiro sees the movements of his opponents as if they’re at a standstill.

A martial artist would say that that is an ultimate goal.

Even among those who train for their entire lives, only a handful are capable of this.

Because they are able to see the small particles of breath, they can take in the movement of the air and perceive everything.

Hiro kept this from his doctor because he didn’t want to worry his family.

But having said that, Hiro was no doubt clueless as to the cause of his condition.

And so, Hiro was unaware of its name.

 

But the people of Aletia knew it.

 

「Ura.n.u.s…」

 

Liz muttered, dumbfounded.

 

「Over here!」

 

The gigas effortlessly swats away the javelin thrown by Hiro and turns towards him.

The gigas’s powerful arm roars by Hiro, but it doesn’t even graze him.

If a master of a martial art had seen this, there’s no doubt they would have gasped in admiration.

His movements were that polished. However, he had a frantic expression.

Even if he were hit just once, he would probably be smashed to pieces, and his flesh, strewn about.

While holding back that fear, Hiro continued to evade the gigas’s attacks.

Maybe it was because he went insane from the overwhelming fear, but his lips were forming into a smile.

Hiro spoke as the corners of his mouth shook.

 

「We have a ferocious wolf on our side too you know?」

『GURUA?』

「Gahh!」
Cerberus, who had been bating his breath and waiting for a good opportunity, leapt out from beside Hiro.

His das.h.i.+ng figure looked like a speeding bullet, and his sharp fangs tore through the air and crossed over the gigas.

As Cerberus landing on the ground, blood gushed out from the gigas’s neck like water flooding out of a faucet.

 

The gigas’s movements slowed, and she was not one to let that chance slip by.

Laevateinn was clad in flames and scorched the air.

When the heat wave reached the gigas, Liz completely disappeared from the monster’s field of vision.

 

Poof-

The air behind the gigas explodes.

Sensing something, Hiro picks up a spear and throws it. He picks up yet another spear and hurls it.

This time, without being batted away, the two spear pierced through the gigas’s chest, as if they were being absorbed.

 

『GORRYUGOHOL?!』

 

The gigas threw up blood everywhere, unaware of what happened.

But the monster would soon realize as it was looking around its surroundings.

-That only its head was moving.

Seeing it’s lower half engulfed in flames, it screams.

 

『GKUIRAIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!』

 

It began to feel the pain.

The burnt smell gets carried by the wind and reaches Hiro.

It was such an intensely foul stench, it made him want to vomit.

 

「Ugh…」

 

As he was holding his nose without thinking, he sees her.

Liz leapt up with the sun to her back, and was ready to swing Laevateinn down.

 

「I’ll put you to rest now!」

 

Laevateinn’s blade easily cut through the gigas

The blood from the body that was cut in half evaporated, and its entire body was wrapped in white smoke.

Maybe it was because it was already dead, but the monster’s enormous body fell quietly to the ground without so much as a scream. And as it hit the ground, the body was wrapped in flames.

 

「Hiro!」

 

He noticed her rus.h.i.+ng towards him.

He tried to hold the girl who was running towards him with arms wide open, but his body wouldn’t listen to him.

Even Hiro wasn’t sure if it was because all his tension was released at once, or if it was because his fatigue had built up.

As if a marionette who had its strings cut off, Hiro’s knees gave out, and he crumbled to the ground.

Liz’s expression changed.

 

「Hiro! Get a hold of yourself! Tris, get over here, now!」

 

Hiro sank into the darkness as he enjoyed the sensation of having his head being held.