Chương 110: B2 Chapter 30

Hakon immediately noticed that something was off. At first, it felt as though Ulfar had regained his senses, and that he'd recognize the miserable position he'd put himself in. Hakon was half certain the Behemoth Blood warrior would notice the dozens of gashes covering his arm at some point. Or that he would, at the very least, realize that his bones were exposed in multiple spots. The plan had been fairly simple, and yet Ulfar hadn't noticed any of the things happening around him.

It was almost like the physical wounds covering his body did not exist. Maybe that too was the power of his Will. To keep fighting at full power no matter the state of his body. And that, just like Ulfar's aggressive, single-minded behavior, was exploited. Caught in Ulfar's clutches, Hakon was more than satisfied that his tactic had worked, though it ended up a little more dangerous than expected. But where there was no danger, there wouldn't be any rewards.

The Ancestors loved the daring, so Hakon became the herald of boldness. He made it seem like Ulfar was winning. As if the Behemoth Blood warrior had already won. And then Ulfar did exactly what Hakon expected him to do; he thought about how to hurt him the most. Rather than killing Hakon right away, he wanted to see him suffer. And Hakon knew that Ulfar would be like that. He really wants to see me suffer. Hakon mused as power welled within him.

Mana billowed from the Core and surged toward his neck and outside his body. He spasmed once as the mana within him changed, but released it in a storm-like current. For a moment, he felt like a Stormcaller. Like Ava, with her magical Skills such as [Arc], even when his Skill wasn't like that at all. Hakon used [Discharge] through his neck to strike the hand and fingers coiled around it, except that [Discharge] had been altered a little. It was attuned to electrical currents, which was what Ava had called them.

No new Skill was created in the process, not that Hakon needed one, but the effect was as potent as he'd hoped for. So, while a pair of highly compressed and painstakingly concealed mana needles whipped through the air, taking Ulfar by surprise when he already thought he had won, [Discharge] rocketed through the warrior's hand at the same time. The iron-tight grip around Hakon's neck loosened considerably, and he fell back to the ground. His feet touched the stage once more, but there was no time to hesitate.

Unsheathing his sword and gritting his teeth, Hakon watched Ulfar scream aloud, his mouth wide open. While his plan hadn't been perfect or anything, he had more than enough emergency strategies to deal with Ulfar. Hoard Impact had been instinctively compressed and prepared to be released point-blank if need be, and yet when Hakon could have thrust his sword into his foe's wide-open mouth, he… didn't. Because something changed. Ulfar's presence split into two.

The killing intent was still there, and so was his almost desperate desire to kill Hakon, and yet it felt as though there were two beings within him. And these two presences were fighting. It was hard to tell what was happening. One moment, Ulfar held him high in the air, and in the next he was fighting with… himself? Worse even, his skin turned from dark red to black like coal. The smell of burned flesh filled the air, and it wasn't long before the first spark ignited before Ulfar. One, then a second, and another.

Ten, dozens, hundreds. It only took a few heartbeats before Ulfar went up in flames, and yet he didn't scream out in pain. His expression distorted and the hatred in his eyes burned fiercer than ever, but Hakon did not feel like the hatred was aimed at him. Not this time. What is going on? Hakon considered ramming his sword into Ulfar's chest to end the Challenge of Blood once and for all. However, as soon as he looked into his foe's eyes, those burning orbs of determination and defiance, he let it be and watched.

"You lost control, did you not?" he asked loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"Behemoth Blood has taken control of you. No, it is about to take control, and you're still defending against it." Hakon took a few steps back and watched as the internal fight continued. [Vitality Stream] flowed through him. It surged toward his foot and mended his ankle, repairing the fractured bones and making him ready for the fight ahead. Only when his movements were no longer impeded did [Vitality Stream] focus on his other ailments.

"Our fight will continue when you're ready," he intoned for everyone to hear." If you can continue." Nobody said anything. For this was not a decision for anyone else to make. It was solely up to Hakon and Ulfar to decide how the Challenge of Blood would end. And yet, while the Barbarians could have commented on each other, speaking their minds about the turn of events, they remained silent. Even if Hakon had killed Ulfar now, nobody would have used it against him.

Truthfully, it was Ulfar's fault for losing against his Ancient Power.

Every Bloodbearer knew how important it was to fully subdue or crush their Ancient Power before advancing. That was especially true for the strongest Bloodbearers. Many Bloodbearers slowed down their advancement, stagnating for cycles just to perfect their control over their Ancient Power. That was the price they had to pay for wielding such a mighty power. Ulfar did not do that. He was the first to reach the 2nd Ascension when he should have been the most careful.

The Battle of Generation had shown how easily a legendary Bloodbearer could lose control of his power, but no lesson was learned. Ulfar went ahead and took the risk. So now it was his fault if the Behemoth Blood was trying to take him over. Nobody would curse Hakon if he took advantage of his opponent's weakness. And yet, a wave of acknowledgement flowed throughout the tribehold as Hakon stepped back, chest pushed out, sword tip pressed against the ground.

Hoard Impact pulsed against his chest, and the exhaustion of the extended battle was slowly wearing on him, but nothing would stop him now. [Aether Spiral] and slow recovery with [Vitality Stream]. Prepare yourself, Hakon, because this might not be over just yet. He chided himself, knowing well enough that one shouldn't underestimate their opponent. But as he triggered [Scent of Lifelight], alongside his remaining perception-enhancing Skills, Hakon noticed one thing.

[Weakness Detection] pinpointed more and more weaknesses, whereas [Combat Awareness] deactivated itself. Combat was over, which rang like the painful truth in his ears and mind as Ulfar collapsed to the ground. He writhed and continued to burn while his lifelight grew dimmer with every heartbeat.

"He lost the fight against the Behemoth." Hakon heard his father's voice from the side. It wasn't a voice of happiness or sadness, but one of bland neutrality. Like it didn't matter to him what happened to Ulfar. To Hakon that was… He actually didn't know what he wanted. Seeing Ulfar like this didn't make him happy. Their honorable battle had been interrupted, and he didn't like it. No, he hated it, and yet he could only watch as the life in the Behemoth Blood warrior's eyes flickered out.

He stopped writhing, his chest no longer moved up and down, and it was not long before the flames that had consumed Ulfar died down as well. The crimson hue of the Blood Moon flashed and grew more intense as the Monolith basked in its glory. Power flooded Hakon's veins, and the mana he'd consumed earlier was replenished in a moment. A glance at the first Scripture that caught his attention confirmed his suspicion. [Experience threshold met. Level Up!] More Scriptures were waiting for him to read, but Hakon stared at the charred husk of Ulfar's body. The Challenge of Blood was over… and yet Hakon didn't like it. Was that really how the Challenge ended? It felt wrong. He knew Ulfar was stronger than him, but he had ample plans to deal with him. With Hoard Impact fully charged, the Will of Momentum, and [Circulation], he would have more than caught up to Ulfar's prowess.

With [Swiftstep] and some of his nastier plans, dealing with Ulfar should have been no problem. Earlier, he could have pierced Ulfar's throat to end the Challenge of Blood with a killing blow as well. He would have won either way, or so Hakon thought. But now, with the intervention of the Behemoth Blood, there was no way to be certain.

"Fuck that shit." He cursed the way Ava taught him.

"I can't accept this." Turning to the Monolith, Hakon said more loudly, "I don't accept the end of the Challenge of Blood. His Saga is not for me to consume." But even if the fight didn't end at all the way he wanted it to, he was still alive. And Ulfar was dead, killed in a fight against hims—... Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators! A twitch caught Hakon's attention. His head jerked toward Ulfar's charred body, only to see that it was unmoving.

That's weird. There! One finger, twitching so weakly it was barely noticeable, but how could that be? The Ancestors had already rewarded him with a level-up and several Skill improvements. The Challenge of Blood was over, Ulfar was clearly dead, especially with [Scent of Lifelight] activated. So why did it feel like Ulfar was not yet fully dead?

"His spirit hasn't left his body yet. He's holding onto his body and Saga…" His foe was desperate. He was violent, and he deserved to die for all he had done. Ulfar wanted to see him dead, but the more Hakon studied the charred body, the more he felt the presence of Ulfar's spirit, holding onto his body and Saga. The Behemoth Blood warrior was not yet done. His Saga was incomplete, his journey merely at its beginning. Hakon could respect that.

No matter how dangerous Ulfar had been, and how much trouble he'd caused, he was also a legendary warrior, wielding the very power Tribe Taskur needed. Turning to the Monolith, certainty filled his heart.

"I do not wish to consume his Saga. Ulfar shall keep his Saga, for he defeated himself by besting the nightmare festering inside him." His words barely made any sense to him, but maybe the Ancestors understood what he meant, and maybe they felt with him. Flames sparked to life once more. They surged toward Ulfar's charred body, engulfed him, and flared up. Soon, the orange-yellow flames turned and changed as their tips became azure. The azure flames expanded rapidly, yet they did not consume Ulfar's carcass. They…

Hakon's eyes flashed with recognition. He should not be able to understand what was going on; it certainly felt like he shouldn't, yet Enhanced Comprehension flashed through his mind and body, hinting at something. Following his gut feeling, he approached the blazing flames. They reached out to him, burned bright and hot, yet the flames did not cause any damage. No skin was charred, no flesh burned. Instead, Hakon was beckoned to step even closer, and that was exactly what he did.

He stepped into the azure flames and welcomed their embrace as he too reached out, not with his body but his spirit. His spirit reacted on its own. It shaped and shifted until a tendril of something Hakon could not quite grasp yet somehow understood enough to control jutted from the tip of his finger. No matter how much I dislike you, your power is needed. Tribe Taskur needed Ulfar, even if the tribe did not understand that yet. As much as he wanted to kill Ulfar, it felt wrong to waste such a promising Saga.

That, however, did not mean that he could allow someone of Ulfar's power to walk around like he did. Ulfar had already done too much wrong since the Rite, and if nobody watched over him, he would do even more wrong. Too many warriors would fall if Ulfar wasn't taken care of properly. So that was what Hakon did. What he wanted to do. Because it would help the tribe. Personally, it would be better to leave Ulfar dead, but even the Ancestors agreed with his assessment. Leaving Ulfar to truly die was a waste.

Wasteful enough to take a risk. You will listen to my commands. If you are willing to return, that is. Hakon called out in his heart before pressing his palm against Ulfar's charred chest. The strand of his spirit jutting from his finger wiggled and surged into the Behemoth Blood warrior's chest as soon as the finger dug through hard, coal-like scales and skin. What followed next was confusing. Hakon closed his eyes to see his spirit form.

A tendril led away from his semi-translucent form, guiding him through his arm and finger to something that could only be described as a pile of shattered glass. The pile was made up of two-colored shards, one of which tried to spread toward the whitish shards that reminded Hakon of his own spirit form. The Behemoth is still there, trying to consume all that is left of Ulfar. He guessed from what he saw and what Enhanced Comprehension hinted to him, and it filled him with fury.

Pushing his own spirit deeper into Ulfar's, he separated the pile into a white, ethereal section and a smaller pile of crimson shards. That came not without a heavy price. A heavy pressure descended upon Hakon, breathing grew increasingly more difficult, and as his spirit touched the crimson shards, something came in contact with him. His heart seemed to tighten, and he almost lost control of the spiritual strand inside Ulfar's remains. That was until an even greater force reached out to him. Ancestors.

Hakon exclaimed, his eyes snapping open for a mere heartbeat. And that was enough to see the Monolith flash in a golden light right before the azure flames seeped into Ulfar's charred body. The flames reached deep into Ulfar's body, but they did not burn down his spirit. No, the flames were not after his life. They, however, surged toward the pile of crimson shards, entered them, and burned them from the inside out. What remained were white ethereal shards that looked no different from the rest of Ulfar's spirit.

What now? Hakon asked himself for a moment, but he knew what had to be done. Now… I have to rebuild your spirit form, don't I? He couldn't form any weaves nor did he know if that was possible in the first place, but he could put the shards back together. To do so, however, did not come without a price. To bind the shards together and force them in place, Hakon had to infuse his spiritual strand into Ulfar. It felt right but also wrong to do so.

Like he was doing something that shouldn't be done, and yet Hakon didn't think about stopping as the pieces of Ulfar's spirit slowly came back together. Hakon didn't know how much time had passed, but it felt like an eternity had passed until rough patches of what must have once been a proper spirit form came back together. And with that, a trace of life returned. [Scent of Lifelight] picked up something, which was enough for Hakon to pull back.

He stumbled backward, eyes lingering on the charred body, and the corner of his lips quivered upward ever so slightly as the broken chest heaved up and down ever so faintly. It was barely perceptible, but Ulfar had come back to the living. Hopefully, this time, Ulfar wouldn't do anything stupid. No, he wouldn't do anything like that. Ulfar's reign of violence was done. Not because he no longer wanted to crush his foes, Hakon himself included, but because he could not.

Something about their relationship had changed, and Hakon was fairly sure Ulfar hated it to the core. If he managed to wake up and recover, that is. That, after all, was the last challenge the Ancestors had given the Behemoth Blood warrior. To overcome yet another hurdle to show everyone that he deserved to be alive. Hakon breathed out heavily. He was not fully healed yet.

His body still stitched itself slowly together, confirming that [Vitality Stream] was stronger than ever, that he hadn't been busy with Ulfar's spirit form for as long as he thought, and that the passive Skill had yet to reach Tier-2. Though it was slowly inching closer. Mana continued to surge through him, but Hakon was exhausted nonetheless. May the Ancestors decide his fate. He turned away from Ulfar's body, not quite sure if he'd just rescued the Behemoth Blood warrior or damned him.

The Ancestors, for one, decided that he did something unique enough to warrant a barrage of Scriptures. [Passive Skill [Ruler's Authority(Legendary)] has been learned.] [Soulbound connection detected. Lost Soul has been rescued. Ruler's Eternal Pawn has been located. [Ruler's Authority] has been enhanced.] [Legendary Skill has been discovered and acquired. Authority has been unlocked before the 5th Ascension. Third Wall has been weakened.] [Experience threshold met. Level Up!] [Scripture of Improvement …] What is that? Something caught his attention within the fading azure flames. Was that a… vial? Hakon stepped closer to the flames and reached for the small object. His skin was charred and the flesh beneath felt like it was on fire, which it arguably was, but there was no pain. The azure flames were painless, or was that just [Adaptive Resilience]'s doing? Hakon discarded the thought as he zoned in on the vial while pulling it back.

A seemingly ordinary glass vial emerged beside Ulfar's half-dead body, and it didn't contain much. No more than a single drop of blood. [Inspection] triggered instinctively. [Blood Vial – Legendary] Was that a vial of Behemoth Blood? Sure, it contained no more than a single drop, but that was more than enough. But… what exactly was he supposed to use that for? It was extraordinary, for sure, but Hakon couldn't quite tell what to do. Should he consume it?

No, he'd probably just waste it, or worse, get afflicted by the same stuff Ulfar had to go through. Hakon really didn't want something like Behemoth Blood inside him. He shook his head. What was he thinking about? A few moons ago, he would have loved to awaken the legendary Bloodbearer power, and now he was afraid of it. Not afraid. He denied that thought. Behemoth Blood was powerful, but if it would corrupt his mind, it would be a weakness rather than a strength. But that was of no importance right now.

The Ancestors may have rewarded him for the fight, but Hakon was far from happy with the result. He knew he could have killed Ulfar, but did the others know that too? Did they know that he hadn't been on the losing side and that everything had been part of a long-winded plan rather than a strike of fortune? Sure, Ulfar was not dead and if he was as tenacious as Hakon expected him to be, he would recover from those grievous wounds through sheer spite alone. It was weird though.

The part about [Ruler's Authority] and the mention of the Pawn made him oddly uncomfortable. However, it also brought a smile to his lips because he could instinctively tell what the Skill was all about. As for his connection to Ulfar, it was faint just like the life beating in Ulfar's chest, but it was also powerful. So much so that it was much greater than anything Hakon had acquired up until this point. Only Enhanced Comprehension felt more worthwhile than [Ruler's Authority], but was that really the case?

Was [Ruler's Authority] really as powerful as it felt like? Taking a deep breath, Hakon turned to the spectators. Many believed him to be powerful, but he could not afford anyone to think that he wasn't the strongest of the young generation. He needed everyone to believe in his power without a sliver of doubt. The Challenge of Blood had not nearly been enough to make that happen. With that in mind, Hakon turned around, bones snapping back in place.

Raising his weapons, he faced the young generation with a bloody smile.

"The Challenge of Blood is over, but we're not done yet."

"Come at me. Everyone." He snarled, letting out his bloodlust. It may not be the best decision, yet it was the only thing Hakon could think of; using brute force to crush all doubts. The warriors hesitated and looked at each other. Nobody knew what was expected from them. Some even glanced over at the chieftain, but his eyes were locked on his son. Björn was the first to move. He charged across the stage with a jovial laugh, his massive axe brandished and shimmering in the crimson hue of the Blood Moon.