Chương 24: Chapter 21

Hakon's foe was yet another one of Ulfar's friends. A Giant Blood warrior, his frame as wide as it was tall. He was shorter than the average Barbarian, but his muscles were all the more tougher. Fool 2 was his name, simply because he made fun of Hakon when he hadn't even reached the 1st Ascension yet.

"I crush you, Hakon!" He growled, his muscles bulging as he triggered a Skill. It was hard to tell the details but [Mana Sense] revealed a shift in the ambient mana. It was subtle and interested Hakon a lot more than his enemy. He's using Lifeblood, is he not? After all he'd experienced, Hakon was confident that Lifeblood and mana were the same. Only the application was different. One was internal and used a warrior's Ancient Power, the other was something everyone could use. Or should.

Fool 2 must have noticed something because he looked angrier than before. His fingers cracked as his grip around his massive mace tightened. Then he charged, starting the battle in front of the Ancestors. Hakon hefted Crusher on his shoulder and kept it on him. He side-stepped the Giant Blood warrior's charge, twisted his upper body slightly to the side, and burst into action only when the mace barreled past him.

[Weakness Detection] flooded his mind with information, pinpointing more than a dozen weak spots, but Hakon focused on one. His free hand shot toward the warrior's neck, mana pumping through his fingers as he chopped Fool 2's neck. Fool 2's eyes rolled up until only the white could be seen and his body stiffened at once. The Giant Blood warrior collapsed to the ground, ending the battle before it even started. Resounding silence was all that followed. There was no thunderous applause, no excited roars.

Only utter silence that stretched far beyond the stage.

"What?" One of the warriors whisper-shouted, his voice traveling far and wide.

"Strong! I knew you had it in you, Hakon!" Björn's thunderous shout shattered the silence, and silent murmurs filled the tribehold from anew. Hakon smiled at his friends, eyes lingering on Astrid's calm figure a little longer. She didn't appear surprised at all, unlike Björn who looked like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Astrid gestured with her head toward the other side of the stage, her lips curling into a mesmerizing smile.

Hakon walked to the edge of the stage to rejoin his friends but came to a halt when he met Ulfar's gaze. What he saw was raw anger and unfiltered hatred. He wasn't even trying to hide his pure hate for Hakon at this point. That was new, so was the presence he emitted. It was heavy even from the distance, and it was almost certainly not Ulfar's doing"He's not in full control of his Bloodline, is he?" Hakon mused quietly to himself, the corner of his lips curling upward.

It was not a massive grin, but it was enough to further infuriate Ulfar. The Bloodbearer leaped onto the stage, the impact cracking the stage open.

"Fight me, Hakon!" Ulfar half-snarled, half-slurred.

"Let us end the rivalry of our parents once and for all! SHOW ME that strength of yours, and let me crush you to reveal to everyone that I am the better of the two of us!"

"We will fight." Hakon nodded, batting off the presence as it embraced him, "But not now. The Shaman will decide when it's our time to fight under the Ancestors' watch." This was not Ulfar's decision. It was not his call. Not even the chieftain had the authority to do such a thing.

"Move or I will remove you–...." Hakon's father growled, taking a step toward the stage. A crimson hue oozed from his body, rage amplifying the Runeskin's power. Ulfar snorted and didn't back off. Instead, he turned to the chieftain and took a stride toward him, lips curling into a predatory smile.

"Or you will do what exactly?" He let out a guttural growl.

"He's lost his mind." Björn shook his head like many others. It didn't look like that to Hakon. If anything, it felt like Ulfar was fighting himself. The Behemoth Blood to be precise. He hadn't lost it yet, although it was obvious that the Behemoth Blood was getting to him. It feasted on Ulfar's insecurities and his desire to beat Hakon, pushing him to let loose and crush his competition. And it was all for one reason: To show that his family deserved to rule the tribe.

To resolve the issue his family had with the line of Taskur warriors. Beating Hakon was only the first step - a necessary step to display their family line's superiority. If they really were superior. The chieftain, for one, was much stronger than Ulfar's father. Regardless– A cacophony of disappointed grunts and angry curses swept across the tribehold center as multiple events occurred at the same time. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

First, Ulfar's reckless, uncontrolled actions tarnished the sacred ritual performed for the Ancestors and the Great One. His foolishness would not yet attract the Ancestors' ire, but it was sure to come back biting Ulfar – and the rest of the tribe. If they were unlucky, their youngest would have to wait several cycles for their Rite. Again. Nobody wished for that, yet Ulfar's behavior was only part of the reason the Barbarians acted like they did. The disrespect was one thing.

Ulfar's loss of control of his power was another. The Ancestors rewarded him with a generous gift. A legendary Ancient Power that awakened only once in many generations. Ulfar was powerful, destined to become a powerful warrior, yet he wasted his Ancient Power by allowing it to take control. Last but not least, Ulfar was as good as dead. Legendary powers were rare. Some would never encounter anyone with one of such.

Watching such a person disrespect the chieftain, the challenge issued clear for everyone to see, was painful.

"No matter how strong Ulfar is, challenging the chieftain? Really?" Björn grunted. Hakon's father had reached the 5th Ascension a long time ago. He was the strongest of all warriors of Tribe Taskur. He was seen as an epitome of power even among the other tribes. His presence in the tribe might as well have been the only reason they hadn't been attacked by enemy tribes as often as their neighbors. Where's his father? Hakon searched for Ulfar's father to rein his son but failed to find him. That was odd.

Ulfar's father would never leave his son alone. Not if he knew that Ulfar couldn't control his Ancient Power. Even if Ulfar had full control of the Behemoth Blood, his father would want to watch the Battle of Generation. He'd do nothing more than to see the chieftain's son lose to his blood. The Mind crushed by Behemoth Blood.

"He may stay on the stage." The Shaman's voice cut through the tension. The chieftain narrowed his eyes at the Shaman but stepped back when their eyes met. This was not the time to further tarnish the sacred ritual. Killing Ulfar would only shift the Ancestors' wrath toward the chieftain. That he did not want. Hakon's father gave way to the Shaman, but Hakon saw the fire in the chieftain's eyes. This was not yet over. Ulfar would be punished – later, after the Battle of Generation ended.

He'd be lucky to survive the day.

"Control your Blood." The Shaman turned to Ulfar, "Interrupt the ritual once more, and your blood will be shed to appease the Ancestors' wrath." There was something about his voice that seemed to reach Ulfar. His presence retracted and he appeared calmer than before, even if only a little. That was enough for the Shaman, who gestured to yet another Bloodbearer. A Stone Giant Blood warrior if the pebbles and soil covering the towering warrior's skin could be trusted.

He had already reached the 1st Ascension and he stood taller than any other Barbarian. Not even Ulfar was that tall.

"Do you think Flose has a–" Björn's question was cut short as Astrid shook her head.

"He's as good as dead. Ulfar is no longer in control." She said as Hakon joined them. She smiled calmly at him, treating the Battle of Generation like it didn't decide their future, and looked back to the stage in a way that suggested she knew how it would end. Hakon watched as well, but only after checking out the messages he'd received after his first battle. [Proficiency gained. [Evasion Lv. 10] improved to [Evasion Lv. 11]] [Proficiency gained. [Weakness Detection Lv. 11] improved to [Weakness Detection Lv. 12]] At this point, it would surprise him more if his Skills stopped improving. Enhanced Comprehension was active, fueling him with new intents, ideas, and potential ways to test his Skills. To push them to new directions. He was sure Enhanced Comprehension was also the reason his mana control was so high even if it wasn't quantified in a Skill and Level. In a way, the Ancient Power did exactly what the Shaman mentioned during the Rite. It was the power of The Mind.

It strengthened his mind when all Barbarians knew about was the might of physical strength. But how exactly did Enhanced Comprehension affect his mind? He now understood that 'Comprehension' was related to his understanding of something. Some details were hard to grasp, but 'Enhanced' in connection to the understanding of a particular topic would only mean that he had an enhanced understanding of something that would have been harder to grasp normally. Or to understand something he already understood more in-depth.

Hakon had used The Mind day and night ever since the Rite, and he planned to keep using it. Mana pumped into his head at his command. Smaller traces swirled through his eyes, further refining his vision momentarily, but most moved through the rest of his head, trying to find the home of The Mind. But how was he supposed to find that? All he could think of was to try, so he did just that. He tried.

A lot, his focus on the strands of mana swirling through his head as well as the fight unfurling before him – If one could call it such. Ulfar massacred his foe. The Stone Giant warrior was tough, his skin firm and his regeneration high, but Ulfar's punches shattered the warrior's skin even as it solidified into thick stone plates. Ulfar snarled at his opponent, his fists disappearing in a blur until Hakon willed enough mana into his eyes to fill them.

From that point onward, it was much easier to follow the happenings on the stage, and he had no idea whether he liked what he saw or not. Wet snaps and sickening crunches filtered through muffled murmurs. While quiet at first, the sounds soon overshadowed all the noise around them. It flooded the tribehold center as the Stone Giant's execution continued. Because that it was. Ulfar's fists soon pierced through and through, digging deep into flesh. But that was only the start.

Ulfar pulled the Stone Giant warrior's intestines out of his stomach, their fight continuing as if nothing happened.

"A tenacious fucker." Björn muttered, smiling as he watched the Stone Giant prevail. He recovered rapidly, snatched his intestines back out of Ulfar's hands and rammed them back into his body. Then came the headbutt. The warrior headbutted Ulfar with enough strength to crack his skull. His own skull. Ulfar bled from the impact, his expression feral, but it was the Stone Giant that suffered the most. He stumbled back, cursing and groaning, yet his leg swept forward and pulled Ulfar's successfully away.

Feral and once again out of control, Ulfar attacked the warrior more like a beast than a Barbarian. He clawed the warrior, fingers like claws digging into skin as tough as stone, yet the battle continued. The warrior performed great. Much better than Hakon had expected. Alas, he was weaker. The battle lasted for several minutes and only ended when Ulfar's claws dug into the warrior's chest, digging his heart out.

At the same time, feral Ulfar's head snapped down around his opponent's neck and ripped a chunk out of it.