Chapter 586

“Hagalaz.”

“Gyaaaaaah!”

The monster’s leg touching my fingertips shattered into pieces, turning into dust and scattering. The monster, losing its leg in an instant, staggered and collapsed, screaming.

I swung Durandal at the monster’s neck that had come right before my eyes, then brushed off the black powder stuck to my left hand.

On the way back to the Imperial Capital, I was actively using two runes against the monsters I encountered. To get used to my new power and, furthermore, to devise the most efficient way to utilize it.

In the past, bandits would have been the main test subjects, but after the monsters’ rampage, the bandits had long disappeared, as if they had been wiped out.

Well, to be precise, they do appear occasionally, but they’ve become something that can no longer be called bandits.

“Grooooooan…”

The stench of rotting flesh wafted through the air. A monster dressed in tattered leather clothes approached, letting out weak groans. It was a low-level undead, a rotten corpse.

Is this what they call karma? The bandits who hid in the wilderness and sucked the blood of travelers and merchants had now fallen to become corpse monsters, their flesh and blood being devoured by squirming maggots.

There were about thirty of them. They were so weak that I couldn’t even be bothered to swing my sword.

“Leonor, step back.”

I stepped forward in front of Rana and Leonor, extending my right hand toward the monsters.

“Kenaz.”

As I uttered the activation word for the rune, the surrounding mana surged and was sucked into my wrist.

Now.

Just before the gathered mana turned into flames, I added the Life Force Technique to the rune of fire. Like the old method of forcibly awakening the rune to manifest Up-hwa.

If I added the power of feats a bit earlier, the old Up-hwa would bloom. If I was too late, only ordinary flames would rise. But this time, it was just right.

– Whoosh!

A crimson sun rose in my hand. It carried heat incomparable to the previous Up-hwa. A fire fueled not only by mana but also by the Life Force Technique. It was a perfect success.

“Melt away!”

I swung my outstretched right arm horizontally. The Up-hwa trapped in my palm was released according to my will and burst forth. Flames, as if dredged from hell, swept forward like lava.

– Goooooo!

Everything touched by the wall of Up-hwa crumbled.

Before they could even catch fire, they melted from the heat, boiling up in an instant and scattering into smoke. Monsters and the ground alike.

Though it had the drawback of consuming a massive amount of mana and Life Force Technique as fuel, its power was comparable to a dragon’s flames.

Moreover, the convenience was even greater since I could control even extinguishing it at will.

– Sssss…

As I imagined withdrawing the power of feats and dispersing the flames, the fiercely burning crimson flames instantly died down, extinguishing like a candle in the wind.

Only the heat lingering in the air remained, creating a mirage like a waterfall and a strong gust of wind.

“…Seems stronger than high-level magic. You could just quit swordsmanship and go around burning stuff.”

Leonor whistled in admiration. Certainly, in terms of firepower alone, it surpassed high-level magic. Though it wasn’t enough to be a mainstay technique.

“The power is usable, but the efficiency is poor.”

Like most of my techniques, the perfectly manifested Up-hwa had horrendous fuel efficiency. Just one activation sucked up all the surrounding mana and consumed nearly a third of my Life Force Technique.

Moreover, the speed at which the flames extended was such that a hero-level opponent could somehow counter it.

Though this seemed more like a problem with my proficiency than a fundamental flaw in Up-hwa.

—

Unlike the rune of fire, which could enhance firepower with the Life Force Technique, adding the Life Force Technique to the rune of collapse was meaningless.

When I tried adding the Life Force Technique with the same sensation as manifesting Up-hwa, the power didn’t increase. Instead, even the Life Force Technique collapsed and scattered.

Well, thinking about it, it was obvious. Adding fuel to a fire makes it burn fiercer, but throwing fuel into pure destructive power only increases what needs to be destroyed.

‘Using it like Up-hwa is impossible.’

[That’s right. It’s just a waste of power.]

It wasn’t particularly regrettable. The new rune was powerful enough without needing additional power.

Though it had the drawback of requiring contact with the target, once my left hand touched it, it could turn anything, organic or inorganic, into dust. Inorganic things were a bit faster.

I think it could destroy magic too, but if magic touches my left hand, it means I’ve already been hit by it, so that part isn’t very meaningful.

Even if I blocked lightning with my left hand, I’d be electrocuted before the lightning collapsed.

‘Can this break the Indestructible Body?’

[Hmm… I’ve thought about that too, but it doesn’t seem that simple. It’s a powerful force, but ultimately, it’s destruction through mana. It might chip away at the duration, but breaking it in one go seems impossible. It’s no different from pouring oil and lighting a fire.]

‘Guess so…’

That’s a bit disappointing. I thought if I could break the Indestructible Body with the rune’s power, the fight with Or-han would be much easier.

[Originally, you don’t need to fight Or-han.]

‘…What?’

What nonsense is this? It was so out of the blue that I could only tilt my head and ask.

[Isn’t it obvious? Defeating Or-han is my duty and the first step of my revenge. How could I leave it to someone else?]

‘Are you crazy?’

The words that slipped out unintentionally fully conveyed my bewilderment.

‘Even if I add all your Life Force Technique to my combat power, I can’t even gauge if I can win. And you want to face him alone? Do you want to commit suicide?’

Listening to her, it sounded like she wanted to take control of the body and fight like last time, but that would be no different from suicide.

Of course, Hersela was a powerhouse who could overwhelm ordinary heroes, and her Heroic Tale could be considered a technique surpassing even Reversed Heaven in power. But that alone wasn’t enough to win.

Since she wasn’t recognized as Durandal’s master, she couldn’t even use the sword’s most basic abilities, and she couldn’t use the feats I’d accumulated or the runes on my wrist.

In the end, she’d just be reduced to a hero with slightly superior physical abilities.

In the original story, she somehow managed to defeat Or-han, but that happened years later, so the current situation was likely completely different.

She probably fought after accumulating ten times the current Life Force Technique through years of slaughter. If it came down to a prolonged battle until her stamina ran out, she might have had a chance. In other words, it’s impossible now.

So, I had no choice but to stop Hersela’s recklessness.

[When did I say I’d fight with my own power alone?]

Hersela sighed as if it was ridiculous and replied.

‘Then what do you mean?’

[Think about it. Clearly, I can’t handle your feats. That’s an undeniable fact. But isn’t that a problem that can be solved with your help?]

‘My help?’

[If you control my body like now, I’m left tied up and pushed to the back of consciousness. But… even then, I can somewhat control the Life Force Technique at will. So, we’ll do the opposite. Understand?]

The opposite…?

So, just as Hersela controls the Life Force Technique I manifest, she wants me to control the Power of Feats from the back of her consciousness?

‘Is that possible?’

[We won’t know until we try. But if it’s possible for me, it shouldn’t be impossible for you. So, let’s practice this whenever we get the chance.]

‘Uh… sure.’

There didn’t seem to be any reason to refuse. If her lifelong wish is to achieve it herself, and if it’s not impossible, then I guess I can help her that much.

—

After that day, every evening, I temporarily handed over my body to Hersela and tried to awaken the Power of Feats in that state. I practiced alone before bed, as trying it during battle could lead to problems.

During the day, I researched ways to utilize the runes against monsters, and at night, I explored ways to strengthen the body that was no longer mine by infusing it with the Power of Feats. It was a busy time without a moment of boredom.

My efforts weren’t in vain, as I made some progress in the former.

By simultaneously manifesting the power of collapse in my left hand and the power of fire in my right hand and combining them, I could create a new weapon.

On the other hand, manifesting the Power of Feats yielded no results. It wasn’t entirely impossible, but the efficiency was too poor, and the slightest loss of focus would immediately release it.

‘You idiot! Can’t you focus properly!’

[This is really hard…!]

I grumbled at Hersela’s scolding but closed my eyes again and pulled up the Power of Feats. Since I was pushed to the back of consciousness, closing my eyes was just a metaphorical expression.

Anyway, controlling feats while handing over control of the body was harder than I thought.

Hersela explained it as similar to controlling a horse by infusing it with feats, but unfortunately, that advice was no help to me.

I can’t even infuse a horse with feats in the first place, so what am I supposed to do?

In the end, by the time we arrived at the Imperial Capital, the only achievement I had was maintaining the enhancement of the Power of Feats for a few seconds.