Solitary Sword Sovereign Part 2

Everlasting Willow's Warning

Ulysses was extremely disturbed in the dome. Not only had his connection to his senses been cut off, he could feel a frigid chill pervading his soul.

'I thought I had subjugated all the World Energy, how did he pull this off? He shouldn't have had access to so much World Energy. And he couldn't have used the Breath either. No array was set up or anything. There is no such thing as a spell that can fuel itself! There is a fuel...'

As Ulysses pondered, his mind churned thousands of thoughts per second as he searched for an answer in his mind. And he found his target. A long and distant memory. One he had placed at the back of his mind many years ago.

...

Everlasting Willow, a powerful and reclusive cultivator, stood atop a towering mountain peak, his long, flowing robes rustling in the wind.

His head was hooded, with only his hands poking out of his mage robes. No one nearby could see his expression and yet his eyes gleamed with a fierce determination as he spoke to his disciple Ulysses. The topic was dark arts that threatened the light element warriors.

"There is a spell that you must be aware of," Everlasting Willow said, his voice low and ominous. "It is a spell that draws upon the power of darkness and ice, and can trap a warrior within a dome of freezing blackness that will snuff out their senses and sap the very essence of your magic. In the hands of the skilled, it can even freeze the soul."

The young and somewhat innocent Ulysses listened intently, his eyes widening in fear at the thought of such a powerful spell. "Who could have created such a technique?" he asked. He was only 14 and still knew nothing about the wider world, but he had already developed an awareness of his talents and his calling. His pride was still in its infancy which was why he was still motivated about learning his weaknesses.

"This spell was inspired by the ancient, primordial realm of Niflheim, where darkness and ice reign supreme," Everlasting Willow replied. "It is named after the feared goddess Hela, who is said to have wielded this spell to conquer the entirety of Niflheim after Odin had cast her down there."

Ulysses' expression became grave. He was aware of how dangerous Hela was.

"I once battled a Frost Mage who could use it well. He was a frightening fellow. He had turned my light element affinity into a weakness. The more spells I tried to cast the more Hela's Dominion grew.

The more energy I put in the greater it's Restriction on me. I had to open multiple Doors just to break out. I did rough calculations, but to break out of it, my energy output had to have reached at least a hundred times my opponent's."

Ulysses was stunned by this revelation. His master was known as a great powerhouse few could match. He could not fathom just how strong one had to be to have his master produce such an output.

"But I had an even more frightening thought. What if it wasn't an enemy with a low tier class like Frost Mage? What if he had been a cultivator of a high level negative energy art? What if he had been in Mystic Harmony? What if he was a practitioner of the Breath?

The odds of you meeting an individual capable of casting Hela's Dominion is slim, but in case you do meet any such individuals like that with any of the traits I mentioned, be careful. You might be forced to break your seals. Be cautious young one.'

After understanding the gravity of the situation, Ulysses bowed low, his head nearly touching the ground. "Master, I beg of you, teach me how to defend against this spell. I will do whatever it takes to become strong enough to face such a threat."

Everlasting Willow nodded, his eyes softening slightly. "Very well. But be warned, young disciple. To master the light element, you must be willing to face the darkness head-on, and never back down in the face of adversity."

Ulysses nodded resolutely, his eyes blazing with newfound determination.

"Yet that headstrong mentality can also be a weakness, one that makes your control weak. What you need at such a moment is control. Not just control over energy, but control over your mind. Here is what you do... "

...

As Ulysses remembered what his Master had told him, his expression became unpleasant. The solution was not one he ever wanted to apply.

Ulysses grimaced in anger but calmed himself with a deep breath. His inhalation was slow and smooth, while his exhalation was long and relaxing. He could not feel his body properly because his senses had been suppressed, but he could still make basic movements.

'Cut off your own connection with your dantian. Restrict the energy within the body. Nothing should leak out. The Dominion is feeding off my energy. I can at least stop it from growing even stronger. Then I will wait for its energy store to run out. It's not like Peerless can actually harm me. I just need to be patient. His spell will collapse on its own.'

At first Ulysses was disturbed. He didn't like the idea of cutting off his own energy as it felt like he was retreating in some way. But he had slowly become more confident as he realized his objective.

'I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing this for her. Peerless is clearly trying to goad me. I won't allow it to work. Once Hela's Dominion collapses, I will end Peerless.'

...

"Wait a minute, Hela' s Dominion? That's not a Frozen Asgard Spell."

"Neither is Blink but look at how Francis used it. The Frozen Asgard Arts contain many powerful variations of spells taken from other sources. Besides, Hela's Dominion within the Frozen Asgard Arts is different from the one most of you know." said the hooded figure.

One of the observers could not resist and asked, "How is it different?"

The hooded figure shook his head and responded, "I don't know, I haven't come across it myself. But it will not be ordinary, after all it is said to have been created by gods. Even if that wasn't the case they are involved in some way. Otherwise the Frozen Asgard Sect wouldn't be so arrogant. This battle will not be an easy one for Ulysses."

The hooded figure remained silent. His manner indicated that he wanted to focus on the battle at hand, and the others had the same idea. They were just as curious as the hooded man. What was different about Frozen Asgard's version of Hela's Dominion?