Chapter 58: Taunt

                                    

                                          
Beta read by Shigiya and Fluffy Slayer 
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-Feoh-
Whether it be the swiftness of speed, the rejuvenating touch of healing or the pure essence of  mana — Claudia never experienced either of those. Celestine's blessings held the ability to transform them from ordinary humans into beings approaching godhood,  as proclaimed by the Church. The bestowed power theoretically surpassed the achievements of any accomplished  mage, even after decades of diligent research and unparalleled personal growth. 
Viewed from an external perspective, they were the perfect weapons of war, designed for the sole purpose of countering the might of any adversary armed with centuries of  arcane dark magic prowess. She still remembered the day of the blessing ceremony… an experiment, or more accurately, an endeavor that neither her younger self nor the Goddess Reborn foresaw any certainty of success. 
But with Olga's forces closing in from all sides and their ranks depleted,  only Celestine alone held the power to confront the  horde of monsters at their doorsteps— alas they had no choice. She couldn't be in multiple places at once and came up with this solution after years worth of research. It was not perfect by any means, lacking prior testing and posing a significant risk not only to Claudia but also to her old friend as well. 
Nevertheless, they forged ahead, unwavering in her duty to put her life on the line if it meant saving Eostia and her family. As she stood in the heart of an empty room with her friend focusing intently, Claudia vividly recalled the moment she felt Celestine’s warmth coursing through her body… Claudia shuddered at the sheer amount of mana permeating her skin, expanding and tempering every aspect of her body. It was an indescribable and unparalleled experience, one that defied articulation and proved impossible to replicate. It took days for her to regain her senses, having been in a state of limbo between pleasure and pain that continued to send shivers down her spine. 
Thankfully, the process was refined and improved, sparing the other Princess Knights from experiencing a similar ordeal. It became more akin to a permanent enhancement spell casted by a skilled mage, with each member receiving a unique aspect, ranging from augmented mobility to accelerated recovery and so on. 
Many believed that she had gained increased strength, an assumption she neither bothered to deny nor correct. Surprisingly, even Celestine fell prey to that misconception, despite once being the sole possessor of this power in the past. Or perhaps, Claudi mused… it was due to her own failure to reach her true potential. The woman was not a fighter by any means, so Celestine’s confusion was understandable. 
Enhanced defenses, tougher bones, structure and tendons. Her skin became so resilient that cutting through it demanded a strength beyond the capability of crude weapons wielded by weak monsters, often failing unless accompanied by tremendous effort. Durable to the point where her treasured armor became almost redundant, serving more as a distraction to monsters as initially intended. 
But it didn't take her long to unearth the downside of her blessing. An aspect that became painfully apparent during her training — her strength was severely inhibited from growth. She could lift the same weight twice as many times, yet increasing the load beyond her pre-ceremony limit proved elusive. Her muscles exhibited increased endurance before succumbing to exhaustion. The effort it now required to build them up became a nightmarish ordeal, where the slightest progress necessitated going the extra mile, forcing her to relentlessly push her body to its limits day and night.
Undeterred, she seized the opportunity to venture to the front lines and fortify her position to the max. While many aspects of Celestine’s blessings remained a mystery for both of them, from time to time she found opportunities to make them work out in her favor, which in turn created the illusion of a super strength blessing. Claudia found that the hard-earned fragments of strength and power she accumulated persisted, defying decay even during months of recovery from a severe wound. Though modest in scale, Claudia was ecstatic at this revelation and dedicated most of her time to the battlefield or the training grounds, where she not only honed her skills but also imparted her knowledge to other knights, steadily strengthening herself each passing day.