They both rushed into the air at the same time, using the brief moment of respite to burn their blood with forbidden techniques and escape William's Domains. Their figures quickly approached the same portal hanging in the sky, avoiding the other one entirely.
William didn't bother chasing the two Cultivators, sensing that the Heavens were watching him right now. Any rash moves would result in more trouble than it was worth.
-The Heavens are watching you closely: +3 Attention
Instead, he healed the few wounds he had suffered in the last few minutes, restoring his physical condition to its peak while refilling the Arrays in his Array Wheel in case another enemy showed up.
When Supreme Left and Unbreakable Right reached the portal, Supreme Left turned around and spoke to William. "We've lost this one, and you're sure to be stronger than us when you Ascend. I only hope that you won't take your feud out on our families; they had nothing to do with this."
William nodded, "You both fought well."
Unbreakable Right shook his head, "You clearly weren't showing your full strength. I am ashamed."
Supreme Left went inside the portal first, followed by Unbreakable Right, but not before the latter sent William one last mental transmission.
"Unless you want the World to end, I'd suggest not absorbing the World Cores like you have been. We're all lucky you haven't come in contact with a Greater or Superior Core yet..."
"Wait! What do you mean by that?!" William called out, but the two legendary Cultivators had already disappeared from his perception. The clouds slowly dispersed, twisting and curling as the golden light faded from existence as if their Ascension had never happened.
He looked around the battlefield, which was now in shambles. Less than a minute had passed since the two Cultivators called for the barrier to be opened, but William could still see a massive swath of land that was unrecognizable from its previous state.
Within the barrier's range, the environment was even more barren, as was expected from Tribulation Transcendence Cultivators. Flame Dragon Uri's breath attacks had incinerated the leaves and branches from any tree in sight, while the Molten Domain turned what was left into solid charcoal that was still burning.
Deep pits could be seen everywhere from stray attacks, even exposing cave openings that were previously undiscovered. It was as if someone had scooped with a spoon into the earth like soup, taking only the chunks of meat and leaving behind the rest.
He looked at the Pillars of Justice members in the distance, who had originally ran forward to help their leaders, but stopped when it started to look hopeless. Their faces were a mix of relief, sadness, and regret as they watched Supreme Left and Unbreakable Right ascend.
They were relieved that their leaders had crossed that final step and were headed towards something new and better, but they couldn't help but feel sad at the same time. At this point, it was easy to regret not being more useful to their leaders while they were still present, especially during their battle with William.
When they looked at the boy that had turned the tides against two of the strongest Cultivators in the World, their expressions became complicated. It was obvious at a glance that running from William was impossible, so their lives were wholly in his hands at this moment.
Only if they split up would they have a chance at survival, but no one wanted to be the nail that stuck out, lest they be the first ones targeted by the monstrous young man.
"No, no! That's not at all what I was saying, uh... Relentless William?"
"Are you trying to give me a title like those two I just fought against? You make it sound like I'm part of their trio, or something." William sighed. Cultivators were good at everything, but it seemed that naming was not their strongest suit.
He swept downward with his hand, using Soul Strength at the same time to deflect a surprise mental attack from Vishnal. The hand was but a simple chop, but his incredible strength made it possible for even this to break Vishnal's neck with ease, while a bit of Fire Mana entered his body and burned him alive from the inside.
Vishnal kicked and screamed as his internal organs burst, flames coming out of his seven orifices. William used a tendril of Death Mana at that point, siphoning away the man's life force, which would have healed William's injuries if he had any.
-Killed a Cultivator: +5 PP
Perion was slowly backing away during the entire exchange, but a single look from William forced him to slow down as the Seal Element made its first appearance as a Domain, the Seal targeting his movement at full power and limiting him to the speed of a Nascent Soul Cultivator.
The Earth Domain was still active, so William coordinated it to lock onto Perion's legs, forcing him to remain completely still. The man's fear intensified as William slowly walked forward with the executioner's axe in hand.
"I haven't had a chance to use this yet. Perhaps you will be the first?" William muttered loud enough for Perion to hear.
"N-No, please!" Perion begged as he struggled to break free from his restraints.
"Then cut off both of your legs, it's the only way to escape, after all." William shrugged.
Perion looked down at his legs and gritted his teeth. It would take a long time to recover from such an injury, but it was better than death. He didn't have a sword, but the Light Element formed on his fingertips into a Light knife that vibrated back and forth at incredible speed, easily ripping through the skin and bone as if it were paper.
Perion's body separated from his legs, and he fell to the ground gasping for air while trying to suppress the pain. After a few seconds, he regained his composure and smiled in relief. He had made it through.
But before he could turn to ask William for confirmation, Perion found his head rolling away from his body, with no Artifacts remaining to restore the damage. His expression was one of shock as the head rolled across the ground a few meters before stopping.
-Mentally tortured a human Cultivator before their eventual death: +5 PP, -4 Humanity
-Cultivator originally targeted Host with ill intent: +1 .net
"Ah, the cockroaches are dead now. Good riddance." William smiled. He had lost another three points of Humanity and gained minimal Potential Points as a reward, but this time it felt worth it.
If Perion and Vishnal were left alive, there was no telling what they would do. Even if William became the strongest person on the Continent, they might target his friends and family, or even wait until his Ascension to do so.