Chương 27: Chapter 24

The grand final of the Battle of Generation started with booming roars and excitement that reached every corner of the tribehold. Ulfar and his friends expanded as their Ancient Power triggered. A cacophony of cracking bones echoed, followed by the sight of massively bulging muscles. Then came their presence. Ulfar's presence engulfed the entire stage and pressed down on everyone, allies included. The Giant Blood warriors grunted and stepped to the side until their presence blocked Ulfar's.

Hakon couldn't sense the Giant Blood warriors' presence as easily as Ulfar's, but by using [Inspection] and [Sensory Expansion], he discerned ripples of energy.

'Lifeblood' erupted from within and clashed with one another. He topped up on his discovery with [Flow Observation] and [Weakness Detection], which also triggered [Split Focus]. His mana reserves trickled down quickly, but the things Hakon learned were worth it. Ulfar stirred first. He leaped into action the moment the Shaman started the battle. The stone stage cracked underfoot as Ulfar charged ahead. Eyes narrowed, Hakon studied his rival, Crusher hefted, not an ounce of worry emitting from his body.

Björn barreled past him and Astrid, his axes clutched with iron-tight grips. Hair grew from Björn's massive body at a visible pace, and it did not take long before a wild, seemingly uncontrollable presence shrouded him as well. A Skill that uses his Blessing, Hakon recognized, all while maintaining his Skills for a few more seconds. Barely long enough to witness Ulfar and Björn's first clash. Ulfar punched out in a casual manner. The air around his fist rippled and seemed to distort as it burst out.

Björn didn't slow down. He executed a quick cross-slash aimed at Ulfar's fist. That turned out to do a lot less damage than Björn expected. The Blessed Barbarian's brows furrowed when Ulfar's fist did not turn into a mass of blood and bones. The only damage his axes inflicted was a pair of scratches that barely seemed to bleed. Even the bleeding stopped after a droplet of blood trickled onto the stage. Instead, Björn's axes suffered greatly. One of them chipped the moment it collided with Ulfar's fist.

While not rendered useless, one more punch aimed at the right spot would certainly destroy the axe. Björn's tactic changed immediately. He shifted to a more defensive stance the moment he realized just how tough Ulfar was. Tougher than he is strong, stronger than he is fast. Hakon repeated in his head as a familiar sense of wrongness embedded itself into his mind. [Proficiency gained. [Flow Observation Lv. 2] improved to [Flow Observation Lv. 3]] He discarded the notification and deactivated most Skills a moment later. He only maintained [Weakness Detection] and [Split Focus] as his attention shifted away from Björn. Hakon trusted that Björn the Bear would stall Ulfar no matter what. Even if it meant that he would lose, Björn would fight Ulfar and his legendary Ancient Power with all he had. And he would add it to his wall of achievements. That much was as clear as day. Astrid was already amidst the Giant Blood warriors as well.

She engaged with two simultaneously, twisting and turning her body in angles Hakon didn't think were possible for a Barbarian. Astrid evaded most lethal attacks but allowed the Giant Blood warriors to cut into her. But whenever they did, the attacks would never cause more than light to mild injuries. Astrid was in full control of her fight. She sustained wounds, but her counterattacks inflicted far more pain and suffering. And for every drop of blood she or her enemies spilled, Astrid grew faster.

A crimson hue oozed from her, and it only grew denser as her fight with the two Giant Blood warriors intensified. [Split Focus] helped him keep tabs on the third and last Giant Blood warrior. [Inspection] had determined him to be the strongest of all warriors earlier. Except for Astrid and Ulfar, of course. Björn had received the same danger rating as the third Giant Blood warrior, which was good enough for Hakon.

He watched the warrior's body expand and caught him glancing at Astrid in a way he did not like at all. The warrior readied his broadsword and charged at Astrid, ready to break her rhythm. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

"No, you won't," Hakon growled, triggering [Circulation] and [Dash] at once. He burst into action, his movements smooth and his mana flowing without restraint, and crossed the distance to his opponent in a moment. [Combat Awareness] flared up as the Giant Blood warrior changed his target to Hakon. His sword swung down, and Hakon had to use [Evasion] to leap to the side. Rolling over the ground, he nearly lost his grasp on the Maulaxe Crusher.

Instead, he leaped to his feet and swung Crusher upward, the weapon thrumming with mana. [Weapon Mastery] and [Mana Infusion] triggered seamlessly as he struck upward, and the flat maul-side of Crusher impacted a moment later. The sound of cracking bones echoed as Crusher crushed the warrior's hand. The Giant Blood warrior roared in pain and anger and instinctively closed the distance, blocking Hakon's use of Crusher, and his own weapon. The broadsword clattered to the ground, but Hakon did not follow.

He didn't release Crusher. He found something curious with [Weakness Detection], shifted Crusher to face the opponent with the bladed side, and released one hand from the handle to hold the flat back. Adjusting his stance and grip only took a moment, but that was all he needed to ram Crusher's mana-infused blade into the approaching Giant Blood warrior. His foe was faster, stronger, and tougher when it came to raw physical power, but the Battle of Generation was not that mindless.

Not when a Barbarian with an Ancient Power of The Mind was part of it. Hakon seized the opportunity, rammed his blade into the Giant Blood warrior with ease, and watched his opponent try to grapple him. It looked almost like he didn't even notice the blade in his chest at first. The excitement of battle and the integrated pain resistance of his Ancient Power blocked it all out. It might even strengthen him as the warrior grew more powerful.

His muscles bulged, and he almost grabbed Hakon by the shoulders when Hakon let out a burst of [Circulation] alongside [Evasion]. I'm using too much mana, he told himself as his reserves trickled down. Thus, he twisted Crusher's bladed side and pulled downward. Hakon never intended to kill an opponent in the Battle of Generation. They needed as many warriors as possible in the upcoming cycles, but victory was more important.

"The Healer will take good care of you," Hakon muttered, falling back when the Giant Blood warrior pushed forward, roaring at the top of his lungs. He allowed the opponent to hit him once, and then a second time when the Runeskin etchings on his chest began to glow, but ended the fight by piercing the warrior's side with his flat hand–another combination of [Circulation] and [Mana Infusion].

The warrior collapsed to the ground when Hakon struck yet another weak point his other Skill discovered, yet he did not stop moving until Hakon ripped Crusher out of his chest. It was not until he hurled the warrior from the stage that the Healer rushed up to tend to him, emerald light oozing from his palms.

"That leaves two… one more warrior," Hakon muttered to himself as he turned back to the others. He licked his lower lip, seeing Astrid demolish the Giant Blood warriors. One of them was already on the ground, writhing in his own blood, while the other was being played with. Astrid was truly terrifying. She was a monster in Barbarian skin. Beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Truly mesmerizing. Hakon smiled, but it cracked as soon as he looked over to Björn and Ulfar fighting on the other side of the stage.

Remains of Björn's axes could be found all across the stage, leaving him with no more than handles to fight with. He'd released them and fought with his fists, but for every punch that hit the mark, Björn received one in return. And while Björn was one of the strongest young warriors of Tribe Taskur, Ulfar's physical attributes were much greater. Björn's chest had been caved inward, and his upper body was black and blue rather than tan.

Yet he kept smiling even when Ulfar's rapid punches broke his nose and cheekbone, which only seemed to infuriate the wielder of Behemoth Blood. Ulfar was frantic. He'd pushed Björn to the edge of the stage but didn't want him to fall down and lose. Ulfar wanted to see Björn dead and tried to grab him, but that failed several times in a row. His punches grew even more destructive.

"You did well," Hakon called out, emerging behind Ulfar with Crusher raised to strike down. Maintaining most of his Skills at the expense of his mental energy and mana, Hakon struck again. He moved fast, his weapon vibrating with tremendous force. A moment later, Crusher barreled downward, its bladed side aimed at Ulfar's neck. After tarnishing the Ancestors' sacred ritual, his blood had to be spilled. Either Hakon would do it, or the chieftain would punish him. One way or another, Ulfar was not allowed to win.

But nobody told him that. Ulfar was mid-strike when Hakon's voice rang out. He whipped around, eyes filled with wrath when they met Hakon's. His hair stood on end, which seemed to surprise Ulfar more than anyone present. Then came the scales. Scales covered his arms as he whipped them upward to block the incoming blow. Blood spilled, but it was too little. Hakon had hoped for more–maybe even to sever an arm. Instead, Crusher penetrated the scales on Ulfar's arm and slowed.

It dug only a few centimeters into Ulfar's arm before the attack came to a halt.

"Too weak," Ulfar grunted, the corner of his lip curling up into a snarl.

"Someone like you is never going to become the next chieftain!"