Patroclus stood at the center of the large empty arena. There he was, back to where he had started. Were Patroclus and w.a.n.g Tong bound by destiny to meet here again, or was it by Patroclus" design? This arena had witnessed the rise and fall of House Dower, and had seen Patroclus at his best and lowest.
This was where everything began, and also where everything ended; for every end, there was a new beginning.
Patroclus threw back his head and stared into the starlit sky. He felt that his body had finally become one with nature. After the visit to the cemetery, Patroclus had gained a keen insight into the meaning of power. When he got back to the practice room, he was surprised to find out that the newfound insight had improved his strength by leaps and bounds. This fight with w.a.n.g Tong would be a perfect opportunity to put his new skills to the test.
After some time, a s.h.i.+ny dot appeared in the night sky, and Patroclus heard the citizens of the Lunar City cheer w.a.n.g Tong"s name: he was here.
Patroclus gathered himself and gave w.a.n.g Tong a welcoming smile. "Long time no see."
"Yeah, it"s been six years."
"How is Sisi?"
"She is…doing great, thanks to you." w.a.n.g Tong said without any rancor.
Patroclus nodded; Zhou Sisi was the only girl who he had felt attracted to. Although he could not be with her in the end, it gave him comfort hearing that she was happy.
"Where is your Einherjar"s lance?"
"This is a fight between you and me…I don"t help from anyone else." w.a.n.g Tong said. Patroclus knew that w.a.n.g Tong was alluding to Charcoal and Blade Warrior"s power inside it.
"You haven"t changed at all." Patroclus smiled broadly and said. This fight was as personal to w.a.n.g Tong as it was to him, and therefore, he understood why w.a.n.g Tong refused the Blade Warrior"s help. But, when so many things were at stake, refusing help seemed very reckless.
"There is no audience. Let"s start now." w.a.n.g Tong closed his fists and said eagerly.
"Well, what are we waiting for them!" Patroclus pulled his jacket off, revealing his tenacious body in a tight gym suit.
KOM!
Kaboom!
Storm clouds suddenly gathered above the arena and an immense power spilled over the high walls of the arena. Their power was beyond the grasp of both the humans and immortals, as the source of the power came from the deepest layer of the universe where only G.o.ds could reach.
Two flows of energies —one gold and one silver—appeared in the arena; either one of them would start attacking any moment now.
w.a.n.g Tong attacked first with the layered fist of Tong, a technique he had learned from Zachery. Its deadly power threatened to devour the world.
"This is nothing new." Patroclus" voice sounded almost disappointed. A silver light flashed in his hands as he cranked up his soul energy. Both warriors had contained their soul energy and GN force even during combat in order to concentrate their damage output; it was a testament to their unrivaled control over their power.
KOM!
Patroclus" palm strike collided with w.a.n.g Tong"s fist. The impact staggered Patroclus slightly as a hint of surprise flashed across his face. Before he could gather himself, w.a.n.g Tong"s second wave of attack was already on its way. The second wave was still the Layered Fist of Tong, but it was improved by w.a.n.g Tong so that he could superimpose as many layers of energy as he wanted to.
Waves after waves of energies followed each punch from w.a.n.g Tong. This meant that he was able to connect his attacks and keep the pressure on his opponent. His GN force was under the complete control of his Soul Essence, so he could manipulate the power output at his will.
Despite the unpredictability in w.a.n.g Tong"s attacks, they were met with cold denial from Patroclus" defensive measures. Neither blunt force nor trick shots were able to penetrate his all-encompa.s.sing defense.
w.a.n.g Tong kept at it, each punch of his packed with an unrelenting force; on the other hand, Patroclus held his ground firmly and countered w.a.n.g Tong"s attack with an equal measure of aplomb and alertness.
"Excellent defense! Try to defend this!" w.a.n.g Tong launched himself into the air and then bore down on his opponent from above with an iron fist repeatedly like a jackhammer.
Kom! Kom! Kom! Kom!
As w.a.n.g Tong"s attack gained frequency and vigor, the clank of the impact started to form a shockwave that shook the ground like an earthquake. However, Patroclus was rooted to the ground, unwavering like a mountain.
Suddenly, Patroclus took half a step back and evaded one attack. While doing that, he channeled energy into his left palm, making it as deadly as a sharp knife before he hacked at w.a.n.g Tong while the latter moved in after having missed his target.
w.a.n.g Tong reacted quickly as he twisted his body around abruptly and whiplashed a kick at the incoming attack.
KOM!
Both of their attacks had struck home, the pain lighting up the fire in their eyes.
Patroclus flashed in and out view as he charged at w.a.n.g Tong; it was the Ivantian"s b.u.t.terfly Dash. Patroclus had used this technique so perfectly that no one could tell the illusion apart from his actual movements.
The effectiveness of the b.u.t.terfly dash was supposed to be restricted by the movement speed; however, Patroclus was able to maximize its effect even at an incredible speed. Patroclus"s attack came at w.a.n.g Tong even when he seemed to be still quite a distance away. w.a.n.g Tong"s defense seemed almost lazy in response. Unlike Patroclus, w.a.n.g Tong never received formal training, and therefore, he had never learned proper forms or techniques. He simply used whatever worked.
Surprisingly, a lack of formal training had unleashed w.a.n.g Tong"s creativity so that he was able to attack and defend more efficiently than using set conventional moves. However unpredictable the b.u.t.terfly dash was, w.a.n.g Tong"s keen observation was able to tell the reality from illusions.
Kom, KOM!
So skillful were both warriors that even the most advanced combat techniques would fall short of testifying for their powers. Rather than the use of any particular technique, it was the combination of timing and control of power that was a true reflection of their skills.
Kaboom, boom!Boom!
In this intense exchange of fire, one small misstep would give the opponent a huge advantage and allow him to unload hundreds of connected attacks. As the battle carried on, the arena was filled with blaring explosions that shook the ground like earthquakes.
The military had set up blockades around the perimeter of the arena to prevent any delusional fool from breaking into the dangerous battle zone. Meanwhile, the immortals were busy a.n.a.lyzing the battle as well. So far, no one knew who would emerge victorious with the very limited data they had. Unable to watch the fight, they listened and recorded every clank and boom that came out from the arena, deciphering its meaning fruitlessly.
The two charged toward each other, and both of them were dealt a heavy blow on impact, blowing both warriors back a dozen feet and increasing the distance between them.
w.a.n.g Tong drew a large gulp of air and dug in with another attack. At the same time, Patroclus reacted quickly and raised a blade aura infused arm to intercept it.
"Hor!"
"OW!"
As w.a.n.g Tong"s punch closed in, Patroclus hewed his deadly arm at the attacker.
KOM!
Zenn!
The impact of the two attacks caused a burst of energy that made the arena"s ground tremble. The two warriors had disappeared from where they were standing and reappeared close to each other at the center of the arena field, immediately engaging in a fierce exchange of blows. They had both relented their defense and focused solely on attacks. Each impact caused a powerful explosion that uprooted the floor tiles from under their feet. In a blink, the floor underneath their feet was in tatters
Kom!
w.a.n.g Tong attacked with abandon. An intense beam of light shot out from the center of his fist, launching at Patroclus. Meanwhile, Patroclus closed his fingers into a fist that was quickly suffused with a silvery brightness.
KOM!
Both warriors were able to pour their forces into their opponent"s system. An explosion erupted at the impact of the two attacks, the resultant shockwave sending both warriors flying into the air until they collided with the seats in the audience sections.
Before the dust settled, the two warriors slowly dragged themselves to their feet. They were both winded, yet unharmed. Patroclus reached out his arms as he levitated in mid-air. He warped the s.p.a.ce behind him into an unknown dimension; the force exerted on the very fabric of s.p.a.ce turned the air behind Patroclus into liquid. From the warped s.p.a.ce, a thousand otherworldly spearheads slowly poked through the liquefied air.
"Art of thousand Lances!"
At the behest of Patroclus, the spearheads shot at w.a.n.g Tong like missiles with an incredible speed. Patroclus was able to intercept one of the lances by grabbing it by the handle as it pa.s.sed by. The Divine Lord then pointed the lance at w.a.n.g Tong and looked through its length as he adjusted his aim. After half a heartbeat, he hurled the lance out at w.a.n.g Tong forcefully.
w.a.n.g Tong shouted out a battle cry as a s.h.i.+mmering, golden GN s.h.i.+eld appeared around him. The golden s.h.i.+eld was effective in blocking the shower of silver lances until it was struck by the lance hurled by Patroclus. The golden s.h.i.+eld shattered, letting in the downpour of silvery lances.
The people standing outside of the arena heard a loud din and then saw one piece of the arena wall being blasted through. A person was thrown out of the arena through the hole, and it was w.a.n.g Tong. The Immortals cheered loudly, taking it as a sign of something positive happening inside the arena.
It took w.a.n.g Tong half a second to regain his balance, and he flew through the hole into the arena right away. While flying toward the field, he gritted his teeth and channeled out his GN force to form a spinning ball packed with compressed energies. As the ball was pressed into a disc, it was already spinning at lightning speed. Suddenly, more spinning golden discs appeared behind him out of nowhere.
Spinning Whirlwind Attack!
The golden discs whizzed across the air and attacked Patroclus from all directions. However, he was unfazed by the overwhelming number of attacks. Beams of silver lights shot out of his palms and destroyed all discs in their paths. In a blink, all golden discs that got near Patroclus had fallen to the ground.
w.a.n.g Tong waved an arm, and the remaining golden discs suddenly changed their course to evade the beams of lights. Patroclus adjusted his soul energy and redirected the light beams, but it was too late, as a golden disc was able to cut a deep wound in his arm. As blood spilled out of the wound, so did white lights that seemed to burn anything that it came in contact with them. Patroclus let out a painful cry, and the white light became so bright that it burned away all the remaining discs.
"What do you say Mr. Wannabe, do we have a winner yet?" Charcoal asked. Both Mr. Wannabe and Charcoal were afloat in s.p.a.ce as they watched the fight from above.
"The outcome does not matter." Mr. Wannabe grunted, and the pair continued to observe the fight in silence. They watched as Patroclus finally took out something s.h.i.+ny: the Lance of Rilangalos!
Patroclus suddenly flashed out of view, reappearing in front of w.a.n.g Tong and attacking him with overbearing force. The effect of the powerful lance was palpable; w.a.n.g Tong"s layered fist of Tong already seemed less effective in stopping the attacks.
On Patroclus"s third move, w.a.n.g Tong was dealt a solid strike and sent flying away. He then picked himself up and folded his fingers; suddenly, the temperature around him dropped dramatically as he tapped into the natural force.
Two dragons, one made out of the fire and one out of ice, charged at Patroclus with snarling mouths.