Power of Runes Chapter 436: Clash of Wills

Elizabeth's eyes grew keener as she continued, her tone dropping subtly to add gravity yet remain composed, "I detected a stare fixed on me throughout my entire speech in the arena. Initially, I was puzzled because the audience followed via live broadcast, but one particular gaze stood out—direct and unwavering—and it originated from this very store. That's why I assumed you wanted to chat. Wasn't it you, Mr. Shopkeeper...?"

An unsettling hush descended afterward.

The environment plunged into profound quietude, the atmosphere thickening in anticipation of a reply, punctuated solely by the soft clock ticks reverberating within the confines of the room, bridging the gap between them.

"Miss Elizabeth, there's clearly a mix-up here since—"

Ash hadn't completed his sentence when his [Predatory Senses] and [Hyper Intuition] ignited abruptly, the change so sudden that his mind clenched briefly.

His pupils shrank at once, and the world decelerated around him, the atmosphere growing thick, subtle motions in the space elongating as though time stretched thin.

As Ash observed Elizabeth launching into the air, her palms slamming the counter with flawless poise while her frame spun, her leg slicing through the void with lethal accuracy, the power unmasked, the gap to his skull vanishing instantly.

In that fleeting instant, Ash wavered.

Dodge, or stand firm?

The dilemma raced across his thoughts, chased by more, each probing her motives, though none brought assurance.

Yet amid it all, one haughty, defiant notion emerged...

That lone idea banished every doubt.

Thus, he responded.

Power flooded his extremities like a dam bursting free, his willpower surging in tandem, fortifying his hand as his arms thrust ahead at astonishing velocity to intercept her kick, his actions exact and restrained, all unfolding in that prolonged instant of slowed time.

Yet right when his hand neared her assault, an unprecedented event unfolded before Ash's eyes.

Their strikes neared but never connected.

A ferocious force burst forth between them.

-BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!

With a thunderous blast, the atmosphere fractured, an unseen blast surging outward, the counter below quaking as if on the verge of shattering yet enduring, spiderweb cracks in the void spidering out while the area between his hand and her leg quivered fiercely.

-SHIRRRRNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A piercing screech tore through the air as their focused wills clashed sans touch, the intensity warping the space between subtly, as if it buckled under the confrontation.

-CRRRRRAAACCCKKKKLLLLLLLIIIIINNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bolts of pure power sparked chaotically in the gap, crackling and bursting like trapped amber-gold thunderbolts, neither yielding as the unseen battle raged in that extended, brief clash.

The ground under Ash's feet shook, air waves rippling outward, the whole shop humming from that one collision's might. Still, nothing within shattered or split.

The force didn't relent, delving further into him instead, and Ash sensed acute tension race along his limb, coursing through his form, the instant after something within snapped under the onslaught, a deep ache diffusing into muscles and skeleton like his structure compressed internally.

For the first occasion since his physique's rebirth, he perceived it distinctly.

Injury had struck him.

Though his frame fought back, it neared breaking point in an unfamiliar manner, the stress not merely external but infiltrating deeply, demanding recognition.

That acute feeling proved brief, for the Rune of Life blazed instantly alongside his passive skills, mending the harm, realigning ripped tissues and stressed strands, reverting his body to pristine state as though untouched—yet the echo of the blow persisted subtly in his consciousness, lingering on.

Ash's gaze tightened faintly with that awareness, though he pushed it aside for now was no time, as the force held firm and his form endured vast stress and harm, and solely he grasped why he hadn't been hurled back by it.

Inwardly, Ash offered thanks to Snow—a fleeting yet heartfelt sentiment crossing his mind right then—yet he remained fully aware that defeat loomed, as Elizabeth's pressure kept mounting without pause, far outstripping his own escalation due to their vast power gap.

His willpower erupted to its utmost peak, concentrating into his palm while his mastery intensified, and simultaneously, fresh energy exploded from his heart, channeling into his limbs with a relentless, powerful torrent that fortified his assault, driving him onward against the opposition with amplified ferocity.

Pressure spiked in an instant.

The gap between them warped even further.

Crackling intensified sharply, with wild energy arcs flashing chaotically in that confined space, every second weighing heavier as though the air itself was ripping under the immense strain.

Ash raised his eyes.

Meeting her gaze head-on.

The sight that met him honed his concentration razor-sharp.

Elizabeth's face had transformed utterly, eyes stretched wide, pupils quaking faintly while fixed on him, lips parted involuntarily, as if her thoughts lagged behind the impossible scene unfolding.

No trace of composure lingered on her features.

No hint of restraint.

Just raw astonishment.

The sort that erupts when reality defies all preconceptions, clashing against everything once deemed certain or anticipated.

Yet despite the shock etched plainly across her visage, her might held firm—Ash sensed it as vividly as his own.

Her power was surging higher.

"Why stir up trouble in my shop, Miss Elizabeth?? Is this the Transcendent Circle's way, striking at anyone in sight without regard for bystanders, or just your new method for testing folks..?? What sets you apart from common madmen..??"

Ash's voice boomed like thunder across the shop, deep and icy, laced with cutting edge that clashed starkly against his prior casual warmth, amplifying the jolt as it dominated the air between them.

Elizabeth's pupils flickered at those words, the subtle quiver evident for a split second, snapping her from the stupor, and with a abrupt surge of precise force, she somersaulted back through the air, touching down gracefully with flawless poise.

And with that, the pressure evaporated.

The unseen confrontation dissolved.

Even the faint spatial rifts between them dissolved as though they'd never appeared.

Silence enveloped the area once more.

"Some normal shopkeeper you turned out to be, huh!!"

Elizabeth taunted his previous claims and demeanor, her voice level outwardly, though turmoil churned within, as the events she'd beheld refused to align in her thoughts.

At Celestial rank—surpassing even God rank—her prowess meant even a sliver of it carried grave weight, for beyond that threshold, realm gaps yawned insurmountably beyond basic quantification.

Elizabeth had every reason to reel.

While Ash's skills contributed to holding the line, the true linchpin was something far more profound.

It stemmed from the final rune's passive effect within Akumia, the one Snow had fetched for him.

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