Ch.1153From Expectation to Support

Unable to fully awaken, she had to drag her unresponsive body through the banquet. But now, the Thousand Killer Star had temporarily regained perfect control of her body.

The ferocity of the Thousand Killer Star, finally liberated from long constraint, was truly like a rabid hound maddened by blood.

The Imperial Knights who had attempted to capture Haschal were overwhelmed by that terrifyingly vicious killing intent and brutality exceeding even monsters, their skills crushed before they could even demonstrate them.

“…Truly impressive.”

Rational tactics. Momentum optimized for them. Martial arts that traced trajectories both ferocious yet extremely efficient.

And the blessing of Karma of Murder encompassing it all.

Having awakened with severe injuries and immediately forced into a situation requiring her full strength, Aishan-Gioro Haschal’s martial prowess was like a masterpiece painting.

“As expected of the Thousand Killer Star. Skills that wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she was born solely for this purpose.”

A rough yet sophisticated masterpiece of slaughter painted on the battlefield canvas, using sword and claws, the materialized power of Karma of Murder as her brush.

“…Though I cannot approve of such methods.”

Yet while admiring such brilliance, the nature of what she was using as paint was too horrific.

How could those who claim to be gods admire the sight of a man-eating fiend spraying blood mixed with flesh and brain matter like a whirlwind?

“Well, her skill… her skill itself is truly impeccable.”

Even Menes, who as a Werebeast preferred savage warriors and had rough methods himself, let out a hollow laugh with an expression questioning whether this was something a human should do.

“You’re saying this as a Werebeast?”

“Is your memory already fading? I only ever ate cattle and pigs.”

Astraea tilted her head questioningly as if this were common among Werebeasts, but for Menes who had maintained a relatively “proper” diet, this was truly an unfair accusation.

“With prey and livestock abundant everywhere in that era, why would I ever eat humans?”

The era when he walked the mortal realm was the Golden Age when various races flourished in brilliant civilizations under their respective demigods.

In an age when high-quality, fresh meat was endlessly supplied from countless livestock farms, what reason would there be to eat humans who weren’t even particularly tasty?

‘Orcs actually did commit such acts… and consequently had two demigods slaughtered by Sigurd, if I recall?’

Besides, humans maintained their own prosperity at the time, so they weren’t opponents weak enough to provoke just for a taste of exotic food.

Werebeasts began eating humans without hesitation only after Sigurd fell in battle against Alfodhr.

It was only after human civilization, which had managed to recover and maintain some prosperity even after the fall of Xanten, completely collapsed following its second destruction.

Thus, Menes naturally had nothing to do with that original sin.

“Well… I’m not so sure about that declaration, as I recall personally slaying at least thirty man-eating Werebeasts.”

“No, that’s because those fellows had peculiar tastes…”

…Of course, there were those who thought one or two humans wouldn’t hurt even in those days, so not all Werebeasts of that era could be declared innocent.

—-

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

Whether the watching gods’ gazes grew increasingly cold or not was irrelevant to ‘Haschal,’ who had no way of knowing.

The apostle of Karma of Murder, who had brutally slaughtered the knights surrounding her until no fighting spirit remained, then defeated the source of her severe injuries as well.

She did so by striking at the fundamental weakness of the “Ghost Blade,” an incomplete Tale of Heroes that remained unfinished because it couldn’t overcome the wall.

Of course, that alone wasn’t enough to defeat the Empire’s First Sword, and there was a limit to how much she could staunch bleeding by stitching wounds with the power of Karma of Murder.

Had the fight continued, even with the power of the fully awakened Thousand Killer Star, the best outcome would have been mutual destruction. Reversing the tide for victory would have been impossible.

“…What’s going on with them? Internal strife?”

“I’m not sure, internal strife doesn’t seem right… there’s no reason for them to split now, is there?”

However, Valenstein had his abdomen pierced by the sneak attack of the insect knight who had been on the same side during battle, and the duel between the two masters ended inconclusively without a victor.

“Despite stabbing from behind, he skillfully avoided vital points. This probably isn’t internal strife but…”

“A staged act. Planning to frame that monster as our minion.”

Of course, this wasn’t Isabella betraying Valenstein, but rather a staged act to frame Leopold and his supporters with false charges of colluding with Mein.

Isabella had intended to lead this situation into civil war from the moment she destroyed the Imperial Palace, and prepared this staged act to justify it as a legitimate succession struggle.

To spread rumors that the First Prince, coveting the throne, used monsters to assassinate the Emperor and his half-brothers, and then attempted to kill the Empress as well, using this as justification for civil war.

Whatever the intention, this allowed Haschal to barely escape with her life.

Though the stab avoided vital points for the sake of the staged act, being run through the abdomen by a sword couldn’t leave one completely unharmed.

While she could continue fighting, she had completely lost the luxury of holding back, leaving Valenstein with no option but to retreat since he needed to capture her alive.

Thus, Haschal survived.

Thanks to the perfect alignment of Feirius’s threat to consider them enemies if they killed the “variable,” Isabella prioritizing building justification for civil war over capturing Haschal, and Valenstein’s aging body that tired and weakened easily.

—-

After overcoming that momentary crisis, the briefly awakened soul of the Thousand Killer Star was pushed back behind consciousness again.

“I really can’t restrain her like before. Vanirgand’s influence has grown stronger, so indirect intervention through Durandal has its limits…”

Whether because Elpinel’s power suppressing the blessing of Karma of Murder had weakened, or because her connection to her body had strengthened, she could no longer be ignored and bound like an auditory hallucination.

– Let’s talk for a moment. You’re listening, aren’t you?

A voice now too loud to ignore even with the effects of Mana Herb.

The soul from another world reluctantly engaged in unwanted conversation and negotiation, ultimately forming an unstable cooperative relationship with that voice.

Of course, the fruits of that negotiation were clearly proven in all the battles that followed.

The soul of the Thousand Killer Star—’Hersella’—who had finally found her voice, seemed to have been suffering from loneliness, as she talked quite a lot. Though most of it was sarcasm, she surprisingly didn’t hold back on various advice either.

– Remember this, little girl. This is how you use the power of Karma of Murder!

All manner of combat techniques utilizing the blessing of the Thousand Killer Star—the materialized power of Karma of Murder with physical influence.

– Blood flames burning with Karma of Murder…! From now on, I’ll call it ‘Karma Fire’! You call it that too!

The rune flames forcibly manifested using Karma of Murder as fuel, something even the ascended gods hadn’t imagined could be used in such a way.

– Yes, that’s it! The essence of Karma of Murder is anger and killing intent toward enemies. The more you rage, the more fiercely the power… No, I don’t mean you should abandon your reason!

Methods to control the power of Karma of Murder more easily and unleash it more intensely.

Except for the fact that it was Vanirgand’s power and thus inevitably uncomfortable from the ascended gods’ perspective, one could hardly ask for a better teacher.

– Jump from a wall this high…?! Are you insane?! You’ve lost your mind!

– Good, break the other leg too! Look at that Amin bastard, squirming like a worm, how ridiculous!

– Now that’s more like it. Yes, a warrior should have that kind of spirit!

Moreover, her relationship with the soul from another world that had taken her body gradually improved.

“…What’s going on? How did that deranged girl become so docile? She was clearly the very embodiment of madness.”

“Perhaps… thanks to Lord Elpinel’s constraints. Though the binding through Durandal has weakened, it hasn’t completely broken…”

A temperament so docile it astonished even the gods.

Because Elpinel’s constraints half-suppressed the madness of Karma of Murder, Hersella’s mental state was remarkably stable compared to before the awakening of the soul from another world.

From a mad ghost that even Ka’har warriors feared, to what would be considered a fairly exemplary warrior by Ka’har standards.

Additionally, the otherworldly soul occupying that body also bore most of the madness infiltrating the mind.

“That should be fine for the time being. Not forever, though.”

Of course, as the Heaven’s Wall constraining the gods’ power weakened, and as the accumulating Karma of Murder deepened, her stable mind would gradually approach madness again…

“…If the ‘hero’s’ caliber rises accordingly, it will be resolved. If she achieves a divine status equal to Vanirgand as planned, she’ll be able to resist even if that fiend is completely liberated.”

That was a problem that could be solved by strengthening the otherworldly soul dwelling in that body.

Accumulating karma is a journey toward transcendence by elevating one’s own caliber.

If she accumulated her own karma rather than relying solely on Karma of Murder like Hersella, and reached complete divine status, she would be free from the influence of other gods.

In other words, ‘Haschal’ needed to always remain stronger than or at least equal to ‘Hersella’ to withstand the madness without being swept away.

Of course, considering the experience gap between the two, this wasn’t a simple condition to meet…

– The last descendant of Great’s Twelve Knights! The true Empire’s First Sword who shattered the Ghost Blade! Aishan-Gioro Haschal is here—!

But their final hero achieved this.

After fulfilling all conditions and liberating Durandal’s power of severance, she single-handedly slaughtered ten master-level monsters…

– Behold, this is the limit of this era constrained by the gods!

– That’s your limit, not mine!

And in the bloody battle with Valenstein that followed, she broke through the wall that had been blocking her path, stepping into the realm of the superhuman.

“That’s right! After all our efforts, she should at least do this much!”

“A mental technique of time compression… she’s drawn the absolute best card. A capability to intervene with time, even rarer than spatial abilities…”

“Her growth rate is astonishing. To so easily overwhelm ten Paraschvaliers, her combat sense is on an entirely different level than before…”

It was from that moment that the celestial gods began not just to place expectations on Haschal, but to actively cheer her on.