Chapter 523 — Do You Realize?
5 min read ·
WHOOSH
The animated corpses moved as one, dozens of massive forms blurring into motion.
Giant commanders who’d led armies, who’d conquered worlds, who’d earned their rank through centuries of war.
Now nothing but puppets dancing on strings of despair.
BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM
Hammers and fists descended in a rhythm that shook the void-ground, each impact landing with force that would have shattered mountains.
Krazgor’s massive frame was driven into the pitch-black surface, his armor cracking under blows from warriors who’d once called him Chief.
Blood sprayed with each strike, painting the void-ground crimson.
The giant army stood frozen beyond the Domain’s boundary, weapons gripped in trembling hands, watching their leader being beaten to death by his own commanders.
"CHIEF!"
The scream tore from a younger warrior’s throat, raw and helpless.
But nobody moved, nobody charged and nobody dared cross that open boundary.
They’d already seen what happened to those who entered, seen the dishonor, the madness and the death.
BAM BAM BAM
Krazgor’s helmet shattered completely, pieces of advanced technology scattering across the void.
His face was exposed now, blood running from his nose and mouth, one eye swollen shut.
But through it all, his mind was racing.
’High Chief...’
The thought came fragmented, consciousness flickering under the assault.
’You... might have been wrong about everything.’
BAM
His arm broke, bone snapping with a sound like thunder.
’The prophecy our ancestors believed in for generations... the salvation we thought awaited us in that world... the peace our people were promised if we conquered them...’
BAM BAM
His ribs caved inward, puncturing organs.
’All of it might have been lies... or worse... truths twisted beyond recognition...’
His remaining eye found Damian’s armored form through the haze of blood and pain.
’What truly awaits the Giant race in that world... is not salvation or peace or the promised land our seers foretold...’
The realization crystallized with terrible clarity.
’It’s... him.’
His thoughts became desperate and urgent.
’I have to warn them... have to make them understand before it’s too late... Our entire race is marching toward extinction and we don’t even know it...’
His mouth opened, blood bubbling between his lips.
His broken body turned, head twisting toward where his army stood watching.
The word came out as barely a whisper, wet and broken.
"Khra...gath..."
Every giant leaned forward, straining to hear their Chief’s final words.
"Pro...phecy..."
Krazgor’s hand reached out, trembling, pointing toward Damian.
"Him..."
His voice grew fainter, consciousness fading.
"Death... he will–"
BAM
The hammer came down on his skull, crushing the words before they could finish.
Silence crashed across the battlefield like the world itself had stopped breathing.
Krazgor’s massive form went still, blood pooling beneath his shattered head.
The animated giant corpses stepped back in perfect unison, their crimson eyes still glowing, waiting for the next command.
And in that terrible quiet, Damian’s whisper cut across the Domain.
"It seems I’ve acquired an army of giants..."
His damaged helmet turned, tracking across the dozens of kneeling corpses.
"But what use is an army without someone to lead them?"
The words hung in the air for a heartbeat.
Then–
WHOOOOSH
Krazgor’s body began lifting, pieces and blood and shattered bone all rising simultaneously.
The black sun overhead pulsed once, pulling everything upward with irresistible force.
The corpse accelerated, flying faster and faster toward the darkness radiating from the sky’s center.
And the moment it touched the black sun’s surface, everything vanished.
Consumed completely, leaving no trace behind.
The giant army stared upward, confusion and horror warring on their faces.
"How cruel!"
"What is he–"
"The Chief’s body just–"
"Is this some kind of–"
Damian’s voice emerged again, quiet but carrying across every meter of the Domain.
"Such potential, wasted on a quick death..."
His helmet tilted back, facing the black sun where Krazgor had disappeared.
"Don’t you think a warrior of his caliber deserves something more... permanent?"
The black sun pulsed again, brighter this time.
And something began descending.
A shape, massive and burning, trailing flames darker than the void-ground itself, wrapped around a forty-meter frame.
BOOOOM
The figure landed on one knee beside Damian, the impact sending shockwaves rippling outward.
Krazgor’s corpse knelt there, but transformed beyond recognition.
Black flames danced across every inch of his armor, the fire burning without heat or smoke, eternal and absolute.
His shattered helmet had reformed, the metal now obsidian black with veins of crimson running through it like living blood.
And on his forehead, burned into the metal itself, a symbol blazed with terrible authority.
A black sun, identical to the one hanging overhead.
The watching giants felt their blood run cold, something primal screaming danger at the sight.
Then the corpse’s head lifted.
Crimson eyes blazed behind the reformed helmet, but these weren’t the mindless glow of the other animated dead.
These carried intelligence, purpose and absolute devotion.
Krazgor’s reanimated form pressed one massive fist against his chest, the black flames parting around the gesture.
And he spoke, his voice resonating with power that made the Domain itself tremble.
"Black Sun Commander of the Army of Despair presents himself before his Sovereign!"
The words came out formal and precise, each syllable carrying weight.
"This one pledges eternal service to the Lord of Devouring Despair!"
His head bowed lower, the black sun symbol on his forehead touching the void-ground.
"Your will shall be made manifest through these hands! Your enemies shall know despair through this blade! Your dominion shall spread across all realms through this vessel’s conquest!"
The black flames flared brighter with each declaration.
"Command me, My Liege, and watch worlds burn in your name!"
Deathly silence fell across the entire battlefield.
Every giant stood frozen, their minds struggling to process what they were witnessing.
Their Young Chief, one of the fourteen greatest geniuses their race had produced, reduced to a servant kneeling before a human.
He wasn’t just dead, but worse than dead.
Transformed into something that proclaimed its own subordination with pride.
Damian’s whisper cut through the silence like a blade.
"Do you realize the truth now?"
His armored body began lifting off the ground, Telekinesis pulling him upward.