Chapter 1725: Frozen Blossom Axe - Nepherage

Moments before Hakon drew the axe...

[Hakon, are you sure you can—]

"I got this, Nepherage! Trust me!"

Taking energies that were in conflict with one another and forcing them to work together was something that many powerful aether warriors were able to do.

However, such aether warriors tended to be at least a century older, have a high cultivation rank, or have access to an external power source like milord.

Hakon was technically a case of being able to use an alternative source of energy, but he was nowhere near the level of milord or fellow kaijin.

In other words, he was fighting an uphill battle while wearing backward shoes...at least, that’s what milord would say.

Especially since the method he was trying to use to bring together the discordant elements of the axe was beyond basic and stupid.

Maybe I am biased, but the way Hakon was trying to forcefully fuse the various energies together was the metaphysical equivalent of slamming rocks together and expecting them to stick like balls of clay.

There was an element missing from Hakon’s approach, and I couldn’t figure it out...until I heard Hurricroak’s power chord attack resonate through my connection with her and Milord.

[Hakon.]

"I’m busy, Nepherage!"

[Have you considered that, since the axe is a treasure of the Storm Singer tribe, you need to unite the discordant energies by...literally harmonizing with it?]

"I...huh."

Silence filled the metaphysical space between us, until Hakon broke it.

"Please note that I’m going to be venting my frustration at such an obvious solution by going on a small rampage once this is done."

[Already planning for it.]

Once he got that statement out of the way, Hakon closed his eyes, listened to the rhythm and melodies produced by the axe’s conflicting energies and tried to see if he could find some form of harmony between them.

Once he found that harmonizing note, though, Hakon began to sing something that seemed to cause the whole space to light up with power and unity.

[Oh...this is going to be interesting...]

And then things got even weirder when we started hearing words coming from beyond reality.

[Who...no...what the hell is that?]

Unfortunately,I never got a direct answer as Hakon was the only one to hear it.

"The Axe of Frozen Blossoms? Alright, I like that name."

...And now the present...

[Hold up...so in order to prove himself worthy of a powerful ancient weapon, Hakon had to sing to it?] Hurricroak asked after I regaled her and the others about what had occurred in the moments Hakon and I were drawing the axe. [And then it...named itself?]

[More or less, yes.]

After Hakon had managed to literally harmonize the ancestral axe’s energies, it had transformed from being a nameless proto-treasure to something that had literally been bestowed a name from the heavens.

Or at least, something claiming to be the authority of heaven.

The protoaxe was now known as the [Axe of Frozen Blossoms].

[You...you do realize that is the most chuuni-ass, anime-like thing I’ve heard in my entire life?] Hurricroak asked. [And the maestro makes it a habit of having most of his attacks and abilities basically be anime like a motherfucker.]

[I am aware, but Hakon isn’t, so shut up and let him have his moment.]

[Fair enough.]

Hakon was unaware of our conversation, so he was able to focus squarely on the enemy warriors that were now staring at him with a mix of fear, anticipation, and rage.

The rage stemmed from the fact that they had failed the Collectrix in securing the axe that was now in the possession of some dumb kid that they barely recognized.

The anticipation was due to several of the more battle-hungry members of the group seeing this moment as an opportunity of glory, a way of securing a powerful treasure after slaying someone they believed to be beneath them by most measurable metrics.

As for the fear, well...that particular emotion was coming from the handful of warriors who recognized a bad match up when they saw one and had the senses sharp enough to detect that something was deeply wrong with this whole situation. Or rather, they could sense the danger boiling beneath the surface and that it was ready to explode.

Although, it would be more accurate to say that the boiling danger was actually Hakon’s fury.

Since I was still inside the man on a spiritual level, I could feel the axe empowering him to a degree that exceeded the compatibility enhancement of even Zhen Hai and his giant shark-toothed club, or Milord and his hammer.

That first attack he performed was meant to just clear away the mist. What he was about to do next was the actual attack.

You vile wretches have been nipping at our heels for years, all at the behest of some psychotic bitch who has no right of being in this valley in the first place,• Hakon called out in his native tongue, enhancing the words for all of the enemy warriors to hear. •And now, you’re going to feel the wrath of about five hundred years of pent-up frustration!•

As he lifted the axe in his hands high into the air, Hakon began to sing a song.

The Storm Singers was a tribe that passed down a variety of songs from generation to generation, each song actually being a powerful aether art that would only reveal its power under specific conditions that every member of the tribe had to figure out on their own.

Judging from the feeling of surprise and shock I was getting from Frosttusk, though, this song was entirely new.

As Hakon sang, petals of ice began to swirl and form around him as the axe itself began to grow in size and power.

Once the axe had grown to the size of a wild boar, members of the crowd began to realize just how powerful the axe had become.

"This feeling...it’s greater than any Bronze or Silver grade aether treasure I ever felt."

"No shit! It’s even greater than a Gold grade treasure!"

"What the fuck did that kid do to that axe?!"

[Vanaheim Maelstrom!]

Once his song had reached a crescendo, Hakon swung the axe down with even more force than his opening swing and released a surge of icy petals that plowed right through the center of the gathered enemy warriors.

Most of the weaker ones were sent flying or were perforated by dozens of ice petals, while some of the smarter ones made sure to move to the side in order to avoid the main brunt of the attack.

One poor bastard, though, a Grandmaster thought it was a good idea to try and tank the attack with their own aether treasure that came in the form of a shield.

Whatever screams that came out of the poor fucker’s mouth were drowned out by the powerful winds that sent the poor fucker right through the ceiling of the cave.

Several dozen feet of solid earth and rock were drilled away into dust as Hakon’s attack continued to rage to the point until it had reached the surface.

Shouts of alarm and the auras of several Aether Kings could be felt pouring through the hole in the ceiling, followed by the laughing shout of Matriarch Zhen Xun Tian.

"Bahahaha! Looks like my little distraction played out better than anticipated! Looks like someone new wants to come and play!"

"Wait, what?!"

After seeing his big attack play out, though, Hakon wasn’t content with just sitting on his laurels.

Especially since he had yet to tap into my power this entire time.

However, that was about to change.

Hakon may have been drunk with power, but the young warrior was still sober enough to understand that if he went up there guns blazing and without a plan, those Aether Kings above his head would cave in his skull faster than he could scream out in alarm.

As such, he decided to finally ask me for proper assistance.

"Miss Nepherage, I hate to impose, but can you give me a power-up so that I can be a better match against those Aether Kings?"

[I don’t think we’ll be able to beat them, but we’ll definitely give them a big enough headache for the others to end this fight in our favor.]

"That works for me."

[In that case, hold out your other hand.]

Hakon did as instructed, and once he stuck out his hand, I went to work.

Travelling through his aether channels, I got a feel for what had changed in the young warrior and adjusted myself accordingly.

Figuring that it would be better to take on a form that he was familiar with, I transformed myself into an axe made of magma and rock to complement the Frozen Blossom Axe.

Once he had two axes in his hands, I could feel the joy radiating off of him.

•Okay, let’s fucking party!•

Invigorated by his new weapons, Hakon flew up and out of the cavern.