Controlling a class eight formation feels really different from controlling a class nine formation. I like to compare this to the process of making a puppet. The class nine formations are like the limbs and face of the puppet and the process of controlling them is like moving the limbs with your own hands. It is simple and a kid could do it but there is not much you can do with it. You will be more likely to end up breaking the puppet in the process of using it too.

A class eight formation is like making the strings of the puppet. It is hard and annoying but with the correct practice I should be able to make the puppet indistinguishable from a man.

It is at this moment that I wish that the process of activating a class eight formation was more impressive than it actually looks like. It would at least work to intimidate the fucker in front of me.

Even right now I can feel the formations in the formation core working at their full capacity. It is going to be a long time after this (maybe a few months.) that this formation will be able to reach this state again. There is simply not enough mana for it to work like that.

Anyway, I do not have the time to worry about that though as I have the giant in front of me and at the moment he is charging towards me. I quickly unsheathe my sword and enter into a defensive form.

With a single punch I can feel the ground under me give away as I crash against the wall behind me. Maybe now was not the wisest of times to face against the enemy.

Even given a couple of minutes, the mana in the air should be thinned enough for this to be a proper fight. (Right now the nurturing formation is literally pushing away the ambient mana to create a bubble of mana which would be more conducive for plant growth which thankfully does not involve ice mana)

Well, time to focus on the fight. The man seems to be confused about the fact that I am not dead at the moment. There is a reason that people do not like to be dependant on external mana. It tends to be so unreliable at key moments like this. If we were outside in the ice mana that hit would have liquified my insides.

Anyways, I do not get to think much as the man begins to charge towards me. I do not even get a moment as he suddenly appears in front of me. Just what kind of brute strength is that, I think as I charge to the left barely dodging as the man charges creating a hole into the wall behind me.

The man is not even phased as he turns back and charges to my location. This is not going to be easy, but he is getting slower at the very least. I can see the brightness of his tattoos becoming dimmer with time. A bit more time and then I can make use of my final ace. I can't really use it until the mana field is somewhat stable.

That means that I have to keep dodging the brute for the next couple of minutes.

(A couple of minutes later.)

Dodging the man is surprisingly easy granted he seems to be focused on strength rather than agility. Well, I think his duty is to bring down buildings like this. That would certainly explain his charge which would be considered suicidal in any other perspective. My master would certainly enjoy playing around with a brute like this, heck even me with my formations would be pretty well suited to fight him. If only I had activated it before.

Regardless, I think that the formation should have stabilised already. At the very least I am not able to sense any sudden fluctuations in the mana of the region. I could tell better if I had specific tools, but even this level of stability is going to be enough, I guess.

Well, the damn bull has essentially been running quite freely through the fort to a point where I don't know what his target is. He is just randomly charging through the place now forgetting about me fully. I think he wants to bring down the building with me as a secondary concern. (Which I have to admit is quite embarrassing. The snowwinders built the fort in seven days. I would have been a better target.) I can literally feel the building shake every time he goes through a wall which while making me fear that the roof is going to fall on top of us is also acting as a pretty good indicator of his presence in my surroundings.

Well, that is enough complaining as I return to my hidden ace. Among the ten formations of the nurturing formation, only the ballista and the water spear is meant to be offensive in nature. They are not the scariest formation though, the title for that would go to the ring of dew formation. It is a conjuration formation that is used to create a simple ring large enough to contain me if I were to scrunch up in it a bit. the formations on the ring have a simple task, to expel water mana at a steady rate.

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The formation inherently is not that dangerous. It is actually used by the druids to water their plants. One ring for each tree in their forest. Given that there is no forest in the place and it is pretty unlikely for one to come here any time soon, there was quite a significant reason for me to replace it with something else.

One second, I can feel the ground rumbling from the north (the man has managed to disfigure the fort enough that I have no idea where I am.), I take the route to the left of where the vibrations are coming from. After a few moments I am safely out of his path. Well, if this continues I am going to have more significant worries. (Namely, if my formation will have a fort left to enhance.)

Anyway, returning to the ring of dews. The reason that I have even put it in the formation is to actually test a hypothesis of my master. Well, no sense in delaying it any further. Manipulating the formation, I begin to create a ring of dew at every entrance to the place( two official entries of the tunnel and three holes in the wall where the bastard passed through.). At least the creation of the formation is occuring quite well. I am pretty sure that I can create these rings in real time though powering them will take some time. It is very weird to feel the conjured formation, which will activate based on my will. It is like a ghost limb in the formation. A formation within a formation.

I can feel the ground vibrate under my feet as the man continues his demolition run. Honestly, I feel a bit annoyed. The man has clearly forgotten that he is supposed to be fighting with me. Well, he will come to regret that day, especially if my masters modification works. I don't want to think what will occur if that is not the case. Well, I am sure that the man would not enjoy being drenched in this weather.

Well, I am embarrassed to admit that I almost got run over as I got a bit lost in my worries. It is almost instinct as I activate the ring of dew from the tunnel behind me, almost missing the man as all the water mana in the ring (which would have been enough to feed a small tree for a day. Pretty negligible compared to a water spear) is released in a fraction of a moment.

The funny thing about water mana is that concentrated enough it becomes very sharp at high enough concentration. I have seen men using concentrated expulsion of water mana to cut into metal and in the present case it does not disappoint as I can see blood seep from the cut on the man's leg which was inside the circle. I was hoping to see his leg cut of, but this is still a pretty good result considering moments ago I could not damage him without using dangerous methods.

Well, I will not get to enjoy my handiwork as I begin to create rings throughout the surrounding regions. With my capabilities I should be able to create ten such rings in an instant though it will take a while to power it. The man becomes a bit more cautious as he is not sure of the rings positions (another reason I needed to wait for the formation to stabilize. Such rings would have been quite obvious in a purely ice mana region.)

"Bastard of the legion, what magic are you running.", the man speaks for the first time.

"I was beginning to think that you were dumb, you damn brute.", I can't help but curse, the man has destroyed quite a significant part of the fort and frankly, I am getting quite attached to the place.

"Well we hunt bastards like you every year. You are quite a confident man, to think you would come into our home and taunt us." The man speaks, taking a cautious step forward. There is no ring there but a step to the left and the man will be in for another strike. "I wonder what the snowwinders gave to your people that they are willing to send you here."

"I wouldn't certainly know, but this seems to be quite familiar to you. I could hire you to bring down buildings. The dwarves would have quite a use for you.", I speak in what I hope is a taunting tone.

"Well, what could be said about you legion bastards. We have brought down so many of your so called forts that I could do it in my sleep. You bastards are quite bad at this job.", the man spreads his arm to the left like a man groping in the dark.

I activate the ring as his arms enter into the ring. It is quite pleasant to see the man grunt in pain especially with the failure of my combined spears. I really wanted it to work you know.

"Well, you will find this particular fort much harder to conquer, my dear friend. It would be best for the both of us if you were to retreat don't you think.", I speak. "It would not be particularly difficult to get you killed at the moment."

"It is a neat trick, I admit my friend. Those bastards try the same things so many times that it gets boring. You seem to be using some kind of a formation. I would assume that you originate from the south, maybe the plain of forts." he speaks as his bleeding injuries seem to begin freezing as his flesh takes on a greyish tone. The fucker is freezing his own body.

"Well, I have never been to the plain of forts. You are quite close to my base though.", I say. I try to form a ring under the man's position. The man seems to sense it, as he takes a step back.

"Good attempt, my friend. My senses are not that dull. I am surprised that the snowwinders are willing to rely on you bastards. You destroyed one of their ancestral forts didn't you. That while you guys were drunk." he speaks, as he suddenly looks at me.

"Well, not me personally. It is risky business with ancient magic. Even for experts." I speak.

"Well, I still have to thank you for chatting with me. The others would not have allowed so much time for us to prepare. I will have to take my leave here then.", he says.

I do not get to reply to the man as all of his tattoos begin to grow brighter and brighter completely dominating my vision. I remember pulling on every bit of my mana to protect my body. I do not even realise it as I am blown away as a massive amount of ice mana passes through me like water in a waterfall. A waterfall that had somehow frozen into an iceberg. By the time vision returns to me (at least as far I remember), the only thing that I can see and sense in my surroundings is the ruined fort which looked like It had just survived a snowstorm.