Chapter 195: The Sky Is the Limit (35)

"Me? What's wrong with me…"

Herbert lowered his head and carefully felt himself all over, finding no changes at all.

Everything's normal.

I'm still the same young man as before, not a single bit changed.

But he was sure Nie Nasha wouldn't have said it without reason, so he carefully searched himself once more.

But in the end he still came up empty, and with no other choice, he could only throw in the towel and ask:

"Give me a hint, at least."

Requesting outside assistance.

【"Hehe~"】

Watching Herbert fumbling around over there for so long, Nie Nasha's mood brightened up again, and she said with a grin:

【"Sigh~ Do you want me to help you? Do you really want me to help you? Helping you is no problem, but why do I feel like your attitude isn't sincere enough?"】

Herbert rolled his eyes and said, speechless: "You really have to play it this way, huh? I'm warning you, don't push me."

Jester god, you want to start a war, is that it?

If I really get serious, you might not be able to handle it!

【"Haha~"】

After successfully gaining the upper hand, Nie Nasha laughed triumphantly, then quit while she was ahead and returned to normal, giving a hint:

【"Don't you feel like there's something extra on you?"】

"No, I've already felt everywhere carefully, there's no change anywhere."

Nothing suddenly grew longer, and nothing suddenly grew shorter.

【"Really? Are you really sure you've checked everything?"】

Nie Nasha's voice carried an irrepressible hint of laughter as she asked with a soft chuckle: 【"Why don't you turn around and look?"】

Turn around?

Herbert asked, and then at that very moment, he suddenly felt something.

His back… feels so light!

Slowly turning his head to look behind him, his eyes slowly widened.

At this moment, a pair of enormous wings had appeared on his back!

The roots of the wings connected to his shoulder blades, like a bird's wings, gently flapping with his movements.

The wings' presence was so seamless that he hadn't noticed them at all, as if he had been born with them.

"This…"

These wings looked similar to the angel wings he'd seen on Lucille, but their color was neither the fallen angel's pitch-black, nor the pure snow-white of legend.

Instead… a dazzling, eye-catching red!

Scarlet as blood!

The same color as Valentina's true form's scales, with some pale-gold patterns densely covering them as well.

Herbert stared at the wings on his back, his gaze going a bit blank.

When did I grow wings?

Does that mean—I'm also a monster girl?

Sensing Herbert's shock, Nie Nasha laughed: 【"Haha, how does it feel? Do you know what this is?"】

Herbert looked at the wings and slowly shook his head, when suddenly a thought flashed through his mind.

"Could it be that this is…"

"An external soul bone!"

【"What?"】

Nie Nasha: What on earth are you talking about?

But before explaining to Nie Nasha, Herbert shook his head again, denying his own brainless guess from before.

"No, that's not right!"

"It should be Dou Qi Wings!"

【"And what is that!?"】

Joking aside, Herbert still earnestly experienced it for a moment.

Although these wings looked substantial, in essence they were not made of flesh and blood, but entirely composed of holy power.

"Holy power? From the holy mark?"

【"Yes, your holy mark has advanced again, and has finally successfully reached the step of taking form."】

Upon reaching the Legendary stage, a holy knight's holy mark undergoes a complete transformation.

Every holy knight's holy mark is different.

Some people's holy marks can take the form of weapons, some can become armor, and others turn into tools with special abilities.

In the records, there was once a Legendary holy knight whose holy mark could transform into a rein capable of summoning a Celestial unicorn.

The manifestation of a holy mark is a metamorphosis for a Legendary holy knight, greatly enhancing their abilities.

And this ability is actually not exclusive to Legendary holy knights.

In the records, some of the most outstanding holy knights can achieve this step at the Advanced stage.

Their will is firm enough, their devotion to fulfilling their oaths is pious enough, and their understanding of holy power is deep enough.

When all their foundations have been accumulated, their holy marks can also manifest their own form before stepping into Legendary.

And now, Herbert has also reached this path.

Although he himself didn't have such a deep understanding of holy power, nor was he a devout practitioner of oaths… his holy power was special enough.

After receiving the infusion from the Saintess Nie Nasha, the quality of his holy power had undergone an astonishing improvement, something no one else could match.

Herbert's holy mark had actually been close to this final step before; he was only lacking some understanding of holy power.

The Fallen Angel's Feather made up for that part.

Although Lushiel had fallen and become a fallen angel, before her fall she had been a battle angel of no low rank, a great expert in the use of holy power.

After absorbing her feather, Herbert's final shortfall was finally made whole.

The holy mark transformed, becoming a pair of crimson wings on his back.

At a thought from Herbert, the wings spread open just as he had imagined.

He raised a hand to touch the wings, feeling as though he were touching his own skin.

Not only the simplest act of spreading them wide—whatever motion he made, the wings carried it out with ease.

As easily as one moves an arm or points a finger, without the slightest stiffness.

Just on the point of operability alone, it was leagues beyond Fu Leimei's alchemical legs!

After trying out the most basic control, Herbert tapped lightly with his feet, and his whole body leapt into the air out of nowhere.

Whoosh—

With a gentle flap of the wings, he shot straight out, rapidly climbing, and came to an abrupt stop just before slamming into the ceiling.

Herbert stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, which was only an inch from the tip of his nose, and after a moment of blankness burst into great laughter.

"Haha!"

He didn't even know why he was laughing.

Once he had escaped the grip of gravity by his own power, what welled up in his heart was nothing but joy.

He had flown high before, sitting on Valentina's back, but while that feeling was exhilarating, it wasn't as thrilling as this.

What he was experiencing now was an unprecedented sense of freedom!

I am free!

Herbert laughed heartily as he wove swiftly through the Endless Maze.

One great door after another crashed open before him, letting him pass freely as he darted and spun through it.

At this moment, he felt like a drone, performing all sorts of high-difficulty maneuvers inside the maze.

But he had flown for less than ten minutes before Herbert felt his holy power more than half depleted, and could only drop back to the ground in resignation.

Awakening the holy mark was ultimately the ability of a legendary holy knight; for him as he was now, it was still somewhat of a strain, and the consumption was too great.

Yet Herbert did not feel discouraged.

Because from this moment on…

The sky no longer had a limit!

(End of this chapter)