Loki's Renard

Arc 4 Chapter 6 - Dark Ages Second Clash

Hey guys, Striker777 here with the next Chapter of Loki's Renard. Been a bit, but it got into writing over the last 2 weeks, and got this baby out. Been talking to someone about that thing from the last chapter, which is going well. They've encouraged me to continue with the status quo and get into a routine again, so I'm writing this, which is helping keep my mind off things. Actually had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy, especially since it's a larger chapter. Next chapter will be going off the rails too, but for now, onto the story!

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The sound of metal dancing against itself rang through the air, as the two kept their swords locked in place. Akihide refused to move, subconsciously knowing that Ottar would be hurt or killed if the sword was allowed to strike him, with Zald gauging the strength of the boy.

'He shouldn't be this strong.' he thought as the two continued to push back against each other. 'From what I understand, this is the 'Reiður Styrkur Tamamo' skill that Alfia told me about. He should only be able to put out 2 tails past his level, which should only be six. Yet I count seven.' he thought, before jumping back, the two blades finally coming free of each other as their stalemate seemed it would last forever. 'He can't have gone through a Rank Up, his last one was only a bit over a week ago, which just means that his skill was not fully realised, as he can go to 3 tails past his level. Maybe more.'

That couldn't be healthy for him. Akihide had been blessed with a Falna, which allowed him to utilise the tiniest fraction of the power of the gods themselves, their blessings to their children, but there was a limit for a reason, or else all gods would flood their follower's falna's with Arcanum instead of Excilia, and turn them into major powerhouses. However, aside from the obvious reason of getting sent back up to Heaven for breaking the rules, never to come down again, there was another reason as to why the gods didn't do this.

Too much Arcanum is toxic on the human body.

If the body wasn't prepared to handle that much Arcanum in the Falna, then the body would begin to break down and destroy itself. Zald could only assume that the tails themselves were a safety feature in the skill to ensure Akihide's Arcanum in his Falna wasn't constantly overwhelming his body, lest it shatter into a million pieces. It was why there was a limit of 999 placed on stats without a 'Limit-Off' skill being present in the very few who could handle more Arcanum in their base stats then the normal person, like Alfia for some reason. It was incredibly rare, however, as no one else amongst the Zeus nor Hera Familia had the ability to pass the 999 cap in their base stats in their Falna, with the sole exception of Alfia.

It was also the reason people didn't constantly use Level Bridging spells or skills 100% of the time, like Akihide. If he constantly walked around with 'Reiður Styrkur Tamamo' active at all times, his body wouldn't be able to handle the pressure of even a single tail for a full 24 hours, it would simply destroy him. In small bursts and increments, it was totally fine, and a good way to ensure one's survival, but it could just as easily destroy them if given the opportunity.

'How can he handle this much extra Arcanum?' thought Zald, looking as the boy dropped down into a predatory battle stance. 'He's slightly stronger than Ottar in raw strength at this moment, and he's essentially the pinnacle of all level 6 adventurers, who worked his ass off so he could have the highest stats possible before his Rank Ups. And yet, this kid is at the level of a slightly better than average adventurer who only just made it to level 7 recently.'

Before that train of thought could go any further, Zald saw the boy disappear right before his eyes. Knowing from his conversations with Alfia, he raised his sword quickly to his neckline, stopping Akihide's blade from slashing at his neck in an attempt to decapitate him. Using his light frame and the incredible physical strength he now possessed, Akihide used this as an opportunity to stab his sword into the armour of the man slightly, and use it as a fulcrum to lift himself up and over the man's head, before grabbing a magic kunai from his belt, and stabbing it towards the man, who caught Akihide's arm to stop him.