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“Impressive! That was a magnificent strike!”

However, a lingering concern tugged at Inglis’ mind—the cost of weaponizing a Hyrule Menace. The process drained the wielder’s life force, dispersing it and slowly eroding their vitality. If this battle dragged on too long, Maxwell’s life would eventually burn out. But there were exceptions.

When Rochefort weaponized Arles, he had been stricken with a terminal illness, already teetering on the edge of death. With no life force left to give, Rochefort had been able to wield Arles freely.

The saying went, “You can’t give what you don’t have.” This principle proved that a Hyrule Menace’s weaponization didn’t always require the wielder’s life force. Even someone with no vitality could activate its functions. This safeguard was likely designed to prevent knights bearing the highest ranks from turning against the Highland.

From the Highland’s perspective, such a mechanism was logical. They could not risk being defeated by the very weapons they had bestowed. However, if a weapon lacked the strength to oppose the greatest terrestrial threat—the Prisma—the land would fall, disrupting the flow of food and resources from the Midlands and jeopardizing the survival of the Highlands themselves.

In short, this balance was a calculated compromise. But it left the suffering of Hyrule Menaces like Eris and Ripple—who bore the guilt of draining their wielders’ lives—largely ignored.

Still, Maxwell’s strength in this moment was undeniable. Inglis couldn’t allow him to push himself too far if she hoped for a rematch. Even now, his life seemed to be slowly slipping away—

“Hmm…? No, something’s off!”

As Inglis observed Maxwell, embedded in the chest of the faceless giant, she noticed something peculiar. There was no sign of his life force being drained. Instead, steam rose from the point where Maxwell and the giant were fused.

Then it dawned on her.

“Of course, it’s the Mana Essence! To think he’d use such a method…”

Rather than Maxwell’s life force being consumed, the Mana Essence that made up the giant’s body was evaporating. Mana Essence—a forbidden substance created from human beings—still retained traces of human vitality.

Charlotte, now weaponized, was consuming this Mana Essence instead of Maxwell’s life force, leaving him unaffected. As long as the fluid remained, Maxwell could continue fighting without the usual toll of using a Hyrule Menace.

For now, the only visible sign of this process was the rising steam. Given the giant’s massive size, the Mana Essence would likely last for quite some time, allowing Maxwell to fight with impunity.

Mana Essence, made from human corpses stripped of form and will, could be controlled via the Gift governing the undead. Since it retained traces of human vitality, it served as a substitute for the life force typically consumed by the wielder.

Maxwell had understood this and merged himself with the faceless giant.

Unlike Inglis or Black Mask of the Ironblood Chain Brigade, who suppressed the cost of Mana Essence through Ether control, Maxwell had ingeniously sidestepped it entirely through human ingenuity and the resources at his disposal.

Setting aside the ethical horrors of Mana Essence—created at the cost of countless human lives—Maxwell’s mastery of his abilities and tools was remarkable.

“A remarkable feat! Though I can’t fully praise it, given what Mana Essence truly is…”
“I don’t care about your praise! I’ll take your life instead!”

With that, the giant raised its colossal halberd, ready to strike Inglis down.

“By all means! Try if you can!”

Inglis lowered her stance, clenched both fists, and mimicked the motion of unsheathing a sword, channeling her Dragon Roar and mana together.

Between her fists, a sword of ice materialized, mimicking the fangs and claws of a dragon. The weapon roared fiercely as it formed—the Dragon Ice Sword, the strongest weapon Inglis could currently create.

She wanted to test its strength against the halberd’s might. Unlike when she fought Lord Jeldegrīva and accidentally damaged Eris, this time there was no risk of harming anyone else. She could fight without restraint.

“DISAPPEAR! BEGONE! DIEEEEEEEEEE!!!!”
“Haahhhhhh!!”

Charlotte’s massive halberd, now weaponized, collided directly with Inglis’ Dragon Ice Sword. But the one to shatter was Inglis’ sword. It broke apart completely, unable to withstand even a single strike.

“…!”

As the halberd came crashing down, Inglis twisted her body just in time to barely avoid it. However, she couldn’t escape the shockwave as it hit the ground, sending her flying through the air.

“Fufufu… Such incredible power! That’s more like it!”

Although she had hoped the Dragon Ice Sword would endure a few blows, it shattered in a single strike. Inglis couldn’t help but wonder how her Dragon Scale Sword, crafted from the scales of the Dragon God Vufailbane, would have fared in its place.

The Dragon Ice Sword wasn’t as strong as the Dragon Scale Sword, but she estimated its strength to be around 60-70% of the original. Even so, this meant the Dragon Scale Sword might have also broken after a few clashes.

When she fought Rochefort, who had weaponized Arles, her Dragon Scale Sword hadn’t shown any signs of damage. This confirmed that Charlotte, in her weaponized form, was even more powerful than Arles had been.

Charlotte was on a completely different level from any other Hyrule Menace Inglis had encountered. When weaponized, her power was truly extraordinary.

With a grin on her face, Inglis was hurled violently toward the wall of the Central Research Institute. If she didn’t act, she would crash into it. To make matters worse, the giant was charging toward her, following her trajectory.

“Hah!” Twisting her body mid-air, Inglis regained her balance and kicked off the wall, redirecting herself. “Take this!!”

The giant’s massive halberd came crashing down on the wall of the Central Research Institute, missing Inglis by a hair. The halberd’s blade tore through the wall, splitting the building in half. The upper portion collapsed, raising a deafening roar as dust filled the air.

“That’s incredible…!”

The sheer scale of destruction was overwhelming. Even Inglis would find it difficult to destroy such a massive structure in a single strike.

“You won’t escape!!”
“I never wanted to!”

With confidence, Inglis began tracing her fingers across her body. Her Dragon Roar flowed in harmony with her movements. To fuse it with mana, her body’s alignment had to be flawless.

Wherever her fingers passed, blue dragon-themed armor began to manifest, piece by piece.

When the armor fully materialized, it let out a fierce dragon’s roar. This was Dragon Sorcery: Dragon Ice Armor. Although her Dragon Ice Sword had shattered in a single blow, this armor provided enhanced physical abilities, similar to her Ether Armor.

While it wasn’t as durable as the Ether Armor, the key was that Inglis could activate both simultaneously.

Without relying on a Hyrule Menace, the combination of Ether Armor and Dragon Ice Armor represented Inglis’ most powerful form.

“Come on! Time for the next round!”
“Aaaaaaahhhhh!!”

The massive halberd swung down toward Inglis once more.

“Haaaaahhh!!”

Inglis caught the blade between her hands, stopping it in a classic sword-catching stance.

“Nnnngggghhh!?” Maxwell, embedded in the giant’s chest, widened his eyes in shock.

“Heh…! You’ve got some punch!” If Inglis relaxed her grip for even a moment, she would be overpowered and crushed. The sheer force pressing down on her was immense.

Could this rival the strength of Jeldegrīva, the Duke of War? Inglis thought so. Knowing she was battling such a formidable opponent would surely make him jealous. This faceless giant was the perfect sparring partner for preparing to face him again.

Losing to Jeldegrīva—and the consequences that would follow—was not an option. She needed to grow stronger through these battles to ensure her victory next time.

“Grrrhhhggghh!!”

Slowly but surely, Inglis began pushing the halberd back. While she had lost in a clash of weapons earlier, raw strength was a different story.

“Come on… show me more of your strength! Push harder!”
“Graaaahhhh!!”

A sudden burst of smoke erupted around Maxwell, signaling the rapid depletion of the magical fluid that made up the giant. The fluid, serving as a substitute for Maxwell’s life force, was being consumed at an alarming rate.

“Hm—?” Had the giant shrunk slightly? Inglis noticed the subtle change in its size. “Are you sure you’re doing fine up there…?”

Maxwell smirked in response, his confidence unwavering. “Hah! Don’t you worry about me!”

Suddenly, Charlotte’s halberd began to gleam with an intense, almost blinding light.

“…!?”

Inglis narrowed her eyes, preparing for what was to come.