"What is that abomination..."
Muttering this, one of the soldiers created a distance from the giant, his gaze still fixed on his dead comrade.
"Why... killed... him? Bad... people... you."
Blabbering to himself, the giant dashed toward the soldier and swung his saber in a diagonal cleave.
The soldier wasn't able to move out of the way and lifted his sword in hopes of blocking the blow.
It did manage to block the strike, but the tremendous strength of the giant made the saber cut through the sword and lodge itself in the soldier's head. His eyes popped out of the skull.
"Everyone, create distance from the giant... he is abnormally strong! You won't be able to handle him unless you are a Seeker and above!"
One of the newly arrived warriors shouted, warning everyone that this monster was a league above the rest of the cultists.
Hearing this, Ash pressed himself harder against the container, entirely clueless about what a Seeker even was, let alone the power they possessed.
If Imp had been a little more diligent, he would've explained that these were the basic rungs on the path to apotheosis. The regular soldiers dying in front of him were mere Primors—men who had only just awakened the spark left behind by the primordial.
To even scratch a monster like this giant, one needed to transcend that spark and become a Seeker.
The soldiers heeded the advice and moved out of the giant's way, but in the small room, they eventually got cornered. They tried to fight it, but the end result was the same.
Some got gutted out, their internal organs plastering on the ground. Some got their skulls crushed, while others were split in half.
And from behind the container, Ash was watching all this, surprised and horrified by the giant's strength all at the same time.
He couldn't help but imagine what would've happened to him if the priest had caught his act.
"Monster… killed… bad.. God.. Forgive me… will kill you."
Heaving a sigh of relief, Ash looked ahead and found the giant covered in blood, flesh, and snot as well. There was something deeply wrong about him.
'Why is he talking like a child? Is he mentally unstable? Hmm! It must be something like that... or no one else would be crazy enough to call those crazy priests father...'
Thinking this, Ash turned his head around and looked for any way out of the room. Now that the soldiers' attention was on the giant, there was leeway for him to slip past.
But there were two obstacles in his way: first, a safe way out, and second, his hooded robe. And neither of the two were looking hopeful.
The entrance was thronged by the soldiers arriving as reinforcements, and there underneath his hooded robe, he had nothing. If he removed his robe, he would be naked, and that would garner more attention.
'Should I just drop dead on the spot... commit seppuku?' Ash thought, scratching his head in frustration.
"Arghh!!..."
Suddenly, he heard the giant crying in pain. Because of the combined effort of a few Seekers, they had finally managed to inflict any meaningful wounds on his body.
Despite numerous slashes and thrusts, only a couple of them were doing damage. But even that invulnerability didn't last long.
One of the soldiers lifted his sword and augmented it with some form of energy. Moving behind the giant, he slashed toward his leg. Still, he couldn't cut the bones, but the deep wound made the giant kneel on the ground.
"Finally. I thought this nightmare wouldn't end."
Sighing in relief, the Seeker moved and lifted his sword. Humming with power, the blade was about to sever his head when one of them interrupted.
"Leave him alive. He is not normal," One of them said, squinting at the giant with surprise.
"B-but sir... he could be dangerous to travel with?" the soldier asked, not wanting to risk travelling with a monster.
"Don't worry... I've called Tiglath._"
"Tiglath sir? The Tyrant Tiglath that single-handedly finished more than a hundred Seekers and five Tyrants?" the soldier asked, a smile blooming over his face.
"Huu!.."
Seeing him nod, the soldier heaved a sigh of relief and moved around the room looking for any surviving cultists.
The room had turned into a slaughterhouse. Blood covered the floor in thick, dark pools while severed limbs lay here and there. The cultists who were suffering were quickly put out of their misery.
After looking for a few more minutes, the soldier shouted for the last time.
"Those who want to submit, stand on your place within three seconds! If found hidden after that, we will kill you."
"1!"
Hearing this, Ash sighed and gritted his teeth. Whatever he chose, he would die; that's for sure. All paths led to death; the only difference was the day he would live until.
"2!"
'Now that I'm already here, let's see it to the end.'
Thinking to himself, Ash stood up from his position. Lifting his hand to show he came in peace.
"3!"
Fortunately, the moment he stood up, the countdown ended. Aside from him, a few more cultists had decided it was better to surrender than die here.
"Parth... look for anyone who is hidden," one of the soldiers directed.
Nodding, Parth closed his eyes and chanted something silently. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and pointed toward the corner.
"In that pile of corpses?" the Seeker asked.
"Hmm!"
"Okay."
Nodding, the soldier lifted his hand and summoned a fireball in his palm. Letting it burn for a few seconds, he closed his fist and threw it toward the pile of corpses.
"Arghhh!!"
"Let me out... I surrender... extinguish this!"
From that pile, the sound of someone pleading arrived, but the soldiers just laughed among themselves.
"Hahah! We did give you some time. It was your own decision not to listen." Mocking the burning man, the soldiers talked among themselves about the cleanup.
Listening to them talk, Ash leaned closer and tried to eavesdrop. Because of the distance, he only managed to hear a few words.
"...last... cultist... end of them... sleep..."
'Are these the last of the cultists?'
Realising this, a smile bloomed over his face. Ash was relieved by the fact that the monsters who had sacrificed a human life without care were eradicated completely.
'Why don't I kill the last of them…'
Thinking this, Ash turned around and looked at the rest. Three of the cultists were cowering in fear while the giant was whimpering because of the pain.
Ash didn't know whether the giant was grieving because of his supposed father's death or crying because of the wounds.
'There is something seriously... wrong... with him.. w-wait why a-a-am I sle-ee-ping...'
Before he could fully process it, Ash had lost consciousness.
Author Note: Thank you for reading! This is only the beginning... it only gets better from here on out. If you're enjoying the story, please add it to your Library, leave a comment and all that fun stuff.