Will did not rush to end his opponent. Although the battle was over and he had the right to end her life, he chose not to. Instead, he waited to make sure she had no way of fighting back. Hercules had not announced a victor, so Will waited.
Valkyrie's Guard had been destroyed by Suijin No Ikari: Uzumaki. Now all that was left of her previously charming figure was a sorry and tattered mess. She was bleeding from multiple wounds all over her body while her face had been scarred beyond recognition. Gone was the disposition of an ethereal fairy who could look down upon the masses. All that was left was an injured loser.
Will moved to her position and looked down at her miserable state. The whites of her eyes were visible while a mixture of blood and foam escaped her mouth as she convulsed from time to time. Most of her skin was visible, with a handful of bone deep injuries appearing on her appendages.
'Multiple deep wounds and broken bones. There is also a lot of internal damage as well. This will require intense healing.'
As Will stood over his enemy, the crowd waited with bated breath. Having known what she had done he felt absolutely no pity for her. As far as he was concerned he had been lenient.
"Why hasn't Hercules announced the results?"
"Beats me, but she is finished. She is a lifelong enemy of his. It would be stupid to keep her alive now that he has the opportunity."
"But he would be making an enemy of the entire sect if he did that."
"He is already an enemy of the sect. Especially after such a performance. However you have a point. Natasha will not take this lying down. If he ends her life, Natasha will hunt him down to the ends of the sector."
"Natasha is frightening, but leaving an enemy alive is also dangerous. Francis does not forget grudges easily. She will definitely come for revenge. Even at the cost of angering Natasha I would still end her."
The experts in the crowd whispered to each as they waited to see Will's decision.
It was not just them. Michael, Isabel, Melissa and the others all waited as well. Natasha and her sisters were especially anxious.
"If he dares do anything else to Senior Apprentice Sister Francis we will wipe out his planet!"
"He wouldn't dare do such a thing! Since he cultivated our art he should know about her relationship with Sister Natasha. No imposter would dare do such a thing!"
"Either way we must make him suffer! Look at what he has done to her! We should-"
"Enough!"
Before the young maiden could finish her sentence. A burst of mana force so dense it almost felt tangible swept across the room.
Natasha was not loud but she was clear. Silence pervaded the room as a look of anxiety appeared on her face. She pursed her lips in frustration as she gripped the chair's handles as tight as she could with her seemingly delicate hands.
'Sister Natasha leaked out mana.'
'She actually lost control. This is bad.'
'This man, even if he shows mercy now, his life will still end up experiencing a fate worse than death. He has angered Sister Natasha.'
"The match isn't over."
Natasha breathed in heavily as she looked below. She could not interfere and felt powerless because of it. It was not a feeling she was accustomed to.
Her juniors wisely kept quiet as they hoped in their hearts that Hercules would end the match. If he delayed and Francis died, especially in such a sorry state, then only misery awaited them .
Relief however came from an unlikely source. Most expected Will to dispose of his enemy, but he walked away as if he had lost interest. This caused many in the crowd who had held their breath to finally breathe in as the tension had reached a peak.
Such was the might of the name Frozen Asgard Sect. The death of any one of its talents could cause a storm of incredible scales. Interplanetary wars had been started by the Frozen Asgard Sect for much smaller slights.
If Will had slain Francis in front of so many witnesses, it would have resulted in a chain of events that could affect millions, perhaps even billions of lives.
"The winner is, Peerless Dao Master!"
Hercules enormous figure appeared declaring the winner at that moment. Few in the crowd had the courage to cheer for the victory of a sworn enemy of the sect. Those that did were either madmen or powerhouses who couldn't care less. Although such respect was temporary and would only last in this round, to give the sect sufficient face.
"He let her go. It seems he is afraid of the sect."
"He is smart, he knows when to advance and when to retreat."
"I'd say he is stupid. She will only come out of this stronger. Not to mention she did not use her most powerful arts. We all know that their most powerful skills are never revealed in public places like this."
"I concur, he should have ended her here. He is already their eternal enemy. Sooner or later he will have to kill sect members to survive. Better start now."
"In front of a Valkyrie Candidate like Natasha? Those two are lovers. Natasha is someone with an A Tier Class. Peerless would be inciting Hel's fury if he angered her and killed her lover in such a fashion under so many eyes."
Will had spared her because there was no tangible benefit to killing her right now.
'I still need her for Fafnir's Grave. I will take care of her then.'
Will was well aware that she had been restricted in terms of skills and abilities. But she was not the only one who had been restricted. Will was under the Flowing Tide Restriction as well. He was also banned from using higher powers such as intent, yuan and any warrior skills. He was sure that he was stronger than she was after this match. But that was only considering the fact that they would be fighting one on one uninterrupted.
'The Frozen Asgard Sect is overprotective of its members. More so for its Valkyrie Candidates. They usually travel in groups. Meaning that she has a few sisters nearby watching.'
This tournament was to determine the adventuring parties' ranks. In such situations there were always a few mavericks who refused to reveal their strength, sending representatives to fight.
'There is a chance Francis isn't the strongest in the group. Just in case that is true, I need to be even more cautious around these nutcases.'
Will had also let her go because he wanted to observe her. She had taught him a lot in regards to using the Frozen Asgard Arts. After all, she had been practicing them since young. Will had only been using them for a short time. Granted he had Odin and his unique teaching methods as an advantage, but there was a limit to the deities methods and Will's own talents.
'I still need time to observe her and her sisters. Let them come at me with everything they have. I will copy what I can and learn from what I cannot.'
It's only Wednesday and we are already at 54 power stones. Thank you to everyone who has voted to far. I'm glad you enjoy Wills adventures!