chapter 261

[Third Person's PoV] 

While the Sins battled the Monarchs, the Virtues focused on handling the monstrous hordes, ensuring that none of their allies were interrupted.

Thanks to their swift and relentless assault, over a million of the enemy's 100-million-strong force had already been eliminated. Cid's crazed Shadow Army had also cut down more than a million monsters and demons combined.

Amid the continuous explosions behind them, Alpha turned to Bellion with concern as they dodged Legia's massive fist. "What's the matter?!" she shouted.

Legia's fist crashed into the ground, sending a spiderweb of cracks rippling outward. The impact transformed the shattered earth into a tidal wave of debris, propelled by the shockwave.

"Our lord is injured—that is unforgivable!" Bellion roared, flying around Legia's outstretched arm in rapid circles. His whip-like sword lashed out with incredible speed, carving deep gashes into Legia's flesh as blood erupted from the wounds.

However, due to Legia's sheer size, the cuts were not as deep as Bellion had intended.

Legia, surprisingly nimble for his massive frame, suddenly snatched Bellion in his grasp. Before Bellion could react, Legia slammed him into the ground with excessive force, the impact shattering the earth beneath him and knocking the wind from his lungs.

Meanwhile, upon hearing of Cid's condition, the girls' expressions darkened with a chilling intensity.

Even Eta, usually lost in her drowsy demeanor, narrowed her eyes sharply. "Then I guess we'd better finish this quickly…"

Her face paled, and her hair shifted to a venomous green. Raising her hand, she conjured layers upon layers of massive magic circles around Legia, each one large enough to cover a significant part of his body.

With her mastery over alchemy, the air around the magic circles ignited and crackled like firecrackers before unleashing a relentless bombardment of explosive energy. The red-hot blasts engulfed Legia in a violent inferno, shaking the sky with their sheer force.

As Legia reeled from the onslaught, Epsilon sprinted across the battlefield with an axe in hand, her body glowing with a pulsating purple aura. Enhancing herself with magic, she dashed beneath Legia just as his face was obscured by the explosions.

The air around Epsilon's axe shimmered as it vibrated intensely with energy. Gripping it with both hands, she leaped up and delivered a devastating slash to his Achilles tendon, cleanly severing it.

She teleported using her shadow, reappearing at his other heel, and swung her axe again, her eyes gleaming with a wild, determined fury. Blood splattered across her face.

But to her shock, Legia's severed tendons regenerated instantly. Before she could react, he swung his foot backward, slamming her with brutal force.

Epsilon felt her bones shatter as she was sent tumbling violently across the battlefield like a ragdoll.

"Ouchie…" she groaned, coughing as shadows surged from beneath her, enveloping her wounds and accelerating her healing. "Oh, he's definitely gonna pay for that…"

As Eta's explosions subsided, Legia's twisted form was revealed—his bones were exposed, his flesh charred, and blood streaked down his mutilated face. But within seconds, his body regenerated, his skin knitting back together as he grinned wickedly.

"You think mere explosions would be enough?!" Legia bellowed, his voice filled with manic rage. "Not even the Shadow Monarch could kill me!!"

With that, he unleashed a relentless barrage of earth-shattering punches.

Bellion weaved and dodged through the flurry of attacks effortlessly. "He's right. We need a way to put him down permanently."

"Buy me a few seconds," Alpha commanded. "I can do something—but I need time."

Eta nodded, spreading her arms as countless magic circles materialized before her. From within them, green liquid-like weapons emerged, firing in an endless barrage at Legia. Meanwhile, Epsilon appeared out of nowhere, black wings sprouting from her back as she plummeted from above.

She crashed into Legia, burying her axe deep into his chest and dragging it downward, carving through his torso in a vicious arc.

As the others kept Legia occupied, Alpha clasped her hands together, focusing intently. A radiant green light flickered between her palms.

Taking a deep breath, she lowered her gaze. When she finally opened her hands, a single glowing brown seed rested in her palm.

Alpha dropped the seed to the ground, her voice firm and commanding as it sank into the dirt. "Absorb the nutrients from the blood of others. Grow big and strong."

Almost instantly, roots sprouted from the seed, snaking out in every direction. The blood that had poured from Legia's wounds, now staining the ground, began to flow toward the roots, drawn in like water to thirsty soil. As the roots absorbed the blood, the growth process accelerated rapidly.

Alpha watched as the seedling burst from the earth, growing taller and taller before her eyes. The roots swam beneath the surface at a lightning pace, sensing the blood of monsters and fallen dragons scattered across the battlefield. Each drop of blood was consumed, fueling the plant's unnatural growth.

The seedling quickly shot past Alpha's height, its trunk thickening as it surged upward. The ground trembled and cracked under the pressure, unable to contain the rapidly expanding roots. Soon, the roots broke through the surface, twisting and writhing like serpents as they sought out more nourishment.

In moments, the towering tree reached Legia's height—and then surpassed it, continuing to stretch skyward with an almost terrifying vigor. Its colossal trunk thickened to the point that any elf who witnessed it would mistake it for the fabled World Tree, given its overwhelming size and grandeur.

The battlefield grew eerily still as Legia and the others paused, their attention drawn to the monstrous tree that now dominated the landscape.

"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!!" Alpha commanded, waving her hand sharply.

Without hesitation, Epsilon, Eta, and Bellion melted into their shadows, vanishing just as the roots erupted from the ground. Debris flew in every direction as the roots shot toward Legia with deadly precision.

Legia's expression twisted with fury. As the first of the roots reached him, he grabbed them with his massive hands, ripping them apart with brute strength and discarding the torn pieces. He roared, tearing apart every branch that dared approach him, his rage echoing across the battlefield.

But the roots kept coming—too many, too fast.

Soon, Legia's roars turned to howls of agony as the thick roots pierced his skin. They drove deep into his legs, thighs, torso, and arms, anchoring him to the ground.

Legia struggled, trying to tear the roots from his body, but the more he fought, the more they impaled him. With each puncture, his strength waned. The roots glowed faintly, pulsating as they siphoned his life force and energy.

"W-What… is going on?" Legia gasped, his voice weaker, trembling with disbelief.

He watched in horror as the roots continued to drain him, his once-unstoppable power fading with every passing second. His wounds, instead of healing, reopened under the relentless assault. More roots punctured his body, forcing him to his knees as his legs buckled under the weight of his own failing strength.

Legia's hands, once capable of crushing mountains, now trembled as he tried to grasp the roots. But even that became impossible. His strength was gone.

"Curses…" he managed to mumble, his voice barely a whisper.

Suddenly, Epsilon appeared over his shoulder, her axe gripped tightly in both hands, eyes gleaming with vengeful delight.

"I won't be satisfied unless I get the last hit," she snarled, her voice dripping with malice. "I still owe this bastard for that kick. Hope you don't mind, Alpha."

Alpha shook her head calmly. "Go ahead."

"Thank you kindly!" Epsilon shouted.

With a wild grin, she swung her axe, releasing a crescent blade of vibrating energy. The glowing arc sliced cleanly through Legia's thick neck in a single, fluid motion.

Legia's head tumbled from his shoulders, hitting the ground with a heavy thud before rolling to a stop. Blood gushed from the severed neck like a geyser, splashing across the ground in thick, crimson waves.

The Monarch of Beginnings, Legia—the King of Giants—was no more.