Leonel walked across the city walls. Heavy rain pelted down like an aggravated assault. It rebounded off of his golden armor, shattering in the air almost like tiny orbs of glass.
The moment the Sea Gods began their attack, he no longer bothered to hide the purpose of the formation.
lightsΝοvεl ƈοm The minerals and salts were quickly soaked into the Force Art, strengthening it. At the same time, the rain above became so heavy that the world was practically wreathed in darkness. It felt like there was hardly a difference between standing in this rain and being submerged in the depths of the ocean.Thi/s chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.co/m
Quickly, the waters that were soaked up from the ground were replenished by an even heavier rain. All at once, the formations of the Sea Gods were co-opted and aggressively commandeered.
The application of Crafting that Leonel was using here was far beyond the imagination of even most Demi-God Crafters. It was likely that only hidden masters of the Owlans and Dream Asuras could match up to him in terms of raw theory and creativity.
Of course, they most definitely had far greater strength and the capability to Craft far stronger Crafts as a result. Unfortunately, Leonel couldn't yet fully divorce what he could Craft from his own strength or that of Little Tolliver's.
Essentially, to make an overly complicated matter simple, he had begun to use the protective Force Arts of the Fleeting Cloud Empire like a human's body.
The minerals were being used up, and the water was being consumed and expelled. It was an application of the Self Path that was truly extraordinary. He had managed to change many of the fundamental tenets that helped the Force Art to run without actually changing its foundation at all.
However, it wasn't enough... not just yet.
For one, in this rain, his greatest strength, his Fire Force, was handicapped. The concentration of Water Force in the region was so high that the use of practically any other element was nigh impossible. Even if it was a Lightning Force, with how heavy the rain was, unless your control was excellent, you'd likely end up electrocuting your own companions.
That said, Leonel couldn't use his hallmark Forces in this place, not unless he could be sure to kill anyone who saw it. So this wasn't as big of a deal to him.
The larger issue was something else entirely.
Not only were the Sea Gods still fiercely attacking the formation and seemed capable of breaking it-at least in part-very soon, Leonel had yet to see any obvious effects of his plan.
'Was I wrong?' Leonel's eyes narrowed as he scanned the battlefield. 'No, I can't be wrong.'
Leonel didn't conclude this because he was so overconfident in himself. The real reason he was certain was because the best proof was right before him.
How could it be so coincidental? Would the Sea Gods really attack the instant it started raining just because?
Logically, the odds of that were much lower. It just meant that the benefits weren't as obvious just yet.
But that made sense. If the weakness of the Sea Gods was so blatantly obvious, then it would have been used against them long ago.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Commander! What should we do?!"
Leonel looked over. "Is the army prepared?"
"Yes, I've done as you said. Everyone is organized behind the city gates, but-."
Leonel waved a hand. "Follow me."
He knew what his lieutenant wanted to say. Leonel had had them all gather up behind just a single city gate. In fact, he had cleared out large portions of the city, turning this northern face into a battleground. He had gone as far to even level several buildings in the region.
But in the minds of others, this was a foolish decision. Unfortunately for them, that was because they didn't understand the changes Leonel had made to the Force Art.
They were disorganized, having prepared themselves for another siege after the Force Art fell. How could they expect the humans to suddenly have such a weird-acting formation, and to even give up their best advantage so quickly?
Even Talon had never seen a formation that acted like this one, let alone the others.
It just didn't make sense. A Force Art was built upon each fundamental rune used to build it. When one shattered, the whole thing should.
How had...
It didn't matter.
With a single sweep of his halberd, Leonel had already killed as many as three dozen.
The valiance of his actions seemed to be the only tonic the warriors of the Fleeting Cloud Empire needed to forget their doubts and charge after them.
"HOLD THE LINE!" Leonel roared again.
His voice resonated like a bell, echoing even beneath the harsh pitter-patter of the rain.
Since he couldn't find the leader through normal means, he would either have to force them out or force them to retreat.
The tip of his halberd trembled, and droplets of rain seemed to freeze around it.
He thrust out dozens of times in quick succession, forming an impenetrable barrier that covered the large hole in the formation. In that moment, he seemed to have become the new body of the Force Art.
He never hesitated once, though he was using an unfamiliar weapon. His time with the Spear Domain Ring had taught him that the form of a spear simply didn't matter.
It could be the crooked branch that became his first spear. It could be the double headed Duality Spear that he missed even to this day. It could even be a trident that wore the scales of a sapphire dragon, a spear he had used many times before.
In his hands, anything could be a spear so long as he willed it to be so.
And beneath his will, anything could be his Domain.
The rain suddenly froze around Leonel in a sphere as his avalanche of spear strikes descended.
One strike.
One kill.
Droplets of rain became as lethal as heavenly blades, slicing apart the tough, gigantic bodies of the Sea Gods as though they weren't there at all.
His body thrummed with life, and he seemed to comprehend something.
No, it was something that he had always had but had not truly understood until this moment.
The answer had been right in front of him. The Domains of the Spears changed so frequently, without limitations or purpose. He had dealt with spears that could change the laws of physics to ones that wielded water as though it were a God.
Did he have to comprehend Water Force to refine this Realm?