Fairy tale: Little Red Riding Hood's wolf mentor

Aym City, Central Castle, at the top of the tall tower, a position overlooking the entire city.

The previous messenger was slightly bowed. In front of him stood a Poren commander clad in deep black armor, also… the supreme commander of the Poren Kingdom's Giant Countermeasures Corps.

But at this moment, his brow was tightly furrowed, and the hand gripping his sword was bulging with veins.

"Commander, the three giants at the north gate have been lured into the deceleration zone as planned."

"Mm."

The commander nodded.

He understood that this so-called "as planned" was not easy, representing… countless Poren soldiers who would lose their lives in this tactical plan.

But in the Poren Kingdom, it had always been this way.

Because if the giants exceeded the plan, those who died would not just be the few currently acting as bait!

"Commander, the two giants at the south gate, one heavily wounded and one lightly injured, are being guided towards the second kill zone."

"Mm."

The commander nodded, his eyes scanning this… desolate yet seething city through his telescope.

The Poren Kingdom's battle against the giants had lasted for a long time.

From ancient times to the present.

In the most dangerous times, humanity on this plain was almost wiped out, but equally, humanity had moments of glory.

It was just that one day, the founder of the Poren Kingdom had died.

"What about the west? Have the giants there arrived?"

The telescope's narrow field of vision swept across the west, a cloud of dust rising, but too far away, the layers of houses obscuring the view.

"The messenger has just arrived and confirmed the identities of the giants in the west, updating the giant roster."

"Who are those giants?"

"A total of three giants, labeled as Emerald Pond Number Two and Number Three, and Fallen Dusk Forest Number One. Among them, Emerald Pond Number Three is recorded in the roster for the first time."

"Hmph, that guy even found giants in such remote mountains and forests, damn him…"

The Poren commander's eyelids slightly lifted, revealing some bloodshot in his eyes.

Closer by, Poren soldiers were urgently setting up chains.

These chains were mostly made of special steel, used to slow down the giants' speed.

The giants had excellent physical attributes. If their vital points weren't hit, even "Giant Butchers" would find it difficult to inflict fatal damage easily!

Their only weakness was the giants' low intelligence.

So, most of the time, Poren soldiers would sacrifice their lives to lure the giants into positions where special chains were set up. These chains would weaken the giants' strength and physique to some extent.

The giants' activity largely depended on the magic within their own bodies.

And if they were restrained in place, and multiple "Giant Butchers" were used, there would be a high probability of killing the giants!

In the Poren Kingdom, in the past, most giants who dared to enter towns alone—

—died under such tactics.

"The Footprint Tracking Unit of the Sentry Brigade said that guy should have a total of nine giants. Will the remaining one be at the east gate?"

The Poren commander's solemnity deepened.

His gaze fell on the map in front of him, a detailed tactical map of Aym City, crisscrossed with various markings.

Too fast, too fast!

Currently, only half of the markings on the tactical map had been deployed.

But this "giant army" had already arrived!

This meant two possibilities.

First, the bait force had been completely devoured by this giant army.

Second, that human traitor had seen through their tactics and directly ordered the giants to march day and night, arriving under Aym City!

But regardless of which possibility… the plan to bury all the giants under the city had failed!

"The ninth giant and the deceiver who betrayed humanity, Seven, have not yet been found. Seven's presence has not been detected near the other eight giants!

They are just acting on their own desires!"

"That guy… is he hiding far away? Why leave an empty space at the east gate? Even if he has one giant left, how could he stop so many people from leaving the city?"

The Poren commander stared intently at the east gate on the map in front of him, then looked up and around.

The buildings on the east side of Aym City were relatively low. In fact, if the giants wanted to attack the city, the east gate would be a better choice.

"Could it be… you want to surround three sides and leave one open?! Such a big appetite…"

The Poren commander picked up a pen and sketched a few more lines on the map in front of him. "The sharpshooters and that… special support team have also been deployed at the east gate.

If the last giant and the deceiver come, then—

—stay here!"

As the commander spoke, he seemed to have made up his mind. He beckoned a few soldiers, took out an insignia, and said:

"Order the Second Reserve Army, the Fifth Army, and the Sixth Army to leave here and return to the royal capital to re-establish the defense line, from the east gate, along with those civilians.

Our current preparations are not enough to kill these eight giants.

And a total of thirty-two 'Giant Killers' scattered throughout the country are being transported to the royal capital—

—preserve our strength and plan again."

"Commander, you…"

"I'm not leaving."

"Sir, why!?"

The messenger widened his eyes, asking in disbelief.

"My time calculation was wrong. The giants arrived at Aym City earlier than I thought, causing everything that has happened now. I need to be responsible for the dead civilians and soldiers.

Also, those who remain here to face death need a commander."

"But without you—"

"The generals in the royal capital can also command. Now, go and give the order, that is an order."

"Yes!"

The soldier stopped speaking, saluted, and walked down the tower.

The commander picked up the telescope again, looking at the smoke rising from three sides of the city. The remaining soldiers would buy time for the people escaping from the east gate with their lives.

"Heh, giants…"

The commander was very old. In his limited time, his battle against the giants had lasted a long time.

Under his command, the number of giants killed was close to ten—

—and this was not a small number.

If calculated using the bounty earned by mercenary groups for killing giants, the wealth he had obtained could probably buy a hundred mercenary groups!

He held the pen in his hand, suddenly feeling a little uneasy.

"Why?"

He suddenly frowned. For someone like him who had been walking on the edge of life and death for many years, premonitions often had definite meanings!

The next moment, he suddenly looked up, gazing towards the east—

"Snap—"

The pen in his hand broke in response.

The telescope in front of him also fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.

In the east, outside the city gate, a huge rock, like a meteorite, rose high into the sky, flying towards his position—the tower of the castle!

The first rock missed.

But the second rock rose from the horizon just a few tens of seconds later!

And this time, after seeing the arc of the parabola, the Poren commander understood—he couldn't escape.

"This is… why?"

The Poren commander felt a little unbelievable.

In so many years of fighting the giants, he had never seen a giant use throwing as a means, because the throwing posture and landing point were not so easy to master.

And most giants these days didn't like to use tools.

Although they were strong and could make such movements, their accuracy was much worse!

"A giant who can throw…"

The Poren commander, looking at the approaching shadow, a flash of horror crossed his mind at the last moment.

He thought of an ancient legend of the Poren Kingdom, about… the Giant Court that almost appeared!

The next moment, the giant rock accurately struck the tower of the castle!

"Boom!"

In the loud collapse, everyone in the city watched as the black tower collapsed rapidly!

The desolate and destructive dust billowed up.

From reality to everyone's hearts!

"The commander—"

Outside the east gate, the cavalry captain guiding the civilians to evacuate muttered a few words.

Immediately afterward, the ground began to shake, and everyone looked towards the mountains and forests outside the east gate—a giant, and… a human.

And upon seeing that giant, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

It was a greater terror and despair. The more Poren soldiers who had dealt with giants, the more they could feel a despair and terror from the bottom of their hearts!

"Why does that giant… have weapons!?"

A panicked voice rang out from the crowd.

Yes, why did the giant have… equipment?!

It was an extremely tall giant, but that was not the most oppressive aspect. The giant was actually—also wearing a huge suit of iron armor!

And this suit of iron armor, although rough on the surface, really covered most of the giant's body!

That huge iron armor encased the giant's torso.

Full of cracks, covered in scarlet rust, and even with many broken vines and mosses climbing within the dirt in the corners!

The giant's head was covered by an equally huge iron helmet, almost half the size of a house!

A large part of the front of the helmet was missing, revealing the giant's ugly and twisted face—

—it was full of wrinkles and dead skin, with gray-white, dirty and messy long hair hanging down from under the helmet, like… a dead willow tree.

And in one of the giant's hands, it held a huge stone—

—identical to the rock that had just been thrown up and destroyed the castle tower!

In the other hand, it dragged… a huge iron sword like a pillar supporting the sky. Like the armor, the sword was already covered in rust.

But in the giant's hands, it looked extremely terrifying!

The ground was pressed out of a long groove by the huge weight. As the giant sword approached inch by inch, everyone felt their hearts sinking.

"Everyone, where do you want to go?"

A cheerful voice came from the top of the giant's head.

This was naturally not said by the giant, but by a human. Everyone knew the identity of that… figure wrapped in heavy armor on top of the giant's head.

The deceiver, the traitor, the self-proclaimed giant commander, and… the former tailor.

Seven.