Tarthocas: Chronicles of the Transmigrating Scribe Chapter 73: Progressio Mortis

Read chapter 73 of Tarthocas: Chronicles of the Transmigrating Scribe by Bigmachine on NovelPedia.

Weeks passed in a blur as all Wilhelm did was spar with Rachel or construct Frost Lance. He didn’t bother to even think about anything else until and unless he gained that ring. During this time he’d learn quite a lot about Rachel although they were just minor details like her favorite food and things like that. Wilhelm didn’t understand why she was revealing all these things but he ignored them and only focused on improving. He had to get that ring. And so he had to beat her. —--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BANG! Rachel’s fist flew toward Wilhelm’s abdomen, but he grabbed it, pulling her closer. As She drew nearer, Wilhelms shifted to the side and launched a fist at her temple. His fist, coated in Niflheim’s frost, connected with her and forced her back a few steps. Rachel, eager to retaliate, readied herself for another attack when a sharp pain shot through her head. “Now!” Wilhelm, seizing the opportunity, pounced toward her and unleashed a roundhouse kick. As it turns out, getting beaten up repeatedly does wonders for combat skills. The kick was blocked by Rachel, who hastily raised her arms in an attempt to grab Wilhelm’s leg. BANG! CRACK! The sound of something breaking echoed as Rachel was thrown to the ground. “that was close” Wilhelm thought, wanting to celebrate as he observed her and cautiously walked closer. He didn’t drop his guard—Rachel still hadn’t used Muspelheim . “Some me it's strength, use it Rachel” he inwardly prayed as he edged nearer to her. From their countless battles and their conversations, Wilhelm had deduced that hers, like him, could only use Muspelheim for a limited time. However, unlike his ability—which came with severe drawbacks like frozen limbs or the risk of his body exploding—Rachel’s limitations were less apparent. Suddenly, as he came within range of her feet, she acted. She crouched low and kicked at Wilhelm’s leg. “No!” Wilhelm realized his chances of winning were fading as he staggered back. Rachel seized the brief opening, spinning her legs to deliver a blow to Wilhelm’s left leg. BAM! He lost his balance in an instant and fell to the ground, but he quickly rolled back to avoid Rachel’s follow-up. Fire erupted as Rachel finally summoned Muspelheim , sending a tongue of flame toward Wilhelm. The flames weren’t intended to cause serious harm; they exploded just before reaching him, temporarily blinding him. “Damn it! Now she’s going to attack!” Wilhelm lamented, sensing the fire closing in. In desperation, he summoned Niflheim’s frost, freezing the moisture around him as he always did. Though he had already constructed the Frost Core’s second layer, which improved his control, it wasn’t nearly enough against the battle-hardened Rachel. “Come on!” Wilhelm screamed internally, willing something to take shape from the cold. But nothing did. Rachel approached slowly, each step increasing Wilhelm’s trepidation. “No..I haven’t lost yet” He hastily formed a small ice stick. It was pitifully meager, and he knew it wouldn’t be enough, but he clung to a desperate hope that it might help. Then, it happened. Something inside him broke. A surge of power flooded Wilhelm. “What..?” he was momentarily startled, however, he quickly drew on the newfound energy coursing through him. Beside him, Aether began to coalesce, forming a construct—a Frost Lance. “Go!” Wilhelm commanded, grabbing the lance and hurling it toward Rachel. WHOOSH! The lance soared like a bird, shattering the feeble ice stick in its path and closing in on Rachel. “Burn” Rachel commanded, sweeping her flames toward the lance. The lance began to melt but still held its course, alarming Rachel. Instantly, all the flames around her redirected to her palm, concentrating their heat to melt the lance. HISS! Steam erupted as the lance rapidly deformed, but it pressed forward. Sensing danger, Rachel tried to roll aside, but the distorted lance struck her shoulder and