A Glorious End

"--------"

It was a silence that should never have existed.

The battlefield was clearly still deafening, the enemies still roaring and howling, accompanied by countless rumbles, explosions, and tearing sounds. In such an environment, silence should not have appeared, nor could it have appeared.

Yet when two utterly terrifying auras emerged from either side of the Aberrant Giant at the same time, erupting like volcanic eruptions and shooting straight into the night sky, everyone nearby truly felt silence descend.

It was pressure overwhelming as mountains and seas.

It was an aura as though the heavens were collapsing.

Crimson flames surged and churned.

Golden light shone brilliantly.

Crimson and gold, two radiances, two powers, rose from the Aberrant Giant's left and right at the same time, pressing down on everyone as though they possessed physical form.

Thus, everyone who felt those two powers was horrified, experiencing the illusion that every sound had faded away from their ears.

"GRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...!"

The Aberrant Giant seemed to have finally sensed that something was wrong and let out an earth-shaking roar.

"O earth, growl—"

Deep within the massive body wrapped in Green Flesh, the Fairy Clone hatched from the "Jewel Fetus" seemed to sense the danger as well and suddenly began chanting magic.

"Come, come, come, shell of earth, treasure of black iron, shining star's hammer! By the covenant of creation, I command you: reverse, burn the sky, shatter the ground, build a bridge, unite heaven and earth as one! Descending axe of the sky, calamity of destruction, in the name of the proxy, I command you! The name bestowed upon me is Gnome, Incarnation of Earth, Queen of Earth—"

A black Magic Circle immediately unfolded beneath the Aberrant Giant.

"What...!?"

For the first time, Hedin and Hogni's expressions changed.

As a naturally magical race, they