"Me? What's wrong with me..."
Herbert bowed his head and carefully searched himself, finding no changes.
Everything seemed normal.
I'm still the same young man as before, without any slightest change.
But he was sure that Nenasha wouldn't speak so recklessly, so he searched himself again meticulously.
Yet in the end, he still found nothing, and helplessly, he could only raise the white flag and ask:
"Can you give me a hint or something?"
Requesting some outside assistance.
["Hehe~"]
Nenasha watched Herbert fumbling around for half a day, and her mood brightened up again as she said with a chuckle:
["Sigh~ Do you really want my help? Should I really help you? I can help, but why do I feel like your attitude isn't sincere enough?"]
Herbert rolled his eyes, speechless: "Do you really have to play like this? I'm warning you, don't push me."
Harmonious God, is it that you're going to start a war?
If I really act up, you might not be able to handle it!
["Haha~"]
After successfully gaining the upper hand, Nenasha laughed proudly and decided to take it easy and gave a hint:
["Don't you feel like there's something extra on you?"]
"No, I've already checked carefully, nothing has changed anywhere."
Nothing suddenly grew longer, nor did anything grow shorter.
["Really? Have you really checked everything?"]
Nenasha's voice was laced with a suppressed laugh as she asked softly: ["Why don't you turn around to take a look?"]
Turn around?
Herbert asked for a moment, and then suddenly, he felt something.
Behind him... it felt so light!
Slowly turning around to look behind him, his eyes widened gradually.
At this moment, a pair of huge wings had appeared behind him!
The wings were connected to his shoulder blades, like the wings of a bird, gently flapping with his movements.
The existence of the wings didn't feel out of place at all, so much so that he hadn't noticed them at all, as if he had been born with them.
"This..."
The wings looked similar to the angel wings seen on Luhier, but they weren't the pitch-black of the Fallen Angels, nor the legendary pure white.
They were... dazzlingly red!
Crimson like blood!
The same color as the scales of Valentina's true form, and on them were some faint golden patterns scattered across.
Herbert stared at the wings behind him, slightly dazed.
When did I grow wings?
Could it be—am I a Monster Girl too?
Nenasha, sensing the shock in Herbert's heart, laughed: ["Haha, how does it feel? Do you know what this is?"]
Herbert looked at the wings, slowly shook his head, and suddenly a thought flashed through his mind.
"Could it be, this is..."
"An external Soul Bone!"
["What?"]
Nenasha: What are you talking about?
But before explaining to Nenasha, Herbert shook his head, denying his previous mindless guess.
"No, no!"
"It should be Fighting Spirit Wings!"
["What is that!"]
Laughing aside, Herbert seriously experienced it for a moment.
Even though the wings looked tangible, they were not made of flesh and blood but entirely composed of Holy Power.
"Holy Power? From the Holy Mark?"
["Yes, your Holy Mark has advanced again, and finally succeeded in reaching this transformative stage."]
When reaching the Legendary phase, a Paladin's Holy Mark undergoes a transformation.
Each Paladin's Holy Mark is different.
Some people's Holy Marks can transform into weapons, others can become armor, and some become items with special abilities.
There are records of a Legendary Paladin whose Holy Mark could transform into reins capable of summoning a Celestial Unicorn.
Holy Mark Transformation is a metamorphosis for Legendary Paladins, significantly enhancing their abilities.
But this ability is not exclusive to Legendary Paladins.
In records, some of the finest Paladins can achieve this at the High Tier.
Their will is strong enough, their adherence to their vows devout enough, their understanding of Holy Power deep enough.
When all their foundations were set, their Holy Marks could transform before reaching the Legendary phase.
And now, Herbert had come this far.
While his understanding of Holy Power wasn't that deep, nor was his adherence to vows devout... his Holy Power was unique enough.
After receiving the infusion from Saint Nenasha, the quality of his Holy Power improved tremendously, unmatched by others.
Herbert's Holy Mark was almost at the last step before, just lacking some understanding of Holy Power.
The Fallen Angel's Feather filled this gap.
Though Luhier had fallen to become a Fallen Angel, she was once a high-ranking War Angel, an expert in using Holy Power.
By absorbing her feather, Herbert finally made up for his last shortcoming.
The Holy Mark transformed into the crimson wings behind him.
With a single thought, the wings spread open just as he imagined.
He touched the wings with his hand, feeling as if he was touching his own skin.
Not just as simple as spreading the wings, any movement was easily mimicked by them.
As flexible as an arm, without the slightest awkwardness.
Just in terms of operability, they were far superior to Fremay's Alchemy Legs!
After trying out the basic manipulations, Herbert lightly tapped his foot and leaped into the air.
Whoosh—
As the wings flapped gently, he shot out, flying high, and stopped abruptly before hitting the ceiling.
Herbert stared wide-eyed at the ceiling an inch from his nose, then burst into laughter after being stunned.
"Haha!"
He didn't even know why he laughed.
After breaking free from gravity by himself, all he felt was joy.
He had flown high on Valentina's back before, and while it was exhilarating, it wasn't as thrilling as this.
What he was experiencing now was a sense of freedom never felt before!
I'm free!
Herbert laughed loudly, swiftly traversing the Endless Maze.
Gates opened up grandly before him, allowing him to pass through freely and perform maneuvers inside.
At this moment, he felt like a flying machine, performing complex movements in the maze.
But after less than ten minutes of flying, Herbert felt his Holy Power nearly depleted and had to reluctantly return to the ground.
Holy Mark Awakening was, after all, a Legendary Paladin's ability, and it was still a bit of a strain for him now, consuming too much.
Yet Herbert didn't feel discouraged.
Because from this moment on...
The sky was no longer the limit!