Chapter 195
Chapter 195
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: What Then?
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“Ah. So that’s how it works?”
The murmur from Charlotte behind her.
Maleya felt something surging up from the depths of her being.
She realized from Charlotte’s reaction that this wasn’t the first time the girl had witnessed that ‘phenomenon.’
‘And yet she didn’t mention it when discussing ‘Overdrive’...!?’
It was like talking about a newly discovered gold mine without mentioning the dragon hiding inside.
For a brief moment, Maleya even wondered if Charlotte had lured her into a trap.
If Charlotte had brought up this phenomenon, she wouldn’t have approached her tutor in this manner.
Of course.
Charlotte bore no responsibility.
It was Maleya herself who had instilled in Charlotte a cynical attitude toward all forms of power.
Until recently, the shackles Maleya had left in Charlotte’s heart had remained vivid.
-All the powers you know are worthless.
-Except for the one that revived the baby bird.
The shackles planted by killing the baby bird Charlotte had been raising freely and then bringing it back to life.
At that time, Charlotte had yet to be influenced by her new tutor, so she had dismissed his skills as insignificant even when witnessing them.
But after experiencing magic swordsmanship, it looked different—
It was simply that.
At that moment.
The sword aura flickering at the tip of Rishir’s blade subsided.
The sandstorm swirling around him did the same.
“Hoo.”
He gathered his disrupted breath with a deep inhalation.
Clear signs of fatigue.
Blood lightly trickled from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
Rishir honestly acknowledged that he had overdone it.
There was no need to push magic swordsmanship to its limits outside of actual combat.
If he had used Dangaleon’s flames here as well, he would have been out cold until the Kokonnainae spirit permitted recovery.
‘Did I get too excited...’
It could be attributed to encountering, for the first time, someone who wielded Overdrive’s power(?) perfectly.
Rishir knew.
How great his innate fortune with people was.
There were truly many excellent teachers around him.
Yet, among them, no one with whom he could discuss Overdrive or magic swordsmanship.
It was always a great source of regret for Rishir.
If there were someone to debate Overdrive and magic swordsmanship with, improvement and advancement would be easier—
That was why, even while worrying about Charlotte taking an interest in magic swordsmanship, he also held some expectations.
And then.
Someone who perfectly assimilated Overdrive’s power appeared right before his eyes.
‘To use Overdrive’s power and still be that fine!!!’
He thought as he looked at Maleya, blood flowing from her nose and mouth.
‘Perhaps, truly...!’
Rishir momentarily pushed aside even his current situation, focusing on Maleya.
The gaze filled with brilliance directed her way.
“...”
Maleya ground her teeth inwardly at that gaze.
The seeds she had sown long ago were ripe for harvest, but he had turned her field upside down.
On top of that, he had beguiled her followers with some unknown method—
And now he dared to test the power of the great ancient god she served.
‘How dare he...!’
Maleya’s thoughts toward Rishir were gradually numbing with rage.
Her rigid mind commanded her.
Subjugate him.
Prove that his power was nothing before the great might of the ancient god.
That alone was the fundamental solution to break this situation.
“You possess quite a unique talent. I acknowledge it. But don’t get too arrogant.”
A voice like she was chewing the words.
Veins bulged across Maleya’s otherwise serene expression.
It was the backlash from drawing out the ancient god’s authority to its extremes.
Right now, Maleya was gauging.
How many souls she needed to replicate the phenomenon he had caused.
Surrendering to the ancient god’s instincts, she gradually increased the number of souls contained within her vessel.
Before long, the souls inside Maleya’s vessel surpassed ten.
“Ahh...”
Maleya groaned.
From the burden of containing a collective within one body.
And from the omnipotence that power brought.
Even as she did so, the number of souls in the vessel continued to grow.
The ancient god’s authority.
The ancient god’s instincts remaining within judged.
Not enough yet.
To mimic ‘that,’ more souls were needed.
More, and higher-quality souls had to be contained within the vessel.
The last remnants of Maleya’s reason sent a warning.
At this rate, there might be no turning back.
Maleya ignored that warning from reason.
She needed to concentrate to control the power filling her body.
“Ha, haha...!”
Soon, Maleya exulted in rapture.
Mana was condensing above her hand.
She had succeeded in operating mana separately from the abnormal Overdrive state.
The sense of conquest from pioneering an unknown realm even the ancient god didn’t know elevated Maleya.
Sword aura?
Unique magic?
Currently impossible due to her own power not supporting it, but among the souls possessed by the vessel bearer were those of grand magicians and grand warriors capable of it.
Now that she understood the principles of power, reaching that point was only a matter of time.
“Charlotte, are you watching!? I told you! With this great power, there’s nothing we can’t achieve!!!”
Though she called out to Charlotte with her mouth—
Maleya first checked his reaction.
He must have considered this his own power.
Believed it was a world only he knew.
But now.
That pride had been invaded.
In an instant!
What reaction would he show?
“...”
Maleya’s expression crumpled as she observed Rishir’s response.
Was it her imagination?
Yes.
She was doing well!
That’s it!
It felt like such a voice was coming from his expression.
“Lady Maleya, are you alright!?”
At that moment.
Doren, brother of the Gray Hand, cried out urgently.
Blood was flowing from every orifice on Maleya’s face.
It looked precarious, like cracks in a water-filled jar.
“Don’t worry. I’ve perfectly understood the nature of this power.”
Maleya spoke in a calm tone.
“Teacher, your blood...!”
As could be seen from Charlotte’s reaction—
The opponent’s condition wasn’t much different from hers.
“Calm down, Charlotte.”
Maleya addressed the young lady in a steady voice.
“This is a natural phenomenon accompanying Overdrive. Isn’t it?”
Maleya flashed a provocative smile at Rishir.
“...!!!”
Rishir’s expression was dyed in shock.
-Great!?
Maleya forcibly ignored the voice seemingly coming from that expression.
There was no way she’d be happy about her secret technique being stolen.
“A natural phenomenon...? But the blood—”
“The core of this power is that very imbalance.”
Charlotte was questioning Rishir.
Maleya intercepted the question before he could answer.
Her intent was to seize Charlotte’s heart completely with this momentum.
“Imbalance?”
“Yes. Imbalance. Like an unstable power on the verge of explosion. The core of Overdrive is maintaining—or rather, controlling—that state right before explosion.”
As she explained, Maleya repeatedly checked Rishir’s reactions.
She knew he wouldn’t just stand by while she coaxed Charlotte as if she owned Overdrive.
But what was this.
“...”
He merely watched the two with a strange expression.
When their eyes met, he subtly nodded.
As if saying, go on.
Maleya inwardly sneered at his arrogance.
‘Fool. This is not all of His authority—’
The Overdrive replication Maleya was performing now.
It was merely a fraction of the authority of the great being she wielded.
He wouldn’t know that—
But Charlotte clearly did.
A tutor whose entirety was Overdrive’s power.
Herself, wielding a great power that included even Overdrive as a part.
Which would the young lady choose between the two?
“Charlotte.”
Maleya calmly called her name.
She had regained her characteristic kindly and leisurely expression.
“I told you, didn’t I? With this power, nothing is impossible.”
“...”
The young lady’s elegant face began to cloud with temptation.
‘Good.’
As Maleya moved to press further—
“Therefore—... Cough!”
Blood gushed from Maleya’s mouth, more than breath.
‘It’s fine.’
Maleya didn’t panic.
The one who had wielded an even greater power just now wasn’t unscathed either, was he?
Maleya calmly reviewed the principles of Overdrive.
Using Blue Breathing in an overloaded state—
Some phenomenon occurs, minimizing overload damage.
The phrase ‘couldn’t comprehend with her head’ fit perfectly.
As far as she knew, Blue Breathing had no such effect.
However—
As long as Overdrive was functioning properly, something was definitely there.
‘Probably, some synergistic effect when Blue Breathing resonates.’
Having reached her own conclusion, Maleya began focusing more on Blue Breathing.
Just as Rishir had been doing moments ago.
And so.
Maleya felt her condition improving—
“...Cough!”
Hoo.
Hoo!
Dissonance began mixing into Maleya’s Blue Breathing.
Emotional turmoil. The resulting hyperventilation interfered with Blue Breathing.
“Ma, Lady Maleya!?”
“Is, is it really oka—”
The Gray Hand brothers raised voices of concern.
But they didn’t reach Maleya’s ears now.
‘Why!?’
Resonance.
Blue Breathing.
All of it was perfectly handled through the division among multiple souls.
Handling both simultaneously might be difficult for one person—
But not for multiple people.
Just have the magicians and swordsmen each fulfill their roles, right?
The churning mana.
The temporarily heightened state was proof.
But—
The problem came after.
Overload.
Blue Breathing wasn’t controlling the overload at all.
The synergistic effect from Blue Breathing meeting resonance, and the resulting phenomenon, wasn’t working properly.
‘Damn—’
Maleya felt frustrated.
What exactly that effect was—
What principle caused the synergy with resonance—
If she fully grasped those, she could take proper measures, but now she could only cling futilely to Blue Breathing.
“Ugh...!”
Symptoms worsening by the second.
“It’s Blue Breathing!!!”
At that moment.
Unable to bear it any longer, Rishir shouted.
“Focus on Blue Breathing!!!”
Is he pitying me now?
Or trying to deceive me?
Maleya had no time to care.
She focused on Blue Breathing as per Rishir’s advice.
No effect.
She had been concentrating already.
Rishir’s explanation continued.
“The feeling of Blue Breathing correcting the body’s abnormalities!!! Focus on that part!!!”
“...?”
In that instant.
Perplexity overlaid the pain on Maleya’s face.
“Blue Breathing corrects the body’s abnormalities? What does that—”
“Pardon?”
It wasn’t just Maleya.
The sword practitioners from the Gray Hand.
“Cheston, care to explain what’s happening?”
“...I don’t understand either.”
The mansion knights who had arrived on site to guard Charlotte.
None of them understood Rishir’s words.
“Hm...?”
Only then did Rishir sense something was off.
In the meantime.
Charlotte, who had relatively recently learned Blue Breathing, tried interpreting his words from her perspective.
“Teacher Rishir? How did you learn Blue Breathing?”
“Well, I pretty much figured it out on my own.”
“...?”
Figured out Blue Breathing on his own?
What did that mean?
Breathing is a primal instinct.
Like how one can’t hold their breath to death voluntarily, imposing will on that instinct is impossible.
Including mana control within the act of breathing is the same.
Thus, learning Blue Breathing requires guidance from a superior.
Intervening with mana beside them during breathing to awaken new sensations.
And he figured out such Blue Breathing on his own?
Charlotte recalled the moment she learned Blue Breathing recently.
Then, observing Maleya’s state, she spoke.
“To begin with—is that definitely Blue Breathing?”
Eyes rolling upward.
Rishir murmured softly.
“Then what is it?”
“Uwaaaah!!!”
Maleya screamed.
To control the overload with Blue Breathing, she mobilized every swordsman’s soul possessed by the vessel bearer.
Even including the soul of an ancient grand warrior who had reached superhuman realms.
A soul beyond what Maleya’s current power could handle.
Still, Maleya contained it within the vessel first.
Whatever the cost of borrowing that power, it was surely better than death by overload.
“Kuhuk...!!!”
Yet, in the end, the overload wasn’t controlled.
At this point, Maleya was certain.
‘It’s not Blue Breathing...!!! He’s trapped me—’
Maleya’s thoughts couldn’t continue.
“Cough!”
The wicked follower of the ancient god vomited her last blood and collapsed.
“Lady Maleya... Hahk!?”
Maleya’s followers rushed forward but hurriedly retreated from her.
The souls imprisoned in her body had lost control and were trying to burst out.
Maleya’s body swelled in places into facial shapes.
Thus, the woman’s impure true nature was revealed, shocking everyone—
“Ah...!!!”
Rishir let out a sigh laden with complex emotions.
A moment later.
Rishir turned his gaze to Charlotte.
“...”
The arrogant young lady’s eyes wavered.