Chapter 672

Do you think I am you?

Extermination of Evil and Blood Evil soon disappeared.

In the place they had passed through was steel wrapped around its master like Protective Holy Art.

When the steel withdrew, Graul appeared completely unharmed.

“You are pretending to be virtuous.”

“Practiced hypocrisy is better than goodness that is never practiced. I am different from you. I would never sell out my comrades just to save myself.”

“How unfortunate. Harboring lingering affection and revealing one’s weakness. Neither is a virtue a king should possess.”

“What a load of bullshit.”

What utter nonsense.

Of course, Su-ho did not yet know the correct answer to this difficult problem.

So he decided to kill Graul first.

Unlike the other faction members, Graul’s color had not changed because he was a leader.

Su-ho immediately drew the Blood Sword.

[ Blood Genesis is activated. ]

[ Mana Detection is activated. ]

[ Eye of the Nightsmith is activated. ]

[ Piercing Eye is activated. ]

[ Sword Energy is activated. ]

[ Protection is activated. ]

[ Consecration is activated. ]

[ Extreme Strength is activated. ]

Notifications appeared one after another.

Power exploded.

At the same time, he cast Deterioration on Graul.

Graul also flipped open his spellbook and prepared to use magic.

Kwaaaang!

An explosive roar.

At the same time, ink-colored steel was mercilessly fired from him.

[ Line is activated. ]

Su-ho cut through the air as though sliding and approached him.

He avoided the shower of steel. 𝚏𝗋ℯⅇ

At the same time, he summoned Extermination of Evil and Blood Evil once again.

The moment he closed the distance, he thrust out his sword.

[ Point is activated. ]

[ Ten Thousand Strikes is activated. ]

[ Consecutive Strikes is activated. ]

Kwaang!

Just before the sword reached him, a new steel pillar erupted directly in front of it.

The tip of the sword collided with the steel and unleashed a lightning strike.

As a result, its end split apart.

The steel split by Consecutive Strikes eventually burned through its entire body, but in the end, it failed to stop the enemy’s intrusion.

The tip of Su-ho’s sword surged toward Graul.

Graul twisted his body to avoid it, then immediately used movement magic to widen the distance.

[ Line is activated. ]

Su-ho immediately closed the distance.

This time, he had no intention of giving him an opening.

He swung his sword.

Kang!

Steel blocked it.

But Su-ho cut through it.

Sensing danger, Graul widened the distance.

Su-ho pursued him with Line once again.

Graul used movement magic on a large scale and moved far away.

Su-ho followed him in exactly the same way.

The pattern repeated.

Their speed gradually accelerated.

Kagang! Kang! Kang! Kagang! Kwang! Kaaang!

At some point, only sparks began flying through the air.

The giants on the ground could do nothing but stare at the sight blankly with their mouths hanging open.

At that moment.

Pukwaak!

Su-ho’s sword pierced through Graul’s body.

Kaaang!

Graul hurriedly summoned steel and swung it, knocking the Blood Sword away.

He struck it with enough force to break it, but it did not break.

Su-ho did not budge. He pressed his body closer, stared directly into Graul’s eyes, and spoke.

“Did you really think you were stronger than me?”

Graul did not answer.

Instead, he used movement magic to widen the distance once again.

Cold sweat formed.

He felt impatient.

He thought it had been a coincidence.

But that single effective strike was a considerable blow to Graul.

More mentally than physically.

Pukwaak!

At that moment, Su-ho’s sword pierced through Graul once more.

This time, Graul did not even think of knocking the sword away and chose to flee.

Su-ho pursued him again.

He swung his sword, and Graul was wounded again.

Sparks no longer flew.

The only sounds were flesh being sliced and blood scattering through the air.

All of it belonged to Graul.

Sugeok!

The sword pierced through him once again.

This time, it went deep.

Su-ho twisted the sword he had driven into him.

The internal wound deepened.

Graul gasped for breath.

He had to use magic again.

He had to use it quickly and escape.

But his body would not obey him.

The wounds that had accumulated again and again had now become damage he could no longer endure.

Graul grabbed Su-ho’s body with a trembling hand.

“How......! How could I lose to a fake like you......!”

At that desperate touch, Su-ho also grabbed Graul’s face, looked directly into his eyes, and spoke.

“Want me to tell you how a fake becomes the real thing?”

“What......?”

“If the fake kills all the real ones, the fake becomes real.”

“......!”

Graul’s eyes widened.

At the same time, he began chanting magic.

Runic characters and mana gathered densely.

It was probably his final spell.

At that moment.

Seogeok!

Su-ho’s sword cut through Graul’s neck.

Graul’s head fell downward.

The headless corpse went limp, and Su-ho sent it after the falling head.

- It is over.

Jack, who had been watching, nodded.

After properly confirming Graul’s death, Su-ho shook the blood from his sword.

Until he met the Giant Slaughterer, he had dealt with Graul in a cheerful mood.

But now, he no longer wanted to do that.

So he ended it quickly.

He had never thought he would lose.

It was true that Graul was exceptional.

He possessed many talents and was skilled enough to train his magic alone against countless Giant Hunters, but that did not mean he seemed stronger than Su-ho.

Reality had proven that as well, and Graul’s death just now had demonstrated it beyond doubt.

At Graul’s death, the original faction members who had voted for him began trembling with anxiety.

“L-Lord Graul lost?”

“H-How......!”

“Then what happens to us now?”

“D-Don’t panic. We are that bastard’s faction. The system organized us that way, didn’t it?”

“Y-Yeah, that’s right!”

“If anyone dies, it’ll be those bastards!”

It was an amusing change.

The ones who had been trembling with anxiety only moments ago suddenly gained some kind of confidence. They were no longer afraid and began raising their voices, demanding that the faction members on the other side of the bridge be killed.

Jack silently watched them with his arms crossed.

At that moment, Su-ho appeared beside Jack.

When Su-ho suddenly appeared through Shadow Movement, the 391 giants flinched in surprise and lowered their voices.

Gulp-

The sound of them swallowing dryly could be heard.

Su-ho rested the Blood Sword on his shoulder and gestured to Jack with his head.

“Bring everyone over.”

At those words, Jack disappeared, then soon reappeared with all the original faction members who had been on the other side of the bridge.

When they saw the hostile faction appear together with the shadows, the 391 giants began to tense.

The giants Jack had brought over were the same.

Because they also knew.

They knew what the condition of this trial was.

Even the usually talkative Ruin swallowed dryly.

The only one holding the hilt of the sword in this place was Su-ho.

None of them dared to think of opposing him.

Because every one of them had seen it.

How he killed the Giant Hunters.

How he killed the Giant Slaughterer.

How he killed Graul.

To every giant present, Su-ho was fear itself.

Su-ho spoke to all the giants before him.

“You all remember, right? Only the victorious leader can allow their faction to survive, and the victory condition is the deaths of 200 people.”

No one answered.

Silence was golden, and silence meant affirmation.

Su-ho continued.

“Graul is dead, so now 199 remain...... I thought about it a great deal. About how I should overcome this situation. And I just made my decision.”

Su-ho raised his sword and swung it briefly.

Seogeok!

A clean cutting sound.

And then.

Tuk- Pukwaaaak!

The head of the giant closest to Su-ho flew off, and blood burst out violently.

“Now only 198 more need to die.”

The dead giant had been one of the 391 giants.

At the unexpected development, the members of the same faction as the murdered giant became terrified and began protesting to Su-ho.

“W-What are you doing!”

“We’re on your side!”

“Look at the color! We’re the same color!”

“Why are you killing us? If you’re going to kill anyone, you should kill those bastards in the hostile faction!”

Thinking that they might be next, they protested until their voices nearly burst.

It was the loudest screaming cowards who could not even think of fighting were capable of producing.

At those words, Su-ho placed his index finger against his lips.

“Quiet.”

Dragon Speech was activated.

At the same time, all 390 giants became completely mute.

Then Su-ho placed his hands behind his back and slowly approached them.

“What were the conditions the system stated?”

One step.

“The first condition was that only the victorious leader could allow their faction to survive. And the second.”

One step.

“The deaths of 200 people were the victory condition.”

Another step.

“But does that really mean 200 people from the hostile faction?”

Su-ho stopped walking.

He was now standing before an unknown giant among the remaining 390.

The giant kept his mouth tightly shut and trembled in fear.

Cold sweat also streamed down his body.

Su-ho met his eyes and spoke.

“I don’t think so. The system presented the number 200, so I think only 200 people out of the total number need to die. Of course, I’m not certain. That’s why I’m going to test it. Starting with the bastards who pointed their fingers at me and poured abuse on me.”

He brought the hand behind his back forward.

A sword was held in it.

“If my guess is wrong, that would be unfortunate. Even if the correct answer is that I have to kill the members of my original faction rather than you. But since we do not know, we can at least check, can’t we? The lives of those of you who insulted me mean nothing to me.”

The sword began moving closer to the unknown giant.

The giant desperately began shaking his head.

Su-ho spoke coldly.

“It’s already too late.”

Pook!

The slowly thrust sword pierced through the unknown giant’s throat.

The giant died, and Su-ho withdrew the sword.

Then he spoke to Jack.

“Now 197 remain. Kill only 197 of these bastards.”

- Khahaha! I shall obey your command!

Jack whistled.

Black smoke exploded in every direction, and Shadow Knights poured out in droves, swinging their swords.

Seogeok! Seogeok! Kwajak!

The Shadow Knights became executioners.

And at last, when the 200th giant died.

[ You have successfully defeated 200 giants. ]

[ The victory condition has been fulfilled. ]

Grin-

A curved smile formed on Su-ho’s lips as he saw the system notification.

It was the correct answer.