Chapter 7: Synthesis
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 7: Synthesis
“Give back the territory you stole, you barbarian.”
“…It has been a while, Your Majesty.”
Even as the Emperor hurled an insult the moment he saw him, Dunadan—the Chieftain of the Great Plains—offered a polite greeting with a blank expression. He seemed incredibly used to it, as if this were far from the first time.
Indeed, despite a major diplomatic incident unfolding in real-time, the onlookers merely wore wry smiles, making no move to intervene.
Regardless of any talk about “stealing,” the territory in question had been a gift from the Emperor himself to the Tribal Alliance, which had served as a reliable ally throughout the war.
“How is the Empire’s warrior delegation this time? Are they as hale and hearty as always?”
“They’re a bit thinner than before. Near the end of the war, there was a bit of…”
The Emperor trailed off.
“…this and that.”
“…”
Understanding what the Emperor was referring to, Dunadan offered a bitter smile.
There had indeed been a truly terrible incident.
The fall of the Empire’s greatest star.
“—Someone will eventually fill the position of the Lord Protector, Your Majesty. The Imperial Prince will also, someday, return to how he used to be—”
“Enough of that. How about your warrior delegation?”
At the Emperor’s sharp interruption, Dunadan once again smiled bitterly to himself. He knew all too well that this wasn’t an incident that could be soothed with a few words. It was better to just go along with the change of topic.
“We have selected mainly young warriors, full of vigor and eager to fight.”
“A fancy way of saying they’re greenhorns.”
“If you know that, then why on earth did you send out someone like her?”
Dunadan’s gaze drifted toward the stage where the sparring match was scheduled to take place.
In contrast to the several warriors of the Tribal Alliance warming up, the Empire’s side was pitifully empty.
There was just a single woman, sitting quietly with her eyes closed as if in meditation.
And yet, by her mere presence, she radiated an aura that seemed to weigh down the very air around her.
It was, quite literally, the majestic dignity of a predator.
“Aren’t you taking this a bit too seriously? Sending Lionheart to a mere exchange.”
At his awestruck tone, the Emperor chuckled and took a drag from his cigarette.
“Even so, she’s just one person. It’s not like I don’t know how well the Alliance’s warriors fight.”
“…You’re far too good at playing the underdog,” Dunadan muttered, looking down at the stage.
With the match about to begin, Lionheart could be seen taking a deep breath and circulating her Qi.
The white Qi surging from her heart soon formed a massive dome that enveloped the entire arena. It was a safety measure, meant to prevent the aftermath of the battle from spreading to the surroundings.
Even so.
The sight of a single person creating such a massive hemispherical barrier was nothing short of majestic. Even if Qi had a natural advantage in raw output compared to other supernatural abilities, this was a feat that would normally require an entire specialized military unit.
…It is rather ridiculous, though.
Entrusting such a task to the very person who was about to fight was absurd.
And yet, not a single person present complained. In fact, they all seemed to take it for granted.
The reason was simple.
The human known as Lionheart was a monster for whom such a thing was perfectly normal.
Pure White Qi.
Dunadan’s eyes swept over the Qi forming the dome. It was the pinnacle of the Qi that all knights of the Empire could wield. The only reason Lionheart could act as a human-shaped ‘supernatural power plant’ was that her ability possessed that special property.
“She’s a talent who was called a one-woman army even on battlefields where warriors fell like autumn leaves. Isn’t she more than enough on her own?”
A mischievous smile played on the Emperor’s face.
“Strictly speaking, she’s not alone.”
“Pardon?”
“He hasn’t gone up yet, but there’s one more. A fellow I’m quite curious to see in action.”
His voice was filled with unmistakable anticipation.
* * *
…I was so nervous I had to go to the restroom.
How did things get so out of hand?
My gaze drifted forward. My vision was filled with fierce-looking men who looked like the textbook definition of ‘savage warriors,’ completely out of place in an era of concrete buildings, black-and-white TVs, and telephones.
I’m supposed to trade blows with those things?
If there were a negotiation that could get me out of this, I would gladly trade a year of my lifespan for it. That was no exaggeration; I meant it from the bottom of my heart.
“…I’m sorry for dragging you into this, Aiden.”
It was obvious I wasn’t the only one who knew how troublesome this situation was. Noel’s apologetic whisper was proof enough.
No matter how much she believed I was hiding some mysterious power and past, forcing me into such a dangerous situation was another matter entirely. She clearly felt guilty about it.
The problem was that even Noel had no good excuse to refuse. It was only recently that I had crushed a high-level combatant—one just below a knight—in a single blow, and had similarly overwhelmed a royal of the Holy Kingdom who wielded Divine Power.
Seeing how the Emperor had gone out of his way to orchestrate this, he must have heard about those incidents.
“But you won’t have to do much. I’ll only ask one simple thing of you.”
Fortunately, she herself was more than capable of handling the situation.
Before I could even ask what she meant, the sign in the center of the arena switched from red to blue—the signal for the match to begin.
At that exact moment.
“O Jewel, O Lotus, shine your light!”
A fierce battle cry erupted from the Alliance warriors.
The runes on their bodies began to glow in unison. A brilliant radiance burst forth, scattering countless particles of light, from which several spheres of condensed light floated up.
“Is this your first time seeing this?” Noel asked, tilting her head when she saw my eyes widen. She seemed incredibly relaxed, even with such ferocious men standing right before her. “It is Dharmic Power. The warriors of the Great Plains impose Restrictions on themselves, and in return, they are granted power.”
It was the Divine Authority bestowed by Urgan, the Goddess of Ascension, the patron deity of the Tribal Alliance. Those who served her were granted power by placing a sort of ‘prohibition’ on themselves.
“They are more than worthy opponents for the ‘Proof of Worth’ His Majesty spoke of.”
As she spoke, Pure White Qi began to billow from her heart. It was a familiar sight; I had already experienced firsthand just how much power it could unleash.
…Will she be okay?
Despite that, I couldn’t help but worry. The pressure radiating from the warriors was just that intense. Even if she could wield such Qi, facing multiple opponents of that caliber at once was a different story.
But as if to mock my worries, Noel casually stepped in front of me and pushed me back.
As if that were the signal, the Tribal Alliance warriors let out a spine-tingling roar and charged.
It was a terrifying sight, enough to make one’s knees buckle. Though they were human, it felt like facing a freight train barreling down on us at full speed.
And yet, the person facing it remained completely unfazed.
“Shall I show you a demonstration?”
The Pure White Qi she had drawn began to course fiercely through her entire body, centering on her heart.
“—Law.”
The word flowed reverently from her lips.
“I vow.”
A consecration offered directly to a god—one of the methods of ‘communicating’ with a divine being to strengthen one’s supernatural ability. It was the main prayer dedicated to Carva, the patron deity of the Empire.
“For victory, in battle.”
The heavenly Divine Might answered her vow, and the Pure White Qi gathered in her arm with a force far more powerful than before.
“Supernatural abilities become much more refined when imbued into a physical object like this. You can channel it into your body, but it’s more efficient to use a weapon.”
“…Ah.”
“Of course,” Noel said calmly, taking a stance. Just as I had done a few times before, she threw a straight punch from where she stood. Except, unlike me, she did so with far greater mastery. “If you can wield Pure White Qi, you can do at least this much with your bare hands.”
Her entire body served as a launching pad, firing the punch like an artillery shell. Power surged from her pivoting foot, up through her legs, rising along the axis of her waist to her back, then her arm, concentrating into a single point at the tip of her fist.
And then.
When the Pure White Qi—the purest of all Qi, which yielded an explosive power that no other supernatural ability could match in instantaneous output—was amplified even further by the Consecration, the result was…
—!!
——!!!!
My jaw dropped.
It was as if the entire space in front of her was being ‘pushed away.’
The air tore. The force field surrounding the stage crackled and shook as screams erupted from the spectator stands. For a moment, the entire arena seemed to flutter as if a tempest had swept through.
She hadn’t even struck them. With only the wind pressure from her punch, the fiercely charging Tribal Alliance warriors were sent screaming to the far side of the arena. Several superhumans who had been charging with the destructive force of runaway trucks were all blown away by nothing more than the aftermath of a punch thrown from a standstill.
“…”
I stared blankly at Noel.
Is she even human…?
“Do you understand now?”
“…”
Unfortunately, when Noel turned back to me with a blank expression after pulling off such a stunt, her question only left me even more dazed.
She looked as if it were truly nothing…
…I have no idea.
What on earth was I supposed to understand from that? The only thing I understood all too well was that Noel and I were entirely different breeds.
“Aiden, if you can mimic just this much, it should be more than enough to serve as the ‘Proof of Worth’ His Majesty spoke of.”
“…Pardon?”
“If you can use Pure White Qi, this is a trivial technique. You know better than anyone the potential that ‘color’ holds. This time, I would like you to show just a glimpse of it.”
“…”
Mimic that?
Me?
“—!”
“—!!”
Before I could even process the dizzying sensation, the Tribal Alliance warriors were scrambling back to their feet. Since they had merely been blown away, they weren’t seriously injured.
The bad part, however, was that they clearly found what had just happened deeply humiliating. Thick veins bulged on their foreheads, their faces contorted with fury. They probably thought Noel was toying with them.
And unlike before, Noel showed no sign of stepping in as they rushed forward again.
…What a life.
I barely held onto my spinning consciousness.
Still, I have to do what I must…
Ever since I got roped into a sham marriage with this woman, I had prepared myself to be dragged into some kind of danger. That was why I had told the Emperor myself that I would participate.
I didn’t have the confidence to perfectly replicate what Noel had just done, but there was one thing I could rely on.
I quickly brought up my status window. I was going to use the one remaining Skill Copy Ticket for Noel’s abilities.
— System Message
▶ Copying ‘Qi Reinforcement: Consecration’.
The moment I learned the skill, its usage naturally flowed into my mind, as if someone were typing the words clearly inside my head. The exact same method of Qi operation Noel had just used was now mine.
“…Law. I vow.”
Facing the warriors charging fiercely toward me, Qi suddenly began to leak from my body.
I noticed Noel, watching from the side, give a slight nod. She looked as if she had fully expected me to succeed. Now, all I had to do was wield that Qi and copy exactly what she had done. There was absolutely no room for error. At least, that’s what Noel seemed to think.
I, however, was thinking of something slightly different.
“…”
I turned my head and looked around, my gaze sweeping past Noel and up toward the spectator stands where the Emperor and the Chieftain were watching. If this went well, I would get a direct reaction from them.
And if it didn’t?
…I’ll just have to figure something out then.
After all, this was the only card I had left to play.
My lips parted to finish the Consecration. As I did, Pure White Qi burst forth from my heart, and a heavy pressure simultaneously bound my entire body. Even though it was a one-way message sent to the heavens, I could instantly feel that the entity on the other end was a truly divine being. I felt as if I could hear endless whispers, urging me to speak my desire, to offer my vow.
But instead of continuing, I prepared to do something else.
Please, work…!
With that silent, desperate plea, Divine Power flared up from my body.
A colorless flame. It was the supernatural ability I had taken from the Princess of the Holy Kingdom, a woman I had never even met.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Noel’s face turn pale.
“Is that… Divine Power? No, how on earth did you—”
But before she could finish, I shoved it into the Pure White Qi billowing from my heart.
The colorless flames rising from beneath my feet clashed violently with the Qi. They probed each other, each trying to consume the other, before the two energies finally began to blend and fuse.
“…Aiden…?”
From the side, I heard Noel’s trembling voice.
She looked as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her pale complexion and wide, shaking eyes were proof enough. Her reaction showed just how surreal the phenomenon unfolding before her was.
The ‘Divine Authority’ of two different gods…
…had mixed.
Two domains that should never have combined had just fused into one.
In response, a series of messages appeared before my eyes.
— System Message
[ Divine Power purifies the backlash of Consecration. Qi and Divine Power are fusing! ]
!! System Message !!
[ You are using two supernatural abilities simultaneously. ]
[ <Unique Trait: Omnipotence> is unlocked. ]
Taking a deep breath, I scanned the messages. It seemed my plan had succeeded.
— Skill Info
■ Omnipotence [Locked]
The skill is locked. Unlock the first level by wielding two or more supernatural abilities simultaneously.
…This was it. An ability I had resolved to use ever since I first saw it. The only question was how much power this newly awakened ability would possess.
[ Due to the effect of <Unique Trait: Omnipotence>, a new effect is developed when the supernatural abilities are combined! ]
[ By synthesizing <Pure White Heart> and <First Vow>, you have developed <Guardian’s Flame>! ]
…Fortunately, it seemed I didn’t have to worry about that.
The Divine Power wielded by the royalty of the Holy Kingdom took the form of a colorless flame. As expected of an ability bestowed by Shea, the Goddess of Purification, it possessed the purest form, untainted by anything.
And now, right here, as if the Pure White Qi and those flames had merged, a ‘white Divine Power’ spread out around me.
The flames of Divine Power, once colorless, now burned with a brilliant white ‘color’ under the influence of the other ability. They burned so intensely that a vacuum formed around them, making the surrounding scenery distort as if someone had cut it out and crumpled it in their hand.
“…”
“…”
I blinked.
…Somehow, this looked even more dangerous than I had anticipated.
Indeed, even though the match was in full swing, no one was paying attention to it anymore. Not Noel, not the Tribal Alliance warriors, and not even Dunadan, who was acting as the referee.
The moment those flames flared up, every single person froze.
—!
And in the next instant.
——————————!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A massive pillar of fire shot up with me at its center, slammed into the dome stretching over the stage—
—and completely shattered the defensive field Noel had created.