The black giant moved to trample me. Its descending foot was so massive that simply escaping its reach was a monumental effort. Once I managed to scramble clear, I looked back to see a portion of the improvised barricade crushed into splinters. If I’d been caught under that, I wouldn't have stood a chance.
Since I was clearly the target, I had no choice but to keep running.
To be honest, staying out of its reach wasn't the hard part. Shadow Leap allowed me to cover long distances in an instant. The problem was the mana cost; using it recklessly carried the risk of mana depletion. Still, the giant's single-minded focus on me worked in our favor. It left the others free to act. I decided to play the decoy while everyone else provided the firepower. Of course, that meant I was leading the giant through the streets without even stopping to use magic, which probably made things difficult for the people in my path. I felt a little bad about that.
The giant's attacks boasted overwhelming destructive power, but its movements were easy enough to read. Once I got used to the rhythm of dodging, I found a little breathing room to check our surroundings. As if sensing my intent, Lowell and Zahha-san—joined by Rache-san and Masso-san, who must have rushed over during the chaos—began harrying the giant’s feet.
"Ngh...! Is this even doing anything?"
"It’s gotta be taking damage, nya! We just have to keep at it, nya!"
"Gunuuu! To have such toughness without a single ounce of muscle...! This is an affront to the way of the warrior!"
Their desperate onslaught didn't seem to be having much of an effect. For one thing, it was hard to concentrate their fire when the giant’s feet were constantly in motion. Led by Raymond and Nate of the Great Busters, several mages coordinated their spells, but they couldn't land a decisive blow either. The giant simply swatted the magic away with its hands like a man dealing with slightly annoying gnats.
The situation was grim. Our attacks barely left a scratch, while a single hit from him would be fatal. Furthermore, everyone was exhausted from the back-to-back battles against the special individuals. If the fight dragged on, someone was bound to make a fatal mistake.
To make matters worse, the dense malice radiating from the giant was starting to wear us down. Halfa noticed and began her Song of Soothing to purify the area, but in a war of attrition, her mana was bound to run out eventually.
I had to act now. Fortunately, I still had my trump card: a Clean spell specifically modified to purify malice. The only question was whether I could purify something that large. It would undoubtedly require a far greater amount of mana than anything I'd used against "The Voice."
"But I have to try!" I muttered, my resolve hardening. I would make my move after the next stomp.
With a thunderous roar of rushing air, the massive foot descended. A bone-shaking thud signaled the moment of impact. I whipped around immediately and used Shadow Leap to teleport right next to the giant's leg.
This is it...!
"<Clean>!"
I unleashed the spell. The mana was sucked out of my body, transforming into a brilliant light that began to wash over the giant.
"Oh...!"
"The light of purification!"
Cheers rose from the nearby adventurers. To them, it looked exactly like the phenomenon that had saved the others from the special individuals. Some even sounded like they were celebrating a guaranteed victory. But the sensation I felt as the caster was entirely different.
Even as the dazzling light draped itself over the giant’s massive frame, the drain on my mana didn't stop.
It wasn't enough. My mana was nowhere near enough!
"Ugh...!"
A groan escaped my lips, and the mana drain finally ceased. It wasn't because the purification was finished, though. My mana had bottomed out so violently that my consciousness began to flicker, and the spell collapsed.
In truth, I must have blacked out for a moment. What kept me grounded was the potion bottle rolling nearby. It had shattered, splashing its contents over me. It must have been a Mana Recovery Potion that had rolled out of a nearby shop during the fight. By sheer luck, the liquid had soaked into my skin, jump-starting my reserves.
This was surely the effect of Destiny God's Smile. I'd avoided the worst-case scenario, but things weren't exactly looking up. My mana was back to about eighty percent, but my head was spinning and I felt nauseous. I was in no state to move.
"Guh... guhahaha...! You fell for it, didn't you, boy? I knew that's what you'd try!"
The giant—Godfee—laughed.
I'd walked right into his trap. This giant was likely constructed using an astronomical amount of malice—a density that couldn't even be compared to the giant bird. He had anticipated that I would try to purify it and deliberately let me exhaust myself.
Looking up, the giant might have shrunk slightly, but it was impossible to tell. Its overwhelming scale remained unchanged. Then, it began to lift its left foot.
There was no doubt about it: he was going to crush me.
My limbs felt like lead from the mana depletion. Running was out of the question. I tried to force a Shadow Leap, but a sharp, stabbing pain lanced through my skull. The spell dissipated before it could even form.
I was cornered. And then...
『Whew. Safe by a hair!』
I heard Ren-kun's voice.