Vanishing

"Why is Hercules delaying the start of the match?" remarked an observer in the crowd. 

"I don't know, but the longer this continues, the worse it becomes for Peerless. The momentum Indomitable has gained is ridiculous now. The fight should no longer hold suspense."

The odd situation caused a few heated debates to pop up in the crowd. 

"Yeah, even someone like me at level 129 would be weary of receiving the blow."

"You guys are idiots, Peerless is quiet and hasn't even used a single higher power. This is a tournament for Truthseekers, he still has a lot to show. Not to mention he is charging up power as well."

"Yeah, The Unrelenting Hunt isn't the only way of storing power, but this is a Veritas Core Inheritor we are talking about. Do the Frozen Asgard Arts even have a momentum skill?"

"Last time I checked, Baldur's Bash is the only momentum skill in Frozen Asgard Arts. It's for mages that train their bodies more than their minds. He isn't a martial mage, at least he hasn't acted like one. But he doesn't control his body remarkably well.

The crowd buzzed with conversations as they tried to understand why Hercules would do this. One thing they did know was that Hercules loved interesting fights. If he was doing this, it would not be to make things more one sided. It would actually be the opposite.

The cogs of time continued to move and the celestial lights above shifted, casting longer shadows across the arena, but the combatants did not move. They were locked in a battle of wills, each one determined to emerge victorious. Then, Hercules finally made his move.

...

15  minutes earlier, in the Immortal Realm. Jingsung Ha's mountain. 

Will's display of fearlessness earned the approval of Hou Yi, whose bald head shone with an otherworldly light.

"Hahaha! This boy sure knows how to entertain!" he exclaimed, patting his stomach. "His arrogance is a thing of beauty!"

Modus, had witty Odin, the Norse deity of wisdom and magic perched on his shoulder in raven form. The sharp-eyed bald archery deity Hou Yi and the arrogant swordsman Jingsung Ha observed from their own positions besides the Modus. 

They were observing the scene of Will's battle.

Jingsung Ha raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Since when do you like arrogance, Hou Yi? You have always despised prideful mortals."

Hou Yi laughed heartily. "I think he can back it up," he replied, staring at Will's visage on a projected screen.

Modus, as a System Administrator, had set up a floating screen with a thought, allowing them to view the proceedings together. They had all been viewing and commenting on the matches. Even the ones that had nothing to do with Will. Time was one thing they all had in excess so they did not mind. 

Modus stared at Hou Yi and stroked his beard thoughtfully. "So the data was enough for you to come to a conclusion?"

"That, and the fact that he bested an avatar of my master," Hou Yi replied, holding Jingsung Ha in high esteem. Will's show of strength against Jingsung's severely restricted avatar was impressive, even to the seasoned deity

Granted Jingsung did not even allow himself to a thousandth of the avatars capabilities, Jingsung was still a powerful immortal of the Path of Technique.

"The Path of Power, a way of training and battling that focuses on quantitative growth and power output. 

The Path of Technique, a way of training that focuses on qualitative growth and control. Those who seek the Path of Power vs those who seek the Path of Technique. A never ending argument. Hou Yi is firmly rooted on the Path of Technique. So it makes sense he favours the boy." said Modus while stroking his beard. 

The group fell into a discussion about the different paths of training and battling - the Path of Power and the Path of Technique - and how Will's natural disposition towards the latter made him an ideal candidate for Modus' plan.

All cultivators would have a disposition toward one particular way of battle. Will was more of a technique type. This had less to do with talent but more to do with personality and mental disposition. 

This is one of the reasons why Will was chosen by Modus, an extremist of the Path of Technique. 

"Odin's Flowing Ride Restriction was modified somewhat. That I'm sure you all saw, but what I'm confident in is that only Master isn't aware of the changes made."

Hou Yi's sudden arrogant declaration caught everyone's attention. Odin thought he had hid it well, yet the bald archer surpassed his expectations. 

'Modus has access to the System so I can understand him figuring it out. But this kid.' 

The raven deity squinted his eyes as he focused on Hou Yi. 

'What frightening eyes. Hou Yi's vision is rated in the top 5 of all human type deities for a reason. But does he have the wisdom to back up his sight?' 

Modus was thrilled by the scene unfolding. Odin was believed to be anti-social among immortal circles and Hou Yi barely left Jingsung Ha's side. So he had not seen these two interact often. 

'Hou Yi is much more frightening than Jingsung; Odin is starting to realize that. It seems my plan is working. Duke, don't disappoint me.' 

As Modus schemed in his mind, Jingsung had his own thoughts, 'Odin is the most knowledgeable, Modus is the wisest, and Hou Yi has the best vision. What am I best at?' 

Different trains of thought were running parallel in the minds of the four powerhouses. They were in separate lanes, never touching, but headed in the same direction. Hou Yi took a moment to create an atmosphere for himself and said, "The clue is Intent. Or rather lack of it."

Jingsung Ha was silent, contemplating the meaning of the words while Odin shook his head. 

'This baldy, he is dangerous.' 

Modus kept grinning as if he knew what was happening. He said nothing and just smiled. 

Hou Yi tried to sooth the visibly irritated Jingsung, "You will understand in a moment Master." 

The quartet focused their eyes on the screen ahead as an atmosphere for battle brewed. Jingsung finally noticed something and stared wide eyed. He could not believe what he was seeing. Jingsung had finally noticed an oddity that only highly sensitive beings like him could notice. 

"The Unrelenting Intent released by the phantom, it's… vanishing?" 

The quartet were watching on a screen but were exposed to the environment they were seeing, so sensing this was nothing for them. 

Hou Yi chuckled, "Vanishing, a good word to choose. As expected of my Master, you figured it out." Hou Yi winked as he laughed. It was obviously a sign, one that everyone present more or less understood. 

Jingsung Ha was annoyed by this roundabout way of doing things, and was about to complain, when it clicked in his mind. 

'Wait, lack of intent, complete silence, a negative energy physique, no usage of higher senses, and the word vanishing…' 

Jingsung Ha shivered as a certain possibility entered his mind. 

"Odin, this boy has the potential to enter the realms of perspective?" 

"Oh, young scion of Ha, not bad not bad, but you're not quite right. He doesn't just have the potential to enter, he's already there."

Jingsung was stunned. 

'This isn't posturing, Peerless is actually becoming something dangerous!'

The stunned Jingsung could not help but see an armoured old man wearing an eyepatch with a long spear in his head. 

'Odin how on earth did you teach such a thing? Isn't it only inherent like intuition?' 

Jingsung was already aware of Hou Yi's observational skills but the fact that the All Father had managed to teach a skill thought unreachable to a mortal gave him chills. 

It wasn't just any skill, it was an ability most mortals didn't even know. 

'What did he put in that Flowing Tide Restriction seal?'