Barbarian in a Failed Game

As soon as he activated the Giant’s Strength, Khan’s vision blurred with white. All he did was leap as usual, yet even with the wind spirit’s blessing, the acceleration felt overwhelming. But the result was undeniably powerful.

Bang—!

Ignoring the demonkin general with massive arms who had lost his limbs and was howling in pain, Khan struck the head of the demonkin general to the right. This demonkin had a lizardman-like appearance, complete with scales and fearsome teeth.

Creatures with snake-like heads were best dealt with before they could open their mouths — they often spat out dangerous breaths. Thus, he was Khan’s first target.

“Guh.”

Although Khan struck the lizardman’s head at an angle to leave him alive for Kurtank to control later, his head spun a full 360 degrees. It was a fatal blow that should have killed him.

But believing Kurtank’s claim that demonkin generals could recover from anything as long as they were left breathing, Khan immediately launched himself towards his next target.

『Time remaining: 15 seconds』

Next was the demonkin general beside the lizardman, one covered entirely in flames.

“You—!”

The demonkin general, noticing his comrade’s head spin, was fully prepared to meet Khan’s attack.

Whoosh!

As the demonkin general roared, the flames intensified. In his hand, he wielded a whip made of condensed fire.

“Die—!”

The whip arced towards Khan like a living snake, twisting in a complex pattern. It would also engulf the barely-alive lizardman general in flames, but the demonkin showed no concern.

‘That won’t do. I need them all as subordinates.’

Khan clenched his fist. The whip, with its intense fiery heat, could severely burn, if not outright melt, Khan’s less resilient skin. It was beyond a mere disadvantage; it was a serious threat.

So then, ‘I’ll just hit it from a distance.’

Khan recalled the warrior’s punches he had seen in the proof of valor. He pulled back his clenched fist and launched it forward as if releasing the string of a bow!

The force of his punch created a shockwave that swept over the lashing whip. And beyond it, striking the fiery demonkin general’s body.

Bang!

With a sound like a balloon popping, the flaming demonkin general was slammed into the wall.

『Time remaining: 13 seconds』

It had taken a total of 4 seconds. Checking the remaining time, Khan quickly turned to face his next opponent. At that moment, as if waiting for an opening, dark spear-like objects rushed from all directions.

Khan casually swung Draupnir to deflect them. The impact transferred through the blade was quite heavy, but with the Giant’s Strength activated, it hardly affected him.

However, time was ticking.

『Time remaining: 12 seconds』

“Kuhaha! Try stopping these too!”

A voice called out from behind him, right after he deflected the spears. With a rush of wind over his head, a bundle of black spears rained down.

Crash—!!

The spears and the magic sword collided. The force was so immense that even the floor of the fortress, designed to withstand battles between demonkin generals, quaked. Yet, the clash was far from over.

“Impressive strength… but this is the end!”

The demonkin general wielding the black spears bellowed with laughter, raising all eight of his arms simultaneously. In each hand, he held a spear fashioned from the bones of a massive beast, seemingly cumbersome yet deceptively heavy.

He skillfully manipulated all eight spears, launching a relentless barrage of assaults. This relentless offensive was his unbeatable strategy. He was confident, convinced that even Tenel couldn’t hold up against such an onslaught.

But he was unaware.

The fist of a giant, could shatter mountains and split seas with a single blow.

Crack-crack-crack!!

Even though the demonkin general’s actual body wasn’t directly hit, the shockwave transmitted through the spears was enough. All eight of his arms bent at unnatural angles.

Utilizing Karyan’s ocular abilities, Khan had perfected his combat technique. He had precisely predicted the moment when the trajectories of the spears would overlap and delivered a perfectly timed punch.

With all eight arms incapacitated in a single strike, Khan hurled Draupnir at the remaining demonkin general.

Bang!

The demonkin general, who was in a defensive stance preparing for Khan’s approach, was impaled through the chest and pinned to the wall, alive but immobilized.

『Time remaining: 9 seconds』

The entire sequence had taken just 8 seconds. By simple calculation, he still had 1 second left after having the potential to do it all over again.

Khan wasn’t about to get complacent, though. He had 9 seconds left and might need every one of them for his next target.

Crack.

With a light tap of his toe, he propelled himself.

Bang!

His vision blurred, and in an instant, he was right in front of the demonkin in dark brown armor.

『Time remaining: 8 seconds』

He raised his arm, gripping Unyielding, and brought it down with full force. This was no casual swing; it was a serious, powerful strike aimed to deal a decisive blow.

Clang—!!

The shockwave from the impact was deafening. Khan’s eyes narrowed as he saw the result.

“Not bad! Quite formidable…!”

The demonkin had blocked Khan’s attack with a shield-like carapace that sprouted from his hand.

Indeed, the demonkin had withstood an attack from Khan imbued with the Giant’s Strength. The cost was significant: the shield on his left hand was crushed beyond recognition, but surviving the blow meant the shield had served its purpose.

Of course, there was only one shield left, and a few more attacks would end it all. However, Khan didn’t have unlimited time.

『Time remaining: 7 seconds』

Khan glanced at the remaining time, furrowing his brow as he gripped Unyielding tightly again.

‘He’s not an opponent I can face without giving my all.’

Just as Kurtank had said, Tenel’s defense was beyond comprehension. Being able to block an attack from Khan empowered by the Giant’s Strength meant he could likely shrug off most attacks while fighting back.

“Grr…”

Tenel was equally taken aback. Why was he known as the Shield of the Blood King?

His shield could withstand even the assaults of demonkins beyond the Blood Domain, earning him the title directly from the Blood King of the legion. And now, his shield was shattered in a single blow?

‘This man is a monster!’

Thus, Tenel fortified his defenses even more.

“How long can he sustain such brute force? If it were possible indefinitely, he’d be a demonkin rather than a mere demonkin general.”

Unless he was at the level of the Blood King, it wasn’t possible. To Tenel’s perspective, the gray-skinned demonkin before him was far from the Blood King’s level.

That meant only one thing:

‘He must have something that amplifies his power!’

Among demonkins, some possessed abilities that heightened their power for short bursts. Another demonkin general, known as the Blood King’s Sword, had such abilities, and Tenel, who frequently contended with him for rank, knew how to counter it.

All he had to do was endure. Wait until the power faded and they became exhausted. Then he could easily devour them.

‘And enduring is what I do best…!’

Tenel’s eyes gleamed from within his carapace.

And then—

Boom—!!

The blow that landed on his remaining shield felt like a mountain collapsing.

“Ugh…!”

Even though he blocked it with his shield, the force reverberated through his body. Yet Tenel smirked.

“This level of attack? I can take as many as you’ve got—!”

His instincts, honed through countless battles, told him. His opponent was getting desperate. Tenel’s hunch was spot on. Time was on his side, and Tenel was confident he could withstand several more blows in this manner.

Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!!

When the shield was crushed, he used his arm. When the arm broke, he used his shoulder. When the shoulder gave out, he used his legs to block. In those seemingly eternal yet fleeting moments, Tenel, without realizing it, felt victory within his grasp.

『Time remaining: 2 seconds』

Khan, having confirmed that he only had time for one more attack, finally assumed a proper stance. Tenel, sensing that this would be the final strike, fixed his broken arm to protect his vital areas with a resolute gaze.

But his once-proud carapace was now unrecognizable. The shield had long since turned to dust, his limbs were all shattered, and he was barely standing through sheer willpower.

Yet, Tenel was certain of his victory. If it was an attack of the same level as those he’d endured so far, he could still withstand it. Just like he had endured a full day against the demonkin who dared to challenge the Blood King in the distant past.

That was why he was called the Shield of the Blood King.

“Come—bring—it—on—!”

Tenel roared beastlike, taunting Khan. In response, Khan took a deep breath, assuming the combat stance of the True Sword Style.

“Hoo.”

Just that alone seemed to weigh down the air around.

No, it wasn’t just an impression— it was actually happening.

The phenomenon was not over. It was as if the space around Khan was distorting, centering on him. It was an unbelievable sight. It was like he was mimicking the effects of spatial magic, known as the pinnacle of magic, with pure physical force.

『Time remaining: 1 second』

Khan stepped forward.

Rumble—

The vibrations from the point where Khan stood spread out, shaking the entire fortress. Inside the barely intact carapace protecting Tenel’s head, his insect-like eyes shook violently.

The emotion in those eyes was unmistakable.

‘This is…!’

Terror.

Instinctively, Tenel started to step back, trying to distance himself from Khan. However, facing an enemy and retreating made him feel an intense rage towards himself, the Shield of the Blood King.

“Raaahhh—!”

What had begun as a beast’s roar was now a scream.

『Time remaining: 0 seconds』

The giant’s final blow pierced the Shield of the Blood King.

Boom——.