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Joe remained silent.
No, to be more accurate, the entire coalition against Shamus, including Joe, fell into silence.
The Security Bureau, a new power group in the city,
PinkMan, who has a well-known name in the United Kingdom,
The formidable forces under the Crime Firm, with their overwhelming numbers and organization,
Even the Fighter Crew, a rising power in the criminal underworld.
Despite the intense battles they had fought against Shamus’s subordinates just moments ago, a sudden avalanche and a wooden wall had quelled their fiery spirits.
Shamus… They had heard tales of the living legend of Landa several times, but they never anticipated that he possessed the power to manipulate the terrain.
It was no exaggeration to call him a one-man army.
Yet, what shocked them even more was that someone was actually standing up against Shamus.
The chilling impact sound reverberating over the wooden wall served as proof. Joe instinctively knew who it was.
‘Dave…’
Suddenly, the ground trembled, and a massive tsunami surged from within the wooden wall.
A tsunami made of earth.
It seemed impossible for a human to accomplish, but soon an even more terrifying spectacle unfolded before their eyes.
A grotesque black flame riding atop a gigantic whirlwind collided head-on with the earthen tsunami.
It was a scene so far removed from common sense that it appeared as if natural disasters were engaged in combat.
Joe felt a pang of embarrassment, realizing that he had believed he could finally perfectly master the Black Suit and Black Armor, and do a proper job.
Even the renowned experts in Landa were left awestruck, simply gazing at the spectacular scene unfolding before them.
But that was not the end.
The pillar of fire that shattered the earthen tsunami convulsed violently, akin to an enraged snake, before crashing down to the ground.
Like a monstrous predator pouncing on its prey. However, an enormous figure emerged along with the earthquake, swiftly subduing the predator.
A giant composed of brown and dark green hues.
This giant, towering as tall as the skyscrapers in District J, stood upright with Shamus on its shoulder, clutching the black pillar of fire with its massive hands, twisting and strangling it.
The sight left their blood running cold and shattered their fighting spirit.
It was so overwhelming that the thought of engaging in battle didn’t even cross their minds.
Shuhahahahahahahahaahaaaaaaa!!!
While everyone stood in awe, they witnessed copious amounts of natural power surging out from the giant’s body.
Even though Joe possessed only rudimentary knowledge as a warlock, he recognized it as “extraction.”
Dave was siphoning power from the druid.
The giant grew bewildered and swung its fist at the thief of its power, but it seemed futile.
The extraction was severed, only to have another giant rise in its place.
A giant infused with the green power of nature and the black energy of dark magic.
This newly arisen giant stood astonishingly taller than the one Shamus was riding, and proudly seated on the shoulder of this giant was Dave.
“…Oh, my God.”
“High places… can be quite noisy.”
Oliver, who had created a giant akin to Shamus and perched upon its shoulder, remarked.
The low hum of the wind continued to assault Oliver’s ears.
“…….”
Shamus gazed upward, his eyes fixed on Oliver’s face, but he did not respond.
It wasn’t as if he expected a reply, but something felt amiss.
Shamus had fought valiantly and achieved remarkable growth amidst the battle, but there was no trace of happiness on his face. Instead, an indescribable mix of shock, unfairness, and despair emanated from him as he scrutinized himself.
Oliver couldn’t comprehend it. What could possibly be wrong with experiencing growth in battle and employing such incredible techniques? He himself had learned a thing or two from the encounter.
Shamus broke the silence, his voice void of its usual cheerfulness and leisure. His emotional state remained unchanged, even after the initial shock, injustice, and despair. Now, questions and anxiety arose, gradually giving way to anger.
It was as if he had witnessed something utterly unacceptable.
“What in the world did you do…?”
Oliver tilted his head, unable to fathom the turmoil within Shamus.
“What do you mean?”
“How… how did you, a damn warlock, create a tree giant…”
“Ah… so it’s called a tree giant?”
Oliver nodded, as if he had just learned a new fact.
He offered an answer, as a reward for Shamus’s teachings.
“I imitated you, Mr. Shamus. Although, due to limited resources, it wasn’t an exact replica.”
It was true.
While extracting the power of nature, Shamus interfered with the tree giant, so Oliver had to stop the extraction in the middle and follow Shamus’s technique as best as he could.
There was quite a lack of power of nature, but luckily this was not a big problem.
There was an alternative energy.
“Emotions?”
“Yes, the robe I was wearing. Though it’s no longer with me.”
As he said, there was no more Robe of Emotions on Oliver’s body.
He had to replace the lacking energy with the emotions in the robe to create the tree giant that imitated Shamus.
It wasn’t that hard.
Using “Bless,” Oliver manipulated and processed objects infused with emotions, sculpting a rough skeleton for the giant. The rest was supplemented with the power of nature.
“Thanks to this, I managed to create a rough resemblance.”
Despite his genuine response, Shamus remained silent, his emotional state even more complex than before.
He seemed both bewildered and infuriated.
“I… I can’t accept it. I can’t!”
As Shamus voiced incomprehensible words, he maneuvered his giant. In response, the colossal figure clenched its massive fist and pulled its arm back, and Oliver also moved the tree giant in response.
“Please.”
At that single word, Oliver’s motionless tree giant also clenched its fist and drew back its arm.
Moments later, the two skyscraper-sized giants swung their fists towards each other with a weighty motion befitting their size.
Despite the relatively slow movement, their immense mass and strength created a tremendous gust that rippled in all directions. Eventually, their fists collided.
BANG……….!!!!!
A thunderous roar and vibration permeated the air, shaking not only eardrums but the very essence of one’s being. Shamus’s “true tree giant” wavered, with one arm shattered.
Oliver’s wooden giant, while not entirely unscathed, endured with only half of the swung arm destroyed and promptly regenerated.
“Guooooooong!!”
Witnessing its own damaged arm, Oliver’s wooden giant let out a monstrous roar, devoid of any creature’s nature, and lunged forward, biting off the arm of Shamus’s wooden giant.
A resounding crash ensued as flesh was torn from Shamus’s giant, and Oliver’s giant consumed it to repair its own injured limb.
“….!”
Shamus was astounded.
He swiftly commanded his wooden giant to strike Oliver’s with a fist, resulting in a deafening echo akin to a crumbling mountain.
Indeed, it was a fitting description. It appeared as if two mountains were locked in combat.
However, despite the tumultuous spectacle, Shamus’s wooden giant struggled to inflict significant damage.
Meanwhile, Oliver’s wooden giant, relatively unscathed, furiously swung its fist in retaliation.
Once again, the resounding crash of a crumbling mountain reverberated as the two wooden giants entangled.
Their clumsy struggle resembled that of children fighting, yet their immense size and power instilled a deep sense of dread.
In this direct contest of strength, Oliver’s towering wooden giant gradually gained the upper hand over Shamus’s.
The entwined giants leaned precariously to one side, and the exchange of blows increasingly favored Oliver.
Shamus’s wooden giant began to crumble, its structure slowly unraveling.
Roaring triumphantly, Oliver’s wooden giant exerted more force, opening its enormous mouth and swallowing Shamus’s wooden giant along with the force of nature.
With each echo and vibration caused by the battle, the height disparity between Oliver and Shamus became more pronounced.
“Die!!”
Summoning his last reserves of strength, Shamus wrestled control of the wooden giant and threw a punch at Oliver.
Rather than intending to bring down the wooden giant, his aim was to harm Oliver, the caster.
Oliver’s wooden giant turned its head, protecting its creator, and absorbed the blow on one side of its face, seemingly unfazed.
Instead, it seized the outstretched arm of its opponent with its powerful jaws, pulling the fist back and delivering a crushing blow to the face of Shamus’s wooden giant.
Another roar echoed as the arm of Shamus’s wooden giant was torn off, and its visage shattered.
Unable to maintain its form, Shamus’s wooden giant crumbled with a sound reminiscent of a mountain collapsing.
Nevertheless, an unyielding Shamus seized a beanstalk-like appendage, resembling a whip, coiled around the wrist of Oliver’s wooden giant. He pulled himself up and climbed onto its fist.
He had not given up.
“That’s truly… remarkable.”
Oliver spoke sincerely.
Shamus charged towards Oliver, sprinting along the arm of the wooden giant. With each step, his body gradually underwent a transformation.
His already long and sturdy legs grew even longer and more robust, resembling those of a deer rather than a human.
Shamus’s arms elongated to one and a half times their original size, covered in long green fur along the back of his hands and arms.
His neck and trapezius elongated and thickened, adopting a shape more akin to that of a half-human, half-beast hybrid than a human.
“Please.”
Oliver beseeched the wooden giant, which released its grip on the bitten arm and raised its other hand, preparing to strike at Shamus.
“Uwooooooo!”
Shamus bellowed like a beast and leaped, utilizing the beanstalk-like whip not only to evade the wooden giant’s attack but also to climb back onto it.
Gathering an immense amount of strength, his thigh muscles swelling like balloons, he launched himself from the back of the wooden giant’s hand towards Oliver.
Regardless of the distance, he reached Oliver in an instant, propelled by his agility.
“Third.”
Observing this, Oliver uttered a command.
In response, Child-Third emerged from Oliver’s possession, and the corpse doll-Rag2, previously concealed by a shrink spell, surged forward, empowered by pre-set magical energy.
“Unshrink.”
In response to Oliver’s command, the shrink magic dissipated, and the Corpse doll-Rag2 returned to its original size, obstructing Shamus’s path.
Thud-thud-! Thud-thud-! Thud-thud-!
Third residing within Corpse doll-Rag2 spread its arms wide to halt Shamus’s advance.
Corpse doll-Rag2 was adorned with sharp razors and awls not only on its arms but throughout its entire body.
“I’ve seen these tricks before!”
Shamus bellowed, delivering a powerful punch that shattered Corpse doll-Rag2 into pieces with its shockwave alone. It crumbled from a single blow.
Its torso fragmented like a puzzle piece, and its twelve forcibly attached arms fell off, resembling the legs of insects.
“Did you witness that?”
Oliver made a gesture, prompting a knife to emerge from the arm joint of the dismantled Corpse doll-Rag2. The blade hurtled towards Shamus, catching him off guard while suspended in mid-air, piercing his back, ribs, and shoulder.
Shik! Shik! Shik! Shik!
As the blades found their mark, the weakening disease magic [Exhaustion] infiltrated Shamus’s body, infusing a lethargy akin to poison that slowed his movements and clouded his mind.
“Is this all you have…?!”
Undeterred, Shamus fought against the encroaching fatigue with his innate tenacity, soaring towards Oliver once more.
Confident in his victory, as there was no emotional coating shielding Oliver.
In response, Oliver addressed Shamus once again.
“First.”
At Oliver’s call, Child-First materialized from within him, accompanied by the shrunk form of the Corpse doll-Duncan, which sprang forth.
As the shrink magic dissipated, the doll reverted to its original size, once again obstructing Shamus’s path.
“The same trick—!”
“First. It’s a present.”
Oliver tossed  the meat-tonfa he had stored in his waistband towards First, who had entered Duncan. First caught the tonfa in mid-air.
Fortunately, the tonfa acknowledged First as its master, as Oliver had requested. It spit out the black suit and black armor it had stored in advance, wrapping them around its master’s body.
“Please, First.”
“Graaaaaaaaaah!!”
Clad in the black suit and black armor, Duncan collided with Shamus in mid-air. He delivered a forceful punch to Shamus’s chest, pouring all his strength into the strike.