Collection 1

321-330

Chapter 321: The Day The Sky Fell

King Noah stood on the ramparts as his gaze eyed the battlefield. The Ant Army was now crawling up the fortress walls while the defenders fought bravely to repel them.

Rain was falling from the sky, but this was not ordinary rain. It was the blood of the tens of thousands of Humans, Beasts and Flying Ants that waged war across the skies.

Although King Noah was worried about the disappearance of his son, Prince Rufus, they were currently at war and he could only assign a small number of men to look for his whereabouts.

Lawrence, and the other Archmages of the Hellan Kingdom, threw spell after spell after spell in order to repel the invaders from the Fortress. The Sword Saint, Aramis, was currently thinning out the Ants that were trying to overcome the fortress defenders as well.

His disciples, Cid and Aerith, were also fighting side by side as their swords claimed the lives of their enemies.

As the battle was nearing its peak, a man, wearing a red robe, stood on a mountain overlooking the battlefield. Several men wearing black robes stood behind his back as they waited for his signal.

"It's time," the red-robed man said softly. "We have gathered more than enough sacrifices. Tell them all to activate the altars."

"Yes, My Lord!" a black-robed man replied.

He then threw a red orb towards the sky where it exploded, revealing a red skull. A few seconds later, the red skull started laughing as it grew in size, until its visage overshadowed the entire battlefield.

Suddenly, hundreds of pillars of light shot out towards the sky from different locations across the Southern Continent.

The Hellan Kingdom and the Aenasha Dynasty momentarily paused their battle as the screams and shrieks from the souls of the dead sounded through the sky.

The millions of souls that The Organization had collected from the ongoing war, flew from the altars that they had built towards the red skull that was laughing in the sky of the battlefield. It was as if the skull was mocking the warriors for their stupidity of fighting against each other.

The laughter of the skull was heard all over the Southern Continent. Everyone who heard it felt the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end and a tingling sensation passed through their spines.

When the skull stopped laughing, it opened its mouth wide to swallow all the souls that were being sent to it by the altars that The Organization had built.

Its eyes glowed with a crimson light as it devoured the power of the souls it had ingested. Soon it shot a beam of red light into the Heavens.

This was the Pseudo-Eleventh-Circle Spell that The Organization had prepared for this day. A spell that would allow them to conquer the entire Southern Continent with ease, without anyone to stop them.

At that exact moment, a golden beam of light shot out from the West and collided with the red light that shot towards the sky.

The golden light came from the statue of the Goddess Astrid which

stood on top of the temple that William and Est had visited in order to clear the Trial of Courage.

The two spells collided. After that, a purple Aurora Borealis descended upon the entirety of the Southern Continent.

James looked at this marvelous sight from within the fortress he was defending and sighed.

"Jekyll, Ezio, I'll leave everything in your hands," James said.

"Understood," Jekyll replied.

"Yes, My Liege," Ezio turned into a black mist and hid in Jekyll's shadow. "Rest assured. We will not fail."

James nodded and looked towards the West where Lont was located. "Watch over them for me…"

As soon as these words left his lips, James' body was engulfed by the light of the purple Aurora Borealis. Within the blink of an eye, his body, along with the rest of the people inside the fortress who were above the age of twenty, turned into crystal statues.

Jekyll opened his mouth and swallowed the statues of James, Damian, and Gideon.

The smile of the Dentist of Lont disappeared as he scanned the entire battlefield that was littered with crystal statues. The Human armies of the Zelan kingdom were not spared and all of them had turned into statues as well.

The Minotaurs and the other beasts of the Zelan army were unaffected by the effects of the spell, but all of them were greatly weakened.

Jekyll transformed into his true form and opened his mouth wide. Soon, all of these beasts were helplessly sucked into his gaping mouth, which was akin to a blackhole. He only stopped when no survivors of the Beast Army were left on the scene.

Half a minute later, Jekyll returned to his human form and gazed in the direction of Ravenlord Citadel.

"Such a devious plan." Jekyll grinned evilly. "Well then, I guess it's time to go back to Lont. Let's go, Ezio."

A red portal appeared behind Jekyll and Ezio's Blood Wyvern screeched in greeting. The Dentist of Lont jumped on its back as Ezio's mount flew towards the West.

—–

"W-What happened?!" Aerith gasped as she looked at the crystal statues around her. The Ant Beasts had become paralyzed, but they didn't turn into statues like the Humans.

"Master!" Cid shouted as he ran towards the Sword Saint, who had also turned to Crystal, while killing a Centennial Ant that had managed to climb over the wall.

Loud thudding sounds resounded across the battlefield as the flying magical beasts crashed to the ground. Their riders had turned into crystals and the beasts did their best to land in their weakened states.

Some of these statues fell off from their mounts and crashed into the ground. Cid didn't have the time to check the fates of these statues that had fallen from thousands of meters above ground. His mind was still reeling from the shock that his Master had ended up in this manner.

Aerith stood beside her brother and examined her master's current form. She had never heard of a spell that could turn someone into a crystal statue.

"Your Majesty!" Est shouted as he hurried towards King Noah's side. Isaac ran beside him as they made their way to the ramparts where King Noah stood, frozen in place.

All the adults inside the fortress had been turned into crystals, while the students, and young Knights that had taken part in the war, were spared from the effects of the Eleventh-Circle Spell. Pandemonium ensued as the survivors tried to understand the situation they were currently facing.

—–

Meanwhile in Lont…

"Mama?"

"Papa?"

Eve looked up at her parents who were standing side by side. They were currently outside the Ainsworth Residence and looking in the direction where the Red Skull had appeared in the sky.

"Mama! Papa!" Eve cried out as she hugged her parents' bodies. She didn't understand what was happening. All she knew was that his parents had stopped moving and weren't paying attention to her.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaah! Mama! Papa!"

Tears started to stream down the side of Eve's face as she called out for her Mama and Papa. It was quite unfortunate that, no matter how much Mordred and Anna loved their little girl, they were unable to hear her call because they had turned into crystal statues.

They were unable to wipe away the tears on their daughter's face, and tell her that everything was going to be alright.

Eve's sad wailing echoed within the Ainsworth Residence. Her pained cries didn't stop as she firmly held onto Anna's statue. This also marked the beginning of the darkest days that the Southern Continent had seen for the past thousand years.

Takam glanced at the land from the peak of the Kyrintor Mountains. He sat on his throne as he surveyed his domain. His thoughts returned to the time when he met the Half-Elf and shared a few words with him.

"Survive the war first," the Demigod muttered the words that he had told William several weeks ago. "Let's meet again when the Sky Falls."

The Sky had already fallen.

Now, all he had to do… was wait.

—–

End of Volume 2: When The Sky Falls

Chapter 322: The Shepherd Versus The Celestial Army [Part 1]

"Eve!"

William shouted as he reached out his hands to hug his beloved little cousin. That is when he awoke from his dream

Out of nowhere, the image of Eve's crying face appeared inside his mind, which prompted him to wake up from his dreamless sleep.

The Half Elf immediately stood up and scanned his surroundings. He was feeling restless and something was urging him to take action as soon as he could. It was currently nighttime within the Heavenly Domain, and countless stars twinkled in the Heavens.

Not far from him, Zhu and Sha sat on a log. Zhu stirred the campfire that he had made, and waited for the fish Sha caught earlier to finish cooking.

William had passed out after releasing Zhu from the Golden Cube to keep his promise. He didn't know that Zhu had acted of his own accord and brought him to the edge of the twelfth trial, where the million strong Celestial Army, that guarded that Heavenly Gate, stood.

"You're finally awake, Oink!" Zhu said after hearing William's shout. "Oink. Are you hungry? The fish are almost cooked."

Sha glanced in the boy's direction before closing his eyes to meditate. Since he had lost to William, he wanted to see how the boy would be able to cross this last hurdle and reach the Heavenly Gate in order to clear this trial.

William nodded and said his thanks to Zhu before sitting on the log opposite the two Demonic Guardians.

He stared at the bonfire as he recalled the sad expression on Eve's face. It was so heartbreaking that William wanted to go to Lont as soon as possible to check on her condition.

"It's cooked," Zhu announced. "Here, have one."

The Pig Demon handed the grilled fish to William, before grabbing another to pass to his friend Sha. After he had given each of them a piece, he grabbed the five remaining fish and ate them hungrily.

William didn't say anything and just absentmindedly bit into the grilled fish in his hand. He was still thinking about his little cousin and wondered if what he saw was really a dream or reality.

The three of them ate in silence. Only the crackling sounds of the bonfire and Zhu's chewing could be heard within their small camp.

Half an hour later, William raised his head to look at the Pig Demon that was currently smoking on a pipe. Based on their surroundings, the Half-Elf realized that they were no longer in the desert where they had fought earlier.

As if reading his thoughts, Zhu removed the pipe from his lips and blew a puff of smoke towards the red-headed boy.

"We are currently at the boundaries of the Heavenly Gate. Oink!" Zhu stated. "You see that small shrine over there? That is the teleport gate that will take you to the Elysian Fields. It is also the final battlefield that you need to overcome in order to leave the Heavenly Domain."

"Thank you for the information, but can you tell me more?" William inquired. "I noticed that each trial's difficulty increased the closer

I traveled to the Heavenly Gate. Honestly, if I didn't use any underhanded tricks, I would not have been able to defeat the two of you. What is the final trial like?"

Zhu glanced at the meditating Sha behind him and tapped the Sand Demon's shoulder.

Sha sighed as he opened his eyes to look at William. "The last trial is finding a way to reach the Heavenly Gate that is protected by the Celestial Army. Mind you, this army is numbered in the millions. If you don't have any tricks that will allow you to sneak through the Heavenly Gates unnoticed, you will have no choice but to fight your way through."

William frowned as he pondered the difficulty of his last mission. He had already formulated a plan in his mind, but he didn't know if it was applicable. The only methods he could use were the skills that he had learned in his "Quick Shot Shepherd Job Class".

He had tried to activate the "Heroic Avatar" skill many times during his trials, but no Immortal Hero seemed interested in lending their hand to help him.

Feeling restless, William walked towards the shrine that would take him to the Elysian Fields. However, he didn't enter it right away.

He sat cross legged in front of it and meditated. William would wait until morning before entering the shrine when his mental strength had reached its peak.

Zhu and Sha watched him from a distance. They had discussed during their journey, while carrying the sleeping William, that they would go with the boy to the Elysian Fields to see how he would fare against the Celestial Army.

They wanted to see, with their own eyes, if the boy that had beaten the two of them would be able to create a miracle.

—–

"Does he have any chances of winning without a Heroic Hero stepping in to help him?" Lily asked.

David played with his beard as he looked at the meditating boy from his palace. "I don't know. Although I believe in William, the chances of him succeeding this trial without any outside interference is very low."

Lily nodded before looking at Issei, who was seated beside her. "How about you? Do you think he will be able to clear this trial?"

"Even if he is able to use the power of our two Divinities, his chances are next to impossible," Issei answered. "Right now, he can only use the power of our Divinities and his Shepherd Class. I believe that David wants him to explore and experiment with new techniques by relying solely on the abilities we bestowed upon him."

Lily nodded and secretly glanced at David before whispering in Issei's ears. "Should we pull some strings and bribe one of those Immortal Heroes to become William's Heroic Spirit?"

"You shouldn't do that," David reprimanded the loli that sat beside him. "Karma also plays a role in the fate of an individual. I believe that William's determination will be able to reach his destined guardian. Let Fate play its course. Forceful intervention might give an outcome that none of us want to see."

Lily sighed and tossed her idea aside. David was right. Karma also played a role in a person's Fate. He just hoped that the Karma that William had accumulated in his previous lifetime would be enough to move the hearts of the Immortal Warriors that were currently watching over his trial.

——

A few minutes before sunrise, William opened his eyes and carefully stood up from the ground. He did some light stretching and summoned the wooden staff in his hand. After taking a deep breath, he touched the shrine in front of him.

A small ripple appeared in the place where his hand had landed. Soon Wiliam's body was sucked inside the shrine. Seeing that the boy had already left for his trial, Zhu and Sha hurried towards the shrine.

"Brother, Let's go. Oink!" Zhu said. "It has been a while since I've seen the Celestial Army. My hands are starting to itch."

"Mmm," Sha hummed as he placed his hand over the shrine.

——

William stood on a vast plain.

In front of him was a towering mountain where thousands of flags fluttered in the air. Warriors that numbered in the millions looked at him with a serene gaze.

They were the soldiers that protected the Heavenly Gate from any trespasser who dared to try and leave the domain.

William planted his wooden staff on the ground and aimed its tip at the center of the Giant Gate that stood in the middle of the towering mountain.

William braced himself and executed the plan that he had thought of while meditating. He was going to try it for the first time and he didn't know if it was going to work or not. Even so, he didn't hesitate and went ahead with his plan.

This was the last hurdle that stood in his way, and William would not allow anything to stand in his way!

William glared at the Celestial Army in the distance as he channeled his Aura in his wooden staff.

"Quick Shot War Art…"

Chapter 323: The Shepherd Versus The Celestial Army [Part 2]

"Quick Shot War Art… Fusion Form." William said with determination. "Blitzer Railgun!"

William's body merged with the wooden staff, before it shot towards the center of the Heavenly Gate at a speed that broke the sound barrier.

The Celestial Soldiers that were deployed a kilometer away from the Heavenly Gate were completely caught off guard by William's unexpected move that they were unable to do anything to stop him.

When William was only a hundred meters away from the Heavenly Gate, several Celestial Warriors wearing gray armor flew into the air and collided with him. A resounding clap ensued and the Gray Knights were pushed back by the collision, sending them flying in different directions.

The wooden staff continued its flight towards the Heavenly Gate, but its acceleration had greatly diminished. It was then when a Black Celestial Knight flew towards him holding a golden shield.

A loud crackling sound reverberated in the air as the wooden staff and the golden shield collided. The red-headed boy's form appeared in front of the golden knight with a stream of blood oozing from the side of his lips.

However, William didn't falter, he stepped on the head of the Knight and used it as a stepping stone to jump forward.

The Heavenly gate was only a few dozen meters away from him and he took this opportunity to propel himself to it.

Suddenly, another Black Knight appeared. This time, it grew in size like a giant and used its hand to swat the Half-Elf like a fly.

As the hand descended, William raised his staff to face it head on.

"Magnum Burst!" William roared as he executed the very first multi-purpose skill he had used since he acquired the Shepherd Job Class. The small wooden staff nullified the force of the hand and pushed it back, along with the Giant Knight, due to its 'Knockback Effect'.

'Three, two…' William counted inside his head. 'One!'

William aimed his wooden staff at the Gate and prayed that he would make it in time.

'Quick Shot War Art, Fusion Form,' William yelled internally. 'Blitzer Rail-Gaaah!'

A Crimson Knight suddenly appeared in front of William and unleashed a Battle Aura that caused a powerful gust of wind that blew William away, injuring him, and preventing him from finishing his move.

The Crimson Knight then unsheathed his blade and flew towards William. His intention was to cut William in half to end his life, and bring his soul back to the Cycle of Reincarnation.

The Half-Elf couldn't see the Heavenly Gate from his vantage point because he got disoriented by the Crimson Knight's surprise attack. In the end, William pointed his wooden staff in the direction opposite of where the Knight was coming from and shouted.

"Blitzer-Railgun!"

The red-headed boy shot out like a blur, dodging the Crimson Knight's attack that would have sliced him in half.

A few seconds later, an explosion was heard a few miles away from the Heavenly Gate. The

Crimson Knight gazed at the cloud of smoke rising in the distance and sheathed his weapon back to his scabbard. Frankly, the Crimson Knight felt admiration for the boy because the Half-Elf almost succeeded in his plan. If he was only a second late, the boy would have definitely passed through the gate due to his unexpected display of skill.

—-

William's body, which was covered in injuries, laid in the center of a ten-meter-deep crater. The impact he received during the collision with the knights had broken several bones in his body. His desperate struggle to escape from the Crimson Knight had succeeded. However, the injuries he sustained in his emergency landing worsened those injuries.

Right now, William was paralyzed because his spine had received significant injury due to the force of his landing. Fortunately it didn't snap, but he was currently in very bad shape.

William had his eyes closed, but his senses were still active. It was then when he felt two familiar presences approaching him, which made him sigh in relief.

"Oink! Are you still alive, Boy?" Zhu asked as he tapped William's face with his hand. "Sha, I think the boy is dead. Can I eat him?"

William couldn't raise his arms, but he still managed to raise his middle finger to prove that he was still alive.

Zhu pretended to not see the injured boy's attempt to prevent himself from getting eaten. Sha, on the other hand, just shook his head and sat beside the fallen boy.

"You almost did it, Kid," Sha said. His voice was laced with respect and admiration because this was the first time he had seen someone almost clear the Trial in less than a minute.

William sighed internally as he endured the pain that was wracking his body. The red-headed boy was not new to pain. He had suffered many times in the past and the pain he was feeling now was just second nature to him.

Since he couldn't move his body, the Shepherd decided to sleep in order to recover from his exhaustion. Soon, a loud snore escaped from William's lips, startling the Pig Demon and the Sand Demon by his side.

Zhu and Sha, who were watching over the boy, glanced at each other in surprise. They never thought that the boy would be able to sleep in his current state, let alone snore at the same time!

"What a weirdo. Oink!" Zhu gasped. "Bro, are you sure I can't eat him? Looking at him annoys me right now."

Sha snorted as he gazed at the Heavenly Gate in the distance. His eyes narrowed into slits as a possibility crossed his mind.

—–

"That was so close!" Lily waved her hands and stomped her foot in frustration. "If that annoying Crimson Knight hadn't interfered, William would have cleared the trial!"

(A/N: Crimson Knights are equivalent to the Saint Rank in mortal standards. If we are going to compare the Rank to those of Beasts, he would be in between the Millennial and Myriad Beast Rank Categories. The rule of thumb is that Saints will always be weaker than Myriad Beasts if they fought one on one.)

Issei and David both sighed at the same time. Both of them agreed with Lily. Even David was surprised by William's ingenuity to create the Fusion Art. Basically, the Quick Shot Shepherd Job Class allowed William to create his own skills, as long as they were within the scope of its limitations.

The First Skill that William Created when he defeated the Second Trial was the "Quick Shot War Art". This skill was inspired from the various War Arts that belonged to the Martial Classes. Since it was an acceptable skill, the laws of the Heavenly Trial approved of it.

The Fusion War Art was the last skill that William decided to create after winning against Zhu and Sha. He figured that using himself as Ammunition was a good alternative in order to surprise the defenders of the Heavenly Gate.

Of course, it also gave William excellent mobility during battles, and a good means of escape when things got out of hand. After all, very few beings could catch him if he traveled at the speed of sound.

—–

The Immortal Warriors that had watched William's battle had their mouths opened wide. They couldn't believe what they saw and some of them even wondered if they were capable of preventing the boy from passing through the gate if they were the ones in the position of the Celestial Knights.

The King grinned as a playful expression appeared on his face.

"Unexpected. Truly unexpected," the King said softly before drinking from the winecup in his hand. He sighed deeply in order to appreciate the taste of the Heavenly Wine made from the Immortal Peaches from the Garden of Xiwangmu.

'That trick will only work once.' The King thought as he glanced at the sleeping boy who was riddled with injuries. "What are you going to do next, Kid?'

Chapter 324: Unwanted Guests That Came From Distant Lands

While William was recuperating from his injuries, the battle at Ravenlord Citadel had come to a complete halt. While the students and the young knights were busy trying to understand what had just transpired, the red-robed man, who was watching this scene, frowned.

The Pseudo-Eleventh-Circle Spell that they executed should have put everyone above the age of twenty into deep sleep. Their plan was to kill all the important and strong people in the Southern Continent, while they were in this helpless state.

However, the spell that they cast using millions of souls didn't work the way they had envisioned it to.

"That golden light," the red-robed man muttered. "Just where did that golden light come from?"

When the spell was about to activate, a golden light had shot out from the West and collided with the red beam in the sky. The leader of The Organization that managed the Southern Continent knew that the golden light was responsible for changing the properties of the spell that they had worked on for years.

The red-robed man had already received reports from his subordinates that the important figures that they had planned to assassinate couldn't be killed because the crystal statues were impregnable.

No forms of weapons, nor magic, could break it, rendering the assassins helpless in accomplishing their missions.

The red-robed-man pondered for a while before giving out his order.

"Secure the crystal statue of the Hellan King, along with the Archmages, and the High-Ranking Nobles," the red-robed man ordered. "Also, capture the Princess of Freesia. The Crown Prince wants her."

""Yes, My Lord!""

——

Est looked at the King's Crystal statue with a distraught expression on his face. The Fourth Year students of the Magic and Spirit Divisions had already tried to undo the spell that had turned the King into a statue, but none of their spells worked.

In the end, the Head Prefects of both Divisions concluded that this was a spell that far exceeded their level of expertise.

Right now, the whole fort was in a state of chaos and no one knew what to do next. It was at this time when Lionel, the Crown Prince of the Hellan Kingdom, made his presence known and raised his voice.

"Everyone calm down!" Prince Lionel ordered. "Do not panic. For now, take care of the injured and those that are in critical conditions. They are our priorities! There's nothing we can do for the people that have turned into statues. For now, focus on the living!"

Est felt his blood boil when he heard the words "focus on the living". It was as if Prince Lionel had declared that those that had transformed into statues were already dead and beyond saving. Isaac hurriedly grabbed Est's shoulder and shook his head.

"Calm down, Young Master," Isaac said. "Now is not the time for internal conflict. The King is safe, at least for

now. There's no need to have an argument with the Crown Prince."

Est closed his eyes and forcefully took hold of his emotions. He took a few deep breaths in order to calm his nerves.

"You're right, Isaac," Est replied after his anger had dissipated. "Let's help the others first."

"Yes, Young Master." Isaac nodded.

The two were about to help the injured students and knights of the kingdom when they saw the Third Princess walk towards them with her maidservants trailing behind her.

"How is the King?" Princess Sidonie asked.

Est shook his head and looked at the Princess apologetically. "The King is under some kind of curse. Right now, none of the students here have the ability to undo his curse."

"I see." Princess Sidonie nodded her head. She was about to ask a few more questions when a familiar voice called out to her from behind.

"Princess, I'm glad that you are safe," Prince Lionel said with a smile. "It would be best if you stayed beside me for now. Your loyal knights have turned into crystal statues and we are currently understaffed. I will be more than happy to ensure your safety, while we try to find a way to dispel the curses that fell upon our people."

Princess Sidonie looked at the handsome young man, but she didn't move towards the Crown Prince. Instead, she walked towards Priscilla who was ordering the members of the Angorian War Sovereign to regroup.

"Vice-Commander, will it be fine if I place my safety in your hands?" Princess Sidonie asked with a light bow. She didn't like the Crown Prince of the Hellan Kingdom because she didn't trust him. The mere thought of staying by his side made her skin crawl.

Priscilla nodded and gave the Princess a sweet smile. "Of course, Your Highness. The Angorian Knights will ensure your safety."

"Thank you, Vice-Commander," Princess Sidonie curtsied. "I will be in your care from now on."

Prince Lionel watched this exchange with a smile, but he didn't think much of it. Now that Princess Sidonie's guards were out of the picture, there was no one in the Kingdom that could save her from him. The Angorian Knights were the knights of the Hellan Kingdom. Since that was the case, they would take orders from him.

'You can struggle all you want, my beloved Princess, but it won't change the fact that you can't escape my grasp,' Prince Lionel thought.

The organization had promised him that they would secure the Princess for him no matter what. This alone gave Prince Lionel the confidence that Princess Sidonie wouldn't be able to leave the Hellan Kingdom under their watchful eye.

——

Meanwhile in the Sea of the Southern Continent…

"Forward!" Elandorr, the commander of the Elven Regiment, ordered. "The time has come to conquer! Set forth to the lands of the Southern Continent!"

The Elves cheered as they carried out their Commander's order. The Eleven Princess, who had joined this expedition, sat on her makeshift throne and observed the land that they were about to conquer.

A flash of anticipation appeared on her light-green eyes as she envisioned the flags of their homelands being raised on foreign soil. She was sent by her father to oversee the mission, but the King didn't order her to take part in the invasion of the Southern Continent.

The Elven Princess was only there as a spectator. She didn't have any authority to command the Elven Army that was composed of the prodigies of the various clans of the Silvermoon Continent.

Even so, she was still a Princess and the elves still held her in high regard. Even Elandorr, who secretly wished to become her life partner, was very courteous to her everytime the two of them were to exchange words with each other.

Almost at the same time that the Elven fleet moved forward, the Kraetorian Naval Armada also set forth towards the Southern Lands.

Jason, the commander of the Kraetorian Fleet, smirked as he gave the Elven Fleet a side-long glance. He was very tempted to test the mettle of the Elves, but he knew that his mission was more important.

The Kraetor Armada and the Elven Fleet parted ways. They were not going to the same destination, however, Elandorr and Jason knew that this was just a prelude for the battle that was about to take place.

They had an unwritten agreement that they would settle their differences once they had occupied the lands of the Southern Continent. Only after they had secured their respective territories, would they face off against each other to see who was more capable between the two of them.

For Elandorr and Jason, no one in the Southern Continent was their match. Not even the organization who had unknowingly prepared this wonderful scenario for the unwanted guests that came from distant lands.

Chapter 325: Escape From Ravenlord Citadel

An hour after the adults had turned into crystal statues, a semblance of acceptance had descended among the survivors in Ravenlord Citadel. The injured had been taken care of, and everyone looked to Crown Prince Lionel for orders.

Since the King and the Great General were out of commission, he was the highest commanding officer inside the fortress. Naturally Prince Lionel did his best to make himself look good in front of the warriors, and most importantly, to Princess Sidonie.

However, the Princess remained indifferent to his advances to personally safeguard her own safety. Princess Sidonie stuck close to Priscilla and remained with the Knights of the Angorian War Sovereign, which irritated the Crown Prince to no end.

While he was still thinking of ways on how to get his hands on the Princess, the black-robed members of The Organization appeared in the fortress.

"We are the Special Order working directly under the King," one of the black-robed men announced as they entered the fortress. "We came to take custody of the King and the other important members of the Kingdom."

The black-robed man removed the hood that was covering his face. Prince Lionel recognized the man because it was the man who had acted as the middle-man between him and The Organization.

"Sir Calum, you're finally here," Prince Lionel greeted the man and walked in his direction. "You're here to ensure the safety of the King and the great nobles of the Kingdom?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Good. I'll leave my father in your hands."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Calum replied before making a gesture. "Take the King and the other nobles. We are going to bring them back to the capital!"

Over a hundred, black-robed men scattered in different directions in order to carry out Calum's order. Est frowned, but he didn't do anything to prevent the unknown group from doing their duties.

Although he didn't like the Crown Prince, the King's safety was his top priority. Also, a single glance was enough to tell him that Prince Lionel was familiar with the man named Calum. Even though he was still uneasy, there was nothing he could do in the current situation.

Prince Lionel then dragged Calum to the side and the two were discussing something. Both men glanced in the direction of the Princess of Freesia from time to time as they continued their chat.

"Tonight, your Highness," Calum said. "I will personally escort the Princess in your chamber tonight."

"Good," Prince Lionel replied with a smile. "Make sure that she doesn't get hurt as much as possible."

"We will do our best, Your Highness. However, the Princess from Freesia had this troublesome ability."

"It's her Charm, right?"

Prince Lionell was aware that Princess Sidonie had a special constitution. She was born with an unusual ability to make anyone around her fall madly in love with her. Naturally, he also thought that the feelings that he felt for the Princess were due to her powers.

However, the Prince didn't care. Princess Sidonie was the girl he had chosen to become his bride. Whether his infatuation was due to her Charm or not, he would not let anyone take her away from him.

"Don't worry, Your Highness," Calum assured the Prince. "We have prepared a way to capture her that will yield the least sacrifice."

Prince Lionel nodded. As long as Princess Sidonie became his woman, he didn't care what method The Organization used in order to subdue the Princess. The two men talked more about how to carry out their plan, while the black-robed men

used the power of wind to carry the statues towards the carriages that were stationed behind the fortress.

Since they couldn't assassinate the King and the other High-Ranking nobles, taking them to their hideout was the next best thing that they could do.

Priscila glanced at the Princess standing by her side and the latter nodded her head. What Prince Lionel and Calum didn't know was that Priscilla had the uncanny ability to focus her sense of sight and hearing in a certain location.

The Vice-Commander of the Angorian Knight Order had heard the talk between the Crown Prince and Calum as if they were talking right next to her.

"Knights, let's kill the Ant Army while they are still immobile," Priscilla ordered. "Although the Ants seem to have been paralyzed, it's possible that they will recover soon. Now is the best time to eradicate them while they're still unable to defend themselves! Follow me!"

""YES!""

Just like the Ants, the other magical beasts like the Gryphons, and Hipogriffs had suffered from the Aurora Borealis that descended from the sky. They were currently too weak to fly, so they couldn't accompany the Knights to cull out the Sea of Ants that was right outside their fortress.

Priscilla ordered the gates to be opened and the Knights stormed out to start their extermination. Prince Lionel watched with an amused expression as the Princess followed the Knights in their undertaking.

The young magicians and knights vented out their anger on the immobile ants and chopped them to pieces.

Prince Lionell thought that this was a good opportunity to score some brownie points with the Knights, and the Princess, so he decided to join in the massacre. However, before he could put his plan into motion, a loud screech tore through the skies.

The Blade Wyvern, that had pulled the Princess' carriage, suddenly descended from the skies. Ironically, it still had the flying carriage attached to its body.

Before anyone could react to its sudden appearance, Princess Sidonie grabbed Priscilla's hand and channeled her magic power into the bracelet that she wore on her right wrist. The two were enveloped with a radiant light and disappeared from where they stood.

The Blade Wyvern then uttered another screech as it flapped its mighty wings and fled using its full speed.

Prince Lionel's face contorted in shock and rage as he raised his hand to give out an order. "Capture the Princess!"

Calum, who was standing beside him, immediately shot towards the sky like a rocket. He hadn't thought that the Princess would try to escape from the fortress as soon as they arrived. His plan was to wait until nighttime to capture the Princess without alerting anyone.

Although he was a Wind Battlemage, he didn't have the ability to catch up to the Blade Wyvern, which was known as one of the fastest beasts that could fly in the sky. The only thing he could do was relay his message to all the members of The Organization that the Princess had escaped.

The man wearing a red-robe looked at the fleeing Wyvern in the distance before shaking his head.

'Fools. What do you think you're doing?' the man sighed and made a gesture. "Contact our agents in Freesia. Tell them to lay an ambush for the Princess once she appears on their borders."

"Yes, My Lord!" The black-robed man used a communication crystal to talk to his comrades that were currently taking over the Kingdom in the Far East. As soon as the Pseudo-Eleventh-Circle Spell descended from the sky, The Organization had immediately moved to capture the Princes and Princesses of the Royal Families of the three major powers of the Southern Continent.

They would pave the way for Prince Lionel to become the Overlord of the entire Southern Continent, as per their agreement.

—–

"Princess, we should return to Freesia as soon as possible," Priscilla proposed. "I'm sure that the young warriors of our Kingdom will come to your aid."

Princess Sidonie shook her head as she looked outside of the carriage window. "Freesia is no longer safe. I'm afraid that my Father has also turned into a statue. The survivors will either soon be imprisoned or ruled over by The Organization that has used everyone as their chess pieces."

The Princess of Freesia had known about the existence of The Organization because she had charmed one of their members. It was quite unfortunate that the one she captured was only a grunt who was ordered to keep an eye on her.

Even so, the information that she received from that charmed member was enough to tell her how dangerous her opponents were. Princess Sidonie and Morgana had no intention of falling into their hands.

"Then, where should we go?" Priscilla asked.

Princess Sidonie pondered for a while before relaying her intention to the Blade Wyvern. The Wyvern screeched in agreement as it changed its course.

"We're going to the Aenasha Dynasty," Princess Sidonie answered. "Now is a good time to take control of an Army."

"Army?" Priscilla tilted her head. It was at that moment when a sudden realization hit her and her body shuddered uncontrollably. "Princess, when you said Army are you perhaps referring to the…"

Princess Sidonie smiled and nodded her head. "I've always thought of doing this in the past, but with my current ability, it was impossible. However, right now, a golden opportunity has arrived. If I don't use this to my advantage then I would be a fool."

Morgana, who was inside Princess Sidonie's mindscape, nodded her head.

< So what if they managed to take over the Human kingdoms? They won't be able to defend it with their measly manpower. >

Princess Sidonie nodded in agreement with her other half. As long as she succeeded in taking control of her target, she wouldn't have to worry about anyone trying to capture her within the Southern Continent.

Afterall, even though The Organization was strong, they couldn't possibly fight off an army that numbered in the millions.

Chapter 326: World Shaking Battle Of Epic Proportions

The Giant Golden Ape stood when it saw the Blood Wyvern approach the airspace of Lont. After seeing Jekyll riding behind its back, it lowered its guard and sat near the entrance of the village.

"Good Job, Lufie," Jekyll greeted the Golden Ape. "Have there been any troublemakers as of late?"

The Ourobro shook its head and patted its chest twice to say that everything was in order.

Jekyll nodded and thanked the Guardian of Lont for doing its duty. The Blood Wyvern then landed in the center of the village where the Town Hall was located.

A lady, wearing a black dress, was standing near the entrance. Celine watched as the Blood Wyvern landed in front of her before giving Jekyll an inquiring glance.

"James, Damian, and Gideon, have been turned into crystal statues," Jekyll said. "This spell is slightly different from the one that The Organization had planned."

Celine nodded. As a member of The Organization, she was not affected by the Continental Spell because of the oath that she had made when she joined the group.

"I think it has something to do with that golden light," Celine replied.

"Yes." Jekyll agreed. "I don't know how it happened, but I'm quite satisfied with the result. With this, the important figures of each Kingdom are unharmed. However, I can't say the same for their heirs."

A black mist separated from Jekyll's shadow. A few seconds later, Ezio appeared in front of the two with his trademark hood covering his face.

"How about the others?" Ezio asked.

Celine sighed and waved her hand.

The doors of the Town Hall opened and several statues were found inside.

Jekyll scanned the statues and saw several familiar faces. The most noticeable one was Owen. The old bastard had a lecherous smile on his face and had given the two thumbs up pose before he was turned into a crystal statue.

A small chuckle escaped Jekyll's lips because he understood the old man's antics. All the fighters of Lont had been gathered inside the Town's Hall. Barbatos, and the other veterans of Lont had placed a powerful formation around and inside the Town Hall to prevent those who were not affiliated with Lont to enter its premises.

"How about the kids?" Jekyll asked. "How's Eve?"

"The kids are fine," Celine answered. "Eve is sleeping with the other kids in the underground shelter. All of them are safe."

Jekyll and Ezio both nodded. They had already made enough preparations, so they were not worried about the safety of Lont. What they were worried about were Matthew's, Leah's, and William's conditions.

Celine had sent Oliver to watch over William. The Parrot Monkey had sent her several messages these past few days and told her that William was safe for the time being.

As for Matthew and Leah, Ezio would be flying towards Ravenlord Citadel to look for them. He would then

bring them back to Lont, so that they would be protected by Jekyll and Celine.

The only reason he had returned with Jekyll to Lont first was to make sure that the town was still in one piece. They were afraid that The Organization would take this opportunity to attack the town while the veterans of Lont were in their helpless state.

Although they couldn't destroy the statues, they could still carry them away from the town, in order to deal with them at a later time.

"Go and bring Matthew and Leah here," Jekyll said to Ezio. "I'll watch over the town while you are away."

Ezio nodded and jumped onto the back of the Blood Wyvern. It screeched once before flapping its wings to soar towards the sky. Jekyll and Celine watched as the Assassin disappeared from the Horizon before exchanging information with each other.

"William is in the Kyrintor Mountains?" Jekyll inquired.

"Yes," Celine answered. "He's… being well taken care of right now."

"Is that jealousy I hear from you, Celine?" Jekyll teased. "Our Little Will is so popular with the ladies. I'm sure James will be laughing out loud when he marries many wives."

Celine sighed and rubbed her forehead. When it came to William, her feelings were a bit complicated. The Half-Elf was her only Disciple and she cared for him. Perhaps, she even cared for him more than she would care for her own family.

This was why she had sent Oliver to watch over William and keep him safe, while she stayed in Lont to protect its residents from possible attacks from The Organization.

Since all of the veterans were out of commission, only Celine, Lufie, the Wyverns, the Mountain Trolls, Jekyll, and Ezio were left to protect the town. Although they were few, they were a force to be reckoned with because all of them had the fighting force of Centennial Rank Beasts and above.

Seeing Celine's complicated expression, Jekyll decided to stop his teasing. He was about to discuss their next course of action when he felt a powerful presence nearing the town's gates.

Lufie's roars echoed throughout the town as the sound of fighting ensued. The Wyverns that were patrolling the skies screeched as they, too, descended to join the Ouroboro in battle.

Jekyll and Celine glanced at each other before charging towards the gates to reinforce the Beasts, who seemed to be fighting a hard battle. They still didn't know who, what, or how many attackers there were.

All they knew was that they were more than capable of dealing with a Millenial Beast, and a dozen Centennial Wyverns, with ease.

When Jekyll and Celine arrived at the gates, Lufie had already fallen on the ground with a broken arm, and leg. He's hateful roars, even in his injured state, showed that he was still prepared to fight this enemy that had appeared out of nowhere.

The Wyverns, on the other hand, were currently in a variety of injured states as they tried to prop themselves off the ground.

In the midst of this carnage, a handsome middle-aged-man, with long black hair–that rested behind his back–glanced at the two new arrivals.

Celine's face paled because the presence the man was radiating was a rank that she was very familiar with.

"D-Demigod!" Celine gasped.

The black-haired, middle-aged man raised an eyebrow as he looked at Celine. He eyed her from head to foot before shifting his gaze to the Dentist of Lont who was glaring back at him.

"Stand back, Celine," Jekyll stepped forward to confront the man. "I'll handle him."

The Dentist of Lont changed into his true form and roared before charging fearlessly at the Demigod who was causing a ruckus in his domain.

The middle-aged man snorted before flying towards the sky. Jekyll followed suit and soon, a world shaking battle of epic proportions was fought over the skies of Lont.

Celine watched in awe as the gusts of wind buffeted her from the ground. This was the first time she had witnessed a battle of this level. Seeing that the two powerful beings were not holding back their punches, she hurriedly activated the defenses of Lont to prevent any damages from befalling the town.

Although the children were safe inside the shelter that they had made long ago, Celine didn't want to take any chances.

Why?

Because a single attack from the Demigod could easily wipe the entirety of Lont from the face of the Southern Continent. Celine was also not confident that she would be able to survive an attack of such magnitude.

Right now, the only thing that stood between total annihilation and survival lay in the hands of the Dentist of Lont… who always had a smile on his face.

Chapter 327: William's and Sha's Collaboration [Part 1]

Dark Clouds hung over the Heavenly Domain as William looked at the Giant Gate in the distance. Several days had passed since his first attempt to enter the Heavenly Gate, and his injuries were now fully recovered.

He was thinking of a way to bypass its defenders. After failing the first time, he knew that the same trick wouldn't work twice. The Celestial Army was now aware of his ability, and the Commanders of the Celestial Knights had congregated near the gate.

Zhu and Sha sat beside William as they ate several grilled fishes that they had caught in a nearby river. They were waiting for William's second attempt to reach the gate. The first one caught them completely by surprise, and their admiration for the boy was raised to a higher level.

Even so, both of them knew that the boy would have to try something new if he wished to overcome the obstacles that stood in his way.

William's eyes narrowed as he did several calculations inside his head. Frankly, if that Crimson Knight hadn't appeared, he would have cleared the trial already. However, there was no use crying over spilt milk, and William wasn't the type to mull over this mishap for a long time.

"Zhu, isn't this trial unreasonable?" William inquired. "Has anyone cleared this trial in the past?"

Zhu was about to say that the trial was indeed impossible to clear, but an image appeared inside his mind. A powerful troublemaker that defied Heaven's Will had once challenged the Celestial Army alone and actually won.

This was a story of thousands of years ago when he was still just a captain in the Celestial Army. It took him a thousand years to climb to the rank of General, only to be exiled in his 300th Year of serving the Jade Emperor.

"Oink. There was one person that cleared it in the past," Zhu said with undisguised admiration. "He was an irregular that broke all the rules of the world. Since then, no one else has cleared this trial and all souls that failed were sent to the Cycle of Reincarnation."

William was surprised because he never thought that there was actually a person that had managed to clear the domain. He then tried to pry more information from Zhu, but the Pig Demon didn't say more about that legendary being that challenged the Celestial Army and won.

The Half-Elf looked at the Gate and sighed. He then created several different colored Lollipops in his hand. William used the quota for the number of Lollipops that he could produce in a day. After doing this, the red-headed boy placed them inside his pocket, causing it to bulge.

He currently didn't have any storage items in which to store the lollipops he created. The only thing he could do was carry them along with him.

"Sha, can I ask you for a favor?" William inquired.

"It depends on what kind of favor you want," Sha replied. He didn't reject or accept William's proposed question because he was also curious about what the boy planned to do.

William grinned as he explained the plan he had in mind. "If possible I want you to…"

After he finished making his preparations, William summoned his staff and trudged forward. He placed a chocolate lollipop inside his

mouth as he prepared to fight.

His mind cleared up as soon as the chocolate taste spread inside his mouth. His fear and anxiety also decreased by a good margin. Right now, William was in his "A-Game Mode".

William ran towards the Heavenly Gate using the movement technique that he had practiced many times in the past. The weakest Celestial Knights that guarded the gates were of Gold Rank.

According to Celine and the others, William's rank was in the Gold Rank as well. But, that was when he was still in training. Now, William had gone past that rank and had entered the initial stages of the Platinum Rank.

When William was only a mile away from the Heavenly Gate, hundreds of Golden Knights charged in his direction. Some of them flew, some ran, while others allowed their comrades to engage William while they prepared for anything unexpected.

They were not fighting as individual fighters.

They were fighting as an organized group that had protected the Heavenly Gate for thousands of years.

When the first batch of fighters were about to clash with William, the boy threw four grey lollipops under his feet.

A cloud of smoke that extended up to thirty square meters covered William's surroundings. The Celestial Warriors didn't enter the cloud of smoke and merely extended their palms forward. They roared and their Aura exploded from within their bodies.

It caused a repelling effect that blew away the cloud. However, when the smoke was dispersed, the Shepherd was nowhere to be seen. It didn't take long for them to realize that William had vanished into thin air.

"Search for him!" the Captain of the Celestial Army ordered. "Go! He has to be here somewhere!"

""Yes, Sir!""

The hundred strong regiment swept the place where William disappeared, while those guarding the gate raised their guard. They already knew what the boy was capable of so they extended their senses to the limit.

Even the Crimson Knight floated above the battlefield and scanned the surroundings using his aura. Still, they weren't able to find the boy who had completely vanished from their sight.

—-

Meanwhile, a thousand meters underground…

"Relentless Dragon Assault!" William thrust his spear forward in order to create a tunnel in front of him. The dirt flew in the air, but the boy didn't mind it. He had his eyes closed, as he continued his relentless assault to create a path under the ground.

Soon, the dust and debris that he had made vanished into thin air as a small black hole sucked it all up.

Earlier, William asked Sha to send him a thousand meters under the ground where he would create a tunnel to sneak up to the Heavenly Gate. The smokescreen he made earlier was just a distraction in order for him to disappear in front of the watchful eyes of the Celestial Army.

Since the lollipop was made out of the power of Divinity, the Celestial Army–who had good vision–was unable to penetrate the smoke that William created. Because of this, he was able to execute his plan and made the entire Celestial Army feel constipated.

Since they couldn't find William they were forced to be on high alert, lest the boy slipped past their defenses again.

William dug, and dug, and dug some more, all while the small blackhole sucked up all the debris that he had made. Sha who was above the ground had a mischievous look on his face as he glanced at the panicking Celestial Army in the distance.

Zhu, on the other hand, was laughing hard because he knew what the boy was doing. His piggy lips curled up into a smirk as his beady eyes narrowed into slits. He was looking forward to seeing the result of William's daring plan.

An hour passed then two.

The Celestial Army kept on searching and even the Crimson Knight landed in front of Sha and Zhu to interrogate them to see if they knew where the boy was. Naturally, the two kept mum and only gave the Crimson Knight a devilish smile.

The Demonic Pig even joked that William had turned into a flea and was currently on the head of one of the Golden Knights that attacked him earlier.

This may have sounded like a ridiculous idea, but the Celestial Army took it seriously. There were some souls, who came from other worlds, that had a transformation ability. In the past, there had been a challenger that could transform into a stone.

He almost succeeded in crossing through the gate. However, a guard, who suddenly felt the need to do some stretching exercises, accidentally stepped on him, ending his transformation spell.

It was a bitter pill that the Celestial Army had to take back then. Even though Zhu was just joking, they still couldn't stop themselves from thinking about the "What if he is telling the truth?" scenario.

Because of this, the hundreds of Golden Knights were ordered to stand in a line while those with powerful senses inspected their hair, and armor, and anywhere else a flea could run to and hide.

This made the Pig Demon roar in laughter which annoyed the more than a hundred Golden Knights that were being inspected by their superiors.

Even Sha, who had a serious disposition, had a smile on his face as he observed from afar.

What William was doing was not just merely creating a tunnel to reach the Heavenly Gate. He was working hand in hand with Sha to create a surprise for the Celestial Army that seemed impossible to defeat.

Chapter 328: William's and Sha's Collaboration [Part 2]

A day passed.

Three days passed.

Many more days had passed by since William's disappearance and the Celestial Army's faces had started to get irritable. They had been on high alert for the past six days, and some of them even felt constipated because they were always on guard for William's sneak attack.

It was as if there was an itch inside their body that wouldn't go away no matter how hard they tried to scratch it. While all of this was happening, the Half-Elf that they had been looking for was snoring under the Earth after working hard for the past six days.

William was very tired. He knew that there's no way that he would win against an Army that numbered in the millions if he faced them head on. This was why he prepared a surprise for them, thousands of meters under their feet.

At the start, it was only him working alone, but after a day, Sha decided to join in on the fun and helped him clear the land beneath the earth.

The Sand Demon that was seated right beside Zhu was only a sand clone that Sha had created in order to prevent the Celestial Army from noticing anything suspicious. The Pig Demon was their lookout that would warn Sha if anyone started to come near their location.

"Seriously, this plan of yours is so evil, Will," Sha muttered as he glanced at the snoring Half-Elf beside him.

The Sand Demon was also very tired, but a hint of anticipation could be seen on his face.

'Tomorrow,' Sha thought. 'All of this will end tomorrow.'

Sha slowly closed his eyes as well. Their work had been completed. All that was left to do was rest and recover their strength for the big battle that would happen the next day.

——-

The Gods and the Immortal Heroes were quite interested in the outcome of this trial. They couldn't see where William was, but they didn't care. For them, who had lived in the Heavens for thousands of years, this was first-class entertainment.

However, William's disappearance had made some of the Gods and Immortal Heroes return to their duties. They had waited a few days, but the Half-Elf was nowhere to be seen. They just asked their friends and acquaintances to call them when the battle began once again.

The King sipped his winecup as his brows furrowed into a frown. He had used his eyes to scan over the battlefield and the boy couldn't be found anywhere. The other warriors did the same and got the same results.

What did this mean? It meant that William was currently not on the battlefield. Since that was the case, there was only one place he could be hiding…

Naturally, if the King and the other Immortal Warriors had thought of this, the Gods and the Celestial Army thought of it as well.

The Crimson Knight had already ordered the Knights to use their aura to attack the ground under them, in order to force the boy out, but it was to no avail.

When they started their attacks, Sha had taken William very deep under the ground where the shockwaves wouldn't reach him. After a full-day of bombardment, the Celestial Army stopped. They had already done their best, but the rat that was hiding underground refused to come out no matter what.

What they didn't know was that their attacks had unknowingly helped the Half-Elf loosen the hard layers of soil under the army's feet. Because of this, the drilling process became faster.

William and Sha didn't have to forcefully break these solid rocks and soil, which made their work less troublesome. They even thanked the Celestial Army in their hearts because they had made their jobs easier!

When the Seventh Day came the Celestial Army was at their wits end. They had finally reached their limit and even the slightest movement would trigger them into action. What they didn't know was that this was also a part of Wiliam's plan.

After working with Ezio for six months, the boy had learned how to create tension. Ezio was an expert in making his

victims feel uncomfortable. He would never give them a moment of rest. He would make them feel as if they were being watched all the time which would put stress on their bodies and minds.

Wiliam had employed the same techniques with the Celestial Army with the help of Sha. The Sand Demon would make certain parts of the ground shake, rise, and create dust clouds which would prompt the army to go and investigate it.

The Celestial Army had grown tired of this harassment and just ignored these random movements from the ground.

When the sun finally set, and darkness covered the domain, William's eyes opened. A wicked grin appeared on his face as he unwrapped a black lollipop before placing it in his mouth.

"Is it time?" Sha asked. He then stood up and crossed his arms over his chest.

William nodded, "It's showtime!"

—–

Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but on the Seventh Day, when William decided to execute his plans, there was no moon in the sky.

The battlefield around the Heavenly Gate was shrouded in darkness, and only the light within its portal could be seen for miles.

A Golden Knight yawned in order to release the pent-up exhaustion inside his body. Soon, more yawns spread across the battlefield as the other soldiers gave in to their bodies instincts.

They said that yawns were contagious. When one person yawned, everyone would yawn as well.

After the Golden Knight finished yawning, he felt something brush off his body, like a passing breeze. The knight scanned his surroundings, but didn't see anything suspicious. Thinking that he was just imagining things, he returned to his vigil in order to prevent the Half-Elf from getting past the Heavenly Gate.

William slowly made his way towards the Heavenly Gate with steady steps. The lollipop inside his mouth was the black lollipop that allowed him to use the passive ability "Cloak of Darkness". As long as the lollipop was inside his lips, he could use the cover of the night to move without being detected.

Naturally, this skill had its limitations. Powerful individuals, who were able to see through illusions and temperature would be able to detect him right away. Fortunately, none of the Knights that he had passed by had these abilities.

Every so slowly, the gap between William and the Heavenly Gate lessened. When he was only a few hundred meters away from the gate, William's steps became slower. He was doing his best to create the least amount of noise in order to prevent others from detecting his presence.

It was one of the things he learned from Ezio during his training, and so far, things were going smoothly… that was until.

"Achoo!"

One of the guards sneezed and everyone looked in his direction. The Celestial Knight was embarrassed and bowed his head in apology to his superior. However, before he could even raise his head, another sneeze sounded right beside him.

William hurriedly covered his nose, to prevent himself from sneezing one more time. It was quite unfortunate that when the guard sneezed, he sneezed right on William's face, which irritated the Half-Elf's nose.

The Half-Elf's body tensed as he remained completely still. A few seconds later, several aura's washed over his body, making it stiffen.

William sighed as he took the lollipop out from inside his mouth. His cover had already been blown, so there was no use hiding it.

"You know, you should really cover your nose when you sneeze," William nagged at the Knight that sneezed on his face. "You lack manners."

The Celestial Knight grinned as he nodded, "Sorry. I'll do better next time."

"That you should." William wiped his face using his shirt. He then gave the Celestial Knights that had already encircled him a refreshing smile before waving his hand. "Bye!"

The knights closed in and hacked William with their weapons, but the boy remained unmoved. When their attacks hit the boy's body, it collapsed and turned into a pile of sand.

"He's here!" the Captain of the Celestial Knights shouted. "The boy is here."

The powerful Captains of each Squad activated their aura's and scanned their surroundings. After seven days of waiting, their target had once again made himself known.

"Quick Shot War Art… Fusion Form." William's voice echoed eerily in the dark night. "Blitzer Railgun!"

The Black Knight Commander near the gate immediately turned himself into a giant and used his body to block the entrance of the Heavenly Gate. The Crimson Commander stood in front of the giant and unsheathed his blade, while expanding his senses to the limit.

Suddenly, the Crimson Knight slashed his sword at something, only to find himself being covered in a sticky substance. After taking a whiff of it, the Great General of the Celestial Army identified it as grease.

The Crimson Knight frowned and used his aura to repel the foreign substance from his body.

Although the Knight wasn't fully certain, he could have sworn that he had heard a low chuckle the moment the grease splattered on his body. It was as if William was making fun of him and the Crimson Knight hated it.

The battlefield once again descended into darkness because they had lost the trail of the boy once again.

A minute later, a loud explosion was heard a few meters away from the Heavenly Gate, prompting everyone to look in that direction.

William stood at the center of several knights that had lost their consciousness. The boy casually unwrapped a chocolate lollipop in front of everyone, while his green eyes glowed in the darkness.

He then pointed his staff at the Heavenly Gate and said… "Quick Shot War Art… Fusion Form." William's voice echoed eerily in the dark night. "Blitzer Railgun!"

William disappeared from where he stood and the Crimson Knight immediately went to block his trajectory. However, nothing happened.

Soon, several loud voices echoed across the battlefield and all of them were saying the same thing.

""Quick Shot War Art… Fusion Form." William's voice echoed eerily in the dark night. "Blitzer Railgun!""

Several whooshing sounds followed after and several projectiles flew towards the Heavenly Gate from the darkness of the night.

Those with strong senses were able to pinpoint these flying objects, and went to intercept them.

Suddenly, a blinding white light descended upon the battlefield. The light came from the flying projectiles that the Commanders of the Celestial Army tried to intercept.

They were the concentrated white lollipops that William had fused together, to create an intense blinding light that forced the knights to close their eyes. Several of these lights appeared at the battlefield at the same time, which forced the defenders to shield their eyes for a brief moment, due to its intensity.

However, what followed next made the Gods and Immortal Heroes suck their breaths in surprise.

"Omae wa mou…"

Those were the last words that the Celestial Army heard before the ground from under their feet collapsed, sending all of them falling into a huge pit that was over a thousand meters deep.

Chapter 329: Break All Walls That Stand Before Me! [Part 1]

Roars of surprise and anger reverberated in the night, as the Celestial Army–that was several hundred meters away from the Heavenly Gate, fell into the pit that William and Sha had painstakingly created many days ago.

The two had made sure to dig deep enough around the Heavenly Gate so that all the guards stationed near it would be caught in their trap.

This also prevented the other Celestial Knights, who were stationed farther away from the Heavenly Gate, to reinforce their comrades from the boy who was currently hovering in mid-air, thanks to Sha's ability.

When their trap activated, William threw several yellow lollipops towards the giant that was blocking the Heavenly Gate with its body.

The lollipop looked so harmless, that the giant ignored them, and focused his attention on the hovering boy in the sky. The moment one of the yellow lollipops hit his body, a powerful force made him stagger, forcing him to take a step backwards.

The power of the yellow lollipop was a Knockback spell, which was similar to William's Magnum Burst. The only difference was that this spell disregarded the enemy's size, and strength. As long as it hits a target, that target would be knockbacked regardless of how sturdy or strong it is.

The Giant wanted to recover his balance, but William had perfectly timed the interval of the lollipops he threw. One could even say that the moment the first lollipop hit the Giant, his fate was already sealed.

The Giant was forced to take several steps back until his entire body passed through the Heavenly Gate.

Lily, who was watching William employ the power of her Divinity, jumped like a fangirl and raised her small fists as she shouted William's name.

The Giant wasn't the only one that was forced by Wiliam to enter the gate, The poor Crimson Knight was also pushed back along with the Giant due to that brief moment when they covered their eyes.

"Quick Shot War Art… Fusion Form." William said as he pointed his wooden staff towards the Heavenly Gate that was free from obstruction. "Blitzer Railgun!"

Earlier, William shouted his ability in order to make the Celestial Knights panic. He was only using a bit of Psychology in order to force them to make choices that would work in his favor.

Naturally, his efforts paid off and he was able to eliminate two of the greatest threats that prevented him from entering the Heavenly Gate, by using the white lollipops to blind them temporarily.

William's body merged with his staff, and it flew towards the Heavenly Gate at the speed of sound, which was now devoid of

defenders.

The staff was about to pass through the portal when a golden shield, that had the emblem of the sun in its center, blocked his path.

William's fusion with the staff broke apart as he was repelled from the gate by a powerful force. He was about to fall into the same pit that he had dug earlier when a cloud of sand caught him in mid-air.

"Very good," a taunting voice said from behind the shield. "A being worthy to be David's successor. However, did you think that I would just sit back and watch you clear this trial, boy?"

William wiped the blood, that had emerged from the corner of his lips due to the collision against the Divine Shield that blocked his path, away. He then glared at the hateful God that had insulted Gavin in the Temple.

Lugh, David's friend, and one of the Gods that belonged to the Righteous Faction stared back at the young boy with a teasing smile plastered on his face.

"I wasn't able to put you in your place in the Temple because the Gods there need to follow certain rules," Lugh sneered. "However, inside this Domain, we are allowed to descend in order to test worthy souls and keep them from entering the Temple of the Gods. Don't worry, on behalf of David, I will beat you up, but still leave a breath in your body. This will be your punishment for insulting a God."

Lugh summoned his spear and pointed it at the pit that had trapped the Celestial Army. immediately, the ground rose up bringing the knights back to the surface.

The bewildered warriors looked at William before looking at the God that was standing right in front of the gate.

"Fools, what are you looking at?" Lugh scoffed. "Capture the boy and beat him up for me!"

""Yes!""

As soon as Lugh gave an order, the soldiers activated their Weapon Aura's and attacked William at the same time.

Facing thousands of energy attacks from all directions, Sha hurriedly pulled William away, preventing the attacks from hitting the boy. However, the Celestial Knights that could fly had already taken action and engaged the boy in the air.

"Quick Shot War Art, Fusion Form."

"Blitzer Railgun!"

William shot out towards Zhu and Sha who were standing in the distance. When he was close enough, he hurriedly cancelled the effects of the War Art Fusion.

Sha used his powers to catch the boy and prevent him from taking any further damage. The Sand Demon lowered William on the ground before checking his condition. Zhu, on the other hand, stood in front of the two and raised the rake in his hands as he took a fighting stance.

The Demonic Pig knew that the Celestial Army would not let the boy go after the embarrassment that they had suffered at his hand. Although William and him had a rough start, Zhu had recognized the boy's determination and tenacity.

He also cursed the Bastardly God, Lugh, in his heart for bullying a child. Zhu knew that a battle was inevitable, but he didn't mind. Even though he and Sha knew that there was no hope in winning against the Celestial Army, they wouldn't just stand by and let William get beaten up under their watch.

—-

Meanwhile in the Temple of the Gods…

"You Bastard!" Lily roared in anger. "I'll beat the crap out of you!"

Lily's Divinity exploded from her body as she prepared to descend to the Heavenly Domain. Since Lugh had insulted Gavin, and tried to attack William, the Loli Goddess had added the Sun God to her Blacklist.

Although she belonged to the Neutral Faction, that didn't mean that she would allow other Gods to bully the boy that she had given her Divinity to.

Issei had already unsheathed the dagger in his hands and his eyes were cold and murderous. Just like Lily, he also planned to descend as well and stab the God of Bastards that dared to bully his younger brother.

William forced himself to stand by using the wooden staff in his hand. He knew that his trial was about to end, but he was unwilling to let it end this way.

At the very least, before all the bones in his body were broken, he would do his best to smash his staff into the God's face.

That is the only way that William could think of to erase the gloating smile on Lugh's annoying face.

Chapter 330: Break All Walls That Stand Before Me! [Part 2]

Lily and Issei were about to descend to the Heavenly Domain when David reached out to grab their arms.

"Wait," David said. "Don't go."

"Shut up, Old Coot!" Lily protested. "I don't care if Lugh is your friend. I'll beat the crap out of him!"

"David, let me go," Issei said without turning his head to look at his friend. He had already decided to battle it out with Lugh and make him pay for his arrogance.

"I understand that the two of you are angry, but if you go, this will only escalate into a brawl between Gods," David replied firmly. "If one of you goes down there right now, the rest of the Righteous Faction will follow. It will not just be a two-on-one, a quarter of the Gods in the Temple will become involved as well.

"So?" Issei asked back. This time he turned around to face David. "So what if this becomes a full-blown brawl? If they send a hundred, I'll stab a hundred. If they send a thousand, I'll stab a thousand."

David sighed, but his grip on the arms of his two friends remained firm. "This is a critical time for William. Just wait for a while."

"Wait? Wait for what?" Lily stomped her foot angrily. "Wait for him to get ganged up on?"

The Loli Goddess was one of the most adorable Gods in the Temple, but when she got angry, she was like a fearless honey badger that would even attack a lion.

"Please, for William's sake, trust me," David replied. "If you go down there, he will miss a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Issei frowned, but didn't make a move to pry off David's hands from his arm. He glanced at the red-headed boy as he gripped the dagger in his hand more firmly.

"Ten minutes," Issei stated. "If nothing happens in ten minutes, I'm going down there."

David nodded. "Okay. Just wait ten minutes."

Lily snorted, but she had already summoned a candy cane in her hand. Since Issei had compromised, she would also do the same. However, after ten minutes, even if David pleaded, she would go down to the Heavenly Domain and smack Lugh's face using the candy cane in her hand.

The King held the winecup in his hand and remained completely still. He looked at the battlefield as if remembering a time in the distant past.

A past when the worlds were still at war with each other and the Gods looked down on mortals and immortals alike.

—–

When the first Celestial Knights descended from the sky, Zhu roared and waved the Nine-Toothed Rake in his hand to create a tornado. The flying Knights were sucked up along with the soldiers on the ground.

Zhu may be a Pig Demon right now, and devoid of most of his Divinity, but he was once a Great General of the Heavenly Army that served under the Jade Emperor. He still had aces under his sleeves and a hundred Gold Knights would not be able to defeat him.

"Can you move, William?" Sha asked.

"Yes," William replied. "Sorry for including you and Zhu in this mess."

Sha snorted as he faced the Army that was nearing their location. "This Army will not let any of us go, so I say we charge our way forward."

"I agree, Brother." Zhu grinned. "This scene reminds me of the time when we fought those monsters from the abyss. My blood is boiling! Oink!"

Sha chuckled

because he remembered the event that Zhu was talking about. Indeed, that battle was an unforgettable one because the odds were not in their favor. Even so, Zhu and him were able to escape it with their lives and make their way back to the Heavenly Palace to receive their punishment from the Emperor.

"Listen, William. We will pave the path for you," Sha declared. "Don't worry about us. Just focus on reaching that gate. Do you understand?"

"Yes," William answered with determination. Since Zhu and Sha were willing to help him, he wouldn't reject their offer. He just channeled his aura in his wooden staff and prepared himself to fight to the death.

"Go!" Zhu roared as he took the lead as the vanguard. He waved his rake left and right and sent the Celestial Knights flying as if they were dry leaves that were being cleaned up by the rake in his hand. Suddenly, everything became dark as millions of arrows flew in their direction.

Sha roared and summoned the sand from the jug behind his back, to form a dome of earth to protect them from the rain of arrows. The arrows embedded themselves in the moving dome, making it look like a giant porcupine, but the three under it were unharmed.

A few seconds later, Sha dispelled the Earth Dome and manipulated the sand to swirl around them. They looked at the tens of thousands of warriors that were surging towards them like a swarm of locusts.

Zhu increased his size until he became a four-meter tall Giant Demonic Pig. His eyes glowed red as he entered his Rage Mode. He bulldozed through the army in front of him like a tank, swinging his rake with the intention of slaughtering everything in his path.

Naturally, Sha and William weren't idle either. They fought side by side with Zhu and repelled the Celestial Army to the best of their abilities.

The Gods and Immortal Heroes were impressed by their battle prowess and even thought that they might just be able to make it.

Unfortunately, courage, and determination alone could not overcome the disparity in numbers. Like a swarm of ants, they outnumbered their opponents four-hundred thousands against one.

The first to fall was Zhu.

Although the Pig Demon fought valiantly, his enemies were not pushovers either. No one in the Celestial Army was weak. They were also great warriors when they were still alive, and they had retained their skills even after they passed over to the afterlife.

The second to fall was Sha.

He did his best to protect Zhu, and William, from the merciless onslaught, but one of the surviving Black Knights was able to pass through his defenses and delivered a mighty blow to the Sand Demon's chest.

After that, it was William's turn to suffer. The Celestial Army pinned him down and delivered countless blows to his body, which made Lily roar in anger.

Amidst the beating, William's determination never wavered. He fought, tooth and nail, even biting the hands of those that pinned him down with his bloody teeth.

It was at that moment when a string of words appeared inside his mind.

Gripping his staff, William shouted and unleashed a Magnum Burst which sent the Knights around him flying.

That small gap immediately closed as the enraged Knights charged at him with bloodshot eyes.

"Break all walls that stand before me!" William roared before he was pinned down and pummeled by the Celestial Knights, who were duty bound to bring him to his knees.

It was then when a dominating shout answered him from the Heavens.

"Sweep away all adversaries!"

"Ryu… Jingu… Bang!"

A giant golden metallic staff descended from the heavens. It was at least thousands of meters long, and a hundred-meters wide. It created a powerful shockwave that blasted away all the Celestial Knights that were pinning William, Zhu, and Sha, to the ground.

William panted and opened his eyes that had become swollen from the beating. Although it was still dark, there was some kind of golden light that allowed him to see his surroundings.

The first thing the Half-Elf saw was a person's back. It wasn't as big as his Grandpa's, but William felt that this was a back that wouldn't bend to anyone.

He then raised his gaze and saw a golden metallic staff that glowed brightly in the darkness. The boy realized that this was where the light was coming from.

As if sensing his gaze, the person turned around to look down on him. Although William's vision was a bit blurry, he could somehow detect that the edges of the person's lips in front of him were curled up into a smirk.

"What's your name, Kid?" a playful voice asked.

William forced his bloody lips to open as he spoke out his name. "William. My name is William, Your Excellency."

A chuckle escaped the person's lips as he crouched down to offer William an outstretched hand. Due to the person's closeness, William was able to see his facial features. It was then when he realized that the person who came to his aid wasn't Human.

It was a monkey with golden eyes that seemed to blaze like flames amidst the darkness.

"You have a good name, kid," the monkey replied. "From now on, you can call upon me in your time of need."

The monkey had a mischievous look on his face as he grabbed hold of William's hand, giving it a firm shake.

"Your Excellency, what is your name?" William asked. Although he had a nagging feeling that he already knew the identity of this legendary hero, he still dared to ask to confirm his suspicions.

"Me? I am none other than the Handsome Monkey King," the monkey declared in a teasing tone. "The Great Sage that Equals Heaven. The one and only…

"Sun Wukong."

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