The Hero Turned Into A Potato And The World Fell To Ruin

Clang!

The mighty axe cut through the air, splitting yet another giant in two.

Girunini landed on the floor, breathing heavily. Despite the aura of blood around her being more plentiful now, the prolonged battle had taken its toll, and she was severely exhausted.

Fortunately, most of the giants had been slain by her and Osar, and the remaining grunts could be cleaned up at leisure.

Gritting her teeth, she swung her axe, clearing a path through scattered grunts, and sprang toward the last giant.

But this time, something unprecedented happened—the giant turned and fled!

Girunini faltered, momentarily surprised before bursting into a manic laugh. "HAHAHA! So you know fear after all! Run, then! Let's see how far you can run!"

Without a second thought, she chased after the retreating giant.

Osar shouted in alarm, "Girunini! Don't! It might be a trap!"

However, he knew it was futile; in her frenzied state, Girunini wouldn't listen. Her berserker rage heightened her combat prowess at the cost of her ability to think rationally.

With no choice, Osar fought his way through the swarming soldiers, determined to catch up with her. His fears were soon realized. As Gilunini's axe descended on the fleeing giant, a gray figure appeared behind her, slashing downward with a sword.

Perceiving the attack thanks to her extraordinary senses, Girunini twisted in midair, parrying the oncoming blade with her axe.

However, she couldn't block the follow-up—a silver shield smashed into her, sending her crashing to the ground.

The fleeing giant, seeing an opportunity, turned back with the intention of finishing Girunini off. Fortunately, Osar intervened in the nick of time, delivering a powerful double kick that sent the giant reeling into a nearby wall with blood streaming from its head.

Yet, Osar found no relief. When unleashing his second kick, Osar had already sensed a presence behind him. As he was suspended in midair at that moment with nothing to brace against, he could only rely on his innate ability to maneuver his body to manage a turn.

Still, he had barely done a half-turn when the enemy's sword slashed into his side, exposing the bone. A second slash followed, which he barely parried, but the force hurled him against the wall, causing him to black out.

The knight in gray-white armor clearly had no intention of letting this opportunity slip by. He raised his longsword, ready to deliver a final blow to the unconscious tigerman.

However, in the next moment, he abruptly turned, and his shield radiated with a bright light that formed a barrier in front of him.

Clang!

A huge axe crashed down on the white barrier, causing spiderweb-like cracks to form across the barrier's surface.

Gripping her axe tightly, Girunini glared furiously at her opponent.

Right now, her eyes were completely black, with only her crimson pupils that were menacing. Her blood aura, previously rampant, was now entirely restrained around her.

Next, she drew back her axe while spinning in midair before cleaving down on that thick barrier once more.

This time, the barrier of condensed energy shattered.

Then, her body spun once more, and her axe struck the knight's shield.

The tearing of metal produced a piercing screech, but the shield absorbed the impact entirely. And in the next moment, the shield glowed and reflected the accumulated force, sending Girunini flying.

As she sailed through the air, Girunini flipped and twisted several times, successfully regaining her balance. She landed gracefully, whirling her axe around, cleaving through a bunch of hapless grunts.

Blood spurted from their severed bodies, transforming into streams of energy that flowed into her.

As she absorbed more and more blood energy, the sword and shield knight could also sense his opponent growing stronger. However, he also noticed disturbing changes in her.

Girunini's bones seemed to be morphing under her skin, and red veins began to show from her eyes to her temples. Her teeth became jagged, and sharp bone spurs started protruding from her joints.

She breathed heavily from her mouth, though it sounded more beastly than anything.

The knight observed silently, though sword and shield was raised, wary of her next move.

But, in the next moment, a figure appeared behind Girunini and lightly tapped on her head.

The blood aura instantly dissipated, and Girunini's returned to normal as her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Haa… Kid, you really know how to worry others."

The voice belonged to the arrival, a female knight in mithril armor. She then glanced up at the gray sword and shield knight ahead.

"Looks like you've roughed up my members considerably, huh? I wonder why the Tyrant's elite guard would be here after never appearing for over a decade, but… it seems like you serve a new master?"

The sword and shield knight didn't respond, simply adopting a combat stance, readying himself for battle.

"Ah, right, I almost forgot. Even the elite guards are just mute fodder," the female knight said, swinging her longsword. A circular wave of energy spread out, slicing through the approaching grunts.

"Well then, bring it on. You've messed with my team members, so don't expect a merciful death."

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Meanwhile, on another battlefield, a bloodied and exhausted Mervant was on one knee, gasping for breath.

In front of Mervant stood a miffy, back turned, carrying a massive book that dwarfed his own body. The miffy glanced over his shoulder and smirked. "Heh, Little Merv, you sure look a mess…"

"Hah, you should have arrived earlier, then." Mervant chuckled. "I thought you were dead, you stingy old miser."

"Heheh, really? Sounds like you were worried about me. I'm touched," the miffy replied, turning fully to face the gray-armored spearman ahead. "Well then, let me even the score for you."

White smoke billowed from the massive book on his back, coalescing into a towering creature with four claws, wings, and a form that resembled both a wolf and a dragon.

"Radiance," he murmured, "go, tear that fella apart. Not too much though, 18 pieces should do."