Chapter 377: Advancing to Legend (Subscribe Please)

"So this is… Legendary?"

Herbert felt the power of Legend.

No longer was it the pressure he sensed from others, but from within his own soul.

That gushing holy light, like a blazing radiant flame, radiated a vast and mighty Legendary pressure, surging out from the depths of his soul.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thunderous roars echoed in his ears, and he felt the blood in his entire body begin to boil.

That was the roar of his soul.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

He felt the muscles across his entire body emit a tearing-cloth-like crackling sound, disintegrating in the span of a breath.

That was the wail of flesh and blood.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

The bones across his entire body emitted a quenching-like hum, shattering inch by inch as if crushed by immense pressure.

That was the bellow of his skeleton.

Herbert's physical body seemed unable to withstand such tremendous power, rapidly falling apart.

He knew—he was about to break through to Legend.

Herbert was strong, but the power after this advancement was even stronger, far exceeding what his current self could bear.

After waiting long at the threshold of Legend, his sudden breakthrough brought an unimaginable surge.

The realm of Legend is the barrier that separates mortals from the Extraordinary.

In the eyes of the vast majority of mortals, professionals can be regarded as an entirely different species—possessing greater strength and longer lifespans.

But actually, that isn't quite right.

At least, not entirely right.

Low-rank, Mid-rank, High-rank—as long as professionals remain within these three stages, their strength is far from reaching an inhuman level.

They may be powerful, but far from that exaggerated.

But Legend is different.

Any being, once they step into the realm of Legend, their life level will undergo a tremendous leap, truly entering the Extraordinary realm!

Though they still need to look up to the gods, they have already transcended above mortals.

Legendary powerhouses no longer need food or drink; the magic they devour with each breath is enough to sustain their basic vitality.

Even melee-class professionals who never studied magic can sense the existence of laws and hear those sounds that mortals cannot hear.

A Legendary priest can cast the divine art of Resurrection, bringing someone back to life within fifteen minutes of death.

As long as the deceased or the god backing the priest is strong enough, and the soul hasn't been utterly destroyed, within those fifteen minutes the soul that should have fallen can be snatched back from the hands of death's messengers.

Especially now that this world's god of death has started slacking off, as long as a sufficient price can be paid, the rescue window can even be extended by another fold.

For some melee-class professionals, certain once-fatal wounds won't kill them on the spot.

Unless the head is directly cut off and destroyed, for some Legendary warriors, even if their heart is ripped out, they can maintain their state for over fifteen minutes—up to half an hour—and will most likely trigger a Berserk state at death's door.

As long as they can kill the enemy within that time and have a priest use divine art to regenerate a new heart for them, they can survive.

Or they can tough it out for fifteen minutes, then within fifteen minutes of death find a Legendary priest… half an hour to an hour is enough time to do many things.

Extraordinary.

To reach this realm, countless mortals walk this path, training hard, hoping that one day they too can arrive at this realm.

But the road to Legend is far, far too difficult; countless lives have fallen along the way.

In the end, they never even got a glimpse of the true face of the Extraordinary World.

Countless people fought and slaughtered on this path, trying to go further, hoping to reach the very end.

And now, Herbert had already stepped across this threshold; he had finally crossed that towering barrier that blocked over ninety-nine percent of all beings in the world.

Only, it seemed some problems had arisen right now… big problems!

This overly tremendous power was something even he himself could not bear.

Before destroying evil, this holy light was going to destroy him first.

At this moment, Herbert strangely felt no pain; he merely observed the changes within his own body from a detached perspective.

"Heh, am I about to die? Already watching my life flash before my eyes from a third-person view?"

An absurd thought flashed through Herbert's mind, and he couldn't hold it in, bursting into laughter.

"Pfft, hahaha!"

Goddamn, am I about to die?

How did I get so worked up that I'm even cracking dark jokes about myself?

"What kind of joke is this—how could I possibly fall here?"

Herbert had always been confident; he never thought he would fall on the road to Legend like those other poor souls.

This wasn't arrogance, merely a conclusion drawn after understanding everything.

After receiving so much help, if he still couldn't advance to Legend, he'd truly be far too much of a waste.

Herbert was not a waste, never had been.

He was even less likely to fall at the critical juncture of breakthrough; he would not allow such a thing to happen.

He (It) would not allow it either.

"Nie Nasha!"

So Herbert sent out a heartfelt call from the depths of his heart:

"Save—me—"

Sister, save me, please!

Stop standing over there watching!

Help me out, will you!

【"Pfft!"】

Young Lady Nie Nasha hadn't expected Herbert to so readily send her a plea for help, and couldn't help but laugh as she teased: 【"Oh my, throwing a tantrum again?"】

【"How can you not even hold on through this? Hasn't it only just begun?"】

【"Well! Considering how obedient you've been today, I'll be magnanimous and lend you a hand this once... hmm?"】

Nie Nasha sensed the state of Herbert's body and couldn't help but complain: 【"What are you doing? Want me to step in? Even if I don't help you, nothing bad will happen to you at all!"】

My dear ally, what are you doing?

Does it hurt?

It doesn't hurt!

Aren't you perfectly fine?

What are you calling for help for?

Are you deliberately teasing me?

【"Are you really throwing a tantrum?"】

Young Lady Nie Nasha complained speechlessly, and Herbert actually obediently responded to her.

"I guess so?"

Herbert nodded with a smile and admitted: "Compared to feeling the process of advancing into Legend, what I want more right now is to talk with you a little more."

While others needed to go all out to face the process of advancing into Legend, Herbert appeared remarkably relaxed.

【"Why?"】

"Because you've been with me all along."

He smiled and said softly: "I want to share with you every single moment I feel, every single sensation."

Every stirring within me, every thought in my heart—I want to share them all with you.

These words might not seem special on the surface, but in truth they were already an extremely direct confession.

And faced with Herbert's straightforward advance, Nie Nasha did not show the shyness of a little girl.

【"No, it's not that you 'want' to."】

She chuckled lightly twice and said in a firm tone, softly: 【"It's that it was always going to be this way."】

You fellow, what are you still going on about at this point?

Wasn't it already like this from the very beginning?

I share everything of yours, you share everything of mine.

You are me, I am you.

The bond between the two of them was more solid than any other.

Allies, accomplices.

Indivisible from one another.

Intertwined fates, standing shoulder to shoulder in life and death.

The two silently felt for a while, then both laughed softly.

They didn't continue to dwell further on this topic—some bonds need not be spoken aloud.

They also enjoyed their current relationship all the more, this way of being together.

"So, this is what it feels like to step into Legend?"

Herbert felt the process of his flesh and blood continually shattering and couldn't help but sigh: "This really is a pitiful sight."

【"All broken and battered."】

"Mm, indeed."

He nodded in agreement and asked: "So, you really don't plan to step in? Or is it that I won't be in any danger like this?"

Really don't need to?

I feel like, well, I should still be salvageable, right?

Although Herbert could roughly guess that there would be rebirth after destruction, from the current situation, his body didn't seem certain to last until the rebirth began.

He's practically turned into minced meat!

Yet Nie Nasha remained calm and said casually: 【"Mm, this time I don't need to step in at all—you can resolve it naturally on your own."】

【"The time is about right, can you feel it?"】

"Feel what? I... oh?" Herbert's mind stirred, and he shifted his consciousness back to his physical body.

He finally felt the pain now.

"Hiss—!"

The agony came even more violently than expected; a tearing, excruciating pain shot through every muscle of his body.

Both flesh and soul were being torn apart and destroyed by the surging holy power.

Dark red blood gushed from his pores, accompanied by fine bone fragments expelled from within.

Shedding the mortal body and exchanging for a new one.

From destruction, welcoming rebirth.

And when his entire body was about to shatter into powder like dust, the long-awaited rebirth finally began.

Before the regeneration of bone and flesh, the very first change appeared on the holy scars upon his body.

Hum—

The golden holy sigils began spreading from his fingertips, those intricate patterns crawling across his palm like living enamel, then extending up his arm, and finally continuing onto his back.

But this was not the end — it was only just the beginning.

When the holy sigils Herbert had already possessed surfaced, the speed at which those patterns grew instantly skyrocketed, spreading across his entire body in just a few breaths.

His whole body was covered in dazzling holy sigils, as though he had donned a suit of magnificent battle armor!

No, that was no illusion!

All the holy sigils dimmed at the same instant, then lit up again simultaneously.

Crack-crack-crack…

The holy sigils transformed into a magnificently styled suit of crimson battle armor encasing his body, covered in intricate golden patterns.

The blood-colored wings on his back unfurled, more than double their previous size.

At this moment, only Herbert's head remained exposed; his white hair, reflected against the crimson armor, was tinged with a shade of blood.

He suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of golden light passing through them.

He had no time to feel the changes within his body, no time to sense the properties of this battle armor formed from holy sigils.

When his bones shattered, when his flesh and blood burst apart, the battle armor took the place of his skeleton, holding his body upright.

He had not fallen, and never would fall.

And since he had not fallen, this rebirth would continue.

The transformation was still ongoing!

True rebirth had already begun.

Herbert dimly heard a tremendous hammer-blow explode beside his ear.

Boom!

He felt as though the inside of his body had become a massive furnace, smelting and hammering him.

Everything destroyed beneath the holy light's devastation was restored under the holy light's illumination — and became even stronger.

A virtuous cycle had begun, and this advancement had finally gotten onto the right track.

Just as Nie Nasha had said at the very beginning, even without Her intervention, Herbert could have easily weathered this trial.

【"Although it's a bit later than I expected, it doesn't matter — you've finally reached this step."】

Nie Nasha was deeply gratified.

The barriers of the mortal world finally no longer bound Herbert.

She whispered gently at Herbert's ear: 【"I don't know what it was that bound you before, what it was that kept you from letting go."】

【"I'm very glad — you've finally made your choice."】

To others, Herbert's advancement speed was already astonishing, but in Her eyes, it was actually a bit slow.

In Nie Nasha's view, Herbert should have advanced to Legend long ago.

The reason he had remained stuck before Legend must have been because there was something in Herbert's heart he could not easily let go of.

She knew, but had never brought it up herself, waiting for him to release it on his own.

Now it seemed what Herbert couldn't let go of was probably the him from before he had met Her — that once-weak him, an aristocratic son who knew nothing of the world.

"…Mm, thanks to you."

【"Hehe! That's right, you can thank me even more~"】

Herbert smiled faintly; he vaguely guessed Nie Nasha might have misunderstood something, but did not explain further.

Because the current situation was a bit off…

Herbert felt as though he had become a sphere of light and heat.

Countless mirror surfaces existed within the Mirror Space; the radiance emanating from him was refracted through those mirrors and fell back onto him again.

All the light converged, making Herbert feel as though he were standing beneath a spotlight, his whole person growing brighter and brighter!

Lucaria had long since covered her eyes and hidden away because of the dazzling situation.

Moreover, the blood-colored battle armor draped over him seemed especially fond of this radiance, constantly absorbing the light and growing hotter and hotter.

He looked as though he were cloaked in flowing fire… and also like a red-hot tin can.

It was only because Herbert possessed fire resistance and was unafraid of burning that he wouldn't feel extraordinary pain right now.

It feels like my body is so hot, about to catch fire!

Herbert knew that, continuing at this rate, he would probably grow hotter and hotter, hotter and hotter, until he released it through some means.

He couldn't stay here any longer, but where would be a suitable place to act?

"…Hm?"

Herbert was pondering when, suddenly feeling something, he looked toward the ancient mirror.

With a shift of his spirit, the scene changed, settling upon the Elterran Territory.

In the night, a massive three-headed monster was silently lurking within the shadows of the fog, greedily eyeing the now-quiet town.

Danger was drawing near!

"…Got it!"

Herbert's eyes lit up; the crimson wings on his back beat once, and carrying the radiance all over his body, he flew straight into the mirror.

(End of this chapter)