Solitary Sword Sovereign Part 2

Wrath of the Watergod: Whirlpool

Just as how Frozen Asgard Arts made one more emotionless, Solitary Sword Sovereign Arts made one desire an affinity with death and grants one extreme mental fortitude. One art sought to abandon emotion, while one sought to embrace and control it. Striking a paradoxical balance between these two was crucial for Will's success and he intended to fully capitalise on it, starting in this battle.

'Targeting one's weaknesses while capitalising on one's strengths, that is the essence of the mages way. Mental weaknesses are even more of a weakness if one is a mage. Will was able to create an environment that brought out her weakness through a battle of attrition. Tactically, she was outplayed. She has seen more, and has fought more, but her fighting experiences have more or less been the same thing. Resulting in her emotional growth being weaker than Will '

Adelda was pleased by what she saw. Will had an intuitive sense of observation that she liked. His ability to judge character after experiencing a prolonged battle was a valuable trait that all cultivators desired. 

Will was used to facing the unknown. In King Yama's gate, he had to fight multiple times from a disadvantageous position without any knowledge of his opponent. They were beasts, but they were intelligent ones with intelligence rivalling that of humans. Some sector bosses had the wisdom of an experienced human cultivator and targeted Will's weaknesses many a time, forcing him to adapt. 

'Time to end this.'

Will's own mana was great, but it was running low as well. He had already expected to finish the match low on mana. Ragnarok Rain, Valhalla Path, Frozen Asgard Mask, repeated use of Spatial Rend and Loki's Substitution had especially been draining his energy reserves.  

'But it was worth it.'

Once again, Francis' rhythm was disturbed when the attack she was facing disappeared.

What came for her was not the normal barrage of ice needles aimed at her vital points, but a spiralling sphere of water.

"Eh?"

Francis had shifted multiple times and had collected her staff and a few shields on the way. She gathered them to block the sphere ahead of her. Her wand had reverted back to its second form and was held diagonally while a handful of shields gathered ahead.

  

Boom!

The explosion did not happen as she expected. There was no Hydrolytic Fission, nor was there any Spatial Rend. It was just an ordinary rotating sphere that changed into a mist that covered the entire area. With a wave of her wand, the mist cleared as she jumped back in case Will attacked her. But the attack she expected did not come. By the time she had landed, the mist had cleared. Will, who had been speeding forward on his Valhalla Path just before the sphere exploded, had instead retreated back quite a few metres, to the point that his back was against the wall.

Francis had an ominous feeling as she looked around desperately.

At that instant, multiple chains made from frigid ice came from the ground and covered her body. They were like livid snakes hunting prey from the underworld as they covered their target within an instant. A matrix had appeared below her feet and activated before she could react.

Frozen Asgard Arts: Gleipnir's Hold

Gleipnir was a chain that was created to hold the legendary Norse beast, Fenrir. Fenrir was the beast responsible for killing Odin during Ragnarok, the Norse Armageddon, so one can imagine the strength of the spell. Abject horror showed itself on the maiden's face.

Because not only could Gleipnir's Hold stop her from moving, it also locked down the target's energy and space itself. Preventing the user from casting new spells. She could only fuel her armour and strengthen her membrane. Gleipnir's Hold was one of the strongest sealing spells in Frozen Asgard Arts.

'When did he plant this?'

Francis was stunned for a moment, but she soon realised that there were many moments during the match when she had completely lost sight of Will. But this was not the end.

Eight matrices appeared at the eight cardinal and ordinal points of the stadium.Water spheres rotating at high speeds materialised above each matrix. They were rotating at such high speeds that the wind around them turned chaotic, kissing up fragments of ice and snow that had collected. They each contained a sharp aura that caused Francis to swallow her saliva. 

Sujin no Ikari!

Wodin had made many modifications to Will's Frozen Asgard Arts, and one of them was converting Suijin no Ikari into a matrix so it could be cast as a spell instead of a skill. But that was not the only gift Odin gave Will.

The eight matrices under the spheres linked together through multiple lines that had taken shape. A large supermatrix that covered the entirety of the coliseum was formed from the links and activated with Francis at the centre. Francis panicked and tried to activate Bifrost Shift by reflex but she could not activate her spell at all. Even the mana within her body started to feel sluggish, as if she was stuck in some sort of energy quagmire.

'This aura coming from the spheres, it's such a concentrated sword force! He can cast and apply sword-type magic to ordinary spells as well. No matter, I still have my armour. He needs to have an attack that can finish me off in one blow. It doesn't matter how talented you are. Casting Gleipnir's Hold should at least have taken up most of his remaining mana. This is true for anyone under level 100. He needs to hit me with a concentrated spell that can dispel a Valkyrie's Guard membrane powered by three opened doors to defeat me.'

While she could not cast any more spells, she could still defend in one last stand.

'Let's see what will win, your strongest shield or my greatest defence.'

Will only had the ability to cast two more spells, but it was more than enough for his purposes.

He pointed at his opponent with a free hand and materialized a miniature Suijin no Ikari. The sphere had little to no presence but it grabbed attention because it had a purpose. It had been summoned for a reason.

...

AN: Hey guys, hope you had a good week. We just had elections in Zimbabwe but no world leader has accepted the results leading to pandemonium. The economy is already bad but election drama has led to many difficulties, the consequence of staying in a poor 3rd world country sigh. Either way, thank you for your patience, especially our patrons: Claro Reyes, Jake Edwards, Mahkshum Akhmedov, Bald Taoist and Skyler Hicks. I also want to say hi to our new patron Brayden Louck. Welcome to the family!

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