Chapter 479 - 386: Giant Training Program and Messenger "Lightning
Chapter 479: Chapter 386: Giant Training Program and Messenger "Lightning
It combined the armor-breaking blunt force of a hammer with the piercing power of a cone. The manufacturing process was relatively simple, the cost was manageable, and its power was immense, perfectly suiting the Hill Giants’ simple and brutal combat style.
"Wuba Tribe Leader."
Raylo looked toward the leader of the Hill Giants.
Wuba stepped forward. His eyes glinted as he stared at the new weapons on the flatbed cart.
He reached out his massive hand and picked one up.
The heavy weight made him nod in satisfaction.
He gripped the cone hammer in one hand and swung it casually twice, producing a terrifying WHOOSH in the air.
Then, he spotted a massive granite boulder nearby and violently smashed the cone hammer against it.
"CLANG!"
A deafening sound rang out as sparks flew everywhere.
A deep pit instantly appeared on the hard granite, and countless cracks spread out from it like a spiderweb.
Wuba pulled the cone hammer back. He examined the undamaged hammerhead, then looked at the cracked rock, and a wide, satisfied grin split his face.
He slammed the butt of the cone hammer onto the ground with a dull thud and roared to Raylo and all the other Giants.
"Good stuff!"
"ROAR!"
All the Hill Giants let out excited roars.
They couldn’t wait to rush forward, each claiming their own new weapon.
For a time, the camp was filled with the shouts and laughter of the Giants.
In the days that followed, the scene at the Black Stone Territory’s training grounds changed once again.
The earth-shaking roars diminished, replaced by neat, unified shouts.
Over a hundred Hill Giants, wielding menacing Double-Headed Cone Hammers, repeated the most basic moves—chopping, smashing, sweeping, and stabbing—over and over again to the sound of Kado’s roars and Ed’s whistle.
Each movement was powerful enough to split a mountain. With a hundred heavy weapons swinging in unison, the resulting gales were strong enough to make the Human Knights watching from a distance feel suffocated.
Their destructive power was certainly astounding, but discipline was the key to forging this power into an unstoppable torrent of steel.
An individual Hill Giant was a mighty warrior on the battlefield, but a hundred of them together without strict discipline would be nothing more than a disorganized mob. They might even cause unnecessary casualties among their own ranks due to crowding and chaos.
Ed simplified the methods used to train Human Knights in formation and discipline countless times over, teaching these simple-minded behemoths in the most direct way possible.
March in step, halt, left face, right face...
The simplest commands were paired with the most direct rewards and punishments: food.
The best-performing teams got an extra large piece of roast meat for dinner; the worst got only oat gruel.
Under the authority of Kado, the "powerhouse among Giants," and the strong execution of Ed, this fledgling Giant Legion was shedding its wild nature at a visible pace, beginning to understand the meaning of discipline and order.
Inside Raylo’s study, the flames in the fireplace burned quietly, illuminating his pensive profile.
Less than two months remained until the appearance of the Heart of the Giant Beast.
’Time is tight. I must make plans early.’
He pulled open a drawer, took out a sheet of fine parchment, and spread it on the desk.
He dipped a quill in ink, and the nib flew across the paper, swiftly and cleanly writing a letter.
The letter was for Duke Aiden.
In the letter, Raylo concisely described the recent changes in the Jade Swamp.
The Heart of the Giant Beast, a supreme treasure that could help Lord Astra achieve a breakthrough, was about to emerge.
A Catastrophe Level Demon, an avatar of the Nine-headed Demon Serpent Hydra, had already descended.
Finally, he requested that the Duke come with Thunder Dragon Astra when the Heart of the Giant Beast emerged.
After finishing the letter, he carefully rolled up the parchment and inserted it into a slender bamboo tube, which he sealed with wax.
Having done all this, Raylo walked to the study’s balcony, took a deep breath of the cool air, and let out a clear, sharp whistle.
A moment later, with a soft THUD on the windowsill, three small heads poked in almost simultaneously.
One white, one black, and one blue.
"Lightning."
Raylo smiled and held out his hand.
The little blue one immediately came closer, affectionately nuzzling his palm with its small head.
Ever since arriving in Black Stone Territory, it had been living a good life under the leadership of its ’boss,’ Moonlight, and had grown increasingly fond of the Lord, Raylo.
Raylo patted its little head and handed over the bamboo tube.
"Take this back to Thunder Dragon City and deliver it to Duke Aiden."
Lightning tilted its head.
Raylo added, "At the same time, pass a message to your father, Lord Astra. Tell him he can get ready to set out."
Lightning understood this time, but it looked at Raylo, then at Moonlight beside it, seeming to hesitate about the long-distance errand.
It would rather trail behind its boss, Moonlight, to sneak tasty treats from the kitchen and run amok all over Black Stone Territory.
It subconsciously glanced at Moonlight, as if seeking its boss’s opinion.
Moonlight didn’t even lift an eyelid. It just slowly and deliberately extended a paw and gently pressed it down on Lightning’s head.
"Awooo."
Moonlight let out a soft cry at it.
Lightning shivered, its previously hesitant eyes instantly becoming resolute.
It fawningly nudged Moonlight’s furry paw with its little head, then snatched the bamboo tube in its mouth, and with a great leap, jumped out the window.
In mid-air, its small body swelled dramatically in the wind.
CRACKLE!
Dense blue arcs of electricity danced around it. Accompanied by a clear dragon’s cry, a sleek, blue Thunder Dragon tens of meters long appeared in the sky above Black Stone Castle.
With a beat of its wings, it stirred up a fierce gale and transformed into a streak of blue lightning, speeding toward the southern horizon.
Raylo watched the direction in which Lightning disappeared.
Giving the Heart of the Giant Beast to Thunder Dragon Astra in exchange for the friendship of the Duchy’s Guardian Giant Dragon—that was his original plan.
And facts had proven his investment had yielded a rich return. Lord Astra not only acknowledged him but also sent his own offspring to be by his side, which was in itself a sign of immense trust.
But plans can never keep up with changes.
The avatar of the Nine-headed Demon Serpent that had descended upon the Jade Swamp was a huge variable.
That was a Catastrophe Level Demon. Even as just an avatar, its power was far beyond what any ordinary Domain Level Powerhouse could compare to.
For Lord Astra, who was at the Domain Peak, to try and seize the Heart of the Giant Beast from under the nose of such a monster was too risky. There was even a chance he could perish.
’Raylo would never want to see such an outcome.’
’Only by joining forces would Duke Aiden and Lord Astra have the confidence to confront a Catastrophe Level powerhouse.’
He believed Duke Aiden would make the right choice. Although it meant facing the Catastrophe Level Demon Serpent Avatar directly, it was an opportunity for his Giant Dragon partner, Astra, to advance—an opportunity the Duke would not miss.
The situation on the continent was currently treacherous and unpredictable, and the Thunder Dragon Duchy urgently needed a Catastrophe Level combatant to protect the nation.