Chapter 104: Forcing His Way Through

The heavy shout came from atop the gate, no doubt addressed to him.

Declan furrowed his brows. He knew that language, Archon, the language of Arcane. Unfortunately, he sucked at it and didn’t understand a dime of what they were saying.

"I do not speak Archon," he replied.

A brooding silence descended before the words came back:

"THE LANGUAGE YOU SPEAK IS AN INFERIOR ONE."

"NO INFERIORS WILL ENTER THE GATE OF YORIMUNDA WITHOUT BEING BONDED IN CHAINS!"

The shout came heavier this time, and Declan’s brows knitted.

At least they spoke English, and the same was true for the Giants.

Was that why they were taken? Because they were... inferiors?

But there was something deeper in the statement. In fact, they weren’t statements at all; they were choices.

Two choices.

They were telling him that the only way he could enter was to allow himself to be captured and chained.

More importantly, dropping his weapon now would mean accepting the inferior status they had already assigned him.

On the other hand, he could turn back.

But that wasn’t a choice for Declan.

That left just one option.

Without a word, he slowly raised his spear, and in the next moment:

VROOOOOOOOOOOM!

The air flapped fiercely as Declan flung the spear to the right.

It curved sharply mid-flight, slicing through the air with force before streaking over the wall’s summit, cleaving straight through the guard post and knocking most of the stationed beings off their feet.

That was more than enough of an answer, and he wasted no more seconds.

His coat slipped from his shoulder, and then,

BOOOOOOOOOM!

The ground beneath him cratered as he launched forward toward the gate.

"ERASE THE BRIDGE!"

One moment, he was racing forward, already halfway across the bridge, yet in the next,

SNAPPPP!

Declan heard it.

The sound of a clear snap, and in that moment, he unconsciously jumped high into the air.

When he looked down, he watched as the solid ground of the gem that made up the bridge suddenly erupted into motes of purple light, disappearing as if it had only been an illusion.

His eyes widened in shock at that, but he leapt forward, using his momentum to try to reach the gate.

VROOOOOOM!

The sound of air flapping behind his head reached him, and he swiftly turned, crossing both hands.

PUCCCHIII!

A spear piercing toward the back of Declan’s neck was blocked, digging into the back of his wrist instead, and the force of it sent him tumbling into the abyss.

"ALL THAT IS INFERIOR WILL FALL!"

Pummeling through the abyss, the cold blue light in his eyes did not change.

"Activate Darkthar Transformation."

In that moment, a golden flash of light erupted, and Declan kicked his leg backward, sending forth an explosive shockwave that propelled him forward.

BAAAAAANG!

Golden claws crashed through the wall as he dragged downward for a couple of moments before screeching to a stop.

He hung exactly against the wall, raising his head to look at the floor above.

Like a beast, he pushed himself off, using his claws to propel himself upward as he quickly raced back up.

VROOOOOM!

VROOOOOM!

VROOOOOM!

As he raced upward, the air was occasionally torn apart as spears flaring with crimson Arcane light flashed downward.

Declan avoided each one, leaping here and there as he continued his ascent without slowing down.

He had already mastered his Darkthar Transformation Mech Module, a beastly module that allowed him to scale walls with the aid of his claws and race across any terrain without losing power or momentum.

This was something he had known well beforehand, and he had already perfected it through simulation training that was far harder than a simple wall climb.

When he reached the floor, he did not race toward the gate. Instead, he jumped from the abyss and slammed into the walls before continuing his forward charge.

Spears came as fast as lightning bolts, yet none touched him.

Halfway through the walls, he pushed himself upward with his claws and legs as dozens of spears of light narrowly missed him.

A massive explosion rumbled through the wall, but it only propelled him higher.

BOOOOOOOM!

The wolf-like humanoid beast landed on both legs right atop a guard post where three humanoids stood.

Two backed off in fear, though the tips of their weapons were pointed at him, while the last one, who held no spear, stood his ground, staring hard at Declan.

He was two meters tall, while Declan, in this form, towered at seven, easily looming over him.

With his eyes erupting with golden light, Declan spoke.

"Inferiority is judged by language now? Don’t make me laugh."

Declan’s claws shot forward, grabbing the man by the head before he could speak and lifting him high into the air.

Immediately, crimson light flared from all around as the spears of the guards at the post turned toward him.

"KILL HIM!"

The one in Declan’s grasp shouted the order, but none of the guards moved an inch.

If they fired, they would kill him too.

And he wasn’t just an ordinary guard. He was the Post Head.

Declan’s maw widened into a grin at the sight.

He didn’t speak a word, simply holding his head as he walked forward.

The other two guards aimed their spears at him, but still shifted out of the way.

Now he finally saw what stood beyond the gate.

Deep in the distance, behind these walls, was a city of purple-colored castles and floors of white gems.

It was bustling with life, and the mist and clouds didn’t cover it. They only hung above the walls, acting as a barrier of some sort.

He could see lifeforms of various races crossing the streets, along with creatures held in chains, being dragged obediently through the streets with their heads lowered.

The majority of these races, those doing the dragging, were the same as the guards on this post, people who seemed no different from humans except for their purple skin, hair, and eyes.

He tried finding the Ronkhasa Giants, but they were nowhere to be seen.

He glanced at the Post Head in his hands, locking eyes with him with a blazing stare.

"You will come with me," he said, but the man spat back.

"I will not listen to an inferior..."

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A heavy thudding echoed as Declan slammed the guard’s head into the post.

It was immediately reduced to rubble, cracks trailing down the twenty-meter length of the wall.

Spears flared with crimson lightning, attempting to strike, but still, they did not dare.

Purple blood covered the Post Head’s face, a gasp of pain leaving his lips as reverberating waves of pain shot through his skull.

Yet deeper than that was the realisation that the blow should have cracked his skull and reduced his brain to mush, yet somehow, he was still alive.

He was brought back to reality when Declan repeated his demand.

"You will come with me."

This time, he offered no objection, and Declan’s grin widened.

’Now that’s more like it.’

He took a step forward, and the guards, obviously at their limit, prepared to launch their spears until Declan glanced at the one in his hands.

Immediately, the words were uttered:

"Stand down."

They all paused, teeth gritted, and could only watch as the humongous beast flashed forward, disappearing into the distance.

They had guarded these walls for as long as they could remember, with nothing daring to venture past them.

Yet someone had crossed them, and not only that, but had even taken their Post Head with him.

"We will just stand and watch them go?" one guard protested through clenched teeth.

"No," another replied.

"Adalman already signaled the Tower, and he had an Arcane tracker on him."

"Call the Tower and tell them he has been taken. They will find him soon."

____________

"And why would you want to know where the Ronkhasa Giants are?"

The voice came from a being who was none other than the Post Head, beside whom stood a figure wearing a huge coat that covered almost his entire body, including his face.

"Do I look hidden enough?" Declan asked, looking at the thick, dark coat on him.

"Hmmm, actually, aren’t you a Duman?" he asked, making Declan pause.

"Come again?"

"I thought you were a Duman, one of the inferior races. The weird thing is, you don’t have those dark tattoos on your face, though."

’The fuck? You knew there was a race like me and made me wear all this shit!?’ Declan thought, his brows quivering in disbelief.

Even though he was similar to the man before him, his skin wasn’t purple.

He had risked being noticed for being different.

That was why he had worn all of this.

But if there was already a race like him out there, then there was no need to hide, making all of this a waste of time.

Except now that he’d worn it, removing it was no longer an option.

"Now, where are the Ronkhasa Giants?" he asked.

"And I asked why you would want to know about them."

"’Because they stole something of mine, and I will take it back. Even if they ran to the depths of hell, I’ll get back my treasure at all costs."

Declan’s answer made a glint cross through Adalman’s eyes.

He had initially thought the being before him was here to seek revenge because they had taken the Ronkhasa Giants.

But now, it seemed more like a feud.

’If it’s a feud, then that’s good.’

’I can take him to them, since they’ll soon be prisoners, and after that, he’ll be captured and made a prisoner too.’

’Might as well make him get his final wish before being locked up.’

Adalman thought wickedly before he nodded.

"All captured races must meet with the High Lord to confirm their capture. The Ronkhasa Giants must be on their way to his dome."

"Follow me."