A golden silhouette was being firmly blocked by four figures cloaked in blue.
The golden silhouette was none other than Lumine's brother, Aether. At that moment, he was burning with fury, tightly gripping his sharp sword, while the four Hydro Abyss Mages held his limbs in a firm bind.
Were it not for their interference, he would've already turned into a flash of lightning, charging down to face Shao Yun in a real one-on-one brawl between men.
Amidst this stalemate, another Hydro Abyss Mage approached and knelt before Aether, its voice laced with helplessness.
"Your Highness, please calm down. There are outsiders present right now. It's not the right time. We ask for your patience a little longer."
But Aether's anger had long since broken free like an unbridled stallion. He kept cursing under his breath.
'Damn your mother! Damn your mother!'
The more he tried to endure, the more it festered; the more he backed down, the more humiliated he felt. Aether gave the Abyss Herald "Wicked Torrents" a resolute order.
"Torrent, I want you to go kill that bastard named Shao Yun right now—at any cost!"
This sudden command shocked and confused Torrent. Wasn't their objective to capture the Great Wolf King's lingering soul?
Trying to confirm, Torrent asked again.
"Your Highness, isn't our mission to retrieve the Great Wolf King's soul fragment?"
Aether's voice came again—cold and merciless.
"The situation's changed! I want you to kill the pervert who ran off with my sister! No hesitation!"
Torrent knew he couldn't defy the prince's command, but also understood he lacked the strength to take on Shao Yun alone.
Carefully, he put forth a request.
"Then, Your Highness, may I request reinforcements? I'm afraid on my own, I couldn't even fill the gap between his teeth."
But Aether's reply was a brutal refusal.
"There are no reinforcements. I believe in your ability, Torrent. You can do this. Good luck!"
Thunderbolt from a clear sky! Torrent's heart churned like a storm-tossed sea, nearly collapsing under the pressure.
He stared at the fearsome figure before him—Shao Yun, the man known as a scourge—his mind in chaos.
Shao Yun... That name... It haunts me like a nightmare. Last time's ley line disaster, tormenting the Abyss Order for days—how could they expect him to solo someone capable of that?
Now, with the Gunslinger's gear effects kicking in, Torrent's legs began to tremble.
"Your Highness... may I run?"
But Aether's response was like an icy blade, instantly slicing apart all of Torrent's hopes.
"You run, and I'll have 'Enjou' burn you to ash! Now get out there and kill the bastard who stole my sister!"
The unyielding finality in Aether's voice made it clear—there was no way out.
So, Torrent could only grit his teeth, forcing himself into a combat stance.
He roared at Shao Yun, masking his fear with sharp words.
"I will take your head and offer it to our prince!"
That declaration served both as a pledge of loyalty and a desperate attempt to brace his own courage.
But beneath the bluster, Torrent's heart was in knots.
'Please don't hit too hard... I'm just following orders... Your brother-in-law forced my hand...'
Shao Yun, unlike Torrent, didn't waste time with inner monologues. Calmly, he adopted the classic Western duel stance and delivered a chilling threat, instantly shaking Torrent's composure.
"All right, then. When you're defeated and your soul starts drifting away, don't forget to send my regards to your comrades."
Torrent froze, taken aback.
"You... What did you say?!"
But Shao Yun gave him no time to react. The Vision at his waist burst into a dazzling red glow—like the rising sun—illuminating the entire battlefield.
Then, with his left hand, he raised his Schofield Revolver (Goat's Blessing), and a sharp gunshot rang out.
A blazing bullet tore through the air, surging with unstoppable force as it hurtled straight for Torrent.
Caught off guard, Torrent panicked. He knew that if that Pyro-infused bullet struck, even if it didn't kill him, he'd be severely injured.
He hastily summoned his Hydro power, forming a sharp cross-slash to defend.
Water and fire collided and dissolved in an instant, erupting into thick clouds of steam that filled the battlefield with a loud sss-sss sound.
At that moment, Torrent couldn't help but feel bitter and wronged.
'This guy… has no sense of honor in battle!'
Shao Yun gave him no respite. Another shot rang out—a second fire-element bullet screamed toward Torrent's vital point.
Under the unrelenting assault, Torrent desperately defended himself.
Shao Yun hadn't even used the Core Deadeye's boost—relying solely on his reflexes and precision, he launched a barrage on Torrent.
Eleven shots in total fired from his twin revolvers, each charged with Pyro energy, tearing through the air and hammering down upon the Abyss Herald.
Torrent fought tooth and nail, his Hydro cross-slashes roaring like water dragons, intercepting each blazing bullet with skillful precision. The air around them shimmered with the clash of opposing elements.
Shao Yun nodded, acknowledging his foe's competence.
"Not bad. If you were human, you'd probably be a pretty good gunslinger. I'm impressed by your reflexes."
He casually rolled his neck, the motion radiating a sense of impending power.
Then, he calmly retrieved a bottle of snake oil from his pack and chugged it.
Out of respect for his brother-in-law's employee, Shao Yun decided to grant him a dignified exit.
"Warm-up's over. Now—watch yourself."
As he finished speaking, a wave of unprecedented pressure exploded from his body.
The Core Deadeye activated, and in that moment, time itself seemed to halt in Shao Yun's eyes. Thunder roared in his ears, blending with the ticking of a pocket watch—the overture to battle.
At his waist, the Vision glowed an even deeper crimson, like a flame about to erupt, signaling the arrival of annihilation.
Seeing this, Torrent was seized by a foreboding dread—but it was too late to do anything.
Shao Yun's movements, empowered by the Core Deadeye, became blindingly fast.
Before Torrent could react, he was struck by an overwhelming force—both physically and elementally.
With a deafening BOOM, Torrent's body was hurled through the air like a broken kite, eventually slamming into a distant wall.
Pinned to the wall, Torrent's body was now shrouded in Hydro energy—his condition had reached the brink of death.
This was the herald's near-death state—a brief flash before the final end.
Had he not possessed that survival trait, that last hit would've killed him outright.
"Your Highness... I gave it my all... but I truly couldn't beat him..." Torrent communicated to Aether telepathically. "I don't think I'll be seeing you again."
From afar, Aether could hear the helplessness and frustration in his tone, and responded in a puzzled tone.
"The power gap... is it really that huge? You're one of the top fighters in the Order."
Torrent was almost in tears.
"Your Highness... When he hit me, I swear I saw a terrifying monster coming at me. It struck out of nowhere, and I was sent flying before I could even react. I'm seriously injured... I've brought shame to you..."
Aether let out a soft sigh, covering his face with one hand.
"So be it. Retreat."
Upon hearing the order to retreat, a sudden surge of power entered Torrent, instantly revitalizing him. His dizziness vanished, his vision cleared, and he felt strong enough to eat three bowls of rice—even the pain seemed to fade.
He'd forgotten he could open a teleportation gate. Instead, he clung to the wall, climbed up with a burst of agility, and bolted out of Wolvendom.
After running a long way, Torrent suddenly remembered—Wait, I can open a portal! He stopped abruptly, quickly gathered his energy, and conjured a portal before him with a loud whoosh.
Without a second thought, he dove into the light and was instantly back before Aether, heart pounding with post-battle relief and the desperate need to rest.
But Aether stared at him with a dark expression. He had seen with his own eyes how agile Torrent had been in retreat.
With a cold tone, he asked, "You don't look injured. You seemed pretty lively."
The Abyss Herald scrambled to explain.
"Your Highness, that was my final burst of life... I may look fine, but my injuries are very serious. I need to rest."
Aether muttered to himself.
"Oh, I see... So that's what it looks like when a herald's injured too badly. No wonder I couldn't tell."
Inside, Torrent's heart raced like a drum, terrified of further questioning. He quickly seized the chance to say,
"Your Highness, since you understand now, I'll go rest immediately before my condition worsens."
Just as Torrent was about to slip away, Aether's cold voice rang out once more—chilling as ice.
"Wait."
Torrent froze in his tracks, turning to face Aether's stormy expression.
Aether's face was so dark it looked like it could drip water. He issued a stern command.
"I'm short on manpower right now. Rest after we're done here."
Torrent was dumbfounded.
I'm injured and he still won't let me rest? How heartless can you be...
But he was the prince, after all. Knowing there was no escape, Torrent could only respond with bitter resignation.
"Yes, Your Highness..."