I staggered backward, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
I’d overdone it.
Immediately after splitting the mountain, pain like every blood vessel in my body twisting at once slammed into my nervous system. It seemed I’d pushed myself too far before my Mindscape had even stabilized.
Even so, a body that had reached the realm of a ‘Master’ was truly terrifying.
Only an instant had passed, yet the savage pain was already beginning to subside. Even my internal organs, which had squeezed out a handful of blood, quickly settled down.
So that was how it was.
Only now could I understand the heroic tales I’d heard as a child.
Stories like the battle between the Sword Duke and the Saint that had blown away an entire mountain range.
There was a reason they could fight desperate battles for days on end.
But that was enough idle contemplation.
There was somewhere I had to go immediately.
Because the moment I saw the flames burning away the ‘Hero’s Blood’ that had been seething underground, I realized it.
She’s still alive.
My childhood friend.
It was time to fulfill my promise to Leto.
Just as I was about to take my first step—