If only I could carry this all back…
As I continued deeper into the center of the Northern Forests, I left behind me a trail of monster corpses. Hobgoblins trying to ambush me were easily dispensed in a matter of seconds thanks to barrages of [Stone Javelin]. Firebears seeking to incinerate me, dealt with ice magic. Direwolves capable of earth-shattering howls, sliced by the wind.
Shame, really. They make for valuable monster parts. Really wished I was capable of aether magic so I could store them in a conjured pocket space or something of the like.
Now properly in the inner parts of the Northern Forests, around me were large ancient trees, their age obvious in their sprawling roots and twisted branches. Still hanging in the air was that black fog — miasma — though thicker than in the forests’ outskirts. Ever since I wandered into these forests, I found myself confused about the presence of miasma.
Maybe I just don’t have all my memories, but why is there so much miasma here? I don’t remember any great battles taking place here. Maybe it spreads over time? Or maybe something happened after my death?
I focused mana into the mystic eye given to me by Arnulf, lending me the ability of magic perception once more. I had gotten the hang of using it two days after receiving it. The principle behind it was simple: the mystic eye had a direct channel to my mana reservoir, and by controlling the flow of mana through this channel much like one controls the output of mana for spells, one could empower the mystic eye by will. Arnulf had apparently lost control of it in the later years of his life, unfortunately.
Looking forwards, I sensed my goal. There deeper within was my soul fragment. Now that I was this close, it was certain: a monster possessed my soul fragment.
Maybe the monster is the cause of this miasma in these forests… If that really is the case, then my reincarnation spell has really, truly botched things up.
Suddenly, rumbling from beneath the ground shook the earth.
Another Lindwyrm, huh?
Leaping sideways, I avoided the incoming gigantic serpent that emerged from the ground that I had just been standing on. Crawling up from underground with its four front legs, its spiked head gazed at me before hissing. Then it lunged, its mouth wide open.
I’m sorry for this, little worm…
This was the perfect opportunity to test a new experimental spell of mine.
Spell Fusion (Creation):
“[Stone Javelin] + [Explosion] —> [Earthen Bomb]”
———————————————————————————————
Conditional activation:
If {
Sudden deceleration of [Stone Javelin];
or
By the will of the caster via mana impulse }
then { Activation of [Explosion] }
———————————————————————————————
While experimenting with magic over this past year alongside my training under Arnulf, I learned the technique of conditional activation of spells. By manifesting what is essentially a logical switch out of mana in addition to the spell, one can impose a condition of activation for it. The technique was mentioned in passing in my mother's human magic textbooks, and it is often used in magic circles inscribed to activate pre-determined spells, but it's rarely used when directly casting magic. My first success was with a [Freeze] spell activating for a glass of water if and only if someone touched the water. In hindsight, it made for quite the prank.
Casting my new spell, a jagged stone javelin formed in front of me and fired off into the Lindwyrm’s mouth. Making contact with the inside of its mouth, the javelin exploded into many tiny pieces of high-velocity, molten rock, tearing up its insides. The explosion was projected forwards to prevent collateral damage to me.
The Lindwyrm started trashing around in panic, coughing up blood, before curling inwards, swallowing its own tail to form a wheel with its own body, and then rolling away to retreat.
Probably should not let that thing get away. Sorry again, little worm!
“[Earth Wall]”
The rolling Lindwyrm collided with a high wall of earth that now blocked its path. Two more earthen walls formed on its two sides.
I dashed forwards, unsheathing my sword, and swiftly made my way beside the Lindwyrm. I sunk my blade deep into its head, killing it. The rolled-up serpent fell against one of the earthen walls.
While I’d like to descale the whole Lindwyrm, I don’t know if now’s the time nor would I like to lug it all around. I will take its fangs though.
I pulled away the snake’s tail end from its mouth, revealing its four sharp fangs, which I promptly cut off, retrieved, and stashed away into my pack. Having finished, I disintegrated the earthen walls and continued on my way.
After many minutes of uninterrupted walking, an unexpected smell drifted its way toward me.
Smoke? Why would there be a fire deep in here?
My relaxed walking turned to hurried running, weaving through the trees. Old forests gave way to a burned-down clearing, the ground covered in soot, some trees still alight with fire.
There in the midst of this scene stood a large ape-like creature, standing three meters high on his two legs. His muscular, hairy arms carried two large swords and his crimson eyes were prominent on his almost human-like face. Surrounding him was a thick aura of miasma. He was facing an injured gryphon, whose wings and body were bloodied and burned.
That ape has a mana reservoir — and I can tell, it’s much like a demon’s… This is what has my soul fragment then.
The demonic ape turned to me with interest and its eyes widened.
“Ho…hohohoho…ho! You! Siegfried!” The ape spoke in Avestic and brandished his swords. “Hohohohohoho!”
Suddenly, he jumped high into the sky. Rolling sideways, I avoided its earth-shattering attack.
“[Earthen Bomb]”
I fired off four of my earthen bombs, but the ape sliced through all of them and deflected the largest of the fragments that exploded from them, leaving him mostly unharmed. Meanwhile, I lunged forwards to cut him down, but he blocked me with his right sword while moving to attack me with his left.
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
Bending backward I avoided the attack from his left sword but by then, his right sword was already back in motion to attack me again. I positioned my sword in front of me, posing to deflect the incoming attack.
The ape’s sword slid off mine, the attack landing on the ground. His sword sunk into the ground with a crash, raising dust in the air.
“[Gust]”
Casting a spell to direct winds toward the ape, his surprised face scrunched as dust got in his eyes.
And, now.
Circulating mana into both my arms and sword, I launched a quick but deadly attack on the ape. In an instant, my sword moved to create two deep gashes across the creature’s chest. I poised myself to launch one final thrust to end the battle, but the enraged ape suddenly hopped to give me a dropkick.
Trying to block the attack with my magically strengthened left arm, the impact sent me sliding back a few meters as I dug in my heels and lowered myself to prevent from falling over. My left arm hung limply to my side, racked with dull pain, with attempts to move it causing even more pain.
Shit, this thing’s insanely strong. Is my left arm broken?
“Ho! Hoho! Gyaagh!”
The ape stomped and grunted in place, angered by the injury I had given him. He swung his swords wildly in the air, creating waves of flame around him. Opening his mouth, he blew a breath of intense red flames directed at his surroundings, lighting the surviving trees around on fire.
Then, as if the display of flames was to ready himself, he suddenly lurched forwards to continue attacking me. His movements had become wilder, swinging his two swords non-stop. He was using magic enhancement, circulating mana from his reservoir into his strikes to raise their power. But, unfortunately for this creature, that made him an easier enemy for me.
With the mystic eye combined with my estimations of his strength from earlier, I could guess the strength and speed of his incoming attacks. And his animalistic, but predictable movements made this situation the perfect chance to test out a technique Arnulf had taught me.
***
“The Uralten style of swordsmanship stands quite opposite to the Avestic style used by you demons. It is a patient style, one of reading the flow of battle and using it to your own advantage, one based on counterattacking when the time is ripe. Perhaps the philosophy of this style is the reason why we Uraltens have been around for so damned long on this continent without dying out.
“A signature technique is the
***
In an instant, the ape’s right sword was deflected away harmlessly by my sword, which continued moving into a smooth slash down across the ape’s right arm, cleaving through the tendons within.
Never still, my sword continued moving to deflect the incoming thrust from the ape’s left sword. My blade nudged the thrusting sword sideways, just enough to miss me, before its trajectory curved and flowed like a river, cutting away two fingers from the ape’s left hand.
“Uhooooh! Gggaahhh! Siegfried!” The ape howled before jerking his two arms to attack with his two swords at once.
I see. 82.4% of his full strength with his left and 98.9% with his right. Sideways with the left first by a few milliseconds before downwards with the right.
I held my sword upside down, with the blade facing downwards. It made a motion like the rising and setting sun, deflecting the ape’s left sword coming in from the side before rising to deflect the ape’s right sword from upwards. Reaching its peak, my sword began setting, defense flowing to attack. With one motion, supported by the abundant mana from my reservoir, it cut through both of the ape’s arms.
Disarmed and in disbelief, the ape jumped backward and started causing a storm of flames, as if infuriated that he could lose.
Not on my watch.
Spell Fusion (Creation):
“[Freeze] + [Tailwind] + [Heat] —> [Ice Dash]”
Forming a thin layer of ice on my boots, I dashed forwards frictionlessly while aided by a tailwind to move even faster. As I dashed and passed by the ape, I swung my sword in a wide arc, cutting the ape in two. Applying heat to the ice at my feet, I decelerated and came to a stop.
Now dead, the flames surrounding the ape had stopped. The glow of his crimson eyes weakened and the pieces of his body fell to the ground. Walking forwards and laying a hand on his bloodied face, a familiar burning sensation ran through me.
***
“Watch, hero Siegfried. This is your fate for your supposed heroic acts.”
In my hand was the back of the Norlaender hero’s neck, Siegfried. In front of us was the burning city of Friedenheim, victim to rampaging demons, who were slaughtering its inhabitants indiscriminately.
“Verfluchter Teufel. Gott ist immer mit uns…”
“Cease your words, hero.”
Flying into the sky with my black wings, we flew closer to the scene of brutality that was taking place within the city. Bloody corpses littered the streets, crying children forcibly silenced by blades, and homes pillaged and burned down.
“This isn’t enough. The lives of all your people are worth nothing compared to a drop of Shara’s blood.”
“Hehe… he…” Suddenly, the beaten hero laughed to himself. “Sie werden alles… ganz alles bedauern. Jetzt sind alle Menschen Ihr Feind… Hehehe!”
I loosened my grip on the hero Siegfried, and his body fell to the ground like a doll. I shot a ball of black flame, which consumed his limp body.
“Tch.” I wasn’t satisfied. This wasn’t enough. I couldn’t turn back now.
***
“Yeesh, how ominous. Not my best moment,” I instinctively said as the memory played itself in my head. More and more memories began to fill my head. I had a better picture of my previous life now.
It’s as if this thing here carried a part of my grudge against the Norlaenders. Yep, a raging ape is a bit too on the nose with how I was.
I felt a drop of hatred implanted into me. Part of me sought to re-spark the grudge against the Norlaenders, but I resisted. For one, I had repaid their acts many times over. I’ve had enough of seeking senseless vengeance against those who had nothing to do with it.
As the ape’s soul fragment united with me, I suddenly remembered something. The experience and knowledge of how to fly with my black wings returned to me. I materialized and extended my black wings and ascended into the sky.
“Yahooo!”
The exhilarating sensation of flying couldn’t help but make me smile. Around me endlessly stretched the countless trees of the Northern Forests. Realizing that the forests just under me were still burning down, I pointed my left hand outwards.
“[Blizzard]”
A gentle snowstorm put down the flames.
Descending back, I remembered the injured gryphon. It was still limp on the ground, breathing heavily.
A gryphon, huh? So the Gryphon of the Northern Forests truly existed.
“
“No, please don’t thank me. It was my fault that thing was here in the first place.” I laid a hand on its body as it tilted its head in confusion at my statement.
“Gather o benevolent spirits to mend wounds — [Heal]”
I had to use incantations to use healing magic, as I never got the hang of chantless healing for some reason. Perhaps it was telling of who I was, someone whose talent lay in destruction, for better or worse.
The gryphon’s wounds closed and its breathing lightened. It stared at me, its beak slightly agape.
“
“Don’t worry, Lord Gryphon. It’s truly no big deal.”
“
"Thank you, Lord Gryphon."
The gryphon plucked a feather from itself and gave it to me. In my hands, it seemed radiant.
“I call upon the benevolent spirits to mend my own wounds — [Self Heal]”
I chanted an incantation to heal my broken left arm, most of the dull pain fading away. Tired as well, I stopped the snowstorm I had cast and made camp by the sleeping gryphon. Conjuring a fire next to me and setting my bedding, my fatigued body easily drifted into sleep.
***
“Good morning, demon boy. You wouldn’t happen to have food on you, would you?”
In front of me, where the gryphon was sleeping from the day before, was an unclothed girl with a lion's tail.