Battle Under the Moonlight Part 4

Besides the previously mentioned issues, there was also the question of entry.

Giants were classified as dangerous creatures by the Church, and giant hybrids were no exception. Even without any formal training, their strength naturally reached the level of a Vi-phase knight.

More so, once trained, their combat abilities could surpass their phase.

The main issue was that most giants had cognitive problems, often lacking normal human thinking and behaving more irrationally than most beasts. Their minds generally focused on three things: fighting, eating, and physical activity.

The most absurd part was that they often did all three simultaneously.

Although giant hybrids were slightly better, they too frequently lost clarity, becoming easily angered or manipulated. When they fought, it caused major disturbances wherever they were, leading most places to ban their presence.

Therefore, Jin was quite curious about how this giant hybrid managed to enter Rhea.

But the immediate concern was to deal with this individual, otherwise, the funds for aiding poor women would dry up.

Sam believed in taking action regardless of the opponent.

His tall frame, clad in full armor, resembled a fortress. The stone that had previously struck his face left a bruise, but caused no further injury.

Lowering his visor, he took two steps to retrieve his greatsword, which had been knocked away earlier. His hand, still bleeding from the cut made by the sawblade, gripped the hilt of the greatsword. The hot blood coating the blade gave it a reddish glow.

"Quite a problem..." Jin's words trailed off as Sam swung his greatsword. Already massive, the sword began to grow even larger.

As the greatsword swung wildly, it generated a violent wind, carrying and binding the blood along its blade. The flowing blood made the blade grow broader, so much so that it appeared taller than Sam himself.

Jin retreated, noting that the blood, spinning rapidly within the wind, was sharper than the blade itself.

Giant blood was corrosive, often used by giants to melt the shells of tough creatures before consuming them completely. Most weapons that cut their skin were corroded by their blood.

The blood of hybrid giants, while not as corrosive, was effective enough.

It couldn't corrode metal weapons, but it retained its corrosive effect on human flesh.

Jin crouched low, the wind from the sword's edge blowing over his head. Grinning, he threw an upward punch into Sam's side.

The blow, not particularly powerful, didn't affect Sam much. He grinned, ready to cleave Jin in two and proclaim his invincibility, but then he felt intense pain in his abdomen.

A mass of dark matter clung to him, corroding his body.

"I told you, I'm a bloodline sorcerer..." Jin leapt back, creating distance. Although his bloodline ability granted him good close combat skills, he wasn't a knight. He was a bloodline sorcerer.

Bloodline sorcerers possessed varied abilities, each unique to the individual, inherited from their ancestors, forming distinct combat styles.

The dark matter, clinging to Sam's armor, seeped through gaps, attacking his body.

"Sam is invincible!" Sam roared, feeling the pain. He lifted his greatsword and, reversing it, slashed at his own side.

The blade stuck in his armor, but Sam didn't stop. Twisting, he cut away the armor and a chunk of flesh, throwing off the dark matter with the slash.

Panting heavily, blood pooled at his feet. He thrust his sword into it, pulling out a massive blood sword.

Trees were cut down as he charged at Jin, the fierce aura pressing on him tangibly.

The blood sword sliced through Jin.

"You still lack something compared to that boy!" Jin looked up, staring into Sam's eyes, his body splitting in two.

In the next moment, flesh and sinew reformed, and a giant wolf, even taller than Sam, stood there. Its massive claws bypassed the sharp blood, grabbing Sam's throat.

The armor twisted and deformed under Jin's grip.

"He's not using his full strength against me," Adam, hidden in the shadows, muttered. "But even a werewolf shouldn't have such regeneration."

Sam had no time to ponder Jin's transformation. Struggling to breathe, he raised his greatsword, aiming to split Jin from groin to head.

In that moment, Adam saw how Jin did it.

When the blade reached him, Jin's body dissolved into black smoke, making Sam believe he'd hit the target, but he'd only slashed through air.

The next moment, Jin's body reformed.

Sam, possibly noticing this, swung his sword again, this time using the flat.

The broad blade disrupted Jin's move, giving Sam a moment to breathe. He tore off his visor and helmet, pulling free the grip on his neck, and gasped for air.

Now, everyone could see Sam's true face. The tall, two-meter young man had a rugged face but looked surprisingly young.

So young it was unbelievable.

He was Adam's age, maybe younger. Adam, who had grown to nearly 1.7 meters recently, thought his transformed height matched Sam's.

"..." Jin now understood how this hybrid giant got into Rhea. Their rapid growth spurt occurred between eight to ten years old, making them indistinguishable from ordinary humans before this period. Disguising himself as an average person to enter Rhea wasn't difficult.

Previously, Jin hadn't considered this due to Sam's knight-level skills and terrifying swordsmanship.

Giants typically lacked clarity, and while hybrids were better, they too struggled with coherent thought. Knight training required some intellect, even if minimal.

They needed to memorize the sigils.

Thus, hybrids successfully becoming extraordinary professionals were rare and usually older, using a lifetime of wisdom. Achieving mastery in swordsmanship was even more impressive.

Sam's initial performance made it hard to believe he was only ten.

"This kid's a genius!" Jin thought, his scalp tingling. Were these prodigies becoming more common, or was he just getting old?

Before Jin could doubt himself further, the rescued second brother didn't care if the opponent was a kid. He looked at his half-eaten knight's lance, then at the exposed head.

He picked up the lance, using it like a club, and swung it at Sam's head with all his strength.

The force twisted Sam's body, a clear crack audible.

In response, Sam threw his greatsword.

The leader, having just rescued the third brother and searching for the hidden archer, heard the second brother's roar.

Turning, he saw the greatsword slam the second brother to the ground from a distance.