Chapter 168: Avatar of Five Grains, Elizabeth (1)

I shared what we learned with Gayeon on behalf of the shy Seina.“Avatar? Blood Arts? Hmm.”

“Difficult, right?”

“It’s a bit… trying to learn new things at this age.”

“What are you talking about? You were the one who taught me about the flow of mana as soon as we came to this world.”

“It’s complicated. I understand that you become stronger when you summon an Avatar, but isn’t it like borrowing power from an evil spirit?”

We looked at Seina.

Seina still seemed to be uncomfortable around Gayeon.

“I want to ask a lot of things, but the Blood Arts teacher is nervous.”

“Then let’s ease her tension, how about a mock battle?”

Would a mock battle even be possible with her being so shy?

Seina nodded and said,

“That’s a good idea.”

“Alright. After a fight, you’ll naturally relax.”

“…Should we escape outside the castle?”

“That might be better….”

Cecil trembled.

Both of us had witnessed what happened when Gayeon went all out.

Moreover, her opponent is the Princess….

Even the Sword Saint’s training ground wouldn’t be safe.

“Don’t worry. Who would go all out in a mock battle?”

“You saying that while being so excited makes it less convincing!”

“Seina, take your weapon.”

Gayeon grabbed a real sword hanging on the wall.

Oh my god, there are wooden swords right next to it!

Is she planning to destroy this place?

“I’ve heard from Kangseol that she’s very strong, so I wanted to clash with her.”

“If it’s against a collapser, it might be difficult to control my strength.”

“Controlling strength?”

How did the atmosphere become like this?

Cecil and I went to a corner, huddled together, and trembled.

“Attack me with the intention to kill. That’s the only way we can have a proper clash!”

“Then, let’s combine it with a lesson.”

“You’re planning to bring out that Avatar, right? In actual combat…!”

Gayeon disappeared!

She’s planning to finish the fight before the Avatar appears.

Gayeon’s judgment was strategically sound, and Seina was caught off guard from behind.

But Master, isn’t that a bit unfair against a mage?

That thought was fleeting….

A shadow spread beneath Gayeon’s feet, swallowing her lower body up to her thighs!

“Ugh!”

Gayeon, her movement disrupted, naturally failed her attack, but she quickly regained her balance and escaped.

Is that the legendary Sky Walk?

The Princess creating a black hole on the floor is monstrous, but Gayeon’s reflexes to counter it are also unbelievable.

“I’ll ask just one thing.”

Gayeon’s voice was sharp.

“If you were trying to kill me just now, could you have done it?”

“Yes.”

“…I apologize for attacking with a shallow trick.”

Seina looked back at me as if she remembered something.

“This is Blood Arts, Sir Geum Taeyang.”

“You were teaching during the fight?!”

“Blood Arts is magic that maximizes the properties of a living being’s blood, created by my mother.”

“Ah….”

Gayeon also put down her sword and listened attentively during the lesson.

“Therefore, any beast with blood can use Blood Arts if they know the method. Even if the effect is minimal….”

Cecil blinked.

“Oppa, the teacher suddenly became fluent!” S~eaʀᴄh the novelF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“You’re right… Noona was right.”

Fighting eases tension.

Seina, now in her element, continued the lesson smoothly.

“For example, if the innate property of your blood is deceleration, you can use Blood Arts to slow down your opponent’s feet or hold them in place.”

“What’s Seina’s property?”

“Darkness, Predation….”

Sounds fucking strong….

Aren’t both of those properties something only a final boss would have?

Gayeon smiled cheerfully.

“No wonder it felt like I was entering a monster’s mouth!”

Crackle!

Electricity surged through Gayeon’s sword!

“Eek, Oppa!”

Cecil clung to me.

Her fur standing on end shows how scared she really is.

Gayeon’s mana flow….

It’s changed to a swirling pattern, she’s getting serious.

Seina also entered a combat stance, summoning her Avatar.

“Blood Arts advances to the next level through Proof of Existence. When you summon an Avatar… your physical abilities are enhanced, and your Blood Arts are maximized!”

“Haah!”

Flash!

Gayeon swung a lightning bolt.

Tremendous pressure and a roaring sound swept through the training ground. She controlled it so we wouldn’t get caught up, but it was a concentrated attack on the Princess with that much power.

It felt like she swung it with the intention to kill, but Seina spread a mysterious dark substance in front of her and absorbed everything.

And then…!

The energy Seina swallowed swelled up inside and returned to Gayeon!

Gayeon didn’t panic and charged into Seina’s embrace.

It sounds simple, but charging into Seina’s embrace in a training ground where hundreds of lightning bolts were discharging, creating a lightning storm, wasn’t a feat a human could achieve.

“Try and block this!”

Gayeon’s body seemed to split into dozens.

A barrage of continuous attacks like a downpour, accompanied by countless afterimages, slashing through the training ground, but the Princess didn’t even flinch.

She drew a long scythe from the air and parried everything. The resulting metallic sounds hit my body like explosions.

How is this a mock battle?!

“Excellent! To meet someone who has reached such a level!”

Seina swallowed herself with the Predation domain and appeared behind Gayeon, striking her waist with the scythe.

“Ugh!”

Gayeon, sent flying, regained her balance in midair and dashed out faster than lightning, clashing with Seina.

Seina is calm….

She said she doesn’t fight in close combat, but Seina had already mastered it.

She has no weaknesses! Just watching the movement of that mystical scythe mesmerizes me.

“Even if it increases dozens of times, not all Avatars are like that. Avatars have different characteristics depending on the properties of the blood.”

“….”

“You’re chattering quite a bit. Is it that easy to parry my sword?!”

Gayeon, realizing she was being pushed back, channeled her power into her sword and pressed Seina!

“And, the final stage of Blood Arts….”

Seina, seemingly ready to end it, spun her scythe around and then straightened her posture.

“Extreme blood art, which only can be used for those of the Blood Clan.”

Seina’s energy is swelling up…!

Gayeon couldn’t stop her already initiated attack and was sucked in.

Then, the darkness that emanated from Seina’s body swallowed everything.

What is this?

I can’t see anything.

I can’t feel anything either….

Three seconds, which felt like an eternity, passed, and the darkness cleared.

“It’s Aura.”

Gayeon lowered her sword, drenched in cold sweat, as if she had lost her will to fight.

“What you just did….”

“I can carry Blood Arts as an Aura.”

Then….

Since Seina’s abilities are Darkness and Predation….

Isn’t she practically invincible, both offensively and defensively?

From this point on, even when Gayeon swung her sword, Seina remained still.

Not only did the sword pass through her body, but it also disappeared as if it had melted after being hit by an acidic solution.

…This world is shameless.

How can you beat someone who uses that as a palace?

Gayeon clenched her eyes shut in frustration, her shoulders trembling, then gradually calmed down.

“…Our Imperial Guard, They met such a strong warrior they never ever dreamt of and perish.”

So she was getting emotional in the middle of the fight….

It seemed like Gayeon was remembering her deceased comrades.

Her opponent is the Princess of the Blood Clan, renowned as the strongest….

Seeing how she effortlessly parried all of Gayeon’s moves without breaking a sweat, it didn’t seem like she would be fazed even in a serious fight.

Invincible…!

Seina was an invincible Blood Arts mage.

The Grim Reaper who executes otherworlders who come with cheat abilities.

Even if I were a collapser, I couldn’t imagine a scenario where I could defeat Seina.

Isn’t that Blood Art a devastating one that has been honed for a thousand years?

It seemed like she had hundreds of variations.

“This is how you greet someone in this world, right?”

Gayeon offered her hand to Seina.

“I lost, Seina.”

“….”

Seina checked her own palm and carefully grasped Gayeon’s hand.

Maybe her shyness has eased a bit?

“Thank you.”

“If you’re okay with it, I’ll help train these two as well.”

“Alright.”

What?

The Sword Empress and the Princess forming an alliance?

Cecil seemed a bit intimidated.

“Shouldn’t Noona learn from Seina too? You’ll become stronger if you can summon an Avatar.”

“No, I can’t.”

Perhaps she felt something during the fight, but Gayeon was skeptical about learning Blood Arts.

“The Blood Arts that Seina talks about is magic perfectly tailored to this world’s environment, where mana is abundant in the atmosphere.

Since I’ve mastered a field in a place without mana, forcibly learning it would disrupt the flow within my body.”

Hmm….

In gaming terms, is it like a situation where you’ve already invested a lot of skill points and don’t have any left?

“On the other hand, you two are like blank canvases. You can develop quickly.”

“Hmm….”

Can I also do something similar to that domain expansion with Elizabeth?

It feels like there’s a long way to go.

Because I still don’t even know what her ability is.

“Should we continue training?”

“It would be good to figure out your blood properties first. That way, you’ll know what kind of Blood Arts you can handle….”

Cecil and I stared blankly at Seina.

“…Sir Geum Taeyang?”

“Why are you suddenly so articulated? I’m not used to that’.”

“…Ugh.”

Seina shrinks back.

“You can’t do that, Oppa. The teacher heart is delicate!”

“Alright. Let’s all work hard together. Seina, what are our properties?”

“Teacher, please teach us.”

“Ugh….”

We circled around Seina, pressuring her.

“You guys, if you’re asking for teachings, be polite!”

Gayeon scolded us sternly.

“Then… please show me your blood, Sir Geum Taeyang.”

“Ugh.”

Blood, huh….

I calmed myself down, recalling the few times I’ve donated blood.

I can show you some blood.

“Should I ask Peridot to draw some?”

“Freshly drawn, warm blood is better.”

“…….”

It can’t be helped….

I drew Dawn Moon.

And I pricked the tip of my thumb to draw blood.

Cecil also received Seina’s assessment in the same way.

“Lady Cecilia is… Wind.”

“Wow! Wind!”

“It’s totally gukbap.” [TL Note : Gukbap is a Korean soup dish known for being reliable comfort food. In this case, it’s a Korean slang expression to describe something that is reliable]

I expressed reliability as gukbap, but both of them looked puzzled, not understand what it means.

Her Majesty would have understood!

Sigh.

“Lady Cecilia’s Avatar is likely to be Enhancement type.”

“Then what’s good about it, Teacher!?”

“As I mentioned earlier, Enhancement type greatly strengthens physical abilities.”

“What about me?”

“Sir Geum Taeyang is….”

Thump-thump.

What’s my blood property?

“I’m not sure because it’s a type I’ve never seen before.”

Huh?

The Princess of the Blood Clan doesn’t know my Blood Art?

That fact felt very strange.

Is that why my assessment wasn’t clear when I was first captured?

A power that defies providence….

If that’s related to Elizabeth, it means my power was bestowed upon me when I crossed the gate.

Or….

“Even if it’s not good, I’ll accept it, so tell me honestly.”

Seina shook her head.

“I’ve never seen it before.”

“Oppa’s ability isn’t gukbap, I guess.”

Hey, you little….

You’re already understanding and using the word gukbap?

“If it’s a trivial ability, Cecil will carry you.”

“Yeah sure!”

Then….

To summarize the facts revealed so far, even Seina doesn’t know my ability.

Everyone has a unique property in their blood, and Blood Arts is a field of magic that maximizes this property.

Summoning an Avatar allows you to maximize Blood Arts.

The Blood Clan can handle… Extreme Blood Arts, Aura.

I don’t know the details, but I hope it’s something like domain expansion or Bankai.

“It can’t be a trivial ability.”

“Huh?”

I was surprised by Seina’s serious tone.

“Mother must have seen it. Sir Geum Taeyang’s ability….”

“Huh?”

“H… Her Majesty, since she created Blood Arts, she can see the potential of others to some extent.”

My potential?

What did Sihyeon see in me?

It’s strange when you think about it. The Blood Clan’s duty is to increase their numbers, but I….

A man who can’t increase the Blood Clan.

Then what does it mean that I was able to become part of the Blood Clan?

If it wasn’t just because I’m from the same country, Korea, and there was some meaning to it….

I need to find out.

What my ability is.

And here, I decided to boldly reveal everything.

“I hear voices in my head.”

“Voices…?”

Seina tilted her head.

“It’s like a revelation. When the time is right, I hear auditory hallucinations in my own voice, and if I follow them… things happen as if I knew they would.”

“Interesting. Is it a type of prophecy?”

Gayeon joined the conversation, seemingly intrigued.

“Oppa, can you see the future?”

“No, I just hear it.”

“You must be possessed by an evil spirit.”

“…Avatars are not evil spirits. They are your own mental body.”

Seina corrected Gayeon’s misunderstanding and said,

“Blood Arts mages with special powers like prophecy are highly valued. If you awaken to the power of prophecy, please contribute to the Empire.”

“If I don’t contribute, Seina will arrest me, right?”

Seina gave a meaningful smile.

She’s not denying it…. Scary.

“Sir Geum Taeyang seems to be a collapser…. Since Her Majesty has decided to observe you, you must have some special power.”

“Why did I summon my Avatar without going through the Proof of Existence process?”

“I think it’s because you already have… a strong ego.”

“A strong ego?”

Destiny?

“Proof of Existence is strongly recognizing your own existence, your will to live.”

Gayeon summarized the difficult explanation from the side.

“So it means you have to gain enlightenment in your own way.”

“Enlightenment….”

“Hehe, even if the worlds are different, the truth is the same. To become stronger, you need to gain enlightenment.”

“….”

When did I become enlightened?

I just thought Elizabeth was with me….

“First, I’ll teach Lady Cecilia the basics of Blood Arts.

Then let’s practice summoning Avatars.”

“Yes! Teacher!”

“And, Sir Geum Taeyang….”

“We need to figure out your blood property, right?”

“Yes, to move on to the next stage, we must know.”

“I’ll try to figure it out.”

It’s always been a question.

My destiny’s guide, the monologue.

The one who silently helped and supported me when I was alone in this world….

Elizabeth.

Now she has even appeared as an Avatar….

But I don’t know anything.

Geum Taeyang doesn’t know anything.

Wah!

Teach me!

Naturally, there was no answer.

There has never been a proper conversation.

The monologue just echoes in my head, and even when it seems like a conversation, it’s just a soliloquy.

Because Elizabeth is just a rice sack for doggy style practice, to which I gave a name while imagining a platinum blonde beauty I drew.

It’s only natural that she can’t answer.

Elizabeth seems to want doggy style.

!!!

Elizabeth… is that you…?

No, that can’t be….

It’s just my ego-stirring, talking to myself….