In Myard....
The sun was looming over the Hysin encampment. They were carrying out their usual war duties, moving normally as they cleaned the blood from their weapons for the next battle.
Meanwhile, in the forest, Atlas was doing the work assigned to him on the first day of construction... He was uprooting trees, carving them elegantly, and adding them to the collection of pillars he was making. It was like sharpening pencils for Atlas.
It was like small handicraft work for him. While doing his manual work, he began to see things. He began to see corpses impaled on stakes, like human skewers.
Atlas shook his head and knew it was an illusion. It was the effect of war shock, and he was aware of this because it wasn't the first time. The first time was when he killed a human for the first time, back in the training grounds.
.
.
.
In a mysterious cave....
It was a place like a large Colosseum, but it wasn't for gladiators. It was dedicated solely to giants, and he was the only giant in it.
Atlas was currently asleep in that place, shackled with giant iron fetters suited to his colossal size. He was covered in dirt, sleeping on the hard, uncomfortable stone floor. Suddenly, he heard the sound of loud drumming and slowly opened his eyes to see who it was.
This was Atlas one week after being incarnated into this body. He was adapting to his size's dimensions, and he was in another world.
Atlas was now standing nervously because many knights had gathered. This was something new, especially his presence... The real Atlas was trembling as he stood in the shadows watching Atlas...
The King was watching him. The King of Hysin was standing in the darkness, and Atlas felt a mark tremble when his eyes stared at him. He felt as if a ghost of death was staring at him.
He tensed up greatly inside because he didn't know what he should do or what was happening. He had trained as ordered, hadn't violated anything, yet they all came with their weapons, so why?
While Atlas was thinking anxiously, he saw that there were people chained and covered with cloth sacks. Atlas didn't understand what was happening here, but Xander, who at the time was one of the people responsible for his training, came to him and explained the matter.
They had brought people sentenced to death. Xander didn't explain what their charges were. He asked him to kill them in front of the King to see if he was ready or not. Atlas was very hesitant, but only when he hesitated...
He felt something ignite, and then he felt the pain of the Brand.
It was an unbearable pain, like having his limbs cut off, tied, and then cut off again. This is what Atlas felt. He felt the pain of dying and coming back to life repeatedly. This was just...
He didn't want this. He didn't want to become a leech again. And then he made his move in front of everyone. He raised his foot high and killed them. They were screaming in pain while Atlas continued to crush and kill them like insects. And this was his first killing.
.
.
.
.
Atlas remembered those days and knew it was just something he had to go through,a test to be qualified for their service, and he had succeeded in it. He focused on his work, ignoring those memories. After all, it was years ago and he had moved past it. But sometimes those things resurfaced from time to time.
And as he continued carving the pillars, he noticed something from afar, something moving towards him.
Atlas saw that there was an army approaching from afar. Thanks to his vision being several times stronger and farther due to his size, he saw it clearly. He saw it was the Hysin flag, and Julius was at the front with Edmund. They were marching forward, and they had proud expressions on their faces. And Atlas noticed something...
He noticed that the soldiers behind them looked sullen. Some were bandaged, covered in blood, and walking with heavy steps.
He couldn't see their expressions well due to the distance, but he guessed they were angry about something because they moved and didn't notice him as they approached the camp. But in the end, they noticed him when they were at the camp gate.
When Atlas first saw Julius, he was happy, but when he stared at him, he instinctively felt something strange about him, as if Julius had murderous intent towards him. He hadn't felt something like this since Malamados.
Atlas felt suspicious. Why had he become so sullen? Did he do something wrong? He didn't understand why he acted as if Atlas had killed a member of his family.
When they arrived, the soldiers welcomed them warmly, pounding their chests with enthusiasm, and he went inside. As he went inside, he shot a glance at Atlas with an angry look, and Atlas didn't understand what was going on here.
"Is he angry because the pillars are bad and need more work on them?" thought Atlas.
.
.
Inside the camp,in the main tent....
"Hello, Julius," Charlotte replied
"Hello, Miss Charlotte," Julius replied
"About the north, did everything go well on the mission? Did something happen?" she asked.
"Oh no, quite the opposite, my lady," Julius spoke while Edmund...
"We managed not only to support Prince Andres in Argudin, but we now possess not only a weapons factory but a defensive line against them using the fort the Prince captured."
"Good work, Julius. But what happened to the soldiers who were with you? There were more of them. What happened to them?" Charlotte asked
"They died in battle," Julius answered coldly.
"Exactly how? Did they die during the siege of Argudin?" Charlotte asked, confused.
"Not exactly," Julius replied.
"So how exactly?" Charlotte said.
"They were just a few hundred soldiers, Lady Charlotte. They are unimportant. What matters is that Sir Julius managed to succeed," Edmund spoke, pointing to Julius.
"No, on the contrary, they are important. They are part of our army, the Hysin army, and regardless of who they were, we must respect their sacrifice for our kingdom and our people," Charlotte replied angrily.
"Now tell me, Julius, what happened?" Charlotte said seriously.
"The enemy had a wizard and attacked us fiercely. I ordered them to hold their positions, but they panicked and some died. In the end, we managed..."
"And how many were there exactly?" Charlotte asked
"I don't know. There were hundreds," Julius replied
"About 1327 " Oslo replied
"What?"
Everyone turned and saw Oslo standing at the tent entrance with Randolph, arms crossed.
"And I was wondering why you were so silent the whole journey," Julius said
"You, insolent knight, what are you-"
"I allowed him to enter," Randolph replied
"Let me tell you exactly what happened there," Oslo said.
"On the defense mission, the enemy army was advancing by the thousands. Their push was fierce, and their wizards were breaking down the walls. Prince Andres was in a difficult position and ordered Julius to deal with the wizards. He carried out the order and formed two groups heading towards the wizards from two different directions as cannon fodder, while the specialized assassination troops would come to kill them stealthily.
"And although they succeeded in the mission, many soldiers turned into burnt corpses. The sacrifices were great."
"Don't forget I went and took the commander's head," Julius replied
"Julius!" Charlotte shouted angrily.
"I did this for the best. They are wizards. Exterminating these monsters is the true value. Without their leader, they will fall apart. That's how we won the battle, despite the light sacrifices it cost."
"But you didn't have to. You could have ordered them to retreat, or to regroup their ranks, anything," replied Charlotte.
"These were Prince Andres's orders. I just carried out his orders. What more do you want me to do? Disobey a royal individual? You have revolutionary ideas, Miss Charlotte," Julius said
"No, I don't mean that," Charlotte hesitated and looked down.
"And what about Atlas? How is he... how did he return alive? Wasn't he supposed to..."Julius asked
"He managed to do that days ago already," a voice behind him replied.
"General Ron!" Julius exclaimed and knelt, along with everyone in the tent.
"To what do I owe this honor, General?" spoke Julius, kneeling on the ground.
"Nothing. I just thought to come here personally after hearing of your arrival," Ron replied
"How long have you been here, General?"
"I've been here since before Atlas returned."
"Specifically when?" Julius asked
"Days ago. He managed to help Prince Greavus days ago already and returned before you."
"What? How is he?" asked Julius with a shocked expression.
"If you're asking how he defeated them or arrived so quickly, well, it's simply because he's a giant. Don't compare what a human can do to a giant."
"Thank you, Lord Ron. I will keep this in mind well," replied Julius with eyes emitting a threatening gleam.
"General Ronas, do you permit..."
It's simple. The commanders plan to take control of Arsai several days from now."
"Arsai?"Julius asked
"What is that?"Edmund asked
"With all due respect, sir, capturing Arsai is a difficult target. Even for a giant, it will be difficult," Randolph spoke with concern.
"Yes, we need more preparations if we want to invade it,"Oslo replied .
"Randolph, what is this Arsai?"Charlotte asked.
"It's an adventurer town. It's a source of Myard's profit, from magic stones and precious resources. It's filled with various magic guilds."
"So what's bad about it?" asked Edmund.
"Those people, unlike ordinary Myard soldiers, can use magic or curses. There are even those of other races, using various types of weapons and knowledge.
"They have faced many monsters. They will adapt to fighting Atlas. He will be nothing more than a huge monster to them. Even if they are individually weak, their numbers and experience will be enough for him if he is not careful."
"What?!" Edmund replied in shock, while Julius let out a hidden smile.
"Don't worry about those things. You will set out with an army of 5000 specifically for this mission. But remember one necessary thing."
"Failure is not an option. We are now on the brink of war. Any further loss of soldiers will have catastrophic consequences," Ron spoke chillingly while looking at Julius.
Julius did not look down or feel any shame. Instead, he gave a confident look to Ron, and Ron went on his way.
They were now about to enter a battle. It would be the beginning spark of a great catastrophe. Atlas was working with a simple smile, unaware of the battle he would be drawn into.