Apocalyptic.

That was the best word to describe Kassorith's attack.

Countless glowing blades pelted the ground with the speed of lightning bolts, leaving trails of twisted air still crackling with electricity in their wake. The constructs shattered on impact, flashes of light, booming shockwaves, and tiny shrapnel flying everywhere.

By the time the Blue had exhausted the last drop of mana from his core, a cascade of deep craters and broken stone surrounded the beast. Numerous still-intact runes lit up around the devastated area, however, slowly putting everything back together.

The creature had only survived due to Kassorith's restraint – over ninety percent of his attacks had intentionally missed their mark. The few that hadn't had inflicted some debilitating injuries – a severed forelimb, a broken horn and three deep holes in the beast's torso, the nearby flesh too scorched to bleed. The sect's healers – or animal handlers – or whoever was responsible for the monsters – clearly had their work cut out for them.

Either way, Percy didn't care about the beast as much as he did about his host's fighting strength.

'Not bad… I'm not sure I would have survived this with my main body…'

In terms of raw firepower, the spell definitely bordered the next grade. Sadly, a single use had exhausted the Blue's reserves and might not be enough to take a Violet down. Kassorith would be screwed if he unleashed this kind of attack and failed to end the fight with it. Percy already had some thoughts on how to help, but he wanted to evaluate the rest of his host's abilities before suggesting a training plan.

Landing back on the platform, Kassorith took some time to refill his core. The beast didn't attack him again, probably realizing that their little bout was over. Though it did toss them a hateful glare every now and then.

Once the Blue had recovered, Percy asked him to demonstrate the rest of his skills. Kassorith clicked his tongue in irritation but ultimately complied. He probably understood that Percy was the only one who could save him from his master's disappointment.

It soon became clear that Kassorith preferred to manoeuvre in battle atop the same greatsword he used for long-distance travel. The moment he stopped conserving his mana, Percy's host turned faster than most of the Blues he had faced on Remior.

Provoking another beast and flying within reach, Kassorith also showed Percy his defensive capabilities. Whenever he was about to get hit, he allowed a layer of liquid metal to gush out of his pores, mixing it with his domain to cover his body. This was one of the areas where Kassorith's affinity excelled – its defensive power didn't lose to earth mana, but it was quicker and far more versatile than the common affinity. As an added bonus, it appeared that Kassorith could reshape the substance into an attack at a moment's notice – something that even Percy's reinforced mana couldn't do.

After watching everything, Percy nodded thoughtfully. Admittedly, Kassorith's fighting style was disturbingly similar to his own. Didn't he also move and attack mainly by relying on a flock of flying weapons?

Granted, there were a few differences. Percy could only control and maintain so many constructs due to the special properties of his soul affinity and the increased mana regeneration afforded to him by his boosting art. Meanwhile, Kassorith had raw power and control brought about by his higher grade, as well as centuries of experience to lean back on.

Comparing himself to the creep wasn't pleasant, but Percy did have a few ideas on how he could help the Blue grow stronger.

'I can lend you a second domain while inhabiting your body. It won't be as good as yours, but it'll catch your opponents by surprise.'

'It'll help,' Kassorith agreed, but did so with a frown.

He didn't seem particularly happy with a temporary upgrade that would disappear the moment Percy left. Still, their priority was to get through the evaluation and the subsequent tournament. Besides, Kassorith didn't know this yet, but he could awaken his second core and reach Blue with it after a few decades of cleansing. That ought to bridge the remaining gap and truly give him the strength of an elite disciple.

Of course, Percy hadn't brought this up yet. He didn't much like his host, and this wouldn't help them in the short term, so he had decided to let the man figure it out on his own later – assuming he survived the next few weeks.

'What else have you got?' the Blue asked, oblivious to Percy's thoughts. 'The domain might get me through the evaluation and the first round of the tournament if we use it well, but our next opponents will be stronger and aware of it.'

Percy sighed, knowing that Kassorith was right.

The problem was that most of his other advantages weren't applicable here. Leaving aside the absence of the second core, the boosting art and his mutated eyes, he didn't even have enough phantom mana to fuel his spells. That only left his spectral traits, alchemy and runecrafting.

'Are you allowed external resources? Potions? Enchanted items?' he asked, some hope finding its way into his voice. 'I might be able to brew you a little boost if you get me some good ingredients. I can also upgrade your swords if we have some time to prepare.'

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Percy hadn't registered the compression principle yet, but ten days might be enough. This was more of a last resort, but a few doses of trollsfury potion could save them in a pinch – assuming he could brew at least a Green equivalent of that.

Runecrafting was even more reliable, Kassorith's affinity practically being perfect for it. A few hardness and sharpness enchantments would greatly elevate the lethality of the Blue's swords, and Percy wouldn't even need any external materials to make this happen.

To Percy's dismay, however, Kassorith shot both ideas down with a shake of his head. 'We're allowed nothing but plain clothes during the evaluation. Same rules for the tournament.'

Percy felt the urge to swear. 'Why?! Isn't that unfair to people skilled in runecrafting or alchemy?'

Kassorith shrugged. 'Neither of those things is considered effective enough when fighting others at your grade. Realistically, they would only make a difference if you had somebody much stronger – like a White or a demigod – prepare high-level equipment for you. The organizers have decided that it's simpler to just ban external means altogether, than to monitor all the fighters for several days leading up to the competition to make sure they crafted everything by themselves.'

Once again, the Blue's words reminded Percy of how potent the Vault's magiscript was. Evidently, enchanting one's constructs for use in battle was viewed as impractical even on a greater spring. The Thess'kalans didn't seem to have discovered the compression principle to improve their potions either.

'How annoying…'

He couldn't find a fault with the logic behind those rules, but they did inconvenience him greatly. After all, he was certain that his enchantments were powerful enough to matter.

'It's such a pity that I can't draw them on the fly…'

He paused, creasing his brow.

'…or can I?' he wondered, a new idea suddenly taking root.

Percy almost dismissed it out of hand, thinking it was too preposterous to even entertain. But the more he considered it, the more he realized he couldn't find any flaws with it. Instinctively, he summoned his Status again, his gaze lingering on his trait's description for a long moment.

___

[Scribing]

– Boosts one's proclivity in expressing meaning onto any written medium.

___

'"…any written medium,"' he read, suddenly feeling a lot more confident about this. 'Zoris did say that it encompasses everything – paint, ink, chalk, carvings... mana… What about willpower? Could this actually work?'

Well… there was only one way to know for sure.

'Kassorith.'

'Hmmm?'

'Create one of your swords. I want to try something.'

The Blue complied, a splash of silver manifesting in his palm, soon reshaping itself into a fine longsword.

Percy didn't say anything. He examined the construct for a few minutes, occasionally swinging it and gauging its weight and sharpness. It was definitely stronger and harder than anything he could forge out of his own mana – at least before drawing any runes on either. Then again, the two materials were separated by just as many grades. And while Kassorith's steel constructs were easier to create and reshape, Percy doubted they could be given a form that was simultaneously as strong and flexible as his magical silk. Regardless, that wasn't important – he wasn't going to fight the man anytime soon.

Lifting the sword up, Percy began to carve a rune onto its flat surface. Only, he didn't bother to pull any additional mana from his host's core like he usually did when drawing his own enchantments. There was no need – since the weapon was already made of mana, and the material was malleable enough to be reshaped freely without losing its structural integrity.

Instead, Percy used something else to carve the symbol – his domain. A sliver of willpower gathered to the tips of his borrowed fingers, cutting smooth lines into the magical steel.

He didn't think willpower could be used to fuel the enchantments – it would fizzle out the moment he stopped concentrating. The runes still had to be powered solely by Kassorith's mana. However, Percy's control over the domain would give him an excellent tool to draw the symbols – one that he hoped could be used in a vastly different way to what he usually did.

A few seconds later, the sharpness rune was complete. The enchantment was laughably simple, so the effort hadn't even woken up the spectral fiend hiding within Percy's soul. That was fine for now – the creature was bound to wake up sooner or later, since what Percy had in mind was going to be a great deal more challenging. But he had to make sure the enchantment worked when drawn like this before trying anything else.

'Can you check whether the sword is any sharper?' he asked, giving control back to Kassorith.

The man swung the weapon a few times, before slashing at the ground. He even made sure to strike with the part of the edge closest to the rune, to hopefully maximize its effect. Percy did think that the construct had dug a little deeper than expected, though he waited for his host to confirm it, the Blue being a lot more familiar with his own spells.

'It definitely did something, though the difference was barely worth mentioning.'

Percy nodded, not that surprised to hear that a single sharpness rune hadn't changed much. But this was still good news – proof that his idea had merit. Holding the longsword up again, he gathered some more of his willpower, yet he didn't rush to draw another rune. This time, he didn't even lift a finger. Instead, he allowed the domain to coalesce into a dense sphere, floating right next to the weapon. Picturing the sharpness rune in his mind, he allowed the willpower to slowly shift, reshaping itself into an intricate symbol. It was hard, because the substance was invisible, and even a Blue's control of their domain wasn't sufficient for such a delicate task.

Not by itself, at least.

Struggling to whip the willpower into the correct shape, Percy felt something stir inside his soul, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips as a result. The Scribing trait's influence soon spread over him, a new set of instincts now aiding him in his difficult task. Before, he had wielded the domain with all the sloppiness befitting an amateur who had barely spent a few months borrowing a Blue's body. Yet, in just an instant, the substance seemed to fall in line, turning into an exact replica of the image in his mind.

As soon as he felt happy with the result, he slammed the tiny domain against the blade, letting the mana split beneath the willpower as he focused on the enchantment's intended effect. Seeing the shallow dent located a few centimetres below the previous rune, its shape identical to the first, Percy's grin widened. He was about to ask his host to test it again, when his Status beat him to the punch.

[Congratulations! You have mastered a new spell: Spectral Art: Instantaneous Imprint – Refined!]

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