Chapter 4

The giant called Ian ‘Variant of the Middle World,’ and he needed to be removed. Neither Fran Page nor the dragons had to with this, but the giant did not let Ian observe it and broke Ian’s spear.

“What are you?”

There was no answer, and Ian clucked his tongue. He needed to beat this giant to get an answer. A black fireball began to dance on Ian’s palm. It was Cosmos Destroyer, which could burn planets with a flicker. Ian crushed the fireball onto the giant, but the fireball disappeared instead of burning its flesh.

That was not the end. The giant opened its jaws to let out the ray that had destroyed the Ivory Tower and hurt Ian’s cheek. As Ian was too near the giant, he had no time to avoid it.

The light engulfed Ian. If he did not have the mana arms that had wielded the spear and the mana shield on top of it, Ian would have been gravely injured.

“……”

Ian’s eyes glistened through the damaged mana shield.

“You…”

The giant could damage Ian and even resist his magic. While that was threatening enough, Ian could see a bigger problem up close.

“What did you do…”

Ian saw that the Northern lands had become absolutely barren behind the giant. It was evident that it had absolutely crushed all lands and villages where people lived. Ian could not begin to assess the damage. Still, he knew that the only warning the Ivory Tower and the Palace received was the Level 5 signal.

That meant there had been no time to convey the threat this giant posed.

[An error has occurred in the Middle World, and the principle is to analyze the reason and reconstruct.]

“…What?”

[The Variant that has caused the damage needs to be removed first, but the analyst can change the order if necessary.]

Ian could not understand what the giant’s words meant.

“Are you saying that you’re the analyst and this is the Middle Earth? And that I am the Variant who has caused the damage?”

[Variant Ian Page uses some of Superior’s language. Examining how he got access. The Variant has overused unauthorized power to affect Middle Earth. There is a high possibility that he will harm Superior.]

“……”

[I, as Superior’s analyst, must remove the confirmed Variant and restore the damaged Middle Earth.]

Ian’s brow furrowed at the new information as he contemplated the giant’s words.

“So, if we do not kill you, you will destroy us all, right?”

The giant had attacked mercilessly and had ruined all those who he had seen coming here. Therefore, the only thing Ian could do was resist.

[Your resistance is futile.]

“We will…”

Ian focused on his mana and created tens of thousands of ice arrows.

“See about that.”

The arrows bombarded the giant at Ian’s order, and the air filled with clanging sounds. Sharp shafts bounced off the giant’s skin.

[Your resistance…]

“Shut up.”

Ian’s attack did not end there, as he pointed his palms downward to prepare his next move.

‘Yggdrasil’s Restraint.’

Massive plant roots shot up from the ground to the giant, and they were tough enough to hold the giant for a moment.

‘As the giant resists most element attacks, I need something larger.’

He used Nature’s Fury, which would rot the plant roots holding the giant and spread toxic pores under the giant’s skin.

‘Now…!’

He saw a chance, and Ian raised an arm to place an effective attack. His breath was unusually rough as thunder and lightning gathered around him.

‘Disintegrate.’

This spell was the most penetrating of all spells Ian could use. A bolt of catastrophic lightning came crashing down onto the giant’s weakened body.

[…!]

It worked, as the giant showed a response. Ian could see white blood coming out of its heart.

[…As a bug of Middle Earth.]

However, the giant healed after a moment.

[You only do meaningless, ineffective, and irrational acts.]

Its skin became blue again, and the wounds disappeared.

[Variant, you have already fatally damaged your world. Time and space have become ubiquitously damaged.]

Ian could guess what the giant was saying. Is he saying about me returning back in time and the fragmented dimensions? However, Fran Page had been behind most of those phenomena, and Ian could not understand why things were happening like this.

‘Wait…’

Was this because Ian had formed that theory of returning back in time without damage? That was the only reason Ian could think of, as there were no other factors.

[Accept this Middle Earth’s end and reconstruction, as this is a regular process at a universal scale…]

(Shoot!)

It was then Ian heard the Emperor’s voice from the sound amplifying orb. He instinctively observed where the sound had come from. Ian could see the Empire’s new cannon aircraft forces and the dragons guarding them. Emperor Greenriver had come to support Ian with the dragons.

Tens of cannons shot at the giant.

[Fellow dragons, support our ally.]

Reseese Radenju’s order came to order the dragons to shoot their breath onto the giant. The giant covered its head with an arm, but the attack had not worked.

The giant’s expression was hateful, like it had seen bugs on its skin.

[Nothing is whole. I will begin reconstruction.]

The voice was more forceful, and its eyes burned. The jaws opened even wider. Something was going on, and it was going to be dangerous. Ian’s instincts told him that he had to stop it at all costs. No one could help him, as the giant’s attack would destroy everything and kill everyone. More than anything else, Hayden Greenriver was riding on one of the ships because he came to help Ian.

Ian made a split-second choice.

‘Long Winter’s Shield.’

It was a large-scale defensive skill that made the user fall asleep but gave others strong protection. The side effect was that Ian would fall asleep in relation to the damage he received. He only wished that the damage would be manageable.

This was the only spell Ian could use against an enemy who destroyed Ian’s other defense skills. His thoughts ended there as a ray of white light engulfed a massive ice shield, Ian, and perhaps this world.

**

Ian opened his eyes to see surprisingly familiar darkness. He may have been here before.

“Zero dimension…?”

Normally, one could come here only by drinking Red Dragon’s Five Breaths. Why…

“No, you’re even deeper inside.”

Ian froze as he heard a too familiar voice that should not exist.

“…Fran?”