CHAPTER 194: DESTROYED THE CURSED (11)

Chapter 194

Just then, something shifted in the atmosphere. The ground trembled faintly—barely noticeable at first, but enough to stir unease in the hearts of the keen-eyed. A low rumble echoed across the battlefield as several colossal figures emerged from the distant ridge. They stood nearly three times the height of an average human, with bodies that rippled with dense, terrifying muscle. From afar, one might have mistaken them for humanoid giants—if not for the unmistakable shade of their skin: a deep, blood-red hue that screamed of danger and death.

Han’s eyes darkened immediately.

He recognized them.

And he knew—so did everyone else.

The Red Giants.

They were one of the most devastating monster races ever recorded in the annals of human history. During the early days of the Golden Age—when humanity first began awakening to mystical skills and powers—it was these beasts that had nearly wiped out civilization. Back then, humanity was still new to power, disorganized, and unaware of the brutal scale of threats that lay in the wild. The Red Giants had nearly pushed them off the face of the earth.

Han had read the reports. He had memorized them. Not just as a student of history—but as a warrior who might one day face the same threat.

The Red Giants were monsters of unparalleled physical might. Their sheer strength could reduce steel walls to rubble and send even elite warriors flying. But their brute force wasn’t the only thing to fear. They had the ability to breathe fire—intensely compressed infernos that could incinerate several meters of land in one blast. And worst of all, they could consume the corpses of their fallen comrades or slain enemies to rapidly restore their stamina and energy.

A nightmare that grew stronger the longer it lasted.

But that still wasn’t the most terrifying thing about them.

It was rumored—no, recorded—that if an S-rank Red Giant ever appeared, it would take three human S-rankers working in perfect sync to bring it down. Any less would be suicide.

Fortunately, Han didn’t sense that level of threat. Not yet.

He quickly analyzed the four Red Giants approaching the battlefield. Their aura was massive, but he could tell—they were all A-rank. Still dangerous. Still monstrous. But not unstoppable.

"This... we can handle," Han muttered under his breath, trying to calm the sense of unease crawling up his spine.

But then another thought crept into his mind—one far more disturbing than even the giants themselves.

How the hell are the Cursed managing this?

He glanced around. The battlefield was already a mess of elemental chaos—flames, lightning, and ice shattering the air as heroes and elites fought desperately against waves of beasts. Yet something was off. The Red Giants weren’t charging in with the chaotic frenzy typical of their kind. No, they were moving with purpose—with coordination.

As if... they were being commanded.

That realization made Han’s breath hitch.

"No... That’s not possible," he whispered.

But deep down, he knew it was.

Red Giants, by nature, were extremely hostile and lacked any trace of self-control unless under the command of a higher being—something more powerful, more intelligent. The idea that someone had tamed these giants was terrifying on its own. But it wasn’t just them. Han’s sharp gaze scanned the battlefield again. The other beasts—the dozens of wild monsters that should’ve been rampaging without discipline—were also behaving strangely. As if they were all following one single, chilling directive:

Destroy everything. Leave no one alive.

Han’s fists clenched.

This was no random beast tide.

This was a coordinated army.

And that meant one thing—someone or something was pulling the strings.

A beastmaster? No... Not at this scale. He knew of powerful tamers, yes, but no known being on record had ever exerted control over so many high-tier monsters at once. Not with this precision. The scope of it all was too large, too terrifying.

It had to be an artifact. Some ancient, forbidden relic capable of widespread control.

At least, he hoped it was just an artifact.

Because if it wasn’t...

If it was the work of a Dark Emissary... then things were far worse than he imagined.

Far, far worse.

"Damn it," Han cursed under his breath.

In the few seconds he had spent analyzing and theorizing, the Red Giants had moved. They were now dangerously close—less than fifty meters away from the closest frontline where the heroes were beginning to overpower the lesser beasts.

Then, it happened.

The bodies of the giants began to glow with a fierce red hue. Their veins pulsed visibly, like rivers of magma beneath their thick skin. The very air around them began to shimmer. The temperature—at first—dropped, as if all heat had been sucked inward, creating a vacuum. Then in the next instant, it spiked violently, the ground hissing and cracking beneath their feet.

"They’re charging their breath!" Han shouted, but it was already too late.

The Red Giants threw back their heads, and from their gaping maws, a surge of red-hot flame gathered, condensed to a horrifying intensity. Their chests heaved once—twice—before they unleashed it.

A torrent of fire, more intense than anything the heroes had faced so far, screamed through the battlefield.

A compressed, searing red inferno—wide enough to cover an entire squad—was fired at the exact spot where several of the frontline fighters had just defeated a large cluster of monsters.

They had no time to react.

Some looked up just in time to see it coming—their faces draining of color, eyes widening in horror. The brilliant red blaze filled their vision.

How were they supposed to dodge or block that? The incoming attack was on a level far beyond what they were prepared for—devastating, wide-ranged, and searing hot. But in truth, they didn’t need to bother trying at all.

Before the incoming inferno from the four Red Giants could crash down upon the group of stunned heroes, a lone figure emerged. Standing several meters above them, the figure raised a single arm.

In immediate response, the earth trembled.

A towering wall of blazing fire erupted from the ground, meeting the Red Giants’ deadly flames head-on. The explosion from the two colliding infernos shook the battlefield. Han stood at the center of it all, his expression grim, eyes sharp as he braced himself against the brutal clash.

He clenched his jaw, trying to withstand the scorching force pressing against him. This flame... he thought. It’s too hot.

The bastard Red Giants’ fire was nearly overwhelming, and if not for Han’s high-tier flame manipulation—ranked at an astounding S-level—he would have already been incinerated.

Even with his superior control, Han was straining.

He channeled more energy into the firewall, forcing it to stay intact, gritting his teeth as the heat clawed at him like wild beasts. His breath came ragged, but finally, after several agonizing seconds, the blast stopped.

Behind him, the group of heroes he was protecting wasn’t doing nearly as well.

Though they had not taken the attack directly, their bodies were already turning red from the heat exposure. They hadn’t moved, not out of paralysis, but because they had mentally resigned themselves to death. They believed that they wouldn’t make it out of this fight alive.

But somehow... they had survived.

And that single fact froze them even more than fear.

Han’s voice snapped them out of it like a whip crack.

"Snap out of it!" he roared, his voice cutting through the haze of heat and despair.

"Leave this area now!" he ordered with urgency.

The heroes, still wide-eyed but now moving with purpose, nodded and dashed away with what strength they had left. Han waited until they had gone a safe distance before his face darkened again, now fully focused on the threat in front of him.

The Red Giants were already preparing another devastating attack. Han narrowed his eyes.

No hesitation. No mercy.

He muttered under his breath, "Multiplier: Strength x2. Speed x2."

A surge of power hit him like a truck. His muscles tensed, veins pulsing as the skill’s strain instantly took a toll on his body. But Han didn’t care. That wasn’t all he was planning.

Lightning crackled violently across his left side, sparking from the roots of his white hair. On the other side, where his hair was jet black, flames roared and coiled like serpents preparing to strike.

He stood there—half-wreathed in silver lightning, half-engulfed in searing flame.

He looked like a living calamity.

But his eyes... they were cold, sharp, and dangerous.

He stared at the Red Giants with absolute defiance.

"Humans have always feared you," he growled, his voice crackling with fire and lightning.

"But today... I’ll give you a reason to fear us—especially me."

TO BE CONTINUED.

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Author’s Note:

Happy New Month, dear readers!

A brand new month is here, and I just want to take a moment to say thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you’ve been here from the beginning or just joined recently, your support means the world to me.

Let’s step into this month with hope, strength, and good energy. I’ll keep bringing you thrilling Chapters, and I hope they continue to make your day just a little brighter.

Here’s to growth, success, and great stories ahead!

Stay safe, stay inspired, and never stop chasing your dreams.

With gratitude,

– Ultra.