Chapter 5.5

  After defeating the King of the Giants, the Nameless King—having destroyed yet another human city with little difficulty—wanted that fight again. He would never forget that battle; it was special to him. Meanwhile a human crawled across the ground, without legs, blood trailing as he dragged himself forward. He tried to attack the Nameless King and in the process was crushed underfoot.

  The Nameless King simply stared at the horizon, admiring the world's beauty with an empty, lifeless gaze, as if he had never felt or witnessed a single love, as if he had only been born to fight.

  "I once had that look, bu-but I, I met her, the love of my life, and it was then that I finally found my true purpose," Cobel's words entered the Nameless King's chest. His lifeless look shifted toward life itself; a bird landed on the Nameless King's hand, and, without realizing it, for the first time he let a pure smile slip across his face—not a grim smile, not a smile meant for killing an enemy.

  He was the first to hold the title "Nameless King." His past was only fights to survive; he had never experienced love, but for the first time he felt some happiness.

  'What is this? What am I feeling? This is so calming. I think I'll stay here a little longer. I think I like this peace!' he thought.

  So he sat on the ground—beautiful in front of him, but behind him stained with blood and all the terror he had caused. After admiring the beauty of nature, he continued wandering aimlessly, walking and walking for days.

  'Even though I've left that hell, I still feel like I'm there, stuck in that place. But what am I supposed to do? I am what I am; I was raised this way. This is my nature,' the Nameless King thought as he walked.

  He stopped, made a fire, laid his sword by his side, and slept. At dawn he resumed his journey until he reached a peculiar part of a forest.

  In this forest even the climate changed. This section was gray, trees dead on all sides, bodies decomposing; the only animals here were vultures and crows. The Nameless King entered—this place was unique; he had never seen anything so fascinating.

  'What an intriguing place. Even though it stinks and isn't beautiful to look at, it doesn't seem particularly dangerous,' the Nameless King thought, walking cautiously and scanning his surroundings to avoid surprise.

  He walked until he found a being seated on a throne made of the corpses of dead giants. The being looked at the Nameless King and opened its mouth to speak.

  "You're the famous Nameless King? The one who took down the King of Giants?"

  The Nameless King nodded.

  "I see. So you truly have potential—even as a newborn among giants you easily break into the top twenty most powerful giants," the giant on the throne said with a grim look.

  "Who are you?"

  "Me? I'm the King of Death—the one who brings death to the giants, the strongest in our continent."

  The Nameless King positioned his sword to attack. The King of Death saw this and smiled; he simply raised a hand.

  "Poor souls trapped in this terrible world, rise," he intoned. Suddenly all the dead rose and stood, awaiting orders. "Attack!"

  The Nameless King dodged the first attack, then another from a different undead. After evading, he countered and cut one down, then decapitated others. Spotting an opening, he lunged at the King of Death, who, showing no emotion, grabbed the Nameless King by the throat with one hand and squeezed until his breath was cut off. The Nameless King drove his sword into the King of Death’s chest. When the sword pierced him, the King of Death released him and began to laugh as the wound regenerated—his flesh dry, his skin pale, joined with the desiccated meat.

  "I am a walking corpse, boy," he said with a malicious grin. "And I also collect the bodies of giants."

  "I will never become one of your soldiers," the Nameless King replied, smiling with arrogant confidence. "I'll kill you and make you beg for your life."

  The King of Death laughed at the young giant.

  While they exchanged words, the Nameless King fought the undead as the King of Death remained seated on his throne.

  After cutting and incapacitating the zombie giant enough that it could no longer fight, the Nameless King looked, injured and nearly out of energy, at the king of those restless corpses.

  He was smiling—an empty smile. The Nameless King then pointed his sword at the King of Death, who rose and walked toward him.

  The Nameless King walked forward as well, expression weary—not only physically, but mentally.

  "Do you want to be the hero of these poor souls?" the King of Death asked, curious about the Nameless King's motives.

  "No. I do not want to be a hero or a savior. I want to be the one you fear."

  That answer intrigued and surprised the King of Death; he began to laugh.

  'Why is he laughing? Did I say something funny?' the Nameless King wondered.

  "You are strange, boy. But looking more closely at you only confirms that the Nameless King is neither a hero nor does he resemble one," the King of Death said with a smile.

  The Nameless King studied him and realized how hideous and frightening the King of Death was—thin, pale as a corpse, wearing a torn tyrant's cloak.

  "You are quite ugly," the Nameless King said sincerely.

  "You cannot say anything." the King of Death returned.

  They stared at each other for a short while. Then the Nameless King sat against a tree.

  "All right—you can sleep. I won't kill you. I give you my word."

  The Nameless King had no choice; he needed to rest and recover his strength. He closed his eyes and slept.

  'While he sleeps I will check the damage he's caused,' the King of Death thought as he walked, surveying how many he had killed, recovering and regenerating his soldiers. 'Nameless King... no wonder he has such a title. His potential is nearly infinite! I'll train him to become the next king of giants. First I'll send him to the proudest continent.' he planned as he went about his business.

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  Some time later the Nameless King awoke. He looked around and found he was alone. He rose and scanned the area again; the King of Death stood with arms open and said:

  "Isn't it boring to be among the top twenty strongest? There are barely anyone for a truly fun fight. I know that feeling, but there are far stronger people in the world. Go ahead, my friend—you will find a new continent where the people are strong."

  The Nameless King's eyes glinted for the first time in a long while.

  "Is that true?" the Nameless King asked with hope.

  "Yes. But tell me—why do you love fighting?"

  "To find the peace I so long for."

  "You mean to find peace in death?"

  "Yes."

  The giant began to laugh again.

  "You like to laugh," the Nameless King observed.

  "Not that you're exactly like him—you're both similar and somehow different. Here's some advice from an older man." He took a deep breath and continued. "Look, no matter how much time passes, we can always find a new purpose in our lives. Understand?"

  The Nameless King merely nodded.

  "Since I'm in a good mood today, I'll give you some information about one continent," the King of Death said with a smile.

  That interested the Nameless King; after leaving the wall, he had found mainly small, fragile beings—some strong, but mostly weak. After giving the Nameless King the details, the King of Death guided him toward the continent he had mentioned. The Nameless King wasted no time and leapt.

  "Huh! The kid's not hasty," the King of Death muttered.

  'When I said that if he destroyed the villages and towns of that continent I'd fight him without holding back, he got even more excited. What I want most is for him to kill the saint of the Church of the Goddess of Life,' thought the giant who commanded the dead.

  Meanwhile, the Nameless King was astonished by how much water he saw. It was his first time seeing an ocean; looking up, he saw many islands.

  When he landed on one of the islands, the impact made a noise loud enough for the nearest village to hear. The villagers rushed to the source and saw only dust—until something huge emerged.

  "Th-that's a GIANT!" the frightened villagers cried as they ran.

  The Nameless King rose and walked among the panicked villagers, thinking: 'They are the size of those frail, weak beings. The only difference is they have pointy ears.' He was disappointed.

  "Destroy their villages, towns, and lives. Make them fear you. After all, you are a giant," he recalled the King's words and began to raze the elf village, taking lives.

  'I am tasked with destroying villages, towns, and lives. If I become the strongest, I could even destroy the world—that is my destiny,' he thought as he plunged his sword into an elf. 'I was chosen to be destruction.'

  The Nameless King had been chosen as the embodiment of the god of destruction since birth—among the wall giants who had even attacked kings and princes. He was feared even before becoming a wall king; he had been treated as such.

  Soldiers arrived and hurled spears infused with magic. The Nameless King barely dodged, then swung his blade to strike the elven soldiers, who used a shield spell that cracked on impact. Seeing the crack, one soldier turned pale and broke into a cold sweat.

  'Is this the strength of a giant?! It's absurd,' the soldier thought.

  As the giant destroyed the village, a messenger rode to warn the baron that a giant had invaded his territory.

  "Se-sir, th-there's a giant in our lands."

  "What?" the baron exclaimed, startled. "It's been four centuries since a single giant stepped foot here. During the great war between the species, after the humangiant war, they were imprisoned in the Wall, and some were trapped in forests and caves. They were supposed to be confined!"

  "Yes, sir, you're right—they were supposed to be imprisoned. But we got recent news: the Wall fell along with the city, and more than half the forest giants were killed."

  The baron rose from his chamber and headed to his soldiers.

  "What are your orders?"

  "I will join the battle and kill that wretch," the baron said grimly.

  He went to the training ground and rallied the soldiers. At the news of a giant, the soldiers' determined expressions turned to fear—though some were still eager.

  "It doesn't matter if you're afraid; we all are. You may die in battle—so may I—but will we run?" He inhaled. "No! We'll protect our county. Soldiers, to battle. Do not fear death. On the contrary, we must seek it to the end of our lives; that is our destiny. We should fear only the Goddess of Life, Gaia."

  The soldiers rallied, raising their hands and shouting together, "Long live the Goddess of Life, long live Gaia!"

  Then the baron turned his back on them.

  "Ready the horses. I will go as well—prepare now," he ordered.

  The soldier beside him nodded.

  'Let's go. We'll fight after so long,' the baron thought.

  While the Nameless King massacred all the villages in the region—hearing cries for mercy amidst fire, burning bodies, and screams—he simply continued his path.

  The baron, on his way to defend his land, spotted the giant and saw his villages consuming in flame like trash.

  "Fire! Shoot him—kill that wretch!" he ordered.

  Obeying, his men released light and wind magic. The giant dodged the light projectile, but the wind one grazed him. He threw his sword; the baron spurred his horse and the soldiers followed, but the sword struck the ground with a thunderous crash. Earth and blood rose; the giant pulled his sword free and swung, finishing the entire elven squad.

  The baron stopped and dismounted. He extended his hand and began to cast magic. "Oh Goddess, permit this mediocre, insignificant being to wield your pure and gracious power."

  Circles of light formed around the baron; the giant charged with speed. Chains of magic coiled around the Nameless King, forcing him to kneel.

  "You stopped a primate trying to attack me with a bone-made sword," the baron continued his incantation as a circle appeared beneath both him and the giant.

  The circle shone brighter, and the Nameless King strained at the chains; the magical bonds cracked. The baron unleashed a spell with everything he had, striking the Nameless King. Pain exploded through him; the black hood covering his mouth began to burn.

  'Come on, Hikari Kotei, Regina and your little girl are waiting for you,' the baron thought, placing his hand on his chest where his mana core rested.

  The Nameless King was astonished—he had never suffered such bodily damage before. He struggled to rise.

  Kotei looked at the smoke-spewing crater and still felt the giant's presence. He ground his teeth in anger; his spell had not been sufficient to defeat the giant outright.

  'Damn, I used half my mana on that spell. Curse it—just because I'm an elf with a dark-light mana core. DAMN IT,' Kotei cursed himself.

  The Nameless King emerged from the crater, his body burned. He was shirtless, something covering his mouth that bore a scar, another near his eye, and several others across his body.

  A smile crept across his face as he stared at the elf before him, who returned that gaze with hatred.

  'At least I'll kill this giant. I'll use the rest of my mana to slay that bastard,' Kotei thought as he dismounted and conjured a magic sword in his hand.

  'I want so badly to see my daughter again—Regina and I want to see Anna grow up,' he whispered. Tears fell; his hope of reuniting with his family was almost spent. Kotei could die here—either at the giant's hands or by the unbearable pain of his mana draining away.

  Kotei drew back and thrust his magic sword forward at the Nameless King, who only stared. The giant began to run toward Kotei, who launched the sword at him.

  The Nameless King dodged and continued running. Kotei followed; countless magic swords formed around him, all aimed at the Nameless King.

  Kotei leapt and struck; the Nameless King brought his blade down to parry, aiming for the elf's head.

  'Could this small creature bring me the peace I crave?' That thought circled in the Nameless King's mind—would he find the peace he desired?

  The blades clashed with a thunderous crash that echoed across the county, alarming villagers and the count doing business with Kotei's wife, Regina. They wondered what that noise was.

  The Nameless King stared down at the elf kneeling on the ground, blood leaking across his face. As he prepared to deliver the final blow, something pierced his leg. He lost balance and missed the strike on Kotei, who evaded. Separated by a short distance, with a vacant gaze beginning to glow and gathering his last strength, the Nameless King prepared for one last charge.

  Meanwhile, Kotei gathered his remaining mana. When he opened his glowing eyes, the Nameless King surged forward. Even with a hole in his leg, the giant leapt, pushing his body to the limit. The elf released a burst of light magic that collided with the blade.

  Kotei felt his mana deplete and waves of dizziness and nausea come over him, pains intensifying across his body. The Nameless King felt his skin burn and the bones in his hands crack, yet he pressed on.

  A strong wind whipped across the area. Blue hair turned white for the elf as dizziness and sickness became unbearable. The Nameless King cut through the magic and kicked Kotei, sending him flying toward the burned villages. Upon hitting the ground, the Nameless King lost his strength and collapsed.

  Kotei had exhausted all his magic. He only wanted to see his family one more time. Dazed and aching throughout, only one thing awaited him now: death.

  The Nameless King, on the other hand, lay there and found that he had enjoyed the battle. Quietly, without fully noticing, he began to close his eyes, staring at the beautiful sky ahead of his green eyes. In the end, he slept, gazing upon what he loved most: the splendor of nature.