Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Eagle Spirit
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But now that I thought about it.... There were a few things I regretted not trying back then.
Especially since I was so engrossed in my own power during the possession that I didn't even think to use any knight skills.
What if I had used Gale Blade or some other knight skill in that state?
Just swinging the sword would release a heat ray that slices through distant enemies, followed by a wave of flames that incinerates a wide area of foes.
"I wish I could've tested all sorts of things. Well, I wasn't in the right state of mind back then either...."
Even without knight skills, it was overwhelmingly powerful, so it didn't matter much. That thing was so strong that I wonder if I could've beaten Dabi in pure hand-to-hand combat, magic aside.
Of course, I couldn't just possess the Queen and spar with Dabi. One wrong move and our precious Dabi's life would be gone.
That's when I spotted tall pillars jutting up in the distance ahead.
Was that the arrowhead peaks?
-There are dozens of slender peaks clustered near the summit of a tall mountain. Once you see it, you'll never mistake it, so it should be easy to find.
Since Regal said so, that must be it.
But something felt off about the atmosphere. It was still too far to see clearly, but....
Eagles were perched densely on every peak? And they seemed to be glaring right at us?
* * *
Why were they staring at me like that?
Were their eyes naturally that sharp? Being the focus of two-meter eagles' gazes made me feel like I was on pins and needles, even floating in the air.
Maybe my B- grade Magical Beast Affinity wasn't enough to impress the Ancient Eagles. Should I have brought Didi? But I had him watching Tolari....
Flutter!
At that moment, something massive descended from the highest peak alone.
It was an Ancient Eagle at least twice the size of the others.
"Oh...."
I couldn't help but let out a gasp. Wingspan alone was about ten meters? It was truly enormous.
"Hi? Nice wings. Are you the Ancient Eagle chieftain by any chance?"
"...."
It ignored my greeting.
Instead, it fixed me with an even more menacing glare than the others. Just to be safe, I activated Lord's Eye a bit....
Ugh.
What was with this hostility? It was pouring out pure, 100% intense wariness.
Well, maybe that's just how magical beasts were. Gor-dol was the unusual one.
The silver lining was that I didn't sense any outright enmity or anger. I hunched my body to look as non-threatening as possible and smiled.
"Don't be so wary. I'm not your enemy. I'm human, sure, but I have a recommendation from the Ancient Wolf."
"....Ancient Wolf?"
That's when the giant eagle finally spoke. I sighed inwardly and replied.
"Yeah. Ancient Wolf. Name's Regal. He said he came here when he was young and hung out with you guys a bit. Anyway, I'm not your enemy. Don't I feel a little friendly even though I'm human? I've eaten a few cores, so I'm already half-magical beast myself."
"I know who you are."
The eagle's voice scratched like grinding stone with iron wire. It was pretty uncomfortable, but calling it out would be rude.
"You know who I am?"
"More precisely, I know what you've done. Not long ago, you fought a desperate battle against other-dimensional beings in the wasteland southwest of the Eternal Forest."
"You saw the Eclipse Gate? Were you nearby?"
"No. I was here."
"Here? You can see the wasteland in the Gunes region from here?"
It was hundreds of kilometers away in a straight line.
"And I saw you fighting a massive monster in the vast fields to the south."
"Bangar region? That's even farther than Gunes."
"Interesting. Both places have tall human-built towers nearby."
True, but still, they were way too far from here.
Even if this was the highest point around, wasn't this beyond normal?
"Does my ability to see far surprise you? But the Ancient Wolf I just mentioned can smell things even farther away."
Fair enough.
Anyway, this eagle was dominating the atmosphere from the start and wouldn't let go. This deal wasn't going to be easy.
"Impressive. Must be the eagle eyes."
"I am Retep, chieftain of the Ancient Eagles."
The giant eagle tilted its head slightly and asked.
"What is your name? Human who transcends human limits? We have all been wondering about you."
"Call me Claude. Wondering what?"
"What will become of our world from now on?"
That was a question, not a wonder. Its wording was a bit off.
"The situation isn't good. Actually, that's why I'm here."
"To learn about that fearsome sword?"
"Huh? Sword?"
What was this out of nowhere? Sword?
"This one?"
I drew the elf lord's sword from my waist. At that, over a hundred eagles, including Chieftain Retep, flapped back in retreat.
"Don't casually draw that wicked thing!"
"Uh.... Sorry."
Seriously? Over just a sword?
Sure, it was a menacing blade, but did it warrant that reaction?
"It looked ominous from afar. Up close, my feathers are standing on end."
"That bad? I heard it's a famous sword made by the elf lord."
"...."
The eagle lord cocked its head and scrutinized me. Then it alternated glances between the sword and me, narrowing its eyes.
"You didn't know, did you?"
"Know what?"
"The sword you're holding contains...."
The eagle glared intently at my sword again.
"....over ten thousand unidentified forces condensed within."
"What?"
"A power I've never seen before. Astonishing and terrifying. My eyes can distinguish all powers in this world, but I can't identify that one precisely."
What was this now? What about this sword?
I hurriedly checked with Lord's Eye, but nothing seemed off.
The blade was fine, and the surrounding flows were normal. What was with these guys? Were they scamming me as a group? Planning some ritual because it felt ominous?
"I see. It's overlapping powers. That's why even my eyes couldn't confirm it properly."
"What?"
"It means a power from another dimension that doesn't exist in this world. I wonder if we can call it a 'grade.' A power overlapping from a higher-dimensional grade. Only an Ancient Eagle could even notice it."
Wait, something was coming to mind....
"So, another dimension's power?"
"Precisely, a power that has never existed in this dimension even once."
So that's why Lord's Eye couldn't see its essence? What if I possessed with the Fire Queen and added her eyes—would something new appear?
"It feels like I almost get it.... That power consists of ten thousand individual units dwelling in this sword?"
"I can't know the exact number. Ten thousand.... No, around twelve thousand. Half here, half straddling another dimension."
"Another dimension."
"I can't identify what it is. Claude, how did you obtain this?"
At first I had no clue, but now I had a rough idea what happened.
Twelve thousand unidentified forces?
Psykers, obviously. That's about how many I killed.
Probably when I crossed over and massacred the Psykers, some energy composing them got absorbed into this sword.
"Never even imagined that. A power invisible even to Lord's Eye."
"Lord's Eye? The elf lord's eye?"
"Yeah. That one. It ended up with me somehow."
"That can only pierce essences existing in our world. It couldn't detect a power that never existed."
"Makes sense. But you guys can see it."
"That's what Ancient Eagles are."
The eagle lord puffed out its chest proudly. As if I didn't see it trembling and fleeing earlier.
"Like souls or something? Twelve thousand Psyker souls? This could be insanely useful. Any way to use it?"
"Why ask me?"
"You're the only one who noticed."
"...."
Chieftain Retep hunched and fell silent. The other noisily chirping eagles also quieted solemnly.
"Hm.... Why the sudden change?"
"Give me a moment to think."
"Sure. Take your time."
I stepped back for now, but what was it thinking? I hadn't even asked for anything yet.
'These guys are seriously my-pace.... Ignis? Can you hear me?'
Taking the chance, I called the Fire Queen mentally. She yawned long and answered right away.
-Yawwwn. I hear you. What's up, Claude?
'You were resting? Sorry. See this sword?'
I shook the elf lord's sword in my hand. She paused, then replied.
-I see it. But it's strange.
'Strange? You see it too? The other-dimensional energy dwelling inside?'
-What's that supposed to mean?
'You said it was strange because you saw something?'
-No, I meant it's strange that the sword exists in its original form. Amazing. It should have melted, warped, or collapsed by now.
'Huh? Why?'
What was this curveball?
-When you fought that massive otherworld monster before, didn't that sword withstand my power?
'It did.'
-No weapon in this world can endure my power. At best, a minute—or dozens of seconds.
'Really?'
-Even the finest sword would wither and crumble within days. I thought it was ruined by now, yet it's still perfectly fine.
So, in other words....
This sword should have slowly turned into scrap after taking the Queen's power.
But thanks to the unidentified energy the eagle lord mentioned, it held its shape?
'Queen? Looks like when I crossed to the Psyker dimension, this sword absorbed something like their souls.'
-Did it?
She fell silent briefly, then continued.
-My eyes don't see anything particularly off. Actually, the lack of damage is the odd part.
'It seems to have turned into a special material that can withstand your power because of it.'
-Amazing. What a peculiar thing.
The Queen sounded pleased, chattering excitedly.
-Hmm.... That's really good then. With that sword, maybe it could handle me unleashing all the power I've been holding back.
'Holding back? So that wasn't 100%?'
-Of course not. Otherwise, not just the sword—you couldn't have lasted even a few seconds.
Ah, got it.
'Then it's the same in the end? Even if the sword holds, my body won't.'
-So get stronger quickly. My lovely Claude.
The Queen whispered sweetly, her breath hot in my ear, meltingly tender.
-You need to grow bigger and harder. That way, we'll have more time to enjoy together.
'That sounds kinda weird....'
-Does it matter how it sounds? Our souls are already mixed, one body.
Such a sticky description. Not wrong, though.
-Anyway, I'm going back in. I need more time to recover. But call if something urgent comes up.
And the connection cut. I took a deep breath and turned to the eagle chieftain.
"Need more time?"
"....I've finished deliberating."
Retep gazed at me with calm eyes.
"Claude. You surely came here seeking aid."
"Huh? Uh, yeah."
"You hope the Ancient Eagles will join the war against other dimensions ahead. This is no simple decision."
What? Say what?
I just came for one core. Two, three, or four would be better, sure.
But this was a huge deal, so no point interrupting?
"....Yeah. Can't decide lightly."
"I wanted to refuse outright. All living Ancient Eagles are here. Rashly joining battle could doom the entire tribe. So I consulted everyone here, however briefly."
"I see.... Hm?"
Consulted everyone?
The hundred or so eagles here? But weren't they all silent just now?