A Shameful Retreat

Will had intended to bisect Giselle, but the maiden had reacted quickly, her body dissipating into darkness and reappearing a few meters to the side. Nevertheless, the damage done to the dominion resulted in a mana backlash that caused her to vomit blood.

"Giselle!" As Giselle's lover and partner, Lisa attempted to intervene, she found herself held back by Natasha's ice magic.

"Does my presence mean nothing to you?"

A magic circle manifested beneath Lisa as frozen metallic cuffs crept up her limbs, restricting her movements and fraying her concentration. They were filled with concentrated negative energy that restricted her movements greatly.

"This is a weakened version of Gleipnir's Hold!" [1]

Panic flashed across her face as she witnessed the destruction of the domain she had helped create. Giselle had cast the Dominion, but it had been mostly fuelled by Lisa's mana. Her only solace lay in the fact that Giselle was still alive.

After recovering a bit, Giselle quickly looked for Sophia, her eyes demanding an explanation for Will's presence. Will had been engaged in a fierce battle with Sophia, but he had somehow appeared there instead.

Recognizing the opportune moment when Giselle and Lisa had been separated, Will took advantage of Sophia's sluggish state, a result of Natasha's Niflheim Burst. He channelled his energy into the Water Blade, using its numinous power to slice through Hela's Dominion with unmatched momentum. The blade not only cleaved the darkness but also pierced through the miasma-covered skies that had enveloped the frozen riverbank.

'He infused that strike with the Power of Solitude as well. Interesting.' Natasha was pleased by the fact that they would receive some light for some time as the poison could not recover in an area that had been cleared by solitude.

'To think his water blade had built up enough power to actually reach so high. Combined with a True Strike and the Power of Solitude, it makes for quite the frightening ability.' Gianluigi could not help but sigh in praise.

A brilliant cascade of moonlight poured into the previously shrouded battlefield, illuminating the frozen landscape with a newfound clarity. The dark grip of Hela's Dominion began to weaken, its oppressive mana giving way to pristine rays of glimmer. The frozen riverbank, once desolate and forbidding, found solace in the gentle warmth that now thawed its icy prison.

Lyra, Palmer and Lydia had been unable to properly see what was happening within the Dominion, but they were very familiar with Will's aura. The sight of his waterblade bisecting the Dominion caught them by surprise. Lyra was filled with pride as he witnessed the skill of his master. After briefly looking, he continued his chant.

Palmer and Lydia on the other had grave expressions on their faces. In their minds, Solitary was only a local from the dungeon. The fact that he had been able to dismantle Hela's Dominion was not something that brought them joy.

"Looks like we need to re-evaluate Peerless and his underlings." Said Lydia. Palmer didn't reply and continued drawing runes on the ground for the teleportation spell he was preparing. But his signature smirk was gone. It had been replaced by a frown that Lydia did not fail to notice.

Giselle, shaken but resilient, managed to survive Will's assault by invoking Hela's Substitution [2]—a spell that replaced one with a mass of darkness that generated a powerful gravitational pull on any object that contacted it. Giselle did not have time to complete the spell as the mass of darkness had been destroyed by Will, but it was enough for her to teleport. 

She swiftly regrouped with Lisa, their combined aura radiating determination and resilience. Sensing that the battle was far from over, they harnessed their collective strength and strategized their next move via intent.

Sophia felt shame wash over her as she pushed her mana to the limits. A pulse of mana was released as she also opened a Door. Forsaking her previous confrontation with Will, she accelerated toward him using a spell Will was all too familiar with.

'Oh my, she can also use Valhalla Path?'

Will had no time to be impressed as his opponent launched a barrage of Ragnarok Rain wielding the torrential power of water and ice. That wasn't all. A large tsunami manifested above her figure as he directed the waters towards Will. Torrents madly surged forth, crashing against Will's defences, threatening to overwhelm him. The young swordsman's resolve did not waver as he met Sophia's onslaught with deft parries and swift counterattacks.

Sophia watched stunned as all her solid water needles turned into vapour upon contact with Will's sword, while he simply moved through the waters as if his body was made of water itself.

'He survived the Magnus Wave? Was he actually pretending to be weaker when he fought me earlier?'

Magnus Wave was a common spell that mages could use allowing them to summon a large tidal wave without a chant. It was quick and carried a lot of force. One could also reinforce it with any type of mana and use it to bolster other attacks with Parallel Casting. But doing this used up large reserves of mana.

'Using large-scale water attacks against a Water Meister, isn't that adorable.'

The clash of water and steel reverberated across the frozen riverbank, a symphony of power and skill. But amidst the chaos, a newfound alliance emerged—one of light against darkness, water against water. The battle raged on, the combatants locked in a dance of elements and will.

As the frozen riverbank trembled under the weight of their struggles, a single truth became apparent—the clash between Will and Sophia was not merely a conflict of brute force, but one that embodied the very essence of mastery over their chosen elements. And in the end, only one would stand victorious, their path forward paved with the remnants of their shattered adversaries. Unfortunately for the maidens, the scales were not tipping in their favour.

As the battle between Will and Sophia intensified, a glimmer of confidence sparkled in the swordsman's eyes. With each clash of sword and spell, he seemed to effortlessly evade and block Sophia's attacks, showing his superior skill and mastery of combat.

A grim smile played on Will's lips as he deftly parried Sophia's powerful water spells, effortlessly nullifying their impact. His movements were nothing short of graceful, appearing almost dance-like. With each meeting of weapon and spell, Sophia's frustration grew, fuelling her determination to land a significant blow against her opponent.

But Will, seeming almost untouchable, capitalized on his advantage. In a swift manoeuvre, he sidestepped Sophia's onslaught, closing the distance between them with a lightning-fast strike. His blade found its mark, slicing through her defences and leaving a deep gash across her arm.

A sharp hiss of pain escaped Sophia's lips, her face contorted with a mix of agony and anger. The wound stung, a physical reminder of her faltering prowess against Will's relentless assault. Injured and insulted, she seethed with an indignant rage, determined to redeem herself.

However, her next spells fared no better than the previous ones. Will gracefully evaded her magical onslaught, his movements fluid and calculated. He anticipated her every move, his instincts honed to perfection.

'Looks like learning how to construct an Area from Jingsung and Narcissus really paid off.'

Will was thrilled by how he was able to smoothly anticipate her attacks and counter them. He could not help but feel as if his prior actions had been worth it. Purposefully acting weak and foolish in front of other cultivators was not easy, especially for a gifted cultivator like Will. After all, mentally he still was no different from a 15-year-old.

He had not gone through much interaction with others in the past 5 years and was still mostly a boy at heart. How could he not have the desire to show off? But for the sake of his growth, time and time again he had been forced to restrain many of his skills.

With each failed spell, Sophia's frustration turned into a wave of smouldering anger, her confidence crumbling in the face of his unwavering defence.

Meanwhile, Giselle, witnessing Sophia's deteriorating performance, saw no other choice but to intervene. With a commanding voice, she shouted, "Sophia, retreat!"