.....Uoooooo!
The statue of the Archangel roared.
At its grand, resonant cry, the crowd cheered.
"Waaaaah!"
Everyone's hearts pounded violently.
It was almost impossible to believe.
And why wouldn't it be?
'To think I'd ever witness such an incredible spectacle...!'
Of course, except for the blind, there was no one among the citizens here who hadn't seen the statue of the Archangel before.
That was only natural.
The statue of the Great Slayer, which stood in the Grand Cathedral of the Holy Order of Perfection, was a famous landmark of the royal capital, and most of the capital's citizens were believers of the Holy Order of Perfection.
However, none of them had ever seen the statue walk, raise its head, or roar toward the sky.
No, none had even imagined they would witness such a sight in their lifetime.
And so—
"Long live His Majesty the King!"
"Long live the Archbishop!"
Everyone loudly chanted and praised the two highest authorities who had permitted today's splendid and majestic performance(?), the King and the Archbishop.
Thanks to this, the King and the Archbishop...
.....Gulp.
Swallowed dryly.
The King thought,
'That thing...'
I never approved this.
No, he hadn't even received any report mentioning such an event in the marching. Yet, it was certainly an incredible spectacle. When would they ever see something like this again?
At any rate—
"Could it be... Archbishop, did you prepare this?"
The King asked hopefully.
Thanks to this, the Archbishop thought,
'That thing...'
I never approved this either.
No, there had been no report about the Church supporting the royal family's expedition force to the Abandoned Land with the Archangel.
But still, it was an awe-inspiring spectacle, truly overwhelming. When else would he witness this again?
Regardless!
"No, our Church has never prepared such a thing…"
The Archbishop's next words, "...never," could not continue.
Because as he spoke, the statue of the Archangel began to move.
Whoooooooom…
A giant, 63.5 meters tall.
Weighing 1,200 tons, the behemoth took a step.
With a stride nearly 30 meters long.
Powerful and graceful.
Thunk!
An unfortunate three-story building caught under the statue's foot was instantly crushed. Inside the half that remained intact, a man who had been bathing hurriedly covered himself with a basin, screaming.
Thanks to that(?)—
"...!"
The moment they saw the building destroyed by the statue's first step, the crowd's cheers abruptly ceased, as if someone had flipped a switch. The deafening noise, like gathering 5,000 of the noisiest cicadas in town, instantly turned to complete silence.
It was a silence almost too unbelievable.
Yet it was a real, silent scream of shock.
Within that hush, the statue took a second step.
Crash!
The ground quaked.
Another unfortunate building, along with its proud history and tradition, crumbled into cosmic dust.
At that moment, everyone in the square faintly realized:
"Isn't that statue... coming this way?"
"Uh, it kind of looks like it."
"But why?"
"Uh... to participate in the ceremony?"
"Maybe to congratulate us?"
"Possibly?"
"Then... why is it smashing perfectly good buildings along the way?"
"Maybe it's a bit careless, more than it seems?"
"Is that so...?"
"Perhaps?"
"...I don't think so."
"...Maybe?"
Kuwaaaang!
With relentless steps, a third building collapsed. The distance between the statue and the square shrank. And with that, people's unease skyrocketed.
At that moment—
...…Nuuoooooo!
The statue roared again.
And then... it started running!
Kukang, kang, kang, kuakuakwang—!
"...!"
It was just like a killer pausing briefly, raising a blade over its head, and then charging!
The many buildings in the statue's path shattered like toys, crushed, smashed, and reduced to rubble. Raising clouds of demolition dust, the colossal figure charged forward.
Toward the square.
Toward everyone.
"...Aaaaaaah!"
"Kyaaaaaaaah!"
Screams.
Terror.
Chaos.
Finally, the people understood.
This wasn't a performance or a spectacle prepared for the inauguration. For some unknown reason, that colossal statue was enraged and charging toward them!
"R-Run!"
"Save me!"
"Mom! Mooooom!"
Their hearts sank.
Everyone scrambled to move.
As the statue ran, so did the people. Trying to flee the square, shoving each other aside, dodging, screaming. Some tripped and fell, hurriedly getting up to run again.
The King and the Archbishop looked at each other with terror-stricken faces.
"What is this! What have you done, Archbishop!"
Being dragged away by the captain of the royal guards, the King shouted. Hearing his cry, the Archbishop's face filled with deep injustice.
"......No! That's not—"
I really don't know anything!
The Archbishop was genuinely aggrieved.
The statue of the Archangel was the pride of the Church, the royal capital parish's ultimate weapon. It was also the embodiment of the will never to repeat the disgrace of 300 years ago, when they were once ruled by the Demon Queen.
But that statue had moved for the first time in 300 years.
Even though the Demon King had not appeared!
And it was attacking civilians!
"........"
What on earth was happening?
Could it be a malfunction?
For the first time in 300 years... now?
'Why... why during my tenure!'
The Archbishop raised his head, filled with bitter resentment. The statue, now charging right up to them, raised its colossal sword of annihilation, and that overwhelming size filled his vision.
...Kwaaaaa!
The greatsword, 40 meters long and weighing 58 tons, came crashing down with the power to cleave a mountain.
To the center of the square.
Aiming at its target.
Kim Jangcheol.
Kuwaaaaaang!
"...Huh!"
Kim Jangcheol leapt aside in panic.
The very next moment, the statue's greatsword struck the spot where he had just stood. An enormous explosion erupted. Shockwaves and deafening noise spread in all directions, along with flying debris.
"Ugh, gah, ugh!"
I'm... not dead, right?
Knocked down by the shockwave, he quickly sprang to his feet. Then he checked the color of the back of his hand.
It was purple.
His disguise hadn't come undone.
"Lord! Are you alright!"
Zephyros's urgent voice came flying toward him. But there was no time to answer.
The statue's greatsword, which had driven so deeply into the plaza floor that it created a crater, seemed to be lifting out of the ground—only to sweep forward horizontally, scraping the earth as it surged toward him!
Boom-boom—!
"...!"
Is this how an ant feels, facing the disaster of a broom attack?
Kim Jangcheol leapt with all his might.
Whoosh!
The silhouette of the greatsword passed just beneath his feet!
Immediately after, a backdraft surged through the space the greatsword had swept. It washed over his entire body. He lost his balance midair.
'Tch!'
Kim Jangcheol looked upward.
The statue, seemingly disappointed that its second strike had missed, was staring down at him. The moment their gazes(?) met, the statue lifted one of its feet high.
No way.
It's going to stomp me?
Seriously? For real?
'Damn it!'
A curse slipped out instinctively.
At the same time, he was dumbfounded.
'Why... why the hell is this statue going berserk?'
He couldn't understand.
The inauguration had been proceeding smoothly.
They only needed to depart from the royal capital soon.
But now, the Church's statue was wildly rampaging and launching attacks—what in the world could he even call this situation?
'Maybe today's fortune really wasn't in my favor.'
No.
Maybe it was because of the palm reading from ten days ago.
That could be it.
"..."
Now that he thought about it, the possibility wasn't entirely outlandish. No, this wasn't the time to be thinking about such things.
Tch!
He barely managed to regain his balance and landed.
Meanwhile, the statue, having finished its full swing with the greatsword, brought down the foot it had raised to stomp on him!
Kuwaaaaaa!
Have you ever been at risk of ending your life beneath the slap of an angel's sole?
If someone were to ask that now—
He could confidently answer yes.
'...Like hell I have!'
He threw his body to the side again.
Right after, the immense stomp of the foot shook the plaza's foundation.
But it didn't end there.
Realizing it had missed, the statue lifted its foot again. And once more, another stomp!
Bang! Bang! Boom! Boom!
".....!"
Not wanting to die.
Desperately trying to dodge.
Like a cockroach that locks eyes with the landlord(?) at 2:32 in the morning by the kitchen sink, he flung his body madly and kept running.
Along the way, he couldn't help but feel an espresso-dark, strong surge of bitter resentment.
'Argh, damn it! What sin did I commit in a past life to deserve this?!'
That thought rose naturally.
It wasn't just a feeling. Somehow, quite blatantly, no—completely obviously! The statue seemed to be focusing its attacks solely on him.
"....."
This wasn't just his imagination.
Because until just moments ago, the people in the plaza who had been screaming "save me" and fleeing were now... beginning to stop.
Even the King, who had been escaping, was now standing still, glancing back and forth between him and the statue.
Everyone was now quietly, pitifully looking his way.
"........"
It was real.
Truly, it was!
'Why, for heaven's sake!'
He glared at the statue with all the resentment he could muster. Of course, in the meantime, the statue's relentless bombardment continued unabated.
"Argh! Crazy!"
He kept rolling.
Repeatedly throwing himself aside.
Charging this way.
Feigning a hiding move that way.
He even climbed onto the statue's instep to narrowly avoid a crisis, then quickly jumped down to the ground just before it shook its foot to fling him off—no exit bell required.
Even then, he didn't forget to keep glaring at the statue. He hadn't even blinked.
Meanwhile, Artanis, declaring he would save him, charged at the statue. But unfamiliar with his new catfolk body and burdened by the seal artifact, he couldn't overwhelm the statue.
Baal also roared and joined the fray, clinging to the statue's leg. Thanks to that, the statue stumbled a few times.
How long had they held out like this?
Finally, the sound he had been waiting for echoed in his ears.
Ding-dong!
[Bloodshot Eyes (Lv. 2) skill has activated.]
[Observed Target: Statue of the Archangel]
[You have analyzed the current status of the Statue of the Archangel, which you have observed for 190 seconds, and the factors that will change over the next 7 hours.]
'Please! Hurry!'
While narrowly dodging another swing of the greatsword, he urged the incoming message.
The results quickly appeared before his eyes.
[The Statue of the Archangel, which you have observed, has finally realized its purpose of existence. That purpose is the noble mission of annihilating the Demon King. Through the palm-reading analyzer connected to its altar, the Statue of the Archangel has finally discovered that your true identity is the Demon King and, to annihilate you, has raised the sword of annihilation.]
[For the next 7 hours, the Statue of the Archangel will devote all its efforts solely to eliminating you.]
"........"
Don't devote all your efforts!
Slack off a little!
Faced with the truth that had finally come to light, he wanted to scream. Resentment surged up like a geyser.
But the Statue of the Archangel remained resolute.
Kuwaaaang!
With no room for negotiation, the greatsword came down like a decisive slice of pumpkin!
As the roar shook the entire plaza, everyone, who had now stopped running and had been silently watching the statue's one-sided violence, suddenly realized.
The statue, right now.
No—since earlier, all along.
Had been targeting only Kim Jangcheol.
That realization reached the King as well.
That must have been why—
The King began to misunderstand this situation, severely.
".......Archbishooooop!"
The dumpling-bearded King pointed an accusing finger at the Archbishop, his face flushed red.
"No matter how skeptical and uncooperative you and your Church may be toward my and the royal family's development of the Abandoned Land, there are limits! To go this far—where is the sense in this!"
"....Pardon?"
"You and the Church! You've gone so far as to mobilize the Statue of the Archangel to kill my expedition leader and insult the royal family, all to obstruct the exploration and development of the Abandoned Land!"
"...P-Pardon meee?"
Me?
Why... me?
The Archbishop felt an overwhelming and bitter sense of injustice growing inside him.
[T/L: I am not getting any support from webnovel platform, so please support me and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]