Solitary Sword Sovereign Part 2

Controlling Space

It came in many forms, blink, portal, burst, Bifrost Shift and so on. Short to mid-range teleportation spells caused many cultivators a headache.

Bifrost Shift was one of the premier movement spells of the Frozen Asgard Arts. It was a combination of space, water and light element magic. The 8 Gates represented basic elements, but compound elements like light, darkness, purity, nature and so on existed, but one had to manually train to create them from basic elements or they had to access bloodline/system skills. They allowed for more complex variations of spells like Bifrost Shift.

To use it chantless was a terrifying show of spatial prowess and mental calculation. It could only be used by those naturally gifted with spatial awareness and incredible vision.

'Niflheim burst also needs a large reservoir of mana to use. She must be quite the talent.'

Will knew she would be strong, but he could not help but marvel at her skill and decisiveness.

'But you are not the only one with a movement skill.'

Under his mask, Will grinned as he honed in on his opponent, like a wolf stalking prey.

'Come on, take the bait. Let me see what you have.'

Will placed one arm behind his back while the other was placed forward with a palm facing the skies. Will used his open palm to signal his opponent. The gesture had a simple meeting.

'Make the first move.'

Francis was also shocked inside as she stared at the ground beneath Will's feet.

'So that's how he got behind me so fast. I'm not the only one with a chantless movement skill.'

A trail of ice was visible on the ground from Will's initial position at the beginning of the match, stretching to her back in a curved arc. Then another trail appeared that curved to his current position.

'Frozen Asgard: Valhalla Path.'

This was a premier movement technique that was also quite difficult to use. Unlike Bifrost Shift which was used in bursts, Valhalla Path was activated in phases of time. One could use it to create a path of water, snow or ice to traverse unhindered on the ground. It removed most friction and allowed one to be stationary and skate atop a surface.

It had a great demand over one's bodily control and required one to have a great range of vision. If Bifrost Shift needed eyes that can zoom in, bringing the far near, then Valhalla Path needed one to have eyes on the back of their head.

'This explains why he was able to move unhindered in the Eternal Night Area. He has the ability to observe the environment around him. Probably through the Frozen Asgard Mask.'

Frozen Asgard Mask was not a mask for the face, but a mask for the body. It was a membrane that not only had sensory application but one that also required parallel processing few low-level users could accomplish.

But Will was not simply using the mask, he was also using Water Sense to expand the range of his senses. Francis blasting Niflheim Burst actually assisted Will because it increased the amount of water in the environment, but how could she know her opponent was a Water Meister?

Francis quickly made a few calculations before she shifted to Will's position.

'This woman is quite adept with Bifrost Shift at mid range.'

Valhalla Path was a mid range spell while Bifrost Shift was more suited for short range movements. To use it for mid range meant that the enemy had incredible eyesight and confidence in their mana reserves. But she was still a step too slow. Another Niffleheim Burst missed its target as Will was already to her side.

While Will had only learned Valhalla Path recently, he had always been manually creating sheets of ice under his feet and sliding, so he could not help but be familiar with the process. Learning Valhalla Path was no different from adding power steering to a vehicle with an old steering system. A pathway of ice stretching behind Francis appeared as Will had gotten to her side. A quick water blade was released at the side of his exposed foe, who responded by shifting a few meters back.

The moment she reappeared, multiple ice arrows appeared and rained down at Will's position. But his movement's stunned the enemy and audience.

Like a world class ice skater, Will glided on the Valhalla Path as he dodged the arrows with supreme precision. He was doing it in such a leisurely manner it almost seemed as if he was taking a stroll in a park.

To follow up, Francis would blink and release a volley of offensive water type spells at her opponent.

"Water Blade Barrage!'

"Ice Arrow Storm!'

"Rigid Space."

Countless small scale attacks were launched by a Francis that was teleporting in a mad frenzy. Attacks approached Will from almost every direction conceivable, but it was still pointless.

'This bastard, not only is he dodging, he is getting better with time!'

Francis noticed that Will's superb flow-like-water movements were becoming more and more efficient. He wasn't moving faster, but his ability to predict her attacks and control of space improved.

From time to time, Will would throw in weak spells, disturbing Francis' rhythm, destroying her built up momentum.

'This guy, he knows how to control space.'

As the water concentration increased due to the flurry of attacks, mostly from Francis, Will's Water sense got a great boost. His ability to sense his environment in greater detail helped him predict her attacks better.

'I have to be more efficient. This isn't my limit.'

Will was well aware that he was capable of doing more considering the strength of his mind, so he pushed himself to work only with what he had been using so far. Low tier attacks plus Valhalla Path. assisted by Water Sense and Frozen Asgard Mask.

"These guys are really good. They are literally fighting for every inch. This is what a fight between space controllers is like."

"The scope of their vision and predictive skills are superb. The one who wins this battle will be the one who controls the distance best. The scope of their vision and mana expenditure will be key here."

"Fairy Francis is intense, powerful and decisive, like an intense torrential storm that never ends. Peerless on the other hand is like a river, streaming unimpeded down a rocky path. Flowing around obstacles and making no unnecessary movements."

A lot of conversations between multiple experts happened as the duo went through a period of volleying attacks at each other at varying distances.

...

AN: Thank you for reading so far. This is chapter 206. On webnovel, it's on chapter 316 so if you like you can go read it there. The Patron-only google drive folder is ahead up to chapter 330. There I also post other rewards with access to extras such as art and glossaries, so please go ahead and check it out on patreon.com/theonionjunktion. Right now in chapter 330, we are in the middle of the Fafnir's Grave arc so it's heating up. Thanks to everyone that has been patient with me so far.