Converting one’s lifespan into raw power.
I had pretty much expected as much, but hearing it stated plainly still made me catch my breath at the sheer recklessness of the technique.
Yet Yuri calmly continued her explanation.
“You could say Life Shroud is a technique that cloaks you in power proportional to your life force. For example, let us assume your lifespan is seventy years—the average beyond our borders.”
Unfortunately, I’ve already burned through a good chunk of mine, so I probably won't live that long...
“On the other hand, my lifespan is around one hundred fifty years, the average for this nation. Since I live twice as long as an outsider, the power I can draw upon is effectively equivalent to two people.”
Power proportional to one’s life force... So that’s what it meant.
In theory, if a person with a three-hundred-year lifespan used Life Shroud, they could produce four times my output, or twice Yuri’s.
“...What happens to the life you burn?”
When I asked, Yuri looked slightly surprised.
“What, are you worried about me?”
Of course I am.
I know firsthand the despair of shaving away one's own lifespan.
I might act tough on the outside, but I understand the terror of watching your future get chipped away all too painfully well. If you barely scrape by on a truncated lifespan, can you really say you lived your life to the fullest? A natural death after shortening your lifespan is basically no different from dropping dead out of nowhere. I knew for a fact that, at death's door, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from thinking, “I was supposed to live so much longer than this.”
I finally understood why Zest had hesitated to explain the true nature of this power....For once, I won't hold it against him.
“...In that case, I’d appreciate it if you stopped acting so recklessly yourself.”
Can’t do that.
My responsibilities as a stepping stone are heavy.
Unlike Reiji, who's a hero in the making, I’m just an ordinary guy on the inside. Watching my lifespan shrink terrifies me....Of course it does. I feel that fear loud and clear.
And yet, I fight anyway.
Just as I always have, and just as I always will.
“Do not fret,” Yuri said, a faint smile touching her lips.
“Burning one's life force doesn’t mean it vanishes carelessly. Life Shroud incorporates techniques to maximize combustion efficiency....To put it simply, circulating life as energy amplifies its power. By taking advantage of this property, one can fight with minimal consumption. The lifespan I spent against you earlier amounted to less than an hour.”
So... there was no need to take it so heavily, then...?
Still, it was fundamentally distinct from magic.
Cloaking oneself in life... Life Shroud, huh.
“We are well-versed in strength derived from Third Mythos Magic, but it appears there are at least three other standards of power.”
Indeed. Eternity, Boundary, and Fate...
It’s true that my Master Eye isn’t magic. Come to think of it, that ability must be unique to Fate.
“Care to experience the might of Life Shroud once more?”
Yuri tossed a wooden sword toward me, and I caught it on reflex.
She was totally into this. Well, fine... I’ll indulge her.
I brought my wooden blade up to meet the trajectory of Yuri's strike.
With the crisp clack of wood striking wood, Yuri and I swiftly pivoted.
Yuri's physical capabilities fluctuated in waves. She had claimed she kept her lifespan consumption to a minimum... but flipped around, that meant she could grow vastly stronger if she stopped holding back.
Full-throttle bodily enhancement. Her upper limits certainly intrigued me, but...
Well, I’ll take a convenient loss here.
Gauging the right moment, I deliberately broke my stance and let my wooden sword get knocked from my grip.
“You...”
Don't say a word.
“Hmph... Softhearted as always. You wrapped up the bout early just to stop her from burning any more of her life, didn’t you?”
Shut up, shut up, shut up—!
My body just moved on its own! It was getting too awkward to watch, that's all...
“Too bad for you, it looks like Yuri noticed as well.”
Huh?
Suppressing a twitch in my face, I looked up to see Yuri smiling gently down at me.
“Heh... Your skill leaves something to be desired, but you have a kind heart.”
That’s literally the worst assessment she could give me!
I’m stronger than you, damn it! And I am NOT kind!
I’m the evil villain here! Don't you dare look down on me!
“I shall teach you the fundamental stances. Join the others in their training.”
Prompted by Yuri, I found myself swinging a sword in sync with the other Holy Knights.
I had briefly considered raising hell, but sleeping outdoors sounded like a hassle... Since things turned out this way, I might as well play nice until the end.
“I cannot quite put it into words... but since arriving in this empire, people seem far less inclined to misunderstand you. Setting aside the times you deliberately run amok, of course...”
Well, back in the Kingdom of Militail, I was already infamous as an Evil Brat. People in that country were wary of me from the very start.
“Perhaps that is all it is, but still...”
I was satisfied with that explanation, but Zest sank into thought, seemingly unable to shake an odd lingering doubt.
After I had swung my sword for a while, Lumia strolled into the training grounds.
“Lumia, is your guard duty with the Saint finished?”
“Mm....Onee-chan, why is that guy training with everyone?”
“I am currently hammering some discipline into him.”
With that, Yuri readied her wooden sword.
“Lumia, care to spar with me?”
“Ugh... What a pain.”
Looking thoroughly bothered by the idea, Lumia shook her head.
Yuri murmured a quiet “I see” and lowered her stance.
“You make me swing a sword, yet you go completely soft on your sister, huh?”
“As long as she delivers results, there is no issue. Despite how she appears, Lumia’s skill rivals my own.”
“Rivals you, huh... Not that that tells me much.”
“Not to brag, but Lumia and I are the strongest among the Holy Knights.”
Oho... No wonder those Holy Knights I beat looked so relieved the moment the two of them showed up.
“For the record, the Holy Knights you bested in town earlier were merely greenhorns.”
Those guys were rookies? I thought they were rather underwhelming, but if they were just novices, that changed things.
As I swung my sword, I observed the Holy Knights around me. I didn't know how much individual variance there was in the power boost granted by Life Shroud... but even compared to the rest of the knights, Yuri and Lumia were clearly a cut above the rest.
“So the two of you are exceptionally strong even by this nation's standards.”
“Indeed. Though we still cannot hold a candle to the strongest being in this empire: His Majesty the Emperor.”
Yuri answered with evident pride.
“Now that you understand the mechanics behind Life Shroud, you can likely guess why, correct?”
Well, yeah...
Life Shroud is fueled by burning one's life.
What happens when an immortal uses it...?
His Majesty the Emperor has lived for over eight hundred years. If someone were to unleash eight centuries' worth of Life Shroud all at once, the sheer scale of that power would be unimaginable.
“Whoever wins the Advent Festival earns the right to challenge an exhibition match. While technically optional, tradition dictates challenging His Majesty. The Advent Festival always concludes with the Emperor utterly overwhelming the victor.”
I see, I see...
It was a brilliantly orchestrated festival. Ultimately, the entire event served as a grand stage to showcase the Emperor's supreme majesty.
“Hmph. So living for eight hundred years isn't just for show.”
“Indeed. His Majesty the Emperor's leadership is magnificent....Eight hundred years ago, a bloody war of succession erupted. In order to quell the conflict that had turned this land into a living hell and ensure such a tragedy would never repeat itself, His Majesty obtained immortality and has continued to reign ever since. The citizens of the Empire understand this and hold him in the deepest reverence.”
So that was the history behind it...
Rather than seeking immortality as a mere symbol of power, it seemed he had taken it upon himself out of sheer necessity to govern the realm.
Being immortal sounded like quite a drag in its own right.
“What a remarkably shallow takeaway.”
Give me a break.
Even when people talk about immortality, it’s not like I can easily wrap my head around it.
“...I expected you to give up immediately, but it seems you have some backbone after all.”
Yuri suddenly spoke with a tone of mild admiration.
Apparently, she was surprised to see me maintaining a calm expression while swinging non-stop. I had been so focused on our conversation that I forgot I was even doing swings.
This was nothing. Compared to dodging the relentless barrage of my daily Gate training, this was a hundred times easier.
“If you measure the world by your standards, common sense falls apart entirely.”
Come to think of it, we’re staying at these barracks tonight, right?
Which means I won't be able to do that training.
What should I do...? I'm starting to get restless.
If I don't do that training at least once a day, I start feeling sick.
“That is the absolute worst form of withdrawal symptom imaginable.”
“Excuse me.”
Beside me as I fidgeted, Chesa spoke up.
“Would you be so kind as to instruct me as well?”
“...Very well.”
Yuri began coaching Chesa....Hehehe, Chesa must be desperate to find a way to defeat me.
As I watched them warmly, Lumia let out a massive yawn beside me.
“The two of you have completely different personalities for twins.”
“I get that a lot.”
Lumia cast a listless glance my way.
“I don't plan on working nearly as hard as Onee-chan... so feel free to slip away whenever you want.”
She didn't need to tell me twice; once I borrowed a bed for the night, I fully intended to make a break for it. Having Yuri constantly keeping tabs on me would only get in the way of spreading my infamy.
“Can I use Life Shroud too?”
“If you train for it, probably? It usually takes about thirty years, though.”
“Thirty years? That’s absurdly long.”
“We are the people of Eternity, after all. Ah, but... someone who came from the Kingdom recently managed to learn it right away.”
Don't tell me...
“Reiji?”
“Yeah, I think that was his name.”
Of course it had to be Reiji. He really was built different.
Still, deep down, I secretly wished he wouldn't pick up a power that fed on his own life. Honestly speaking, I kind of wanted that self-destructive martyrdom to remain my exclusive trademark.
So Reiji mastered Life Shroud, did he...?
In that case, as his stepping stone, I had to master it too.
“Hmph! I suppose I wouldn’t mind letting you teach me the training method!”
“What’s with that phrasing...? That sounds like a pain, so no thanks.”
Lumia let out another massive yawn.
“Most people stumble on the very first step: actually perceiving their own life force....In short, you can’t do it unless you have talent.”
So you obviously can't do it.
Leaving the unspoken implication hanging in the air, Lumia wiped away a tear brought on by her yawn.