Chapter 129 - The Third Stigma

"But specifically, how do I release you?"

I was more than willing to set Harp, the Wind Spirit, free, but I wasn't entirely sure of the logistics. Should I just smash the capsule? Or should I rip out the countless iron pipes connected to it to stop whatever energy was feeding the seal?

It matters not. Though this device was made by pooling human ingenuity to oppose a Spirit, it is ultimately a house of cards built on strain. A single crack is all I need to force my way out with my own power. You only need to provide the catalyst.

Fair enough. I’ll go with the simplest method: breaking the glass.

I raised my pole and... one, two...

"Wait, hold on! You can't just break a high-level artifact designed to imprison a Spirit so casually—!"

Crr-ack!

With the satisfying sound of shattering glass, a terrifying wall of air pressure slammed into my entire body.

WHOOOOSH!

"Gwaaaaahhh!!"

An explosion?! High-velocity, super-compressed air was erupting from the broken capsule!

I see! The physical body of the Wind Spirit had been sealed inside! The incarnation of nature itself... it was as if the entire atmosphere of the world had been stuffed into that tiny cylinder. When the seal broke, the extreme compression was unleashed, triggering an instantaneous, violent expansion.

It was exactly like a massive explosion! And I, standing at ground zero, was taking the full brunt of it!

◆

"...That was a close call, wasn't it?"

When I came to, Tamagushi was standing in front of me.

Her appearance had changed. The princess-like dress was gone, replaced by glowing, polished armor that made her look like a valkyrie. It wasn't full-body plate armor; it had those fantasy cut-outs at the chest and stomach—the kind of "fan-service" armor that gives boys dreams.

[Brunhild’s Nightgown]. It’s a skill tied to my 'Divine Calling.' It raises my defense and projects a barrier to protect those around me."

"So you protected me? Thanks, you're a lifesaver!"

"You are truly reckless! You would have died if I hadn't stepped in. Or did you have some skill of your own to survive that?"

Honestly, no. None of my current skills could have handled that raw blast. I was lucky she was here.

"Wait, you Spirit bastard! You knew I’d get caught in the blast and you let me break it anyway?! What kind of guy are you?!"

I figured someone like you would find a way to pull through, a voice drifted down from the sky.

I looked up to see a vast, yet humanoid silhouette floating in the air. The translucent spiritual body was the green of fresh leaves, and a refreshing whirlwind swirled around it.

"Ah... the wind...?"

The wind had returned. The stillness caused by the Third Prince’s selfish ambitions had been broken by the Spirit's release.

Humans favored by Spirits are born with the disposition of heroes. Such people do not die petty deaths. Miracles and coincidences always manifest to guard their fate.

"Don't give me that 'destiny' crap...!"

So the fact that Tamagushi happened to be nearby with a defensive skill was just "fate"? Don't just make up excuses because I survived!

Even if the maiden hadn't been in time, you would have been fine as long as you held Blast-Hole’s blessing. Those who possess the protection of the Earth gain the sturdiness of stone.

Seriously?

I took a look at our surroundings.

...I could see the sky.

Apparently, the underground mausoleum had collapsed and been buried by the force of the explosion. We were standing atop the rubble. The air that had been building up for months must have acted like a bullet in a gun barrel, erupting in a single direction from the bottom of the pit to the surface.

As a result, the Niosebuk Royal Castle appeared to have been completely leveled.

"Gah...?! Cough... What in the world happened?!"

A massive man crawled out from under the debris. The Third Prince, Gangastra. As expected of the man who calls himself the strongest, he didn't die just because a castle fell on him. Tsk.

"My... my palace... the throne I was to claim... What?! The Spirit?! How did you escape?!"

These people helped me. It seems there are still humans with hearts.

"What?!"

The Prince's glaring eyes locked onto us. I didn't have the time to thrust into Tamagushi's canal, so I couldn't hide. My form was fully exposed to the enemy.

"...Tamagushi! WAS THIS YOUR DOING?!"

However, the Prince’s rage was directed almost entirely at one person.

"You claimed you had no interest in the throne! And yet you interfere with me in this way! You VIXEN!!"

"Do not misunderstand," Tamagushi replied with utter calm. The erotic armor had vanished, and she was back in her dress. "It is true that I do not desire the throne. But that does not mean I will stand by and watch your madness continue."

She spoke with unshakable dignity.

"Gangastra. You do not have the caliber of a King. Our father was the same... but I cannot overlook a man who takes the throne only to ruin the land and plague other nations. I will not allow it."

"A mere woman dare speak such impudence!"

"Therefore, I stand with this man. Gangastra... Sir Sao shall be the one to punish you. Before the true King, count your sins."

Damn, she really went for the cool catchphrase. I felt like I was starting to see her true identity and motives, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. The situation was getting crowded.

Well, now that I am free, I shall take my leave. The wind is the wind because it never stays in one place.

"Wait! Give your crest to me!! I will not permit you to escape without doing so!!"

The Prince was still obsessed with the Spirit’s Stigma. Even as Harp was free and unburdened, he desperately tried to chase after him.

Oh, that is right. I suppose I shall grant it, then.

"What?"

You helped me, and I did technically put you in danger. As both a thanks and an apology, I must give you a reward.

Oh? Oooooh?! An emerald light erupted from my chest!

The swirling gales tore my shirt to pieces, exposing my upper body. How embarrassing. A crest was engraved into my skin by the verdant spiritual wind.

This is the proof of one recognized by the Spirit Harp... the [Air Stigma],  He who bears this Stigma shall receive the protection of the wind, running faster than any other and even dancing through the heavens.

"Impossible! The one you should be granting the Stigma to is not him! It is ME! Engrave it on me! Do not mistake who you serve!"

The wind serves no master. And who would recognize a man who tries to imprison them by force? You should try relearning your common sense.

With that, the Spirit’s body grew faint, like smoke blown away by the breeze. As he said, the wind doesn't stay in one place. Its imprisonment was the anomaly.

Now that I am free, the wind shall return to this land. The stagnation shall be washed away, and the natural cycle of life shall return. If you have the will, rule wisely with human intellect and let prosperity reign.

"WAIT! GIVE ME THE STIGMA! DO NOT DEFY MEEEEEE!"

Farewell.

Ignoring the Prince’s screams entirely, the Spirit vanished as if the man had never even existed.

We were left behind. Even though we were outdoors and the wind had returned, it felt hot. It was the heat of the Third Prince's incinerating rage.

"Gah... ugh... GWAHHHHH!!"

With a roar, he began punching the surrounding rubble, smashing it into fine powder. A temper tantrum. He was rampaging like a child who had been denied a toy.

"WHY?! WHY DOES NOTHING GO RIGHT?! I am the King! The King of the strongest nation, Niosebuk! Everything should go exactly as I desire!! GWAHHHH!"

"Well, technically, you aren't the King yet, are you?"

He was just a candidate. I couldn't help but interject, and the Third Prince whipped around to glare at me with the eyes of a demon.

"That's right... Why does a piece of trash like you receive the Spirit's Stigma? It's absurd! You shall be judged for the crime of interfering with me!!"

"If I successfully interfered with you, I'm honored."

"In that case, I'll just kill you and take the Stigma from you! Yes, that's it! If I do that, everything will be back on schedule!!"

That’s not how the system works.

What was with this obsession with the Stigma? He shook his massive, annoying frame and charged at me.

"No! Sir Sao, get away! It’s [Molecular Decay]!"

"Tamagushi, you are just as guilty! Both of you, return to dust!!"

The Prince intended to end the fight in one hit with his ultimate skill. I knew it was theoretically unblockable, and it looked hard to dodge. If it were a move you could just sidestep, the top candidate for the "Tiger-Wolf" nation wouldn't call it a trump card.

If I can't dodge or block... I'll take it head-on! As the Prince’s fist swung down, I met it with a headbutt!

"Kyahh! Sir Sao?!"

"Idiot! Be crushed to pieces—! ...Wh-what?!"

The Prince’s face warped in an instant.

"GAHHHHHH!! My hand! MY HAND!!!"

The one bleeding and shattered was the Prince’s fist. If you time a headbutt against a punch with the right speed and angle, the fist is the one that breaks. I’d heard that somewhere before, and when I tried it, it worked surprisingly well.

"Hah... cough... Impossible! Why did my fist, imbued with the invincible [Molecular Decay], shatter?!"

"Y-yes, Sir Sao?! What on earth did you do?!"

Tamagushi was equally bewildered, staring at me in disbelief. I guess it’s a valid question. None of my skills—no skill at all, really—should have been able to stop [Molecular Decay].

Unless... the means wasn't a skill. On my chest, a golden crest was glowing...

"What?!" 

"That is...!"

The Earth’s blessing: [Earth Stigma], The Stigma I received from the Earth Spirit, Blast-Hole, in the Dwarven Kingdom. It glowed with a golden light.

When Harp left, he said the power of the Earth could easily block an explosion. He was telling the truth. But I didn't expect it to work against a skill that severs molecular bonds.

Those who bear the Earth Stigma gain the hardness of rock within their flesh, making them unbreakable by any impact. But this... this was beyond rock. This was the strength of a diamond's crystalline structure.

"Impossible... The Earth Stigma...?! Not just the wind... but the earth too?!"

"I picked it up along the way."

And then, almost as an afterthought, the crimson [Pyro Stigma] began to pulse as well.

"A third one?! You already bear three of the six Spirit Stigma that are said to make one the King of the World?! Who... what ARE you?!"

"I'm just a passing-through pussy-hunter. Remember that."

Damn, I finally got my own cool catchphrase.

Whether I looked cool or not, my decision to kill this piece of trash remained unchanged. After everything, it was finally time for the sentencing.

Are you ready to meet your end?

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