A Will Sovereign Chapter 10: Chapter 10— Duel against Darian.

Read chapter 10 of A Will Sovereign by Sloche on NovelPedia.

Morning light slowly poured through the enormous windows overlooking the Del Ray estate. The silver curtains shifted gently beneath the breeze while the distant hum of Astravale echoed faintly beyond the glass. Soldret slowly opened his eyes. For several moments— he simply stared at the ceiling silently. He slowly sat up from the bed while running one hand through his hair. Outside the window— Astravale had already awakened. Massive Astra-guided vessels crossed the skies above the city while countless sky bridges connected towering districts in the distance. Streams of floating traffic moved soundlessly through the aerial lanes while luminous stone lamps gradually dimmed beneath the morning sunlight. Soldret quietly exhaled. The heavy atmosphere from yesterday had lessened slightly after resting for the night. But only slightly. Then— Soldret calmly stood up. He quietly walked toward the window. Then slowly clenched one hand. A faint silver ripple instantly appeared around his fingers. The air itself trembled lightly. Soldret's eyes narrowed slightly. Ever since awakening the Will Pathway— his control over his will had become frighteningly precise. Even his senses were sharper than before. He could faintly perceive the flow of essence throughout the room itself. The essence drifting through the air. The circulation arrays hidden beneath the estate walls. Even the subtle fluctuations of the luminous stone lamps. And more importantly— he could already feel himself approaching the first stage of Essence Refining. The Essence Gathering Realm. Before he could continue testing it— knock knock. A servant's voice echoed from outside. "Young Master." "The Patriarch requests your presence at the training grounds." "…Father." ————— The Del Ray training grounds were located near the eastern side of the estate. Unlike the elegant halls throughout the manor— this area felt entirely different. Massive metallic platforms stretched across the grounds while several Astra-guiding formations glowed faintly beneath the floor. Practitioners sparred across different sections while servants moved weapons and equipment between training stations. Some guards practiced martial techniques. Others manipulated refined essence externally. Soldret quietly observed everything. This was the true side of the Del Ray family. Not merely merchants— but a family with enough strength to establish themselves properly within Astravale as a house with more than just wealth to their name, but also enough force to uphold their status as a noble house. Meanwhile— Caelon stood near the center platform calmly observing a sparring match. The moment Soldret approached— the practitioners immediately stopped and bowed respectfully. "Young Master." Soldret lightly nodded back. Caelon's gaze shifted toward him briefly. "You rested well?" "…Yes." Caelon gave a small nod before motioning toward the enormous training grounds. "What do you think?" Soldret had seen many armies within the fragmented memories. Most of them had been created for the sole purpose of killing him. And even with their capabilities— they could neither kill the him from those memories nor pose any truly notable threat to him. Compared to them— the practitioners privately trained by the Del Ray family still possessed considerable potential. Enough that, with proper guidance and resources, some of them could eventually surpass many of the armies from his fragmented memories. Of course— that was only under normal standards. Compared to the monsters that once hunted him in those memories— they were still far too inexperienced. Too restrained. Most of them lacked true killing intent. They trained like guards protecting a noble house— not warriors dedicated to killing the enemy before them. In a way— they were still wet behind the ears compared to the real battlefields he remembered. Still— Soldret quietly admitted one thing inwardly. For a family built recently, primarily through commerce rather than generations of