Chapter 17: Old Enemy
When the dust cloud settled, the event Nitaan wanted to see did not happen. The spear he had thrust with all his might failed to pierce the Emerald-fur bear's right eye as planned. The spearhead instead dug deep into the ground.
The Emerald-fur bear's body was nowhere to be seen. It had simply vanished from the trap before Nitaan and Kiita's eyes.
Nitaan's face turned pale as he considered a possibility, one he had anticipated but was highly unlikely, to the point that he neglected it.
The Emerald-fur bear reappeared from the void behind Nitaan. Its faintly glowing claws struck mercilessly.
Nitaan's hair stood on end. His survival instincts stubbornly kicked in. He used Link to link his forehead to the ground, rapidly increasing his own weight to push himself down to the ground, narrowly dodging the enhanced claw strike.
The Emerald-fur bear's body flickered before disappearing again. This time, the prepared Nitaan leaped away, dodging the Emerald-fur bear's claws behind him once more.
Damn luck!
That damn bear actually discovered 4 Words of Power. It's a 4-word Learner!
It is difficult for devil beasts to script their fate compared to humans with naturally higher talent and spiritual energy. Devil beasts might take many times longer than a human to discover even a single Word of Power.
Take the Purple Cloud Scorpion as an example. To reach this far in Fate scripting, it should be almost 100 years old by now.
Even though it was ultimately killed under the combined efforts of Nitaan’s group, it would be a lie to call it weak.
Nitaan’s group had planned meticulously, employing both surprise attacks and overwhelming opponents with their superior strategy. Despite their careful planning and cooperation, more than half of the group were severely injured. Without poison from the Rainbow-Devouring Serpent, it's hard to say they could even win in the first place.
Even humans who are able to discover 4 words are considered highly talented. If they can comprehend their word and become an Engraver, they would far surpass Engravers from 1- or 2-word Learners.
Not to mention devil beasts who have superior physiques since birth. If that Purple Cloud Scorpion can reach the level of First word Engraver, it could easily become one of the lords of this forest. Even Elder Grai, a Second word Engraver, might not be able to defeat it.
And it's a dimension-type word! You gotta be kidding!
This is Nitaan’s assumption based on the power displayed. He assumed that the Emerald-fur bear's Word of Power was very likely a high-level word such as ‘Body Shifting,’ ‘Movement,’ or ‘Instantaneous Switch.’
At higher levels of Fate Scripting, the words themselves might not differ significantly, but for lower levels, strong Words of Power have a huge impact in combat.
Elder Grai, believed to possess Word of Power ‘Fire’, can create a scorching ring of fire around himself. The Giant Axe Bandit, with Word of Power ‘Bend’, can twist and manipulate objects around him.
On the surface, they seem evenly matched, since the Giant Axe Bandit can bend Elder Grai's flames, but in reality, that's all he can do.
Those types of Words of Power are difficult to use against living beings with spiritual energy. At most, they can only bend Elder Grai's body a little, restricting his movement. This is unlike the common but strong Word of Power like ‘Fire’.
Even though ‘Fire’ might not have many ways to be improvised, just raw scorching power and its trait as a fire are enough to make this word formidable.
Improvised-type Words of Power, such as Nitaan’s Link or Fade, while highly versatile, don't have the same impact in actual combat.
Therefore, many scholars rank rare Words of Power as high-level due to the difficulty in dealing with them.
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This only applied to lower-level Fate Scripters. Ultimately, there are no weak Words of Power, only weak Fate Scripters.
Quite lucky, it's still Learner. There are likely many limitations. Perhaps a limited range of only a few meters, or that damn bear can't use it rapidly.
It wasn’t serious the first time we met? Nitaan grumbled.
Nitaan's mind began calculating an escape plan. He wasn't the type to stubbornly fight with everything he got. If he could escape, he would.
He wasn't completely hopeless. Even if the Emerald-fur bear had become a 4-word Learner, Nitaan was still confident that his plans were usable, provided he had the opportunity.
As long as it doesn't trick me again and is actually a First word Engraver.
"Kiita! Surround!" Nitaan roared, charging at the Emerald-fur bear.
Nitaan fully empowered himself by reducing his own weight and increasing the weight of his weapon during attacks, enhancing both his movement and offensive capabilities.
Kiita was supported by Nitaan’s Fade, flickering rapidly as he continued to attack. A brown cloak remained covered on his back for added protection.
This was the iron-scaled mole's hide cloak, something Nitaan had prepared for Kiita specifically for this battle.
Nitaan closing in, thrusting his spear into its body. Although it couldn't penetrate deeply into its skin, it was enough to draw blood.
A glowing paw slammed down to retaliate. Yet this paw wasn't aimed at Nitaan or Kiita, but at the ground. The whole area around the Emerald-fur bear shook violently.
Kiita leaped and slashed at the Emerald-fur bear's hind leg joint, hoping to sever the tendons to impair its movement. Yet the wound was only a faint graze, leaving no serious injury. The short sword, made of high-quality steel, could barely wound the Emerald-fur bear's tough hide.
The Emerald-fur bear bristled its fur and unleashed another barrage of sharp needles in all directions.
Nitaan, having retreated after inflicting injuries on the emerald bear with his spear, now realized one of his legs was stuck in the mud, impossible to pull out anytime soon.
Mud pit!
This is the result from the ground slam earlier! Nitaan is now stuck within a firing range with no way to dodge!
Kiita charged forward, positioning himself in front of Nitaan. Cover both himself and Nitaan with the iron-scaled mole’s hide cloak.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
A massive number of sharp needles struck both Nitaan and Kiita. While none could penetrate the cloak, the force of the impact caused Nitaan to grit his teeth in pain. He felt as if he were being continuously shot by headless arrows.
A small amount of blood trickled from the corner of Nitaan's mouth. He suspected his internal organs must have suffered some degree of damage from the impact.
When the needles stopped, Kiita darted in a different direction from Nitaan again. His body remained unharmed, his eyes still bright, and his speed hadn't decreased at all. The impact of the needles had zero effect on Kiita.
If I had that kind of physique… Nitaan glances with jealousy at Kiita’s body. Even in a situation where everything was outside his plan, Nitaan couldn't help but grumble.
Nitaan's gaze fell upon the Emerald-fur bear, hoping to launch another swarm attack, but at this moment, its form vanished once more.
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A mountaintop two kilometers away from the battle between Nitaan and the Emerald-fur bear.
An old man, dressed entirely in a robe, sat comfortably leaning against a massive rock. His long, flowing beard and mustache were white. With his back hunched over and shoulders slumped, he looked like a beggar.
The old man with a walking stick in his hand wore a tattered robe wrapped around his body, beneath which lay only a simple cotton shirt and animal skin trousers.
Even with all those features, he still has the demeanor of a sage. resembled an ascetic who had secluded himself in a remote forest.
However, there was something strange. He was carrying a large bag on his back, almost as big as the old man himself, which bulged and expanded, creating a comical sight as the frail old man carried a huge bag. Though perhaps comical, the old man exuded an aura that seemed almost nonexistent, like an illusion in the heat.
Upon closer observation, the old man's face was completely devoid of any wrinkles. It remained the face of a worldly young man. The hunched back wasn't due to the weight of the bag or old age but simply his habit of letting himself be comfortable. The appearance of old age was only apparent by his attire and the long, flowing white hair and beard.
Sage's clear eyes gazed in a distant direction.
Suddenly, his ears twitched as if he heard something. Turning in another direction, he saw Nitaan and Kiita engaged in a fierce battle with an Emerald-fur bear.
Sage glanced at them without any interest until he saw Kiita lunging in to slash the Emerald-fur bear's leg.
"Ho, a Beast tamer? Excellent teamwork!"
When the Emerald-fur bear vanished and reappeared, Sage's eyes showed a hint of interest.
"4-word Learner devil beast, and with a dimension-type Word of Power, ‘Body Shift’.”
“Ho ho, it seems that young Beast tamer will have a rough time." Sage watched with keen interest.
When Nitaan had overcome the danger, he clapped his hands in delight and laughed loudly. He treats a death battle before him merely as a game for entertainment just to pass time.
Sage's eyes gleamed again, this time with a slight look of interest. He watched Kiita leaping out from under the iron-scaled mole’s hide cloak completely unharmed.
"Quite unusual. That's clearly just an ordinary wolf, yet it discovered Word of Power?" Sage raised an eyebrow.
He raised his right hand and lightly flicked it in the air. The space before him distorted, revealing Kiita up close. Two glowing gray eyes stared at Kiita. All of Kiita's past flashed through Sage's vision in a fraction of a second.
"It only has a small amount of the blood of the Moon-Snatching Dog Demon God, no different from an ordinary wild boar with the blood of the Lava-Essence Pig Demon God. Not worth mentioning. The chance of awakening its bloodline is zero. Truly just an ordinary wolf." Sage puzzled.
"Or perhaps the secret lies with that young man." Sage waved his hand again. The dimension distorted once more. The figure that appeared in the dimensional rift was now Nitaan.
His eyes glowed gray. The event of Nitaan losing his parents, the moment he met Kiita, and hundreds and thousands of other events in Nitaan's life flowed through Sage's eyes.
"Ho, a genius. It's sad that his life has been filled with tragedy, but he is a promising youngster worthy of a chance." Sage smiled faintly.
Although he still wondered how a wolf like Kiita discovered Word of Power, he wasn't overly alarmed or curious. It was rare for an ordinary wild animal to discover a Word of Power, but it could happen.
"It seems that young man doesn't even realize his partner possesses Words of Power," Sage chuckled.
