Chương 29: Chapter 26

Hakon was as good as dead. He certainly didn't feel very alive. His breathing was labored and painful, and the mana mass within him was almost empty as well. The most he could do was use a few mana-based Skills, but nothing as expensive as [Discharge]. Not even [Circulation] appeared to be a viable option. Hakon pulled back, adjusting his stance, and saw a glimmer to the side. Astrid. She was there, probably had been there for a while now. How long, Hakon couldn't tell.

He just knew that she was there, watching, waiting. But she would not join the battle. Astrid knew him better than anyone, and she trusted he would defeat Ulfar. But even if I lose… Worst case, Astrid would crush Ulfar. That was the best part. Hakon could focus on himself and weaken Ulfar if push came to shove. Even if he didn't win the Battle of Generation– What am I thinking about? I have to show Father. The tribe. EVERYONE. Hakon let out a guttural growl and kicked the ground to propel his body forward.

The pain meant nothing. Not if it allowed him to emerge victorious. Pain was temporary. Winning the Battle of Generation… eternal. [Natural Regeneration]'s effect diminished to the lowest possible level. All it needed to do was to make sure Hakon could keep fighting. As for the rest, he could figure it out on the go. Then the fight resumed. Ulfar was still as angry as before. He roared and thrashed, yet he hadn't lost his reasoning entirely. The Behemoth Blood warrior tried to hold onto Hakon and grapple him.

That failed as Hakon shifted and twisted, constantly using and refreshing [Combat Awareness] and [Evasion]. He added [Running] in bursts since he could no longer waste mana on repetitive uses of [Dash], and executed a few kicks and punches whenever he located a weak point. More and more flaws revealed themselves before Hakon's eyes, but only some were owed to Enhanced Comprehension. He noticed Ulfar falling victim to his Ancient Power the longer the fight continued.

And the more it did, the fewer times he tried to grapple Hakon. Ulfar punched him more often instead. Alas, the Behemoth Blood warrior was not yet completely lost. Even his Ancient Power was cautious after what happened with [Discharge]. That was not what Hakon expected, but it played into his plan. As yet another punch landed on him, Hakon could no longer suppress his pained groans. He was beaten black and blue, more bones than he could count had cracked or broken, yet it was his chest that hurt the most.

It felt like he was on the verge of exploding. As if something was about to erupt at any moment. His Runeskin was waiting. But Ulfar used his first. A confident, smug smile crossed his features as he snapped yet another bone. It grew wider when Hakon punched him only to see blood splatter everywhere – Hakon's blood. His skin burst when his fists came into contact with thick, rough scales. Scales that spread across Ulfar's chest and arms. And Ulfar just stood there as Hakon punched him again and again, unmoving.

Towering like the gargantuan figure he was. Instead of getting hurt, it was Hakon who hurt himself, his knuckles exposed, and the strength of his body fading slowly.

"Spikescale is not a meagre Minor Runeskin like yours, weakling." Ulfar snarled, excitement glimmering in his eyes.

"No matter how flashy your Runeskin looks, it can only absorb so much of my attacks. It is at its limit – you are." Hakon immediately realized what his rival was trying to do. The Battle of Generation was nothing more than a show to him. A demonstration of his superiority. Because that was what he was: superior. Or so he felt. But the worst was that he wasn't even wrong. Not entirely. His assumption was partially correct. Hoard Impact did absorb some of the impacting force, after all.

It was not an exceptional amount, yet it was enough to keep fighting when others would have collapsed or died. But Ulfar was also wrong, thinking Hoard Impact could only absorb his impact. And that the Runeskin was at its limit. More! Hakon roared inwardly, pushing the Major Runeskin further. His chest was set ablaze, or it certainly felt like that.

"Minor?" Hakon tilted his head, blood flowing down the lacerations on his forehead and skull. He could barely see Ulfar at this point, but he swore to himself to wipe that smug smile off his face. Moving was a struggle. It was worse than his experience with the Colossal Terror, yet something other than his Runeskin burned in his chest–anticipation. Who said it's a Minor Runeskin? Hakon thought but didn't say it out loud when [Weakness Detection] finally found what he'd been looking for.

The prodding in the back of his head diminished ever so slightly and a Scripture popped open before his eyes. It disappeared in a moment as the last of his mana reserves were spent on [Dash] and [Circulation]. The distance to Ulfar was only a few steps. He crossed it instantly, weaving around Ulfar's fist by a hair's breadth as the Behemoth Blood warrior attacked instinctively, and… erupted. For the first time since he acquired Hoard Impact, Hakon released it. Fully charged and prepared to take the recoil.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as his chest burst. It certainly felt like it did as the pain grew worse with every heartbeat. And his heart was racing as a blinding light erupted. It surged from the majestic etchings on his chest, gathered at its center, and compressed before going off. A beam, not unlike the Colossal Terror's, shot out of Hakon. This one, however, felt much stronger. And it struck Ulfar square in the chest. There was no time to react, no amount of bestial instincts rescuing anyone.

Ulfar's smug smile cracked. His eyes widened, and a guttural roar escaped his lips. Ulfar's scales stood no chance. The beam burned through them on impact, and his chest followed shortly. Then came the force. A beam, shot from point blank, was not to be taken lightly. Not even the wielder of a legendary Bloodbearer Power could absorb it easily. His body was pushed back, and his feet no longer touched the stone stage a moment later.

Then Ulfar barreled across the stage and crashed into the crowd of spectating Barbarians. If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. Is he–? … Of course he isn't. Hakon grimaced when Ulfar twitched among the spectators. He scrambled to his feet, eyes bloodshot and with smoke coming from his body. Last but not least, there was a hole. A tunneling wound resembling a sinkhole spread across Ulfar's chest, cauterized and not bleeding.

It was deep but didn't go all the way through, yet Ulfar was still standing.

"You pathetic cretin!" he roared at the top of his lungs, blood trickling from the corner of his eye. Ulfar's muscles bulged and his body expanded once more, cracking the conjuration of his Runeskin. The scales covering his body cracked and crumbled as he stepped forward, ready to return to the stage. But the chieftain emerged before him in a flash, blocking Ulfar's path.

"You lost," he rumbled.

"Get out of my way, old man. You can no longer protect your wimpy child!" Ulfar roared as he dragged his feet across the ground. His chest heaved heavily, and there was no doubt in Hakon's heart that Ulfar was hurt and struggling, but that did not matter.

"The Ancestors watched you lose. Do not tarnish the sacred ritual further or–" The chieftain glanced back at the Shaman. Their eyes met, and the Shaman muttered something incomprehensible before speaking out loud, "The Ancestors do not wish for his death." Ulfar smiled smugly and stepped forward. His hand shot out in an attempt to shove the chieftain aside, but Hakon's father was faster.

"Do I really have to say this three times? You lost." The chieftain's growl reverberated across the arena, followed by the sound of a sword leaving its scabbard. Ulfar didn't even look at the chieftain. His eyes were locked on Hakon, the hatred burning in them even more vibrant than before.

"For putting the tribe in danger before the Battle of Generation, you shall be punished," the chieftain growled.

"But I wanted to forgive you. The Ancestors saw something in you when they gave you your Ancient Power, but…"

"Shut it!" Ulfar snapped, his fist lunging forward, but a flash was all that followed. Ulfar's fist never struck its target. Yet blood spurted, and something flung through the air. An arm.

"Your punishment has been delivered. Tarnish the tribe's reputation in front of the Ancestors once more and you will die. I promise you that much," the chieftain said, his voice cold and detached, his sword sheathed once more. Then he turned back, his steely eyes meeting Hakon's. As for what happened behind him, the chieftain couldn't care less. Ulfar roared at the top of his lungs, the disbelief in his eyes genuine as he stared at all that was left of his arm.

A stump that didn't stop bleeding even when the Behemoth Blood activated.

"Bring him away," was all the chieftain said about Ulfar.

"As for the two of you, continue." Ulfar was not dead, yet he'd lost. And the Battle of Generation… it was not over yet. Astrid and Hakon were still on the stage, the Ancestors watching them eagerly.

"Good job." Astrid smiled across the stage, her grip on the daggers loosening. Her weapons clattered to the ground, her lips parting.

"I surrender." The shouting started almost immediately. Roars of anger and disappointment rang across the stage, led by none other than Astrid's mother. She was fuming, waving her hands around, and if Hakon didn't know any better, he would have been sure that she was about to leap onto the stage to shake her daughter until she regained her senses. The outrage was intense, and understandable. Even Hakon could not help but frown at Astrid.

"What is your problem?" she asked, first eyeing Hakon then the rest of the Tribe Taskur.

"I am not going to fight him."

"Not when he looks like that." She pointed across the stage, now frowning herself as she added, "Where is the honor in fighting someone who can barely stand on his feet? There is none! No honor can be gained here. If anything, the Ancestors would frown upon me. They would ridicule me for thinking I deserve to win the Battle of Generation against someone who just fought and won against one of their legendary Powers!" The rage simmered down as Astrid's anger swept across the tribehold.

Even her mother calmed down, a hint of a smile crossing her features. Astrid turned to the Shaman and asked, "What do the Ancestors want? Do they desire an honorless fight or…" The Shaman raised his hand, silencing both Astrid and the crowd. Everyone's attention pulled naturally to the Shaman as the tattoos all over his body burst into motion. They snaked across his skin, moved erratically and erupted in a feast of light and power. For a dozen heartbeats, nobody said anything.

They just stared at the Shaman as he walked away from the stage. He trod toward the Monolith and pressed his palms firmly against it. The Shaman's tattoos seemed to disappear within the Monolith, which responded in kind. For the first time since Hakon could remember, the Monolith stirred. It almost felt like the statues of Zeldron moved aside. Then came the power. The energy. Hakon didn't know what was happening to him, but he felt good. The pain subsided, to be replaced with raw and unfiltered energy.

It took him a moment to realize what was going on, but when he did, Hakon caved in. Golden light coated him. It surged toward him from the Monolith, making him use [Natural Regeneration] in ways he didn't know were possible at his current Level. Then came the mana. His body recovered at a rapid pace, the sound of realigning bones ringing in his head as his attention shifted to the dozens of messages he had discarded earlier. [Proficiency gained. [Weapon Mastery Lv. 6] improved to [Weapon Mastery Lv. 7]] [Proficiency gained. [Circulation Lv. 8] improved to [Circulation Lv. 9]] [Proficiency gained. [Mana Infusion Lv. 5] improved to [Mana Infusion Lv. 6]] [Proficiency gained. [Combat Awareness Lv. 13] improved to [Combat Awareness Lv. 14]] [Proficiency gained. [Combat Awareness Lv. 14] improved to [Combat Awareness Lv. 15]] [Proficiency gained. [Dash Lv. 8] improved to [Dash Lv. 9]] … He noticed a lot more messages, each better than the last.

[Circulation], [Mana Infusion], [Flow Observation], and [Dash] went up by a grand total of one level. [Weapon Mastery] increased by another level in one of the later messages, increasing its gains by a total of two levels. It leveled twice in one battle, just like [Weakness Detection], [Split Focus], [Pain Tolerance], [Sensory Expansion], [Evasion] and [Natural Regeneration]. Then there was [Discharge], an entirely new Skill. It was powerful yet all the more mana-consuming.

But that was not where Hakon's gains ended. The Ancestors were not yet done rewarding him. [Experience threshold met. Level Up!] [Proficiency gained. [Natural Regeneration Lv. 13] improved to [Natural Regeneration Lv. 14]] [Proficiency gained. [Natural Regeneration Lv. 14] improved to [Natural Regeneration Lv. 15]] Mana pulsed through his mana pathways in abundance.

It flooded toward the mana mass filling Hakon's reserves, all while [Natural Regeneration] throbbed, continuously healing his body until the last of his injuries healed. Only then did the golden light of the Monolith recede. And with it receded [Natural Regeneration]'s massive healing, returning to its old ways. Hakon took a deep breath, his attention lingering on the Monolith. It no longer stirred and stopped emitting the golden energy that had permeated its massive structure.

His eyes flicked to the right when something caught his attention. [Mana Sense], to be precise. It was no more than an insignificant burst, but it was enough to make him turn to the right and see a familiar object whistle through the air. It crashed into the ground beside him, breaking the stage's floor open. Crusher.

"The Ancestors have spoken." The Shaman's voice thundered across the tribehold.

"The Battle of Generation shall continue." Reaching for Crusher's handle, Hakon couldn't help but smile. Astrid bent down to pick up her weapons as well, her smile even more brilliant than before. Then they charged, ready to end the Battle of Generation once and for all.