Chương 112: B2 Chapter 31

Pain raced down his arms and legs. It occupied every part of his body, serving as a sign that he was still alive. Hakon was sprawled on the ground, blood oozing from dozens of blade wounds. He was not dead, and yet his body was more severely mangled than most lifeless bodies would be after a Giant stampede. That, among other things, was what happened, but he wasn't the only one suffering. When he issued the challenge, the young warriors were the first to move.

But as he defeated Björn, Teraq, and all the others coming at him – some with a fist to the face, others with magic – more warriors joined the fight as well. Among the first was Mera, Astrid's mother, who appeared before Hakon to slash his neck. She moved too fast for him to react to, but he was lucky that Mera didn't want to see him dead. The cut wasn't too deep, which did not seem to matter to Astrid. His mate attacked her mother in anger, starting something on a much greater scale.

What Tribe Taskur's 4th Ascension warrior was doing affected the other warriors, so the older generation moved out as well. That included the 2nd Ascension warriors who had lived for many cycles. None of them wielded a Will, or Hakon simply couldn't feel the presence of their Will just yet, but they were strong. Their experience was vast, and they were more than eager to show off their strength. Hakon fought valiantly. He tried his utmost, but his body was too exhausted from overexerting the Will of Momentum.

Combining the Will with Flowbreaker had been rather draining. But exhaustion was not enough to stop a Barbarian. Hakon fought hard and leveraged the mana torrent within him to best everyone daring to face him head-on. At first, only warriors at the 2nd Ascension attacked, but when he fought and defeated a group of three older warriors close to acquiring their Wills, that quickly changed.

Eyes filled with awe and respect rested on him even when he was being thrashed by one of the younger 3rd Ascension warriors, and that was all he needed. That, and the resolve to continue fighting with all he had. Spears made of mana impaled the massive Bloodbearer at the 3rd Ascension, forcing him to grow into a literal giant. Only then did he truly take Hakon seriously, crushing the Successor until he could no longer move. Watching Hakon, the young warriors scrambled back to their feet.

They rejoined the fight on his side, and they did not stop until they too were so battered that none of them could move anymore.

"I think that's enough." Chieftain Ragna's voice echoed across the tribehold, ending the last of the fights at once.

"I believe my son showed everyone that he is deserving of the Successor title. The Ancestors approved of the Challenge of Blood and rewarded him for his victory. As confusing as the circumstances may be, it is not Hakon's fault that Ulfar failed to contain the Behemoth Blood. Ulfar knew what he was doing, and yet he granted his Ancient Power more access to his spirit to gain the power needed to defeat my son.

But he failed and asked for more power than he could handle, and when that still wasn't enough, his Ancient Power took over." The chieftain's voice hollered from one corner of the tribe to the other, neutral without the slightest hint of emotion.

"But Hakon knows that the fight did not turn out as most suspected. He himself was not satisfied, so he challenged everyone." This time Ragna turned to his son.

"And I believe he showed everyone that, without a doubt, he is deserving of his status. We may not think too much of The Mind, but it was the same when the first wielder of Blood Fury awakened. She was also frowned upon at first, and yet, now that generations have passed, Blood Fury has become one of the greatest powers bestowed by the Ancestors." He did not say it out loud, but everyone knew what the chieftain was getting at: the rise of a new legendary power.

The chieftain believed Enhanced Comprehension would become as powerful as other legendary powers, or that maybe it already was as powerful as Blood Fury and Behemoth Blood. The way Hakon had defeated not only Ulfar but also Astrid in the Battle of Generation hinted at such, and so did his rapid rise to the 2nd Ascension. But it was also the Will he awakened and his ability to fight the more seasoned warriors of Tribe Taskur that pointed toward one conclusion. Hakon was different, but he was not weak.

Quite the contrary, he was already climbing the Third Wall shortly after surpassing the Second Wall. Most warriors took several years to surpass the 2nd Ascension, yet Hakon's growth wouldn't slow after reaching it. No, everyone who had sensed his Will in the Challenge of Blood understood that Hakon would continue to grow as fast as he currently was.

"I accept Hakon as the Successor," Ragna announced, his voice steady and devoid of any emotion, yet, to Hakon, his father's voice couldn't have been warmer. It was a warm, tight embrace filled with the love of a doting father. It contained all that Hakon would have wished the chieftain could have given him when he was still a child. This feels good. One corner of his mouth curled upward, and pride filled his chest. Yeah… better late than never.

With that in mind, Hakon gave in to the pain and exhaustion catching up to him. No matter what else his father or the others had to say, it could wait until the next day.

His eyes snapped open to the groans of the warriors sprawled around him. Sitting upright sent flares of pressure and pain up his arm and shoulder, but a quick inspection of his body told Hakon that he was fine. As fine as someone who'd been beaten the night before could be. Some bones were still not in place, and if [Vitality Stream] was any indicator of his well-being, then his condition wasn't too good either. Warmth spread throughout his entire body, soothing the pain that came as he got to his feet.

"Looks like everyone is still here." He snickered, wiping the dried blood from his face. The stage for the Challenge of Blood was no longer as clean as it had been the night before. It was covered with pools of dried blood and a few dozen unconscious forms, most of which were members of the younger generation, all of whom had been beaten black and blue. Bones jutted out from places they shouldn't have, but nobody was dead. In pain? Definitely.

However, everyone was alive, and they'd grow stronger from last night's brawl. The night before hadn't been an ordinary spar. It had been much more than that, and Hakon understood that well enough. Studying his peers, he was more than happy with how everything had turned out. Only Astrid had surpassed the Second Wall since Hakon ascended, and yet none of the young warriors was weak.

He'd sensed them use [Flow Control] thanks to his mana sensitivity, and while their Skill was nowhere near as powerful as [Circulation], the final result of the first skirmish had been acceptable. Not particularly good, but seeing that there were seven unconscious older warriors, none of whom looked particularly good, filled him with pride. His people were strong enough to defeat experienced warriors, though four of them had been beaten up first by him. Alas, that hardly mattered.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. After Hakon made sure that everyone was taken care of, that they'd survive and heal on their own, he went over to fix some bones. He placed the bones in the right position to guide the healing process. It wasn't much, and the tribe's healer clearly hadn't deemed it necessary, but he wanted his warriors to recover fast.

Once that was taken care of, he reached into his pants and retrieved a small, transparent vial. [Blood Vial – Legendary] [Inspection] hadn't changed, confirming that the Skill was either too low to give him more details about the Blood Vial or that there was simply nothing more to know about it. But he still learned a thing or two about the vial from the night before.

"It didn't break." That was number one. It was not that he expected the Blood Vial to shatter in the after-challenge skirmish, but you never knew. It still resembled regular glass even when it wasn't. Then again, no Barbarian was particularly experienced with glass and its properties. They produced obsidian glass in the past, but it was more work than it had been worth.

"Blood of the Behemoth?" He mused, but couldn't be sure, so he did the only reasonable thing he could think of at that moment. Hakon removed the cap and took a whiff. That turned out to be a bad idea. Bloodlust crashed into his face like a mace to the nose. It was not particularly pleasant. Nor was the animosity filling the air, spreading through the vicinity like madness given form. Several unconscious warriors stirred and groaned, but they didn't wake up right away.

Hakon put the cap back in place in a hurry, his throat too tight to take a breath. What just happened? Wondrous thoughts filled his head as he inspected the Blood Vial with renewed interest. He reached for the cap once more but didn't remove it right away while remnants of the bloodlust and madness still floated around him. Even though several heartbeats had already passed, some of it hung in the air even now, and it stirred something within him.

His stomach tensed up, but it was another thing that caught his attention. Frowning deeply, Hakon understood one thing. And that was that he didn't understand a single thing about the Blood Vial and its contents. So he returned to the hut, dragging his recovering body to the only person in the tribe who might know something about it. His father.

"Father?" Hakon called out the moment he stepped into the hut, only to see Chieftain Ragna and Mera looming over the map they had taken from a Pearot hunter.

"All three were Uncommon, and one showed signs of Overflowing already. That is the sixth Overflow in a fortnight."

"You're awake already?" His father asked, eyes never leaving the map. He held a piece of charcoal in his hand and marked several sections.

"Fractures were found here, here, and here." Mera must have noticed his presence as well because she glanced up for a moment. Something glimmered in her eyes, but it was hard to tell if it was something positive or if he was better off being scared shitless.

"Hello, Successor." Mera greeted him.

"You fought well last night." Hakon grunted in response, which Astrid's mother found amusing.

"The Challenge of Blood was impressive, but your decision to crush the young generation was good. It was a necessary display of power after you rescued Ulfar from a Sagaless death." She clearly knew what happened and that Hakon could have killed Ulfar, but he couldn't tell if she also knew that everything had been part of his plan. Everything other than Ulfar losing himself to Behemoth Blood.

"I had to do something when the Challenge of Blood ended unexpectedly." Hakon agreed.

"But that's not why I'm here."

"Of course it isn't." Chieftain Ragna interjected and looked up to glance at the Blood Vial.

"You're here because you want to know more about this?"

"Or he is here to help the tribe with the Fractures and Tribe Pearot." Mera added with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"The young generation is ready. They're already strong, and the tribe should support their growth."

"I agree." Hakon nodded slowly.

"We can close a few Fractures or fight frenzy monsters if you allow us. But that is also not why I came here, though it's part of the reason." The chieftain regarded him for a moment.

"So you are here to talk about what you did after the Challenge of Blood. You do realize that you do not have to explain to me why you rescued Ulfar. It was your decision, and the Ancestors approved of it." Hakon saw a glimpse of irritation in his father's eyes at the last bit. The chieftain didn't understand the Ancestors' decision. Reasoning with him about why Ulfar should have been kept alive was one thing; the tribe needed as many powerhouses as they could. However, the Ancestors could not be reasoned with.

Not when it came to ancient rituals and age-old traditions. Or at least, that was true until now.

"The Ancestors gave me a Skill. An Authority." There was no need to talk around the topic. Mera was present, but she was a trusted ally and the mother of his mate. With that in mind, Hakon explained everything that happened after the Challenge of Blood and what he'd done to rescue Ulfar.

"That would explain the Healer's nonsense." Mera commented, eying the chieftain from the side.

"It would." Chieftain Ragna nodded and made eye contact with his son.

"The Healer could not find out what was wrong with Ulfar. Or how he was still alive, for that matter. Ulfar's spirit is shattered, crushed beyond what should be possible to mend, but he is still alive. That should not be possible with a spirit as damaged as Ulfar's, and yet he is slowly recovering. Our Healer has never seen anything like that, and neither have I." The irritation in his father's eyes made space for something else. Pride but also curiosity.

"Awakening an Authority at such a young age is phenomenal, but it is also dangerous. Do not use your Authority until you have more control of your Wills, and never use it before you reach the 3rd Ascension. Even then, I would prefer if you waited until the 4th Ascension; however, I do believe that you know better when the time has come." His father offered a rare smile, one that barely counted as one, and that was more than enough for Hakon.

"Rescuing Ulfar was dangerous. It could have killed you, yet it did not. But that does not mean the threat is over. Ulfar is alive, and if you do not tread carefully, you will be the one to die. The Ancestors expect you to rule." It looked like he had more to say, but the chieftain held back. [Ruler's Authority]. Not only did the Ancestors expect him to rule. His father did as well, if his words and actions meant anything. So did the young warriors.

To them, he was the Successor, and Hakon was not willing to give up on that. He would become the chieftain one day, and it would be him who'd reunite the tribes.

"I will leave the tribehold soon to close a few Fractures. We will also deal with the frenzy monsters bothering the Rootkeepers." Hakon did not ask, but declared. There was no need to ask the chieftain for permission to hunt, but during the Blood Moon, it was generally seen as a good decision to talk to a strong warrior before going out to hunt. His father made eye contact with him as Hakon handed him the vial. Ragna removed the cap. No words were exchanged, but his eyebrow rose.

"Behemoth Blood. High potency." He placed the cap back on after a single heartbeat, but that heartbeat was enough to flood the hut with the Behemoth's bloodlust and madness. It was suffocating, yet nobody moved or said anything as it dispersed.

"The Ancestors' reward?" Hakon nodded as Ragna returned the Blood Vial, but he was more concerned about his physical reaction to the Behemoth Blood. The presence hadn't even fully reached him, but it was like he was going crazy. He closed his eyes to reach for the sensation but couldn't find anything. That was when he reached deeper, entering his spirit form. And there it was. Small and inconspicuous, but tightly intertwined with the spirit rather than a regular Skill weave. [Spirit Forging].

It reacted to the blood.