Chapter 46: The Ultimate Garden
〈Derived from the creation of a Mega Guardian, I have now mastered the creation of a Giga Guardian〉
“Here it comes!”
It seemed that I had won the gamble.
…No, that was too soon to say. Nothing mattered if this couldn’t bring down that monstrous Atlas.
〈Do you wish to create a Giga Guardian?〉
“Yes, please!”
In the very next moment, a colossal figure materialized before my eyes—a Giga Golem.
Its size was staggering—probably around fifteen meters tall, towering three times higher than any golem I had summoned before.
“Oaah…?”
Atlas let out a startled roar at the sudden appearance of the towering golem. Though he was slightly taller in stature, the Giga Golem dwarfed him in sheer bulk, its broad shoulders and thick chest exuding overwhelming power.
“Go!”
“―――”
Without a word, the Giga Golem obeyed, charging straight toward Atlas.
“―――”
“Oaaah!?”
A thunderous punch slammed into Atlas’s chest. He staggered backward, letting out a pained scream as he took two, three heavy steps back.
The Giga Golem pressed the attack without hesitation. Right, left, right, left—the strikes came in relentless succession.
“Oaaah…”
Atlas raised his arms instinctively to block. He absorbed several blows before suddenly swinging a leg upward.
A devastating high kick struck the Giga Golem’s temple, sending it tumbling violently to the ground.
Seizing the moment, Atlas leaped onto the fallen giant, mounting it with predatory precision. From this elevated position, he unleashed a barrage of merciless punches, hammering the Giga Golem from above.
Time and again, the Giga Golem took hit after hit, its massive frame beginning to crumble under the onslaught.
“Ooooooooooooh!”
Atlas bellowed triumphantly. Yet before he could savor his victory, a powerful dropkick struck the back of his head.
“Ogaaah!?”
Atlas’s body collided with the soft earth of the garden, writhing in pain. Confused, he looked over his shoulder to see what had struck him—and there stood another enormous Giga Golem, one even larger than the first.
As Atlas’s single eye widened in shock, more massive shadows emerged around him.
“Oaaah!?”
Surrounded by four Giga Golems, fear finally painted his face for the first time.
“Attack!”
“「――――」”
“～～～～～～～～～!?”
The Giga Golems began their relentless assault.
◇ ◇ ◇
“What… what is happening…?”
Clinging to the defensive wall, Elizabeth murmured in disbelief.
Earlier, a massive wall had swept through the horde of monsters, scattering them like leaves in the wind. Then, from nowhere, giant golems appeared. And just when the A-rank monster Atlas arrived, threatening to end the city, an even larger golem appeared.
Before her eyes, titans clashed with earth-shaking force, and Elizabeth felt her legs almost give out from sheer terror.
Finally, it seemed that Atlas had expended all his strength. With a resounding tremor, he collapsed to the ground.
At that instant, the onlooking city guards and adventurers erupted into cheers.
“““Oooohhhhh!”””
Atlas was almost certainly the root cause of the stampede. While the exact reason was unknown, powerful monsters occasionally stirred others into chaos, attacking cities in the process.
The thousand-strong horde had been nearly annihilated. By all appearances, the city of Arcel was safe.
Elizabeth rose shakily atop the defensive wall.
“All that remains is to figure out what those walls and golems are… but…”
If they were enemies, it would have been over. But everything suggested they had been here to help. She could safely assume they were allies… though she had no idea who could have summoned such creatures.
Golems could appear naturally as monsters, or be artificially created—by magic, for instance. Ancient ruins often employed golems as guardians of treasures.
“But… someone capable of creating golems like that…”
Such a being could only be a legendary mage, whose name would be remembered in history.
At that moment, the wall that had blocked the west gate began to move.
“Returning…?”
The enormous wall slowly retreated in the direction it had arrived from. Staring at the unbelievable sight, Elizabeth’s mind wandered.
“That direction… used to be a swamp, wasn’t it? No… it can’t be…”
◇ ◇ ◇
I guided the garden back into position, returning it to its original place.
“…Phew… somehow, that went well…”
The tension that had coiled in my body snapped all at once. My legs went weak, and I collapsed onto the spot with a relieved slump.
“Meow meow.”
Milk, sensing my fatigue, licked my cheeks as if comforting me.
It had been a gamble, but luck had favored me. Especially at the end—without leveling up to create the Giga Guardian, defeating that monstrosity would have been impossible.
Its massive corpse lay sprawled at the heart of the garden.
〈Do you wish to absorb the monster?〉
With a creature that size, the magic stone it would yield must be extraordinary. My level could shoot up in one go.
But I shook my head.
“…Not now.”
If I absorbed it immediately, I would lose the chance to gather its materials. First, I wanted Lilcarlia-san to examine it.
So, I returned to the primary family garden. By now, the evacuation order seemed to have been lifted, and voices drifted from outside.
“Mom, is it safe now?”
“Yes, it seems so. The city guards took care of the monsters.”
“Wow—amazing!”
“We should be grateful.”
“Yes!”
Yes, the guards had risked their lives to protect the city.
Relieved that the city had survived, I looked toward our home. It was good to know I had protected the house my father had left us.
“If Sena comes back and finds the house gone, she’d be shocked.”
And so, as always, I waited for my little sister to return from her adventures.