Chapter 530: Second Strike on Golgon

Chapter 530: Second Strike on Golgon

"Oh? Your demeanor suggests you still have a few tricks up your sleeve."

Despite the earth-shattering commotion, Rayne's expression remained calm as he spoke with a faint smile.

Suddenly, a pair of enormous arms burst forth from the ground. Each arm was at least thirty to forty meters long and had a diameter of over four to five meters, resembling those of a humanoid creature.

Then, a grotesque head emerged from beneath the earth.

The head was as large as a house, with its mouth stretched to the limits of its cheeks, as if it would split open if it opened any wider. The most striking feature, however, was the massive, single eye located above the mouth and on the forehead.

The sclera was filled with a heavy red hue, while the iris was a brownish-yellow, exuding a sense of brutality, bloodlust, and a condescending gaze over all living things!

When the rest of the creature's body, with its thick, marble-like texture, fully emerged, everyone realized it stood about seventy to eighty meters tall, resembling a gorilla magnified by several dozen times!

"Golgon." (Ancient Common Tongue)

A deep, resonant, and slow roar erupted from the creature's vast maw, akin to the simultaneous beating of a thousand large drums, shaking the surrounding area!

This sight caused many of the first-tier Mist Wizards from Isodrial Academy to look on in fear, involuntarily stepping backward.

"What is this monster?!"

"It seems to be the long-extinct Golgon Giant!" A second-tier Liquidation Wizard, shocked, exclaimed, seemingly recalling something.

"Golgon Giant? I heard that adult Golgons can reach the late Epic stage, even Peak Epic, and are capable of tearing apart dragons!"

"But why would there be a living Golgon Giant beneath the academy?"

"Why worry about that now! The academy's greatest enemy is Rayne. With a Golgon Giant present, he will surely be forced to retreat!"

The wizards of Isodrial Academy murmured among themselves.

"The Golgon Giant has been revived?!"

Unlike the ordinary academy wizards, the two elder wizards at the Crystalization Peak level exchanged a look of shock, followed by a heavy sense of wariness and confusion.

As 'fossil' figures within Isodrial Academy, they were well aware of the Golgon Giant's origins.

This creature had been discovered during an exploration of an ancient site five to six hundred years ago. The academy wizards had found a perfectly preserved, yet long-dead, Golgon Giant corpse!

Yes, a corpse!

Due to the Golgon Giant's innate ability to control earth and rock, even in death, it would naturally gather earth elemental particles, making it a valuable subject for research for earth wizards.

Thus, it had been kept as a secret for centuries, stored deep within the academy's underground hall.

On one hand, it served as a resource for the academy's high-ranking wizards to study.

On the other hand, it enhanced the concentration of mystical particles in the area, strengthening the ward array.

"But how could it possibly come back to life? The academy isn't into necromancy."

The two elder wizards shuddered, recalling Rayne's words and suddenly understanding something.

Without a word, they both took a few steps back, distancing themselves from their academy head, Stewart.

"Golgon Giant! What a delightful surprise", Rayne observed, his expression shifting to one of realization.

"But why do I smell a strong stench of decay? Now, I understand why you, Stewart, and Tuttesh Academy have been getting along so 'harmoniously.'"

With the keen psi energy perception of Late Dawn, Rayne immediately detected a significant amount of necrotic energy mixed with the otherwise pure and dense earth elemental energy emanating from the Golgon Giant. An unusually subtle, evil, and grand presence also lingered within.

"Silence!" Stewart's face flushed with anger as he bellowed.

The Golgon Giant had been dead for a long time. Despite the best efforts of Isodrial Academy's high-ranking wizards, they could only utilize it to this extent.

But Stewart was not satisfied.

Especially after being stuck at the peak of the Dawn stage for a long time, he had considered using necromancy.

If the Golgon Giant could be successfully revived, even if it did not regain Peak Epic strength, reaching the late Epic stage would be enough to elevate him to the ranks of the empire's top powerhouses!

Perhaps, it could even help him break through to the mid-Dawn stage!

Thus, he gradually established contact with Tuttesh Academy, eventually allowing them to operate freely on the Cyrodiil Plateau.

Of course, he had set boundaries for Tuttesh Academy. Previously, there had been empire guardians who visited the Cyrodiil Plateau, but none of them had discovered the connection between the aberrant spider nests and Tuttesh Academy, merely regarding it as an invasion by an alien species.

However, Rayne had uncovered the link between the two and had even delved deeper to discover the secret connection between him and Tuttesh Academy.

This decision led Stuttgart to conclude that he had to keep Rayne here, even if it meant reviving the partially necromanticized Golgon giant to ensure Rayne was thoroughly detained.

Otherwise, once Rayne escaped back to the Imperial Capital, he would have no place to hide within the empire.

"Though not perfect, killing you will be enough!" Stuttgart said in a deep voice.

Though not fully necromanticized, the Golgon giant before him still possessed peak mid-Dawn strength. With the assistance of the school's large ward array, the 'Quicksand Trap,' even a high-ranking Late Dawn wizard would be at a significant disadvantage.

"Do you really think a necromanticized Golgon giant can win?"

As Rayne spoke, his aura steadily rose!

From the initial Dawn early-stage fluctuations, he climbed all the way to peak mid-Dawn. This display made Stuttgart's eyes widen, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

"You've been hiding your strength all along?! But how could you possibly reach mid-Dawn at such a young age?!"

"This is impossible! I spent over three hundred years, working diligently, and still didn't reach mid-Dawn. You—"

"You must be possessed by an eldritch deity!"

"Golgon giant! Kill him!" Stuttgart shouted, losing control of his emotions.

This had always been his deepest frustration, being stuck at early Dawn for so long!

Seeing Rayne, so young and already at mid-Dawn, made all his efforts seem like a joke.

"Boom!!"

The Golgon giant, upon receiving the order, raised its massive arm, larger than the temple pillars, and hammered down on Rayne with a force that seemed to shake the heavens and earth. The mere wind from the blow made the Isodrial Academy wizards nearby struggle to breathe, and they scattered in all directions!

At that moment,

The entire city of Nelheim was shaken by the Golgon giant's appearance. People looked in fear at the colossal creature that had suddenly emerged in the city center.

At the city gate of Nelheim, the members of the Breton merchant caravan, who were about to pay the entry fee, also looked in shock at the Golgon giant.

The plateau oxen pulling their carts mooed in terror and ran around wildly. If not for the Breton warriors holding them back, they would have scattered and fled long ago.

"What—what is that monster!" the young girl Ayana exclaimed in fear.

"That's the location of the Isodrial Academy. Could it be related to that Lord Rayne we saw earlier?" the Breton youth Antaruka shouted in surprise.

"Don't enter the city yet! The caravan needs to take cover outside!" the Breton elder called out.

As he looked at the distant Golgon giant, he couldn't help but recall the Cyrodiil Plateau legends passed down in his tribe. He murmured to himself,

"Could this be the legendary Golgon giant that can tear the earth apart?"

At the same time,

Not far from Nelheim, in an underground tunnel.

Graham of the Tuttesh Academy was walking through a maze of tunnels, passing by numerous groups of aberrant spiders. Some of these spiders were particularly large and menacing, as big as calves.

This was a massive aberrant spider nest, housing many more species and numbers of spiders than the one Rayne had previously dealt with, by several times.

Suddenly, Graham stopped and looked in the direction of Nelheim.

"Hmm? This aura—Stuttgart has summoned a Golgon giant?"

"It seems that Rayne has indeed arrived."

"Perfect timing, everything is just right!" Graham smiled, glancing around the giant spider nest.

Then, his figure vanished from the spot.

On the plaza of the Isodrial Academy's outpost,

After the Golgon giant's heavy punch, the dust had yet to fully settle.

However, a Dark Silver disc shot out from the dust at lightning speed, tracing a long arc and aiming for the Golgon giant's prominent single eye.

But the Golgon giant, despite its appearance, was not slow to react. It shrank its massive head and raised a thick arm, and the Dark Silver Metal Disk was deflected by its bulging, marble-like muscles.

"Zzzt!"

The Golgon giant's arm emitted a dense yellow glow, and its powerful rock-like muscles managed to withstand the nearly two-meter-deep cut from Rayne's Dawn killing move, 'Blade Disk.'

This was the first time Rayne's 'Blade Disk' had encountered an enemy capable of withstanding its full force.

While the Blade Disk had cut into the Golgon giant's rock-like muscles, the nearly two-meter wound was insignificant compared to its massive, four- to five-meter-wide arm.

"Ha ha, Golgon giants have an innate strong defense, able to spontaneously absorb earth energy particles to reinforce their defenses. Otherwise, how do you think they can tear apart dragons?"

Stuttgart couldn't help but laugh at the scene before him.

"Your attack is indeed powerful, but its range is too small. It might be effective against other creatures, but against a Golgon giant, it's meaningless."

"Gravity Field!" Stuttgart immediately began to manipulate the Golgon giant to counterattack.

An abnormally distorted gravity field, centered on the Golgon giant, instantly enveloped the surroundings.

"You managed to evade the Quicksand Trap, but the Gravity Field is something you absolutely can't avoid."

"Die, Rayne!"

"Kill him, Golgon giant!" Stuttgart shouted from behind the giant's head.

"Oh? Do you really think I can't deal with this Golgon giant?" Rayne felt the fluctuating gravitational field on his body and smiled at Stuttgart.

"Completely disregarding the lives of ordinary people in Nelheim, you resurrected and controlled this Golgon giant without any restraint."

"Stuttgart, you disappoint me!"

With that, Rayne's aura surged, breaking through the peak Mid-Dawn Wizard stage and directly advancing to Late Dawn!

Just now, Rayne had noticed that many civilian houses, shops, and noble residences were beginning to collapse. If he allowed the Golgon giant to continue rampaging, even if he killed Stuttgart, the entire city of Nelheim might be destroyed.

"What!"

"Late Dawn!" Stuttgart's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Rayne.

"You must be possessed by an eldritch deity, Rayne! You monster!"

Rayne raised his right hand again, and a Dark Silver disk, much larger in diameter than before, instantly appeared above his palm, floating and spinning rapidly.

This time, Rayne held nothing back and unleashed his Dawn Wizard killing move, 'Blade Disk.'

Unlike before, this disk's diameter was over five meters!

Even though this spell was a single-target spell with highly contained energy fluctuations, the surrounding air began to distort and warp.

"Swish!"

With a flick of his right hand, the Dark Silver Metal Disk shot toward the Golgon giant's head at lightning speed.

"Shield of Stone!"

"Iron Arm Defense!"

Stuttgart, slightly panicked, shouted, casting his most proficient earth defense spells while controlling the Golgon giant to defend.

The Golgon giant's massive rock arms immediately crossed in front of its body, protecting its head, and a large, translucent earth element energy shield rose from the ground, completely covering the giant's upper body.

"Whizz!"

The Blade Disk sliced through Stuttgart's 'Shield of Stone' like a knife through dough, but it grazed past the Golgon giant's arm and head, missing its target!

"Missed?"

Stuttgart was initially stunned, then overjoyed!

"Ha ha ha, Rayne! Even a Late Dawn Wizard wouldn't find it easy to cast consecutive Dawn killing moves."

"Is that so?" Rayne glanced at Stuttgart with a half-smile.

Suddenly, a strange sense of dread surged from Stuttgart's heart, and he instinctively darted to the side.

In the next instant!

A Dark Silver light streaked from behind him, grazing his wizard robe and swiftly embedding itself into the back of the Golgon giant's head!

"Damn!"

"This thing can actually return!"

Stuttgart, still shaken, felt relieved to have narrowly escaped. But before he could finish his thoughts, he froze!

In the reflection of his wide eyes, half of the Golgon giant's head slowly slid off, revealing a smooth, clean cut. Then, the massive, mountain-like body crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom!

"Boom!!"

The ground shook violently, and a fierce wind whipped up, stirring up a cloud of sand and dust!

From a distance, it looked like a mushroom cloud had exploded at the Isodrial Academy's base.

"Stuttgart, if you surrender and truthfully confess your actions to the empire, I won't kill you", Rayne said calmly, looking at Stuttgart.

"Rayne, do you think you've won?"

"You're wrong. It's you! You've pushed Nelheim and even the Cyrodiil Highlands to the brink of destruction!" Stuttgart's head snapped up, his face twisted with madness as he pointed at Rayne.

The wizards of the Isodrial Academy looked puzzled at their leader's words!

To them, it was clear that their school would undoubtedly lose against the power of a Late Dawn Wizard. However, from the words of this Lord Rayne, it seemed he didn't intend to pursue the matter further and merely wanted their leader to confess to the empire.

Even from their perspective, this was already a generous offer!

But what did their leader mean by his last words?

What did he mean by pushing Nelheim and even the Cyrodiil Highlands to the brink of destruction?

"Graham, I know you're here! How long are you going to watch from the shadows? Get out here!" Stuttgart's eyes reddened as he shouted in agitation.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end