Chapitre 421: Foes Not To Be Underestimated
Clang~
Ying felt the force from the attacks transmit to her bones. Somehow her peak at the Second Stage wasn't as great as Akiol's current Second Stage power. It was ridiculous, that someone could wield such strength so early in their path as a warrior. It pained her to know that when he ascended beyond he would be surpassing her further.
However! She wasn't completely outmatched! While her strength in a literal sense wasn't enough, she had her techniques and abilities that she spent all this time developing. Her previous Second Stage self didn't have such techniques!
Akiol twisted his wrist and created an opening through Ying's defense with his sword. Air bellowed as he forcefully cancelled all his momentum and thrust his sword towards Ying's throat. His blade entered her throat with no resistance, which was an alarming sign!
Wham-!
Ying turned into a dissipating shadow and kicked Akiol's face. The time between the two actions was so small he didn't have an opportunity to react! Rolling with the force he backflipped and created a bit of distance. The moment he landed he lifted Stars to his front and blocked Ying's followup attack!
"Nice! You're actually really good!", Ying complimented.
"Much appreciated, but you really ought to focus on the match!"
Akiol pushed back against Ying's batons. Not willing to enter a contest of strength she backed off and twirled the two batons in her hands, "Still what's with this absurd strength? This level is among the top of Second Stage, and you haven't even reached your peak."
"I've had quite a few lucky encounters."
During the small conversation Akiol sneaked a glance towards Wrock. Clicking his tongue he shifted his stance, looks like Intel was going to be a far more troublesome opponent!
Wrock had a weak flickering flame around his arms. He didn't dare increase the intensity just yet, it still had to be a slow process. However the heat was now becoming enough to fight the cold emanating from Intel's spear. Which allowed him to block some of her attacks. It was a shame the cold was the least of his worries.
'Akiol was not joking! These guys don't mess around!'
Leaning to the side he barely escaped the wrath of Intel's spear. The sharp ice proved to be incredibly dangerous. A small wound on Wrock's arm was proof of its sharpness.
It was worth mentioning that Wrock's integration with his innate talent of spotting flaws and {Hyperfocused Battle Intensity} was something that surpassed Akiol's {Absolute Territory} in terms of 1v1 fighting. In fact if the two were to fight Wrock would win six times out of ten. So for him to be pressured by a single opponent was an incredible sign of Intel's skill. For the entire time Wrock was on the defensive!
Moreover the issue with the frost suppressed his ability to use Spirit. No, rather if he didn't have a flame element for Spirit he most likely would have been long finished!
Wrock used his hand and knocked aside the spear, after throwing a punch forward he almost immediately jumped back. The final issue was the overwhelming advantage spears had in combat! His arms couldn't match the range of the spear. Most of his attacks were met with a counterattack from Intel, forcing him to either retreat or go back to a defensive state.
So he had to change the flow of battle!
Rapidly taking steps back he increased the distance between the two. His main focus was regaining full use of his Spirit. The moment he did he wouldn't need to worry about the ice any longer!
Intel slid her foot against the ground and a wave of ice sprang forth. Wrock grit his teeth and increased his retreating speed. The ice was incredibly troublesome. To think that Intel would be not only skilled in ice magic, but also in close combat!
The wave of ice approached closer. If Wrock was consumed by it again he would need to take drastic measures. So instead of being chased forever he jumped into the air! Blue embers formed at the bottom of his feet and ignited into a weak flame. Landing on the ice he glided across it, protecting his legs from the biting cold with his Spirit.
Intel lifted the ice spear as Wrock approached. Twirling it in her hand she then took a stance. Cold swirled around her like a cyclone. Aiming her spear towards Wrock she took a breath, "[Freezing Chill: Ice Lance]"
Ice spiraled in a lance shape and was thrust towards Wrock. Leaping to the side he aimed to dodge, but Intel moved her spear to adjust the direction of the lance! Wrock, still in the air, grit his teeth and lifted his arms. Slightly increasing the intensity of the flames he braced for impact!
~ ~ ~
"Ah this guy, I had a feeling he wasn't fighting properly.", Merin spoke with a bit of amusement.
Humive raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"When you look at the two from the South, what seems to be their key difference?"
Turning his attention to the fight Humive silently examined the fight for a bit. He then shook his head, "I'm not as great as a fighter as you."
"Only one of them is fighting properly. By that I mean a style. The Pugilist, what was his name again?"
"Wrock."
"That Wrock guy has stuck to a single fighting style. I can see remnants of a lesser version, but it still holds the same foundation. This singular style, this method of fighting—his body has attuned to every aspect of it. Every move he executes is the result of years of practice. It's the same method I use. To take a single method and hone it to perfection."
"You mean his potential is similar to yours?"
"If he does not falter you're looking at someone with the potential to become the Martial Lord."
Martial Lord! Each base Class in A World's Legacy has a Title for those who reached the top in terms of skill! Sword Saint is granted to the one who holds the apex of skill with the sword. The title for the martial Classes is Martial Lord! Meaning Martial Lord is at the same realm of the Sword Saint!
"So what's wrong with the Warrior?", asked Ring.
Ring was one of the two rookies chosen to enter The Arena for the North Province. Merin had no issue explaining what she meant to the rookie, part of her job as the Sword Saint was to help the newer generation grow. Pointing towards Akiol she explained, "Every time he swings I can't see a solid method. Each move he makes I can only see is several fragments. Like a broken mirror. All it amounts to is a poor reflection of the real thing. I only wish I could see the creators of the styles he learned, I am sure they have an incredible amount of potential."
Humive frowned, "But he held the requirements for the Title of Sword Saint. You mean to tell me that he doesn't have the potential for it?"
"If he learned this much he certainly had the potential. But it's far too late for him to fix this path of his. Adding his own style to it all would be pointless."
Ring frowned and crossed his arms, "I don't fully understand. He's someone who still lasted three moves from you."
Scratching her chin Merin pondered on a better way to explain it, "You've heard about the theory of foundations before right?"
"Yeah, the stronger and sturdier of a foundation the higher you can go right?"
"Precisely, so for Wrock the foundation is among the best I have seen. Something beyond sturdy, and the heights he can go with it is on par of that of a Martial Lord.", she then pointed at Akiol, "But for him, it's like he has multiple foundations. Each created to mimic someone else's. These aren't weak, but they're nothing beyond ordinary."
"It's quantity over quality then?"
"That would be a good way to put it."
Ring placed his hands on his hips, "But you also say learning from others is a good way to grow. If his path is something from learning from lots of other people how can that be bad?"
Merin shook her head, "No, you misunderstood. Learning from others is a great way to spot what is wrong with your style. A method of understanding your own flaws and improving upon that. What he did was far from that."
"Surely with all his experience he can make something of it."
"Once upon a time, but not anymore. To use the example of foundations, he has run out of space to make any more."
"So what can he do?"
Merin shook her head, "There's nothing. Or at least there isn't a method I know of."
Humive added, "He can make up for the gap in power. I know of a man who did something similar. A jack of all trades. By being stronger than your opponent you can close the gap in skill, but to best the Sword Saint you would need a monstrous amount of power."
Narrowing his eyes he continued, "Still, for you to say that one of them has the potential to become a Martial Lord. . . it's such a shame we weren't able to recruit them."
Ring asked, "So that means I have a chance to beat him?"
"That depends entirely on you.", Merin answered.
Humive drummed his fingers on the chair, "That Horrow, I wonder if he's aware what he has."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone