Chapter 14: Bestowal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 14: Bestowal
“Aha.”
While everyone around fell silent at the sight of the person who had just plummeted from the sky, Katya swept her hair back and looked at Noel.
“So, the person you wanted to introduce is… her?”
As Katya spoke, her eyes sparkled with interest.
Why was she known by the moniker ‘Deathwish’ in the first place?
It was a nickname born from her tendency to show interest only in those who could potentially kill her.
“…”
While Katya spoke, Aiden was slowly, stealthily edging closer to Noel.
He had an intuition bordering on absolute certainty about the ‘situation’ that was about to unfold.
In the game, keeping main characters from clashing with one another was practically a golden rule. One that had to be strictly observed.
Since many of them possessed such strong, distinct personalities, putting them together almost always resulted in a fight.
But if one had to pick the two with the absolute worst compatibility, it was undoubtedly these two.
Lionheart and Deathwish.
The reason was simple. Their personalities were a catastrophic mismatch.
It was like a model student meeting a complete lunatic. Neither could ever comprehend the other’s way of thinking.
“If it’s the Lionheart, she might actually be worth looking forward to.”
At those words, Noel tilted her head.
“Looking forward to… what, exactly?”
“Do you want to try killing me?”
“…”
Noel stared blankly at Katya, then glanced at Aiden’s despairing expression, her brow furrowing slightly.
Fortunately, having been summoned here by Aiden because of a dangerous situation, she seemed to have instantly identified who the ‘danger factor’ was.
Within her knowledge, there was only one person who would spout such crazy nonsense so casually.
“…Are you Her Highness Katya Heinkel Craven?”
“Yes, yes.”
“I don’t recall hearing any news of your visit to the Empire.”
“Hmm.”
“We will hear the details at the Imperial Capital Command. If you would undergo the formal entry procedures there—”
“Cut the pleasantries.”
Katya cracked her knuckles with a sharp pop.
Seeing her casually strip off her signature coat and toss it to the ground, anyone could tell she was preparing to go all out.
“Aren’t you going to fight?”
“…”
Noel’s mouth shut tight like a clam.
She was clearly dizzy from her opponent’s blunt, context-skipping approach.
“See, if I’m going to die, I have to die after pouring out everything I’ve got. Without a fight, the premise doesn’t even work in the first place.”
But.
The moment she heard Katya’s casual remark, Noel’s eyes sank heavily.
“There are civilians nearby. Cease this absurd demand.”
Setting aside the diplomatic and political issues that would arise from a clash between these two, this was a collision between one of the Holy Kingdom’s greatest monsters and the strongest living knight.
There was no way there wouldn’t be collateral damage. Everyone nearby would surely be swept up in it.
But upon hearing those words, Katya let out a scoff.
“And?”
“…”
“Why do you care about people who don’t even matter?”
An irrepressible fury began to seep onto Noel’s face.
It was a confrontation between a person who didn’t care about anything as long as she got what she wanted, and a person who had dedicated her entire life to morality and justice. There was no way their conversation would flow smoothly.
This was evident from the words Katya uttered as she sighed in annoyance.
“Then let’s do this. If you won’t fight me, I’ll start by roaming around this area and killing everyone I lay eyes on.”
“…”
“And then, right in front of your eyes, I’ll kill your husband over there. Would that be enough of a reason to fight me—”
A violent burst of Pure White Qi erupted from Noel’s body.
It was a combat-ready stance dripping with pure ‘intent to kill’—something Aiden had never seen from her before.
“Yes.”
Of course, there was one lunatic who smiled with satisfaction the moment she saw it.
“That’s more like it.”
Along with those words, flames bright enough to illuminate the night sky surged around Katya’s body.
Soon, the two supernatural abilities clashed, and a violent explosion as bright as the dawning sun burst forth.
* * *
I knew this would happen.
This was the thought that crossed his mind as he floated several meters in the air, as if gravity had ceased to exist.
Sure enough, just as expected, the mere shockwave from their clash had swept up everything in the vicinity, sending it all flying.
Even as he crashed onto the stone floor and tumbled across the ground, his mind spun rapidly despite the agonizing pain wracking his entire body.
♠ Main Quest
◈ Act 1, <Imperial Capital Rift>
— A group is smuggling weapons into the Imperial Capital. Apprehend them all.
— Clear Condition: Do not allow any civilian casualties.
— If you fail the quest, you will die!
Resolving the problem that had dropped right in front of him was entirely his responsibility now.
A task that the ‘protagonist’ should have handled.
This is the absolute worst.
The very thing he had wanted to avoid so desperately was now right before his eyes: getting deeply involved in the main scenario.
Even now, he wanted to run away. He wanted to cast all of this aside and flee to some far-off place out of reach.
But if he didn’t take action, in all likelihood, everyone nearby would die.
Even Noel, who had come here because he ‘called’ her, would be in danger.
And soon, he would die too.
“…”
To prevent that, they had to somehow suppress Katya Heinkel Craven over there.
And the very first thing to do was…
“Hup!”
Aiden scrambled to his feet and looked around at the people rolling on the ground just like him.
Every single one of them looked utterly dumbfounded. They were clearly dazed by the sight of two people standing at the absolute pinnacle of superhumans clashing.
Amidst them, he quickly found what he was looking for.
“Hey.”
Aiden rushed over and spoke to a fierce-looking man who was blankly clutching a box to his chest.
“Give me that.”
What the man was cradling so preciously, as if it were a family heirloom, was a Hellfire Bomb.
A weapon of ultra-high destructive power that had even piqued Katya’s interest for a moment.
“W-Why should I listen to—”
The man tried to sound threatening to maintain his tough-guy act, but Aiden cut him off with a smirk.
“Don’t you see that?”
Aiden pointed toward Katya, who was charging bare-handed at Noel, who had drawn her sword.
Flames licked the air, clashing violently with Qi.
“Trust me. If we don’t help the knight over there right now, we’re all dead.”
“What do you mean—”
“The knight can’t fight at full strength. She’s worried we’ll get caught in the crossfire.”
Of course, in terms of raw combat power, Katya and Noel were on par, but anyone could see that the latter was the one fighting with shackles.
Unlike Katya, who wouldn’t care a single bit about collateral damage, Noel had to fight while worrying about the safety of the civilians and Aiden.
And Katya was no fool; she would easily notice that.
Naturally, the next step Aiden had to take in this situation was…
“And that lunatic over there is more than capable of slaughtering all of us just because she thinks we’re holding her opponent back.”
“…”
“If you don’t believe me, do you want to just sit there sucking your thumb and die with the rest of us?”
“You’re holding back an awful lot, Lionheart!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a deafening, manic laugh erupted from Katya behind them.
“Is it because of the obstacles around you? Shall I clear them away for you?”
“…First of all,” Noel replied calmly, her face cold and expressionless, “you need a lesson in basic decency before I drag you to court, Your Highness.”
The longsword wrapped in Pure White Qi clashed with fists imbued with the First Vow.
Once again, a violent explosion that dyed the night sky erupted from both sides.
On Aiden’s side, everyone screamed and rolled across the ground just like before.
It was absurd to see people being blown away like scraps of paper even at a considerable distance from where the deadly blows were being exchanged.
“See?”
“…”
When Aiden, who had also tumbled onto the ground, spoke with a face covered in dust, the man handed him the box as if possessed.
Taking the box, Aiden scrambled back up and began calculating his options even faster in his head.
This was all he needed for the materials. The rest would be the tools to handle it.
He needed three things right away.
— System Message
▶ Copying ‘Qi Operation: Defensive Field’.
▶ Copying ‘Divine Power Enhancement: Vow’.
▶ Copying ‘Dharmic Power Enhancement: Mantra’.
These were the skills he had acquired by using the Skill Copy Tickets allocated to Noel, Katya, and Dunadan, respectively.
And, finally…
“…”
Feeling a wave of nausea rising within him, Aiden grit his teeth so hard his gums nearly bled.
What he was about to do was a point of no return. A one-way ticket to hell.
He wouldn’t be able to turn back. Not until the main scenario ‘ended’.
Even so.
If he didn’t do it, he would die.
And if he died, there were people who would mourn him.
The faces of his family flashed before his eyes.
Father. Cisella.
Indeed.
He couldn’t die here.
Rather than seeing those two cry, he would gladly plunge into hell.
It looks like I’ll be a bit late getting back.
Aiden took a deep breath and felt the revolver tucked inside his coat.
The metal felt terrifyingly cold against his hand.
* * *
For a veteran knight who had survived the historic Alliance War, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she had witnessed every imaginable hellscape.
Even so, Noel could only find one word to describe her opponent.
Absurd.
“Ha!”
Katya lunged at her, her entire body enveloped in Divine Power. She was so fast that it was mind-boggling, as if only the start and the end of her movement existed.
The speed was one thing, but the sheer pressure of the Divine Power radiating from her body was enough to make even Noel dizzy.
Flames of such density that they clung to the optic nerve and blurred one’s perception of light spilled out in streams around her.
“Law. I vow.”
She quietly offered a consecration under her breath.
Even with her overwhelming output of Qi, simply manipulating it normally wouldn’t be enough to withstand this opponent. Enhancement was absolutely necessary.
“To protect the safety of the innocent.”
Qi, visibly more powerful than before, imbued her standard-issue longsword.
She then swung her sword through the empty air a few times.
Though she was swinging at empty space far out of range—an act that seemed utterly useless at a glance—Katya’s body, charging from a great distance, was instantly sliced apart.
A slash sent ‘transcending’ space. If one could precisely manipulate the Qi imbued in a sword with transcendent concentration, even such an absurd feat could be performed with ease.
It was a technique possible only because of Qi, which possessed a distinct advantage in raw output compared to other supernatural abilities.
However,
“…!”
Noel grit her teeth and twisted her body.
Katya, looking like a mass of blazing fire, tore through the exact spot where Noel had been standing a split second ago. If she had been even a moment slower, she would have been caught in the blast.
“Impressive! I’ve never seen anything like that before!”
As Katya spoke, her appearance was horrifyingly gruesome.
Broken ribs and tattered muscles were visible through clean-cut wounds.
This woman had just died ‘yet again’.
Yet, the smile plastered on the princess’s face showed no signs of fading.
This was precisely why Noel found her so absurd.
She didn’t even attempt to dodge any attacks, pushing forward while taking every single hit. Despite suffering countless fatal wounds, she didn’t show the slightest hint of fatigue. She didn’t shed a single drop of blood.
“But, you know…”
No, it went beyond even that.
“I still can’t feel… anything—!”
A scream burst out, sounding almost like a sob.
Because it was mixed with her manic, ear-splitting laughter, it sounded as if she were laughing and crying at the same time.
“I can’t feel a thing!”
Seeing Katya charge once more with those words, Noel sighed and raised her sword again.
At this rate…
I won’t be able to suppress her.
In fact, I might be the one who gets defeated.
“…”
Noel cast a quick glance aside.
She still had plenty of cards left up her sleeve.
But the safety of the people around them was the issue.
If she truly started going all out, it wouldn’t be surprising if casualties occurred.
It was around then that Noel noticed ‘something strange’.
…Mr. Aiden?
She saw Aiden struggling to carry a box in his arms.
When their eyes met briefly, Aiden hurriedly waved his hands around.
She couldn’t be entirely sure, but he seemed to be gesturing for her to ‘lure’ Katya over to him.
“…”
He definitely had some sort of plan.
Noel gave a faint nod and threw herself in that direction.
Just as Katya had said, her opponent was merely repeating simple charges as if her only goal was to ‘exhaust’ her overflowing power through combat. Luring her to a specific spot wasn’t difficult at all.
Like a matador, she lightly sidestepped Katya’s charge and guided her toward the spot Aiden had indicated.
And at that exact moment, the bomb Aiden had prepared beforehand detonated with a deafening roar that shook the heavens.
A Hellfire Bomb was a weapon originally used to demolish high-rise buildings. Normally, the entire area should have been obliterated.
Yet, from the epicenter of the explosion, a small ‘dome’ instantly formed.
It was similar in shape to the one Noel had previously created using her Pure White Qi. The only difference was that this one was used to isolate Katya and the explosion of the Hellfire Bomb inside.
Impressive.
Noel wiped away her sweat, marveling inwardly.
Using a defensive field in this manner was a method she had never even conceived.
And while the application itself was remarkable, what was even more surprising was the durability of the dome that withstood the explosion.
No matter how pure the Qi was, containing an explosion of that scale within such a narrow range was something even she could only achieve under specific conditions.
Doing it in such a short time without even adding a consecration would be incredibly difficult.
Perhaps it was because the supernatural ability forming the dome was of a kind unfamiliar to her.
She had seen it once before, though. Divine Power mixed with Qi.
—The output is similar to Qi, and the destructive power is similar to Divine Power—
It was a trait that combined only the advantages of both supernatural abilities.
Thanks to that, even though he manipulated Qi in the exact same way she did, his performance was practically an upgraded version.
“Nice try!”
However, this was clearly not the time to be deeply analyzing such things.
Even though her entire body must have been shredded by supersonic shrapnel, scorched by the blazing heat, and killed dozens of times over inside that dome from the blast alone, Katya was still tearing through the defensive field with her bare hands, her eyes gleaming with a sinister light.
“If you think this is enough to finish me, we’ve still got a long way to—”
“I didn’t expect it to.”
Aiden’s calm voice cut her off mid-sentence.
“That was just to strip away your defenses. I had to weaken you at least a bit before taking my shot.”
At some point, he had positioned himself right next to Katya, holding his revolver.
The Divine Power filling Katya’s body functioned as both a sword and a shield in its own right.
The place where it was generated was the ‘heart’, the source of all supernatural abilities.
That was exactly what Aiden was aiming for.
The Hellfire Bomb was meant to temporarily weaken the Divine Power guarding that area like an iron fortress.
Indeed, regenerating her body dozens of times—rather than just a few—seemed to have taken quite a toll on her, as the flames enveloping her had visibly weakened.
“Hey.”
Katya glared at Aiden, her voice dripping with genuine disbelief.
“You set up all those preparations so perfectly, only to pull out a toy like that at the very end?”
Of course, even so, her body had survived a direct hit from a Hellfire Bomb without a scratch. Inflicting any meaningful damage on Katya with a tiny bullet would be impossible for anyone.
Compared to the terrifying explosion from moments ago, Aiden standing before her with a small firearm looked almost pitiful.
But.
“We’ll see.”
Aiden sighed and cocked the hammer of his revolver.
“I think this will be more than enough.”
Seeing this, Noel furrowed her brow as a strange sense of déjà vu washed over her.
Though she had only witnessed it twice before, it had left such a powerful impression on her mind that it was easy to define.
This was the feeling she got right before something ‘absurd’ was about to happen involving Aiden.
“Law, I vow.”
The first consecration channeled into the trigger.
Pure White Qi flowed down his finger and into the gun’s mechanism according to his will.
“This humble servant prays.”
The second vow channeled into the barrel.
It was the skill copied from Katya. The ‘correct’ prayer of the vow, which he had never formally learned.
Flames surging from his body coiled around the barrel like a serpent.
And, finally.
“O Jewel, O Lotus, shed your light.”
The third mantra channeled into the bullet.
This was the Dharmic Power he had learned not long ago.
The final condition for him to perform ‘Ability Bestowal’ on his weapon.
Of course, since he couldn’t apply a restriction yet, it was only half-complete.
What a pain.
Because of that, he was about to do something incredibly troublesome.
A restriction strengthened Dharmic Power further the more difficult the defined ‘goal’ was to achieve.
After all, the color of Qi, the temperature of Divine Power, and the ‘difficulty’ of a restriction were the benchmarks that determined the minimum output of each supernatural ability.
Of course, the Pure White Qi he possessed was powerful. The First Vow was also an absurd ability.
But those alone were far from enough to pierce through the endless wellspring of supernatural power born within the monster currently running rampant and pushing Noel back.
Unless, at the very least, another ability ‘comparable’ to the two he had already acquired was added to the mix.
Of course, that was an absurd notion.
Compared to the ‘unique’ skills he had scraped from the main scenario’s key characters, the Dharmic Power he possessed was a featureless supernatural ability.
But.
He knew one way to make it special.
※ The Omnipotence skill bonus rapidly increases proficiency and grants an anomalous trait.
※ Only ‘Unique’ type restrictions can be designated. It cannot be used by any other means. Instead, the skill changes when the corresponding condition is met.
If it was a ‘unique’ restriction that no one else possessed, one thing came to mind.
“Therefore, I—”
In that regard, the ‘vow’ he would offer to the Goddess of Ascension in this situation…
was only one.
The only one of its kind in the world.
A vow that, ‘according to the original work’, only one person offered to Urgan.
“—will save the world.”
The vow of the one who wasn’t here right now.
The ‘destiny of the protagonist’.
!! System Message !!
[ ‘General-Purpose Ability: Dharmic Power’ has been changed to ‘Savior’s Oath’! ]
[ ‘Ability Bestowal’ successful. The weapon’s power increases! ]
Following those messages, ‘power’ imbued the bullet.
The moment the power that surged through the entire revolver merged and sublimated into a single ‘energy’, Aiden pulled the trigger.
…
…
\-----!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“—Holy shit!”
The sheer concussive force of the gunshot shattered the very air, unleashing an aftermath so violently horrific that it ripped an instinctive, breathless curse from Noel’s lips. It was a roar that defied all logic and reason—a deafening, apocalyptic blast that no ordinary revolver should ever be capable of producing. The recoil alone seemed to warp the physical space around the barrel, sending violent, tearing ripples of displaced air surging through the immediate surroundings and kicking up blinding clouds of dust and debris.
From the smoking muzzle of the weapon, a ferocious, unbridled power erupted into the world. It did not merely fire a bullet; it exploded forward with the cataclysmic, unstoppable momentum of a falling meteor. The projectile instantly transformed into a blinding streak of incandescent light, carving a blazing, fiery trail through the atmosphere as it hurtled toward its target. The sheer heat and velocity of the shot scorched the very oxygen in its path, leaving behind a glowing, distorted wake of pure, concentrated energy that burned the retinas of anyone daring to look. It was the physical manifestation of the Savior’s Oath, a terrifying convergence of stolen destiny and overwhelming power condensed into a single, world-shattering strike.
There was absolutely no time to evade, nor was there any opportunity to raise a guard. There was barely even time for the human mind to process the blinding flash of the muzzle before the blazing meteor made contact with its target.
The impact was absolute, instantaneous, and utterly devastating. When the blazing projectile collided with Katya, it did not simply pierce her flesh—it completely obliterated her. The sheer kinetic force and radiant energy behind the bullet tore through her formidable defenses as if they were made of nothing more than wet paper. In a fraction of a heartbeat, the overwhelming, ferocious power ripped her body completely to pieces. It shredded her flesh, shattered her bones into dust, and reduced her entire physical form to a mangled, unrecognizable ruin. The energy showed no mercy whatsoever, violently dismantling her from the inside out in a grotesque, awe-inspiring display of absolute destruction.
Then came the blood. Up until this exact fraction of a second, throughout the entirety of their desperate and grueling struggle, Katya had remained utterly pristine. Not a single drop of her blood had been spilled; not a single, microscopic scratch had marred her form. She had seemed entirely untouchable, an immaculate and overwhelming force towering over them with absolute superiority. But now, that flawless illusion of invulnerability was violently, permanently shattered.
A gruesome, heavy crimson rain erupted from the epicenter of the blast. Her blood, finally drawn and violently liberated from her veins, splattered wildly in all directions. It painted the shattered ground, the floating debris, and the surrounding air in a macabre, visceral explosion of vibrant red, marking the absolute, brutal, and undeniable end of her resistance. The blazing trail of the bullet still hung in the air, a glowing testament to the horrific power that had just been unleashed.