Adelda was disgusted by Wodin's estimate. She thought highly of Will but five percent was extreme. She barely felt anything from Will.
'Wait I feel nothing? I'm an Immortal, he is just a mortal, but I can't sense any changes to his vessels at all...'
Wodin ignored her sudden realization and walked to Will. The former placed a firm hand on the latter. He squeezed Will's shoulder with a tight grip and said, "That cocoon, it was formed by the seal you undid on your hand, but just to be safe added extra seals to suppress the matrix on your hand.
Will flexed his left hand and focused his attention on the back of his hand. A powerful spell matrix had been embedded there by Bastian in King Yama's gate.
Wodin grinned mischievously and said, "Start with Ten Steps to Valhalla. The Valhalla series fits you well. So that will kick start the harmonisation."
Will looked into the deep pits of Odin's black pupils and gripped his painful yet refreshed fist. He could not help but delight at the changes that had gone on within him. And more subtle changes would come with time.
"I'm way ahead of you." Will grinned in a similar way to Odin, giving Adelda an odd sense of being a third wheel.
'These two... Perhaps they were made for each other...
...
"Ladies and gentlemen."
Back in the arena, Hercules' large frame appeared in front of the buzzing crowd.
They had just witnessed a superb round of quarter finals that had left many stunned.
"This is weird, too many freaks have gathered here."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. 3 disciples of Everlasting Willow in one tournament, and yet one was knocked out by a dark horse."
"Ulysses Rijkaard is a freak. The Princess and Peerless are also nothing to scoff at. Why have all these prodigies gathered in a small corner like this?"
"I'm not sure, but we are in for a show. How long will Peerless last against Ulysses?"
"Against the Scion of Light? I give him half a second at best."
"Half a second? I wish you were this generous when you critiqued my battles."
Too many miracles had happened in the short time frame of the tournament. It was in an isolated space time, one that slowed down events within. Those outside who observed had to have the ability to process and communicate with others at high speeds.
This was one of the main reasons why such battles could only be observed by powerhouses. After all, how many could telepathically observe a battle that was happening in accelerated space time?
Those in private booths were mostly weak ones like Michael under level 100 or those with special identities but the true monsters were those capable of observing and interacting with the much slower outside world. Those in the outside world interacting with the much faster space time were equally frightening...
"The semis are upon us, we are now left with the cream of the crop. I'm sure you have all noticed that this group has an unusual amount of geniuses, but there is a reason for this. I won't say why, the battles ahead will reveal everything for those with a wise eye."
Hercules smiled cheekily as his words riled up the crowd.
With a swing of his arm, Ulysses Rijkaard entered the ring from an opening. His ordinary brown leather armour matched his skin tone, making him seem plain. But his short dreadlocks and unusually long lance grabbed attention.
His face had no expression as if he was sleep walking. But his steps were as steady as a mountain.
He steadily made his way to a position a hundred metres from the centre of the stadium and calmly awaited the opponent he was sure he would dispatch.
"He needs no fancy introduction. The unmatched favourite of the tournament and the favoured disciple of Everlasting Willow. A person who was personally headhunted by Silverton Academy, with a list of achievements that everyone here is already aware of. The Scion of Light, the undefeated and lovestruck knight who lives only to protect his princess, Ulysses Rijkaard! "
" Hah! "
The crowd erupted into a cacophony of cheers and shouts. Ulysses was just that much of a savant. A one in a millennium prodigy that countless organisations had failed to recruit. Known for having an absurdly powerful body and incredibly high affinity with the light attribute. The Scion of Light, Ulysses Rijkaard.
Hercules calmly waited for the crowd to settle down before he continued.
"Now, the next fighter is a bit of an oddball. A rarely seen dark horse. A male practitioner of the Frozen Asgard Arts with a unique set of skills few people at his level possess. I won't say much about him, all I will say is that this battle will not be that simple."
Had it been anyone else who had spoken such words, he would have been mocked and had his sanity questioned. Because despite Will's superb performance, nothing he had done could faze a freak of nature like Rijkaard. The crowd failed to compute just how Will had a chance against the Scion of Light. But this was still Hercules, and he never spoke out of turn.
Hercules waved his hand and Will's entrance manifested in the wall. With his Frozen Asgard Mask active, Will walked into the arena.
Nothing impressive was visible on the young man. In fact, most assumed that Will was heavily injured and fatigued from his previous battle, after all, his Frozen Asgard mask had become a bloody mixture. Few materials could bring one back from such damage. None of them were accessible to those with a background weaker than Indomitable Moon's.
Even in his prime Will still did not have a chance in the eyes of the observers, but his walk to the centre changed everything.
When Will was ten steps away from his designated spot, an odd change manifested.
"Eh?"
A few in the crowd felt a subtle change in the environment as Will made a step forward. It was an ordinary step, but somehow Will's body seemed to cause a change. It was a subtle disturbance, like a ripple in a pond.
The air in the arena cooled by a few degrees while the ambient World Energy seemed to become calmer.
Will took another step forward, causing the temperature to drop even further. A thin sheet of ice formed underneath his foot as he walked. A sheet that was imbued with faint runic designs.
This was not much of an impressive feat. After all, anyone with enough World Energy could do the same. But the problem was that this was not an active action.
"Peerless, something about him is different!"
A sharp observer pointed out an incongruity in Will's movements as the latter made his third step. The temperature dropped a few more degrees and the water particles started to gather and condense, forming misty clumps of vapour.
Hercules was calm and smiled as he silently watched the events unfold. The Greek Deity could not wait to see the actions of his investment.
"3 down, 7 to go."
...
Will was in the zone and focused on his opponent. The match hadn't started but the battle was already underway.
Will could sense a blast Aof Intent so hot and heavy he felt like he was standing under a lava waterfall.
But he resisted. This wasn't the first time he had dealt with heat nor was it the last.
'Compared to Bastian, this heat is comfy.'
Ulysses barely released any energy, but Will's instincts were screaming the same way a human would behave in front of a grenade moments from exploding. The size of the object didn't matter, but knowing the explosive power contained within did.
....
*Important Authors Note*
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