'The Seventh Scion of Ha. To think that someone from a Lower World can have the System view them as that guy's equal. This is beyond our expectations. Prince Hercules must be pleased.' Wodin mused as he stroked his stubble.
He adjusted his vision and confirmed his belief. A smirk had plastered itself on Hercules's face. The latter was so distracted he even slowed down his workout.
'I pulled this kid on because of his Truth, but his Intent and Breath are also incredible. Now the System has put him on the same level as The Raindrop Sword Immortal. This is insane. This will make the mission much easier. I knew this boy was going to be the key, but now, he isn't just the key. He has to become the core of the expedition. The only problem is his strength. Since he is from a Lower World hid standards of strength are low, but his opponents should help him out.'
At the thought of this, Hercules' smirk widened.
Although this took time to describe, these actions and thoughts all took place within a few moments. Then every saw the so called 'Seventh Scion of Ha' move.
'The Seventh Scion of Ha. He is famous for his ability to control his opponent's muscular movements if your mind is weak. Ha should have won the moment his gaze fell on the boy. This means the boy's Intent is on another level. But strange, I haven't seen any miraculous use of Intent. Is Peerless hiding more strength than I thought?'
Hercules was hoping to use this battle to learn about Will's skills and limits. So if Will held back this would be counterproductive.
Just when everyone thought Will would suffer some sort of premature death, the boy responded. Will forcefully spun and materialized an ice sword from the rainwater. This ice sword was made the same way the previous one was. With a water intent skeleton and channel system.
Clang!
Will used the force from the blue haired man's strike to bounce back. The man wanted to chase but he felt a cold shiver down his spine!
The blue haired man immediately jumped back. But he was a bit too late. A small inconspicuous raindrop had turned into a water blade that targeted his jugular.
'I see. This user has superb sensory perception and parallel processing, just like me. And he also uses Solitary Yuan. Interesting. Since it's like this, I won't have to hold back.'
The blue haired man had already planned his next move when Will stunned him. The latter was spinning backwards when he unleashed a concentrated True Strike at the former!
Narcissus stood up from his chair in shock. The rest of the room was stunned silent. Before they could think any further Will's opponent took action.
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
The Seventh Scion of Ha refused to be outdone so easily.
"Hmph!"
With a simple snort and swing of his sword, the blade light of the True Strike had been blown away, created small flakes of light that bathed the rocky battlefield.
The thunder and lightning flashes acted like the perfect heralds to foreshadow what was coming.
Everyone watching Ignored how the blue haired man had done, after all, they knew what he could do. But Will was a shock. In the meantime the blue haired man raised his sword and held it in a basic kendo stance. His eyes hardened as he stared daggers at Will.
"Seventh Scion of Ha, Jingsung Ha. Present."
This seemed like some sort of provocation, and Will wasn't going to be left out. He grabbed the rusty katana and took a stance that mirrors his opponent.
"1st Rank Sovereign of Planet Earth, Will Chamberlain."
This method of identifying oneself before battle was a dying tradition among those of the Martial Way, but when done, it expressed sincere respect for one's opponent.
"Peerless was recognized by the Raindrop Sword Immortal. This is insane."
Narcissus couldn't believe his ears. And he wasn't alone in his doubt.
Not much was known about the about the early years of the Seventh Scion of Ha, or rather, Jingsung Ha.
But he was known to be a Battle Deity of the highest quality. He was a living legend. He had mastered five Higher Senses and was a powerhouse who had dominated the Daos of Water and Metal.
He also had a magical artifact that he used to refine his body to the peak. Rumor had it contained an Empyrean Intent. This resulted in him evolving to a higher being across all three vessels. He was also a User of the Solitary Word Sovereign, just like his siblings. He was precisely an example of that 0.001% that had been mentioned earlier by Odysseus.
He was a famous Solitary Sword Sovereign who had reached the Martial Peak!
He was infamous for his whimsical personality and he only cared about those equal to or stronger than him. He loved to challenge opponents stronger than him and often broke his limits through incredible feats of will power and Sensory Perception.
Those from the Ha had innate arrogance that caused them to look down upon others, but now one of them had acknowledged a mortal from a Lower World as an equal after one clash.
'Athena's odd actions earlier caused me to take this more seriously, but now there is no doubt. This boy is exactly who I need. Pulling off a True Strike in such a strange position... The Unorthodox Path of Swordsmanship has produced a savant.'
A True Strike only came into being when three elements were fused to perfection. Technique, energy and Intent. Hercules was not a user of Truth himself, but he knew it needed more preparation than anything else.
'To release a True Strike from such a form means that he has used unorthox form to release Truth many times. How much practice has he put in? Not to mention being able to apply it under pressure without a foothold. He has only been cultivating for five years...
Most Martial arts are done by drawing strength from the ground. When learning a True Strike for the first time, most get too used to being only able to use it when performing specific basic strokes.
The more complex the stroke, the harder it will be to perfect, and the longer it takes to pull off. But this kid can do Quick True Strikes and has clearly gotten used from fighting with odd forms. Does that mean his Orthodox True Strike is week in response?'
The Universe was balanced and fair. If it made you superb in one area it had to take away from another. True Strikes were not exempt from these laws.
The better your Orthodox True Strikes, the weaker your Unorthodox ones. But there were exceptions to this rule.
'Is this kid also one?'
Hercules looked on in anticipation. Although many abilities were involved in this battle, he was focused on only Truth and Intent. The rest were secondary to him.
...
Jingsung Ha gazed at Will and came to a conclusion.
'Multiple Higher Senses and such incredible reflexes. Not to mention his battle awareness is nothing to scoff at. No doubt it, his parallel process is at least equal to mine or higher. Otherwise he would already be dead. He is lacking physically, so he can only reply on his Sensory Perception and Parallel Processing to beat me.
Very well. Two can play that game.'
Jingsung Ha was waiting to attack Will the moment he had landed, unfortunately, the latter was having none of that.
'Nice to meet you Jingsung Ha. I'm sorry but I don't feel like being a defensive person today.'
The moment Will's feet touched the ground, his silhouette disappeared!