Inheriting the Novel

Chapter 136 : The Human Closest to God (2)

The Human Closest to God (2)

Heaven-Slaying Arms.

The moment that name was mentioned, a strange stillness descended around us.

My companions only blinked in confusion, not knowing a thing about it, but it was because Pilla's expression was unusually grim.

"Did you also learn of that name through the Eye of Shimosha?"

"Yes."

"And you expect me to believe that..."

"I'll ask you in return."

I straightened my chest confidently.

If I so much as hesitated in this situation, I was certain it would arouse suspicion.

Pilla Ganest has lived his whole life as an Inquisitor.

He had interrogated countless people, and that life continued until he hid away in these mountains.

Of course, he was adept at distinguishing truth from lies.

"Then how else would I know about the Heaven-Slaying Arms? It was lost long ago, and the Altair Order kept silent about it as well."

"..."

He fell quiet, perhaps unable to refute my words.

"Yes, you're right. If not for the Eye of Shimosha, there's no way you could have known about it."

This is truly the most secret of secrets.

Not even members of the Atell Family, considered the pillars of Setram, knew of it.

However, the Eye of Shimosha was different.

Since its powers were unclear, it bizarrely served as a reasonable explanation for knowing the impossible.

"What is the Heaven-Slaying Arms? Just from the name, it sounds like a powerful weapon."

Then, Kisea, who had been listening, asked innocently. Ian and Mersaya hadn't spoken, but I could tell they were curious too.

Pilla didn't answer Kisea's question, simply kept his gaze fixed on me.

'He wants me to explain to see if I really know what I'm talking about.'

He must suspect I only know the name.

I intended to explain it anyway, so I opened my mouth right away.

"To explain that, I need to first describe the Sacred Arms."

"You mean those things the Inquisitors used back then?"

"That's right."

I nodded lightly and continued.

"Sacred Arms is a technique that draws out powerful strength by burning the user's vitality. But it wasn't always such a technique from the beginning."

Originally, sacred Arms was just a technique that explosively released holy power within the body to temporarily amplify strength.

There was none of the outrageous risks there are now.

Naturally, though, the power gained was much weaker compared to now.

"Sometime after, the previous pontiff of Setram, lafert, felt it was lacking. He began various researches to obtain a mighty army."

I paused there and glanced at Pilla, who just nodded as if to tell me to continue.

"In that process, lafert discovered that infusing an angel's blood into a human body triggered a special reaction."

If you forcibly inject angelic blood into a person, as a side effect their lifespan gets drastically shortened, but they gain powerful sensitivity to magic power.

That period lasted about a year.

Much too short to build an army.

"But then, a half-angel, half-human hybrid appeared."

Pilla Ganest.

But Pilla's blood, as a half-angel, didn't have as many side effects as regular angelic blood.

Though lifespans still decreased, it allowed for much longer survival than pure angel's blood.

"Lafert took blood from Pilla and injected it into fanatical cultists. With their much heightened sensitivity to magic power, they easily surpassed human limits."

"Wa-wait a minute."

Something seemed to click for Kisea, her eyes widened in shock.

"Are you saying... those became the Inquisitors?"

"That's right. Otherwise, there's no way they could so easily sacrifice Sword Masters, is there?"

"That's absurd..."

Because they became Sword Masters so quickly, their sword art was utterly lacking compared to real Sword Masters, but Lafert did not care.

"And you grew disillusioned with Setram and fled your duty, didn't you?"

"... Correct. You know it as if you personally experienced it all. I have no further reason to doubt you."

"I haven't even explained the Heaven-Slaying Arms yet, though."

"That's fine. I'll explain that myself."

The suspicion that filled Pilla's eyes faded notably.

What I'd just told him was information that was 'absolutely' impossible to obtain otherwise.

'Good thing Pilla's profile included a detailed explanation...'

Otherwise, convincing him would've taken a lot more time.

Pilla Ganest was even more thorough than I'd expected.

"May I know your name?"

"Clay Vanhart."

I then introduced my other companions as well.

Pilla repeated the names to himself, crossed his arms calmly, and asked,

"Then, you must know about the Heaven-Slaying Arms in detail as well—are you saying you've come to obtain it?"

"Yes."

"I can't understand that."

At our exchange, Kisea thumped her chest in frustration.

"I asked about the Heaven-Slaying Arms, so why are you dodging the only thing we want answered?"

"Ah, sorry. To put it shortly, the Heaven-Slaying Arms is similar to the Sacred Arms."

"Similar?"

"It explosively amplifies the power within the body, granting a very special strength."

Kisea's eyes sparkled at the mention of special strength.

No wonder—Kisea loves powerful abilities.

"The Heaven-Slaying Arms is a technique created to face beings from above. It deals devastating power to those with overwhelming and transcendent holy might—like gods or angels."

Heaven-Slaying.

That ability fits the name perfectly.

"But."

Not just Kisea, but even Ian and Mersaya showed their curiosity, and Pilla cut in firmly.

"This technique cannot be learned by just any ordinary human body. To even try, my blood must be used to engrave an imprint all over your body, and you must undergo a special ritual. Naturally... I cannot guarantee your survival."

This was actually a sanitized description.

There had never been a single person to undergo that ritual before. Not even Pilla himself—it was a secret art he devised in case he died, and the Heaven-Slaying Arms was lost.

'Only one person in the original ever underwent the ritual.'

That was Fabian.

Naturally, as the protagonist, Fabian successfully received the ritual, further awakened through Pilla's blood, and gained the Heaven-Slaying Arms.

"And yet you want to undergo the ritual?"

"No."

"Right, no... huh?"

Pilla looked at me with a startled expression, apparently not expecting that answer.

I laughed softly at the sight of the legendary Inquisitor looking so flustered.

"I have no intention of risking my life on such a dangerous ritual."

Fabian obtained powerful sensitivity to magic power by taking Pilla's blood. With that, he got one step closer to becoming a Great Swordmaster.

'But there's no need for me to gamble my life.'

I already had many things Fabian did not. There was no need to obsess over that blood.

There was no guarantee I would succeed just because Fabian did.

So I only ever aimed for one thing from the start.

"All I want is the Heaven-Slaying Arms itself."

==

〈Heaven-Slaying Arms (天殺)〉

Necessary Plausibility:

1. Acquire New Star (Holy Power) (Holy Power currently acquired: Divine Blood) [Achieved]

2. Engrave the Heaven-Slaying Imprint onto your body from Pilla Ganest

3. Learn the activation method of the Heaven-Slaying Arms from Pilla Ganest

==

Because I had the ability to add profiles.

* * *

When I first read the synopsis, honestly, I wondered what I'd do.

Even if I had to obtain the Heaven-Slaying Arms, I had no intention of risking my life undergoing a ritual.

But all those worries vanished the moment I checked the profile for the Heaven-Slaying Arms.

When I found the phrase "Heaven-Slaying Arms" in the synopsis, the acquisition method showed up in profile addition.

'How lucky can I get?'

Thanks to Divine Blood, I already completed one condition, and the other two weren't that hard.

Just get the imprint and learn how to use it.

Probably because the requirement of acquiring 'Holy Power' was so absurdly hard, the other two tasks were relatively easy.

For me, it was basically an ability for free.

"... I still don't get it. You're saying all you need is for me to engrave the imprint and teach you how to use it?"

Even with my explanation, pilla looked doubtful.

For times like this, I had a chance with my relic.

"They say the Eye of Shimosha fills in the missing parts."

"No matter if it's Lady Grancesia's relic, that makes no sense..."

"Ahem!"

I shouted at Pilla in a stern tone.

"Are you belittling the relic of Lady Grancesia, the revered Saintess and greatest priestess in history?!"

"N-no, that's not it. Hah... Alright, it shouldn't matter. Simply engraving the imprint and telling you the method—you can't use the Heaven-Slaying Arms just from that..."

He forced himself to nod as if convinced.

"Alright. Then take off your top."

"Excuse me?"

"You have to take off your top to engrave the imprint."

Can't you just do it on my arm or something?

Well, it's probably not an ordinary imprint, so maybe it needs to be in a specific location.

I took off my shirt without fuss and lay face down on the wide cot as directed.

"Good. Just stay still now."

This didn't seem so hard.

But just as I thought so, someone grabbed my arms and legs.

I glanced around, spotting Ian and Kisea holding onto my limbs.

"What, what's this?"

"If you move while I'm engraving the imprint, it may not set properly. This is just a precaution."

You could've warned me about that.

An inexplicable sense of anxiety began creeping up on me.

'Is this really safe?'

[He said just engraving it wouldn't be a problem.]

'That's true, but...'

Someone grabbing and restraining me didn't make for a pleasant experience.

"Now, I'll begin the engraving—prepare yourself."

"Kyaaaa!"

The moment his words ended, a burning pain shot across my back.

That's the kind of thing you give advance warning about!

Now I understood why Ian and Kisea were holding down my limbs. The pain was like being branded, no, even worse, scorching agony flared across my back.

'So much for an easy gain!'

It hurt so damn much. I almost wished I could pass out, just to be free of the pain.

But my mind stayed crystal clear, and so did the pain in my back.

How much time passed, I didn't know.

By the time I grew tired even of screaming, the pain finally faded from my back.

"For something that took only ten minutes, you're quite dramatic."

"...."

I wanted to retort, but I had no strength left in my body; all I could do was lie there.

"Ten minutes? It felt ten times longer..."

I seriously thought I might die from the pain. I didn't even dare look at how my back turned out.

"The mark on your back was engraved using a drug made with my blood as the medium. When the Heaven-Slaying Arms is activated, this imprint will supercharge any holy power in your body... To anyone without holy power, it's just a meaningless drawing."

After saying that, he clicked his tongue.

"So I still don't get why you asked for this. For you, it's just suffering and—"

Pilla broke off mid-sentence.

Not just him. Even Ian and Kisea, who'd been watching my back curiously, now showed shock in their eyes.

'What is it? What's going on?'

I wanted to leap up and check right away, but my body hadn't recovered, so all I could do was waggle my tongue.

"W-why are you all so surprised?"

"Well, that's..."

Pilla's eyes, which had stayed calm through everything, now trembled in confusion.

"How's this possible... No, this is... it's even superior to what happens with angel's blood..."

As he muttered in a daze, I finally forced myself upright and staggered toward a mirror in the corner.

Wum, wum, wum.

There, I saw a metaphysical pattern on my back, softly emanating scarlet light.

"... Well, I suppose I won't need a torch when wandering at night anymore."

Of course, only if I go around naked.