Sometime later...
As the Hound ran across the ground with a bright golden aura burning around him, everything in his way broke apart... he was still using Unstoppable Pride, having no plans on stopping until he reached his destination.
However, as he kept piercing through the forests and trampling over the ground, creating a functional new road, his instincts suddenly tingled.
No hesitation, he lifted his head with his guard raised. And yet, a blinding flash of blue light came down from above.
Before he could even blink, a powerful, thick lightning bolt hit him straight from the heavens! The blast was so strong, his body shook briefly, and then he was hurled flying across the forest in front of him.
Ka-booom!!
The thunder came a few seconds later, resounding across the skies as he was sent rolling with immense momentum! He smashed through the forest, breaking a river apart, and finally crashing into a giant boulder, shattering it into fragments!
He was left buried deep into the ground, leaving a massive cloud of dust and smoke to chase his trail.
Szlzlzlz!
Dominic manifested above him, still wearing the Hawaiian vacation outfit, looking quite relaxed with his hands in his pockets... though his expression was nowhere near as friendly as before.
"Bishop’s Dog... I knew you had become too daring lately, but to target a site I supervise?" Dominic uttered coldly, "What? Does your master think nothing of my existence?"
The Hound rose from the rubble slowly... the golden light had dimmed out, leaving his burnt-out clothes exposed.
’Dominic...’
The Hound’s expression turned solemn as he gazed at Dominic’s expressionless visage... as a user of the Slaughter Aspect, he could detect malice and bloodlust from tens of kilometers away in a single breath.
As he stared at Dominic... his eyes reflected a raging, crimson, murderous aura. He realized at once that Dominic was hoping that he would give him an excuse to finish him off.
And yet... he couldn’t back down. He was now a user of the Pride Aspect. He understood that retreating with his tail tucked between his legs was going to weaken his Pride-based abilities permanently.
Sure, the Pride Aspect was powerful... but its power was linked with one’s pride. The more prideful he was, the stronger he became... to the point that it could allow him to skip a full rank if he truly had the right mentality to support it.
"Dominic... An Ecliptic Daywalker, and still, deciding to ambush someone lower than you?" The Hound sneered as he walked out of the rubble, his cold gaze affixed on Dominic.
"What? You thought being an asshole was exclusive to the kind of you?" Dominic scoffed, "Today... you aren’t walking out of here in one piece."
Hearing this, the Hound immediately reached out to the Bishop... he sent him a single-dimensional message that oozed with unshakable proudful trust in his strength.
-I am killing Dominic.-
Then, he turned off the dimensional messaging system... he knew that his master was going to order him to retreat or be diplomatic at least to ensure that they had the upper moral grounds.
But he didn’t care about politics or the bullshit unofficial peace treaty between the Saviors and Conquerors factions... he craved two things: blood and recognition. Both could be achieved against Dominic.
As for the thought of losing the fight? It didn’t cross his mind for a second... he was already cocky and proud before, but now... it was weaponized.
"Let’s see what the strongest Daywalker on Earth has to offer..."
The Hound released his spiritual aura to the limit with an ear-piercing howl... the wind blew in rage around him, launching dust and pebbles everywhere.
Then... he lunged in Dominic’s direction as he shouted, "Crown of Dominance!"
A noble golden crown manifested above his head, releasing an immense forceful aura that was integrated with his spiritual aura... while wearing the crown, anyone in his presence with a weaker pride than him would enhance his powers to match his enemy.
Unfortunately for him... while Dominic was friendly and acted like a careless jokester, he was still the strongest Daywalker on the planet. His pride was on the high end, even if he seldom expressed it in the open.
Thus, the instant the golden aura touched him, it didn’t overwhelm him... instead, it was repelled, incapable of touching Dominic’s skin, leaving him merely glowing in golden light.
"What a childish utilization of a respected Aspect fit for kings..."
Dominic sneered as he instantly disappeared the moment the Hound entered his personal space... after a blue electrical flash, he reappeared above the Hound while already pulling a spinning kick directed at the Hound’s face!
He wasn’t wearing sandals anymore... he had summoned his signature awakened weapon, which was two pairs of metallic silver boots. They were crackling with an intense electrical surge!
And yet, when his feet landed on the Hound’s twisted face, what resulted wasn’t just a discharge of electricity...
Ka-booom!!!
A thunderous fireball emerged in the sky as the Hound was launched many kilometers across the ground... the force was so powerful, his strapped arms were freed. Still, the Hound refused to move them from his waist, ignoring them like they didn’t exist... like they weren’t part of him.
Szlzlzlz!
Meanwhile, Dominic’s legs had both fire and lightning running up them for a moment... they died off only when he closed the tiny vents on his boots, which were releasing a flammable gas under his will.
Many fell under the false perception that Dominic was a Lightning Elementalist... in reality, he was an Explosion Elementalist, as he commanded two main aspects: Lightning/Sulflare.
Sulflare was a type of gas that resembled the Immersive Cloud Aspect of Yanhuan... it was easily flammable and irritable, making it possible to create powerful explosions stronger than dynamite the instant it touched a spark.
"DOMINIC!"
Meanwhile, the Hound swiftly regained his balance and shouted his name hatefully while removing the broken muzzle from his mouth. Then, he summoned his own signature awakened weapon. It was a long, narrow red muzzle that followed the curve of his dog-like snout and exposed jaws.
The front narrowed into sharp edges where the upper and lower teeth came together... each tooth and fang was covered in a blood-red gleam.
It might be called a muzzle and looked like one, but it did nothing to stop the Hound from connecting those sharp teeth... instead, they enhanced his bite to a ludicrous level, where even the toughest pieces of material couldn’t stand against it.
"Blood Carnage Arts: Butcher’s Rhythm."
The Hound’s eyes narrowed as a low growl released from his throat... Suddenly, a crimson haze surrounded him as his muscles tensed, his reflexes sharpened, and he felt every heartbeat syncing with an insatiable murderous desire. A steady stream of bloody mist was released from his mouth, curling around him like a fog that tasted of iron and blood.
But he didn’t stop there.
His eyes turned golden for a split second as he unleashed Predator’s Majesty , a pride-based enhancement that fed off his own dominance.
Every strike he imagined, every step he took, became stronger, faster, and deadlier... the two aspects intertwined just like Dominic’s two aspects!
"You’re just as guilty as the fallen king... a mere standby in a leadership role that you have no business being in... Die!"
The Hound channeled all of his anger and blood thirst into a single lunge... without even needing to bend his knees to the max, his speed broke through the sound barrier as he emerged right in front of Dominic’s face.
The Hound had his broken-jawed mouth wide to the limit, resembling a monstrosity that was about to bite off Dominic’s head in one go!
Alas... Dominic wasn’t a slowpoke either.
Before he could bring his jaw together, Dominic swiftly evaded to the side and continued with the momentum, leaving his legs to come up on top.
No hesitation, he spun around with extended legs while his feet were covered in electrical discharges accompanied by the potent release of Sulflare gas from the vents!
Yet, instead of exploding... the weapon was designed to release pressurized gas as well, based on Dominic’s will.
This turned him into a spinning, flaming tornado that was powerful enough to devour the trees underneath in an instant!