If someone had told these Royal Knights, they wouldn’t have believed it.

But here it is... playing out in front of their eyes.

The Golden Spear of Brilliance...

This is one of the only two A Grade Armaments of the Randalorion Kingdom, boasting the greatest destructive might among all other Armaments, even in the same Grade.

Some have theorized that this Armament was once an S Grade Armament, or that it has the potential to be one, based solely on the raw destructive power it can unleash.

Unlike most Armaments, the Golden Spear of Brilliance has a sealed form and a true form.

In its sealed form, it resembles a golden sword, and during this phase of its existence, it is known to be stockpiling power.

This power will then be unleashed when it is unsealed and becomes a spear.

There is a reason it is known as the ultimate weapon!

That is simply due to how mighty its blow is when it unleashes all the power it has stockpiled at once. It is capable of leveling an entire battlefield and decimating a whole army.

This great eruption of pure energy is known among the Royal Knights.

Its power is unparalleled!

Such is the treasure that was left behind by the First Knight of the Kingdom nearly a thousand years ago. The greatest weapon of the Randalorion Kingdom, only capable of being wielded by the greatest Knight in the Kingdom.

To use its full power, one must leave this weapon sealed for at least five years.

And that is precisely what happened.

The Golden Spear of Brilliance had been hibernating all this time and was only unsealed in this battle due to its severity.

The reason the Captain hadn’t used its power even once was that he was waiting for the perfect opportunity to unleash its full might. That’s why he endured the deaths and chaos that the Stone Sentinels wrought upon everyone.

He only had one shot!

On its own, the Golden Spear of Brilliance still has great power.

In its Sealed State, it can be comparable to a B Grade Armament, and even as a spear, it carries hints of A Grade prowess. But only once every five years can it unleash such great power that many compare to S Grade.

Knowing all of this... the despair of the Knights became even greater when they noticed what had just transpired on the battlefield.

The sheer might of the Glorious Spear of Brilliance had been displayed.

For a few seconds, everyone thought victory was in sight.

They celebrated.

In their hearts, they felt relief.

But then—

They saw it... the gleaming crystalline construct that stood between the blazing spear and the monstrosity it promised to slay.

—Citadel!

This overwhelmingly tall construct has the appearance of a diamond castle, or a sanctuary made entirely of rigid glass—its fortified walls surrounding the Throneback Behemoth.

Its rigid surface is comparable to the shell of the monster, possessing the hardest quality of all.

Imagine this...

Even with their projectiles, none of the Knights could break the stone body of the Throneback Behemoth. The creature’s shell is over ten times harder than that.

And...

... That is the kind of toughness that the Citadel possesses!

It is an impregnable fortress that this Cadre 5 Magivore can reside in, away from any harm or the threat of danger—Its final trump card that nullifies all kinds of danger targeted at it.

A truly despairing thing for humanity!

This is why one does not fight the Throneback Behemoth from a distance.

A battle of attrition is pointless.

Only a head-on confrontation with the beast could ever hold any possibility of slaying it.

Those who wish to assault the Throneback Behemoth must muster the courage to close in on the hulking thing. Only then should they attack it with all they have, not stopping until they completely tear it down.

Doing so exploits all the weaknesses of this monster.

Yes...

Although it is a terrible thing that far surpasses the realm of common sense, this is not an invincible creature. It has several weaknesses that one can exploit.

For one, it cannot summon another batch of Stone Sentinels until all the ones in the previous batch are eliminated. It also cannot use Adaptation on itself and the Stone Sentinels at the same time; it has to choose one.

There is also the fact that it has low intelligence, or none at all.

Thus, although it can destroy its own Stone Sentinels in a stalemate to summon another batch, it will not resort to that tactical measure.

Its low intelligence also prevents it from using Danger Sense to its optimal capability.

This is why those who possess the means to defeat it can draw closer to it without triggering its wrath or the use of Citadel.

Once they begin to overwhelm the creature, it won’t matter if it uses Citadel, since all the assailants would also be in the Citadel with it. Plus, Citadel would only isolate the Throneback Behemoth from its Stone Sentinels.

These are only some of its weaknesses, which can lead to some rather interesting ways to win against such a monster.

For one, you could destroy all the Stone Sentinels in the first wave. Once the Behemoth uses its Adaptation on the next batch of Stone Sentinels, you resort to destroying most of these Stone Sentinels while creating an effective formation around the few surviving ones.

As long as you limit their movements, they won’t be a threat, and they also won’t be destroyed.

This prevents the Throneback Behemoth from summoning new Stone Sentinels.

Also, since it just used Adaptation on the Stone Sentinels, and the Sentinels are yet to be wiped out, it cannot use that Special Ability on itself. Since it has also not studied the use of Armaments for a sufficient period, and its Adaptation has not reached that threshold, it cannot use its Digestion to summon Armaments for its army to wield.

By sending an elite unit closer to the Behemoth, only to attack it in close proximity, the use of Citadel will only trap the Behemoth in close proximity with the army, allowing you to fight in close quarters with it.

If you bombard it with all the weaponry at your disposal and use Armaments like the Golden Spear of Brilliance to target vital parts, you can even secure victory.

Even if it heals from some injuries, it cannot use Adaptation without first getting rid of its surviving Stone Sentinels, which means you can keep shaving off its health. As long as the damage dealt is more than its recovery rate, you will eventually conquer this beast.

Even with just one A Grade Armament... It is possible.

In fact, with the right strategy and great synergy, even B Grade Armaments will suffice.

Unfortunately, that could never have been the case in this situation.

For one, the Royal Knights lacked information.

They had heard of the Throneback Behemoth, but none of them had ever faced it since it resided in the Deep Mountains.

This should come as no surprise, since Cadre 5 Magivores are extremely rare.

A single one is considered a disaster that can decimate an entire Kingdom, so an encounter with one is something that almost never happens.

In fact, the Thorn Overseer Vine that Javier and his now deceased allies faced during his Mercenary days was the first Cadre 5 Magivore that had appeared in the Randalorion Kingdom in over a decade. There is also the incident of the Beast Tide that occurred in the Hidden Mountain Grove, Lumian Town. There, three Direwolf Kings appeared, something that can be considered an anomaly.

Knowing all these facts, it isn’t surprising that there isn’t much information on most Cadre 5 Magivores that are known to exist.

Since all of the Throneback Behemoth’s Special Abilities were a mystery to the Royal Knights, they could not implement an effective strategy. Due to this unfortunate reason, they are now experiencing a truly horrid situation.

—Total extermination.

None of these men is naive.

In fact, Royal Knights have all received proper education and are rather astute men of valor.

They understand the implications of their current position.

Now that their ultimate attack has failed and the Throneback Behemoth has not been taken down, the remaining Stone Sentinels will continue to advance. Not just that, but all of the surviving Cadre 2 to 4 Magivores will also march ahead unhindered.

The situation has not gotten any better at all! 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Brave men and women... brace yourselves for the last battle of your lives!"

The Captain raises his hand, and a weapon suddenly appears from out of nowhere. Tightly gripping the golden sword—what used to be the Golden Spear of Brilliance—he lets out his loudest shout yet.

"Even if we fall in this battle... we do so with honor and glory!"

"URAHHHHHHHH!!!"

All the Royal Knights, despite being paralyzed by fear and despair, raise their blades and join their leader in a glorious war cry.

They are the proud warriors of the Randalorion Kingdom.

The last line of defense.

They will never yield to anything—not even the invincible might of a Cadre 5 Magivore.

"Brace for impact!"

Right then...

... In the moment where no hope remains...

... Something happens.

A miracle of unprecedented proportions!

Something the size of a mountain—a boulder that resembles a flaming meteor—suddenly appears in the sky.

"W-what is that...?!"

No one knows who asked the question out loud, but everyone knows they were thinking the same thing upon witnessing such a frightening sight.

The evening scenery turns dark.

This glowing boulder has cast a dark shadow on the entire battlefield.

The sudden appearance of darkness threatens to swallow everything whole, but a closer look at the blazing ’thing’ reveals something rather shocking.

It is focused solely on the Cadre 5 Magivore!

Then—

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!

An explosion much more powerful than what the Golden Spear of Brilliance could ever muster, even if it were given decades, spreads throughout the battlefield and consumes everything in sight.

The soldiers are instantly blinded by the eruption.

Even those who close their eyes are not spared from the searing radiance of the destruction.

Echoes of destruction spread everywhere.

The shockwaves send everyone flying away, even with their barrier protecting them.

Haaa... What barrier?

The brittle thing immediately shattered upon the meteor’s impact.

Loud ringing sounds fill the devastated landscape, and the charred surface of the land tells the tale of what used to be. No trace of the eviscerated Magivores remains, save for the stone fragments of the Throneback Behemoth.

Or, perhaps those are merely fragments from the boulder itself.

Regardless... all have been wiped out thanks to this unexpected occurrence.

By some miracle, the Royal Knights are still alive.

Even they are shocked.

They cannot explain what they just witnessed, nor do they think such a thing is humanly possible. As a result, with wide open eyes and bated breaths, their primitive minds can only resort to one explanation.

"The Gods... It is a miracle from the Gods!"

"The Gods have not abandoned the Randalorion Kingdom!"

"We have the Gods on our side! We are saved!"

Such ignorant ones...

They do not realize that this is by no means an action caused by their Gods, but simply due to a mere coincidence caused by a Leviathan sending a blazing boulder to their exact location.

However, that is a story for another day.

The true details of this occurrence are largely obscured from these simple men.

Still... they ought to celebrate.

After all, this casual act from a Leviathan—whose intentions were neither benevolent nor in consideration of the Randalorion Kingdom—has just saved them and has given their Kingdom a fighting chance.

These men are truly fortunate people.

If the boulder had been a few meters off, they would have been caught in the blast, and all of them would have perished. Likewise, if the situation had not reached this precise stage, even if the boulder had landed, it may not have spelled the end for everyone involved.

It is rather strange, is it not?

How everything coincided perfectly for this rather random occurrence.

But such is life at times.

Needless to say, the protection of the Capital ended in success!

The Royal Knights claimed a great victory—though most of the work can’t even be attributed to them—and as a result, they have bought the Kingdom some more time.

"Gather around, men! The fight is not yet over!"

The Captain interrupts everyone’s jubilation with a stern expression on his face.

Naturally, he is stunned—perhaps even more stunned than most—but he recognizes his duties and the chaotic state of the Kingdom at the present moment. A few other Cadre 5 Magivores are running amok in the Kingdom, and the Royal Knights are the only ones who can defeat them.

Although they are grateful that their lives have just been spared, these people must once again put themselves in harm’s way.

Many frown, and others let out disappointed sighs.

But it cannot be helped.

"We have to—"

Before the Captain can finish his next statement, yet another flaming boulder descends on the fortified walls, instantly wiping all of them out.

[A/N: This is the frightening world of Leviathans. Anything can happen. If you do not possess good fortune or the special interest of a Leviathan, chances are that you will die as randomly as these people just did.]