As Ian’s eyes narrowed, Miguel’s horrified shout burst out. "Wh-What the hell is that?!"

The others had clearly spotted the towering suit of full plate armor appearing at the end of the road. Perhaps it was the massive war hammer raised before it that made the sight even more shocking.

"Why is it so huge? Is that an ogre?" said Thesaya.

Ian couldn’t tell what was inside the armor either. As she suggested, it could have been a bipedal monster like an ogre, or even an orc mutated through forbidden experiments.

It didn’t really matter.

Whatever it was, it was clearly a loyal puppet of the mages, sent to restore order to the chaos.

Now this... I didn’t expect.

However, that wasn’t the only reason Ian’s eyes narrowed.

Purple magic, visible through the armor, spread across it like veins. Behind it, he could make out the magic of several smaller figures hiding in its shadow. At their center stood one whose purple magic shone with unmistakable intensity.

Did they decide that minimizing losses was more important?

It wasn’t difficult to guess that the figure was the master of the magic tower.

Instead of staying hidden as everyone expected, the person had chosen to assess and control the situation. Perhaps the guards accompanying them had given them enough confidence to make that decision.

Of course, none of that really mattered either.

"Moro! Can you ram it?" shouted Ian.

The important thing was that the target Ian intended to kill had delivered himself.

Miguel whipped his head around in disbelief. "W-What? Then what about us—"

Before he could finish, Mev shouted, "Go, Moro!"

Miguel’s head snapped backward almost at the same moment. "Ahhh!"

Moro, trailing violet chaos like afterimages, surged forward the instant the command was given. It threw its bladed horn upward and roared.

"Damn it all!" Miguel was the only one screaming.

Nasser lowered his stance and raised his shield in preparation for impact, while Mev braced her legs firmly and tightened her grip on the divine sword.

"We should get ready too, Thesa," Ian said, glancing toward her.

He hoped Moro would simply drive the armored giant into the wall and flatten whatever stood behind it, but things rarely worked out that easily.

"You think that thing will hold? Fine. Should I freeze its legs?" Thesaya asked without taking her eyes off the entrance of the elevator.

Ian shook his head slightly. "No. The ones we need to deal with are the people behind it. I think the Tower Master is among them."

"What?" Thesaya’s eyes widened as she faced him.

Ian tilted his chin forward. "While Moro handles that thing, we take the rest out."

"Alright! What do you want me to do?" Thesaya asked eagerly, her eyes shining.

The corner of her mouth curled upward. She was the most fearless fairy on the entire continent.

"Let’s do it the pointy-ear way. Use those flashy spells of yours to draw all their attention. Even better if you piss them off."

Ian jerked his chin toward her right and curled the corner of his mouth.

"Make sure they can’t spare a single thought for what’s behind them."

"Now that’s a plan I can really get behind!" Grinning brightly, Thesaya spun around and dashed off toward the masked slaves on the right, who were busy hacking apart the corpse of a mutated dark mage.

Tap, tap!

Using one of their backs as a foothold, she kicked off and leapt into the air. That was the last Ian saw of her before he turned his attention forward.

Beyond Moro, who was charging with the others on its back, the armored giant had fully emerged. It was now walking out slowly, its massive war hammer hanging loosely at its side. The gate had opened completely.

Figures. There was no way we were going to smash it before it came out.

Clicking his tongue, Ian veered sharply to the left.

Behind the armored giant, other puppets were becoming visible.

Just as his Third Eye had shown him earlier, they were roughly human-sized, clad in full plate armor embedded with magic stones.

Before they notice...

Ian’s eyes were fixed on the approaching wall. Or rather, the outer wall of the mansion that looked like one.

The ground and wall were strewn with chunks of flesh and organs crushed to a bloody pulp. The red lighting made it hard to see clearly, but the area was undoubtedly a sea of blood. The stench of gore and rot filled the air.

Rumble...

In any case, no masked slaves remained there.

They were either behind him, tearing apart mutated corrupters alongside other freed slaves, or heading toward the elevator leading to the middle level in search of greater revenge.

Judging by the distant tremors and thunderous noises, similar chaos was unfolding on the middle levels.

Clang! Crash—

An explosion and shockwave erupted from the direction of the armored giant just after Ian leapt with all his strength, Wind Blade swirling around him.

Even midair, he twisted to look at the sight.

Thud, thud...

The armored giant was being pushed backward, raising its war hammer above its head. Moro’s horn was buried in the creature’s breastplate.

Violet sparks and spiraling gusts exploded outward in waves of shock. Moro had lunged forward and rammed it the moment the giant lifted its hammer.

"Waaah—"

Although the shockwave seemed to absorb some of the recoil, Moro’s enormous body bent like a compressed spring. The riders were flung upward.

And once again, Miguel was the only one screaming.

Boom!

Nasser, shield raised, was cutting straight through the shockwave toward the giant’s helmet. Judging by his posture, he must have launched himself before Moro collided with the giant.

Mev, on the other hand, had been thrown by the shockwave. Spinning through the air, she reached out toward Miguel, who was flailing helplessly in midair. Perhaps she had been dragged along simply because he’d been thrown.

As Nasser’s shield scraped across one side of the armored giant’s visor, Ian landed atop the mansion roof that resembled a wall.

He really is something.

Nasser had deflected both the impact and the momentum with that angled pass.

Even now, he was twisting midair, drawing his sword as he moved—clearly aiming to stab through a gap in the armor.

Tap, tap, tap—

Dropping into a low stance, Ian immediately started running along the roof.

His gaze shifted again.

Mev was falling diagonally toward the middle of the street, now clutching Miguel in her arms.

Even knowing the distance was far too great, Ian thrust out his Willful Grasp with everything he had.

It didn’t reach.

However, Ian soon realized that they hadn’t needed his help in the first place.

Whoosh—

A sudden gust burst around Mev. She then landed in a sliding crouch, one knee bent.

Sparks sprayed in a line across the stone slabs she skidded over, but the impact was clearly manageable. One of her magical gears was still functioning.

Mev stopped with the armored giant at her back, still crouched.

"D-Damn it... I thought I was dead!" Miguel’s groaning voice reached Ian’s ears as he sprinted silently across the rooftops.

Moments later, Moro crashed down behind them.

Boom!

Broken slabs exploded outward in every direction. Yet Moro quickly steadied itself and slid to a halt before rising again. Despite the heavy impact, it merely shook its head once.

Mev suddenly lowered her stance after setting Miguel down. Standing with her back to him, she raised her right arm holding the divine sword.

Grrr...

Moro spun around and charged again.

The armored giant was already bringing its war hammer down.

Whoosh... Boom!

The massive hammer slammed into the empty street.

It wasn’t quite as enormous as the weapons used by true giants, but it was still far larger than the battle hammer Mukapa now wielded.

Crack!

With a thunderous blast, spiderweb-like cracks spread through the paving stones as shockwaves and debris erupted outward. The wave chased after Moro but dissipated behind it.

Mev, crouched low, endured the shock without being pushed back.

Whoosh—

Through the settling dust, Nasser tumbled out across the ground.

He had stabbed his sword into the giant’s shoulder and clung there, but the shock from the hammer strike had thrown him off.

He slammed his shield against the ground to stop himself, sliding before finally halting. Though blood ran from several cuts across his bare, muscular arms, he rose without hesitation.

"Well now," murmuring, Nasser lowered his stance again and raised his shield.

Something was cutting through the dust toward him.

Thud!

An arrow slammed into his shield.

Nasser slid back slightly under the impact but held firm.

Slowly, he lifted his head again. "This should be an interesting fight."

A smile spread across his face.

Four armored slaves marched forward in formation, flanking the giant as it lifted its war hammer and began to advance.

Clank... clank...

Two carried swords and shields, and the other two held dark-colored crossbows.

The arrows Nasser had just blocked had come from them.

So that’s what gave them the confidence to come out personally.

Ian’s eyes narrowed further as he advanced quietly along the roof.

It was a simple but effective tactic.

The armored giant would continue smashing the ground with its hammer as it advanced. Anything that exposed a weakness or tried to flee would be picked off by the crossbowmen, while those who got close would be dealt with by the sword-and-shield fighters.

And since the road wasn’t particularly wide, it was practically a flawless formation.

Even if a powerful opponent appeared, it would buy enough time for the Tower Master to prepare his spells unless an unexpected variable appeared.

Crack!

From the roadside, spikes of ice erupted in a jagged line, racing toward the armored slaves.

Crunch—

The sharp ice spikes scraped across the armored slaves and the giant.

They couldn’t pierce the armor, but the moment they made contact, white frost spread across the metal surfaces, freezing them over.

The jagged ice was enough to slow their movements.

"Moro!" Mev shouted, raising the divine sword as she looked back at the charging beast.

Miguel had already retreated far to the side of the road.

Moro skidded to a stop beside her, snorting.

"Hmm... blue magic."

An old man’s voice, heavy with magic, echoed from behind the armored slaves.

It was undoubtedly the master of the Gray Magic Tower.

"Answer me, Elder Fairy. Are you acting under the orders of the Council of Elders or the Blue Magic Tower?"

The Tower Master wore a gray hooded cloak that gleamed faintly. He was a gaunt old man with a snow-white beard, leaning on a long staff whose upper end curved like a bolt of lightning. Magic stones were embedded all along it in meticulous detail.

"Well now, which do you think?"

Standing on the roof and looking down at him, Thesaya flicked the magic wand she had extended forward. A sharp grin bared her teeth.

Boom, boom, boom!

The ice spikes that had been cracking against the armored slaves exploded into fragments.

Cunch...

Though they hadn’t been strong enough to pierce plate armor, they were more than enough to coat the surface in frost, scattering cold shards and freezing the armor solid. The joints of the slaves’ armor stiffened and creaked.

Moro, carrying Mev and Nasser, charged forward.

Zip, zap!

Blue lightning shimmered at the tip of the Tower Master’s staff almost simultaneously.

His gray eyes curved gently as he looked up at Thesaya. "There is no need for you to answer. I can simply extract the truth myself."

"Disgusting. Exactly the kind of thing a senile old man would say." Thesaya spat back.

Cold blue magic gleamed in her eyes as well. A freezing wind gathered before her, and the essence bead embedded at the tip of her wand flashed.

Swoosh—

The moment she thrust the wand forward, countless ice spikes formed and burst toward the Tower Master.

Without dispersing the lightning gathering around him, the Tower Master struck the end of his staff against the ground.

Whoosh!

A massive whirlwind erupted around him.

It twisted the trajectory of every incoming ice spike, scattering them all aside.

Clicking her tongue, Thesaya kept firing ice spikes without pause. Then, in the next instant, she suddenly dropped into a crouch.

Boom!

Before the whirlwind had even faded, the Tower Master thrust his staff forward.

Lightning exploded outward, tearing straight through the rooftop where Thesaya had been standing.

Crack, crack, crack—

Almost simultaneously, a Frost Shield bloomed above her crouched form.

It was crude and imperfect, but it was enough to block the branching arcs of lightning that spread like growing tree limbs.

Zip, zap!

Blue magic surged through her eyes as she snapped her gaze back toward the Tower Master.

Fwoosh— Boom—

Another earth-shaking explosion thundered across the battlefield. The armored giant had brought its war hammer down again.

Shockwaves mixed with shattered stone blasted outward.

Boom, boom, boom!

However, they couldn’t stop Moro, which had already leapt forward.

Lowering its head, the beast pierced through the shockwave and charged straight toward the armored giant.

Its speed slowed noticeably under the impact, but it was enough.

Whoosh—

Mev stomped off the saddle and launched herself into the air.

Raising the Blazing Judgment with both hands, she shot toward the giant’s head.

Crack! Boom!

Meanwhile, the exchange between Thesaya and the Tower Master continued.

Purple lightning slammed into a crystalline barrier forming around him, only for the barrier to shatter a moment later.

Fwoosh...

By the time the fragments dispersed, Thesaya was already preparing her next spell.

A thin line of blood trickled from one of her nostrils.

"Impressive. You’ve achieved a high level of mastery. That must be why you accepted such a ridiculous secret order."

The Tower Master’s voice remained relaxed. Even as lightning gathered again at the tip of his staff, his breathing hadn’t changed.

"Still, I wonder how long you can keep casting spells."

He was holding back, likely to avoid mentally burning out Thesaya.

Perhaps he was even trying to force her into magic exhaustion. As a mage far superior in skill, such control would have been easy for him.

As cold magic gathered violently at the tip of her wand, Thesaya said, "You’d better worry about your puppets instead."

The Tower Master’s calm smile faltered for the first time.

From his side, a blue glow mixed with heat suddenly began to spread. A blade had lodged diagonally into the armored giant’s helmet, blue flames surging along its edge.

Fwoosh...

Mev had drawn out the divine power contained within the sword.

Of course, unlike before, it wasn’t enough to incinerate the entire arc of her strike, but it was more than enough to make the armored giant convulse and drop its war hammer.

Thud!

The sacred flames of judgment that flowed along the blade burned through its head.

Crack!

At its feet, Moro and Nasser were locked in a brutal melee with the armored slaves.

Both sides moved with such speed and ferocity that the clash almost looked choreographed, like a perfectly timed performance.

"Could that be?"

However, the Tower Master didn’t even glance at them. His eyes, slowly filling with purple, were fixed on Mev as she dropped from the giant’s helmet after splitting it open.

"The... Red Knight... of the frontier?"

At almost the same moment, the Frost Orb burst toward him, spraying sharp shards in every direction.

"Oh my. So you’ve heard of her. Makes sense. She’s made quite a name for herself out in the frontier," said Thesaya.

The Tower Master turned back toward her and thrust out his staff.

Rumble!

Lightning burst outward from its tip, piercing the Frost Orb.

The orb exploded, scattering frost everywhere, but it deflected and scattered the lightning’s path.

"If you know that name, old man, then you must also know what’s about to happen to you," said Thesaya.

Even as arcs of lightning flashed past her, Thesaya didn’t blink. She didn’t even bother wiping the blood running from her nose. Instead, she wore a faintly arrogant smile.

A flicker of hesitation crossed the Tower Master’s eyes.

"Sometimes one must abandon a signpost." His voice turned cold as he gripped the staff with both hands.

An immense surge of magic spread outward, and every magic stone embedded in the staff flared to life at once.

Rumble—

He had decided to kill Thesaya, even if it meant eliminating everyone else on the upper levels with her.

"Good."

However, the smile on Thesaya’s lips only deepened.

Blue magic gathered in her eyes as she murmured, "You’re finally focusing all your attention. And you’re far enough away from your puppets now."

The Tower Master tilted his head slightly before suddenly turning around.

His gray eyes, stained purple at the center, widened violently. He had finally noticed Ian, who had silently closed the distance like a beastfolk hunter. Of course, there was no way he could know that Ian had learned much of that stealth from an actual beastfolk.

Gripping the wand tightly, Ian thrust out his Willful Grasp with full force and smiled.

"Nice to meet you, old man."