Ice-based magic falls under the water attribute, so Wood's magic would still be 80% nullified by Reinhard.
However, even though the damage caused by magic would only be 20% of its original strength, if the magic itself is powerful enough, it can still inflict significant harm on Reinhard.
Moreover, Wood's magic wasn't a direct attack, but rather one meant to deal sustained damage and create a terrain advantage.
With a powerful stomp, Wood shattered the ice beneath his feet, and the frozen surface cracked like glass, spiderweb fissures spreading rapidly.
The strong recoil launched Wood's body forward like a bullet, closing the distance between him and Reinhard with impressive speed.
Given that Reinhard possessed The Blessing of Evasion, making long-range attacks futile, Wood knew from the start that keeping his distance offered no chance of victory. After all, ranged attacks wouldn't work.
With only 20% of the magic's effect reaching Reinhard, Wood's best shot at wounding him lay in close-quarters combat with sword strikes and physical force.
Even Emperor-level Ice Magic, powerful enough to freeze a Yonko, was nearly ineffective against Reinhard.
While Reinhard would feel the cold and sustain some injuries, his Blessing of Magic Immunity meant that effects like freezing or frostbite were negated.
As Wood dashed toward him, conjuring two black ice blades at lightning speed, Reinhard grasped his Dragon Sword Reid and prepared to meet Wood head-on.
"Saint-level Ice Magic: Frost Dragon's Fangs!"
But just as Reinhard prepared to move, he felt a sudden tremor from the ice beneath his feet.
Sharp ice spikes shot up from the ground at the exact moment Reinhard began to act, aiming directly for him.
Thanks to his extraordinary reflexes and intuition, Reinhard easily dodged the spikes, although they had caught him off guard.
Despite successfully evading the attack, Reinhard's face showed no relief—if anything, a flicker of surprise crossed his features.
"It seems that The Blessing of Telepathy gave you insight into my thoughts... but even so, knowing my plan doesn't mean you can prevent my attack!"
Although Reinhard dodged the ice spikes, careful observation would reveal that his movements had been completely restricted by the crisscrossing spikes.
Indeed, Reinhard's Blessing of Magic Immunity prevented him from being controlled by any magical status effects, but it didn't protect him from physical terrain limitations.
From the very beginning, Wood hadn't planned on using the ice spikes to injure Reinhard. His goal was to limit Reinhard's mobility with the strategically placed ice.
"Hyakki Yagyō Style: Dual Blade Technique—Blood Demon Slash!"
As Reinhard realized his movements were constrained, Wood had already closed the distance, appearing directly in front of him.
Conqueror's Haki crackled around Wood's twin blades, causing red arcs of energy to burst forth, further empowered by Armament Haki.
With Reinhard's mobility restricted, he had no choice but to raise his Dragon Sword Reid in a hasty defense against Wood's oncoming strike.
Boom—!
The black ice blades collided with the Dragon Sword Reid, sending tremors through the earth.
The frozen ground surrounding them cracked like a spider's web, fissures radiating outward from the point of impact.
This time, Wood hadn't used any finesse or technique—just raw physical strength combined with the amplification of Conqueror's Haki. His strike was as powerful as when he had fought the Dragon God.
Even with his immense strength, Reinhard had only managed to raise his sword in defense at the last second, while Wood's strike had been fully charged and executed. The result was inevitable.
The moment Wood's twin blades struck, Reinhard's arms buckled under the pressure, his feet shattering the ice beneath him as they were driven deep into the ground.
Just as the Dragon Sword Reid was forced down onto Reinhard's shoulder, Wood followed up with a swift roundhouse kick aimed at Reinhard's face.
But even in this tight spot, Wood's kick failed to connect. Reinhard, in a desperate maneuver, drove his Dragon Sword Reid into the ground and raised his free hand to block the incoming blow.
Unfortunately for Reinhard, despite his quick defense, Wood's Armament Haki-charged kick was too powerful to be fully stopped.
A sickening crack echoed as Reinhard's elbow fractured under the force of the kick, sending him flying backward in a shockwave that left a crater in the ground.
Wood's twin black ice blades had shattered into shards after the powerful clash with the Dragon Sword Reid.
Yet, instead of stopping, Wood immediately followed up by using Shave and Moonwalk, rapidly closing in on Reinhard, who was still hurtling through the air from the impact.
Reinhard, using the momentum of his fall, had hoped to regain control and counter-attack upon landing—but before he could do so, he saw Wood's hand appear in his vision, growing larger by the second.
Reinhard had no time to react as Wood's hand grabbed his head and slammed it into the ground, dragging him across the icy field for several hundred meters.
But that wasn't the end. As Reinhard felt Wood gathering magical energy in his hand, his Blessing of Telepathy allowed him to sense what was coming next.
"Your blessings may grant immunity to most magical damage, but as long as the magic is strong enough, 20% can still do plenty of harm. And magic doesn't have to be used at a distance, after all."
"Saint-level Fire Magic: Crimson Nova!"
In Reinhard's shocked gaze, a blinding red light flared in Wood's hand.
Moments later, a pillar of scorching fire erupted into the night sky, illuminating the area as it incinerated the ice and turned the ground within a hundred-meter radius into scorched earth.
As the fiery pillar faded, smoke billowed out, blanketing the surroundings. The ground now bore a massive crater, its edges glowing red-hot like molten lava.
Wood swiftly retreated from the blast zone, dodging a sword slash from Reinhard as he reappeared, wearing a bitter smile as he glanced at his opponent.
"You've got to be kidding me! How did you dodge that one? None of your previous blessings should have worked in that situation. So, mind telling me how you avoided my fire spell?"
Both Wood and Reinhard looked worse for wear—their clothes were charred and tattered from the intense heat of the flames.
Even Wood, the spell's caster, couldn't escape the proximity of the explosion unscathed. While he had fared better than Reinhard, it was clear that both had taken significant damage.
If it weren't for the healing magic array inscribed on Wood's body, and his quick activation of its effects, he might have suffered worse.
Reinhard's Blessing of Fire Resistance had indeed reduced the fire magic's impact by 80%, and this was why Wood hadn't used an Emperor-level Fire Magic—if the spell's power had been too overwhelming, he risked severely injuring himself.
Moreover, Wood had been cautious not to kill Reinhard outright. If Reinhard's Blessing of the Phoenix activated, he'd resurrect at full strength, and the battle would start all over again.
Wood's strategy was to critically injure Reinhard and then seal him or incapacitate him in some other way.
Yet, despite Wood's best efforts, Reinhard had survived relatively unscathed, and even managed to counter-attack.
It was clear that Reinhard had been hiding something—another blessing, perhaps?
Looking at Reinhard's honest and noble expression, Wood had a hard time believing the knight would resort to trickery.
Wood's skills as a swordsman allowed him to gauge Reinhard's character through their duel, and Reinhard didn't seem like someone who would play dirty.
Reinhard, sensing Wood's confusion, offered an explanation.
Under normal circumstances, everything would have played out just as Wood predicted.
But just as Wood grabbed Reinhard's face to unleash his magic, Reinhard had gained a new blessing—The Blessing of Combat Magic Immunity, which made him immune to any magic delivered through physical contact.
In other words, the world had seemingly granted Reinhard the exact blessing he needed to survive.
This was the true meaning of being the "world's chosen son." Reinhard wasn't cheating—his existence itself was a cheat code.
Reinhard's core blessing, the one that lay at the heart of his power, was called The Blessing of the World's Love.
It was arguably the most powerful blessing in existence, and for good reason.
The World's Love allowed Reinhard to acquire any blessing he needed, whenever he needed it. Even without blessings, Reinhard's innate abilities made him the strongest in the world.
When he got serious, the mana in the air would bend to his will. While Reinhard couldn't use magic himself, even elemental spirits would be drawn to him, with even the great spirits falling under his influence.
It was thanks to this blessing that Reinhard could gain new blessings at will.
After explaining how he'd escaped death, Reinhard tightened his grip on the Dragon Sword Reid, preparing for the next round of their battle.
But Wood, exhausted from the fight, simply raised his hands in surrender.
The battle had gone on long enough, and Wood had learned all he needed to know about his current strength. Continuing would be pointless.
While he still had his Divine Heart technique, using it would mean burning his own life force, and doing so in a sparring match seemed foolish.
Besides, even if he used the Divine Heart, the chances of defeating Reinhard were slim.
The reality was clear—Wood, while powerful, was still outmatched by Reinhard, whose abilities transcended even the most overpowered of beings. Reinhard's blessings were created on the spot; how could anyone compete with that?
Long-range attacks were ineffective, magic was almost useless, and now even magic applied through physical contact was nullified. If this fight continued, Wood feared that Reinhard might unlock some Blessing of Sword Immunity and become impervious to even his sword strikes.
Furthermore, Wood had known from the start that Reinhard wasn't his enemy. He recognized the knight's uniform and knew Reinhard had been summoned by Subaru as backup.
So why had Wood fought him in the first place?
Part of it was that Wood wanted to test his own strength in this world.
But there was another reason—one tied to the All-World Life Simulator.
As everyone knew, the power Wood gained in each simulation would carry over into his body in the world of One Piece.
In addition to that permanent boost, Wood would be given a chance to select one random reward from three choices at the end of each simulation.
From experience, Wood knew that the rewards offered depended on the people he encountered in each world. The stronger the individuals he interacted with or fought against, the higher the quality of the rewards.
That was why Wood had challenged Reinhard from the beginning. The moment he laid eyes on him, Wood could sense it—this man was absurdly strong!
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Don't forget to give Power Stone
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