An Extra’s POV
chapter-800

"My Lord… I have gathered all the precious materials in the Royal Inventory."

The wife of the Giant Chief—correction, former Chief—was bowing directly in front of Ater's throne as she made her report. She was one of the few who was allowed to speak to him, and her tone was flawlessly precise. This, of course, was due to the fact that females had better mastery over language than men—whose responsibilities as warriors came first.

As the female above all other females in the Giant Civilization, the Chief's Wife was particularly more fluent than most.

It pleased Ater.

"Good. I'll check it out soon. Use this opportunity to arrange them based on perceived rarity, so I can have an easier time checking them out later."

"Understood, My Lord."

"You may leave." Ater dismissed her with a sleight of hand, and she instantly obeyed, scurrying off to complete her order.

The Giant Chief, who was still trapped in suspension above the floors, watched all of this with horror.

His wife—the one who had been with him since they were mere children—had now gotten accustomed to calling another man her lord.

The pain in his eyes were too brutal to even comprehend, let alone describe.

"Now then… shall we get to serious matters?" Ater cast his gaze towards the three Giants who were currently kneeling before him.

They each easily stood at fifteen meters, and they were of a different color compared to the other Giants—with varying colored tattoos as well.

'They're variants… the ones who have the highest potential to be powerful warriors. And these variants are the strongest of every other Giant out there.'

After all, they were the Four Grand Knights—the personal force of the Chief.

Yet… even they were bowing so loyally to him.

One of them had red skin, with purple tattoos on his incredibly muscular body. He wielded a massive ax, and he even had a helmet on his head which cast a shadow on his bloodthirsty eyes.

He was the second in command of the Knights, and an incredible combatant.

In terms of weapon mastery, he was the best.

The one to his right was a female, with blue skin and a staff that was almost as tall as her. The staff was crooked, and it had several rings, as well as a Monster's Skull, attached to it. She had flowing darker blue hair, with yellow tattoos on her body.

She was the Mage of the group—an incredibly rare breed that existed among the Giants.

The one to the furthest left had green skin, with orange tattoos on his body. He had what appeared to be gauntlets on his two hands, and he was the best brawler among the Grand Knights.

He was bald, unlike the other two, and his face seemed the most barbaric.

There was one more missing, and Ater could already guess what befell him. He decided not to talk about that yet, though, instead addressing the reason they were currently kneeling in front of him.

"How did your mission to the Dwarves go?"

For a moment after uttering this, there was sheer silence in the hall. The three Knights stared at each other, looking a little conflicted on how to go about relaying the information.

"Haaa…" Ater sighed at this point, almost as exasperated by the situation as he was disappointed in his forgetfulness to grant them permission. "You may speak to me."

"W-well… Dwarves not take it well." The Red Giant said with a low grunt.

It was clear that he was doing his best to speak fluently… though it wasn't as good as the Chief's Wife.

"They… attack… us…" The bald green one added.

He smiled in pride for some reason—perhaps due to the fact that he could make three coherent words without too much of a struggle.

He was a meathead, who was known more for his combat abilities and not his intelligence, after all…

"We lost our leader to them, Sir. It was thanks to him that we were able to retreat and relay the news to you…" As expected, the female was the most fluent among the three.

Not only was it because she was female, but also due to the fact that she was a Mage. Only a few Giants could boast of her measure of intelligence, which was one more reason why she was able to become a Grand Knight—a position that no female had ever occupied until she came along.

Ater didn't care about any of that, though.

He had gotten the information he wanted, which was precisely what he was already expecting.

'Well… I'm glad they're this predictable.' He smiled, returning his attention to the Grand Knights before him.

"Were you able to retrieve any of his remains?"

The three nodded, with the two males turning to the Blue Giant, who was already muttering a Spell—known as Incantations in the Giant Civilization.

Her amulet of bones—with a skull located at its center—began to glow. Then…

~VWUUSH!~

… Right in front of the trio, a casket materialized. It was made of black stone, and even without opening it, Ater could already tell of its contents.

'They were only able to retrieve his head and one of his limbs. I see… so the Dwarves are quite thorough and brutal in their executions.' He thought to himself in amusement, raising a hand as he stared hard at the casket.

"Hollow Technique…."

A sudden pulse of purple energy suddenly burst from Ater's outstretched hands, all of it converging on the still casket.

It only remained still for a second after that.

~CRACK!~

A hand suddenly broke through the stony casket ceiling, creating a deafening echo in the hall. The debris all floated in the air as soon as they were scattered forth, preventing them from staining the polished floors.

Then… much to the shock of all who watched… the entity within rose with new, false life.

"Huuu…" Steamy breath escaped the Giant's slightly open lips as his muscular purple body slowly emerged from the very depths of death.

It had crimson tattoos on its purple flesh, and dark, forbidden energy radiated around him.

This was the Head of the Grand Knights—the harbinger of destruction.

But now? He was no more than Ater's plaything.