Seeing that Qian Ye remained silent, William shrugged and said, “Alright! Since you’ve killed so many before, defeating an Third Rank Earl beneath the Iron Curtain shouldn’t be so hard to believe—but…”
“You murdered Aof, whatever your reasons” William’s voice abruptly turned sombre and cold. His handsome Norse features, now devoid of humor, carried with them an aura of fierce lethality. “I hail from Pinnacle Peaks—I witnessed the act, so now we duel! Eternity Night and Eternal Dawn shall be timeless enemies!”
Qian Ye, unsurprised, nodded slightly and slowly raised ‘Eastern Peak’ saying, “That’s true. Eternity Night and Eternal Dawning are enemies destined through eternity.”
“Exactly! Remember those words!” William’s aura surged dramatically, swiftly scaling to the limits the Iron Curtain permits.
This was the first face-to-face standoff Qian Ye experienced against William. Although once encountered in western lands, William released an oppressive Dominion just to hinder his escape; back then, he hadn’t truly felt much danger.
Now that hostilities brewed, and their true adversarial might was unfurling, he sensed fully the fearfulness of William.
Simply holding still, William didn’t appear particularly fiercer than figures like Nangong Zhen or Count Monroe—certainly, the power of these over-limit champions is confined under Iron Curtain’s restrictions. Yet the suffocating pressure he exuded surpassed Monroe by an unknowable degree, far more than Nangong Zhen dared match, and perhaps even exceeding Nangong Yuwang too.
Gazing via Perfect Eyes, one observed primal darkness flowing swiftly on William’s skin, sparking minor explosions—a sign his assault speed could be extraordinarily sudden and explosive. Even when Qian Ye anticipated an imminent strike, the darkness visible in his vision displayed perfect wholeness and concealed every potential precursor, hence revealing no weakness one could catch hold of.
To this point, William now ranks as among rare peers in Qian Ye’s memory—the very few enemies capable of eclipsing his might. Perhaps the legendary dusk itself may pale in comparison a touch.
Qian Ye bore a stern visage, devoid of false hope. His triple inhalations and exhalations fueled his primal currents fully: the blood core beat hard and powerful; radiant golden blood surged within; strength of explosive capability filled every fiber of his body.
Behind him slowly unfurling were the ghosted wings of gold; Original Gun hovered ready, prepared with lethal potency. Nothing within held reserve—measured restraint against someone such as William practically equals self-destruction.
Once Original Gun unleashes its single fated shot—and should it fail—Qian Ye would find himself helpless and ripe for exploitation. However, facing enemies ranked thrice his ascent, defeat meant more than escape would be impossible.
As Original Gun prepared for activation, William trembles and behind him a ghostly golden wolf almost appeared, momentarily suppressed from revealing itself fully. In that moment, instinct’s sharp warnings almost drove William beyond the threshold into awakening his inherent form.
Intense yet focused now, William had locked himself into solemn gravity. Even his previously brimming aggression was carefully sheathed; only keen concentration remained in the pale blue-gray depth of his pupils. Starting from this second onward, Qian Ye earned the honor of engaging one another in serious, top-tier clash between equals.
Drawing his antique double-barrel rifle with one hand while donning an artifact bronze gauntlet onto his right hand, William started pacing Qian Ye slowly, encircling like predatory winds.
Yet instead, Qian Ye stood unmoving—a steady sword resting with tip slightly inclined Earthward. No quake marred its stability, only the undulating crimson of raw primordial energies gliding gently along its steel surface.
Opponents, still and moving, entered into tension-filled deadlock.
Inside the castle’s vaulted hall, the atmosphere darkened oppressively. Then, this invisible press morphed into tangible weight. Sprawling bodies shifted; ornaments vibrated and began twisting themselves into grotesque new arrangements.
Tension kept climbing higher until audible snaps emerged—a sequence of bursting water pipes lined within the walls sent out surging white steam. Before long a complete fog consumed the massive audience chamber—almost concealing everything completely under a shroud thickening minute by minute. Temperatures spiked beyond scalding; steam alone threatened boiling flesh to death. Yet both Qian Ye and William remained unfazed—continuing their tense waiting game.
Suddenly erupting sounds of colossal impacts boomed through from the manor’s back half. As explosive pressure cracked the foundation of the machinery tower bit by bit under excessive strain, structural support failed and heavy machine assemblies disintegrated one after another.
Still the stillness held—neither party made the decisive first move.
By this time, neither figure dared to invoke their respective dominion.
To deploy dominions of both such adversaries would unleash cataclysm; Qian’s was excessively destructive—it exhausted his abilities at best. Without absolute precision—and given William’s class of opposition—it risked catastrophic retaliation. Contrarily, such finesse William appeared at the mastery level; he didn’t feel a compunction toward sustaining them continuously—he might wait—refocusing the expansion for peak critical moments—early deployment is but reckless power-wasting.
Even domain suppressed, the tension of those opposed left destruction in its wake—an entire mansion shaking toward collapse.
Finally the still foot found footing—William stilled completely and then began raising and fixing his aim upon Qian Ye’s heart, unwaveringly!
Instantly, the hall erupted with turquoise energies as primordially charged cannon bolts flew together. Explosions rang, subsuming within the mansion—likely this whole hilltop in deafness. The entirety of an end-wall crumbled to pieces before them, exposing machinery chambers hidden behind.
The interior mechanisms now transformed into twisted remains—flung across a storm of disheveled wreckage that now revealed a sliver of a dusky, leaden sky. The gunner blew a multi-century aged mansion clear through its depth.
Standing in the great hall’s center, Williams’s double gun barrels glimmered red-hot—a clear testament his two opening volleys spared no strength to deliver the extreme.
Still, only empty space confronted him; his rounds striking nothing. Instant fire crackled; below Qian Ye launched mid-air by conjuring whirling circles of power—the leap upwards gained him the heavens above.
His new rank—Battle Lord—not only bestowed upon him but an enhancement in combat capabilities: Primal Ascendancy Jump.
Above, the whistling gusts warned him: a two-man wide gear barreled down viciously above!
William instinctively staggered back evading a spinning death that carved deeply within the hardened floor—an action provoking constricted pupils.
Already soaring atop a nearby massive steaming gear tower over ten meters high, the figure reached in wrenching more mechanical arms and threw another colossal gear, which shrieked toward William.
Leaping and skirting narrowly from crash after crashing metal storm from all angles; a desperate, evasive retreat soon overwhelmed by unrelenting mechanical hail as projectiles kept on coming with no relent.
In this chaos of metal and steam, at last, Qian Ye ripped from the giant gear clock its very hand—the pointer becoming his next hurled spear!
Dashing back in quick retreat, William found an unwelcome realization: a final step backwards would push him into an inescapable corner. To move further backward guaranteed submission, so the warrior acted—he raised his pistol and obliterated mid-flight the pointer missile. However, all effort spent meant re-coiling his energy reserves.
Precisely what Qian Ye anticipated. Seizing his opportunity in descending descent from skies down—the fall seeming like feather-light drift as with final descent Eastern Blade swung upon William!
Deceptively light the motion, but the soundless slash forced William to panic, barking in alarm, a massive five-meter-high golden wolf apparition emerged behind him. The weightless oppression filled the hall, rapidly expanding outwards uncontrollably. At this critical moment of danger, all concealment of his might dropped—he finally used Dominion.
Numb Severing riple approached William, faint shimmering waves suddenly dulled, appearing to lose speed as water meets coral, even slightly bending paths in distortion.
The golden wolf’s spirit then let out a silently powerful howl, and its giant forefoot lashed outward, easily scattering the incoming Numb Severing technique like mist before dawn. Ridges of Numb Severing shattered into a hundred fragments, scattering outward. Whatever encountered this shattered debris—whether it be walls, stone pillars, plumbing ducts, iron skeletons, mechanical devices—they each met the same fate—a puncture of varying proportions of calamity.
The central portion of the entire keep now shuddered—the westward section began slow collapse, the upper half listing dangerously into space below.
Abruptly from flying debris rose the two figures from collapse. Mid-air above ruins they resumed their faceoffs, an equality between them apparent in how half this fortress reduced in mere fleeting conflict between blades and auras.
Sliding pistol away idly into coat pouch, loosening his shoulders and cricking his neck William said aloud, “I gotta admit, this outcome truly surprised me. Got more tricks left up your sleeve?”
“You yourself kept something up? Haven’t you?” Qian Ye made no attempt to hide.
With a final glance, William dispersed his Domain saying, “In conditions beneath the Iron Curtain—we cannot escalate much farther. That’ll be enough for one tussle!”
“A draw?” confusion gripped Qian Ye slightly.
William smiled anew—as brilliantly dazzling as sun over open fields—and replied, “Didn’t forget what I meant earlier, only ever to settle into one single match—that’s all, and certainly no need dying over!”
Qian Ye retorted involuntarily,” You once claimed the Eternal Awakening and Endless Darkness to be perpetual foes!”
“Absolutely correct words! Battles between our fronts and factions matter—it affects you and I—but not necessarily always between YOU and I directly.” Laughed out, William wore this frank joy, that Qian Ye perceived a touch of shameless ruffianism lacing such words.
Glaring into William a spell—his exasperation mixed amusement at absurdity. Then sheathed Eastern blade, asking directly, “What brings you here, suddenly then”?
William swept a bold wave, declaring: “Rumors reached of Munrow here holding a base—I just figured to come tear his outpost as under a raid.”
“All there to it”?
“All I needed,” insisted William resolutely.
“And your speech moments ago demanding rightful vengeance against Lord Aof”?”
William sneered then—“Aof? Betrayed Holypeak, then serves under House Munrow—I consider him lucky indeed, to not meet personal destruction at hand by my own.”
Now brow furrowed Qian Ye pursued further “But yet—you said as much to get under me, didn’t you” ?
William snickered mischievously “How else you suppose I might persuade to fight for-real with me earlier? Saw you already culled the entire populace—honestly felt too excited. Haha—HEH!”
Hearing such a brazen reason, even Qian Ye for several moments remained speechlessly annoyed.
Previously William’s aggression held absolutely back no punches—the twin barrel especially being something clearly capable of seriously harming even a Marquess. If struck with one shot at such power, even the physical limits of Qian Ye would crumperous injury follow fast behind. Should William escalate more still, he might even find himself on the verge of expending Original Gun’s might. But as William clearly harbored deeper, unspent reserves—should Original Gun miss—it certainly wouldn’t equalling certain victory.
Watching the brooding fury cross Qian Ye’s expression deepened—William found discomfort creeping in and attempted awkwardly scratching his head with slight self-consciousness, “Hey! That skirmish—it was a solid bit of fighting still back then! Ha-ha!—Eh-eh!”
His laugh felt painfully fake in return.
Yet with not the slightest humor in reply from Qian Ye’s direction—just the narrowed squinty eye scrutiny, and a lingering, dangerous contemplation of just what more Eastern Peak might do—if he weren’t such a restrained individual—
Seeing he’d mis-stepped his usual tricks—William shifted rapidly through facial expressions, finally locking onto his most convincingly honest look, drawing subtly near Qian Ye. In a hushed conspiratorial whisper—“Hey—hasn’t it struck you odd—Iron Curtain feels strange lately? Something different stirring…?”
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