Chapter 25

Hakon tried to twist Crusher’s blade and pull it out, but Ulfar’s muscles went stiff as steel and held on to it. The corner of his lips curled upward as he loosened one of his arms and shot forward.

A prodding in the back of his mind warned Hakon, at the last moment. He barely managed to let go of Crusher’s flat side when Ulfar’s scaled arm shot past him.

Ulfar clicked his tongue before moving on to grab Crusher’s handle instead. His grip was iron-tight and it only grew firmer as he applied force to the Maulaxe Crusher, enough to crack the scales covering his knuckles.

But rather than breaking, Crusher prevailed. Ulfar’s smug smile cracked instead.

In the next moment, Astrid appeared beside them, her clothes drenched in blood, her body covered in cuts.

“Don’t intervene,” Ulfar growled, yanking Crusher to the side before punching Astrid. She twisted her body in ways that shouldn’t have been possible, and evaded the punch, only to leave two deep marks on his forearm in return.

Her blades flashed dangerously, which was only augmented by the crimson hue pouring out of her.

Astrid moved fast. She swirled around Ulfar like a threat, her blade thirsting for Behemoth Blood.

Blood Fury, her Ancient Power, clearly augmented her physical characteristics greatly, yet it was the way she moved that allowed the execution of movements that shouldn’t have been possible. [Flow Observation] triggered momentarily as the prodding in the back of Hakon’s mind resurfaced, and he learned something new.

Astrid’s Runeskin. He didn’t know what exactly her Runeskin did, but he knew that she had one. Hakon also noticed that her Runeskin absorbed the crimson hue around her.

As to how she acquired a Runeskin compatible with Blood Fury, he didn’t know. Symbiotic relationships between Runeskins and Ancient Powers were not unheard of, but they were rare. They were certainly not something one would find in half a fortnight, not if they weren’t blessed by the Ancestors’ fortune.

Good job. Hakon called out, even when Ulfar tore Crusher out of his arm. The mana within the weapon erupted and seemed to bother Ulfar more than Astrid’s attacks. He went so far as to hurl the Maulaxe Crusher out of the stage, nearly hitting an older Barbarian in the process, before blocking Astrid.

Her eyes narrowed at him, displeasure crossing her features. A portion of the crimson hue around her was sucked into the Runeskin concealed by the hair cascading down her back. A moment later, she accelerated. Her blades turned into a blur that promised death, her limbs twisting and turning in ways neither [Flow Observation] nor [Sensory Expansion] could fathom.

More cuts covered Ulfar’s arms and chest, but his skin was tough and his regeneration greater than the Giant Blood warrior’s. His lips curled upward once more and he attacked Astrid with a punch that cracked the air around him.

It was just that he never struck Astrid. Hakon erupted with [Dash] in the last moment and rejoined the battle. Ulfar struck Hakon’s arms instead of Astrid, and it didn’t take long before the sound of cracking bones resounded.

Hakon groaned and grimaced. Not even [Circulation] had been enough to augment his arms enough to block the impacting force. He activated [Natural Regeneration] at once and refocused on a burst of [Circulation] as he kicked out with [Weapon Mastery]’s aid.

Ulfar didn’t bother blocking Hakon’s attacks. The kick came through without issue, and it caused no damage. Ulfar just smiled and punched back.

Enhanced Comprehension helped him use and improve on [Combat Awareness] and [Flow Observation] to dictate what his opponent was going to do, but Hakon didn’t evade the attack even when he saw it coming. He used [Evasion] and twisted his body to the side, leaving Ulfar just enough space to strike his chest–barely.

It was painful, and Hakon could have sworn that something broke again, but his movement wasn’t restricted. The pain faded quickly as soothing mana swirled through his chest. Even his arms felt much better.

Feels fine to me.

It probably wasn’t fine at all, but Hakon moved onward either way. He felt for his Runeskin and nodded inwardly when everything worked as it should. Ulfar struck him twice more after that, only to grow more and more irritated. After all, his attacks weren’t aimed at Hakon. His attention lingered on Astrid now that she was the bigger threat.

As for Björn, he was forgotten until the warrior with the Bear Blessing returned. Hakon couldn’t quite tell what happened to his friend, because he was busy blocking Ulfar and enraging him, but Björn was furious. He jumped on Ulfar’s back, put him in a chokehold, and bit his ear off.

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That was Ulfar’s last straw. He threw Björn over his shoulder and onto Astrid, who nearly stabbed her friend to get to Ulfar. But she hesitated in the last moment and twisted out of Björn’s way, only to be struck by Björn’s foot. It was an accident, but it cost them dearly.

Björn crashed hard into the stone stage, his features feral, his bloodlust unlike the warrior Hakon remembered. Ulfar snarled at Björn, his eyes shifting golden and serpentine. Then came Ulfar’s bloodlust. It overwhelmed Björn’s by leagues and crushed it. Björn regained his composure, but only for a moment. In the next, Ulfar kicked his head, snapping it to the side.

A crack echoed across the stage, telling a tale yet to be told.

“Noo!!” Hakon roared aloud, leaping at Ulfar, pulling him away from Björn, unable to tell whether his friend was unconscious or dead.

The next few heartbeats were a sprawling mess. Hakon kicked and punched Ulfar, who returned the violence in kind. Bones cracked and shattered, and it didn’t take long to understand whose bones suffered the most.

Hakon’s. He was the only one suffering. Ulfar kicked him off his chest after landing enough blows to render most young warriors unable to keep fighting.