Chapter 135 Sowilo and Isa [2]
"Is this all we need?"
Within the hotel room that I booked for the next ten days, I spoke as I looked down at all the items spread on the main hall floor.
The background had echo's soft song playing as I sat down with my back against the sofa.
In the room adjacent to the hallway, Willis was sleeping peacefully, as I didn't want him to disturb me or even see my condition.
[I think so.]
El replied in my head as I looked at the items, then glanced up at the whiteboard with a diagram of a human body, highlighting certain parts.
"So I only need to write the name on those parts, right?" I mumbled, looking at the highlighted sections.
[Yes, just like when you engraved the runes into your bones, you don't have to write them on both sides; you need to do the same here as well.]
"I see." I stroked my chin, my mind thinking of different ways to reduce the pain that would soon follow.
[Don't worry about the pain. Last time, you didn't take painkillers to make sure you didn't make any mistakes.]
"Yeah, and I call that stupidity." I grumbled, standing up and walking toward the board. "By the way, I was thinking of adding something with the runes."
[And what is that?]
"Neplh and Muspelh." I replied, taking out a black marker.
[Are you an idiot?]
"No, hear me out first." I whispered, my lips curling up in a soft smile.
With the marker, I made both the symbol of Sowilo and Isa before walking back.
"Now tell me, what does Sowilo do?"
[...It burns and destroys whatever it's engraved into.]
"Exactly, it burns and destroys." I mumbled as I wrote that on the board.
"Now what does Isa do then?"
[...It freezes and breaks.]
Nodding, I wrote that down as well, his tone turning thoughtful now.
"And you already know what Neplh and Muspelh do, right?" I asked, taking a step back from the board. "The exact same thing but on a more basic level."
From what I understood about my powers, Neplh and Muspelh are like origin ice and fire—the first things that came or were created in this world before any race was born.
A power I have very little knowledge of.
"Both of them nourish the world tree, El, and the Yggdrasil is one of the sturdiest materials in this entire world."
Pacing within the hallway, I explained, the gears of my mind kept on running. "Think about it, the same thing nourishing my body."
[Think practically, Az. Your body and the body of Yggdrasil are completely different things. One wrong move and you will die.]
"No, I am the one with whom they have bonded, El. Neplh and Muspelh can't kill me."
Shaking my head, I replied as I sat down again. "And I am not going to blindly follow my plan. I need to confirm that I will be safe first."
[Fine, but what is wrong with just engraving Sowilo and Isa?]
I remained silent for a moment, the genocide I caused in the game flashing in my mind, making me uncomfortable.
But I shook my head as I replied, "In the game, when I was at my prime, I had the power of a peak Overlord. But because of these runes, I could physically hold my ground against the Eternals."
They work in a cycle of destroying and healing.
If I use it the same way for Muspelh and Neplh, my body won't have enough time to recover from the damage.
"So you are saying I have to willingly use those two runes?" I frowned as I asked, "Let them burn and freeze my muscles before letting them heal naturally?"
[That's the only way I can think of.]
"Hmm, but won't it take too much time?" I asked again as I picked up the pen with a thin sharp needle. "And do I have to do it willingly?"
[Don't worry. As your muscles become sturdier, it will take less time for them to heal, and I am sure after some time your body will instinctively learn to do that.]
"I see." I mumbled, looking at the whiteboard. "So we need to change that again, right?"
[Yeah.]
"Sigh."
I sighed, getting up and rubbing the already made diagram before making another one.
"I have a question, El." I mumbled, running my hand on the board.
[What?]
"Why don't you want me to kill an angel?" I asked, making a new diagram.
[.... It's a taboo, Az. You can't face the consequences for it, and your mother should know that as well.]
"Then what are the consequences?" I pressed further, tapping my fingers on the board.
[...I can't say that. The one who kills can't reveal the consequences.]
"I see." I mumbled, silently continuing the diagram.
It took me half an hour to finish the revised version as I took my shirt off.
My body, which was much skinnier, now had toned muscles and even a faint mark of six-pack abs.
But still, most of my body was covered with gruesome marks of burns and cuts all over the place.
I twisted my head slightly, looking at my back's reflection in the glass window that had a deep cut.
'That reminds me, I need an excuse for confessing to Ashlyn as well.'
"Another question, El." I mumbled, my gaze lowered between my legs. "What if I engraved the runes on my dic—."
[Are you fucking serious?]
"Think about it." Grinning, I replied as I sat down. "If it becomes as strong as a branch of Yggdrasil, I can use it as a hidden weapon."
[That's gross.]
"But practical."
[You want to kill your partner or what?]
"Right." I mumbled, nodding my head, feeling a bit lighthearted.
[Either way, when your body gets sturdier, the blood flow will also increase, which will be more than—why am I bothering to explain this?]
I chuckled, slitting my wrist and mixing it with the liquid mana.
I grabbed a handful of recovery herbs, munching on them with some painkillers.
Filling the blood-mana in the pen, I brought it toward my leg.
"Arghh..."
I pressed my lips together as the needle sank deep into my calf, and the burning pain engulfed my mind.