60 — Chapter 60

The Black Mage’s eerie voice rang out as he spoke the incantation, and the storm of mana that had been swirling violently around him vanished in an instant. A gray powder of light drifted down over the ten minotaurs.

The spell he had cast—Illusion—was a mental-type magic. Those caught within its influence would be trapped in hallucinations, their minds tormented until their strength withered away. Unless they broke free, they would eventually collapse and die on their own. The illusions themselves were shaped entirely by the caster’s will.

“Graah? Graaaaah!”

The ten minotaurs, who had been perfectly fine a moment ago, suddenly shrieked and thrashed about. They swung their massive battle axes without hesitation, staggering closer to one another. For a moment, I wondered what kind of nightmare they were seeing that could drive them to such frenzy.

If this continued, they would undoubtedly kill each other. Which meant that, technically, only three more needed to fall by my hand.

I spread inner energy through my body and dashed toward the nearest minotaur with Lightfoot.

“Graaaah!”

The beast roared, swinging its giant battle axe as if it were nothing more than a branch. Just what kind of vision had the illusion shown them to make them so desperate?

“Wh-what the hell?!”

A human voice cried out in alarm.

“I don’t know! But I think that Black Mage did it!”

Another shouted with a mix of fear and excitement.

Up ahead, I caught sight of one of the monsters. It stood well over six meters tall, waves of killing intent radiating from its body. Every time it moved, its muscles bulged as if they were about to burst. It still hadn’t noticed me. Instead, it charged toward another minotaur, battle axe raised high.

Channeling inner energy into my blade, I leapt toward its thick neck. Even with just a little force, reaching six or seven meters in this light Human Realm gravity was nothing at all.

“Graaaah!”

Another deafening roar shook the air, the kind that would’ve sent ordinary people cowering with their hands over their ears.

Annoying creature.

The beast’s thick neck came into view—corded muscle stacked upon muscle. With a swift motion of my hand, the golden-tinged blade of my sword swept across.

It was so fast it left no afterimage. There wasn’t even the sensation of cutting.

By the time I landed softly on the ground, the minotaur’s neck had already been severed.

Four down.

“Graaaargh!”

The monster, despite being decapitated, let out another roar and kept moving. Veins bulged at its neck, straining against the inevitable. A few seconds later, the head slipped cleanly off with a soundless fall.

Thud—

The terrified expression on its face remained frozen as the severed head hit the ground and rolled several times before coming to a stop. The body twitched in small spasms, blood bursting from the neck stump under pressure.

I didn’t linger on the gruesome sight. I moved on.

Crash!

“Grrraaaah!”

One of the minotaurs screamed in pain as another’s battle axe smashed into its shoulder. Blood geysered from the wound. Though it tried to retaliate, the injury was too severe, and within moments its head was split in two, killing it instantly.

Giant against giant, their clashes sent waves of pressure across the battlefield.

Soon the rest of the surviving minotaurs closed in on one another. In no time, every single one of them was locked in brutal combat.

“What the hell’s going on?! We can’t even get close to them!”

Someone shouted in shock.

No matter how powerful a Paladin might be, stepping into the middle of a battlefield where minotaurs—towering six or seven meters tall—clashed was suicide. The shockwaves, the deafening roars, and the murderous aura they radiated would crush anyone who approached recklessly.

I turned my gaze away from the ones still standing in the center and pushed my speed harder. Two of them were locked in brutal combat, battle axes slamming against one another with boom-boom echoes that shook the ground. Sparks scattered violently every time their weapons clashed.

One of them bled heavily from its left arm. It wouldn’t last long.

Kicking off the ground, I vaulted high into the air, flooding my sword with inner energy. From up above, I had a clear view of the two beasts. Drawing my right arm across my shoulder, I swung downward, unleashing a golden arc of sword energy that streaked silently toward them.

Slash—

The glowing blade cut cleanly across both minotaurs, from flank to opposite waist. Even after cleaving them apart, the strike had enough power left to slice a thin, deep line into the earth itself.

Thud. Thud.

A heartbeat later, the two creatures collapsed, their upper bodies sliding off as blood spilled onto the grassy field.

Six. I had reached my target.

Now only six remained, not counting the one that had already fallen in their frenzied bloodbath. But those still alive were far from unscathed; sooner or later, they would succumb to madness or exhaustion and destroy themselves. If more had wandered out like the ones before, the Black Mage could have handled them alone—mages were simply more efficient against large groups.

I walked back toward where the Black Mage stood. John was next to him, smiling as brightly as ever. It was hard to believe this was the same man who had worn such a cold expression only moments ago. His emotional shifts were almost whiplash-inducing.

“Kain, that was incredible,” John said, his voice brimming with awe and admiration.

Don’t envy me too much. Soon enough, I’ll make you stronger. A subordinate of someone destined to become an absolute being has to match that strength, after all.

John glanced toward the direction of the remaining minotaurs, then drew the chakram hanging at his waist.

“Ahem~ Guess it’s been a while since I’ve stretched my body,” he said with a lazy yawn before his voice sharpened into excitement.

He lowered his stance, then shot forward like a bolt. His face had already hardened into that same icy mask.

The other humans, unable to even imagine intervening, had long since backed far, far away.

To the others watching from a safe distance, the clash of the minotaurs must have looked terrifying—utterly overwhelming. Their towering frames stood over six meters tall, bodies packed with raw muscle, each wielding a battle axe the size of a man. Just their murderous aura was enough to keep ordinary people from stepping anywhere near.

Every boom-boom of weapons colliding, every guttural roar, dominated the surroundings. In that hellish atmosphere, John sprinted headlong toward the frenzy of minotaurs locked in bloody combat. His stance dropped lower, arms pulled tight behind him as he darted forward.

“What the hell? That lunatic!” someone shouted hoarsely from the sidelines.

John ignored them. He slipped right under a minotaur’s guard, chakram shimmering with sword aura as he spun his body in a clean arc. A thick calf was severed in one strike, blood spraying like rain.

Even from a distance, the sight was clear—minotaurs were simply too large to miss.

“Gwooooh!”

The wounded beast toppled, its balance gone. The one in front of it wasted no time, driving its axe downward into its companion’s skull. The sound was sickening, bone and brain matter splattering as the crippled minotaur died instantly.

John lowered himself again, eyes locked on the one still moving. Blood and gore coated its axe as it lumbered forward, yet it never turned toward him.

Strange. Why wasn’t it reacting to its surroundings at all? What kind of illusion was this?

I narrowed my eyes, watching John approach the downed minotaur’s neck.

“What illusion is it?”

“Giant,” came the Black Mage’s eerie reply.

A giant? That explained it. Minotaurs and giants were ancient enemies, though no one really knew why. Humans had only guesses, none of them reliable. But if they truly saw their own kind as giants, it was no wonder they fought with such blind fury.

Boom!

Another axe slammed into the ground, the impact shaking even where I stood.

Crunch!

The chest of one minotaur caved in as its opponent’s massive axe crushed it. That one would die soon, wheezing its last.

John, meanwhile, pressed forward without hesitation, chakram drawn back tight as he launched himself straight toward the nearest minotaur.

Bold. Reckless. And yet, his skill matched his courage well enough. He was still far from complete, but time would solve that.

I caught sight of him in midair, leaping to the monster’s neck with his chakram raised. Only one minotaur remained nearby—its last opponent already slain.