Mutagen

Day 264 - 9:06 AM - Stone Fortress, Eastern Mountains, General Nakar, Province of Quezon

Tension enveloped the place as Diwata Danaya called for warriors to follow her to the northern walls of the fortress.

Mark jumped onto Chaflar's back with Spera. Although they were considered allies, he would not leave Spera alone in this place. Especially now that different races of Demons were allowed to seek refuge in the Stone Fortress. After all, Spera was human, not to mention one with low control over her emotions. A tasty target for these hungry Demons.

Diwata Danaya took flight with a few winged warriors and a group of [Sylphs]. They flew with neither noise nor turbulence. On the complete opposite, Chaflar flapped his wings, causing a gust of wind filled with dirt and dust. It caused the surrounding spectators to attempt and protect their faces as Chaflar followed closely behind the previous group.

Before they could even reach the vicinity of the northern walls, the group could already see arrows and magical attacks flying off the rampart. There were not that many soldiers atop the walls. Just around a dozen or so, seemingly being the guards stalling the enemy while waiting for reinforcements. However, something was strange. All the attacks the guards were releasing seemed inclined to fly large distances than carry raw power.

As they flew closer, a large boulder was seen hurling toward the walls.

It was a mango-shaped boulder about the size of a minivan. This size would make it easy for the guards along the walls to dodge it. However, as it was hurled at a speed of around a hundred meters per second, it would not only cause considerable damage to the walls. The broken-off parts of the boulder would fly off into the fortress. It would not only cause more damage but also take lives.

Diwata Danaya rushed forward, mustering her [Magical Energy] and stretching both her arms in front of her.

THOOOOM!

A magical barrier was erected in front of the boulder almost instantly.

CRASH!

The boulder and the barrier collided in a grand fashion. Due to the strong impact, the boulder, which appeared to be solid rock, broke down into pieces. The barrier was shaking heavily, and it was clear that Diwata Danaya had a hard time trying to keep the barrier from breaking.

Mark and Spera quickly covered their ears. The collision caused a deafening crash and a strong shockwave to spread to the surroundings. Those behind the barrier were not hit by the shockwave, but the trees outside the walls were almost uprooted.

"Where's the enemy?"

Spera voiced out with her right hand on her ear while squinting due to the pain in her ears.

Mark did not answer as he was also looking for the enemy he had yet to see despite their close distance to the wall. The enemy was called Metal Giant. It should have a large size, not to mention that something that could hurl a boulder that large at that speed should be huge.

THUMP! THUMP!

Faint thumping could be heard from afar. It sounded like the footsteps of a giant creature.

Finally, Mark and Spera saw the enemy.

Far down the northern base of the mountain, likely more than two kilometers away from the wall, a humanoid creature stood, towering over the ancient trees.

"Well... It's a giant, alright..."

Mark was speechless.

It was truly a metal giant. Its skin had a metallic sheen that reflected the morning sunlight.

And it stood... around thirty meters tall.

It was the first humanoid creature of this size that Mark had seen.

With that size, it was no surprise that it was able to throw that boulder over that distance with such destructive power.

But most importantly...

Mark's eyes focused on the head of the creature. While the so-called Metal Giant's skin had a metallic sheen, its head had a different kind of metallic appearance. To be exact, half of its head seemed to have a different appearance.

The skin of the Metal Giant had a mix of a greenish and brownish hue. A rusty oxidized copper color. But the right half of its head? It had a dirty white color. It really looked odd.

Unfortunately, the distance was quite far for Mark to see clearly. He did not have Mei's eyes, which had a better zoom than the scope of a sniper rifle.

"Another one is coming!"

A shout from the guards echoed as they saw the Metal Giant bend down, uprooting a tree in each hand.

And without pause, the Metal Giant threw the two trees it grabbed toward the wall. Both gigantic trees, despite their size, flew like a pebble thrown by an adult human.

Diwata Danaya immediately strengthened her almost broken barrier. The warriors and [Sylphs] that came with her also created a barrier of their own to support the one the [Diwata] created. A wall of wind was erected behind the [Diwata's] barrier.

They all moved in a familiar fashion. It was as if they had done this kind of defensive measure repeatedly.

THOOOOM!

The first tree collided with the barrier quickly, and the deafening sound ensued once again. And when the second tree crashed unto Diwata Danaya's barrier, it finally broke. However, the barrier did enough to weaken the momentum of the second tree. It allowed the wall of wind to stop it.

Mark and Spera watched the situation. Although they volunteered to follow here, the [Diwata] never asked for their help yet. It was not their place to just blindly interfere with another place's business.

And from here, the two expected the battle to escalate.

But then...

THUMP! THUMP!

The giant's footsteps were heard... fading away.

Mark frowned at that sight. The Metal Giant turned around and left.

It was such an odd behavior for either an [Infected] or a [Mechid]. Mark had yet to confirm which of the two the Metal Giant was, but for some reason, its appearance fits both enemies' descriptions. It had a metallic body that could pass up as a [Mechid]. However, its humanoid body was more akin to a [Infected] than that of the alien robots.

Still... why would it leave?

Diwata Danaya landed on the rampart, looking straight at the back of the leaving enemy. Her warriors were the same, looking relieved as they lowered their weapons.

"What is going on?"

Mark asked Diwata Danaya.

Diwata Danaya turned to Mark, looking weakened.

"That monster appeared five days ago."

Five days ago. That was two days after the last time Berrak paid this place a visit. No wonder Berrak never reported anything about this, and Odelina had no idea either.

According to Diwata Danaya, the Metal Giant appeared with only the thumping of its gigantic feet as a warning.

The inhabitants of the Stone Fortress readied to confront it even if they had to sacrifice their lives. However, the giant never approached the fortress. All it did was hurl things unto the fortress, whether trees or boulders, as Mark and Spera had just witnessed. One time, it even hurled a large clump of mud, causing a huge mess in and out of the fortress.

Its attacks had no particular schedule either. The Metal Giant could attack once a day or even twice or trice. The time of the attack was erratic, either. Its distance from the walls also varied in each attack.

It was an extremely strange behavior.

However, that erratic behavior brought ringing bells inside Mark's mind.

An odd behavior that was done repeatedly, using different items or angles and timing. It was akin to an experiment.

"Have you tried to attack it head-on?"

Mark asked the [Diwata].

"I led a few brave warriors to intercept it twice," Diwata Danaya said with a dismayed expression. "It ignored us most of the encounter. We attacked it with all our might. However, we barely left a scratch. It was where it was given the name Metal Giant. Its metallic body is invincible."

Mark tapped his chin.

Diwata Danaya was also weakened because of the [Fusion of Dimensions]. In the first place, [Diwatas] were not fighter types, making them weak in terms of attack capabilities. Their affinity lay on defense, as Diwata Danaya's barrier had shown. Even Diwata Iraya in Catanduanes showed as such.

Still, to barely leave a scratch... That Metal Giant's body was kind of amazing.

But what was the Metal Giant's goal?

It would come at random times, hurl random things at the Stone Fortress, refuse to elaborate, and then leave... It did not make any sense.

If what it wanted was to kill, its already invincible body was more than enough to demolish the place. Yet, it was leaving after every instance.

Oddly enough, it gave the feeling that what it wanted was to harass the inhabitants of the Stone Fortress and nothing else.

Or did it have a deeper reason for showing such erratic behavior?

"Have you sent anyone to follow it when it leaves?"

Mark asked Diwata Danaya another question.

The question made Diwata Danaya show a bitter expression.

"We did try," Diwata Danaya said with a sigh. "The brave warriors never came back alive. The next time we saw some of them, they were corpses hurled by the Metal Giant, crumpled within clumps of dirt and mud."

That should have been a traumatic sight, Mark surmised. After those kinds of events, it would be harder to send people to tail the giant.

Diwata Danaya could probably go. However, as the pillar of this place, she must not go anywhere due to various reasons.

Mark glanced at the worried Diwata. No wonder she did not hesitate to personally welcome Mark at his arrival despite being the most important person in this place. Diwata Danaya might try to ask a favor to Mark. After all, he was far stronger than she was.

Diwata Danaya spent another few minutes atop the walls. It seemed there was an instance where the Metal Giant pretended to leave and went back after they put their guards down.

The reinforcements also came in this time span. Although it seemed that it was unnecessary, it was better for them to take action just in case.

After about ten minutes, Diwata Danaya finally released a relieved sigh.

"My apologies for such a welcome," Diwata Danaya apologized to Mark. "Should we return?"

Mark had no problems and nodded. Only then they finally made their way into the remaining intact areas of the Stone Fortress.

Returning to the courtyard filled with refugees, Mark and Spera, along with Chaflar, were still the center of attention.

But for some reason, Mark was gathering the most attention. Not in a good way, however, as the newer residents cast doubts about him.

Those doubts, however, made Mark nod in satisfaction.

This meant that Mark did something right.

Demon races were categorized as Demons, not because their auras were the same. It was more like because their auras were different from Elementals, Spirits, and nature itself. It was how Demons were differentiated from the magical creatures of nature.

However, after Mark received the [Blessing of Death's Aura], the aura that caused people to immediately see him as part of the Demon race was now obscured. Only those with enough strength, such as the [Diwatas], could see through this guise.

As such, since the rumors about Mark centered on him being a member of the [Blood Demons], the doubts came when they could not determine his aura. And this was something that was only seen in regular, weak humans.

To be able to utilize this ability to disguise his aura, Mark needed more practice. Still, it was only effective since only Chalfar was with Mark and its appearance was demonic-looking enough.

If Mark wanted to reveal his lineage less, he needed to know how to mask this aura without the aid of his blessing. It was the same for his family.

This was something within Mark's list of things to do before they set off on the next journey. After all, letting everyone capable to know they were Demons on the first meeting was definitely not a good idea.

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