"I won't kneel..." Cassian growled, his voice rough, almost feral. Instead of backing down, he stepped forward — toward the motionless, white-haired warrior. His legs shook violently, arms trembling, yet his grip on the sword didn't falter. He pushed his body with sheer will, forcing it to obey through his Domain's control.

By now, he understood the man's trick — the Domain tied to his voice. Every command, every whisper carried that same binding weight. The bastard wasn't just fighting with power; he was weaponizing words.

But Cassian knew exactly what a tongue could do — and thankfully, this one couldn't touch his mind. The man's commands twisted his body, yes, but they couldn't reach into the Killing Domain that pulsed from his soul. His will was his own.

So he forced it — channeling his Domain not to strengthen attacks, but to move his body itself. Each motion was a rebellion, each step defiance given shape. His muscles screamed, veins burst along his legs, blood ran down from his eyes — yet he advanced.

To the onlookers, it looked like he was walking under crushing gravity, carrying invisible boulders on his shoulders. But Cassian's steps only grew faster, heavier, fueled by rage and the raw, vicious refusal to bend.

"Kneel…" the white-haired man commanded, his voice echoing like a crack of thunder as Cassian staggered halfway toward him.

A slow smile spread across his face — not of mockery, but satisfaction — as Cassian kept moving, refusing to bow. His own Domain flared to life, white hair whipping in the distorted air around him. "Kneel!" he roared again, and the pressure doubled, slamming down on Cassian's legs.

Cassian's body buckled, one knee crashing into the dirt. The ground cracked beneath him, veins bulging across his skin — but he didn't fall. He snarled through gritted teeth, forcing his Domain to twist and move his body, dragging himself upright again.

"Arghhhh!" His roar tore through the arena as he stumbled forward, step by brutal step, his will pushing against the crushing command.

"Hahaha! What a beast…" Lucas laughed from the sidelines, eyes gleaming as his own green Domain flickered in excitement. Everyone watching could feel it now — the oppressive, invisible force pressing against Cassian. The white-haired warrior's Domain was tied to his voice — to absolute command.

"Tell me again, my lady… where did you find him?" Ronan asked, his voice carrying a mix of disbelief and awe. He hadn't gotten a proper answer the first time — and watching Cassian now, he couldn't help but ask again. Circle Warriors were known for their endurance, yes, but this… this was something else. To see such defiance from someone who had only just formed his first Circle was almost unreal.

"Back during my previous assignment…" she replied, eyes fixed on the fight. Her tone was half-dazed, half-thrilled — like she couldn't decide between amazement and pride. Watching Cassian resist the strange, commanding Domain of the white-haired warrior sent a shiver through her. "Though I failed the mission miserably," she added with a faint smirk, "but got lucky enough to find him."

She did — and he'd been doing a damn good job for her so far. Cassian was gathering warriors one after another, breaking them down and turning them into her slaves. The "next assignment" she'd mentioned to the others was just a convenient excuse, a cover to make the cult's higher-ups let him keep doing what he wanted. His real motive was something else entirely — but she didn't care. It benefited her, and that was all that mattered.

Now, he had even managed to subdue those two fierce sisters. And even in his current wrecked state, he was still standing, still resisting the white-haired man's Domain. If she got lucky… maybe she'd have him under her control, too.

While she quietly thrilled at the thought of building her own army of powerful subordinates for future missions, someone else was watching with equal excitement. Despite losing two of his own warriors to Cassian, Master Kirk looked utterly pleased. He watched the young man stagger forward, bleeding and trembling, yet still walking through the crushing power of another's Domain. A grin tugged at the old man's lips.

"Get me everything you can on him," Kirk said softly to one of his many underlings. "Ask my son if you have to."

The underling bowed quickly and vanished into the crowd, melting away like a shadow. Kirk's eyes, sharp and amused, never left the battlefield.

Cassian had nearly reached the white-haired warrior now. The ground under his feet cracked with each step, veins glowing faintly beneath his skin as his Domain raged in protest against the unnatural commands forcing his body to obey two wills at once — his and the other man's.

The white-haired warrior didn't move. He just watched, calm as still water, his voice breaking through the tension like a bell."Kneel."

Cassian stumbled, his foot dragging, the weight on his legs doubling again. His sword dipped, the point scraping the dirt. But then he laughed — a low, rough sound that didn't match the pain on his face.

"Your voice…" Cassian growled through clenched teeth, "won't ever command me."

The man's lips twitched, a near-smile. "Every man kneels before something."

Cassian's eyes flared crimson again. His Domain burst out like an explosion, the air crackling around him. The pressure split the dirt beneath his feet as he roared, taking another step forward — then another — until he was face to face with the pale warrior.

For the first time, the white-haired man's calm cracked. His eyes widened, just slightly, as Cassian's sword arm jerked forward. Not by muscle — by will alone. His body wasn't obeying, so his Domain forced it to move instead, each motion a battle against his own flesh.

Steel met steel in a thunderclap. The white-haired man staggered back, his calm replaced by quiet disbelief. Cassian's sword grazed his chest, tearing his clothes and drawing a thin line of blood.

Fenja let out a low breath, eyes narrowing. "He's fighting with pure will now," she muttered.

Ronan's jaw tightened. "No — with madness," he said softly. "No normal first Circle Warrior would push their body that far."

"No — they do," Kirja said calmly, her tone carrying a quiet certainty. "That kind of resistance only shows when a warrior is about to break through to the next Circle."

Her words made everyone pause, but none more than Brigid. Her eyes widened, disbelief flickering across her face. Cassian had only reached his first Circle a few months ago — and now, already pushing into the second? That kind of progress wasn't just rare; it was the kind that defined legends. The kind of prodigy people remembered for centuries.

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