Chapter 202

Chapter 202: The Polluter

In an instant, a storm of arrows poured down.

Under the arrow rain, the leading Gold Giant was hit first, followed by the Silver Giants behind him.

Ordinary arrows could never pierce metal giants, no matter how sharp. But Elemental Arrows worked differently. When their magic-forged tips met steel or precious metals like silver and gold, they didn’t stop—they accelerated!

Hundreds of black arrows pierced the Gold Giant’s golden skin like fish diving into water, burrowing deep into his body. The once-unstoppable Gold Giant roared in pain, staggered, and crashed to the ground. His heavy metal frame rolled forward, kicking up dust and flattening everything in its path.

By then, the Dragonkin had dropped their tower shields and retreated to safety. The Elven archers and Dragonkin throwers abandoned their single-shot crossbow carts after the first volley.

Midi’s earlier tactics—close combat against Black Iron Giants, displays of brute strength, the valley’s defensive formation—all served to lure the giants into a frontal assault. This created the perfect setup for the real trap: Elemental Arrows that couldn’t be dodged.

With the Gold and Silver Giants riddled by hundreds of arrows, maintaining the formation became unnecessary. Watching the roaring Gold Giant thrash, Midi quietly relaxed.

Though the Elemental Arrows’ destruction resembled Midi’s Starfall whip attacks on Black Iron Giants, the difference was vast. Even if Midi could snare a charging Gold Giant—a near-impossible feat—his limited pure magic couldn’t destroy a fifteen-meter titan. Defeating two Black Iron Giants had nearly drained him.

But Elemental Arrows weren’t magic constructs—they were physical weapons forged from pure magic, devouring and slicing metal with tenfold Midi’s power. Drawn automatically to Elemental Cores, they drilled relentlessly until piercing a giant’s heart-core.

The battle’s outcome in Gilded Valley was decided in that volley. Even prideful Dragonkin showed awe watching the Gold Giant fall—awe toward human techniques, and toward Commander Midi Asreks.

Though briefed on tactics and trained with crossbow carts, the Dragonkin couldn’t process how swiftly the giants collapsed. As warriors, they understood the giants’ might—yet these foes fell in moments.

Sigmund, Lilian, and the Elven archers knew the arrows’ power, but Sky City’s Sea of Three Towers was new to them. Facing Elemental Giants—terrifying first-time opponents—left them stunned.

Only Midi stood calmly, sword-hand on hilt, whip coiled, watching the overturned battlefield. Then he frowned.

Why weren’t the remaining giants moving?

The rear Black Iron and Bronze Giants had taken few hits—over fifteen remained combat-ready. Earth-born giants clung fiercely to territory, unlike fleeing noble lords. Midi had expected prolonged fighting: Dragonkin holding the line while Elven wandering gunslingers and javelin throwers whittled them down.

But now?

The remaining giants stood there foolishly, neither attacking nor fleeing, simply holding defensive postures.

“Aren’t they attacking?” Tanius blurted out impatiently.

“This is the best chance, Lord Midi,” Sigmund added.

The giants’ power was immense—even one could wreak havoc if enraged. Both the aggressive Dragonkin and cautious gunners wanted to finish them quickly.

Yet Midi frowned, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.

He dropped his whip and unsheathed the Black Sky sword, unused for some time. Its edge pulsed with a vortex-like force, pulling in surrounding pure magic. The energy condensed into a dense point of light.

The light suddenly expanded.

Midi swung his sword, and the glowing point shot forward like an arrow, aimed at the defending giants.

As it sped ahead, the light grew faster and larger, morphing from a streaking spark into a massive fireball trailing crimson flames.

This was the Asura skill: Explosive Flame Wave Sword.

With the golden small sword within him and pure magic’s boost, its power now dwarfed its past strength.

Though scorching, it lacked the sun’s black flame intensity to melt metal instantly. Against metal giants, such an attack seemed feeble—weaker than Elemental Arrows or the Starfall whip.

Confusion spread among the Dragonkin, Elves, Sigmund, and Lilian. Why use an Asura skill on metal giants?

The answer came swiftly.

The fireball struck the lead Black Iron Giant. The colossal being, armored in stone and steel, reeled backward as if hollow. Its ten-meter frame toppled with a crash!

The giant roared in agony, thrashing as crimson flames engulfed it. Instead of extinguishing, the fire blazed fiercer, as if its body were oil-soaked wood, not metal.

A buzzing hum filled the air. Countless black specks rose from the burning giant, swirling skyward like a living cloud.

A swarm of black beetles.

“Hundred Demons Night Parade!” Midi’s expression darkened.

Silent devourers of flesh, magic, and soul, these holy beetles seized their prey’s body and skills, forging Undead warriors immune to fear and death.

The Necromancer’s signature move.

Only one person in the Sea of Three Towers wielded this power.

“Ah, you caught on,” came a breezy, mock-regretful voice.

Cloaked in black, the “Hand of Nightmare” Wiseman Newton materialized midair, stepping calmly onto an Elemental Giant’s shoulder.

No—it was no Elemental Giant, but an Undead giant puppet.

“You’ve mastered the holy beetles?” Midi steadied his voice, glaring upward.

“Sky City’s pure magic made it possible. Failing would’ve disgraced the title ‘Hand of Nightmare,’” Wiseman replied mildly. “I should thank you. Your frontal assault let my beetles slip into these giants unnoticed… and feast on their souls.”

As Midi and Wiseman sparred verbally, the others grasped the truth—the battle wasn’t over.

The beetles had consumed the giants’ souls and magic. Shedding metal shells, their bodies now housed swarms driving them as Undead puppets.

Though weaker and less durable than true Elemental Giants, these puppets retained enough strength. The Dragonkin’s earlier victory relied on Elemental Arrows’ lethality and preparation.

Against Undead giants, only Midi’s flame-attribute Explosive Flame Wave Sword held an edge. Ordinary Dragonkin had no counters. Elven archers and javelin throwers with Elemental weapons fared worse.

In an instant, the tides of battle had turned.