The gathered Sovereigns all nodded.
A technique capable of amplifying one's power a hundredfold—of course they wanted to see it.
In truth, techniques that could temporarily boost strength by such margins weren't unheard of among gods. Some divine beasts or special lifeforms even possessed innate abilities capable of unleashing tenfold or hundredfold power.
But those abilities had limits.
At lower levels, the amplification was impressive.
Yet once one's strength surpassed a certain threshold, the effectiveness dropped sharply.
Take the Amethyst Beast's innate ability, Amethyst Space—at its peak, it could rival the might of a Paragon-level expert.
But once one actually reached that level, the amplification became far less significant.
And after becoming a Sovereign?
Such techniques relied almost entirely on willpower to scale.
That was why Sovereign strength was largely determined by willpower—because their ultimate techniques had already hit their ceiling and could no longer enhance their power meaningfully.
So, a technique that could still amplify power by a hundredfold at the Sovereign level—
was something none of them had ever seen.
Naturally, curiosity burned in all of them.
Before long, Locke's water divine clone arrived from the Netherworld.
After nodding to the assembled Sovereigns, he looked at Snowfall.
"This technique is meant for you," Locke said calmly. "So, I will demonstrate it on you directly, allowing you to personally experience its power."
Snowfall's expression changed instantly. He took several steps back.
"Locke… you're not planning to kill me under the guise of teaching, are you?"
"Don't forget—the Four Chief Sovereigns are all present. If you kill me here, you'll be hunted down."
His suspicion wasn't unfounded.
After all, Locke was already unmatched beneath the Chief Sovereigns.
Now he had revealed a technique capable of amplifying power a hundredfold.
If Locke killed him here and immediately refined his Sovereign spark with his water clone…
wouldn't he instantly surpass even the Four Chief Sovereigns?
This thought wasn't limited to Snowfall.
Many Sovereigns—including the other three Chief Sovereigns—had the same suspicion.
Even Wordred hesitated.
Should he intervene?
Then Locke spoke.
"Relax, Snowfall."
"I may not like you, but I'm not about to kill you in front of everyone."
"I just want to beat you up a little."
"…After all, being played like that—letting you die easily would leave me unsatisfied."
The last sentence was delivered through a subtle soul transmission, filled with unmistakable malice.
No one else noticed.
But Snowfall did.
And his fear deepened.
"Now then, Snowfall," Locke said lightly.
"I'm starting."
"This technique is called—"
He raised his right hand.
"World Freezing!"
Boom!
A terrifying fluctuation erupted.
A pale white radiance spread outward, enveloping a thousand meters in an instant.
Everything it touched—
stopped.
The chaotic currents of space itself froze completely.
And Snowfall—
was instantly turned into an ice statue.
Within that frozen domain, Locke walked leisurely.
The motionless space turbulence, the frozen Sovereign—
and Locke moving freely among them—
formed a surreal contrast.
"Everyone," Locke said calmly,
"This is the technique I will teach Snowfall—World Freezing."
"Under this technique, everything—"
"including space itself—can be frozen."
"Of course, such power comes with requirements."
He paused slightly.
"If one has reached Paragon-level mastery of the Water Laws… there might be a ten percent chance of learning it."
"If not—"
"You likely won't even grasp the entry point."
Outside the frozen domain, the Sovereigns reacted instantly.
First—
envy.
Then—
amusement.
So that's how it was.
Locke hadn't cheated Snowfall—
he'd given him something he could never learn.
Standing beside the frozen Snowfall, Locke turned to the others.
"Some of you may feel this is beneath a Sovereign."
"But let me explain."
"When I learned of Celes, I personally brought him to the Infernal Realm and asked Lord Wordred to mediate."
"I offered to grant Snowfall any one request in exchange for dropping the matter."
Wordred nodded.
"That is correct. Snowfall initially agreed."
"I convened this assembly to ensure the price Locke paid would be known—to prevent dangerous precedents."
"I did not expect Snowfall to change his stance midway."
Understanding dawned across the Sovereigns.
So that was the full story.
Snowfall had tried to take advantage—
and got played instead.
Fair enough.
Locke waved his hand.
The white radiance dissipated.
The frozen space turbulence resumed its chaotic flow.
Crack… crack…
Snowfall shattered the ice around him, erupting with power.
The moment he regained awareness, he saw Locke standing right beside him.
"Ah!"
He recoiled instantly, retreating far away.
"Lo—Lord Locke… when did you get that close to me?"
That single question revealed everything.
The technique didn't just freeze matter.
It froze the soul itself.
To everyone else, Locke had calmly walked over.
But to Snowfall—
Locke had appeared instantly.
His awareness had been completely halted.
"Snowfall," Locke said,
"This is the technique I will teach you."
He waved his hand again.
A projection replayed the earlier scene—the freezing, the stillness, the walk.
Snowfall watched intently.
The more he watched, the brighter his eyes became.
Yes—
this was undeniably a Water Laws technique, centered on the profound mystery of Ice's Sharpness.
Even from a single viewing, countless insights surfaced in his mind.
"Lord Locke," Snowfall asked respectfully,
"Will you remain in the Water Divine Plane to teach me… or shall I follow you to the Netherworld?"
A technique of this level—
would normally take hundreds of thousands of years to master.
"No need."
Locke casually took out a violet crystal.
With a flick of his will, he inscribed the complete principles of World Freezing into it and handed it over.
"I've recorded everything here."
"Infuse your soul power and study it directly."
Snowfall accepted it eagerly and sent his soul power inside.
In an instant—
it felt as though he had become Locke himself.
All the mysteries of World Freezing unfolded before him in perfect clarity.
His entire perception of the Water Laws deepened.
"T-this…"
Snowfall trembled with excitement.
"Thank you, Lord Locke!"
"With this… I'm confident I can master it within a thousand years!"
Around them, the Sovereigns fell silent.
A thousand years?
For a technique like that?
…That wasn't a gift.
That was a transformation.
⭐ Enjoying the story?
You can read ahead and support the translations by joining my Patreon! Your support helps me update faster and take on more projects. Thank you for reading!
Read up to 50 chapters ahead!
patreon.com/AminaSims
Next Bonus Chapter at 1100 Powerstones