By the time Lee Shin-Woo had returned from his trip to the Secret Shop, the Giants' domain was in chaos, the cause of which was the gargantuan monster they could see from afar... Metafel.

Not only had he entered their territory, but he was also charging straight into the innermost part of it. He was getting quite close.

"Shit, he's almost here!"

"Paul Zero, please hurry!"

Lee Shin-Woo urgently rushed over to Kratia and Rem. They had already planned out what components they needed, figured out what processes each part would require, and even prepared the chemical reagents. All they needed now were the actual materials!

"How's this?"

"Huh...?"

Lee Shin-Woo put the Hands That Cover the Sun before them, which had shrunk down to about half the size of Lee Shin-Woo's body. Instantaneously, the temperature seemed to go up by several degrees, and they were not mistaken. Their eyes were literally melting from the heat.

[Oh my... Master.]

"What exactly do you have to do to get something like this..."

The Hands That Cover the Sun. Lee Shin-Woo had fused several karmas together and sublimated it into a unique, unknown shape.

It currently looked like a normal rock, and could even be passed off as a bone. However, its shine gave it a metallic look while it radiated intense heat nonstop. Kratia had to take several steps back from it.

"It's a lot higher quality than we expected."

"So it won't work?"

[No, it's even better! It's perfect! I'll adjust the plans right away!]

Rem and Kratia turned to each other again and began adjusting their plans. Lee Shin-Woo looked over the remaining blueprints, and once he'd gotten some idea of what they were doing, he helped out with the adjustments.

The quality of the material was so much better than regular one that the adjustment should’ve taken at least an hour, but they finished doing it in only three minutes.

[Kihat, I can smell it coming from there! It's there!]

[If he gets any closer... We can't let him get through the last barrier. I'm not strong enough, but I'll take him on first!]

[I'll help too.]

"I'm counting on you!"

Metafel had gotten close enough that everyone could feel his energy on their skin. There was only one layer left of the spatial barrier created out of mana. If Metafel got any closer, it might impede their Golem manufacturing, so Chi Paul and Bisher Moon volunteered to go to the frontlines together.

[Hey pig, over here!]

[I'm a high level undead. Isn’t that your favorite? Why don't you try taking my body, which my master bestowed upon me!]

[Kuhat! Sure!]

They were both level 7 elites and the most nimble among the corps. Metafel wouldn't be able to catch them easily. Although the general’s endurance and magic had increased exponentially, his other stats hadn't caught up.

"You must not die, you hear!?"

[Understood!]

Lee Shin-Woo's two subordinates shot out like arrows and passed through the barrier. Metafel turned to them as soon as he discovered them, and the pair unleashed their attacks on him simultaneously.

[Die!]

[Kihehk... Hihik! I'm so happy!]

They had been preparing those attacks all this time, yet they only managed to cut the outer layer of Metafel’s skin rather than inflicting much damage. It was preposterous given that they were level 7 elites!

What's worse, he's able to convert a portion of their attacks into mana and absorb it... Still...

While he was evolving, Metafel greedily consumed all energy that came at him and made everything his. It seemed like he couldn’t do it to the same degree now that he had finished evolving. Learning that was big. They could defeat him!

"They're not enough. Ellata, Arogan! Help them!"

[We've been waiting for you to say that!]

[I trust that you'll revive the Titan with those very hands!]

"Don't get too close to him. Focus on protecting them!"

Lee Shin-Woo sent the Giants to help and looked over the sole remaining Shino Rendu, who was staring at Metafel. Despite his killer being right before him, he seemed quite relaxed.

"You stay here for now. You'll get your moment to hold him back."

[As you command, Paul Zero.]

"...You look a lot calmer than I expected you to be."

[That's probably because the Metafel over there isn't the one that killed me.]

Shino Rendu absent-mindedly concentrated his mana into his right arm and said calmly.

[That's not Metafel anymore. It's just an Eater following its instincts. Of course, I still want to get my revenge, but rather than obsessing over it, I'll focus simply on taking him down. Once I do that, I should be able to focus on something else… So, I'm patiently waiting for my turn.]

Shino Rendu… Hadn’t he become wiser after becoming an undead? Lee Shin-Woo was even a little dazzled, and could do nothing but nod in response.

"Shin... Paul Zero, we can start now!"

[Master, please go ahead!]

"...Alright, let's do it."

They had Kratia, who was knowledgeable in magic theory, Lee Shin-Woo, who was innately talented in handling mana, and Rem, who had gained all knowledge regarding Golems through a combination of chance and achievements. The three boldly broke the Hands That Cover the Sun into pieces and began making parts for the Golem.

"The one who should be locking in the heat so it doesn't escape is... Wait, it's locking in the heat by itself! What material is this!?"

"If you have time to be surprised, use it to manufacture the Golem! The sections are already getting hard!"

[Master, at this rate, manufacturing the Golem will take too long.]

"Tch, then how about this...?"

From the very start, Lee Shin-Woo had felt the necessity to infuse his darkness mana into the material when building the components. To be exact, he would connect with the Bone Core while connecting and assimilating the Hands that Cover the Sun at the same time.

In doing so, he would be trying to convince the Hands That Cover the Sun that it was incomplete and imperfect and would need to be processed. He knew the concept of convincing or awakening an inanimate object sounded strange, but he was dead serious.

"It's a bone. I should be able to do it."

"Oh... It really has gotten a little easier to process."

[Restoration has stopped. I will begin immediately!]

Lee Shin-Woo set the shapes of each component and divided the materials accordingly, while Kratia and Rem engraved magic circles into said components and processed them. Because of Lee Shin-Woo's darkness mana, their work progressed much more smoothly than expected. However...

"This is way too hot!"

[Please repair me once we are done manufacturing the Golem, Master.]

"Sure... I'll fix you no matter what, so hold on for now."

Because the materials emitted so much heat, there was no getting around Kratia and Rem getting injured even during the processing phase. Of course, Lee Shin-Woo was fine with his High Rank Fire Resistance, so he moved twice as fast as the other two.

[Kuhaaaaaah! Here you are! I'll eat you all!]

[Tch, this monster!]

[I feel bad for the reputation of the twelve generals. You're just a monster!]

Meanwhile, the battle on the frontlines had intensified. Actually, it was too one-sided to be called a battle. Metafel was attempting to eat every last one of them, while Lee Shin-Woo’s subordinates desperately dodged the teeth and tongues sprouting all over Metafel's body!

[The Titan's Pride!]

[We're almost there... We're almost there, so we can't let you interfere!]

[You smell delicious as well!]

Metafel rampaged about like he was going to gobble up the Giants, Chi Paul, and Bisher Moon right this instant, and Lee Shin-Woo's troops harassed him and launched attacks that Metafel couldn't ignore. As they did that, however, Metafel's arms suddenly swelled up, and dozens of tongues burst out to wrap around Arogan's hand.

[Shall we get a taste!?]

[You’re no longer human, you trash!]

Shocked, Arogan yanked back with all his might, but Metafel's astonishing strength prevented him from pulling away; instead, he was pulled closer to Metafel! In an instant, dozens of tongues wrapped around not only his arm, but his shoulder as well.

[Eeek...!]

[How dare you do that to my comrade!]

Before Arogan was eaten, Ellata threw a boulder at Metafel.

She seemed to have transferred her mana into the boulder, imbuing it with incredible power. It shot through the air and severed the tongues capturing Arogan, but by then, one of Arogan's arms had already been swallowed by Metafel.

[Ku...haaahk...!]

Moreover, Metafel's attack seemed to be paralyzing. Arogan writhed and let out agonized cries while being stuck in place.

[Kihiiiii! What great strength. Giants are great! It's the most delicious thing I've eaten thus far!]

Once he absorbed Arogan’s arm, Metafel got a bit taller, and he lunged at Arogan to clean his plate. His stomach split in half as countless tongues came out!

[Did I leave some? We can't let food go to waste!]

[Keuk...!]

[Arogan!]

Metafel was moving with impressive speed even though his body had become fat. If Ellata hadn't kicked Arogan away, he would've been in Metafel's stomach right now with no chance of resisting.

[Eat this!]

Ellata struck the ground, creating a wall of dirt. She could manipulate earth by adding her force and her mana into it; that was Ellata's ability as a hero. Metafel ended up eating dirt rather than Arogan.

[Kek, don't get in the way! I'll eat you all...and become a perfect warrior!]

[You disgusting bastard... How dare you call yourself a warrior!]

While she had died once, she hadn't forgotten her pride as a warrior, nor the Titan's Pride. Thus, to her, Metafel was the very definition of trash. The general had lost all reason and turned into such a disgusting form.

While deliberating how she could follow up her earth wall and inflict more damage onto him, she suddenly felt a new power surging through her entire body.

[Mm, could this be...?]

[Kyaha!]

The problem was Metafel had likewise sensed that energy. Forgetting all about Arogan and Ellata, Metafel looked up. He abandoned all those he had been fighting thus far and rushed towards the source of the power.

[Yeah, that’ll be the tastiest! I should eat that first!]

[No!]

[Stop him!]

Aside from the still paralyzed Arogan, everyone else panicked and chased after Metafel. However, Metafel seemed to have boosted his speed with a skill, and soon he shook them off and made his way to his destination. In the end, he broke through the final barrier in one go.

An Eater had a skill that weakened spatial or magical restraints once they had picked their target!

[There you are!]

"Damn it. I can't move right now...!"

Lee Shin-Woo, Kratia, and Rem were working hard on manufacturing the Golem. Lee Shin-Woo frowned when he saw Metafel break through the last spatial barrier and thus enter his vision.

The three of them were applying their mana extremely delicately and finishing up by engraving a magic circle onto the core itself. Once this was done, they would be able to synchronize the main body and the core, which would finally allow Lee Shin-Woo to operate the Golem.

"Why now!? He came at the worst time!"

This was such a cliche; they were almost finished with their mission, but the enemy came rushing in to interfere! Lee Shin-Woo gritted his teeth. He couldn't look away from the core. Fortunately, someone was already blocking Metafel's way.

[I'll buy you some time.]

Shino Rendu said calmly and stepped forward. His composure actually unnerved Lee Shin-Woo, but he didn't have the time to say that. After all, Metafel was already quite close.

Shino's right arm was wrapped in a red light and swelling. He took a step forward, face absent of any fear while sensing an overpowering mass rushing towards him.

[Give it to me!]

[Hah!]

Right after Metafel's greed-filled scream resounded through the grounds... Kwang! The sound was then accompanied by an explosion. Was that the sound of Kratia's barrier exploding?

[Guooooooooooh!]

No, it wasn't. Shino Rendu had desperately concentrated his strength and, with his red fist, threw a forceful uppercut at Metafel's groin… Or what used to be his groin. The sound had come from the impact of Shino Rendu's fist making contact with Metafel's groin.

The lower body armor protecting Metafel broke apart, and rotten flesh, tongues, and guts scattered everywhere. Something had definitely burst. Something that was quite precious to a man!

[Kuhaaaaaaaahk!]

How could a level 6 muster such strength? Shino Rendu's punch had temporarily overcome his limits, and the level 8 Eater failed to endure the blow. Metafel flew through the air. It was only for a short time, but it seemed like an eternity to those witnessing the event.

[I've only taken a single step, but I feel like I've caught up with you a little bit, Paul Zero.]

Shino Rendu said proudly. His right arm hadn't been able to endure the shock, and his muscles and even bones had been ripped apart. However, he soon activated his other cheat skill, Super Regeneration, and healed his injuries.

Normally, a hit like this would’ve turned the tides of the battle, but that wasn't the case here.

[How dare you lay your hands on one of the twelve generals!]

[Haht!]

Metafel's rage peaked, and he attempted to wrap Shino Rendu with hundreds of tongues, but before they could reach him, Chi Paul shot dozens of bone blades to sever them. Immediately after, Bisher Moon arrived and grabbed onto Shino before retreating.

[Can you keep fighting?]

[I can as long as my wound heals. My mana's overflowing now after absorbing the surrounding heat.]

[As expected...! There was a reason you were waiting here!]

They weren’t alone. Ellata arrived belatedly and drew a giant spear from the earth, staring at Metafel. And the one-armed Arogan concentrated his energy on his remaining arm, the power radiating from him not to be underestimated.

[Eek, Eeeeeeeek...!]

Metafel was severely wounded, so it would take him quite some time to get through them.

[We might not even need the Golem, Paul Zero. Your subordinates are just that strong.]

There were four level 7 elites facing Metafel, as well as Shino Rendu, who was becoming stronger at an exponential rate.

[But it's the general's responsibility to take down the enemy general, so we'll leave it to you. After the Golem is finished, that is.]

They were bluffing, of course. If they were capable of taking Metafel down by themselves, Lee Shin-Woo wouldn't have gone through so much trouble. However, Lee Shin-Woo decided to take their bluff as truth. Lee Shin-Woo used his mana to sublimate the core even further and grinned.

"Alright, I'll be there in a minute."