ã€ŠGod of Chaosã€‹


 Chapter 1: Thanus

    Yellow Hem village was located within a vast mountain range. The village was mostly made up of farmers, warriors and magic practitioners and other smaller crafts. Life was leisurely free and tranquil. The village was somewhat isolated from the rest of the kingdom, and because of that was rarely ever threatened.

    Kids aged 7 were given the choice to choose a vocation in the path of the warrior, magician or any craft they wanted. They were to compulsory train in their vocation for 10 years. This was to ensure they grew up to be useful part of society.

    This particular day was a joyous one in a merchant family, the Wuldag household. The lady of the house had successfully given birth to her first child, a healthy baby boy.

    "Honey, how do you feel?" a man says to his wife with a gleaming smile on his face.

    "Ryga I''m okay. Look our first son" She responds while holding her son.

    "He is just as beautiful as you are Angelica" Ryga said.

    Ryga was all smiles. They had been trying to have another child for about five years, but as luck will have Angelica got sick shortly after she conceived her son, and that sickness weakened her unborn child. But right now Angelica successfully gave birth to a perfectly healthy child.

    "What should we call this child?" Angelica asked Ryga.

    "He was born right at the end of the year of Thanus the maleficent. He also had the will to overcome his great ordeal. It is only fitting he is called Willard. " Ryga responded.

    "Willard. That is indeed a fitting name." Angelica remarked.

    In the flash of an eye, days had turned into weeks, weeks to years. 14 years had passed since that joyous event. A troubled youth could be seen walking home, he had dark hairs, brown eyes and a moderate build for someone his age. His outfit was dirty and tattered, and from up close, one could tell he was just in a fight. He sneakily tried to enter his house without making any sound, but was spotted by his mother.

    "Were you in another fight again Willard?" Angelica asked her son.

    "mother" Willard involuntarily said. He could tell his mom was angry.

    "I tripped on a rock while on my back from town," Willard said in an effort convince his mother otherwise.

    "Oh. So the rock magically grew hands and tore your sleeves like that." Angelica responded.

    "If you keep insisting on not telling me who bullies you, I will have to stop you entirely from going to the warrior classes and make you join your father as a merchant." Angelica scolded. She went on to pat his head with expressions of pity.

    "Go take a bath and get ready for dinner."

    Time went by as season changed, it was finally the eve of Willard''s graduation. Today, Willard got back from classes early. He was gleeful, because tomorrow was his graduation. At age 17, one was considered an adult, and could partake in more integral parts of society.

    He was particularly happy because he could escape the torture of his fellow classmates. Since he started taking classes, he had been teased and bullied by his fellow classmates of the warrior''s path. This all started on the first day of classes. The teacher asked everyone why they wanted to become warriors, and when it came to Willard''s turn, he had responded "because I want the whole village to love and worship me." His fellow classmates all laughed at his response. With a little anger, Willard immediately proclaimed that upon graduating, he will be the strongest of this class and show everyone in the village his greatness. Willard had the fortitude to be a world-class warrior, but lacked the patience to cultivate natural energy. This made him fall behind everyone in strength and left him the bottom of the everyone''s jokes.

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    As night came, Willard was laying on the bed and staring out his window. He noticed a strange bright crimson light hover in the distance. He was strangely drawn to that light and decided to go investigate it. He stealthily left his house so as to not draw any attention. As he got to the location of the light, he felt a heavy and constricting presence. Without any warning, a tiny meteorite descended on him. The meteorite hit him directly on the chest, and caused him to pass out.

    While in that state, a sudden torrent of memories flowed through his mind like a dream. He saw the God of destruction, Thanus, leisurely taking a stroll in the heavens. He was approached by Athena, the goddess of water, where she baited him to having a competition with her. Thanus, was a particularly proud and powerful chief god and loved to compete. Since the end of the 6th war of the gods, he was eternally bored. He quite naively took the opportunity to show his omnipotence and agreed to the terms Athena had given him.

    The competition was an obstacle race that Athena had personally prepared. They were to compete and see who would finish first, the loser would serve the winner for a million years. The destination was the lightning grounds of the chief god of lightning Zeus. As the race was progressing, Thanus was still not moving at his fastest speed, but still kept up with the pace of Athena. He had a smug smile on his face as he watched Athena. Suddenly, he noticed a strange fog ahead of which he thought nothing of.

    How could he? All he needed was a single finger to destroy whatever Athena had planned. He also noticed he could not find Athena, but he still continued to progress through the fog and this time, a little faster. As he continued, the fog got thicker and thicker causing his vision to dramatically drop. At the end of the fog, Thanus discovered he had entered a forbidden region of the nine heavens. Thus, Thanus had broken a cardinal rule of the heavens, he had entered Gaya''s garden of creation. Upon entering Thanus had figured out what had happened. Athena had colluded with Zeus, Zinus and the rest of the gods that had some differences with him to create the most powerful illusion the nine heavens had seen. That was the only way for an illusion of this magnitude to be created, or at least that was what Thanus had thought.

    The illusion was capable of deceiving a chief god like himself. Suddenly, the illusion dissipated, he could sense his enemies thousands of miles away. In his anger, or what might seem to be, he shot a meteor like fireball, in the form of a meteor, towards the direction of Athena. Zinus, the chief god of darkness, used his eternal spear to deflect the meteorite away.

    What none of the gods at that point had realized was that Thanus had embed within that meteorite a portion of his soul. Thanus knew if he had shot that meteorite any other place the other gods will think something of it and thus had decided to use rage as a camouflage. He then waited for the descent of Gaya, the primal god of creation.

    At this point, Willard opened his eyes. With his soul and memory intact, he knew exactly what had happened.

    "I vow to the heavens I will get my revenge" Willard softly said.

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    I am trying my first eastern fantasy with the theme of reincarnation. Please tell me what you think.

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 Chapter 2: Mortal

    Willard gracefully got up and made his way to his house. Now that he had the memories of his past life as a god,  all he could feel was overwhelming rage. He was once the powerful and exalted god of destruction, and now he was reduced to a mere mortal and a very weak one at that.

    "One step at a time." Willard said comforting himself.

    "I will first dominate this village, next the entire kingdom."

    "First thing now is to increase the level of my natural energy."

    Willard sat on top of his bed with his leg crossed. He was in a meditative position, which allowed him to connect with the energy of the world and absorb it. Now that a portion of his godly soul was connected with his mortal body, he was better able to sense the energy which greatly improved his proficiency in gathering the world''s natural energy.

    While meditating, he was in a trance-like state. He started recollecting some of his memories as a god. There was one, in particular, he was very fond of and that was the battle of Carthage. This was the battle where his prominence and might was risen to the level of a chief god. This was during the 4th war of the gods. The Chief god of light, Theophilus, and the lesser gods light declared war on Zinus, the chief god of darkness, and the gods of the darkness region. Theophilus was trying to expand the domain of light, while Zinus was defending his territory.

    The war had gotten to a standstill, both sides had been recruiting gods from all corners of the heavens. Zinus approached Thanus, who at that time was still a lesser god, and invited him to join his ranks. Zinus promised to give a little area within his domain to the lesser gods that aided him during this war. Thanus agreed right away, he was in a stalemate in his training and was rather eager to test out his abilities and learn through battles. During the war, Thanus was faced with a dreadful situation where he and a bunch of lesser gods fought against Poseidon, a chief god of water at that time.

    During this battle, half of the lesser gods had died from Poseidon''s attack. Poseidon threw his trident and unleashed his strongest attack, dance of the water dragon. hundreds of giant dragons made from water, swiveled about attacking and killing his enemies. After experiencing that attack first hand, Thanus had gained great insight. In his moment of peril, Thanus completely comprehended the mysteries of the fire element. In doing so, Thanus unleashed his greatest attack, the desolation rain. Thousands of meteorite covered with flames appeared all over the heavens and started descending. In its path, it destroyed all that it encountered, including some of lesser gods under Poseidon''s command.

    With this sudden attack, Poseidon was caught off guard and couldn''t withdraw his trident fast enough. When faced with a barrage of this magnitude, Poseidon''s fate was all but sealed. Moments later, Thanus had killed Poseidon. All the onlookers were astonished and fill with dread. They had witnessed the death of a chief god, and the birth of a new one. From that day Thanus became renowned as the chief god of destruction. When faced with Thanus''s attack, all that was left was destruction.

    Willard opened his eye, and it was daybreak. In this one stretch, Willard had raised his natural energy level from beginning stage of level 2 to that of a peak level 4. In his small village and the kingdom in general, this was no ordinary fit, no one had ever accomplished such a thing. A peak level 4 natural energy signified that Willard was among the top brass of his class. He could essentially be considered a genius. Willard had a smile on his face, he was able to grow so much because of his heavenly soul. He could sense the natural energy of the world much better, and condense them to the purest form while saving it.

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    "Today''s graduation ceremony will be fun." Willard said to himself with a cocky smile.

    He got out of his bed and went to get ready for breakfast. Angelica had made a lot for breakfast. Her son was about to graduate and become a man. It was a day of joy and sorrow because her son would no longer be a child she must protect, he had to experience the world on his own. Although Willard disdained the mortal world and its inhabitants, he had developed true emotional connections with the parents of his current life.

    "Mother thanks for making such a lavish breakfast for me." Willard said respectfully to Angelica

    "Come sit and eat." Angelica responded with a smile.

    They both began eating. The table was full of all sorts of assorted dishes, and in mere minutes, Willard had eaten half the table to his delight.

    "Mother, when would Father be back?" Willard asked Angelica.

    "In a week''s time he should be back from the capital" Angelica responded.

    "It''s a pity, he would miss a special event today" Willard said while smiling at his mom.

    Angelica had a look of surprise as she heard Willard. Usually, Willard always dreaded his classes, but today he seemed particularly excited. She shrugged it to the fact that he was about to graduate and as such was excited.

    "Mother please make it to the demonstrations portion of the ceremony. I want to show you what your son is capable of." Willard said as he was setting out to his graduation.

    Angelica was surprised again at what her son had said. She had once heard a rumor from one of gossiping moms. They talked about how her son was the weakest of his class, and how he was unsuited to be a warrior. To hear Willard talk so boldly truly surprised her.

    "Don''t worry son, I won''t miss it for the world" Angelica responded while sending him off.

    Today, Willard had chosen to use the short route to classes. He usually used a longer route in other to avoid meeting his fellow mates on the way. Not too long along the way, he ran into three of his classmates, two males and one female. The female among the group was called Ayola. She had long black hair and a small face, she was the shortest and had a cute small frame. She had cultivated to the late stages of level 3, and was walking in the middle of two males. The male to her right was called Quin, he had a lean physique with short black hair. He was the tallest of the three and was considered the number one genius of their class. He had cultivated to the beginning stages of level 5 and had an air of superiority around him. The other male to the left of Ayola was called Philip. He had long brown hair and was a little chubby. He was the third son of the current leader of the village and had cultivated to the late stages of level 3.

    Philip took a glance behind and noticed Willard walking behind them. He had a mischievous smile and then decided to taunt Willard.

    "Hey isn''t that supposed to be the number one genius of our class." Philip remarked as drew Quin and Ayola''s attention to Willard.

 Chapter 3: Graduation

    Upon hearing Philip¡¯s remarks, Willard had decided to make this bunch a scapegoat. Willard continued walking in a magnanimous manner, he could tell that this further enraged the group. As he caught on to them, turned and smiled at group.

    ¡°Today at the ceremony, pray to the Gods we don''t meet during demonstrations¡± Willard said as he picked up his pace.

    The words Willard uttered had stuck with the group for a while. They had never seen Willard act that way. Usually he would always cower at any confrontation, but today he had publicly declared an intention to fight. The group was silent for a while until Philip decided to break this silence.

    ¡°That arrogant brat thinks he can talk big to us today.¡± Philip said in annoyance.

    ¡°Hmph. He is doing this because there would be people watching the demonstrations, and we can''t go too far¡± Philip continued

    After hearing that, Quin couldn''t help but agree. After all Willard was the weakest person in their class. He was really bad at cultivation, and the last time they measured the level of natural energy, which was about three months ago, Willard was dead last at the beginning stages of level 2.

    ¡°Even if we go too far, we can always blame his injuries on the fact that he was too weak¡± Quin said with a mischievous look on his face.

    The group continued walking as the merrily chatted along the way. Willard encountered several more of his classmates, but they were not as overbearing as the earlier group. All they could do was idly gossip while staring at him. Willard having noticed all this was not the least bit surprised. Afterall, all of this will change today. He was planning to put on a spectacle that the village had never ever seen before. Having his memories of his life as the God of destruction, Thanus, Willard had transformed from a shy and cowardly state of  mind to an extremely cold and violent one. Only no one in the entire mortal world knew of this. Even when he was a god, he was still cold and violent, and now that he was surrounded by mere mortals, all he had was a condescending view of his surroundings.

    The graduation ceremony went on as usual, all the participants of the different vocations were present at the village square. All the rights and processions took place as usual, and the final stage of the ceremony had come, the demonstration part. The various pupils displayed what they had learned so as to fetch an interest from the various masters present. The smithing students displayed their finest works and everyone inspected it. The Magic practitioners showed all of their marvelous spells and incantation. Some had even dwelled others and showed their proficiency in battle.

    It was finally the turn of the warriors. The teacher of this year''s graduating class was a peak stage level 7 warrior, by the name of Azeya. He had instructed the class for the past two years, and had gotten to know the students. He was on stage greeting the spectators and introducing his students to them. Azeya was particularly proud because his class had produced a prodigy by the village¡¯s standards, and that was Quin. Quin at the tender age of 17 had already cultivated to the beginning stages of level 5.

    ¡°I will like to demonstrate first.¡± Willard said loudly.

    This statement surprised Azeya heavily. He had never seen Willard this bold, and forthcoming. Not only is he participating, but he is trying to be the opener.

    ¡°I will also like to challenge any and all who have the ability to challange me¡± Willard said boldly.

    Everyone immediately started gossiping. What Willard had said caused everyone to bicker back and forth. ¡°Isn''t that supposed to biggest failure among the warrior class?¡± Some people asked.

    ¡°He must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed today¡± Others concluded.

    Azeya immediately started calming the crowd down. He was irritated that the one who caused all this fuss, was his biggest failure, Willard. Although he had produced an outstanding genius, Quin, he had also produced an outstanding failure, Willard. A hint of anger could be seen all over Azeya¡¯s face as he stared at Willard.

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    ¡°This must be my lucky day. This brat will get the beating of his life today¡± Philip thought to himself.

    ¡°I would like to volunteer as his first opponent¡± Philip immediately said.

    ¡°Also, this is a fair match between equals. So no one should blame any one for any injuries caused due to this fight.¡± Philip took the opportunity to absolve all blame from himself.

    Azeya hearing this could pretty much guess what Philip had in mind. He was also angry at Willard¡¯s audacity, and as such gave a blind eye to Philip¡¯s action.

    ¡°That idiot needs to be put in his place.¡± Azeya thought to himself.

    Soon after, the stage was set for the two to battle each other. In the crowd, Angelica was staring with a look of desperation. She wasn''t sure what her son was thinking, and from the sounds of things he was the underdog. Willard noticed his mother was worried for him, and was touched at her kindness. Before his reincarnation, he had always been alone and had no relative to care for, but now he had actual people that were special to him.

    "You may choose your weapons now" Azeya said while pointing to the weapon rack. There were a lot of weapons at display, from conventional weapons like the sword to the spear and the less conventional ones like the spiked club. For practice purposes, the weapons were mostly blunt and made to be as harmless as possible.

    Philip chose a short sword and waited for Willard to pick his weapon. Willard stared at everyone''s expectant gaze.

    "I don''t need a weapon. " Willard said in response to Philip and Azeya''s stare.

    To the bewilderment of everyone, Willard had declared he intended to fight without the use of any weapons, and this further enraged Philip. From his chubby face, one could tell he intended to thoroughly tear Willard apart. Soon after the fight began, Philip dashed towards Willard with the fastest speed he could muster. Within a couple of seconds he had arrived right in front of Willard. Philip slashed his sword across Willard''s right shoulder, but to his surprise Willard escaped by an inch. Philip furiously continued to slash at Willard, but to his continuous surprise he barely missed every time.

    "Stop moving around like a mouse and fight me" Philip said while panting.

    Willard stood still, and without a second notice dashed towards Philip. That sudden movement caught everyone by surprise, more so than others was Philip. It only took Willard about a sec to appear right in front of Philip. Azeya seeing Willards movement was completely sure Willard had utilized a martial arts movement skill.

    ¡°Where did that kid learn this from?¡± Azeya questioned.

    The Yellow Hew village was a small village, and with villages of that size, they usually do not have any martial arts it trained its descendants in. Seeing Willard perform an exquisite movement skill made Azeya look at him in a different light.

    Philip seeing Willard suddenly appear before him was shocked, but after a short while he caught himself and directly tried to strike him. Willard caught Phillip''s sword wielding hand in its motion to strike him. While holding Philips hand Willard stared deep into his eyes, like lovers, but instead of love Willard hard the polar opposite emotion towards him. Anyone seeing this could tell who the victor of this dwell would be.

    While holding Philips hand, Willard started barraging his face with punches. He had done that with the uttermost intent to completely knock him out. After a couple of seconds, Philip was out cold. The crowd was silent, they were stunned at what they had just witnessed.

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 Chapter 4: Real Genius

    The brutality of that scene scared everyone. Philip was laying on the floor with a bloody face. In Philip¡¯s entire life, no one had ever beaten him this miserably. How would anyone dare, his father was the leader of the village and had absolute authority. Everyone stared in disbelief, how was it that Willard could be this much stronger? Did he not realize who he almost just killed?

    Angelica staring at the scene, was completely frozen in terror. She was scared for her son''s well being. He had just publicly beaten the third son of the chief half to death. After a couple of seconds of silence, the crowd grew rowdy. Everyone was chatting about what they had just seen. Azeya immediately took to the stage, he stared at Willard, like he was staring at a beast, and went on to carry Philip out of the stage. Azeya immediately order a test of to be conducted on Willard, he wanted to verify what stage of natural energy Willard had.

    After a couple of minutes, another senior warrior came to the stage and administered the natural energy test on Willard. When the test was concluded, the senior warrior stared in disbelief. This year had produced some of the best warrior students in the village¡¯s history. There was first the beginning level 5 warrior, Quin, and now there was one who wasn''t too far off, a peak level 4 warrior, Willard. The senior warrior announced the result of the test to everyone. The test results shocked the crowd, and more so than others, the senior warriors that were present.

    ¡°No wonder he had such confidence earlier¡± Azeya thought to himself as he walked back on stage.

    ¡°Why did you not go easy on him, since you were much stronger.¡± Azeya asked Willard while walking towards him.

    Willard stared at Azeya for a short time, then responded with a smirk on his face ¡°There was nothing I could do there, his face kept attacking my fist.¡±

    Azeya hearing this immediately grew angry, Willard had the audacity to come up such a stupid excuse after almost killing the chief¡¯s son. What on earth could have caused him to gain such confidence. After all, he was just the son of a lowly merchant.

    ¡°Dont forget, that was a fair match between equals. No one can blame anyone for any injuries caused due to this fight¡± Willard immediately said paraphrasing what Philip had earlier mentioned.

    ¡°How was this a fair match between equals? You were clearly stronger, and shouldn''t have fought a much weaker opponent.¡± Azeya said.

    ¡°Oh, so why did you not stop the match earlier. You clearly knew Philip was a level 3 warrior, and thought I was a level 2 warrior. Or could it be that you were hoping I was the one in Philip¡¯s condition?¡± Willard responded.

    Everyone hearing this stared at Azeya, what Willard had said made sense. Soon after, the crowd got rowdy again, everyone started gossiping. Azeya being the subject of the gossip grew even more angry at Willard. He was dumbfounded at Willard''s composure.

    ¡°How can it be this brat would turn out this way? He was clearly useless months ago. How did this situation come about?¡± Azeya asked himself while trying to figure something out. Seeing things progress the way it had, Azeya turned to the crowd.

    ¡°Silence, the demonstrations are not yet over.¡± Azeya said in other to get the crowd under control.

    ¡°I would like to challenge the victor.¡± Quin said while approaching the center of the stage.

    Earlier when Quin was watching the fight, he had doubts about Willard''s strength. After the test results were announced, he got his original confidence back. He was determined to make Willard pay for what he had done.

    ¡°Only a level 4 warrior. I should be able to defeat him miserably.¡± Quin thought to himself.

    Azeya gave a nod in acknowledgement of the fight. He then turned to stare at Willard. This time he wasn''t going to make the same mistake as earlier.

    ¡°Your opponent this time is a level 5 warrior, would you like to accept his challenge?¡± Azeya asked Willard.

    ¡°I accept any and all challenges today.¡± Willard responded with an air of confidence.

    Although Willard did not have an ounce of his godly powers, he had the memories of his lifetime as the god of destruction, Thanus. During that time, Thanus had spent millions of years training and developing every aspect of his being. He had developed his own unique martial arts, one that was unique to himself.

    ¡°Haha. Here I thought you''d take that opportunity to run away, but instead you choose to fight.¡± Quin said to Willard.

    ¡°I shall teach you the difference between us today. Pray you don''t end up crippled.¡± Quin continued.

    Willard only had a smile on his face. He had absolute confidence in his ability to evade his opponent. Even though he wasn¡¯t entire certain he could defeat Quin, he was completely certain he would not be heavily wounded.

    ¡°Pick your weapon and lets fight¡± Willard responded.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.Quin walked to the weapon rack and selected the long spear. Since Quin was acknowledged as one of the greatest genius to ever be born in the Yellow Hew village, the villages chief had spent a lot of resources training him. He had even began teaching him some of the spear techniques he knew. Before the current chief was assigned the position as the chief of the village, he was luckily accepted as student at second rated martial arts school. There he learnt some basic spear techniques the school taught every student. Because of his experience, his position as the next chief of the village was bolstered to greater heights. Ever since he came back to run the village, he had only taught three people the spear techniques he learnt, and off the three, Quin was one of them.

    Azeya looked at both of them, and gave the go ahead for the battle to start. Quin upon hearing this started attacking with his spear. He aimed at Willard''s head with the clear intention of ending the match fast. Willard had been prepared for a sudden attack, and as he saw the spear coming, he easily evaded the attack.

    ¡°So he is truly trying to cripple me¡± Willard thought inwardly.

    Now Willard was more than ever determined to teach Quin a lesson. He original planned on fighting Quin to draw, but now that idea was out the window. Since Quin was coming for his life, he would do the same. While Thanus was alive as a god, he had on multiple occasion fought Zinus, the chief god of darkness, who wielded an eternal darkness spear. He was well versed in the movements of the spear.

    Willard was continuously attacked by Quin¡¯s spear, but every time it came close to him he evaded the attack. Willard was waiting for an opportunity to attack Quin, but soon he discovered that there were no opportunities he could exploit with his current level of power. As the fight went on, scratches could be seen on Willard''s outfit. Quin was relentlessly attacking him, and with the fact he was in a prior fight to this, Willard was starting to get fatigued.

    ¡°Not good. Never would I have expected this Quin usage of the spear to be this good. I need to do something fast.¡±

    Everyone watching the match were surprised at what they were witnessing. Quin¡¯s usage of the spear was quite extraordinary for people of their caliber. He was like a shooting star blazing up the stage. While his opponent, who defiled common sense and was able to keep up with Quin. In the hearts of everyone, including the senior warriors, they had started respecting Willard. It was painfully clear who had the upper hand, so everyone paid extra attention because the match was about to reach its conclusion.

    Ever since Willard gained his memories as the god Thanus, there was one thing that bothered him. He was original gifted in two elements, fire and earth. His affinity for the both of them were of the highest level, but after his reincarnation, his affinity to the fire element had completely gone. He was slightly able to still sense the elements of earth.

    Willard decided to do something crazy. He was going to gather elemental earth energy. Normally, one would be advised to gather elemental energy only after stabilizing your natural energy base, which meant you had to have successfully cultivated and passed the 10th level of natural energy. Willard executed his movement skill, and created a great distance between him and his opponent.

    He immediately closed his eye and started trying to gather earth elemental energy. With the distance between him and Quin, Willard had estimated it will take Quin exactly ten seconds to get before him, which meant he had only ten seconds to gather elemental energy. Willard was gathering this energy with great difficulty, he had immediately zoned out and thought of how he had been wronged in his former life. Was he going to be left in this life as useless weak mortal? At that point, Willard coughed out blood. Something seemed to had changed within his body. Willard had successfully drawn a little bit of earth elemental energy. He knew that forcefully drawing elemental energy damages one''s body and shortens one''s lifespan, but he wasn''t in the position to care about those things.

    Willard opened his eyes and noticed Quin had gotten right in front of him. Quin attacked again with his spear, this time he was confident he had won. After all, Willard was clearly tired and injured. Quin wasn''t holding back the least bit, his intentions were clear, he wanted to inflict the maximum damage possible. As the spear was about to strike Willard''s head, Willard quickly moved his left hand to try and catch the spear. Quin seeing this was surprised. Even though the spear was somewhat blunt, no one with a brain would try something so stupid.

    To Quin¡¯s surprise, Willard had succeeded in catching the spear. Although he was bleeding from catching the spear, everything seemed to have gone according to his plans. The earth elemental energy strengthened his palm, helping curb the impact of the blow.

    While holding the spear, Willard utilized the movement skill one more time and directly appeared in front of Quin. He immediately struck Quin¡¯s chest with his right palm. That attack was incredibly loud, one could hear it from miles away. Quin immediately got to one knee, blood could be seen dropping from his nose and ears. Suddenly, Quin completely collapsed on the floor.

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 Chapter 5: Martial Skill

    Complete and utter silence filled the air. No one could believe what they had just witnessed. Although Willard had surprised everyone with his previous victory, everyone assumed it was because of his superior strength. No one could believe he had achieved another victory, and against someone a whole level above him. Willard seeing the dazed glances everyone was shooting at him, couldn''t help but smile. He quickly wiped off the rest of the blood stains on his lips, and proceeded to walk off the stage.

    Azeya dashed up the stage to check up on Quin¡¯s state. While assessing the damages Quin had incurred, Azeya had an ugly frown.

    ¡°That little devil almost killed him.¡± Azeya thought to himself.

    ¡°This is really bad. He will need months if not years to completely heal from this.¡± Azeya continued.

    At this point, Azeya was furious. First Willard had made a fool out of him with his remarks, and now he had almost killed his most outstanding student. Azeya turned over, and saw Willard happily chatting with his mother. This caused Azeya to further boil with rage, he couldn''t just attack a junior right in front of everyone, but he at least had to get some consolation from today''s affairs.

    ¡°Arrest that brat over there.¡± Azeya furiously yelled while pointing at Willard.

    ¡°Someone take this child to see a healer.¡± Azeya continued while making his way to Willard.

    ¡°This was supposed to be a practice demonstration, but instead you almost killed two of your fellow classmates. You will be punished for this.¡± Azeya said to Willard, while he was surrounded by other warriors.

    Angelica seeing what was unfolding, held Willard tight. She was scared and worried of the punishment Willard might be given.  Willard seeing his worried mothers face, maintained his smile.

    ¡°Don''t worry mother, nothing bad will happen.¡± Willard said consoling his mother.

    ¡°Go home before me, I¡¯ll be back for dinner.¡± He continued, while voluntarily giving himself up to the warriors.

    Azeya hearing Willard''s words was even more livid. How could this brat be this bold? What was giving him this confidence? Azeya had to think more carefully now, seeing what Willard had displayed earlier, he could not take anything for granted.

    ¡°We¡¯ll take him to see the Chief right away¡± Azeya said while leading the way.

    Moments later, they arrived at the chief¡¯s villa. From the gateway, one could tell the villa was the most exquisite living place in the whole village. There was a large courtyard in front of the house with a beautifully maintained garden.

    ¡°It must be nice being the chief of the village.¡± Willard inwardly thought. Seeing the appraising looks on the warriors that held him, he could tell they also had similar thoughts. Azeya went directly to go brief the chief before and instructed the others to wait outside with Willard. The maids at the villa saw Azeya¡¯s familiar face and a group of warriors, they automatically knew it was something serious.

    ¡°I would like to see the look on your face when this is over.¡± Azeya thought to himself while heading to meet with the chief. After a couple of seconds, Azeya arrived in front of a large black door. He gently knocked on the door and knelt down waiting for a response.

    ¡°Who wishes to speak to me?¡± A deep voice rang in response.

    ¡°It is I Azeya. There is a serious matter that needs your attention.¡± Azeya responded.

    The door creaked open, and a tall burly man could be seen walking out. He had a serious expression on his face almost as if he was about to get into a fight.

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    ¡°Azeya, weren''t you supposed to be at graduation ceremony? Why are you here?¡± The chief asked.

    ¡°Something terrible happened during the demonstration portion of the ceremony, and I am here to report this my chief.¡± Azeya replied

    ¡°Oh. Stand up and brief me while we walk to the courtyard.¡± The chief said.

    While the chief of the village and Azeya made their way to the courtyard, Azeya narrated the events that transpired. He even exaggerated a bit to put Willard in a bad light. The chief listening to Azeya¡¯s words first had an expression of anger, which then subtly changed to one of surprise before finally that of intrigue.

    ¡°You mean to tell me that child might possess some martial arts technique?¡± The chief asked Azeya with a puzzled look on his face.

    ¡°I cannot say for certain, but I can say he possess martial movement technique.¡± Azeya responded with a stern look to him.

    The chief couldn''t help but think about what Azeya had described to him earlier. How can a random child possibly posses martial arts skill? Where did that child get this from? The chief thought hard and deeply. No matter what, he would find out soon.

    Willard saw the  burly chief and Azeya walking side by side. He wasn''t the least bit intimidated, if he felt anything, that would be excitement. Willard had gambled that the chief will be more interested in getting the martial technique from him. And if that was the case, he would not be at the losing end today.

    ¡°Boy, let me see your movement skill.¡± The chief said in a demanding tone. The chief had a domineering atmosphere to him. Willard could tell he was clearly different from the rest of the warriors he had been interacting with. He was clearly much stronger than the rest them. Although, in Willards former life this chief wouldn''t be worth a second of his time, right now this man could easily kill him without any effort.

    Willard immediately displayed his movement skill. A bright smile could be seen on the chiefs face.

    ¡°That is indeed martial arts.¡± The chief said as he stared at Willard in amazement.

    ¡°Where did you learn this from?¡± The chief asked.

    Willard clearly wasn''t going to reveal the truth. He had been thinking long and hard of how to explain his skill and had decided on a particular tale.

    ¡°This movement skill was inscribed onto a particular book my father had bought me on one of his business travels to the capital.¡± Willard responded. Hearing this, the chief had an uncontainable smile. At long last he would be in possession of a martial skill. Who knows what other skills that book might contain.

    ¡°That is certainly possible. By a stroke of good luck a merchant could buy an unimportant looking item and then later find out it was treasure.¡± The chief rationalized.

    ¡°Where is the book now?¡± The chief asked Willard. Clearly all he cared about from today''s affairs was that book. If he was in possession of some martial skills, he would be much stronger.

    ¡°I destroyed it¡± Willard resolutely responded.

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 Chapter 6: Demands

    The chief and the surrounding warriors had a look of disgust on their face. They couldn¡¯t believe what they had just heard. Does this youth not know what the true value of that book was. How could he do something so irresponsible? Those who somewhat respected Willard for his fighting skills switched to complete anger.

    ¡°Why would you do such a thing?¡± The chief said while walking towards Willard. The chief¡¯s eye brows were clearly creased. It wouldn¡¯t require a genius to tell that the chief was completely mad. And why wouldn¡¯t he be mad? He was so close to getting his hands on some martial techniques, and now this brat who beat his son half to death destroyed it.

    ¡°For assurance purposes, I destroyed the book¡± Willard responded with a somewhat confident domineer.

    The chief hearing this immediately understood something. He stared at Willard, and couldn¡¯t help but inwardly curse at the youth before him. ¡°This boy is just as despicable as Azeya says.¡± He cursed. ¡°Judging from what Azeya said earlier I better not use force before he decides to do something foolish.¡± The chief said to himself.

    The chief immediately lightened the look on his face and laughed. He told the warriors present that they could all retire for now and that he was going to have a private chat with Willard. He also told them to forget about today¡¯s incident and act like nothing had happened. Azeya looked somewhat puzzled but decided not to say a word. He knew bringing up the matter again might anger the chief, and in turn, he could receive the full force of the chief¡¯s anger. Azeya and the rest of the warriors made their way out of the villa. The chief waited a couple of seconds after the warriors left, and then turned and stared at Willard.

    ¡°Go straight to the point. What do you want?¡± The chief asked directly.

    Willard hearing the question was somewhat shocked. His impression of the chief slightly improved. ¡°At least he is straightforward and direct. This should help things move faster.¡± Willard thought to himself.

    ¡°I have three demands. Only after you accomplish them would I teach this movement technique to you.¡± Willard said. Hearing those words, the chief was slightly angered. Although he was angry that a brat was trying to take advantage of him, he couldn¡¯t do much but hold his anger. At this point, the chief had decided that he would kill Willard after he had acquired the technique.

    ¡°Go on, make your demands.¡± The chief said with a look of irritation.

    ¡°My first demand is that you take an eternal oath, before my eyes, that you would not kill me or my family,¡± Willard said with a smirk on his face. Willard understood people like the chief, they were powerful and venerated. If someone undermines their authority in the least bit, they would always make an example out of them. And in Willard¡¯s case, he had just done that, so he naturally would find a way to protect both himself and his family. Although Willard did not hold the chief in any regards, but with his current level of power, the chief could easily end his life. So naturally he had to use an underhanded method to protect himself.

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    ¡°My second demand is that you erect an altar for Thanus the god of destruction.¡± The chief stared at Willard with a look of confusion. He was surprised and confused with this second demand. He thought about for a while and couldn¡¯t still understand why Willard will make such a demand. He still remained silent and shot Willard a fierce gaze. He was waiting to hear what the third and final demand will be.

    ¡°My final demand is actually quite easy. You are to assign me five bodyguards from the highest ranking warriors in the village and they are to follow and protect me when I leave the village for Marquis city.¡±  This final demand was actually easy, the chief was a bit confused with the demands Willard had made. With exception to the first demand, they all seemed quite useless and unnecessary.

    ¡°Why would he want an altar erected? Or want five guards?¡± The chief thought about the demands for a while and finally agreed to them. The allure for a single martial skill was too strong, and the demands Willard had made were not excessive in the least bit. The chief swore an eternal oath in front of Willard and assured he would not think of harming him or his family. From that moment on, Willard spent his time either at the chiefs villa teaching him his martial movement technique or at home quietly cultivating.

    Like that, a month¡¯s time had passed. The events of the graduation had turn into talks of legend. The supposedly weakest student had mercilessly beaten his way to the top. He had hospitalized two fellow classmates and had done so without using a weapon.

    Willard was a taking a casual stroll to the chiefs villa. He was on his way to go instruct the chief on the movement technique. Along the way, Willard passed by the newly constructed altar for Thanus the god of destruction. The altar was a large rectangular stone slab, with five steps on all four sides leading up to it. On the altar itself, there was a statue of Thanus in a majestic pose. Willard had a big smile on his face as he stared at the altar. The reason Willard had asked for an altar to be created was because he wanted to test out a theory he had in mind.

    While he was a god, he was worshiped in multiple mortal worlds, and as he was worshiped, his soul was being nourished by spiritual energy. Which in turn made his soul grow stronger, leading to an increase in his proficiency and ability to gather and wield heavenly energy. Willard assumed since he was no longer a god in the heavens, he no longer had access to the spiritual energy from his worshipers. He hypothesized that if he was worshiped in this world, he might be able to gain from it. His theories were correct, although he got a negligible amount of spiritual energy, he still got something from it. From his original godly soul and the spiritual energy he got from worshipers, his training was progressing at an astronomical rate.

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    I''m almost done with the next chapter, I might release it today.

 Chapter 7: Departure

    Willard arrived at the residence of the village¡¯s chief, he stared at the scenery that he was now used to. The gardens, the maids, the adornment at the villa, everything seemed tranquil to him. The maids and family members of the chief had gotten used to his presence, upon seeing Willard arrive, they had gone to contact the chief.

    The chief promptly came and began practicing according to Willard¡¯s instructions. Willard took some steps back and continued watching the chief practice the movement martial skill. Willard originally decided to make the lessons crude which intentionally made them more difficult to grasp. He had done so to buy enough time to practice if in case the village chief or anyone else  had ill intentions towards him. As time went, Willard had started making it easier for him to grasp the various aspects of the skill.

    While the chief was practicing the skill, Willard sat down in a meditative posture. He was currently cultivating the natural energy of the world. During the past month, Willard had increased from a peak level 4 warrior to a mid level 5 warrior. If anyone knew he had increased by that much within a month, they would have labeled him a demon. It was uncommon for anyone to increase in strength that fast, and by regular logic, the higher you go in cultivation, the longer it takes to grow. Of  course, Willard was an exemption, he had a godly soul which was many times stronger than any mortals, and he also had devised a way to get spiritual energy to further nourish his soul.

    After the fight with Quin, during the graduation ceremony, Willard had forcefully opened a path to cultivate elemental energy. After that day, Willard had noticed he could now more freely gather elemental energy. Usually, one would have stabilized their natural energy level, by reaching the 10th level, and then focus on cultivating elemental energy that they had an affinity to. Willard was a massive exception to this rule. Because of his soul, he was able to sidestep this required process. He had continued cultivating earth elemental energy and now had reached the late level 2 stage of earth elemental energy.

    Willard continued meditating at his own little corner. Occasionally, the chief would get stuck and come ask Willard for some help, who in turn will offer some advice in the guise of assisting. By the end of the session, Willard said his goodbyes and made his way straight for home. While walking home, Willard started making plans for his final move out of the village. Willard could sense that he only required a month¡¯s time for him to breakthrough to the 6th level of natural energy, and after attaining that level, and adding his elemental energy cultivation, he would be qualified enough to get into some schools. ¡°It¡¯s almost time for me to use my third demand.¡± Willard thought while smiling.

    The Yellow Hew village could be said to be lifeless. Nothing rarely ever happens that could be considered worthwhile. The days went on as usually, weeks came and gone. In the blink of an eye, a month had passed. Willard was sitting some distance away and watching the chief perform the martial movement skill. The chief¡¯s training had gone well according to plan, it could be said that he had almost mastered the technique.

    ¡°Chief¡± Willard called, ¡°I will be leaving the village tomorrow to try and enter a martial school in Marquis city,¡± he said in a somewhat respectful manner. ¡°Please remember my third demand.¡± He concluded.

    The chief had a strange look to him, he had his right hand on his chin and stared to the ground in a contemplative manner. After a couple of seconds, he stared Willard directly and said ¡°As agreed, I will assign five warriors who will escort you to Marquis city.¡± The chief said and paused. He later then continued, ¡°They will be waiting for your departure by the village gate, in two days time.¡±

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    Although the chief was originally angered by Willard¡¯s demands, but after spending some time with Willard, the chief had come to realize how crafty he truly was. At the back of the chief¡¯s mind, he was secretly happy having Willard leave the village. Now that he had practically acquired the martial skill from Willard, he could care less where Willard went. The chief was happy to send him away while having people monitor his prospective endeavor.

    ¡°Thank you, chief.¡± Willard said while bowing to the chief. The chief nodded in approval of Willard¡¯s action and began walking back to his villa. Willard made his way back home, he had previously told his parents of his plan to leave the village and had made adequate preparations to do so. Tonight was going to be the last night he would spend with his parents for a while.

    When Willard arrived home, he immediately noticed the banquet-like dinner his mother had prepared. There were lush delicacies scattered all over the table. Although the Wuldag family could be considered poor, tonight¡¯s dinner was a vast contradiction to that statement. Willard sat and enjoyed dinner with his family, they chatted about several things and recalled distance memories of things that had past. It was concurrently a joyous and somber event for the family. At the end of the dinner, Ryga had prepared a gift for his son. ¡°I got you this gift for travels,¡± Ryga said while stretching his hand towards Willard. In Ryga¡¯s hand, he had a ring with a peculiar green gemstone that he purchased at what seemed to be a good deal. Willard graciously accepted his father¡¯s gift with a smile.

    Something struck Willard as off with his ring, and he immediately decided to briefly inspect the ring. To his surprise, the ring was void of any energy. Usually speaking, any crystal created in the mortal world would have a trace of a source elemental energy, but this his ring had no elemental energy. That struck him as odd, but he this wasn¡¯t the place and time to think about it. Willard spent the rest of the night chatting with his parents before they all went to bed.

    Early the next morning Willard was set to leave the village. He said his goodbyes to his parents, and immediately made his way to the village gate. On reaching the gate, Willard could see five figures standing in front of the gates. As Willard got closer a sinister smile appeared on his face. His plan had worked smoothly. Of the five warriors that the chief had sent to escort him, Azeya was one of them. Willard still had the same resolve as Thanus the god of destruction. One of Thanus¡¯s policies was that he will punish all that offended him.

    When Willard had asked for escorts, he had a rough estimate of how many warriors would be free to join him. Azeya who had finished tutoring his class was free. He had asked the chief for a large enough number of warriors, so it would definitely include Azeya. Willard stared at the bunch like a beast staring at its prey. ¡°Let us head out,¡± Willard said while leading the way.

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 Chapter 8: True monster

    Before leaving the Yellow Hew village, Willard had spent a lot of time studying the map of the various regions in route to Marquis city. At this time, he had full knowledge of the layout and what to expect at some highlighted points. He further studied the  map of Marquis city itself, he had gotten enough information to make sure he could navigate his way around perfectly.

    While the group of six made their way to Marquis city, Willard stood in front leading the way. Azeya behind him was inexplicably livid. He was staring at the back of someone he had come to truly hate, like he was a retainer. To make matters worse he was ordered to escort him to the city, without the option of choice. This was someone that had publicly ridiculed him and had strangely gotten away without a scratch. ¡°How dare this brat look down on me.¡± Azeya thought to himself.

    ¡°Why am I escorting him like a retainer? The chief must be crazy asking me to do this¡± Azeya continued with his thoughts.

    Willard noticed Azeya¡¯s piercing stare, and could not help but chuckle. His voice while giggling could be faintly heard by Azeya, which in turn only fueled Azeya¡¯s anger. ¡°When I get the opportunity, I will kill this brat,¡± Azeya said to himself.

    The group of six had made their way through various villages and forest, Willard seeing the various places for the first time was more taken by the different scenery than the other warriors. As they made their way further along the journey, the day was slowly fading. Willard decided to spend the night at the nearby Blue Rose village. They easily found rooms at an inn and paid for their accommodations. The group temporarily broke off as some separated to their rooms, while others went out for food or entertainment.

    Willard went to a nearby restaurant to get some food and drinks. He casually ate and drank, and used the opportunity to listen to the various ongoing conversations. The Blue Rose village and the Yellow Hew village were similar in that they were both small and rarely had much going on. The Blue Rose village was a little better because they occasionally had outsiders spend some time in the village. Willard continued his casual drinking till later at night when the temperature was a little colder. On his way back to the inn, Willard stared at the sky with a look of lust. ¡°It¡¯s a full moon today¡± He whispered to himself.

    Willard couldn¡¯t help but remember his time as a god. There was a particular event where he created an artificial moon over his territory in the ninth heaven. ¡°Enough with the sad thoughts.¡± Willard scolded himself. ¡°I better head back before I get a cold.¡± While walking back, Willard noticed a strange silhouette following him. At first, he thought it was just paranoia, but after a while, he was certain someone was tailing him. Willard turned around and kept quiet for a bit. In a place like the Blue Rose Village, Willard was confident in himself, there were few who could truly pose a danger to him now that he had reached the early 6th level of natural energy, and also was at the  2nd level of elemental energy.

    ¡°Stop hiding like a rat, and come face me directly.¡± Willard abruptly said while staring at the distance. In mere seconds, a hazy figure emerged from the darkness. The figure was slowly walking towards Willard. ¡°I certainly applaud your courage, but today I shall be punishing you on behalf of the heavens¡± The figure said as it was walking. Willard immediately recognized that voice, it was one he heard for past two years and one he had come to loathe.

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    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s senior Azeya.¡± Willard remarked with a smile. ¡°Why have you been following me? Don¡¯t tell me you have been missing me.¡± Willard sarcastically said.

    Azeya had a somewhat irritated look on his face as he heard Willard¡¯s statement. How could he possibly miss Willard? This was the person he hated the most right now.

    ¡°I am certainly going to kill you tonight, but if you record down that martial¡­..¡± Azeya was saying before he was interrupted by Willard. ¡°Do you know why this village¡¯s name is called Blue Rose?¡± Willard rhetorically asked. ¡°You see, there is a native rose plant that has an interesting property to it. It absorbs light from the moon, and gives off a shimmering distinct light blue color.¡± Willard continued. ¡°I am thinking we should dye these roses red tonight. What are your thoughts?¡± Willard said with a smile on his face.

    Azeya hearing that had a lost expression. He never had any intentions of forgiving Willard, but he was originally planning to acquire the martial technique with the provision of false hope. Now that seemed pointless as Willard had pretty much declared he was going to fight him. Azeya took the initiative to attack, he launched forward punching with the full strength of a peak level 7 warrior. Willard could see his movement clearly, which made it easier for him to evade the attack. Azeya was shocked at what he saw, how was it possible that this brat in front of him was fast enough to evade his attack. While Azeya was momentarily shocked, Willard had started gathering and channeling earth elemental energy through his body. If the sun was out, Azeya would have noticed the apparent darkening of Willard¡¯s skin as he was circulating earth elemental energy through his body. The earth elemental energy had greatly strengthened Willard¡¯s body to a very high degree.

    ¡°Again¡± Azeya thought to himself as he charged at Willard. This time, he noticed Willard had not moved to evade the attack, but rather it seem like he was planning on taking the attack on. ¡°You fool,¡± Azeya said smiling as his punch connected with Willard¡¯s fist. Moments later, large torrents of extraneous pain started surging through Azeya¡¯s fist. He quickly stared at his fist to notice that he was bleeding and that two of his fingers were broken. Azeya stared back at Willard with a look of dread. ¡°Monster. A true monster.¡± Azeya said while moving backwards. Willard used his movement skill and appeared right in front of Azeya. With his right hand shaped like a blade, Willard stabbed Azeya in the chest. Willard¡¯s hand easily tore through his chest bone piercing Azeya¡¯s heart and making its way out the back of his body.

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 Chapter 9: Azeyaéˆ¥æªš Death

    Just before Willard had stabbed Azeya, memories of his life had flashed before Azeya¡¯s eyes. He remembered when he was young and how he used to play with the other kids. He remembered graduating from the warrior class and how proud his parents were. He remembered his first time hunting in the wild, how scared he was for his life. Now all of this was about to end, and for what? His stupid pride. Azeya was filled with anger and regret. Anger for dying so young, and regret for having courted his own demise.

    Azeya¡¯s body fell to the ground like a lump of wood. Willard stared at the dead body before him, like a piece of trash. He was unaffected in slightest bit after he killed his instructor, if anything he was joyous. At least he now had the power to punish someone like Azeya. ¡°If you anger me, I will act. If you act against me, I will punish.¡± Willard said while walking back to the inn. Right now, Willard felt more at peace with himself. He was once the exalted god of destruction Thanus, not even chief gods in the heavens will act rashly towards him. Why would they? His iron rule was well established, those who anger him, he will act against them and those who acted against him, he will punish without exempt. Now he was mortal, and made to endure great humiliation in the hands of other mortals. He could not forgive, all he could think about was punishing them.

    Willard arrived at the inn, he proceeded to go clean himself up and then went to sleep. Willard woke up the next morning feeling quite refreshed. It was the first time since arriving at this mortal world that he had been in a life and death battle. As a god, Thanus grew specifically through his battles. He developed his ultimate attack, the desolation rain, and established his prominence through his battles. He went down to meet up with the rest of the warriors from his village. Willard approaching the warriors could see they were discussing something somewhat serious. As he got closer, he heard one of the warriors, Doluwa, say ¡°He was stabbed in the chest.¡± Willard could pretty much guess what they were talking about.

    ¡°Why do you guys look so serious this morning?¡± Willard asked as he arrived in their midst.

    Doluwa, who was the oldest of the group, looked to Willard with a distressed face. Doluwa was a middle aged man with a bald head, and was the most experienced warrior of this party.¡°I was woken up this morning by the owner of the inn, who said that they found Azeya¡¯s dead body on the streets.¡± Doluwa said with a sad expression. Willard maintained his calm demeanor, almost as if Doluwa hadn''t uttered a word. ¡°We only just got here yesterday, who would have enough animosity to kill him?¡± Zuolin, the warrior to Doluwa¡¯s right asked. Zuolin was of the same age group as Azeya, infact they had attended the same warrior class. The rest of the warriors were pondering what could have happened to cause Azeya¡¯s death.

    ¡°Oh that¡± Willard said drawing the four remaining warriors attention. ¡°I killed him yesterday¡± Willard said with a stern look. The warriors hearing this could not believe what they had just heard. To begin with, Willard should be only 17 years of age and should only be at the 4th level of natural energy. It would be practically impossible for someone of that strength to kill someone of the 8th level of natural energy. ¡°Dont joke around with serious matters.¡± Doluwa angrily rebuked.

    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking?¡± Willard responded. At this point, all the warriors put on serious airs around them. They stared at Willard with menacing looks, almost as if at any moment now they might attack. Willard himself wasn''t the least bit intimidated, instead he stared back at them like a beast ready to battle. ¡°Explain yourself.¡± Baya, the cool headed one amongst them said.

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    ¡°On my way back from the restaurant, Azeya tried to force me to write down my martial movement technique and kill me. So I fought him and killed him.¡± Willard responded directly. Willard did not put the warriors in front of him in any regard. They were all bait to draw out the one person he wanted, Azeya. Now that he had achieved what he wanted from the start he could care less what the rest did. The warriors could not believe what they had just heard. They stared blankly at Willard, trying to assess the situation. What baffled them the most was the fact that Willard claimed to be the killer. If Willard had hired someone to kill Azeya, then they could believe it, but instead he claimed to have killed Azeya all by himself.

    ¡°The way I see it, you all only have two safe choices. First, abandon the mission the chief gave you and go back to report what had happened. Second, continue the mission and escort me to my destination. Anything else might result in more deaths.¡± Willard said with the extreme confidence. The rest of the warriors all stared blankly at the youth in front of them. They couldn''t believe their ears. The funny part was that they could feel his tenacity, and thus started to believe he might be capable of killing them.

    After a couple of seconds, Zuolin got angry. He charged straight at Willard with a punch aimed directly at his head. Willard stood still, and with a quick movement of his right hand, he caught Zuolin¡¯s fist. Willard held on to the fist with quite some ease, he stared at the rest of the warriors who had looks of astonishment. Now they all started to believe what Willard had said earlier. ¡°The next time you attack me, you will be killed¡± Willard said as he released Zuolin¡¯s fist from his grip. Zuolin with the rest of the warriors had faces filled with dread. How is it this 17 year old could posses this kind of strength? And how can he have such a hardened heart. They stared at him as if he they were staring at some monster.

    ¡° What have you decided?¡± Willard asked indifferently. Zuolin turned around and started walking away, Rudley, the last warrior who had kept quiet the entire time followed suit. Doluwa stared at Baya, and immediately turned to Willard. ¡°We will see our mission to the end.¡± Doluwa said. Willard was surprised hearing Doluwa¡¯s words. He had thought, all the warriors would leave him once they knew he had killed Azeya. ¡°There must be a reason they still choose to follow me.¡± Willard thought to himself. ¡°Guess I should be really careful from now on.¡±

    ¡°Alright, do follow. We will be leaving now.¡± Willard said while leading the way.

    The rest of the journey was a quiet one, no one spoke to each other, except when they took breaks in between the journey. They spent another night in a transit village, and made their way to Marquis city the next day. At the gates of Marquis city, a solid dark horse emblem could be clearly seen. The emblem was the official seal of the Marquis family, the governing family of the city. Willard had a face full of smiles, ever since he got his memories, he had only wanted one thing and that was to gain strength and ascend to the heavens. This was the first step in his mission for revenge.

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 Chapter 10: Blood Challenge

    As they got closer to the gates of the city, Willard quickly noticed the long queue of people trying to get into to the city. ¡°From the looks of things, it might take close to an hour to get in.¡± Willard thought to himself. He turned at stared at the two warriors behind and him. There was a big smile on his face. ¡°Thank you for escorting me to Marquis city. You have fulfilled your orders, you are no longer obliged to follow me.¡± Willard bowed and said courteously. He currently had no use for the warriors, and would much rather they left and went back to the village.

    ¡°That is true, but I followed you for a different reason¡± Baya said.

    ¡°Oh. And what reason might that be?¡± Willard asked with a puzzled look on his face.

    Baya walked closer towards Willard, he smiled and immediately bowed to one knee. ¡°I would like to pledge my fealty to you. I only ask you provide me with the means to grow.¡± Willard hearing this was completely taken by surprise. He was thoroughly shocked at Baya¡¯s action. Of the group that followed him to Marquis city, Baya had been the most reserved and level headed. Doluwa was also shocked at Baya¡¯s action, but he quickly caught himself and lightly laughed.

    ¡°Baya, you never cease to amaze me.¡± Doluwa said while staring at Baya. He moved his gazed back to Willard and sad, ¡°as for me, my mission is done. I will be heading for the village now.¡± Willard breath a sigh of relief after hearing that.

    Doluwa immediately left as he said those words. Both Willard and Baya stared at Doluwa as he was leaving. Neither of them had a strong relationship with Doluwa to begin with, so they did not really care about him leaving. Now Willard was faced with a decision to make, he had gotten his revenge, but unintentionally, he had picked up someone as a follower. This wasn''t the first time someone had pledged their fealty to him. Sungo, the lesser god of thunder, pledge his fealty to Thanus. Zerafat, the lesser god of battle at that time, also pledged his fealty to Thanus. Even after Zerafat became a chief god, he was still serving Thanus. Although he was no stranger to this act, but this particular circumstance was truly strange.

    ¡°Why are you pledging your fealty to me?¡± Willard asked with an indifferent tone.

    ¡°I have travelled the world and I have seen various things throughout my life. I know someone destined for great things when I see one.¡± Baya responded.

    ¡°You are not afraid I might kill you someday, like I did Azeya?¡± Willard asked.

    ¡°If that is how it ends, so be it.¡± Baya responded wholeheartedly.

    Willard clapped and laughed hearing Baya¡¯s response. Willard stared at Baya with an intrigued look. Baya was fairly tall and athletic looking, he had long black hair, with a devilish handsome face. ¡°Alright, swear before me an eternal oath.¡± Willard said after clapping. ¡°I swear to the gods of the nine heavens, and to you Willard my master, I shall serve and obey for as long as I am needed.¡± Baya swore.

    Willard nodded in acceptance of the oath. They both joined the queue and waited their turn to pay the city tow fee. Baya a vague smile on his face, one that was hard to notice. His thoughts flew back to the first time he met Willard. He was randomly making his way to the town square, when he saw a kid being bullied. Before making his way to them, the rest of the kids had left him laying on the floor. A month later, Baya had witnessed the graduation ceremony of that bullied kid. To his surprise, that kid had shown power and technique beyond his years. Baya was no fool, he knew something drastic had to have happened to Willard. There was no way for him to have learned a martial technique within a month or grow to such frightening level of power. Now on the way to Marquis city, this same Willard had increased in power to rival even his own. Whatever was the case, this was his best shot at growing in power. He had been stucked at the peak of the 8th level of natural energy for almost five years. Baya knew if things continued that way it was virtually impossible for him to breakthrough to the 10th level. He placed his hopes in the fact that Willard could provide him with the means to grow.

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    As they paid the tow and made their way to the city, Willard instantly noticed how lively the city was. This was his first time visiting a big city, and he was quite pleased with the noticeable difference. He saw considerably larger buildings filled to the brim with a lot of people. He easily noticed a fight break out to his left, involving two drunk people, and while watching this spectacle he noticed everyone''s indifference to it.  Moments later, the Marquis guard came out to break up the fight and arrest both parties. ¡°Marquis city sure lives up to its reputation.¡± Willard said while walking.

    Willard leading Baya, went directly to find an inn to stay. They scoured through the city looking for the appropriate inn that matches their budget. After an hour of tedious searches, they found a moderately priced one at the west of the city. ¡°It will be best for us to rest a while, before we go back out.¡± Willard said to Baya, who nodded in agreement. They both made their self comfortable in their living areas and rested for sometime. While laying on the bed, Willard was making preparations for his next set of actions. ¡°I should rest today and start making proper preparations for the blood trials tomorrow.¡± Willard softly said to himself.

    The Blood trials, was a premier competition within Marquis city. It was a competition that drew all sorts of people from all corners of the kingdom. The trial required that one had to be at most 18 years of age and have at most attained the 10th level of natural energy. The trails started as a ritual where prospective soldiers who wanted to join the Royal guard of Marquis city, would partake in to prove their strength and competency. It later evolved to include various schools, who sort after talented participants who would be interested in joining a school. This was the very best outlet for one to display their quality. If one succeeded in passing the trial, they would be considered above average in strength, they will be virtually guaranteed to be invited to join at least one school. If they succeeded in passing the trail in less than twenty minutes, they will be considered geniuses. Almost all schools would send out an invitation to geniuses, and if one is lucky, they might be called up to join the Royal guard of Marquis city. If the participant passed in less than ten minutes, they would be considered a genius of geniuses. At that point all entities within the kingdom would fight to get such a genius to join them. But passing under ten minutes is no small ordeal. In the history of the trials, only three people have ever succeeded in passing under ten minutes. And all three of them ended up ascending to the nine heavens.

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 Chapter 11: Origins

    Chapter 11: Origins

    Although it can be said all participants aim to pass under ten minutes, but none would ever have such a goal as their primary target. After studying all he could about Marquis city, Willard was natural attuned to the affairs of the city. He knew the city limits for visitors such as himself, and also knew places within the city to avoid. Willard wasn''t willing to offend anyone just yet, he needed to be much stronger to do that.

    After making themselves comfortable, they both fell asleep and rested the entire night. Baya had always been an upright person, he was fully committed to whatever he did. When he trained, he did that wholeheartedly and when he worked he that to the best of his ability. Naturally, Baya would always wake up earlier than everyone else. This time around, when he woke up, he noticed that Willard was already awake. He saw Willard sitting on top of the bed in a meditative position, which shocked him. Baya secretly praised Willard in his mind, after which he decided to do the same and cultivate.

    While meditating, Baya sensed a strange energy around him. He turned to look at Willard who was still cultivating at the moment. Baya quickly noticed that Willard was actually cultivating elemental energy. ¡°Impossible¡± Baya said while staring at Willard. ¡°How is this possible? How can he cultivate elemental energy when he hasn''t stabilized his base?¡± Baya thought to himself. What he was currently witnessing was something that truly amazed him. One had to first stabilize their core by strengthening the body with natural energy. Only after reaching the 10th level, will the body be strong enough to hold elemental energy. But yet this youth in front of him was clearly cultivating elemental energy. ¡°Could he have already reached the 10th level?¡± He thought, but then dismissed that theory. ¡°I sensed his natural energy yesterday, it was definitely weaker than mine.¡± Now Baya understood how it was possible for Willard to kill Azeya. If he had not just witnessed this, he wouldn''t have believed it if anyone else told him.

    Willard opened his eyes, to get a glimpse of Baya staring at him in awe. ¡°You¡¯re up already¡± Willard said to break to awkward atmosphere. ¡°What are you?¡± Baya asked directly. Baya was a straightforward person, and would always say what comes to his mind. Willard hearing the question couldn''t help but laugh. He knew that Baya had to have been thoroughly baffled with the scene of him cultivating natural energy. Willard thought for a couple of seconds before finally coming to a conclusion. He was going to tell Baya everything about him. Now that Baya was a retainer of his, he knew Baya couldn''t intentionally use the information to do any harm to him. And why not tell him, Willard thoroughly enjoyed recalling memories from his past life.

    ¡°Where to start?¡± Willard said, while massaging his chin. He was currently contemplating how far back to go. ¡°Ok, I got it.¡± He said while staring at Baya. ¡°Before I was this mortal you see before you, I was the exalted chief god of destruction, Thanus.¡± Willard said gauging Baya¡¯s response. Baya in turn continued staring at Willard with an even more inquisitive look. Willard was surprised at the fact that Baya did not say a word. He originally thought that Baya would dismiss his words as lies, but instead the opposite seemed to be happening. Baya did not doubt Willard in the slightest bit. He had witnessed Willard accomplish something that should be virtually impossible for mortals.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.¡°I was born in the 3rd heaven, by fire and earth. I ceaselessly trained for millions of years before I was acknowledged as a chief god in the 9th heaven.¡± As Willard said those words, the scenes of the first time he came to be started flashing through his mind. He remembered how fire and earth surrounded him, which were the first things he ever laid his eyes on. Willard involuntarily had a smile on his face as he started narrating things from his former life.

    ¡°So that is why you are called the god of destruction.¡± Baya said in response to the story of Thanus killing Poseidon. ¡°Yes. Back then, my attack could be ranked among the top 3 strongest.¡± Willard said in response to Baya¡¯s comment. ¡°After I defeated Poseidon and made my grand entrance to the level of chief god. The victors of the war had been decided.¡± He said self gloatingly. ¡°All the chief gods present could pretty much guess what was to come.¡±

    Willard started explaining what happened after he became a chief god. After becoming a chief god, Thanus left the 9th heaven and went to the the lower heavens. He was fine-tuning his technique and recruiting other gods to serve under him. After a hundred thousand years, Thanus once more ascended to the 9th heaven. This time he brought a large entourage with him. Thanus immediately declared war on Zinus the chief god of Darkness. Now that Thanus was a chief god, he was going to need his own territory, and since he made his breakthrough on the valley of Thandine, Thanus naturally wanted that particular place. He had once helped Zinus protect that land, but now he was going to cease it for himself. This lead to a war lasting a thousand years, which fostered Zinus¡¯s eternal hatred for Thanus. During that war, Thanus completely established his reputation. He had massacred thousands of lesser gods with the desolation rain. He also fought Zinus to a tie, where he held significant advantage over Zinus. Thanus eventually won the war and got the territories he wanted.

    Listening to all this, Baya was completely dumbstruck. He had heard a lot from Willard, but what shocked him the most was Thanus¡¯s love for battle. Throughout the story so far, Thanus was usually the aggressor. He was unyielding and overbearing on his path to becoming a chief god. Willard talked about other instances where he fought various chief gods. The more he fought other gods, the more he grew in strength. Finally, Willard narrated the story of how he was deceived by Athena and some other chief gods. He explained how he regained his memories through the meteorite.

    After absorbing all of those information, Baya finally understood how Willard suddenly grew to prominence in the Yellow Hew village. Baya, stared at Willard with immeasurable reverence. After all, he was staring at a former god. Now more than ever, Baya was overjoyed he had made the right decision. If anyone could help him grow, it would be this former god in front of him. ¡°Let''s go get some food. I am quite hungry after talking so much.¡± Willard said with a smile. He was currently in a good mood, he had finally told someone about his former life. Baya nodded in agreement, and quickly followed after Willard.

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 Chapter 12: Young Master Asyut

    The streets were busy as usual, people going about their day like they had always done. Willard and Baya made their way to a nearby restaurant, they sat and ordered a round of food and drinks. Willard was in a particularly good mood today, he was happily chatting away with Baya who in turn responded in brief sentences. That did not bother Willard much because he had a good understanding of Baya¡¯s behavior. While chatting, three individuals entered the restaurant in a grandeur fashion. The one in the middle had a rather small face with delicate looking features, his hair was bloodshot red and had an air to him that demanded respect. He was dressed in an exquisite jaded green outfit. The individual to the right of the red haired youth also dressed in fine attire, he had short black hair and seemed to be angry at the moment. The other youth to the left complemented the rest with his fine golden attire. He was taller than the bunch, and was of a bigger build than them.

    ¡°Lyon, are you saying that you saw that Sebastian with my Ade?¡± The black haired youth said to red haired youth with an angry expression. ¡°Why would I Lyon Marquis have a need to lie to you?¡± the red haired youth retorted with an indifferent look. The youths casually walked to the center of the restaurant, there was a prominently placed table occupied by other customers who were already eating their meal. The youths shot a single glance to the people occupying that particular table, who after noticing those piercing glances all stood up and made their way to a far corner of the restaurant.

    ¡°Waiter some wine and pleasantries¡± the black haired youth yelled after they took their seats. ¡°Brother Asyut, calm down. We will take care of that Sebastian.¡± the well built youth said to the black haired youth in an effort to calm him down. ¡°I will see to it that this sebastian is thoroughly dealt with, or my name is not Asyut Helden.¡±

    Asyut was the first son and heir to the Helden household. The Helden house has existed since the founding of Marquis city. They were one of the families that had joined the ancestors of Marquis household and captured the city. While this conversations were going on, the surrounding groups of customers in their various tables, all slowly left the vicinity of the youths. Currently enjoying his meal, Willard noticed the surrounding people leave one after the other. He knew why they were leaving, but still decided to finish his meal on his table. To the table in the center, Asyut was currently chugging huge glasses of wine one after the other. His companions were drinking and enjoying the following assortments that beautifully decorated their table.

    ¡°That bitch Ade, dears to turn down my love for Sebastian.¡± Asyut cursed as he continued his ferocious assault on the wine. Ade was also from one of the founding families, the Minya family, who controlled a large portion of commerce within the city. Although Asyut was angry, he couldn''t plan anything bad for Ade because her family had enough power to rival that of his family¡¯s and there was the fact that he also greatly wanted her for himself. ¡°Mubi, you cannot truly know how I feel unless you..¡± Asyut was saying to the built youth in his company before he drunkenly dropped his glass.

    ¡°Asyut you already this drunk¡± Lyon said with a devilish smile. Asyut did not pay much attention to Lyon¡¯s comment. Asyut turned to look at his surrounding, only to notice that everyone had vacated the nearby seats except for one group. Seeing that a group dared to still stay close to their table, Asyut got angry. He stood up from his seat and slowly staggered to that table where two other individuals were finishing up their meals. ¡°Do you not see that I Asyut is having a meal here.¡± Asyut said to Willard and Baya, with an evident tone of anger mixed with a drunken stupor.

    Willard seeing the developments, gestured with hands to Baya. Baya having spent some time with Willard knew what he meant with that gesture. Baya immediately got up and started making his way out of the restaurant. Asyut seeing this wasn''t satisfied he was about to go confront the leaving Baya, before he felt a surging intense pain coming from his foot. He involuntarily screamed which caused the onlookers to stare in his direction, some people including his friends Lyon and Mubi had faces riddled with an unconscious laughter. Asyut turned to look at the direction of Willard. Now Asyut was truly livid, he was angry at the fact that this lowly existence before him had firstly caused him pain, and secondly made him scream in front of these people.

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    ¡°Guards come in here.¡± Asyut yelled. Four well armored men quickly rushed into the restaurant. ¡°Young master Asyut.¡± The responded as they bowed. ¡°I want to arrest this fellow over here and give him the beating of his life.¡± Asyut said while pointing to Willard. ¡°Come now let''s go. It''s about time we return to our duties.¡± Lyon said after approaching Asyut. ¡°Lets leave the guards to take care of this fellow.¡± Mubi said in support of Lyon¡¯s original statement. Asyut filled with immeasurable anger turned to look at Willard one more time. ¡°After beating this fellow, hang his body up on a pole. Maybe next time, you¡¯ll learn the difference between a snake and a dragon.¡± Asyut said while following his friends to exit the restaurant.

    Willard had a smile on his face, he had successfully gotten Baya away from his vicinity, which meant he only had to fend for himself. Two of the guards took Willard by the hand as they walked him out of the restaurant. Although Willard stepped on Asyut to get his attention, he had done so surreptitiously, everyone including the guards felt a little pity for Willard as they assumed he was victimized. The four guards escorted him to closed of corner of the city, as they chose not to publicly beat him. Even though they felt pity for him, they were still ordered to beat him up. ¡°Blame your bad luck and not us.¡± One of the guards said as he pulled out a whip from the side of his waist.

    Willard was happy because the guards had chose a closed off section of the city to inflict his punishment. Although had the intentions to fight back, he did not want to do that in the public view. If the guards were more observant, they would have noticed Willards skin get a little tan. Willard at this point was strengthening his body with earth elemental energy. ¡°Your four lives are connected. If one of you attacks, all four of you will die. If none attacks all four of you will live.¡± Willard said abruptly. His sentence had stunned the guards, because through the entire process Willard had remained silent almost as if he had accepted the inevitable.

    The guard who had the whip paid no heed to Willard''s words as he slashed the whip towards Willard''s body. The four guards assumed Willard had made an idle threat to try and get out of his death sentence. As the coiling cord of the whip made its menacing way to Willard''s supposedly delicate body, Willard stretched out his hand in anticipation. He caught the whip, which surprised the guards who in turn reached out for their swords. It was too late at this point, Willard utilized his martial movement technique and suddenly appeared right at the center of the group of guards. He straightened his finger like a knife and proceeded to stab the guard that had originally tried to whip him. The guards body fell to the floor lifeless. The other guards only caught their self from their original dazed state when they saw the lifeless body of their comrade. Another guard unrelentingly dashed forward slashing his sword for Willard''s head. He was trying to get Willard of guard and finish him in one go, but to his complete surprise Willard only stretched his hand to defend against the sword attack. A vicious smile appeared on the face of the guard who thought it was all over.

    ¡°clank¡± the sound of Willard¡¯s hand and the guards sword made as the collided. All the guards present were dead surprised, now they started feeling true dread. Willard suddenly applied his movement technique again and stabbed the guard that was attacking him in the same manner as the first. ¡°Please forgive us master. We will leave here and not speak of this.¡± The remaining guards said while dropping their swords. The guards had unconsciously just assumed that Willard was a master cultivator. Willard nodded as if he had acknowledged their actions. The guards cursed inwardly at their terrible luck for meeting such a person. The fact that Willard had a martial technique and could cultivate elemental energy made him far superior to anyone in the foundation stage of natural energy cultivation. Willard suddenly had a mischievous smile on his face, he applied his movement technique one last time and appeared directly in front of the guards. He stabbed them both with his hands in the same manner as the earlier ones.

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 Chapter 13: Strengthening the Soul

    Staring at the four dead bodies before him, Willard had a look of disapproval. He originally intended to live a low profile life while he was staying at Marquis city, but now that seemed not to be the case. Willard immediately gathered the corpse of the dead guards and proceeded to drag them one by one to the nearby forest. After carrying each body one by one, he set all the bodies ablaze. He sneakily rushed to the inn he had booked a room while making sure he wasn''t followed. This entire endeavour had taken Willard over 3 hours to conclude. Willards biggest fear was that someone might have witnessed his actions and tailed him to his current residence.

    Upon getting to his room, Willard saw Baya sitting crossed legged and meditating at the corner of the room. Ripples of naturally energy was emanating from Baya¡¯s direction, with Baya being the center of it all. ¡°Interesting¡± Willard said out loud, which caused Baya to wake up from his previous meditative state. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Baya immediately asked Willard. Ever since he left the restaurant, Baya had been bothered with the preceding set of actions both hm and Willard would have to take. By association, they had both offended some major powers at Marquis city. ¡°Don''t think about it too much. We just have to lay low for a while.¡± Willard responded with a confident smile. ¡°More importantly, do you know why you haven''t been able to improve much with your training?¡± Willard asked Baya somewhat condescendingly.

    Baya was a little startled with Willard''s question, but went on to respond; ¡°No, I have no idea. Do you know?¡± Baya had been stuck at the peak of the 8th level of natural energy for over 5 years, and has been searching for varieties of ways to improve and breakthrough the levels of natural energy. That was the primary reason Baya chose to swear an oath of fealty to Willard. Willard staring at Baya¡¯s longing faced, could not help but giggle a bit. ¡°Let me explain a little bit.¡± Willard said while making his way to his bed. ¡°For any being born to this world to grow, they need to be nourished by the natural energies of the world.¡± Willard said while gazing at ceiling. He returned his gaze back to Baya and continued.

    ¡°The food, water, sun and everything we use to survive in this world can be described as a form of natural energy.¡±

    ¡°We also use this energy in pursuit of immortality, and here on this mortal world it is referred to as cultivation.¡±

    ¡°Your body draws the natural energy of the world, and your soul converts this energy to help nourish your own body.¡±

    ¡°The problem you face, as you might already be guessing, is that of your soul.¡±

    ¡°To put things bluntly, your soul is not strong enough. You convert such a miniscule amount each time you cultivate, and if things continue this way, it would be impossible for you to breakthrough the 10th level of natural energy.¡±

    Baya hearing Willards explanation was shocked. This was the first time he had heard about the souls part in one''s cultivation. Although this information cannot be said to new to this mortal world, but it wasn''t wide spread either. Major tribes and kingdoms knew about the soul''s role in cultivation, and some had even developed ways to improve the strength of the soul. However, this news was a major setback for Baya who had been hoping to get a relatively easy fix for his cultivation woes.

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    ¡°Is there a way for me to increase the strength of my soul?¡± Baya asked in a hopeful manner. Willard seeing the look on Baya¡¯s face was unmoved, or rather wasn''t sympathetic to his plight.

    ¡°I know of several ways to improve one''s soul, but I can guarantee you it won''t be easy for you.¡± Willard responded with a mischievous smile on his face. Although Baya was subservient to Willard, Willard still wasn''t going to do things for Baya for free. From the moment of his birth to this particular time, Willard had never built what could be considered a good relationship with anyone.

    ¡°The first and simplest way to improve the strength of your soul is to find an element fruit and consume it.¡± Baya listened as Willard was speaking. Elemental fruits were one of the top treasures of the mortal world. They were too few in numbers and highly sort after by various powerful experts. Consuming an elemental fruit meant that one could pretty much skip the natural energy level and go straight to the elemental level. Such miraculous treasures were not easily seen, not to talk of even being sold. Willard mentioning this option was paramount to not saying anything because it was virtually impossible for Baya to go find this treasure on his own.

    ¡°The second method to improve the strength of your soul is to temper it through life and death situations.¡± This was the most realistic and dangerous way to improve the strength of one¡¯s soul. One would have to go through life altering experiences where the chances of survival is not guaranteed. How many experts choose the path of a lone adventurer, and how many live to tell their tales. It was one of the most dangerous paths for warriors, as they would have to face the world on their own. If they were lucky, they would find good companions to travel with, if not they would have to face their challenges alone. While adventuring, people grow and gain enlightenment much faster. Their soul, body and mind grow at a much faster pace than cultivating at the comfort of their homes.

    ¡°The last method I can think of, is to practice a set of soul training techniques.¡± Hearing those words, Baya blossomed into a smile. The first two options were either impossible or just too dangerous. He was hoping for a less dangerous option, and as he heard ¡®soul training techniques¡¯ he became joyful. If he could acquire such techniques, then all his work would have been worth it.

    ¡°How can I acquire a soul training technique?¡± Baya immediately asked. He was anxious and hopeful that Willard would have such a technique. Afterall, who else except a former God would be qualified to have such an amazing technique at his or her disposal.

    ¡°Well that''s simple.¡± Willard responded with a smile on his face. ¡°I am in possession of such a technique.¡± Baya couldn''t hold back his delight, he had finally found the answers to what he had been searching for. Then all of a sudden, Baya came back to his senses. He was after all dealing with Willard, the former god of destruction. How was it going to be a simple affair.

    ¡°What do you require of me, master?¡± Baya intelligently replied. He wanted to flatter Willard, but at the same time, he knew that wasn''t all it took to convince the person in front of him.

 Chapter 14: Living Fire Plant

    Hearing Baya¡¯s remarks, Willard had an indifferent look to him. He could pretty much guess what Baya¡¯s intentions were, but that had no impact on him. He already had a mission in mind for Baya, before the start of their conversation. He was going to send Baya to a nearby town to gain a certain item for his use, but now he had extra motivation for Baya.

    ¡°You are to go to Red lagoon of the Red forest and obtain a certain item for me,¡± Willard said with a little hint of a smile. The red forest is located to the far south of Marquis city, while the red lagoon was located at the center of this forest. It would require at least half a day''s journey to get to the outer perimeters of the forest. Willard had thoroughly studied the map he had gotten from the Yellow Hem village, and had gotten more information regarding various materials he was interested in. From the information he had gotten from a certain merchant in Blue Rose village, Within the areas surrounding the Red Lagoon, there was a plant that mysteriously grew there. This plant called Living Fire, was rare in that it could miraculously grow within such an adverse condition such as the Red Lagoon.

    ¡°Retrieve a plant called Living Fire, and bring back its roots for me.¡± Willard said with a serious tone.

    ¡°When you bring back this plant you can have whatever you want as a reward.¡±

    Baya had a look of frustration, he knew the character in front of him was overbearing, but he couldn''t believe how heartless this person was. The red lagoon was famous for exactly how inhabitable it was for any living thing. Experts in the elemental essence stage went out of their way to avoid that region because of how dangerous it was. And he, who was at the 8th stage of natural energy, is being sent there. He couldn''t refuse or argue with Willard¡¯s orders now that he was in servitude under an eternal oath. He could only resign himself to his faith.

    Seeing the dejected look on Baya, Willard could pretty guess what was going through his mind. ¡°Before you leave for the red Forest, I will pass my movement martial technique to you. I will also pass half of the soul training technique to you.¡± Baya immediately felt a bit better. Although he was going on a very dangerous journey, with the movement martial technique, his battle proficiency would increase to the level of an elemental essence practitioner. This drastically increased his chances of survival whilst giving him hope of improving his current natural energy level. Without any hesitation, he immediately bowed in acceptance of the mission. Over the next two weeks, Willard spent the majority of his time teaching Baya the movement martial skill. He also relayed what he described as half of the soul training technique to Baya. While he was impacting this techniques to Baya, he had made sure to stay unnoticed by the outside world. After all, he had just killed the personal guards of one of the founding families of the city. He was certain trouble would be brewing somewhere waiting for him. After learning the movement martial skill, Baya was more confident in his chances for this mission. Baya used his free time to get the provisions he needed for his trip. Both Baya and Willard had spent a month at Marquis City, and within this month they had become wanted men of the Helden household.

    The days went on peaceful as usual, the dawn of a new day had just broken and the refreshing spectre of sunlight was illuminating the whole city. At the top most room of an inn in the eastern section of Marquis city, two individuals were sitting in a meditative position on their beds. The sounds of the birds combined with the warmth of the sun brought about a serene environment. If one had keen eyes, they could see the fluctuation of natural energy around those individuals as they cultivated.

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    Since getting to Marquis city, Willard had cultivated from the mid level 6 natural energy to the peak of level 6 natural energy, almost stepping to the beginning level 7 natural energy. This was well within his plans for advancement. The higher one went down the part of cultivation, the longer it took to advance. Willard still had some time before the start of the blood challenge, so he was naturally at peace with his rate of growth.

    ¡°I will be leaving for the Red forest today.¡± Baya said to break up the silence. From his observation, Baya knew Willard had stopped cultivating a while back. Willard hearing that nodded in acknowledgement. They both continued to sit in quietness almost as if they were waiting on something.

    ¡®It is up to your efforts now. If you are unable to survive, you would have been of no use to me. Only by overcoming this will you be of any use.¡¯ Willard thought to himself. In truth, Willard secretly hoped Baya would return safely for two reason. The first being that he would get the root of the living fire plant, and the second was that Baya would return with a tempered soul. This was what he wanted the for Baya, after all, the strength of one¡¯s allies can be counted as one''s strength. These two things were alluring, especially the living fire root. Ever since Willard regained his memories, the most shocking thing he had noticed about himself was his complete inability to sense the fire element. Although he could still sense the earth element, it was still at an inferior level to his original self. Willard had completely mastered the mysteries of the fire element as the chief god of destruction and was especially adept in wielding its power. The living fire plant was something that possessed an abundance of the fire element, which was why Willard wanted to acquire the roots. He believed that if he consumes this plant, that he will be able to start sensing and absorbing the fire element.

    Although the living fire plant was something he placed great importance on, he still wanted to use this opportunity to temper Baya¡¯s soul. After all, if Baya fails he only has to go himself and acquire the plant. And if Baya succeeded he would have killed two birds with one stone. Later that morning Baya  left for the red forest. He stealthily left so as to not draw much attention to himself seeing as he had become a wanted man by association. It would be tragic if his mission was cut short by the people of the Helden household before leaving marquis city. Baya succeeded in leaving the city gates without being noticed, and at this point he had started his first true life and death adventure. This kind of adventure was different from the type of missions he got when he was still at the Yellow Hew village. Those missions could not be considered life threatening, they were all relatively safe and almost always in close proximity to the Yellow Hew village.

    After walking for less than a mile along the path to the Red forest, the ground trembled slightly. Baya could feel this tremors continually grow in its intensity. From a distance, he could see a trail of what seemed like a dust storm drawing closer to him. Baya instinctively hid behind a tree to the left side of the path way. He knew the storm and tremors signified people riding mounts were coming along that direction. Although the possibility of those riding the mounts to be bandits was low, Baya still took precaution to hide away. He would rather have himself waste some time hiding than actually encountering bandits.

 Chapter 15: Rat in a Trap

    As the dust storm got closer, Baya could vaguely make out the looks of the people riding the mounts. They were about eight people riding towards the direction of Marquis city, and by the looks of the insignia on the outfit of the one leading the pack, he could tell they were warriors from the Marquis household. He felt relative assured as he realized they were not bandits, but he still decided to wait for them ride past himself. After some minutes, Baya got back onto the road and continued his journey.

    Willard stood firmly still as he stared out through the window of the inn. He watched as the everyday life of the citizens of Marquis city played out in its normal accord. The streets were lively with merchants selling to their various customers, people filled the streets and all seemed quite normal. Suddenly, Willard noticed a group of people riding their mounts and heading towards the city palace. It was forbidden for regular citizens to ride their mounts within the borders of Marquis city, and as such, one could immediately tell these were warriors of the governing Marquis household. Willard stared fixatedly on the leader of the squad almost as if he was staring at a familiar figure. Willard retracted his gaze as he got a sense of deep danger looking at that man. At all cost, he was going to avoid any unnecessary contact with that particular man.

    Now that Baya had gone to retrieve the living fire plant, Willard was left accomplishing minor task all by himself. Willard exited the inn wearing an inconspicuous outfit, he was trying to avoid any and all attention if possible. He was going to grab a meal from a nearby restaurant and use this opportunity to find out the current affairs of the city. Whilst eating, Willard heard all sorts of stories from minor affairs like the attires the different dukes wore to the varying functions to more political ones, like the advances of neighboring kingdoms. Although all these were informative, it wasn¡¯t what he was currently interested in. He wanted to know about the affairs of the founding households, and more specifically the Helden household.

    ¡®Can it be they are no longer interested in me?¡¯ Willard hesitantly thought to himself. Given how people of power held their image in the highest regards, he couldn¡¯t believe that was the end of that event. Willard continued paying attention to the conversations of the various people in the restaurant. One conversation in particular, caught his attention. There was a group of four that had taken up the table directly behind him.

    ¡°I am not sure why Lord Asyut wants us to this, but we have to be very careful in accomplishing this task,¡± a man with short black hair whispered to the people on his table. He was one of the four men that had taken the table behind Willard. Hearing Asyut¡¯s name, Willard¡¯s full focus was on those men. From that bit of information, he could infer that those men belong to the Helden household, and are on a secret mission assigned to them personally by Asyut. This was exactly the kind of information he had sought by coming out today. And as luck would have it, the information had come to him. Willard decided at that point to follow this lead to its end. He was going to continue spying on these people until he found out what Asyut was planning.

    Willard had his own ideas as to what their mission might be, but he needed to confirm what it was. Willard assumed the task these men were about to carry involved him in some way, so he wanted to be a step ahead of them. Willard left the restaurant and found a place to lurk in the shadows. He was waiting for the men to finish their meal, so he could tail them. Not too long after Willard left the restaurant, the four men also got out and started heading east towards the city gates. Willard followed them the way to the perimeters of the gate. While following, Willard was completely puzzled at their intentions. He had originally assumed Asyut would have tasked them with something pertaining to himself, but to his surprise, these men were heading out of the city. Willard contemplated stopping his watch over them, but in the end decided to follow it through. As the four men left the city, Willard waited some time before exiting behind them.

    After walking some time, Willard could see the silhouette of three of the four men that he was tailing. He couldn¡¯t quite figure out where the fourth one had gone, so he decided to go through the woods just to be safe. Willard continued following the three from the woods for some time when all of a sudden sounds of what seemed like a carriage could be heard coming from the distance. Willard focused his full attention on the carriage to try and figure out who that might be.

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    ¡°Who are you?¡± A man said while gently walking towards Willard. Willard was immediately jolted back to reality. He was completely shocked and dumbfounded to hear and see someone approach him like that. He had been the one tailing people and now he was caught completely by surprise. As the man got closer, Willard could make out the facial structure, and immediately recognized this person. He was the dark haired man among the four that sat behind him at the restaurant. He was also the one who was missing from the group.

    ¡°How did you find out?¡± Willard asked while he started gathering earth energy. Willard knew for this man to have found out he was tailing them, he wasn¡¯t an ordinary person.

    ¡°I won¡¯t ask again. Who are you?¡± The man said while pulling his sword from its sheath.

    Willard seeing this knew this was the real deal. This man before him was most likely at the elemental energy level. He had a vastly more terrifying presence than even the chief of the Yellow Hem village. Willard also knew that no matter what explanation he gave to this man, he would still come for his life. Willard immediately started laughing. His laughter was so loud that it even startled the dark short haired man. Willard pointed as he raised his hands pointing to the direction behind the man. Concurrently, the man turned to look at the direction Willard was pointing in. To his surprise, there was nothing there. The next thing the man heard was loud steps Willard had taken, as he immediately started to run towards the direction of the other three men and the carriage. Willard knew if he had to fight one on one against this man he would be at a serious disadvantage.

    ¡®How did I become the rat in a trap?¡¯ Willard questioned himself as he ran. If one was paying close attention to the floor, they would have noticed some little protrusion on the ground with every step Willard took. Although Willard wasn¡¯t at the level where he could freely utilize earth elemental energy, he had a well above average control of the earth elemental energy. He was creating the protrusion to help boost his speed as every time it was created it would propel him forward. The Dark haired man was chasing right behind, he was completely stunned at how fast Willard was running, but none the less he was quickly catching up to Willard.

    Willard seeing the man quickly catching up to him became even more frantic. Willard got onto the road and continued running. ¡®How the hell do I get out of this?¡¯ Willard lamented as he continued running towards the group of three and the incoming carriage. Suddenly, a loud whistling noise was heard. The group of three turned around to discover a young man and their companion running towards them.

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    Note:

    Thanks for reading guys, volume one is completed. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please rate and share the story. Every little bit helps.  Also,  all further releases will first be posted Silva''s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 16: Assassins

    The whistling sound was familiar to the group, as they turned around in quick succession. They had heard this particular whistle on numerous occasions in the past, and so they reflexively turned to see what gesture would accompany it. At first, they were startled to see a young man running towards them, but it did not take them a long time to realize what was going on.

    ¡°Quickly stop that brat, before the carriage gets here,¡± the short black haired man said as he continued running.

    ¡°That must be the brat Kota said was tailing us,¡± One of the men in the group of three said as they started to move to block Willard''s path.

    ¡°How did he manage to escape with his life?¡± Another one asked in surprise.

    Earlier while they were within Marquis city, the short black haired man, Kota, had noticed they were being followed. He wanted to find out who that person was and eliminate the person. To his surprise, the person was a youth and a skilled one at that, since he was capable of running away.

    The other three quickly spread themselves out to enclose Willard as he got closer. Willard came to a halt and stared at the men before him. He was now perfectly encircled and had no clear path to take. Willard took a second to contemplate his next set of actions. It was clear at this point, that this group¡¯s mission originally had nothing to do with him and that he was the one that presented himself to them. Kota had cut up to him at this point and was making gestures to the group, signaling them to attack Willard in unison.

    Willard had finished assessing the group and had made his plans for survival. What would come of it, wasn¡¯t something Willard had complete confidence in, but it was better than just waiting for his eventual demise. Willard was no fool, he knew from the earlier conversation that these people were targeting the carriage that was coming along these paths. Willard''s primary goal was to drag out this affair until the carriage got close enough to them. Although that sounded like a simple task, it was far from simple. During a battle, life and death can be determined in a matter of seconds. Willard believed that if he was able to hold out just long enough, it would force them to abandon him and proceed to their original target.

    ¡®I guess I have no choice.¡¯ Willard thought to himself, as he started gathering earth elemental energy. From Willard''s point of view, the most dangerous person in the group was Kota. At all cost, he was going to avoid a fatal attack from this person. As for the rest, he estimated that they were within the natural energy levels. Of course, these were just estimates, as it is impossible for one to know the level of another¡¯s strength just by looking at them.

    ¡®He who takes the first initiative claims victory.¡¯ Willard thought to himself and immediately started running to attack the group of three in front of him. As Willard got closer, one of the men ran forward to intercept and kill him. The man had an already drawn blade the shape of a machete. The man swung his blade across Willard''s chest in an effort to slash him open. Willard seeing that decided to evade the attack instead of blocking it. He wanted to hide his trump card, the earth elemental energy and martial movement skill, for his eventual fight against Kota. Willard was already looking ahead to the confrontation with Kota, and for that, he could not be careless and reveal everything he had, if he wanted to survive.

    To the attackers complete surprise, Willard had easily evaded his slash by side-stepping to the right. Willard used the little opening from that evasion to immediately close the distance between him and the man that was attacking. Before Willard could get into a position where he could directly attack back with his fist, the attacker continued the slashing movement to attack Willard¡¯s head directly. Although there was a slight pause in the attacker¡¯s movement, the whole thing looked like one fluid attack. With that, one could tell that the man attacking obviously had an above average level of training. His blade movements were clean and precise. If it had been almost anyone else in that particular situation, they would have most likely died by now.

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    While the battle had started, Willard never stopped monitoring his surroundings. He especially kept an eye out for Kota. If Kota were to join the fray, then things will most likely get out of hand for him. Right now, he was still lucky the group hadn¡¯t considered him a real threat and thus hadn¡¯t gone all out to kill him. Suddenly, an idea sprung into Willard¡¯s head. Willard utilized the martial movement technique for the first time during this encounter and directly appeared right in front of his attacker. Everyone including Kota had looks of disbelief as they saw what just happened. It was as if Willard had suddenly vanished into the earth and immediately reappeared right in front of the man with the blade. Now that Willard had increased his earth elemental energy foundation to that of a level 2, his martial movement technique had become  faster and more precise. From this alone, one could tell that Willard''s movement technique was related to the mysteries of the earth.

    The man with the blade suddenly caught himself from his earlier stupor and proceeded to attack Willard again. This time around, Willard was in close proximity to the man with the blade. Willard caught the man¡¯s arms as he was trying to swing his blade at him. Willard proceeded to dismantle the blade from the man¡¯s hands while holding the man hostage. Willard held the blade in his right hand while holding the man by the neck with his left arm.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want this man..¡± Willard was saying when he got a glimpse of one the remaining two about to release an arrow gunning for his head. Willard seeing that immediately moved his hostage to the direction of the arrow. Less than a second later, an arrow pierced through the man¡¯s head. Willard was shocked at the accuracy and ferociousness of these men. He then realized he had misjudged them yet again. These men were assassins on a mission. They did not have any level of kinship with each other. They were just partners temporarily working together. The men did not even bat an eyelid as their former companion collapsed on the floor dead with an arrow to the head.

    Now that someone amongst them had died, the men had a change of behavior. The youth in front of them possessed a martial technique, which was very alluring to them. It also signified he was a dangerous person and that he might have powerful backers supporting him. They would have wanted to capture him and force him to give them the martial technique, but at this moment, they were in a bind for time. The carriage was drawing closer and in about two minutes the carriage will get in position to see them. Their original plan was to hide along the road and attack the carriage by surprise, but now everything seems to on wait until they kill the youth in front of them.

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    Note:

    Thanks for reading guys. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please rate and share the story. Every little bit helps.  Also,  all further releases will first be posted Silva''s Library </a>before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 17: Holding Out

    Willard could feel the tense atmosphere at the moment. The men were staring at him with sinister blood thirsty looks. Unlike earlier, these men did not take him to be a threat, but right now they seemed to have acknowledged his existence. Without making any sudden moves, Willard was staring at the man who was holding a bow and arrow. That bow and Kota represented the most danger to Willard right now.

    </a>

    ¡°Whoosh¡± the man with the bow, started shooting his arrows at Willard. It took the combination of quick reflexes and earth natural energy, for Willard to evade and block some of the arrows. Before Willard had any time to think of a counter measure, Kota had already arrived within an arm¡¯s length of Willard. He attacked in a slashing motion towards Willard¡¯s body. Seeing this, Willard immediately used the blade he got from their dead companion to defend Kota¡¯s sword attack. As both swords crossed paths, momentary sparks could be seen for a split second before Kota¡¯s sword started slicing through Willard¡¯s blade, like a hot knife to butter. Willard quickly utilized his martial movement technique to evade the momentum of Kota¡¯s sword.

    </a>

    Willard was shocked and at the same time, seemed to have figured out something. He finally solved the puzzle that had bewildered him the whole time. How did Kota discover his presence? Now he finally understood how it was possible for Kota to have discovered him. Kota was at the elemental energy level and specifically trained in the wind element to a very high degree. Amongst the elements one could train in, wind and earth are unrivaled in their ability to monitor their surroundings. Wind elementalist could monitor their surroundings for any unnatural resistances in the flow of the wind. The really gifted ones, could take this a step further and completely draw a mental map of their surroundings, detailing the different things around a certain radius. Gifted earth elementalist could accurately sense the vibrations on the earth. They could easily tell what was natural and what was unnatural, like the movement people and animals, through the rhythm of the vibrations they sensed. This special effect made it especially difficult for anyone to easily ambush people that trained in these elements.

    </a>

    Knowing Kota could sense him through the wind was a major problem for Willard. It meant that Kota had trained at least to the 5th level of wind elemental energy, and that a one on one battle would be severely disadvantageous to him. ¡°Swoosh¡± another arrow was fired straight at Willard¡¯s heart. The arrow seemed to contain the vast energy of the world, it was extremely fast and left Willard with no time to react. The arrow connected and cleanly hit Willard  to the chest. The energy of the arrow flung Willard directly to the floor. Willard was laying lifelessly on the floor. His attire was bloodied and he had an arrow protruding out of his chest.

    </a>

    ¡°Go get ready to ambush the carriage.¡± Kota said to his two remaining companions as he rushed to confirm Willard¡¯s death and get rid of both his dead companion and Willard¡¯s body.

    </a>

    The two of them were making their way to the bushes at the side of the road while Kota was heading straight for Willard. As Kota was reaching in to check Willard¡¯s pulse, he suddenly sensed something was wrong and made a backward movement. Willard¡¯s hands shaped like a knife was thrusted straight at Kota¡¯s heart. Luckily enough for Kota, Willard had missed his heart and instead hit him in the abdomen. Kota had never completely let his guard down and continued monitoring his surrounding with the wind. That was how he was able to quickly detect Willard¡¯s movement and save his life.

    </a>

    Willard had a look of displeasure in his eyes. ¡®Why won¡¯t this Kota just die¡¯ he thought to himself as he tried to continue his attack. That was the perfect opportunity he had to finally kill Kota, but somehow Kota still managed to survive. Unknown to the group, Willard had utilized the earth elemental energy and completely made his body as valiant as a rock. Although the arrow was powerfully shot and connected with him, it wasn¡¯t strong enough to completely penetrate through his body when he enforced it with natural energy. That was Willard¡¯s final trump card, he knew he was at the end of the ropes here. He did not have much natural and elemental energy left, he only had enough elemental energy to last less than a minute.

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    </a>

    The other two that were heading straight for the bushes both turned to see what the sudden noise was. To their complete surprise, Willard was standing, while Kota was bleeding. They couldn¡¯t understand what had happened as they were all but certain that Willard was dead. They had witnessed the arrow plunge it¡¯s metallic head into Willard¡¯s chest, and yet that same Willard was still standing right in front of them.

    </a>

    The man with the bow, took out an arrow from his sack. His aim was directed at Willard. He arced the bow to its fullest, forming a perfect crescent shape. Willard seeing this knew exactly what was about to happen. After all, he had taken one of such shot and had barely managed to survive it. Seeing how fast his earth elemental energy was dwindling, Willard knew he couldn¡¯t withstand another arrow attack and by all means he had to evade this arrow.

    </a>

    ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡± A voice interrupted the scene that was unfolding. Looking to the direction of the voice, Willard and the assassins saw a tall, muscular, warrior come out of a stopped carriage. The warrior had an insignia of a white lotus flower embroidered on his outfit, which signified he was from the Gerret family. It was abundantly clear who was in that carriage now. It was Sebastian Gerret. This was the opportunity Willard had been hoping for. He had managed to hold out long enough for the assassins to shift their target away from him, and he also had the opportunity to gain a lofty backer.

    </a>

    The man with the bow immediately pointed his arrow at the tall muscular warrior and immediately shot at him. Willard used the last ounce of strength he had to seize this opportunity and dashed towards the bushes behind him. The assassins couldn¡¯t be bothered to chase after Willard because their main job was to kill the master of that carriage.

    </a>

    The sudden attack from the assassin caught the warrior by surprise. Although the warrior was able to preserve his life by avoiding a fatal attack, the arrow none the less still hit his left shoulder. At this point, it was abundantly clear to the people in the carriage that these people were aiming for them. Three other warriors came out of the carriage and took defensive stances. These warriors seemed quite experienced in this sort of matter. Almost as if they had revised such a scenario a hundred times.

    While all of this had happened, Kota had used the opportunity to stop his bleeding. He immediately took to the front lines to join his companion in attacking the warriors from the carriage.

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    Note:

    Thanks for reading guys. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please rate and share the story. Every little bit helps.  Also,  all further releases will first be posted Silva''s Library </a>before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 18: Breakthrough

    One thing was clear to the warriors from the Gerrett family, and that was that they had been ambushed. ¡°Protect the young master,¡± the tall muscular warrior said as he staggered backwards to try to tend to his wounds. The three uninjured warriors from the Gerrett family, all moved in unison. They spaced themselves to cover the front lines of the carriage. From the leftmost side, the warrior wielded twin blades. The warrior in the middle had a long sword, which the tightly held on to with both hands. The warrior to the right took out a sickle and connected it to a chain he wore on his body. From the looks of this standoff, one could tell that the warriors of the Gerrett family were battle seasoned.

    Willard did not get too far into the bushes before he decided to stop running. He could tell that he wasn¡¯t being followed and as such, this was the perfect time for him to try and recuperate. Willard sat in a meditative position with his legs crossed together and started gathering the natural energy of the world. Willard had a gentle smile on his face, almost as if he was in ecstasy. Although the previous battle he just experienced almost claimed his life, it also brought unspeakable joy to him. Ever since he regained his memory, he had never really been in true danger. He always had the ability to escape with his life, but his previous encounter was clearly different. If the warriors from the Gerrett household hadn¡¯t been there, he would never have escaped from the assassins claws.

    As the event that transpired flew across Willard¡¯s mind, he was immediately engulfed in a trance-like state. His memory of fighting the Eurus, a chief god wind, came crashing through his subconscious. Eurus was fairly private chief god that resided in the uttermost east side of the nine heavens. Although he had no interest in the power struggle of the various chief gods, he none the less created a reputation for himself as one of the supreme gods of the nine heavens. Even with his might, Eurus lack of interest in everything was of the highest level.

    After Thanus had won over the territory of Thandine from Zinus, he had immediately sent out his subordinates to go secure the perimeters of his territory and establish his prominence. Willard got word of a troublesome fellow, in the southernmost region of Thandine, that was a thorn to his subordinates. Willard decided to go to the southernmost region of Thandine, Thanus encountered a strange fellow sitting on a branch of a tree and staring into the distance. At that time, Thanus had no idea it was Eurus, and proceeded to expel this person from his ever-expanding territory. This encounter ended up as a fight between Thanus and Eurus. During their bout, Thanus realized how powerful  a chief god of the wind element could be in a one vs one battle. No matter what attack Thanus used, Eurus was easily able to evade it. In his anger, Thanus released his ultimate attack, the desolation rain. In the wake of that attack, the surrounding previously serene environment was completely destroyed. The lake, trees and surrounding mountains were all but reduced to dust.

    Eurus walked by to the location where the large tree, he enjoyed laying on, used to be. For the first time, during his encounter with Eurus, Willard noticed an emotion on Eurus face. A silky white ripple of energy was permeating from Eurus, who was clearly angry. In a fraction of a second, Eurus appeared before Thanus. In his hand was a short transparent blade. Eurus started attacking Thanus wholeheartedly, wherever his transparent blade cuts across, a hurricane would proceed in its path. Both Thanus and the lesser gods that  came with him were all in awe at the battle prowess Eurus possessed. Eurus continued pressuring Thanus until he abruptly stopped attacking and immediately started flying down southwards.

    With that confrontation, It was clear to Thanus that he was equally matched with Eurus, and Eurus having the advantage in speed. Thanus immediately stopped his expansion southward and marked that region the southern end of his territory.

    While in that same meditative position, a slight ripple of natural energy escaped from Willards core and spread to the surrounding area around his body. Willard opened his eyes with a smile on his face. Willard had finally broken through to the 7th level of natural energy. He could also feel that with enough time, he would easily be able to break through to the 8th level. Before his fight with the assassins, Willard was at the bottleneck of the peak of level 5 natural energy. The fight with the assassins provided him a much-needed tempering of his soul.

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    Although Willard had made a breakthrough in the levels of natural energy, he was still quite weak and exhausted. Willard continued meditating to stabilize and replenish the natural energy in his core. At this time his mind was devoid of all thoughts, it was as calm and quiet as the floating clouds. He meditated quietly directing natural energy to his body for some time. Afterwards, Willard proceeded to leave the bushes where he had been meditating

    During the time Willard took to breakthrough to the 7th level of natural energy, the fight between the assassins and the Gerrett family warriors had seen the death of two people. From the assassins side, the man who had been shooting the arrows was dead. From the Gerrett household warriors side, the man with the sickle and chain had died. Kota was in a miserable state, as blood could be seen dripping from the various cuts around his body.

    Kota had barely managed to maintain an equilibrium in the face of the Gerrett warriors onslaught. ¡°Damn that brat,¡± Kota cursed inwardly as he thought of Willard. If he hadn¡¯t been injured by Willard, his group would have had the advantage, and not to talk of the extra person Willard had killed. Now there was just one other assassin and himself against the remaining three Gerrett warriors. It would have been enough to fight almost any other group, but the tall muscular warrior that originally got shot with an arrow turned out to be in the peak stage of the 10th level of natural energy. He was a step away from the elemental energy level and was incredibly powerful. The warrior easily wielded a great axe with one hand and was able to pressure the injured Kota.

    At this point in time Sebastian Gerrett was watching the whole fight from the carriage and was quite panicked at the situation. This was the first time his guards had fought with a group this powerful. Sebastian couldn¡¯t join the guards in the fight because he was much weaker than they were. If he did, he would only be causing trouble for them, since he was only just at the 3rd level of natural energy. ¡°Please anyone save them.¡± Sebastian inwardly hoped.

    The tall muscular warrior charged forward to engage Kota on a one versus one battle, while the other two warriors ganged up on the last remaining assassin. The other Gerrett family warriors knew they were in a bind for time, because the tall muscular warrior could only at most hold Kota down for some seconds before he would be eventually overwhelmed by Kota. So they instinctively knew they had to kill their opponent before the tall muscular warrior ended up dead. Because if that happened, then they¡¯ll most definitely lose their lives to Kota.

    As the tall muscular warrior got in close proximity to Kota, he powerfully swung his axe aiming for Kota¡¯s head. As the axe drew closer to Kota, a mischievous smile emerged from Kota¡¯s face. This was the opportunity he had hoped for. The most powerful of the warriors was within his attack range and was still drawing closer to him. Kota immediately activated the wind elemental energy on his sword and proceeded to attack the axe on its motion. As Kota expected, his sword was gently slicing through the great battle-axe and headed straight for the tall muscular warriors neck.

    Suddenly, Kota felt something rapidly moving towards his direction, and immediately tried to move away. Unfortunately for him, it was too late. His body was already pierced through, from the back, with a broken battle blade.

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    Thanks for reading guys. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please rate and share the story. Every little bit helps.  Also,  all further releases will first be posted Silva''s Library</a>https://silvalibrary.com/original/the-god-of-destruction/</a>before being updated anywhere else.

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    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 19: Young Master Sebastian

    Kota slowly turned, as he coughed out some blood, to see who or what it was that had stabbed him. To his surprise, he saw a condescending smile from Willard. Kota was filled with regrets for his earlier in-actions that had ultimately led to his current state. If only he had not underestimated the youth before him, and just killed him directly in the forest, he would have accomplished his mission and returned back safely. But as fate would have it, he was the one who ended up dead. Kota¡¯s body slumped to the floor with a thud sound, his face was still covered with boundless resentment.

    This event had utterly stunned everyone. In the face of despair, the tall muscular warrior had given up all hopes. He had even resigned himself to his death, but somehow a savior had appeared in the nick of time to save him. The last surviving assassin was the first to come back to his senses, he immediately took heel running. He knew he was no longer a match for the opposing side now that Kota had died. The other two warriors from the Gerrett family chased after the assassin.

    ¡°This warrior here owes you his life, Thank you.¡± The tall muscular man said to Willard in complete honesty. He indeed would have been dead without Willards intervention, and not just him everyone including his young master would have all died today.

    Willard could feel the honesty and integrity of the warriors thankful appreciation. He nodded in acknowledgment as he stared towards the carriage. Willard could see the silhouette of a young man making his way towards him. The young man had a tall slender body structure, his face was well defined and handsome. His hair was strangely white as the cloud, his eyes were green as the jade green stones of the east seas. He was like a character out of a fairytale. One would have to admit this young man is very handsome.

    ¡°Young master Sebastian,¡± the tall muscular warrior said as he bowed to one knee. The muscular warrior was quite ashamed of his current state. He had been charged with the protection of the young lord, and not only had he failed but he was also saved by a youth. The tall muscular warrior kept on kneeling as if he was expecting some kind of punishment. Sebastian continued walking to the side of the warrior and tapped him on his right shoulder.

    ¡°What is there to be ashamed of Hector? You did your best and thankfully we survived.¡± Sebastian said as he walked past the tall muscular Hector.

    ¡°Thank you for saving us today. May I know the name of my benefactor?¡± Sebastian said while bowing. That scene had slightly surprised Willard because Sebastian¡¯s appearance and mannerism were vastly different from the other nobles he had previously encountered. Willard could still remember the overbearing character of Asyut as he asked his guards to beat him up. What surprised Willard the most was the fact that Sebastian actually bowed to him. If Sebastian had only said his thanks, he would have found that normal, but for him to bow meant he did not see himself as a god among mortals. This gave Willard quite a favorable opinion of Sebastian and an affirmation in making the right decision.

    ¡°My name is Willard Wuldag,¡± Willard said in response to Sebastian¡¯s question. ¡°I had encountered those men while I was in Marquis city and decided to follow them in secret. Who would have known they had such terrible things in mind. Thankfully, your guard here was able to distract that one long enough for me to stab him¡± Willard said as he pointed to Kota¡¯s dead body.

    Sebastian hearing those words had a simple smile on his face. Although he was smiling, he was also deeply thinking about what Willard had said. He knew what had transpired wasn¡¯t as simple as Willard was making out to be, but he chose not to delve any deeper into it. After all, he had only just survived this ordeal thanks to Willard¡¯s intervention, and he wasn¡¯t going to be impolite and pry any further. Whatever the case was, Sebastian had decided to get Willard on his side. Hector had a look of disbelief as he stared at Willard. He had originally seen Willard fighting the group of assassins before Willard had used their appearance to escape.

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    ¡°I see. We are grateful for your kindness. How about we ride together since you are currently staying at Marquis city,¡± Sebastian said with a simple smile. Willard nodded in agreement and proceeded to follow Sebastian as they walked towards his carriage. While Willard and Sebastian were walking to the carriage, Hector was busy going through Kota¡¯s belongings.

    The warriors that had chased after the escaping assassin returned empty handed. The assassin had managed to outrun them without leaving a trace of his whereabout. Though they were not satisfied with the outcome, they couldn¡¯t help but sigh in amazement of the assassin escaping prowess. From the choice of his path to his individual speed, it was well refined and seasoned. One could tell he was at least a one-star ranked assassin.

    While going through Kota¡¯s belongings, Hector had discovered a silver pendant with three purple stars embroidered on it. Hector was completely speechless as he stared intently at the pendant. He knew exactly what that pendant represented. Hector could tell that Kota was from an assassin sector, the purple mist assassin sector which was a very reputable one. It also meant that Kota had reached the third-star level, which was the most shocking thing to Hector.

    Assassins within the Amber kingdom are usually ranked from the first to the fifth star. For an assassin to get ranked with a single star, that assassin would have reached at least the fifth level of natural energy, and have successfully completed ten unranked missions. For the second star level, the assassin would have at least reached the ninth or tenth level of natural energy and have successfully completed more than thirty one-stared missions. A three-star assassin would have reached the elemental energy level, and have completed fifty two-stared missions. As for a four-star assassin, there was no requirement on the level of elemental energy, only completing a hundred three-stared mission would earn you the title. After all, assassins had quite a difficult job. It was rare for assassins to successfully complete a hundred missions before their death. The five-star assassins were on a whole different level, it would require an assassin to have reached the saint level. In the history of the Amber kingdom, there has only ever been one five-stared assassin.

    Hector knew how strong Kota was during their fight, but he had never expected him to be from the purple mist assassin sector or had reached the three-star level. After all, there were a lot of two stared assassins in the elemental energy level. Hector frantically searched kota¡¯s corpse to find the assassination mission mandate, but he never could find one. Hector was surprised by the fact that there was no assassination mission mandate on Kota¡¯s body, that directly requested for the death of Sebastian. Usually, most assassins would have their mission mandate on them everywhere they went.

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    Note:

    Thanks for reading guys, volume one is completed. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please rate and share the story. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 20: Good Friends

    Hector went back to the carriage, he detailed his findings to Sebastian and the group within the carriage. Sebastian decided it was best they discussed the matter when they were safe within the comfort of the Gerrett household. Along the way, Sebastian spared no effort in trying to invite Willard to join the Gerrett household. Sebastian had clearly witnessed the battle prowess of Willard, which made him greatly admire Willard.

    For the rest of the ride, the warriors had paid great attention to their surroundings. They did not relax even a little bit as they all rushed back to Marquis city. During the ride, only Sebastian and Willard seemed to be a little carefree as they continued chatting. Willard had also mentioned his previous encounter with Asyut while withholding the details of what happened to the guards. After hearing all that, Sebastian was more determined to recruit Willard. Although Sebastian greatly wanted Willard, he also wasn¡¯t going to be intolerant of his refusal. Sebastian would much rather retain a relationship with Willard than not.

    Willard agreed to stay in the Gerrett household for the remainder of his stay in Marquis city. Willard had told Sebastian of his interest in taking the Blood Challenge, of which Sebastian had insisted he stayed as a guest of the Gerrett household while he trained and waited for the trials.

    The rest of the journey was much smoother, they encountered nothing particularly troublesome as the raced towards the Gerrett household. After about an hour or so, the carriage came to a stop. While exiting the carriage, the first thing that caught Willards eyes was the image of the Gerrett family insignia that was hung up high on the building. The banner had a white lotus flower with the name Gerrett underneath the image of the flower. The banner had an air of majesty to it, as it stood firm and clear. The Gerrett household was like an enclosed forth, it gave a similar resemblance to a walled city. At the center of the manor, there was a large building beautifully adorned with decorative pieces. This building was the main resident of the Lord of the Gerrett family. It also had a beautiful garden surrounding its entrance which gave a sense of tranquility and peace. There were dozens of smaller buildings scattered around the manor, which housed guests, workers, warriors and a host of other groups. At the sight of such a thing, one had to recognize the might of one of the founding households of Marquis city.

    Sebastian lead the way as he directed Willard towards the main house. ¡°Young master,¡± an old man with gray hair said, as he walked out of the main house.

    ¡°How was your journey this time around? It seemed to have been a dangerous one.¡± The old man asked, as he intently stared at the strange young man, and the warriors that accompanied Sebastian.

    ¡°We will talk about that much later,¡± Sebastian responded.

    ¡°Oh Arilis, can you prepare a good feast for my good friend and I,¡± Sebastian said with a smile on his face. Sebastian continued walking towards the house as he led the way for Willard.

    The old man, Arilis, was a little surprised. Although Sebastian was a generally friendly person, he had never personally hosted a stranger before. Even when he had other aristocrats over, he had never called them his good friend. From this, Arilis could tell there had to be something special about this young man who had some bloodied stains around his outfit. He knew his young master must have encountered some serious danger this time around.

    ¡°Yes young master,¡± Arilis responded.

    Arilis immediately ordered the servants to prepare the feast. He had also personally led the servants as they went on to get things ready. A bath was prepared for Sebastian and his guest. A new outfit was prepared for Willard as well, seeing how tattered his outfit was. Moments later, both Willard and Sebastian had returned to a well-prepared feast. There were a lot of great looking aromatic meals spread across the dining hall. One had to know the founding families lived in abundance. All sorts of meals and assortments were present on the tables. Even the chief of the Yellow Hem village would most likely have never seen some of those meals before.

    The warriors that had battled the assassins were also present. Sebastian had ordered them to join in the feast. Although Sebastian was a victim of an assassination attempt, he was also in a great mood. He had survived and made a promising friend. Although Sebastian wasn¡¯t physically as strong as his peers, he made up for it with his wit and knowledge. Sebastian could tell from Willards performance, he was someone who had the potential to grow really powerful, and that was why he was trying to befriend Willard now. As the saying goes, an ally¡¯s strength is also one¡¯s strength. By gaining Willard as a friend, he would have gained another powerful ally. Sebastian, Willard and the warriors all ate and drank to their fullest. Surviving danger usually has a way of doing wonders to one¡¯s appetite.

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    Later at night, the lord of the Gerrett family arrived home. Sebastian had a private talk with his father that lasted some hours. During that talk, Sebastian had detailed what had happened to him. He did not omit any part, including the previous interaction Willard had with Asyut. There was a clear sign of anger on Sebastian¡¯s father¡¯s face all throughout the talk. As they finished their conversation, Sebastian took the opportunity to invite Willard to meet his father. Willard was lead to the Gerrett family reception hall by Asilis, and as they walked through the main hall of the house, Willard could make out various paintings of several prominent Gerrett ancestors that were spread across the walls of the hall. With this, one could tell how long this household had been established. Their roots were comparable to that of the governing family, the Marquis household, but unfortunately, they have been on the decline for some time now.

    As Willard got to the reception hall, he saw a well-built man sitting on an ascended stage. The man had a rugged appearance, with a thick armor on.  The armor had the amber kingdoms insignia of a red great eagle on it. With this, one could surmise that this man was in the Amber kingdom¡¯s army and from the looks of the armor, he held an important position. The man looked nothing like Sebastian, the man had short hair with a face full of beards. This man could be described as the personification of a warrior. To the right stood Sebastian who blossomed into a smile as he saw Willard. Sebastian walked towards Willard and said, ¡°come let me introduce you to my father.¡± Willard nodded docilely almost as if he was a well-mannered youth.

    ¡°Father, this is Willard.¡± Sebastian said as he pulled Willard a little closer. ¡°He was the one that saved my life today.¡±

    ¡°Willard greets lord Jayesh,¡± Willard said with a respectful bow. Although Willard had no idea how strong lord Jayesh was, but from the looks of lord Jayesh, Willard got the feeling that this man before him was incredibly dangerous. He wanted to make sure he got on his good side until he was strong enough to protect himself. Marquis city was vastly different from the Yellow Hem village, where Willard could almost do as he pleased. Here in Marquis city, they were countless people who could easily kill him at his current level. Willard knew when to be overbearing and when he had to retreat. For the moment, Willard planned on using the Gerrett family¡¯s power and influence to protect himself while he trained and increased his power base.

    Lord Jayesh nodded and stared at Willard with a look of appraisal. The youth before him greatly peaked his interest, because they were not many youths in the kingdom who could accomplish what Willard had accomplished.

    ¡°You are welcome to stay as an honored guest for as long as you like,¡± Jayesh said in a hoarse-voiced.

    ¡°Asilis, make sure his accommodations are comfortable,¡± Jayesh continued. Asilis hearing that nodded and responded, ¡°Yes my lord.¡±

    Sebastian took Willard by the hand and proceeded to lead him out of the hall. He took Willard to the front yard garden where they conversed for some time before they both went to their respective residency. When Willard got to his room, he prepared to begin one of the longest training session he had ever done.

    *********************************************************************************************************

    Note:

    Thanks for reading guys, volume one is completed. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please rate and share the story. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 21: Dangers of the Red forest

    Willard crossed his legs in a meditative position and was getting ready to start his training. He was currently adjusting his state of mind so that he could be in a perfect mind frame for cultivation. Ever since his fight with Kota, Willard had noticed an increase in the level of his soul. He was prepared to put that experience to good use, as he got ready to cultivate natural energy.

    Before Willard went into his final meditative state, a quick thought flashed true his mind. ¡°I wonder how Baya is doing?¡± Willard said before he firmly shut his eyes.

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    On the journey to the Red forest, Baya had taken every precaution possible to ensure his journey was safe. He traveled for a full day before reaching the outer perimeter of the Red forest. At this point, Baya could feel the elevated temperature of the strange forest. It was a marvel in itself that some plants could survive there. It was nighttime, so Baya decided to wait the night at the perimeters of the forest before he ventured into the forest. Baya eventually found a safe and secluded place to lay for the night.

    When the day got brighter, Baya proceeded to venture into the forest. On his way, Baya primarily encountered only plant life forms that inhabited the forest. Baya was wary at first because of the rumors of certain beasts types that lived in the Red forest. After a couple of hours of walking through the Red forest, he had yet to encounter anything, so naturally he relaxed his mind for a bit.

    From afar, Baya could see the outskirts of a bloody mist. A smile quickly blossomed on his face, as that meant he was about to reach the Red lagoon. Baya carefully walked into the mist and slowly proceeded to the Lagoon. Baya walked for a couple of hours before he realized that the earth beneath his foot increasingly got soggy, like the surface of a swamp. Moments later Baya could see a bright red Lagoon, beneath the thick clothing of the fog. Although the view of the Red lagoon had a peaceful and serene feel to it, Baya knew at the back of his mind that this place represented great danger. As someone who had never ventured to this parts before, he honestly had no idea of what to expect.

    Not long after observing the lagoon, Baya located several fire plants growing in the lagoon. This red plants seemed to grow naturally in this harsh environment almost as if it had all the nutrients in the world. Baya slowly approached one of the plants closest to him. He stared at his surrounding as if he was expecting something to spontaneous appear. To his surprise, nothing had happened, the environment still had its usual tranquil scenery.

    Baya reached out to grab the plant and yank it out. The moment his hands made contact with the plant, a loud shrill was heard. The noise had completely caught him off guard. He quickly looked up to see where the noise was coming from, but to his dismay, he could not see a thing. Baya started noticing that the fog that had been mostly calm several feets above the river were slowly descending. Baya wasn¡¯t certain what that meant, but his subconscious told him it wasn¡¯t good. So Baya reached for the plant again and aggressively yanked it out. Placing the plant in a sac, Baya immediately started making his way out of the lagoon, but suddenly he felt a strange tremor. Almost instantly, a root of a plant wrapped itself around Baya¡¯s foot. Strange creatures emerged from within the descending fog. These creatures had a grotesque look to them and were shaped in a deformed humanoid form. They also had savage fangs for teeth and long elongated protrusions for fingers. The most surprising feature of these monstrosities were without a doubt their red wings.

    The creatures flew at astonishing speed towards Baya, who at this point knew he was in real danger. Baya quickly pulled out his dagger and cut off the plant root that had entangled his foot. A strange red liquid gushed out of the severed plant, which rightly surprised Baya. Baya used the opportunity to utilize the movement martial technique in his bid to escape. Baya managed to gain some distance closer to the edge of the lagoon, but to his surprise, two other roots had instantly entangled both feet this time, as if they had predicted his movement, and were quickly spiraling up his legs. One of the creatures made a loud shrill as it came flying towards Baya. It used its nails to attack Baya, who was bounded by the plant, as it flew by. Baya tried his best to evade the attack but was still injured, as the creature had still managed to hit his back.

    Baya without any hesitation used his dagger to cut off both roots that had bound him in place. After he cut them off, he used the martial movement technique in quick succession to try and escape the clutches of the lagoon. The creatures all continued flying towards Baya, who was running and using the movement technique in succession. At this point, Baya had lost his bearing as he ran in whatever direction those creatures were not in. The martial technique barely gave him the opportunity to move at a slightly faster pace than those creatures, who seemed unrelenting in their pursuit.

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    After running and using the martial movement technique for about an hour, the natural energy in Baya¡¯s core was almost depleted. The thick fog which seemed to continue spreading as he ran, had stopped expanding up ahead of him. Baya decided to continue running in that direction. As Baya got towards the edge of the fog, he realized he had reached the top of a cliff. The creatures continued flying towards Baya, who seemed to have run into a dead end.

    Baya looked at the cliff before him and saw nothing but an endless amount of trees, he was faced with two options of jumping or fighting against those creatures. Either choice would more than likely lead to his eventual death. After pondering for a few seconds, Baya decided to jump off the cliff, at least if he died, his body wouldn¡¯t be mutilated by those creatures. After Baya jumped off the cliff, the sound of several branches breaking and an eventual thud was heard. The creatures continued their shrilling noise but did not leave the perimeters of the fog. Eventually, the creatures all flew back to where they came from.

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    While Willard was cultivating natural energy, he concentrated on his core as he pulled natural energy in through his body and directed it to his core. The energy was slowly revolving and compressing to give the shape of a milky sphere the size of a golf ball. Every time the energy swiveled around his core, he felt a slight ripple of sorts. He couldn¡¯t quite understand what was causing the ripple, but he quickly realized the ripple had no negative effects on him.

    In one stretch, Willard had cultivated for two full weeks. This was the longest time he had ever spent in a single training session after his reincarnation. As someone who could activate and nourish his body with natural energy, Willard had no need to consume food. Willard had previously informed Sebastian of his plan to go into seclusion training, of which Sebastian had instructed Asilis to make sure no one bothered Willard during his training session.

    After two weeks of training, Willard finally opened his eyes for the first time. He took some time to inspect his body, after a short while, a smile erupted on Willard¡¯s face.

    ¡°I have already reached the 9th level of natural energy,¡± Willard said approvingly.

    ¡°Although I¡¯m still in the early phase of the 9th level, it shouldn¡¯t take me too long to reach the mid-level.¡±

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    Note:

    Thanks for reading guys. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please rate and share the story. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 22: My Slave

    After reaching the 9th level, Willard was satisfied with his current base. He had only used a month to reach his current level, which in itself was monstrous. The benefits of having a godly soul and overcoming a near death situation were quite apparent. He could completely breakthrough from the 7th level to the 9th level in one month. This was more than a rare fit to accomplish, it was simply inconceivable. One had to realize that Baya had been stuck at the 8th level for years, and Willard surmounted that level within a month. Although Willard could cultivate earth elemental energy, he also needed to get his physical body to the state where he could fully utilize the power of elemental energy.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for me to focus on my elemental base,¡± Willard said to himself as he stretched his body.

    After a couple of minutes of moving his body, Willard went back to the same meditative position. He immediately started pulling the boundless energy of the earth to his body from which it was directed to his core. If one had keen eyes, they would notice traces of brownish earth elemental energy surrounding Willard. The earth¡¯s elemental energy was flowing to the ball-shaped core Willard had formed.  Willards core formed by natural energy had a trembling sensation as the earth elemental energy combined with the core formed from his natural energy. As Willard continued pulling in the earth''s elemental energy to his core, the color seemed to be slowly changing from a clear milky color to that of a light brownish color.

    Ever so often, the tremor formed by the strange ripple occurring in Willards core would slightly increase in magnitude. Although the increase could barely be noticed, Willard paid some attention to this phenomenon, which was how he noticed the slight increase. After observing the strange occurrence for some time, Willard had decided to stop observing it. There was nothing he could do to it, even if he wanted to.

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    The odor of wood burning harassed Baya¡¯s nostrils as he was jolted out of his unconscious state. Baya slowly opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar layout. He tried to get himself up, only to find that he had been chained up in a bed ridden position.

    ¡°You finally woke up,¡± a feminine voice rang in Baya¡¯s ears. Baya turned to see who it was that had spoken to him. To his complete surprise, he saw what seemed like a young woman mixing some herbs at a distant table. Baya¡¯s eyes moved around the unfamiliar place noting the various other people that were also chained up and unconscious. He also saw two other men who stood at the entrance to the enclosure. At this point, Baya was completely certain of his situation.

    ¡°Slave trappers,¡± Baya murmured to himself. It would seem his luck had turned from bad to worse. The slave trappers were usually groups of rogues or bandits who engaged in the illegal slave trade. They had a ruthless reputation for their inhumane treatment of the captives they enslaved. These rogues usually hid deep within a forest, and changed their locations ever so often, making it difficult for them to be found and punished.

    ¡°Go get the leader,¡± The female said instructing one of the men who stood at the entrance. She walked all the way to where Baya was chained. She stared at Baya for a bit and smiled.

    ¡°Who would have thought we would easily find such high-quality merchandise, and a good looking one at that,¡± she said merrily.

    ¡°Although we had to expend some effort in saving you, it would all be worth it.¡±

    ¡°What is your name and where are you from?¡±

    Baya hearing her comments, felt a surge of sudden rage. He was trapped by this group and this woman in front of him only sees him as a merchandise. He thought of how many ways he could kill this woman if he was free, but as things stood he was a captive. Baya looked up at the woman who was talking to him. The first thing that caught his eyes was the huge scar on her forehead.

    ¡°Why ....¡± Baya was about to speak before he was interrupted with a slap to his face.

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    ¡°When I ask a question, you are to respond immediately,¡± The middle-aged woman said angrily.

    Baya who at this point was already angry grew to a state of utter madness. He yanked the chain in a gesture that suggested he was going to attack. No matter how hard he yanked the chain, he was still attached to the chain and immobile. Baya wished more than anything in the world to free himself and kill the woman in front of him.

    ¡°It seems you do not understand your situation,¡± the middle-aged woman said as she grabbed onto Baya¡¯s neck with her left hand.

    ¡°You stinking animal are now my slave.¡±

    In Baya¡¯s fit of rage, all he could do was spit at her face. He was angry but unfortunately, he was a captive. The middle aged woman had a strange smile on her face, almost as if she got pleasure from tormenting him.

    ¡°You still have some courage. Good. Good. I will take my time and break that courage of yours.¡± She said as she slowly pulled out a short dagger from her waist. She pointed her dagger at Baya¡¯s face and was slowly making her way to Baya¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Karin are you planning on killing the merchandise,¡± A male voice sounded in the enclosure. The male that had spoken slowly walked to the side of the middle aged woman. The man had a slim physique, with brown hair. He was the older brother of the middle aged woman and the leader of the group of bandits. Following right behind the man, was the two men who were previously guarding the enclosure.

    ¡°Not at all brother, I was just improving his behavior.¡± Karin, the middle-aged woman, responded.

    With a smile on his face, the leader of the bandits, gently tapped Karin¡¯s shoulder to suggest she puts away the dagger. He then proceeded to inspect Baya, who was surprisingly calm at this point.

    ¡°Don''t disfigure this one. It is very rare to find a merchandise in the 8th level of natural energy. I intend to make full profits from this one.¡± The leader of the bandits said. He then proceeded to walk out of the enclosure. The two men that were guarding the enclosure, had faces riddled with pity and indifference. They also started walking out with their leader. As the people who usually guarded the enclosure, they had witnessed similar occurrences in the past. They knew what fate awaited anyone that peaked Karin¡¯s interest.

    ¡°Leave this place,¡± Karin yelled at the guards. One of the guards angrily turned for a couple of seconds, and then started walking off. They had experienced these familiar scenes so many times. It was easy to tell they hated Karin, but out of fear for her brother, the leader of the bandits, they couldn¡¯t dare do anything about it.

    After the guards had left, Karin slowly started taking off her clothing. She had a strange smile on her face. Baya seeing her entire naked body was stunned for a second. The only physical flaw this woman had was the scar on her forehead, and even with that, she was still beautiful.

    Karin proceeded to sit on Baya¡¯s body. She dropped her dagger to the side of Baya¡¯s face and said with a smile, ¡°Let me tell you a story.¡±

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    Note:

    Thanks for reading guys. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please rate and share the story. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 23: Will you be Missed?

    ¡°A long long time ago, there lived a beautiful maiden with her lovely family,¡± Karin said, as she stared in the distance. She had a pleasant smile as she spoke those words. ¡°The maiden had two younger siblings and an elder sibling. Her mother was beautiful and caring and her father was a good man, or at least that was what she had thought. Although the family couldn¡¯t be labeled as rich, they none the less was peaceful and happy.¡±

    ¡°When the maiden turned 18, she had gotten many suitors who were interested in her. A young man, in particular, had spared no effort in his pursuit. He was the son of a jeweler and a particularly handsome young man named Wilsow. He had showered the maidens family with all sorts of gifts.¡± Karin said moving her gaze towards the chained up Baya.

    ¡°Although Wilsow had other wives, it was still acceptable. it was later decided by the maiden¡¯s father that she would marry him. The maiden did not disagree with her father¡¯s decision, after all, he was looking out for his daughter and family. The maiden was invited by her husband to be to come visit his family.¡± Karin said with a slight pause.

    ¡°Unbeknown to the maiden, she wasn¡¯t heading for Wilsow¡¯s home. Oh no, she was heading to somewhere completely different. You see, Wilsow did not want this maiden because he loved her. He wanted her for the sport of it. Wilsow took the maiden to a brothel owned by himself and his friends.¡±

    ¡°He had her in chains, just like you,¡± Karin said pointing at Baya. ¡°On the very same night, he had his friends watch as he raped the maiden. They chatted about some points Wilsow had gotten for his conquest.¡±

    ¡°Wilsow held the maiden¡¯s neck, like this. While he was having his way with her.¡± She said squeezing onto Baya¡¯s neck.

    ¡°The maiden steeled her heart and stopped crying. All she could feel was a boundless rage with no means to pour it out. She stared fixedly at Wilsow as he raped her. Wilsow seeing this play out wasn¡¯t too happy.¡± Karin said as she stopped squeezing Baya¡¯s neck, who immediately started gasping for air.

    ¡°He took a knife to the maiden¡¯s face and said he hated the wrinkles on her face as she frowned. Wilsow slashed her forehead multiple times, saying he was getting rid of her ugly wrinkles. He destroyed her beautiful face out of anger.¡± At this time, Karin had picked up her dagger and pointed it at Baya¡¯s head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am not as sick as Wilsow.¡± Karin said tapping Baya¡¯s chicks with her dagger.

    After calming his breathing, Baya looked at Karin and said,¡±Is this your excuse for doing this? Are you expecting me to feel some sympathy for you? Because I don¡¯t.¡±

    Karin immediately burst into laughter. She stared at Baya with a look of surprise. She has previously had countless men in the same particular position Baya was, but none of them, until now, had ever been this blunt to her face.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need your sympathy or an excuse. If anything, I thank Wilsow for what he did. I finally realized how the world works. Those with power control the faith of those without. Just like how I control your faith.¡± Karin responded with a smile.

    ¡°Well, for now let me have some fun.¡± She said as she slowly stripped Baya naked.

    ¡®Will this be my fate?¡±¡¯ Baya thought to himself as he resigned himself to Karins caresses.

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    Quickly, a week went by. At this point in time, Baya had familiarized himself with some of the operations of the bandit group. His routine was the same for the most part, He was chained in place and instructed not to make a sound throughout the day, of which he silently cultivated the natural energy of the world. While cultivating, Baya had noticed his rate of absorbing natural energy had significantly increased. This was his sole-comforting occurrence of his current predicament. At night, Karin would make her way to him for sex and in some occasions, torture. As his encounter with Karin increased, Baya had secretly pried some information from her. For example, he found out the bandit group was waiting on some buyers to come pick up the slaves, which included himself. He also found out that the root of the living fire plant he had painstakingly gotten, was being kept with the rest of the herbs.

    While Baya was silently cultivating, a slight ripple of natural energy burst forth from his core. Baya immediately opened his eyes to scan his environment. He noticed that the guards were in the same exact position, none of them were paying any attention to him.  After Baya made sure no one had noticed him, he immediately blossomed into a smile. He had been trapped in the 8th level of natural energy for years, and right now, he had finally broken through that bottleneck.

    After cultivating the natural energy of the world for a week, Baya finally had a breakthrough. He had increased his natural energy base from that of a level 8 to a level 9. Baya had an incandescent smile, now he had the physical strength to break his chains. During his brief period with Karin and the guards, Baya had gotten a rough understanding of his current surroundings. Although he had broken through to the 9th level of natural energy, he was doubtful he could escape if he charged through the place. After all, the leader of the bandit group was also at the 9th level of natural energy. Baya knew If he was to make it out of here alive, he had to escape in secret at night.

    Baya patiently waited for the night. He was laying with his eyes closed, counting the seconds to his possible escape. He was waiting to hear the words that had terrorized him for the past week.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Leave this place,¡± a feminine voice sounded. Hearing this, the guards immediately left their positions to take a walk. They were used to Karins behavior. Whenever she fancied a slave, she will spend most nights either torturing the slave or sexually exploiting the slave until the slave was sold off. This circle has repeated itself for so long, that they no longer cared about it. After all, she was the boss¡¯s younger sister and a crazy woman, they avoided at all cost.

    Karin walked towards Baya and immediately started taking off her clothing. She noticed an indifferent look on Baya, who usually had a huge frown when arrives. Karin had a wide smile on her face. She assumed she had finally broken the man before her, down. This was what she sorted after, his hopelessness. She proceeded to sit right on top of Baya.

    ¡°Have you finally accepted your fate?¡± Karin asked Baya in a condescending tone. She was elated that she had broken the man before her.

    ¡°Beg me for your life, and I might consider keeping you as my pet,¡± Baya hearing that still remained silent. Throughout the past week, he had gotten a good idea of the type of woman Karin was. He knew that even if he begged he would still be sold as a slave. Baya feigned a little anger as he moved his stare from Karin to the entrance of the enclosure.

    ¡°Good. Good. You still have some fight in you,¡± Karin said as she lightly laughed.

    ¡°Will you be missed?¡± Baya abruptly asked as he moved his stare back to Karin.

    Karin was momentarily speechless. She had no idea what Baya was talking about. Why should she be missed? And why would he have asked that question? Karin¡¯s original elated stated changed to that of anger. ¡®Is he trying to scare me?¡¯ Karin thought as she grabbed Baya¡¯s neck.

    ¡°You lowly animal, are trying to scare me? It seems I would have to¡­¡± Karin was saying before the sound of metal being forcefully torn apart was heard. Baya plunged his right hand straight at Karin¡¯s neck before she could utter a word. With the strength of the 9th level of natural energy, Bay could easily snap Karin¡¯s neck, but he applied just the right amount of force to restrain and choke her. Baya flipped Karin to the floor and got on top of her.

    ¡°Let me ask again. When you die, will you be missed?¡±

    Karin was struggling to free herself from Baya¡¯s grip as she gasped for air. Tears immediately rolled down her eyes. She had never expected to be in this situation. She was always the one in control, but now she was knocking at death¡¯s doors. Regret immediately filled her heart. If only, she had left this man alone, she might not have been in this situation. Baya reduced the for force in his grip temporarily and watched as Karin struggled to breathe. More tears came down crashing from her eyes as she pleaded: ¡°Mercy please.¡±

    Baya thought of the life the woman before him had lived. She had been betrayed by someone she thought was in love with her. She was scarred and prostituted away for a couple of years before her brother had killed the guards at the brothel and took her away. She had lived a terrible life, as a bandit forced to always be on the run. Baya felt some sympathy for the woman.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Baya said as he consoled her by petting her hair with his left hand, before he snapped her neck. Dead silence filled the enclosure, the only sounds that could be heard were the flickers of the flames from the torch that brightened the place. Although Baya had felt some sympathy towards Karin, he had also been thoroughly tortured by her. A pitiful life such as the one she had lived could not be saved by just mercy, a pathetic life such as hers needed to be ended so death she could move on.

    While Baya was imprisoned, he had figured out his bearing from the position of the sun, and now with the placement of the stars. He rushed towards where the herbs were stored and quickly picked out the root of the living fire plant. Baya extinguished the flames of the torch and quietly made his way out of the enclosure. Baya knew what direction he had to take, and he used the darkness to cover his movements.

    After about an hour of walking around, the guards made their way back to the enclosure. They noticed the darkness but thought nothing of it. After waiting for a couple of minutes without a sound being made, they got curious and began calling out to Karin. They got another torch and made their way into the enclosure. To their complete surprise, they found Karin laying lifelessly on the floor.

    *************************************************************************************************************************

    Note:

    Thanks for reading guys. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please rate and share the story. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 24: Earth Element Technique

    In the middle of the forest, noises could be heard with the incessantly increasing sounds of footsteps. To the less informed, it might sound like the rhythmic steps of a marching army, but to those that were in the forest, it was a full-on search for an escaped captive. It wasn¡¯t just an ordinary escaping victim, but one that had something to do with the death of their companion.

    While the torches and people were frantically searching everywhere, a shadow was running rapidly through the forest. Baya ran with all the strength he could muster, occasionally, he would use the martial movement technique and afterwards, he would switch back to running. Memories of the past month flashed through his mind as he ran. He remembered the strange creatures he encountered at the red lagoon, his time with the slave trappers. This was the first time he had ever encountered such dangers. His formerly docile life gave way to the birth of a new kind of mentality, one he planned to embrace permanently. Within this month, he had reaped something far more valuable than the past 5 years of training. He was finally a level 9 natural energy warrior.

    ************************

    It had been two full weeks since Willard started focusing on cultivating earth elemental energy. Sitting in a crossed leg position, light brown particles could be seen circulating around Willards being. The light brown particles were the earth elemental energy drawn from his surrounding. Willard was in a deep meditative state, he was currently monitoring his process of cultivating earth elemental energy.

    Slowly, his milky core was changing to a light brown colored core. Willard was satisfied with his current rate progression. The vibrations that were occurring while he cultivated, had increased to a much higher degree. This tremors caused Willard to pay even more attention to his core. Even with the experience of his previous life, he had no clue as to why the surrounding space of his core was vibrating.

    While cultivating, Willard realized that it was getting increasingly difficult to change the milky natural core to that of a brown elemental core. He knew right now, he had reached the peak of level 2 elemental energy. Willard increased his focus and forcefully pushed the earth elemental energy to his core. After about an hour of forcefully sucking in the earth elemental energy, a cracking sound came from his core, and just afterwards a slight ripple of earth elemental energy flowed outward. Right at this point, Willard had broken through to the 3rd level of earth elemental energy.

    Willard had a confused look on his face, as he thought back to the moment of his breakthrough. He noticed a strange ruby red aura appear for a split second before it vanished into thin air. He was confused as to what had happened, he even came to the conclusion he probably saw wrong. While that strange event was occurring, Willard failed to notice a slight greenish glow on the ring his father had given him as a departing gift.

    Willard opened his eyes and scanned his environment. He was happy with his current power increase. He stood up and stretched his body for a while, afterwards, he proceeded to leave his room. As he walked out of his room, Willard used his martial movement technique to make his way out of the living quarters. None of the maids noticed any movement, as they continued their regular routine. Willard made his way to the garden of the main house, he stared at the tranquil environment and bore into a silent smile.

    ¡°My movement technique has improved considerably since my elemental breakthrough.¡±

    ¡°There is no longer a dust trail when I use the technique,¡± Willard said self-approvingly.

    The principles behind his movement technique had to do with earth gliding. While Willard was connected to the earth beneath his foot, he manipulated the earth itself to move him from one place to the other. The movement martial technique Willard was using applied the laws of the element of earth. When he was at a lower level, he couldn¡¯t quite bring the exquisiteness of the technique. Even right now, it still wasn¡¯t at its best, but none the less it had made major improvements. Willard could use the technique for a longer duration, and he could also cover a longer distance using it.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°I need to develop a low-level earth technique I could use at my current stage,¡± Willard said as he dropped into a state of self-thought.

    Recalling his memories of his past life, Willard realized he had barely developed any earth technique. The earth element was not his dominant technique, so he mostly focused on developing techniques for the fire element.

    While Willard was thinking of what technique to create, Arilis walked out of the main mansion. He was shocked to see Willard standing in front of the garden. Without saying a word, Arilis immediately walked back into the mansion.

    ¡°This damn earth element. There is no suitable technique I can think of at the moment. It requires a much stronger elemental base to create earth.¡± Willard said to himself, as he tried something out. The earth slightly trembled as Willard was concentrating earth elemental energy around himself. He seemed to be in a trance almost as if nothing else existed but the unyielding earth. While in this trance like state, Willard thought of the various techniques he had employed throughout his life as the god of destruction. Little by little scenes of the various fights he had been played out in his mind.

    A fight scene, in particular, played over and over in Willards head. This was Thanus¡¯s fight against the lesser goddess of earth Eris, She had used the earth to re-enforce her strength by moving the earth to form a complete golem form, in which she was at the core of the golem.

    After a couple of minutes , Willard broke into a smile. ¡°I was thinking about the whole thing wrong,¡± he said nodding his head self-approvingly.

    ¡°I am currently a mere mortal. There is no way I can employ an immortal level technique like creating my own earth.¡±

    ¡°I need to think of techniques suitable to mortals.¡± Willard said seeming to have gained some enlightenment.

    ¡°Rather than creating new earth like I did with the desolation rain, I can use the earth beneath my foot.¡±

    Willard concentrated the earth elemental energy within five foot of himself. Slowly, the earth started to fracture and slowly pulling up the broken pieces of the earth into the air. As more earth floated to the air, Willard made a grabbing gesture with his right hand, squeezing it tightly. One by one, the chunked up pieces of earth that were floating around Willard started combining with each other to form a floating spherical ball of earth the size of a man¡¯s head. Willard stared at the ball for some time as he observed the rough surface of the ball. After sometime, Willard made another gesture with his hand. This time, the spherical earth ball changed to an elongated triangular prism. This time around, the surface of the earth triangular prism were a lot smoother than the surface of the spherical ball. After observing the earth triangular prism, Willard moved his right hand in a slashing motion. The triangular earth prism flew to strike the earth itself like a nail to wood. Dust swelled up around the place of impact, and after a couple of seconds the dust settled. About fifty percent of the prism made its way past the surface of the earth.

    Willard smiled looking at what had happened. He was currently pleased with the outcome. Willard straightened his palm, which caused the earth triangular prism to slowly break down to dust.

    ¡°I would have to test this technique against other mortals to gauge its level.¡± Willard thought to himself.

    ¡°It should be time I pay back some old debts.¡±

    ***************************************************************************************************************************

    Note:

    Thanks for reading guys. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please rate and share the story. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 25: Ade Minya

    Willard heard some footsteps and turned to the direction it came from. He noticed two people walking towards him. One was Sebastian, who had an amiable smile, and the other was a female who Willard had not seen before. She had long inky black hair, and an oval shaped face. She wore a beautiful light blue dress which made her seem like a fairy. The woman¡¯s features were perfectly highlighted, her eyes were large which gave a sense of innocence, and her smile was beautiful enough to raise the hearts of ten kings. In all, one could say she was a beautiful woman who had an air nobility.

    ¡°Good to see you friend,¡± Sebastian said as he brimmed with a smile

    ¡°You as well,¡± Willard responded.

    ¡°This is my good friend Ade Minya, the future heir to the Minya household,¡± Sebastian said while holding Ade¡¯s hand as he showed a forced smiled. ¡°I finally convinced her to come for a visit.¡±

    ¡°Its pleasure to meet you. My name is¡­¡± Willard was saying before he was cut short by Ade.

    ¡°Willard! I know. Sebastian here has told me about you. He says you are a valiant warrior who saved his life.¡±

    ¡°Do tell, what level of cultivation have you reached?¡± Sebastian hearing this was in complete shock. Although he knew Ade was an innately proud woman, he never expected her to be so direct and rude. It was common knowledge not to ask a cultivation experts directly of their rank, and to do it right in this situation was a clear insult to both Willard and Sebastian.

    ¡°Come now. Why don¡¯t I show you the purple cotique flower I was telling you about.¡± Sebastian said in an effort to change the subject. He had a fake smile on as he tried to lead Ade away. Sebastian had a solemn expression as he stared at Willard, one could tell that Sebastian felt very responsible for the situation.

    ¡°Dear, let him speak. You might be convinced of his martial prowess, but I would like to know why you favor this youth.¡± Ade responded brazenly.

    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Willard laughed. ¡°Why tell, when I can show you.¡±

    Immediately after he finished his sentence, Willard released a large amount of natural energy from his body and directed it at Ade. The force of the natural energy caused Ade to stumble to the floor, her hair was a mess, her clothing and body were covered in brownish dirt. Sebastian stared in awe before he broke into laughter. Although he was angry at Ade, there was no way he could have reprimanded her. Her authority and influence far outmatched his own. But who could have thought that Willard would react like he had done. Sebastian subconsciously felt, even more, veneration towards Willard. He was impressed that Willard reacted without any hesitation.

    ¡°Be careful, the floor is a little slippery,¡± Sebastian said after laughing. Ade¡¯s personal guards rushed to her side.

    Although Willard had previously been on the reserved side while he interacted with Gerrett family, he had no intentions of showing restraint when he was offended. He decided not to directly harm Ade because of his environment. He wasn¡¯t planning on creating a new enemy for the Gerrett family.

    ¡°You. You. How dare you? Guards arrest that man.¡±

    ¡°Do you actually plan on arresting my guest in my house?¡± Sebastian angrily said.

    ¡°You slipped and fell. No one is to blame for that.¡±

    Willard was in complete shock seeing Sebastian¡¯s reaction. When he acted, he had done so with every expectation of a latch back from Sebastian. From Sebastian¡¯s comments, Willard could tell there was more to the whole situation.

    ¡°Hmmph¡± Ade sneered. She angrily turned to leave. She directed her guards and personal aid out of the Gerrett household. It did not take long before Ade and her group left.

    ¡°I seem to have caused you some problems,¡± Willard said.

    ¡°To be honest, I am not really interested in that woman. She is only interested in me because of her family¡¯s interest in mine.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do much about it because we still need the support of the Minya family.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing you did not go too far because there would be no way I could protect you.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. Let me show you something interesting.¡± Sebastian said directing Willard to the main house.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    *************************************************

    At some random restaurant in Marquis city, a middle-aged woman was singing to an audience.  Her audience was entirely made up of just men who seemed to be in a trance as they listened to her song. Everyone, including the waiters, cooks and the manager, all gave their undivided attention to the woman. Their expression appeared blissful. They all fixed their gaze and attention at the woman. The women¡¯s silky brown hair dangled as she danced and sang. She had a condescending smile, as she looked at her audience.

    After a couple of minutes of performing, she abruptly stopped. ¡°What a bunch of idiots.¡± She said as she proceeded to take a seat. Right at this point, everyone present in the restaurant was in a daze. If a mage was present at the restaurant, the mage would have noticed the resonance of the natural energy within the place. Without a doubt, the mage would realise these men were under a spell.

    ¡°It did not even take up to ten minutes for them to fall under my spell.¡± She said as she sat.

    ¡°Actually, I should be thankful. Hopefully, they all have fat wallets.¡±

    The woman got back to her feet and made a weird sound. As the men all heard that sound, they all reached for their wallets. The woman brought out a big sack and went from table to table ransacking all of their wallets. She did not spare even a single coin, as she wiped the entire restaurant clean of their money.

    ¡°Today¡¯s work paid big time. Such fat cows.¡±

    ¡°Now comes the fun part. I¡¯ll give them a special bonus¡±

    The woman uttered more strange sounds and watched the men move about. After about five minutes of orchestrating, she stopped making the strange sounds and busted out laughing. After having her fill of laughter, she left the restaurant. If anyone was to come into the restaurant right at that moment, they would see a bunch of grown men completely naked and all in weird positions.

    The manager of the restaurant had it worse, the woman made him lay on a table completely naked, while a waiter was in a position that made it seem like he was about to spank the manager. After a couple of minutes after the woman left, everyone in the restaurant got back to their usual self. A loud sound of someone being smacked was heard. After getting control of their body, the waiter hand was in motion and smacked the managers bare bottom ruthlessly. The manager jumped out of the table, massaging his bottom. A large red palm mark could be seen as the manager ran off to the corner.  Immediately anger and shame filled the entire restaurant, no one was as angry as the manager who got it worse.

    ¡°What the hell is going on.¡± The customers yelled.

    ¡°My money is gone.¡±

    ¡°My entire month¡¯s salary.¡± One customer yelled.

    ¡°Manager you need to explain this.¡±

    Off at the corner of the street, the woman stared back at the restaurant and chuckled. As she walked, her hair was slowly changed from brown to black.

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    Note:

    Thanks for reading guys. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please rate and share the story. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 26: Suppressing the Enemy

    It had been nine full days since the incident at the Gerrett household, to Sebastian¡¯s surprise, Ade hadn¡¯t done much about it. She had kept silent about the whole ordeal, which was uncharacteristic of her. This brought about a vague sense of danger, as he somewhat understood Ade¡¯s temperament. If she had lashed out, or at least demanded some kind of apology, he would have felt a little better, but she had kept quiet the entire time. She only sent out a random message inviting Sebastian to a function hosted at the Minya household. The function in question was her Father¡¯s birthday, which the Minya family celebrated annually.

    ¡°Could this woman be plotting something against me?¡± Sebastian pondered.

    ¡°That cannot be. She and her family put wealth above everything else. They have their sights on my household.¡±

    ¡°So what could she be planning?¡± Sebastian was currently thinking about the situation as he paced back and front to the corners of his room.

    ¡°I have to be well prepared for all eventualities,¡± Sebastian said with a hint of boldness.

    ******************************

    At the gate leading to Marquis city, a man with a tattered outfit could be seen walking to the city. As he walked, a vague sense of danger could be felt from him. He seemed lifeless but strolled with a certain charisma. The guards watched as this man walked towards them.

    ¡°10 silver coins to enter the city.¡± A guard said in a somewhat respectful tone. Although the guards cultivated natural energy, they felt a certain radiance from the man before them, which in turn made them all the more respectful. The man with the tattered outfit nodded and paid the requested amount. The guards watched as the man walked into the city.

    ¡°Where did that outlaw come from?¡± One of the guards asked as they stared at the man leaving.

    ¡°His natural energy eclipsed mine by a lot.¡± Another guard said.

    ¡°I wonder what level of natural energy that was.¡±

    ¡°Forget it, he is way beyond our level.¡±

    The guards continued discussing the man for quite some time. As guards to the city, they rarely ever saw men like that. Usually, those with higher levels of natural energy were enlisted by the founder families of the city. They usually used their issued token rather than paying the toll fee. This was the determining factor of those that were outlaws and those who were enlisted warriors of the various founding families.

    *****************************

    Several days passed as usually, the events at Gerrett household seemed to have died out. It was finally the day of the function. Sebastian had Willard and Hector as his only company. Although Sebastian was nervous about this function, he wasn¡¯t afforded the opportunity to miss out on it. He wasn¡¯t scared for his life, but rather the second most important thing to him, his dignity. Violence within the borders of Marquis city was strictly forbidden. If any ordinary citizen attempted or committed any acts of violence, the punishments were of the highest order. The overflowing presence of the city warriors was always a major deterring factor for assassinations and things of that sort. Sebastian was convinced that Ade had something in plan for him, something that she would use to vent her anger.

    Sebastian lead Hector and Willard to the Minya household. As the approached the gates of the household, an intricate pattern of a blue soaring dragon could be emphatically seen on the massive gates leading to the Minya household. From the attire of the warriors to the painting and construction of the buildings, one had to say, the Minya family lived up to their reputation of being the wealthiest household within Marquis city. The exquisite layout of the mansion was a sight to behold. The four columns that lead to the mansion had four different dragons carved onto it. It was clear to see that within Marquis city, not even the Marquis household could compete in the aspect of wealth.

    ¡°You finally made it here.¡± A feminine voice rang as Sebastian, Willard and hector were walked into the mansion. The voice had an irritating ring to it, it was one that brought a certain sense of disdain to Willard.

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.¡°I was beginning to think you were planning on missing my father¡¯s function.¡±

    ¡°How can I do that when you specifically requested for my presence,¡± Sebastian responded with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Well, come with me. I¡¯ll walk you in.¡± Ade said raising her hand in a manner that suggested Sebastian should grab her hand.

    Willard and Hector followed closely behind Sebastian. As Sebastian and Ade walked, they conversed about several other things. They even stopped and socialized a little bit with the other nobles.

    At a corner, staring viciously at Sebastian, Asyut held a glass of wine. Heavy breaths and an apparent look of disgust could be seen on his face. With every sip of his wine, his anger grew even more. ¡®How is it this bitch seems to favor such a loser.¡¯ Asyut thought to himself. ¡®Not only did she turn me down, she even went for a guy who had no interest in her.¡¯

    ¡°Don¡¯t look so dejected,¡± Lyon said with a calm expression. ¡°Why don¡¯t you use this opportunity to suppress this Sebastian fellow.¡±

    ¡°What opportunity? How can I possibly suppress him here?¡± Asyut responded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will create an opportunity for that,¡± Lyon said and walked away.

    Lyon wasn¡¯t particular in support of Asyut, he really did not care about the struggles of the other nobles. He was after all the next leader of Marquis city. What could he possibly compete for? Lyon enjoyed toying with people around him and shared this interest with Asyut and various other nobles. He wanted a little chaos to alleviate his state of boredom, and Asyut was just the right person for that.

    A ringing sound came crashing around the entire hall. Everyone present turned their attention to the elevated section of the hall. ¡°Thank you all for honoring my invitation to attend this event. Today I celebrate another year of good health and I would like to share this occasion with all my friends and family.¡± A tall slender man, who wore a gold colored robe eloquently said. He was Ade¡¯s father, Ducart Minya. Everyone¡¯s eyes were glued to this man. Ducart was a person that commanded the respect of everyone. He wasn¡¯t a strong general or a shrewd politician, he only had one overwhelming talent and that was the ability to conduct business. His business ties were not bounded to the limits of Marquis city, he had connections around the entire Amber Kingdom. He was a man of great reverence.

    At the elevated portion of the hall where Ducart stood, were other notable nobles within Marquis city. Everyone from Asyut¡¯s father to Lyon¡¯s aunt could be seen seated at the elevated portion of the hall.

    ¡°Everyone please enjoy the festivities today. I have invited the best chefs in all of the Amber kingdom, the best musicians, and dancers for your entertainment.¡± Ducart said in conclusion.

    ¡°Long live the head of the Minya.¡± A voice cried from the group of young nobles. This voice was none other than Lyon, the future leader of the Marquis household.

    ¡°House head, I would like to offer a special tribute for this function. How about we the younger generation host a martial competition on your behalf.¡± Lyon said with a slight bow. His action seemed innocent to almost everyone, but those who could see through his act knew he was an arrogant and troublesome person. All he really cared about was finding ways of creating strife.

    ¡°House head, we the younger generation would be honored to put on a display in your honor.¡± Asyut quickly added from a different corner. Asyut knew exactly what Lyon had in mind, this was the opportunity to suppress Sebastian he had talked about. He would be a fool if he couldn¡¯t take advantage of it.

    **************************************************************************************************************************

    Note:

    Thanks for reading guys. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please rate and share the story. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 27: Suppressing the Enemy 2

    Ducart had a lofty expression as he stared at the group of young nobles. He could care less what they were scheming as long as they knew what boundaries not to cross. Sebastian hearing those words from Lyon, had a vague premonition of what was to come. He especially lacked in the aspect of martial training, that was why he always sorted to improve his mind instead.

    ¡°Hector, Willard, the both of you are to be careful. I think they are plotting against me right now.¡± Sebastian said in a low voice to the both of them. ¡®Could this be what Ade was plotting?¡¯ Sebastian thought to himself. ¡®That can¡¯t be, this woman is too careful to associate herself with wolfs of that caliber.¡¯

    Although Sebastian had warned Hector and Willard in a low voice, that did not stop his warning from falling to the ears of Ade who stood beside him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your trusted guards here should be able to protect you,¡± Ade said with a straight face. Sebastian couldn¡¯t get a wrap on her words. He couldn¡¯t tell if she was being sarcastic or honest.

    ¡°A martial competition among juniors would bring more delight to this wondrous ceremony. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± A bulky man who stood at the elevated portion of the hall said. Everyone with the exception of Willard knew who this man was. He was the currently leader and head of the Helden household, Darey Helden, and Asyut¡¯s father. Ducart gave a pleasant smile as he nodded.

    ¡°As a special addition to this year¡¯s event, we would have a martial display from our younger generation. Those who wish to compete should do so at the terret[1] section of the hall.¡± Ducart said pointing to a desolate looking corner of the hall. Asyut  bloomed to an elated state as he heard Ducart¡¯s statements. He had tried various methods of dealing with Sebastian in the past, and they were all in vain. He tried assassinating him by employing a three-star assassin. That one move had cost Asyut about fifty percent of his total wealth, and to his complete surprise, Sebastian had still survived. The entire ordeal had made him severely depressed. If he couldn¡¯t gain an advantage with an underhanded method, there was no other way for him to do anything against Sebastian. Until now, he had found a way to vent a little anger on Sebastian. Although he couldn¡¯t outrightly kill him, he could still cause Sebastian to cower and hide behind his tail.

    Asyut hastily walked into the terret section of the hall. He wanted to be the first one on the stage to make sure he could challenge Sebastian.

    ¡°Would brother Sebastian like to challenge me in this martial display?¡± Asyut directly asked. Asyut did not bother with false auspicious words. He did not care what others might think about his actions. All he wanted at the moment, was to make use of the opportunity he had gotten right now.

    Sebastian hearing that had a rueful smile. His premonition had come to pass. ¡°Brother Asyut, I Sebastian am not one who walks the martial path,¡± Sebastian said with a slight pause, before turning to face the Ducart Minya. ¡°Although, I do not walk the martial path, I have recruited some of the best talents who walk that path. I humbly ask the house head to permit their representation of me.¡± Asyut hearing those words had a frown on his face. It was a well-known fact that Sebastian lacked any martial aptitude, which was one of the reasons Asyut had wanted to quickly challenge him. But hearing Sebastian¡¯s diverting response, Asyut frame of mind quickly changed.

    ¡°The martial path isn¡¯t one we all can walk. It is talent in itself for one to recruit a good follower. You and your fellow young nobles are permitted to send in a warrior to fight in your honor.¡± Ducart said in response to Sebastian¡¯s statement. Ducart himself was similar to Sebastian in the fact that he had no aptitude for martial training, but his talents in commerce were what set him apart. He single-handedly raised the Minya family to its highest level of power and influence.

    ¡®What utter nonsense. This was supposed to be my opportunity.¡¯ Asyut thought in anger. ¡®It¡¯s a good thing I brought that fellow this time.¡¯ Asyut looked into the crowd of people before stopping his sight somewhere in the middle. He made a calling gesture signaling someone to come forth.

    ¡°Brother Sebastian, would you dare send any of your followers to meet this challenge?¡± Asyut said with a little smirk.

    As Sebastian laid eyes on the person Asyut had called to the terret, cold sweat broke on his face.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Mailey of the Blue dragon academy.¡± One of the young nobles blurted out in surprise.

    The Mailey character was somewhat of a famous mage within the entire Amber kingdom. Mailey was a young handsome mage that had gained some fame for his prowess in magic at a very young age. He was currently eighteen years of age and was publicly recognized to be at the 10th level of natural energy. Mailey was considered one of the very best young mage within the Amber kingdom. It could be said that within the natural energy level there were less than five people capable of beating Mailey in a fight.

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    Sebastian knew this time around he had encountered a real dilemma. If he refused to meet Asyut¡¯s challenge, he would be viewed very poorly by the entire nobles present. After all, he was the one to suggest sending a follower to fight. And if he sent someone, he would most assuredly lose.

    ¡°Hector, try to hold out for ten exchanges before you surrender. There is no point in you risking yourself right here.¡±

    ¡°I think I should be able to hold out for that long,¡± Hector responded.

    Normally, Hector should have the advantage since he was a warrior and fighting a mage in a one versus one battle. But his opponent this time around was Mailey who was particularly adept at close range battles.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I give this a try,¡± Willard said calmly. Sebastian was a little-surprised hearing that. He smiled and looked to Willard. In his mind, he knew Willard meant the best, but he was just oblivious to the situation. This was Mailey they were talking about, he was considered a once in a century type of genius. Although he was still at the natural energy level, everyone knew it was just a matter of time for someone of his talents to break into the elemental level.

    ¡°This Mailey fellow can be considered among the top twenty young genius of the entire kingdom. He is not someone to take lightly.¡±

    ¡°Then this should be an interesting match to watch,¡± Willard responded with a confident smirk. Sebastian laughed a little and nodded. In his mind, Sebastian thought that this might just be a good introduction to the top talents of the kingdom. This fight will help him understand the level of competition between the top talents of the kingdom.

    Willard walked through the crowd and made his way to the terret where he met the indifferent expression on Mailey¡¯s face. The crowd started murmuring as Willard got into the terret.

    ¡°Who is that fellow?¡±

    ¡°It seems Sebastian is not willing to risk a good subordinate.¡±

    ¡°This will end fast.¡±

    The crowd was making comments of this sort. To a corner, Asyut stared intently at Willard. Something about the person on the terret seemed familiar, but he couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it. After a couple of seconds of trying to figure that out who that person was, Asyut stopped thinking about it.

    To another corner of the room, Ade stood straight up as she saw Willard walk to the terret.

    ¡°This should be interesting. I will be able to confirm the actual strength of this Willard fellow.¡±

    After Ade¡¯s brief interaction with Willard, she couldn¡¯t help but think a little highly of Willard. He was bold, brash and decisive. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the level of natural energy he had used against her when they first met.

    *******************************************************************************************************************

    References

    <ol type="$type"></li>

    <li>Terret: A designated training/fighting section within a mansion

    </li></ol>

    Note:

    Thanks for reading guys. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please rate and share the story. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 28: Suppressing the Enemy 3

    All eyes were on the two young men who were about to fight. One was a publicly recognized genius mage, while the other was a barely recognizable nobody. To most people, this fight was a joke and had all but one possible outcome.

    Before the fight began, Ducart walked to the peripheral of the terret and placed a green ruby in the center of one of the many runes that were littered all around the terret. In that instant, a green light in the form of energy encircled the rune formation, which formed a defensive barrier to fend off any resulting damages of the fight from the spectators. Although this defensive measure was in place, it did not stop sound from passing through the runes. The spectators could hear what the people fighting were saying, and vice versa.

    ¡°Get ready, I am about to attack.¡± Mailey said as he clasped his hands and immediately started his incantations. Willard stared at Mailey as he began his incantations. Three flames of varying colors and size appeared in front of Mailey. The first was orange, the second was blue, and the third was green.

    ¡°Who is this fool that gives a mage time to finish his incantations?¡± one of the spectating nobles asked as the crowd burst out in conversation.

    ¡°To think there is such a stupid warrior.¡±

    ¡°Now his only advantage is gone.¡±

    Willard stood still waiting as Mailey recited his incantations. Sebastian nodded self-deprecatingly as he watched Willard stand in place. ¡®This is my fault, I shouldn¡¯t have let him fight in Hector¡¯s place. Now he would most likely get hospitalized by the end of this fight.¡¯ Sebastian said to himself somewhat apologetically.

    ¡°Are you finished with your incantations?¡± Willard asked as he noticed Mailey had stopped uttering those strange words.

    Mailey laughed in response to Willard¡¯s question and said, ¡° You dare give me, a mage, time to finish my incantations. You are overestimating yourself.¡±

    As he finished responding, the orange flame rapidly increased in size from a fist full to the size of two human heads. The blue flame was flying in a circular motion around Mailey, while the green flame flew directly into his body. The orange flame flew straight towards Willard. Its trajectory was followed closely by a trail of orange flames that slowly burnt out. The orange flame seemingly made contact with Willard and immediately exploded fort.

    Everyone within the hall gasped as they watched a figure burn non-stop. What made them more surprised was the fact that this burning figure did not even utter a sound. It was like he died instantly without the opportunity to even cry. At a far off table within the hall sat a curly brown haired beautiful woman who was busy stuffing her face with food. As the explosion rang, she stared intently at the flame. After a couple of seconds, she turned and continued where she left off.

    ¡°Interesting, interesting¡± were the only words she said before she continued stuffing her face.

    At the elevated portion of the hall, a man dressed in a Marquis warrior¡¯s attire quickly rose up and stared at the terret. ¡°How can that be?¡± The man strangely asked. This man was a popular figure within Marquis city, he was the second in command of the entire Marquis guarding force. He was an exalted figure within the city, a  warrior who was powerful enough to be counted among the best within the kingdom. If Willard were to see this person, he would have recognized him as the man that gave him a  sense of danger when he saw him riding a mount in the city.

    After noticing the reaction of the people around him, the man quickly sat down and continued staring at the terret.

    ¡°Is that it?¡± Asyut who sat at some corner couldn¡¯t help but exclaim loudly.

    ¡°That was boring. I thought there would be a struggle or two.¡±

    The crowd hearing that all started conversing with each other. Some nodded in disappointment, while others felt sorrow for the poor fellow that had just lost his life.

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    To Sebastian¡¯s corner, both Sebastian and hector had a gloomy face. If Willard had indeed died from just that exchange, that would have been a double stabbing to them. First, it would have a been a big insult, and secondly they would have lost a potentially good ally.

    Ade¡¯s reaction was that of complete anger. ¡®How is that someone I had such high expectation of, would have died so easily without even attacking his enemy once? Was I being played a fool?¡¯ She silently thought to herself as she watched.

    As the flame gradually started dying down, everyone¡¯s eyes were glued to the stage. They wanted to see what remained of the corpse or if at all there was anything. To everyone, including Mailey, complete surprise Willard was still standing there alive and breathing. Not even a scratch had appeared on his body, it was as if he was never attacked. Although this entire scene seemed to have played over some time, but in reality, it took less than two minutes.

    Before Mailey had the time to even process what he had just seen, Willard utilized his martial movement skill to quickly get in close proximity with Mailey. The improved martial movement technique was more exquisite in appearance than it had ever been displayed in the past. Willard¡¯s movement was fluid with zero to no resistance from the earth beneath his feet. As Willard appeared before Mailey, he had used earth elemental energy to harden his fist and punched straight at Mailey¡¯s chest. Willard¡¯s counter attack was just too sudden and surprising to Mailey. Before Mailey had the chance to react, Willard had already appeared right in front of him in a punching motion. As Willard¡¯s fist was about to make contact with Mailey, a green pulsating glow of energy appeared in a protective manner around Mailey. The green pulsating energy was able to negate a good portion of the attacking force, but it still wasn¡¯t enough to stop it in its entirety. The remaining force of the punch forced Mailey to tumble a couple of steps backward.

    The entire hall was left in a state of complete awe. The entire place was silent except for the sound of the curly brown haired woman¡¯s chewing. No one could afford to stop staring at the terret and see where that annoying chewing sound was coming from.

    ¡°Are my eyes deceiving me?¡± One of the young nobles said to finally break the long silence. Following that was a huge uproar in comments. Every single person that had been watching were in a state of complete stupor. Who was it that Willard was fighting? It was Mailey, a notable young genius, who was famed across the entire kingdom and not just marquis city. And who was Willard? A nobody, even within Marquis city. How was it possible for Willard to have escaped Mailey¡¯s first attack, and on top of that, how was his counter attack so fast and powerful enough to push Mailey to stumble a couple of steps back. If they had not witnessed this fight themselves, they would have slapped whoever retold this story to them.

    ¡®What exquisite martial movement technique¡¯ The second in command of the Marquis guarding force thought inwardly.

    ¡°What in heaven¡¯s name just happened?¡± Asyut couldn¡¯t help but ask nervously.

    ¡°How is this possible? Who is that fellow that Sebastian hired?¡± To be able to push Mailey back was no small fit. This had immediately catapulted Willard¡¯s fame from a relative nobody to a potential young talent.

    Lyon who was seated at a remote corner had a hugely arched smile. He could care less who won or lost, all he wanted was to watch a good fight. And if one of them died in the process, that would make things even more entertaining to him.

    ¡°Who are you? And what academy do come from?¡± Mailey couldn¡¯t help but ask as he got back up.

    *************************************************************************************************

    Note:

    Thanks for reading guys. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please rate and share the story. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 29: Dazzling Jewel

    Mailey stared at Willard with expressions of complete shock. It had been a while he had fought anyone who could do that to him. Even within the blue dragon academy, there was only one person who had ever put him in such a state before.

    ¡°With your capabilities, you should be someone famous. Tell me, who are you?¡± Mailey¡¯s comment had hit the mark on everyone¡¯s thoughts. Someone capable of doing such a thing had to have been famous. They all eagerly awaited Willard¡¯s response.

    ¡°I am Willard, a friend of Sebastian Gerret,¡± Willard said and took a slight pause. Seeing everyone¡¯s expectant gaze, he smirked and continued. ¡°Do I need to be in an academy before I have the qualifications to win against you?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. No, you don¡¯t. I just figured someone with your level of skill should be in an academy making a name for himself.¡± Mailey responded.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this Willard fellow a little too over confident just because he won one exchange?¡± The crowd began with their commentary.

    ¡°He barely won that exchange. Can¡¯t you See Mailey is just fine.¡±

    ¡°It only happened because Mailey wasn¡¯t taking the fight seriously.¡±

    To the spectating noble watching the fight, Willard¡¯s upper hand in that exchange was just a simple fluke. There was no way he could repeat that feat now that Mailey was aware of his strength. Although they could admit that Willard wasn¡¯t a pushover, they still believed he wasn¡¯t a true match for Mailey.

    ¡°Are you a mage or warrior?¡± Willard asked not paying much attention to the on-going conversation the spectators were having. ¡°No mage should be able to withstand that attack just now.¡± Although Willard¡¯s comment had sounded conceited, Mailey understood exactly what he meant. After all, he was the one that experienced the brunt of Willard¡¯s attack.

    ¡°You can think of me as a special case. I specialize in vitality magic.¡±

    The green flame was exactly what Mailey was referring to when he mentioned the vitality magic. It was a special application of the water and fire elements, which Mailey showed great talents in. This wasn¡¯t something Mailey could be taught, but rather he had to be innate born with an aptitude for it. This was what made Mailey a young genius. Although he wasn¡¯t at the elemental level yet, he could still manipulate some elemental forces. He had learned to use this magic to enhance his physical attributes and give himself a good fighting chance even against the best of warriors. He could also affect the growth of plants and had the ability to heal people. The application of vitality magic was considered limitless and truly unique if it could be properly trained.

    ¡°I see. Why don¡¯t you go ahead and start your incantations.¡± Others might have thought that Willard was acting too high and mighty, but Mailey knew that wasn¡¯t the case because he was strong.

    ¡°Get ready, I am going to use a rank-B spell, this time around.¡±

    Mailey clasped his hand one more time and began his incantations. This time, only the green flame appeared around his forehead. The incantations did not end there, but rather it grew louder. Slowly, water started pouring out from Mailey¡¯s clasped palm. From a slow downpour, it greatly increased in intensity. Within a minute,the entire terret was filled with water. Thanks to the runes that surrounded the terret, the water was just contained within the terret. The imagery of the terret was like that of a giant fishbowl containing Willard and Mailey.

    As the torrential downpour of water from Mailey¡¯s hands stopped, Willard discovered that his movements were heavily constricted by the water. His speed and control had declined by fifty percent. ¡®This spell perfectly counters all my advantages. Not bad.¡¯ Willard silently thought to himself. Willard knew how difficult it was for the average person to manipulate natural energy to the extent of creating pseudo-elements [1].

    The green flame that was in front of Mailey slowly descended to the floor. As it made contact, sprawlings of what seemed like a branch of a plant mysteriously started growing out. It stretched out and coiled heading towards Willard. Willard used the movement technique to evade the attack. Although Willard¡¯s speed was mitigated, it was slightly faster than the branch of the strange plant that Mailey controlled. The exchange went on for a couple of minutes, and every time Willard barely managed to escape the plants grip.

    ¡°By now you should know this fight is over. It¡¯s just a matter of time before you are bounded by my magic.¡±  Mailey said as continued attacking Willard.

    Willard remained silent and continued evading Mailey¡¯s attack. Each time Willard used the martial movement technique to evade, a deep contemplative expression would appear on his face. Some seedling of an idea seemed to have spurred a thought in Willard¡¯s mind. Throughout the entire fight, Willard had been wondering how it was possible for Mailey to have created a domain with natural energy. Although the water seemed real, it was actually just a form of natural energy. That was why Willard could freely breath and Mailey could talk without drowning.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    The branch quickly approached Willard again, and this time, Willard stood still. The branched continued to wrap around him, enforcing its grip on Willard.

    ¡°What did I say earlier? That Willard fellow cannot measure up to Mailey.¡± One of the spectating nobles said.

    ¡°After all that lofty talk, he still lost.¡±

    ¡°We have to give this fellow some credit, he was able to hold out against Mailey for some time.¡±

    Conversations like these erupted within the crowd of nobles who were spectating the fight. To a desolate corner, Asyut stood, his face was wrinkled from the strain of his frown. He was utterly infuriated. He had managed to enlist the services of Mailey true some scrupulous means this time and had thought this would be a simple thrashing. To his complete surprise, not only was Willard completely trashed, he had given a great fight as well. This wasn¡¯t the result he had wanted at all.

    Sebastian, on the other hand, was ecstatic. Before he had thought Willard was a diamond in the rough, but now he realized Willard a dazzling jewel. He couldn¡¯t help but imagine Willard¡¯s future accomplishment. He had just reaffirmed his previous judgment of maintaining a great relationship with Willard.

    As Willard was continually being bounded by the branch, he was in a deep trance like state. For some reason, he felt something was familiar about Mailey¡¯s domain and technique. Suddenly, a more concrete memory passed through his mind. He remembered the last time he was undergoing seclusion training at the Garret household. He noticed and felt a strange red energy within his core. Mailey¡¯s domain and technique gave him a vague sense of that energy.  ¡°That¡¯s very strange. Why am I sensing that strange energy from him?¡± Willard questioned.

    ¡°Give up, this battle is over.¡± Mailey said, jolting Willard back to reality.

    As Willard¡¯s eyes opened back up, he willed his natural energy from his core to create an explosive ring of natural energy emanating from his body. This explosive natural energy destroyed the strange branch that had entangled him earlier, the force did not dissipate there, it further destroyed Mailey¡¯s water domain and even attacked the runes that surrounded the terret.

    As that happened, the curly brown haired woman turned and stared at the terret. She immediately disappeared from her table and appeared much closer to the terret. Nobody had noticed what the curly brown haired woman had done, as everyone¡¯s attention, including the second in command of the Marquis city guard, were on Willard and Mailey.

    ¡°This duckling is indeed interesting.¡± The curly brown haired woman said before she had disappeared entirely from Minya mansion. She appeared miles away from the mansion, covered in a brilliant smile. Her curly brown hair slowly straightened up and turned black as she walked. If the manager of the restaurant, who was stripped naked and spanked by his server were there, he would have recognized this woman as the singer that mysteriously vanished with all the money in the restaurant.

    **************************************************************************************************************************

    References

    <ol type="$type"></li>

    <li>Pseudo-Element: False elements created with the use of natural energy. They mimic the real element but lack durability and essence of the element.

    </li></ol>

    Note:

    Thanks for reading guys and girls. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please rate and share the story. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 30: New Beginnings

    The scene was silent as everyone present contemplated what they had just seen. How was it possible for Willard break out of the strange branch¡¯s tight grip. On the elevated portion of the mansion, the second in command of the Marquis city guard got up as he closely watched the scenes unfold.

    ¡°I admit defeat,¡± Mailey said, following an honest laughter.

    ¡°To think I will meet such a character here today. The world sure is vast.¡±

    ¡°It was a good fight,¡± Willard responded. Although the both of them had just fought, Willard had a really good impression of Mailey. When most people with Mailey¡¯s reputation would have taken this lost with an ill temper, Mailey, on the other hand, wasn''t angry. If anything he was truly grateful to have fought Willard.

    ¡°When you get the time, pay the blue dragon academy a visit. I will welcome as my honored guest.¡±

    ¡°If time permits. I will certainly come.¡±

    The conversation between the both of them seemed to have sent a breath of life through the crowd as they all resumed their conversations. Undoubtedly tonight, Willard will have left his mark on everyone''s memory. What seemed to have been an easy Victory for Mailey was, in fact, the complete opposite.

    Sebastian was in a state of utter bliss. Who would have thought Willard would be this strong. He had written this fight as a loss, but to his good fortunes, this young fellow had given him the best gift he could ask for tonight. Hector at Sebastian¡¯s side, was silently pondering all that he had just seen. ¡®If my guess is correct, this Willard is at the 9th or 10th level of natural energy. How is it possible for him to be this much stronger than me.¡¯

    Everyone had different reactions to what they had seen. Asyut in his corner was fuming with rage. Not only was he not able to suppress Sebastian, it was him who was suppressed. ¡®Curse the heavens. Why is it you favor this Sebastian over me? This is the third incident he has gotten the upper hand ahead of me. In this life, it is me or Sebastian, one of us shall die for the other.¡¯ Although these were Asyut¡¯s thoughts, he couldn''t dare speak them loudly. All he could do at the moment was drink his depression away.

    ¡°Brother Asyut, doesn''t this Willard fellow seem familiar to you?¡± Mubi said while walking over to Asyut¡¯s side. Mubi could see the apparent signs of anger and frustration on Asyut expression. Normally, he would have given him some time to calm down, but what he had noticed was just too shocking to withhold.

    ¡°Mubi, I am not interested in conversing about this Willard. This is not a good time for that.¡±

    ¡°Doesn''t this Willard fellow remind of that random commoner you asked your guards to beat to death?¡± Asyut could help but think back to the day a commoner had defied his command to leave the restaurant. Now that Mubi had mentioned it to him, it all started to come back. The black frizzy hair, the arrogant demeanor, was all the same. The already angered Asyut got only grew angrier. Everything now seemed to make sense to him. After tasking his guards to beat the commoner to death, his guards never returned. He had originally thought they all defected and left the employment of his family, but now that he knew Willard was powerful, he finally put things in perspective.

    ¡°You are right Mubi. This is, in fact, the same fellow. It seems the gods truly haven''t abandoned me.¡± Asyut said with a new found smile on his face. Mubi was a little confused with Asyut response but chose not to question it.

    Ade walked up to the elevated portion of the hall and proceeded to walk towards her father. She gave a slight bow as she approached his side. ¡°Father, what do you think of this Willard? He was the one I told you about the other day.¡± Ade words were spoken with caution, she had spoken softly and inconspicuously to make sure no unintended ears was paying any attention to what she was saying.

    ¡°Your judgment was correct. He is certainly a talented young warrior.¡± Ducart said before taking a slight pause. ¡°Use every means possible to recruit this one. He will definitely grow to greater prominence in the future. Bring him to Allada at some point.¡± Ade nodded and took her leave. A couple of days back when she visited Sebastian, her original impression of Willard wasn''t good, but as she thought more critically about the scenario that played out, she quickly realized she might have been too hasty in her judgment and treatment of Willard.

    ¡°Retaining this Willard fellow might be a little tricky, but all men under the heavens have a price.¡± Ade softly said as she walked towards Sebastian''s side. On the way there, Ade could see all the various nobles stop Willard to converse a little with him. ¡°Come enlist in my Kazan family, we would double the fee you are currently being paid.¡± A chubby noble said. ¡°Nonsense, join my  Sandell family and you shall be paid however much you desire.¡± More nobles kept on trying to recruit Willard. They were only doing so because Willard wasn''t really enlisted to the Gerret family. He had introduced himself as just a friend, and so they thought they entice him with better offers.

    Willard hearing their remarks resumed his walk back towards where Sebastian was. He couldn''t be bothered to even respond to the comments. ¡°Heaven''s brother. I never would have imagined you were this powerful. To compete and even win against Mailey is a serious achievement. I bet all the academies in the kingdom will be wanting you after news of this event spreads.¡±

    Sebastian continued chatting with Willard, Hector and Ade in his state of bliss. He was in such a good mood that he even accommodated some of the nobles who sneakily still tried to recruit Willard at every opportunity they got.

    ¡°Sebastian, your friend has made a name for himself. It seems senior Allada will like to meet him.¡± Ade said in a soft voice. Her attitude seemed to have completely changed from what it used to be. Although the entire situation seemed fishy, Sebastian could not refuse her indirect request.

    ¡°Willard it is your good fortune to make the acquaintance of senior Allada. He is the second in command of the Marquis city guard.¡± Sebastian said approvingly. Ade lead the way to the elevated portion of the hall. She purposefully decided to walk slowly to strike conversations with Willard, but unfortunately, they were both harassed by swarms of nobles who wanted to chat up this new young genius that was poised to rise to great heights. After a couple seconds of walking through the crowd, they made their way to the elevated portion of the hall.

    ¡°Senior Allada, this is Willard Wuldag.¡± Ade said leaving them both to chat, while she walked to her father''s side.

    ¡°Willard tell me, how is it that someone still at the natural energy levels is able to use elemental energy?¡± Allada asked with a gentle smile on his face. The smile on his face, was in complete contrast to the expression Allada had when Willard had first set eyes on him. That expression was that of irrepressible aggression.

    ¡°It''s a little trivial trick I use, nothing special,¡± Willard responded giving the hint he wasn''t willing to divulge any more. Allada laughed and tapped Willard on the shoulder.

    ¡°How about you join the Marquis guard. I would make sure it is worth your time. And also, you don''t have to worry about betraying your friend because it wouldn''t necessarily mean you have to join the Marquis Household.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the offer senior, but I cannot join for the time being. There are still some things I have yet to accomplish.¡± Willard said, clearly rejecting the offer.

    ¡°The offer still remains whenever you are ready,¡± Allada said ending the conversation. As Willard started walking off, Allada¡¯s smile quickly changed to a frown. Several thoughts were running through his mind. ¡®Who exactly is this fellow? Although he spoke respectfully, there wasn''t an ounce of respect in his tone. Trivial tricks? I am already at the 7th level of elemental energy, there is no way I can be tricked by the likes of him.¡¯

    The rest of the event went on as expected, the remaining contestant who originally planned on competing all chose to forgo that idea after watching Willard and Mailey¡¯s fight. There was nothing that could possibly compete with the result of that fight. After dining and mingling with everyone, Sebastian bid his farewell to Ade and her family.

    *******************************

    Two days had passed since the event at the Minya household. Willard had reunited with Baya and brought him to the Gerret household. After narrating the events of his adventure, Willard had immediately instructed Baya to use the opportunity to cultivate and break through to the 10th level of natural energy.

    Willard sat in front of the garden within the Garret household, as he usually does at that time of day. The tranquil scenery seemed to help him get in a meditative state. Suddenly, his meditation was brought to an early end, A loud commotion seemed to be brewing at the gate.

    ¡°We demand you send out Willard Wuldag. That criminal is to be arrested immediately.¡± Someone yelled as the noise intensified.

    Willard used his movement technique to immediately reach the gate within seconds. He saw a group of Marquis city guard men standing beside Asyut. ¡°There he is, the criminal is standing right there,¡± Asyut said when he laid eyes on Willard.

    ¡°Oh. What crimes am I being accused of committing?¡± Willard asked.

    ¡°Do you deny that you murdered three of my guards? We have two witnesses who said they saw you committing the crimes.¡± Asyut responded as he pointed to two men. Both of them were servers that worked at the restaurant where Willard first encountered Asyut.

    ¡°That''s right, when we went on an errand, we saw that fellow over there stabbing one of the guards with our own eyes. Afterward, that fellow arranged for their bodies to be transported out of the city.¡± One of the men said. Willard knew right away what happened. These men did not witness anything, rather they were paid by Asyut to lie so that he would be arrested.

    By this point in time, Sebastian had made his way to the gate. ¡°What nonsense are you spewing? Isnt this situation a little too convenient? Not only are you two fellows the only witness, but the body of the guards in question are also not in town. What proof do we have that Asyut here did not kill the guards himself and is now framing Willard?¡± Sebastian said.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°It is not up to us to decide who is guilty, but we will require Willard to come with us to the guard square.¡± One of the city guardsmen said. Willard walked closer to Sebastian and whispered in a low voice: ¡°Sebastian, I will go with them. When Baya comes out of his training, give him this totem.¡± Willard handed the totem to Sebastian and walked towards the city guardsmen, who proceeded to escort him to the guard square. ¡°I will contact my father immediately. Don''t worry, you will be out soon.¡± Sebastian yelled as the guards escorted Willard away. On the way over to guard square, Asyut  had been overjoyed with the way things had played out. Asyut originally expected Willard or Sebastian to refuse and reject the order leading to a more complicated situation, but that did not happen.

    ¡°You filthy trash dare go against me. I will make you wish you were dead sooner.¡± Asyut said trying to get a reaction out of Willard. ¡®Now that it has come to this, I must kill this Willard¡¯ Asyut thought to himself.

    ¡°You Willard shall die today, but before you die I will make you suffer.¡±

    ¡°Now is far enough. Tie this trash up for me.¡± Asyut instructed. The guards all stopped their movement and proceeded to tie Willard up. The immediate obedience from the guards gave Willard a better sense of the situation.

    ¡°You will need more than just the six of you to tie me down,¡± Willard said while staring at the guards.

    ¡°You over estimate yourself.¡± One of  the city guardsmen said before he dashed towards Willard. The guardsman in question did not use any fancy movement technique, but his speed was still faster than Willard had anticipated. From the energy that trailed him, Willard could tell he was at the elemental energy level. The guardsman aimed for Willard with every intention of subduing him. All around his body, golden lightning could be seen dangling as he moved. He was like one of those fabled lightning fiends when he moved.

    ¡°Hmm¡± Willard grunted as he channeled earth elemental energy to his physical body. Almost instantaneously, the guardsman had arrived by Willard''s side striking straight at his head. Willard effortlessly blocked the attack with his right hand and simultaneously aimed for the guardsman abdomen with his left hand. The guardsman was push back by the force of Willard¡¯s attack. On Willard''s fist, remnants of the wild golden lightning were dangling about before vanished.

    ¡°Be Careful, he is at the elemental energy level. And he trains the earth element.¡± The guardsman that attacked warned the others.

    ¡°You bunch of idiots. Cut his legs if you have to. Just bring this trash on his knees for me.¡± Asyut angrily yelled.

    Just as he finished his statement, Willard used his movement technique to appear right in front of Asyut. Without a moment''s warning, he grabbed Asyut by the neck and turned to face the city guardsmen.

    ¡°Let me go! If any harm comes to me my father will burn you and whatever backward village you come from down.¡± Asyut said as he struggled to make out the words. At this point, the city guardsmen had faces full of fright. They did not account for the fact that Willard would be at the element level and that he would use Asyut as a hostage. They had come in false pretense to arrest Willard, but in truth, they were loyal subordinates of the Helden household placed enlisted Marquis city guard. If the word got out that the next head died because of their actions, they themselves will be doomed death.

    ¡°Don''t be rash, put him down and you might still come out of this alive.¡± One of the guardsmen said.

    ¡°Hahaha. Burn me to death. I might come out of this alive. Truly laughable.¡± Willard said with an ominous grin.

    ¡°Die!¡±

    Willard plunged his left hand into Asyut chest aiming straight at his heart. His hands easily pierced Asyut¡¯s flesh and stopped at his beating heart. "Haaaa" Asyut screamed in complete agony. Ever since he had been born, he never imagined there would be a person who could cause him this much pain. The guardsmen all dashed straight for Willard.

    ¡°Please I..¡± Asyut was saying as Willard yanked out his beating heart.

    The guardsmen all stopped as they watched Asyut body slump to the ground lifelessly. They couldn''t believe what they had just seen. Regret, frustration, and anger were all they could feel at that moment.

    ¡°A gift to the Helden household,¡± Willard said throwing Asyut¡¯s heart to the guardsmen.

    ¡°He has doomed us all.¡± One of the guardsmen said as he crazily charged towards Willard.

    As the guardsman ran, the surface of his palm spontaneously flamed up. The guardsman reached for his sword , aiming it straight at Willard¡¯s head. Willard willed the earth in front of him to shoot out a spike that aimed at the attacking guardsman. The guardsman noticed the earth spike that was gunning for him a little too late as the spike plunged through his abdomen, following shortly was his lifeless body collapsing to the ground.

    ¡°Encircle him. Use long range attacks¡± The guardsman that was bathed in golden lightning instructed the remaining three.

    ¡®I have almost completely depleted my elemental energy. If they manage to trap me here, I most certainly will die.¡¯

    Just as the guardsmen were moving to encircle him, Willard used his natural energy to form a ring of natural force, pushing back the guardsmen trying to encircle him. Willard immediately took off as he ran from the guardsmen. He did not get too far before he felt his body increase tremendously in weight. Before Willard even had the opportunity to understand what was happening, a figure appeared right in front of him.

    ¡°Killing a guardsman within the borders of Marquis city is a grade one capital offense.¡± The figure said as he walked closer to Willard. ¡°It''s a pity such a young genius as yourself will have to die.¡± The figure said as he stared at Willard. Willard knew who this person was because he had personally been introduced to him. This person was none other than Allada the second in command of the Marquis city guard. ¡°How is it that you just happened to be here? Have you been following me?¡± Willard asked following the arrival of the guardsmen who were originally pursuing him.

    ¡°Vice commander.¡± The four greeted as they bowed. Allada only gave them a single glance before his attention moved back to Willard.

    ¡°Just to make sure you are no trouble, I shall deprive you of your hands,¡± Allada said pulling out his sword from its sheath. Willard¡¯s expression immediately turned grave. How could he accept the fact that Allada was going to cut off his hands? At that moment, time seemed to have stopped for Willard. His new life in this world had only just started and yet he was about to be deprived of his hands. Suddenly, something seemed to have occurred within Willard. The originally dormant and elusive red substance within Willard''s core exploded forth with terrifying force. The gravitational domain Allada had created was blown away, even Allada himself barely managed to escape with his life. The other guardsmen were blown to complete nothingness. Not even a drop of their blood was seen.

    After everything settled down, Allada was in complete shock at the scene before him. Everything within half a mile of Willard was completely destroyed. No rock, tree, or structure were left within half a mile. Not even their remnant could be seen. At the center of it all was Willard who had completely passed out.

    ¡°I was right, this child is trouble. I need to end his life before something terrible happens¡±

    Within a couple of seconds, Allada had appeared before Willard. Without much thought to it, he stabbed straight for Willard''s heart. As his sword was about to make contact with Willard, his body suddenly grew stiff. He couldn''t move an inch or even make a sound. He just stood at his original stabbing position. Mysteriously a black haired woman appeared right in front of him. She did not so much as say a word, as she inspected the crater Willard had created. Afterward, she mysteriously disappeared with Willard''s unconscious body leaving Allada in a state of complete confusion.

    ¡°Who is that woman? And how come I couldn''t even move?¡± Allada said in his state of confusion. At this point, Allada had regained his mobility.

    ¡°Could it be that she is one of those fabled saints?¡±

    ****************************************************************************************************************

    Note:

    This is the end of volume 2 and the end of book1.

    For those that don''t know, I originally wrote the story with novellas in mind. I plan to complete the story in 3 books, and book one is complete.  Also, this chapter is super long compared to every other chapter.

    If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 31: Queen of Mischief

    The steady vibration of what seemed to be a carriage woke Willard from his slumber. To his surprise, he realized was laying in a large carriage usually used by nobles. All he could vaguely remember was the moment Allada was about to cut his hands off. He had no recollection of what had transpired afterward. Willard moved both his arms to confirm they were still connected to the rest of his body. Seeing nothing had happened to him gave Willard a wild sense of joy, not only was he not dead or missing an arm, he was apparently not in chains. Turning around to investigate his surroundings, Willard quickly noticed the piercing gaze of a strange woman sitting opposite him.

    ¡°So you finally woke up.¡± The strange woman said with a hint of cynicism.

    ¡°How long have I been out?¡±

    ¡°About a week.¡±

    Willard was startled to hear that he had been unconscious for a week. ¡°Who are you?¡± Willard asked.

    ¡°Your benefactor of course. How do you intend to pay this merciful benefactor back?¡± She asked with a straight face. Willard couldn¡¯t help but scratch his head a little. Normally most people in the woman¡¯s position wouldn¡¯t be so direct about wanting a repayment, but right now the woman had directly demanded repayment.

    ¡°What would my benefactor want for her payment?¡±

    ¡°One million gold coins or the equivalent,¡± she responded in all seriousness.

    ¡°Haha. You must be joking right? Not even the governor of Marquis city would have a million gold coins to give.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t have the gold, pay me with something else that¡¯s worth that exact amount.¡± The woman said staring straight at Willard.

    Willard was beginning to grow slowly angry as he listened to her words. He just had about enough of the unreasonable woman¡¯s demand. But for some mysterious reason, he decided not to act out.

    ¡°Thank you for saving my life, but I can¡¯t afford what you are asking for. Sometime in the future when I have a million gold coins I will pay you back for your kindness.¡±

    ¡°Young duckling, that can¡¯t do. Ah, I got it.¡± the woman said in a manner suggesting she just had a thought.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you become my slave and I will release you when you¡¯ve done a million gold coins worth of indentured labor.¡±

    Willard couldn¡¯t hold back his anger anymore, ¡°Look here miss, I don¡¯t have a million gold coins or the equivalent to give you, neither am I interested in being your slave. I am grateful for your kindness, but I did not ask for your help in the first place. Now I will be taking my leave.¡±

    ¡°That also can¡¯t do young duckling. It took quite a bit of effort to save you. I can¡¯t just let you leave like that.¡±

    Willard ignored her statement and proceeded to leave the moving carriage. The moment he pushed open the door of the carriage, his vision immediately became pitch black and then he passed out. The next moment Willard woke up, he realized he was resting behind a tree in front of a burn fire. Right in front of him was a young girl who seemed to a little younger than Willard, who was seated close to the strange woman he met in the carriage.

    ¡°Oh, you are already conscious.¡± The strange woman said with a cruel little smile as she was biting into a piece of roasted meat. ¡°That¡¯s strange, no one within the elemental energy levels should be able to recover this fast,¡± she said in a jumbled fashion as the words were impaired by her chewing.

    Willard immediately got to his senses. He remembered his earlier conversation with the crazy woman and immediately thought to run away. ¡°Don¡¯t think of running except you want to go back to sleep,¡± Willard ignored her warnings and tried to use his movement martial technique to escape, and like earlier, his vision turned pitch black as he passed out.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°Teacher, is there something wrong with his head?¡± The young girl asked in a serious tone.

    ¡°I am not sure Nana. He might be a little slow in the uptake.¡±

    ¡°I see. Teacher, why did you bring him?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something peculiar about this one.¡± The woman said as she closed her eyes and rubbed her belly.

    The following morning, Willard woke up to the sound of the two ladies getting ready to leave. His thoughts quickly flashed back to what happened before he passed out when a cold sweat broke on his back. ¡®What kind of sorcery is this vile woman using? What kind of problem have I gotten myself into?¡¯ Willard silently thought to himself.

    ¡°How long are you going to pretend to be unconscious for? I can make you pass out again if you want that?¡± The strange woman¡¯s loud voice came crashing in Willard¡¯s head. Willard immediately opened his eyes and stared at the woman, his thoughts seemed to become more rational now that he had really experienced some of the woman¡¯s ways. ¡®Now that I think of it, if this woman was capable of snatching me away from Allada, she ought to be at least as powerful as Jayesh.¡¯

    ¡°Where are we? And where are we going?¡± Willard asked in a more revitalized tone, his action gave the impression that he had fully accepted his circumstance.

    ¡°Finally given up on running? That¡¯s too bad, I wanted to test exactly how powerful your soul was.¡± The woman said nodding unapprovingly. ¡°We are headed to the Malay Kingdom. Go help Nana prep the carriage.¡±

    ¡°How long am I going to be working for you?¡± Willard asked as he was walking towards the carriage.

    ¡°Until a million gold coins worth of work is done.¡± hearing that Willard seemed to be in a deep thought. The biggest problem he had with the entire situation, was the fact that he wouldn¡¯t get to see his parents in a long while.

    A thought suddenly sprang to Willard¡¯s mind,¡°Merciful and lovely benefactor. Can we please make a stop at my Yellow Hew village as we go? It is on the way to the southern border. Let me say goodbye to my parents before I make this journey.¡±

    The woman thought about it for a couple of seconds and agreed to stop briefly at the Yellow hew village. ¡°You should know by now it¡¯s impossible for you to escape me right?¡±

    ¡°I have no such intentions benefactor.¡±

    ¡°What might I call my benefactor?¡± Hearing Willard¡¯s question, the strange woman smiled and responded: ¡°Nana tell this young one what I am called.¡± as she reached her pouch to drink some water.

    ¡°Teacher is called Aorah, queen of mischief.¡± Aorah hearing Nana¡¯s response couldn¡¯t help but cough out loud. ¡°Nana, it is the queen of mysteries and not mischief.¡±

    ¡°But the old man with the long staff said you were..¡± nana was saying as Aorah cut her short. ¡°Forget that senile old man¡¯s comment.¡±

    ¡®She is indeed the queen of mischief. When I get the opportunity, I will pay you a thousand times back for every single thing you have done.'' Willard silently thought to himself.

    ************************************************************************************************************************

    Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 32: Frustrations

    It had been five days since Willard was unwillingly forced to join the two ladies on their journey. Since the trio were passing through familiar routes, Willard felt somewhat at peace. Willard couldn''t help but think about his present predicament. For one of the few times in his mortal life, he felt truly powerless whenever he faced Aorah. This was a lack of complete control over his own life. Sitting beside Nana, as she steered the horses on their journey. Willard thought about the events that transpired two days earlier and sighed with great depression. Two nights earlier, the three of them had stopped and rested by a burn fire for the night. Willard pretended to be asleep, but quickly run off when the others were sleeping. He ran for hours before he got tired and decided to rest on a tree. Willard was certain, he had escaped the clutches of his oppressor, but to his surprise when he woke up the next morning, he noticed he was in the carriage with Aorah. Willard couldn''t understand what had happened, he was so sure he had made a clean breakaway, only to find himself waking up to the same carriage. What drove Willard more crazy was the fact that no one even spoke about his attempted escape. It was almost as if he had dreamt the whole thing up. Thanks to the various stains on his outfit that supported his memory of his attempted escape, Willard finally accepted his fate for the moment.

    ¡°How long have you been training under miss Aorah?¡± Willard asked out of boredom.

    ¡°Since I was six,¡± Nana responded with her usual expression.

    After spending these past couple days with Nana and Aorah, Willard had begun to understand their personalities. Although Aorah was only fourteen years of age, she was quite mature mentally for her age. She was basically the one that took care of Aorah. Thanks to the weird upbringing Nana must have had with Aorah, she developed a weird personality for someone her age. She was too honest and quick to react. She was neither apathetic nor inconsiderate, essentially Willard concluded she was a different type of nut case like her teacher.

    ¡°When last did you see your family?¡± Willard asked again.

    Nana turned and stared at Willard for a couple of seconds before she moved her gaze to the road.

    ¡°My entire family died when I was six. My teacher is my only family.¡± She responded without a slight change in her expression. Willard was shocked with her response and mannerism. He couldn''t believe she had responded without even a slight emotional outburst. ¡®What on earth has this woman been teaching this girl?¡¯ Willard thought to himself, he also couldn''t help but praise the state of mind Nana had cultivated.

    ¡°What happened to your family?¡±

    Nana remained silent for some time before she responded, ¡°Do you always talk this much? It''s a bit bothersome.¡±

    Willard did not even have the time to respond before he noticed some people hiding in the bushes up ahead.

    ¡°Nana stopped the carriage, there are some bandits up ahead. Go get miss Aorah.¡±

    ¡°Teacher left the carriage a while ago. She said you will be able to solve any problems we encounter.¡± Nana said as she pulled the carriage to a complete stop.

    ¡°I am going to lay down inside the carriage. Come get me when you are done with the bandits.¡± Nana said jumping down from the front section.

    Willard was stunned with what he had just heard. Willard was proud of his observations skill, but somehow, Aorah had left the carriage without his notice. To top it off, Aorah had left him with babysitting her student or the other way around. Willard thought of using this situation to escape, but he quickly remembered Aorah¡¯s strange capability in finding him. Willard jumped off the carriage with a clearly vexed expression. He couldn''t believe this was what he was left with doing.

    ¡°I will only give you all five seconds to run away, or I shall kill every single one of you.¡± Willard angrily shouted.

    Above the scene within the clouds, Aorah oversaw the entire event as it transpired. ¡°Let''s see how this plays out.¡± She said

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.¡°Hahahaha¡± The bandits all broke into laughter one after the other. This might have been the first time someone had ever said such a thing to them.

    ¡°You brat think you can kill my brothers and I by yourself? No matter what academy genius you are, what can you do when faced with twenty people?¡± A bulky bandit said as he strolled forward.

    Without even counting, Willard used his movement technique to get close the distance between him and the bulky bandit. The bulky bandit was startled by Willard¡¯s action, he quickly tried to strike Willard with his blade but was surprised to see Willard catch the blade in its movement. Willard disarmed the bandit with the same motion and immediately severed the bandit''s head.

    The other bandits were too shocked to react. They never expected things to take such a swift turn. They had fought several geniuses on this same road countless times, but they never experienced anything like what had just happened. Willard appeared before the next bandit and sliced his body diagonally. This second move made the bandits realize they had stepped on a hornet''s nest.

    ¡°Escape.¡± Another yelled as he turned tails to run. Within ten seconds, they had lost their leader, the bulky bandit. The bandits all scattered and ran in different directions. Willard wasn''t satisfied with killing just two of them, as he followed one of them that was running.

    ¡°This duckling is too vicious,¡± Aorah said as she watched.

    As Willard caught up to the person he was chasing, he slashed the blade aiming for the head. To Willard¡¯s surprise, the bandit he was about to decapitate had disappeared. Willard turned to chase the others but discovered he couldn''t find a single one of the escaping bandits.

    ¡°What in the world just happened?¡± Willard exclaimed in surprise. He couldn''t believe the bandits had just disappeared just like that. Willard walked back to the carriage frowning. He wanted to take out all his frustrations on those bandits, but somehow they had escaped. Willard got Nana out of the carriage and they continued their journey.

    Up in the skies above Willard, Aorah stood with eighteen unconscious bandits floating. She nodded her head and disappeared from the sky with the bandits.

    Willard looked depressed as he watched the endless trees pass by for hours. By this time, the day was already giving way to the darkness of the night. Nana took a quick glance at Willard and said, ¡°My village was raided by a neighboring village. The villagers, including my parents, were all killed during the raid. I was luckily saved by my teacher, and ever since then I have been traveling and living with her.¡±

    Willard was shocked to hear what Nana had said. He wasn''t shocked because of the story, he was more surprised that Nana took the initiative to talk to him.

    ¡°Did she take revenge on your behalf?¡±

    ¡°Teacher said revenge breeds a vicious circle, and that I shouldn''t be too quick to think of it.¡±

    Willard made a grunting sound and said, ¡°What utter crap. They started the circle, why shouldn''t you think of revenge?¡±

    Immediately after Willard finished his statement, a loud banging sound was heard from within the carriage. Aorah poked her head out and said, ¡°let''s stop here and camp for the night.¡±

    ***********************************************************************************

    Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 33: Surprising Reunion

    The deeply glowing ember from the burning wood created a peaceful and serene environment tonight. It wasn''t clear to Willard why he felt this way, but he couldn''t help but notice something about his current state was relaxing. Aorah sat staring at the stars with a longing expression. Nana quietly laid down with her eyes firmly shut. Willard was silently staring at the sky and occasionally moved his gaze to the both of them, as they seemingly embraced the night.

    ¡°This is the first time your mind has been at peace since you joined us,¡± Aorah said watching the stars. Willard''s expression did not change because he was already getting used to the strangeness of Aorah.

    ¡°If you let me go, my mind would always be at peace.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. I suppose.¡± She laughed. Willard knew that letting him go wasn''t even an option at this point. Given the way Aorah had firmly proven her resolve to have him accompany her, there was no way she would let him leave.

    ¡°Why did you choose not to avenge the death of Nana¡¯s entire village?¡±

    ¡°It is not always evil versus good. There is merit in forgiveness.¡± Aorah responded with a saddened look on her face. ¡°Given your rate of growth, in due time you will understand the meaning behind my words.¡±

    ¡°What is there to understand? You simply chose cowardice in the name of peace, just like with those bandits today. It is specifically people like you I hate the most.¡± Willard said before he closed his eyes to sleep. Aorah turned to look at Willard for a couple of seconds, and then turned back to continue watching the stars.

    The next morning, they got up and continued their journey. The events of the day went on like they usually did. Aorah mysteriously vanished without any warning, while Nana continued navigating the way with Willard. Neither Willard nor Nana knew of her whereabouts and frankly, neither of them could be bothered to even think about. Hours into their journey, the terrain slowly started becoming recognizable to Willard. He remembered the first time he got to this point, which was a couple of months back. The route before him led to the Blue Rose village, which gave Willard a certain sense of nostalgia.

    As they continued along the path, they quickly came across a lot of villagers who seemed homeless. Willard thought about the last time he came through those paths, they weren''t that many inhabitants living in the Blue Rose village. As a matter of fact, he clearly remembered that the Blue Rose village was a transit village. One that got most of its economic activities from the warriors and mages that usually stopped over on their way to bigger cities. Although this scene was strange to him, he did not bother to think much about it.

    ¡°Please spare some change for me. I haven''t eaten in three days.¡± A young female beggar yelled as she ran alongside the carriage. Something about this beggar seemed familiar to Willard.

    ¡°Nana, stop the carriage,¡± Willard said as he quickly jumped down.

    Willard kept staring at the young beggar for a long time. Something about this beggar seemed familiar, but he couldn''t quite put his finger on it. Suddenly it all came crashing into his head. He knew exactly who this beggar was. Behind her currently dirty and worn out outfit, was a short small-framed beautiful girl. How could Willard forget, this was a person he had spent a lot of time around, while he was a child in the Yellow Hew village training to be a warrior.

    ¡°Ayola, is that you?¡± Willard asked with a surprised expression.

    ¡°Sir, have we met before?¡± Ayola asked while she panted.

    Willard was seriously shocked with what he was experiencing. He thought back to how long he had left the village and realized it had been just four months. Sure he had grown his hair a little longer and might have added an inch or two to his height, but it still couldn''t explain why Ayola couldn''t recognize him at first glance. Willard seriously thought about what could have caused such trauma to cause her to forget who he was. He could smell something was wrong about the whole situation. The increased number of inhabitants and now Ayola.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I am Willard, we were both trained by the warrior Azeya. What are you doing here? Why are you like this?¡±

    ¡°Willard is that you? You look so different. Can you please spare some change?¡± Ayola asked again. Willard did not necessarily feel pity for Ayola, he mostly felt a sense of bewilderment. He couldn''t figure out what was currently happening. From his memory of Ayola, she had a loving family that provided for her.

    ¡°Nana, do you some silver or gold coins you could lend me?¡± Willard asked

    ¡°Why should I lend you any money?¡±

    Willard quickly checked his sack to see if he could find anything of relative value. All his current possessions, at the moment, were the root of the fire plant that Baya had acquired for him and a blue jewel stone Sebastian had gifted him for his victory against Mailey.

    ¡°Why don''t you hold onto this blue jewel stone, return it when I pay you back,¡± Willard said tossing the blue jewel stone to Nana. Nana sized up the jewel for some seconds and tossed a little pouch to Willard. She had an unusual smile as she kept on staring at the blue jewel stone.

    ¡°Nana, why don''t you find us an inn, I will also pay back for the accommodation,¡± Willard said leading Ayola to a nearby restaurant.

    ¡°It''s you again. Get out of here before I give you another beating.¡± A man who stood in front of the restaurant yelled. Willard ignored the man¡¯s statement and brought Ayola to the restaurant.

    ¡°We would like a table ," Willard said to the man.

    ¡°Are you both deaf?¡± The man said as he proceeded to grab Willard to throw him out. Unfortunately for the man, Willard was never the type to take any insults. Willard willed natural energy to his palms and slammed the chest of the man. The man tumbled backward and crashed into a sitting area outside of the restaurant. The noise from the confrontation invited a host of people to come check out what was happening.

    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± A chubby man who was better dressed said as he came out of the restaurant. The man frowned his face as he approached Willard. Just now, Willard had beaten his supposed security guard and he wasn''t sure what Willard might want to do.

    ¡°We would like a table? Or are you going to try and throw us out like him over there?¡± Willard asked pointing to the who was laying there unconscious.

    ¡°It is not that we don''t want to serve you, it is just that we need proof that you can afford the meal first.¡± The man said looking towards Willard and the dirty looking Ayola.

    ¡°Is this proof enough?¡± Willard said tossing five silver coins to the chubby man.

    ¡°Yes, Yes. It is proof enough.¡±

    The man instructed someone to carry the unconscious security guard away before he went to go prepare a table for Willard and Ayola. A couple of minutes later, Willard and Ayola were seated and served by someone from the restaurant. Without a moment to waste, Ayola decimated the plate that was in front of her. Willard stared in amazement, wondering what on earth could have happened to the girl in front of him. Within the span of ten minutes, Ayola had finished three rounds of food. At this point, she slowed down and proceeded to eat normally.

    ¡°What happened to you?¡± Willard asked as he noticed some normalcy in Ayola.

    ¡°Three weeks ago, the village was raided by some outlaws. I managed to escape with some lucky others.¡±

    *************************************************************************************************

    Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 34: Blue Mist Bandit

    Willard sat there stunned with what he had just heard. ¡®The village was raided by some outlaws¡¯, kept replaying in his mind. ¡°What do you mean? The chief and the warriors should have been able to fend off any outlaw.¡± Willard said snapping out of his daze.

    ¡°The village wasn¡¯t raided by just any outlaw, they were raided by the blue mist bandit group,¡± Ayola said staring deeply at Willard.

    ¡°Did my parent survive?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know? I was in the forest picking wood when I saw the others running away. I followed them to safety.¡±

    Willard immediately got up and dashed out of the restaurant. Thoughts of his mother came pouring into his mind. Although he had regained his complete memory of his former life, Willard¡¯s memory of his childhood with his parents was still a part of him. For the first time since his true existence, he had experienced what it was like to have the love of a family. Although he hated his human existence, he had inherited a subconscious love for his parents. This was a feeling he had gradually grown fond of. ¡®A mere mortal dares to take what is mine.¡¯ Willard angrily thought as he ran. Within Willard''s elemental core, the strange red energy started slowly flaring. Every time he thought of the possibility of his parents being killed, the magnitude of the flares increased. On Willard''s neck, were the ring his father had gifted him before his trip was tied, started glowing a clear cyan blue color. This occurrence fell out of Willard''s attention, as his mind was completely occupied with the state of his parents.

    Over at a distance location, within a different village, Aorah was drinking wine in the company of complete strangers. She had changed her appearance to that of one local woman who lived in that village. Suddenly Aorah mystically disappeared, leaving those people in a state of complete stupor.

    As Willard ran, he saw Nana grooming the horses off in the distance. Without a word, he grabbed one of the straps attached to a horse. ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡± Nana asked in obviously unpleased manner. Willard turned, with a sort of evil gaze It was almost as if he was in a state of blood lust. His stare was domineering and penetrating Nana had to take a couple of steps back while clenching onto a pendant on her neck.

    Hovering up in the sky, Aorah was watching the whole thing with a frown. She disappeared from her current position and appeared right in front of Willard. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I need to rush over to my village as soon as possible,¡± Willard said as he climbed and sat on the horse.

    ¡°Wait. Wait.¡± Ayola yelled running towards them.

    ¡°You can''t go there. The blue mist bandits will kill you.¡± she continued while she panted.

    ¡°I am leaving now.¡±

    ¡°You are not going anywhere,¡± Aorah responded.

    Willard''s gaze intensified as he heard Aorah¡¯s words. A sort of fiery aura seemed to permeate from him. Without a seconds notice, Aorah released a domain which had made everything within her surrounding to stop moving. Everyone living thing, animals or humans had stopped in place except for Willard who still had some his mobility.

    ¡°Think for a second before you act.¡±

    ¡°Do you know anything about the blue mist bandits? Who leads them and whether you are a match for them?¡±Aorah¡¯s words made a lot of sense to Willard, but he was never the type to shy away from a fight.

    ¡°I do not care who it might be, but anyone who offends me must pay.¡±

    ¡°You will surely die if you go there tonight. Not even I can guarantee your safety.¡±

    Willard was shocked to hear what she had just said. He knew quite well how powerful Aorah was, and for her to say what she had just said meant that this adversary was indeed powerful. Aorah had found out about the blue mist bandits through her hobby of mingling with the various villagers as they traveled. She had learned of the deeds this water fiend had been doing in those parts and had gotten a better understanding of the group.

    ¡°I promised to let you visit your village, but this is different. A water fiend leads the blue mist bandits. All fiends are comparable to saints in power.¡±

    This was the first time Willard had heard the terms fiends and saint. Although he had learned of the martial cultivation ranks from his time in the Yellow Hew village, he had never heard of those ranks. This was due to the relatively low level of knowledge the villagers had and rarity of individuals at that level.

    ¡°If you want to be of any help to your parents and the villagers, if they are not already dead, you need to calm down and listen to me.¡± As Willard listened and thought about it, Aorah¡¯s words seemed to make quite a lot sense. For now, at least, he had to understand who the blue mist bandits were. ¡°When do suggest we leave?¡± Willard asked.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.¡°When you are well rested, we shall depart.¡±

    Aorah released her domain and everything went back to normal. Ayola resumed her panting, while Nana walked closer to Aorah. The group made their way to the inn Nana had gotten them on Willard¡¯s request. Ayola had narrated the entire situation to Aorah and Nana, which helped to the ease the slight hostility Nana felt towards Willard¡¯s earlier action. Of course, Willard could care less about Nana¡¯s feelings, if it were up to him, he would have never joined them in the first place.

    Willard sat on a bed in a meditative posture. He thought about his current state of mind and found that these feelings were completely alien to him. The reason for his state of complete anger couldn''t be correctly explained. Willard noticed the emotions he felt at the moment, had a new found effect on his soul. Willard noticed his soul was growing much more powerfully than it had ever done since he regained his memory. He couldn''t really find an explanation to the phenomenon and chose not to think much about it.

    Ayola walked into the room where Willard was seated after taking a shower and having a fresh change of clothing. She had initially hoped to grab Willard''s interest but was disappointed to notice Willard wasn''t even paying any attention to her. Eventually, she could only leave and stay in the company of Nana.

    ¡°Come with me.¡± Aorah¡¯s voice sounded in Willard''s head. Afterward, Willard had disappeared from the room to the top of the building.

    ¡°When one has a complete understanding of one of the universal laws, your body, soul and elemental core is transformed into a single entity,¡± Aorah said taking a slight pause. ¡°This existence is what is referred to as a saint.¡±

    ¡°A fiend, on the other hand, is a person who receives the will of a god. I can''t really explain how this happens, but ever so often a god¡¯s will descend and select a suitor. These people do not have the understanding of the universal laws, but they are able to draw a lot of power from the god and are somewhat comparable in power to saints.¡±

    Willard knew a lot better than Aorah in regards to the so-called god¡¯s will. This was something he had done countless times in the nine heavens. It was a means god¡¯s used to gain followers in the different mortal worlds. According to gaya¡¯s decree, all gods were forbidden from entering the mortal world. The gods used this method to instruct several mortals of their existence and make them serve him, thereby increasing the level of the god¡¯s soul. After a suitable mortal gains the will of a god, the mortal gains a tiny portion of power from the god, who is also able to communicate with that mortal. The level of power the mortal is able to gain is dependent on the strength of the god and level of martial prowess of the mortal.

    ¡°Although I am at the level of a saint, I am still unable to guarantee your safety against this water fiend.¡±

    ********************************************************************************************

    Author''s Note:

    Hey guys and girls, I want to quickly clarify some people''s disappointment/angst towards this story. I know at the start, the story was about this almighty character that was power and all that sweet goodness, but now he isn''t as powerful as he was made out to be. Let me clarify, that character that was powerful was Thanus the god and not Willard, who is adapting to his human life. The only things of substance Willard retained from Thanus was his soul and experience, but even the experience is limited to mostly the workings of the nine heavens. Also if I don''t respond to a comment its usually because I don''t know what to respond. If I get the feeling that you don''t want to hear: "Thanks for the comment :)" or an explanation for something, I probably will not respond. Not that I don''t want to, its just that I don''t know how to.

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 35: Demon Shaped Man

    Willard was momentarily in a state of thought. ¡®So in this world, a tempest existence is referred to as a saint. If that is the case, this Aorah is much more powerful than I had previously thought.¡¯ Willard silently thought with a frown on his face. Although Willard was docile while he was in the presence of Aorah, he had still not given up the thought of killing her for keeping him against his will. ¡®This would prove to be more difficult than I originally planned.¡¯

    ¡°I see.¡± Willard feigned ignorance as he rubbed his chin. ¡°What universal law have you mastered?¡± Willard asked with an innocent look to him. Although they were currently on the same side, Willard still considered Aorah an enemy. As long as he could gain some understanding of the depth of his enemy, he would have a better chance of killing this enemy.

    ¡°There is no need to ask, you do not train in any of the elements I study or have a basic understanding of the law I have mastered. In due time you shall see them for yourself.¡±

    Willard did not press on with his question because, in reality, Aorah spoke the truth. If they were to go together, Willard would be able to decipher the elements and laws she had studied. At least for now he had also gained some vital information on his immediate enemy, the blue mist bandits. Aorah spoke some more with Willard about how they were going to approach the situation. Although Aorah was much more powerful than the current Willard, she still needed to make sure Willard was in tune with her so as to make sure unforeseen events of disaster could be prevented.

    As nighttime approached, Aorah appeared right in front of Willard, who was in a meditative posture on his bed. Without uttering a single word, they both disappeared from the room and reappeared about a few feets away from the borders of the Yellow Hew village, behind the cover of some trees. ¡°We shall do as I spoke earlier,¡± Aorah said before she mystically disappeared again.

    After she left, Willard proceeded to head straight for the village. From afar, he could see the destroyed houses, farmland, and many more structures that created the former image of the village he once knew. After a few minutes, Willard had already reached the village. Willard noticed the lively atmosphere of the bandits who now inhabited the village. Most of the ones he could see were drunk as they were broken off in groups eating, drinking or doing whatever they felt like. Willard was shocked to notice that they paid little to no attention to their surroundings. He could understand why that was the case, after all, they were lead by a fiend. Not even entire kingdoms lightly made enemies of fiends. Which begged one of the questions that greatly disturbed Aorah, why would a fiend work lead and work with bandits? One had to understand, that the birth of fiends were inconceivable rare, and once one had appeared all the kingdoms will offer anything to get the fiend on their side. So why was it that this fiend chose to be a bandit?

    One of the bandits noticed a youngster in what seemed like a silky white attire strolling through the village almost as if he could not see them. The bandit was holding a piece of chicken in one hand, and tapped the fellow to his side with his free hand before he pointed to the direction of the youngster. ¡°What do we have here?¡± The bandit that had been tapped said as he got up. It was obvious, that he had way too many to drink as he wobbled on his way to confront the incoming youngster.

    ¡°What happened to the people that lived here?¡± Willard who was the youngster in question asked in the most authoritative manner the drunk bandit had ever known. Traces of anger slowly engulfed the face of the bandit. Who the hell was this youngster? And does he not realize they were bandits.

    ¡°Insolence. If you are wishing for death this badly, I shall grant it to you.¡± The obviously drunk and annoyed bandit said as he haphazardly grabbed his battle axe. Before the bandit was able to make use of his axe, Willard had used the earth elemental energy to strengthen his hands and plunged it straight into the bandit''s heart.  With a ¡°thud¡± the bandit''s body dropped to the floor, the rest of the bandits all stared at this youngster that had some blood stains splashed on his white attire. The bandits all stopped what they were doing and stared at the youngster that had just killed one of them.

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    ¡°Now that I have all of your attention, I would ask one last time. What happened to the people that lived here?¡±

    As Willard finished his statement, one of the bandits caught himself from his earlier stupor and said;¡±Kill him.¡± The rest of the bandits within that area all slowly started to converge on Willard who was at the epicenter of the fight that was brewing.

    ¡°This child has too great a violent disposition. He should have done as instructed,¡± Aorah who stood up in the air above the scene said to herself as she sighed.

    The bandits rushed in one by one to kill Willard who stood there mercilessly killing anyone within the range of his attack. Willard threw a battle axe, he had disarmed from one of the bandits, at a bandit who wanted to use arrows to attack. Willard was like the reincarnation of destruction itself. His originally silky white attire was completely drenched red with the blood of the bandits he had just massacred. As the bandits noticed their numbers dwindle faster than they ever thought possible, they all started to move away from him. ¡°Who is this demon? Quickly, someone report this to the higher ups.¡± One of the bandits said as cold beads of sweat dropped from his head.

    ¡°Don''t attack him directly, we just have to defend against him until one of the higher ups comes to take care of him.¡± The remaining eight or so bandits all came together to help protect themselves from Willard. When the night had started, they were more than forty bandits leisurely enjoying themselves, but who could have known they would face such a disaster tonight. More than thirty and counting were already dead. What scared them the most wasn''t the fact that their companions had died, but how their companions had died. Each and every one of the dead bandits were either stabbed first or had their bones broken before they were decapitated by Willard. Willard did not even give them any more opportunities to talk to him, as he endlessly slaughtered them like sheeps.

    Willard was the spitting image of the god of death to them. Wherever he went, only death followed. Willard was in a frenzied state, he was like an animal that had a serious blood lust and was satisfying its depraved urges.

    In a room, located somewhere within the Yellow Hew village a bald headed man was sitting on a high chair that seemed like a thrown for a small time king. In front of this man were two other men who knelt on a single knee. They were currently reporting matters to the bald headed man, when suddenly someone burst open the door of that room and yelled, ¡°Leader, there is a demonic character killing my brothers within the village. Before I left he had killed more than half of the entire group..¡± The man was saying before the bald headed man shot a ball of water that completely engulfed the man''s head. The man was struggling to push the water away from his face as he was slowly drowning. The next moment, to the kneeling men''s surprise, the ball of water started bubbling. ¡°I have warned that no one was permitted to yell in front of me.¡± The bald headed man said as the man who was covered with a ball of water¡¯s head slowly dissolved to a pool of blood. The man whose headed was berried in the ball of water could only scream till his death. The man¡¯s body slumped to the ground lifelessly. ¡°Go check on what is happening outside. Kill the character that dares to cause trouble in my camp.¡±

    ¡°Yes leader.¡±The two men who were still kneeling both gulped their salivas after they responded.

    ********************************************************************************************

    Author''s Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 36: Battle of the Giants

    As the two men got to the area where the fight had been going on, they were shocked to see the level of devastation. At the point the men arrived, they were on three bandits left alive. Underneath the illustrious lumination of the moon, Willard was like a red-skinned demon with a pair of white glowing eyes. All three of the remaining bandit had given up all hope, as they stood in place almost as if they had come to peace with their inevitable deaths. ¡°Who in the infinite hollows are you?¡± One of the men who had arrived at the scene yelled.

    ¡°You shall suffer a fate worse than death.¡± The man continued as his state of anger compounded.

    Willard who only gave the newcomers a side glance rushed to the three bandits close to him. He grabbed the face of one of the bandits with his right hand and stabbed the other with his left hand. With the added strength of the earth element technique, Willard was using, he pierced through the face of the bandit he held with his right hand. The bandit was screaming his lungs out as Willard kept on increasing the pressure, until finally, Willard had ripped a portion of the man''s face out. Willard took the wailing man''s sword and stabbed him, before throwing that same sword at the last bandit close to him. ¡®Why did they all fight me to the end? This makes no sense.¡¯ Willard thought to himself without expressing any of his thoughts outwardly.

    ¡°Garach, support me. I want to personally burn this person to death.¡¯ The bandit that had previously threatened Willard said to his partner.

    Garach, who had remained silent the entire time stretched both his hands forward. The natural energy within his surrounding started gathering around him. Two whirlwinds slowly started forming at the basis of his palms. The man threw the whirlwinds, which continued to increase in magnitude as it flew towards Willard. Garach who was directly behind the whirlwinds bit his teeth with great force, creating some fire that set the whirlwind ablaze. Willard was shocked to not only see one elemental energy combatant but two who were above average elemental energy users. With this one move, Willard could tell these were expats that had definitely worked together in the past. Their co-ordinated attack wasn''t something they had just done at the spur of the moment. ¡®Two elemental users and a water fiend in this bandit group. This is very strange.¡± Willard thought to himself as he got ready to engage the two fighters.

    Willard rapidly utilized his movement technique to quickly evade the attack. Now that he knew they were elemental energy users, he couldn''t afford to be careless and waste the remainder of his elemental energy. ¡®I can''t give them time and space to keep on using ranged attacks.¡¯

    Willard dashed towards them with all the strength he could muster. The two men were completely shocked to see Willard''s quick escape and immediate retaliation. ¡°Find an opening to end this fast,¡± Garach instructed as he rushed to intercept Willard. Garach punched straight aiming for the head of incoming Willard, who instinctively evaded that attack. Willard and Garach were locked on a one versus one exchange of punches. Each and every single attack from Garach seemed like an attack from a volcano. As Willard evaded or blocked, he felt a high degree of heat burning the air as if he was bathing himself with fire. The one thing Willard wasn''t lacking in was fighting experience. Very quickly he controlled the tempo of the fight and feigned a sense of equilibrium between him and Garach. That quickly prompted Garach to increase the ferocity of his attacks, resulting in the lesser awareness of his surrounding.

    Noticing Garach had fallen for his trap, Willard willed the earth to create a spike that directly stabbed Garach¡¯s left foot. With that one step, he had completely thrown Garach out of balance. Willard rushed in to stab Garach with his fingers when he felt a cold sensation nearing his neck. Willard instead used the motion of his hand to intercept what was heading for his neck. Willard felt a little pain as he caught the sword handled by the other bandit that had been on the sideline the entire time. Willard feeling some pain from that attack knew that he was running low on elemental energy. Garach who had just been saved bit his teeth together and produced fire that aimed straight at Willard, who was left with only the option of retreat. Willard used the remaining bit of his elemental energy to use his movement technique and escape backwards.

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    At this point, Willard was drained completely of his elemental energy. The two men working in tandem pressed forward with their attacks. ¡®Stupid woman now will be a good time to help.¡¯ Willard cursed inwardly. Willard couldn''t do much as both men quickly overwhelmed him. They had caught Willard in a dead end, as they were about to strike a fatal blow before they came to a complete halt in their motion. Finally, Aorah had acted and robbed them of their mobility. Willard quickly seized the opportunity to disarm the silent fighter of his sword and quickly beheaded him. Before Willard could attack the other bandit, Garach, he heard a loud echoing laughter ring around him. ¡°So that is why you had the courage to come here.¡± A loud voice said, as the image of a bald man slowly took form from a distance. ¡°Come out saint in hiding. There is no real need for you to hide anymore.¡± The bald headed man said as he immediately shot a rapidly flying ball of water to Willard. Thanks to Willard¡¯s strong battle instinct he was barely able to evade the attack.

    Aorah appeared a few feet away from the bald-headed man in a calm manner. Garach who had been previously held in place by Aorah, got his mobility back. He immediately took heels running off in the distance. Previously he had thought he was fighting just an elemental energy practitioner, but the sudden inclusion of a saint was a completely different matter. Against saints, elemental energy users were akin to infants. He did not want to aimlessly throw his life away, so he decided to give way and let the giants battle it out, while he, the ant, does not suffer the repercussive effect of the fight.

    The bald-headed man had a disgruntled look to him as he saw Garach running, he snapped his finger, which immediately caused Garch to tumble and scream in pain. ¡°I told you, no one was ever permitted to run during battle.¡± the bald-headed man said as they all slowly watched Garach¡¯s body liquefy into a pool of blood. The bald-headed man¡¯s action had severely startled both Aorah and Willard, who watched as Garach turned into a pile of blood.

    ¡°Now let''s get this battle started.¡± The fiend who stood in front of Aorah said with a creepy smile.

    "Willard get back,¡± Aorah instructed Willard who took the cue to go hide somewhere safe. Willard was after all from this village, although it was in ruins at the moment, he still knew his environment quite well.

    The water fiend charged straight towards Aorah, who immediately took to the air and started uttering a strange sound that uniformly spread around her. The fiend who had been on the chase immediately noticed his pace had been reduced. He knew exactly what was going on, as the legend of saints were spread amongst the top elemental energy fighters. ¡°So she has mastered the elementary law of sound. Quite interesting .¡± Willard said to himself as he watched the fight progress. Although Aorah¡¯s lips were sealed, the sound still continued. Aorah directly appeared behind the water fiend and stabbed with a dagger. As her dagger stabbed the water fiend, it easily pierced through his head, like she had stabbed the ocean, as the whole body of the fiend was in essence water. Immediately, a large water bubble congealed out of nowhere as it encapsulated both the fiend and Aorah.

    Aorah could immediately feel her skin getting eroded by a very strong poisonous element within the water. She immediately used her elemental energy to blast the water bubble away. This immediately explained how the water fiend had just killed his subordinate. Not only did he control water, he could poison his captives.

    *****************************************************************

    Author''s Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 37: Elements and the Laws

    ¡°As expected of a saint.¡± The water fiend said turning to look at Aorah.

    Willard who watched in hiding knew that this was going to be a tough match. Although Aorah had mastered a universal law, her opponent had control over the true element of water, which was fundamentally different from the level of elements mortals could control. According to the classifications, Willard had known through his experience as a chief god, the elements were divided into seven known core elements and the laws were divided into three major stages. The elements were namely: Water, Fire, Earth, Thunder, Iron, Darkness and Light while the stages of the laws were divided into the primary, true and grand laws. The primary laws of the elements, which was the prevalent knowledge in the mortal world, were the most basic of the laws. Above that were the true laws of the elements, of which lesser gods trained and wielded. And above both of them, were the grand laws which only chief gods had a mastery off. Thanus became a chief god only after he mastered the law of incineration in the fire element.

    The universal laws were of the elements, but fundamentally different from the elements itself. Take for instance Aorah, who trained in the wind element, but had mastered the law of sound within the wind element and transformed her mortal body, soul and core. Not a single chief god in Willard''s memory could claim to have complete mastery of all grand laws within a single element, as just the mastery of a single law within an element was considered the pique of a chief god¡¯s power. Over the millions of years he had spent training in the nine heavens, Willard only mastered the incineration of fire.

    Willard stopped paying attention to the battle as he could tell he wasn''t going to be of any use the way he currently was. Willard sat in a meditative posture and started cultivating earth elemental energy. Willard noticed his rate of absorbing earth elemental energy was rapidly rising. He was surprised with this growth but ultimately couldn''t afford to waste any time investigating as he really needed to recoup some elemental energy.

    Explosions rang out all around Willard, who still concentrated on his cultivation. It took a good five hours of rest and cultivation for Willard to fully restore his elemental energy base. At this point in time, shimmers of daylight had penetrated the dark skies. The battle between the water fiend and Aorah had reached its climax. From the intense level of destruction that had occurred to the surrounding structures and land, one could tell just how powerful saints and fiends were. Willard continued to watch biding his time for a single opportunity.

    The bald headed water fiend had created a mist domain around the current battlefield. This did not prevent Willard from monitoring the ongoing battle as his senses and experience were good enough to fill in the blank of things he could not clearly see. Willard noticed the fiends ears had traces of blood all round it, from that he deduced that the fiend had rid himself of his hearing so as to not be affected by Aorah¡¯s sound domain. ¡®Something is still amiss.¡¯ Willard said to himself as he watched the ongoing fight. ¡®How come this fiends mobility still seems mitigated?¡¯ Willard pondered for a bit. ¡°Could it be?¡± Willard exclaimed as he seemed to have gained a little bit of understanding in regards to Aorah¡¯s technique. ¡°She has gained a vague knowledge in the true law of vibration.¡± This seemed to make the most sense to Willard. It could explain how he had been so powerless under Aorah¡¯s techniques without even noticing it coming. Although Aorah had mastered the primary law of sound, she had a tiny insight to the true law of vibration. That was how she was able to still affect the fiend even though he had gotten rid of his hearing. ¡°Remarkable.¡±

    ¡°Why did this fiend not just run away? Why does he still persist until now?¡± Willard was confused with the fiends actions. Normally, most people would just give up when they realize they cannot win. As for Aorah, she had persisted all this while just for Willard¡¯s sake. What exactly was driving this fiend seemed to be on an even or greater scale to Aorah¡¯s. ¡°Willard!¡± Aorah¡¯s voice came crashing in his head. This was a technique Aorah had used multiple times to communicate with him privately. She gave him a little bit instructions to carry out as she continued fighting.

    Aorah seemingly exhausted had appeared right in front of the water fiend, she was currently attacking with a flood of torrential dagger stabs, each one seemed faster than the one before. She was both suppressing the movement of the water fiend, and was savagely attacking him. The beastly nature of each of her attacks seemed to be in complete contrast to her usual personality of calm and childish tranquility. As her moves gained in ferocity, the fiend had gained more visible cuts to his body, the mist in the surrounding was rapidly flying and congealing at the fiends body. ¡°Die¡± Aorah yelled as she stabbed forward with all the strength she could muster. Her dagger seemed to have pierced the chest of fiend, when she noticed a water clone had grabbed her hand firmly holding it attached to the dagger in its heart. What she apparently stabbed was just a clone. This had been the fiends hidden trump card he was just revealing.  The fiend rushed in to use this opportunity to kill Aorah.

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    Before he was able to stab Aorah with his sword, a cold metallic object stabbed him from his back. The fiend turned back to see what happened when he noticed Willard¡¯s cold smile. The fiend fell to the floor breathing heavily. ¡°So you were still in the area? I should have gone after you first.¡± He said as he coughed out a mouthful of blood. When Aorah had communicated with Willard earlier, she had told him the battle was about to get to its final stage. She knew the fiend had a trump card, and that Willard was to ask the moment it was shown. She knew once it got to that part, the fiend would completely focus on killing her, giving Willard the opportunity to sneak an attack.

    ¡°Where are the villagers?¡± Willard coldly asked. He could care less about the dying words of the fiend before him, all he cared about at this moment was the whereabouts of his family.

    ¡°So that is why you came here.¡± The fiend said as he laughed. His laughter was ended as he resumed his coughing of blood. ¡°I guess we shall all be disappointed. A blood sacrifice to my goddess Akhlys.¡± the fiend said as the light in his eyes disappeared. Immediately, a colorless substance flew out of the dead fiend¡¯s mouth. The substance gave a strange ripple to the fragment of reality itself, before it ascended, in great speed, to the sky. As that was happening, loud bellows of agony came from a certain region within the village. Aorah disappeared with Willard and appeared in front of what seemed like an enclosing for prisoners. Scattered all around the place were either already dead bandits, whose bodies were slowly melting, or others that were still barely alive but in pain and also slowly dying in the same manner. Willard broke the gate that covered the place and rushed in. The scene that followed had completely stopped him in his tracks. He saw a bunch of his villagers either dead or about to join the dead as they screamed in pain. To the corner of the enclosing, a familiar face caught Willard as he saw the woman screaming. This was his mother, Angelica, who was in apparent pain. Willard dashed to her side, raising her head and placing it on his lap. Aorah appeared right there and placed her hand on Angelica¡¯s forehead. ¡°Mother,¡± Willard called staring at his mother in pain. The emotions Willard was currently going through was nothing like he had ever known. This was the first time someone he had actually cared for was dying right in front of him. The pain on Angelica¡¯s face seemed to lessen a little bit as she responded Willards call. ¡°Willard is that you? Thank goodness, I was afraid I would not get to see you before I died.¡± Angelica said in a weary voice.

    ¡°Don''t speak, I would definitely save you.¡±

    ¡°Haha..¡± Angelica laughed before she caressed Willard¡¯s face a little. ¡°Your father is still alive, he was not in the village when they raided.¡±

    ¡°Stop talking mother. Save your strength.¡±

    ¡°Willard, your mother has less than ten minutes before she dies,¡± Aorah said to Willard in a low voice before she walked away to give him some privacy.

    Angelica narrated what happened earlier to Willard, she told him how the fiend had made all of them swallow a colorless pearl, which explained how he was able to kill Garach with a snap of his finger, and all the strange death before him. Willard sat there as he watched his mother''s body gradually liquidated to a pool of blood.

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    Author''s Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 38: The Darkness

    There was a saying that true despair doesn''t come from death, but rather the inability to prevent an inevitable death. This was exactly the situation with Willard, he had watched his mother suffer and die without being able to help. He was furious but had no one to pour the anger on. He sat there in that enclosure silent as a piece of wood. Not a single tear dropped from his eyes, he just continued to stare at the blood in a deep state of thought.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, it is her fault,¡± Willard said to himself. ¡°If I had come a little sooner, I might have been able to save her.¡± After saying that, Willard finally got up and walked out of the enclosure. When he saw Aorah standing there his face dramatically changed with a huge frown. Seeing Willard''s sudden change, Aorah somewhat understood Willard''s current thought process.

    ¡°That''s right, I am the one to blame.¡± She said to him with an indifferent tone.

    ¡°What are you going to do? Stand there and watch me.¡± Willard stood silently as his state of anger kept increasing with Aorah¡¯s angering words.

    ¡°Now who hides in cowardice? It is your mother that died.¡± She said and turned to walk away. As the words, ¡°It is your mother that died¡± played in Willard''s head, he couldn''t hold back his anger any longer. That was the straw that broke the camel''s back. Willard charged towards Aorah with his greatest speed. He had activated his earth elemental energy as he approached in a punching manner. Aorah used her sound domain aided by vibrations to constrict Willard''s movement. Although she could completely seal his movement, she only slowed them down to the point his speed was no match to hers. With every punch Willard threw, she avoided and retaliated with two. The scene couldn''t even be considered a fight, It was clear bullying. With her actions, she was clearly showing Willard how much stronger than him she was.

    Willard took some steps backward and gave Aorah a vicious stare. It was clear he was beyond livid, but Willard also had the fortitude to calm himself this time around. With his current level of power, there was no way he could be a match for Aorah, even though she was somewhat exhausted from a prior fight.

    ¡°It seems you have calmed yourself a little bit,¡± Aorah said indifferently.

    ¡°Your mother and fellow villagers died because of your actions. You were so blinded by a lust to kill, you forgot the most important thing I had instructed you to do.¡±

    ¡°If you had lowered yourself down to be captured and then secured the villagers like I told you, I would have been able to prevent the calamity.¡±

    When Willard had heard from Ayola that the Yellow Hew village was raided, he had felt anxious not for himself, but for his parents, especially his mother whom he developed a strong bond with. And now he felt guilt for letting his pride and battle hunger to get the best of him. He had been previously instructed by Aorah, to make sure he first knew about the whereabouts of the villagers and taken them to safety. But instead, he decided to directly slaughter everyone in his path. This had subsequently lead to the death of everyone that had been captured including his mother. This shock was so strong Willard fell to his knees. He had never been in a situation where he lost someone he truly cared about. At this moment within his core, the dirty brown elemental core Willard had formed started vibrating with some hint of the strange red energy, this time around, the vibrations were even more erratic than the time he was almost crippled at the hands of Allada. Aorah noticing the strange reaction of the natural energy within the surroundings started calling to Willard. She had a faint idea of what was about to transpire, and wanted to snap Willard out of it.

    Willard was in a completely zoned out state. ¡°It is all my fault. I did this to her.¡± Willard mumbled to himself. ¡°I course this damn mortal existence. If I had been stronger, I would have prevented this.¡±

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    Immediately after he uttered those words, the erratic nature of the natural energy within their surrounding increased to a much greater level. Willard''s body released a massive wave of natural energy followed by an inexplicable red substance. ¡°Impossible,¡± Aorah said as she quickly left the area. The red substance reduced Willard''s entire surroundings to nothingness. This was exactly the same thing that had happened while Willard fought Allada, but this time around, Aorah had a front seat in monitoring the entire event. ¡°How can this be?¡± Aorah said as she watched Willard''s body slump to the floor.

    *******************************

    In the nine heavens, a goddess was meditating within a dirty green lake. She was submerged at the bottom of this lake, with her eyes firmly shut. The goddess suddenly opened her eyes and started to float upwards. Her speed was neither fast nor slow, as she was contemplating something that seemed to bother her. ¡°Those eyes, I have seen them before.¡± She said as she reached the top of the lake. At the top of the lake, the goddess slowly floated up in the air. The lake shrank in size and followed underneath this goddess. When the reduced lake came in contact with the goddess, They both disappeared from that region.

    Within the void of a certain space, darkness ruled in its absolute command. A god sat on a floating throne adorned with skeletal parts. To the right-hand side of the god, was a dark spear that would momentarily release a dark energy and later retract the energy. ¡°Why have you come here Akhlys?¡± The god who sat on the throne asked.

    ¡°My lord Zinus, there is something strange I would like to show you.¡± The female goddess from the lake, Akhlys said as she bowed.

    Akhlys touched her forehead with her right index finger. A white light sparkled be a droplet of water flew out from her forehead. ¡°My lord Zinus, one of my recently deceased will came with this memory that I think you should see,¡± Akhlys responded as the water droplet flew towards Zinus. As the droplet approached Zinus, he waved his hand which sent dark clouds to intercept the droplet. The dark clouds sparkled then flew right in front of Zinus. Suddenly, the scene of Aorah¡¯s fight the bald headed waterfiend started playing out. A frown appeared on Zinus face as he watched for a couple of seconds. ¡°What exactly am I supposed to be watching here?¡± Zinus asked in an irritated voice?

    ¡°My lord, if I may,¡± Akhlys asked in a suggestive manner. Zinus nodded in acknowledgment. Akhlys waved her hand changing the scenes on the cloud towards the time Willard made his appearance in the fight. Zinus had a focused look as he watched Willard''s mannerism. ¡°A million years and he has finally been reborn. Did he show any signs of regaining his memory?¡±

    ¡°Not to my knowledge, this was the first contact my will had made with him.¡±

    ¡°Good Akhlys, good. You shall be greatly rewarded for this. What world was that?¡±

    ¡°The fifth world of the Okal blue realm,¡± Akhlys responded.

    Zinus grabbed his spare and got up. A dark cloudy substance flew from the top of Zinus¡¯s spare and flew straight towards Akhlys. ¡°Thank you my lord,¡± she responded with a smile. Zinus immediately disappeared from his throne leaving behind Akhlys who in turn disappeared out of that region.

    ******************************************************************************

    Author''s Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 39: Floating Havanas

    On this day, the god of destruction and chaos was in an especially good mood. He had triumphantly returned from the eighth to the ninth heaven. He had completely established his prominence and might, gaining himself a well-deserved reputation. He sat on a blazing throne basking in his flames and glory. All of a sudden a queer thought flew across his mind, an image of a woman with big blue eyes. The woman had had what could be described as an everlasting brightness surrounding her. She smiled at Thanus and said, ¡°Be good my son.¡± Thanus was a little confused with the vision in his head. As he slowly thought about, his facial expression started changing from a joyous one to that of sorrow. He finally remembered who that lady was, his earlier surrounding that blazing with fire quickly withered to that of complete darkness.

    ¡°Mother,¡± Willard said as he suddenly jolted up from his sleep. To his surprise, Willard noticed he was in a dark cave. He stared at the bandages around his body and noticed his clothing had been changed. As he took a deep breath, Willard had a strange look on his face. He noticed something odd with his natural energy. Willard immediately attuned his senses to observe his current cultivation level. He was surprised to notice he had finally stabilized his natural energy basis. He couldn''t figure out or explain what had happened, but he currently at the tenth and final level of natural energy. The entire situation seemed extremely strange to him, but he couldn''t deny this was to his advantage. ¡®What happened to me?¡¯ Willard questioned in his surprise.  Suddenly, another thought sprung into Willard¡¯s mind. He concentrated again and this time at his elemental energy core. ¡°The fourth level,¡± Willard exclaimed in complete astonishment. ¡°How did this happen?¡±

    Although Willard couldn''t explain the sudden growth of his natural energy level, it was something he could somewhat accept without much thought. His amazing increase in elemental energy was a complete surprise to him. Even with all his knowledge, he couldn''t explain how his sudden increase in elemental energy had happened. Willard got up from his laying position and proceeded to walk out of the cave. The bright sun blurred his vision for a couple of seconds, but he quickly regained his eyesight. In front of the cave sat Nana who was gleefully dangling her legs off the edge of a cliff. ¡°Where are we?¡± Willard asked in a croaky voice.

    ¡°Ah. You are awake. That''s strange, teacher said you were going to be out for much longer.¡±

    ¡°Nana, where are we? And where is your teacher.¡±

    ¡°She said she had a few errands to run and that she will be back in three days.¡±

    ¡°You still haven''t answered where we are?¡± Willard responded in an irritated manner.

    Nana waved her hand in a calling motion to Willard signaling he should come towards her at the edge of the cliff. Willard slowly walked towards the edge of the cliff, and as he approached the edge, he was stunned by his immediate view. ¡°We are at the legendary floating Havanas  of the Maley kingdom,¡± Nana said with a smile. Willard was still in shock as he looked around. There were several floating mountains all floating high up in the sky above the clouds. Willard could occasionally see fragmented clouds drift close by. Willard had to admit that the scene before him was quite a lot more mystifying than anything he had ever imagined in the mortal world. ¡®My previous knowledge of the mortal worlds were seriously lacking.¡¯ Willard silently thought to himself.

    Regaining his original composition, the look on Willard¡¯s face changed. Willard thought back to the scenes of his mother¡¯s death and what happened afterward with Aorah. ¡°You should think of your leaving your teacher if you want to leave longer in this world. Someone like her will certainly lead you to your death.¡± Willard said with a little disdain.

    Nana¡¯s facial expression quickly changed from one of absolute joy to an utterly cold one. She glared at Willard as she approached him. In a swinging motion, she tried slap his face, but was met with a terrifying pressure from Willard that halted all of her movements. As the pressure persisted, Nana fell on her two knees. Seeing the dejected and complete discomfort on Nana¡¯s face, Willard withdrew the pressure. Nana slowly got up and walked towards the cave. ¡°You know nothing about the life teacher has lived. Stop talking as if you are better.¡± Nana said before she entered the cave.

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    Willard ignored her comments and continued to stare at his surroundings before finding a place to sit. He calmly took off all the bandages and started descending the mountain. After a couple of hours, Willard returned back to the cave. Nana had started a fire and was making something to eat. Willard sat down with his legs crossed and closed his eyes. Since there was nothing for him to do at the moment, he decided to cultivate. A couple of minutes into his cultivation, Nana called out to him as she brought a bowl of stew to him.

    ¡°I made rabbit stew.¡± She said as she was handing him the bowl.

    ¡°Teacher said you are quite the cultivating genius. She doesn''t usually praise people like that.¡±

    ¡°What level have you reached,¡± Nana asked trying to get a conversation started with Willard.

    Willard looked at Nana with a confused expression. It wasn''t that long ago that this same girl had been vexed and tried to hit him. Did she already forget about all that? He couldn''t quite understand Nana¡¯s behavior, but ultimately he gave up trying to figure it out as her constant banter continued. ¡°Are you listening?¡± Nana questioned as she constantly pried for a response.

    ¡°Tell me about your teacher.¡± Willard finally said in response to all her questions and remarks.

    Nana paused for a second as she thought of something. Nodding her head, Nana responded; ¡°Teacher was born a princess of one of the warring northern tribes known as the Ferry tribe. She grew up during the chaotic warring times of the north. A great calamity fell on her tribe, which lead to the total annihilation of everyone she knew and loved. Ever since then teacher has been wandering the world.¡± Willard was surprised with Nana¡¯s response. He wasn''t expecting her to even divulge a single thing, but she had given him a quick overview of the entire situation.

    ¡°What calamity fell on her tribe? When and what exactly was the chaotic warring times of the north?¡± Willard asked in confusion.

    ¡°I don''t know what calamity exactly, you would have to ask teacher about that. How come you had never heard of the warring times of the north that happened over a hundred years ago?¡± Nana responded.

    Willard was surprised to hear that the chaotic warring times had occurred over a century ago. That meant that Aorah had to be at least a hundred years of age. That was shocking to him not because of the age itself, but because of Aorah¡¯s childish tendencies. ¡®How can she be this old and still play to those dirty tricks? How can her view on this be this simplistic?¡¯ Willard questioned inwardly. Willard thought back to some of the actions Aorah had taken during their trip together. He particularly remembered how Aorah had deceived a group of travelers out of their possessions. It was clear that Aorah took those actions as some sort of past time or hobby. For someone of her status and age to constantly play those tricks on people made Willard feel she was a little childish. He also remembered Aorah''s intervention with the bandits, which made him particular curious with Aorah''s objective.

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    Author''s Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 40: Aorahéˆ¥æªš Past 1

    Within a blink of an eye, three days had passed. At the edges of a cliff, Willard stood practicing his martial techniques. Now that his natural energy bases had been solidified, he could maintain and use greater proportions of earth elemental energy. Willard found out that now that he had scaled the natural energy level, his sensitivity to natural energy had been highly attuned. This was the first time he had noticed the natural energy around him acted like waves and not stationary particles. With that, he quickly figured there were time intervals with higher surges of natural energy and came up with ways to better take advantage of that. Within the three short days, Willard had completely solidified his understanding of his new power level.

    While practicing on the third day, Willard felt a subtle tremor in the natural energy within his surrounding. Turning to take a look at the cause of the tremor, Willard saw Aorah mystical appear on the mountain. ¡®Interesting. I can slightly feel her presence now.¡¯ Willard thought to himself.

    Aorah had a surprised look on her face as she saw Willard training. She had previously thought he would be unconscious by the time she returned, but not only was he up, he was also strong enough to train. Aorah gently walked into the cave ignoring Willard. When she got in, she startled Nana, who was joyful with her presence. ¡°When did he regain consciousness?¡±

    ¡°Two days ago?¡± Nana responded before she continued what she was doing earlier.

    ¡®His recovery time increases at a much higher pace than anything I have ever seen. Is it because of that thing? Also, his control of the natural energy is at a perfect level.¡¯ Aorah thought to herself for some time before she eventually preoccupied her thought with something else.

    When Willard finished his training, he descended to the bottom of the mountain, which had condensed water from the water vapor in the atmosphere. Willard cleaned himself up before heading back to the cave. As he got back, Nana had started preparing food for the night. Willard sat in a meditative posture and started cultivating earth natural energy. After a couple of hours, Nana finished preparing the meal. The dynamics between everyone at the cave was exactly as it used to be. It did not take long for Nana to fall asleep after she finished eating. Aorah continued staring at the stars with some sort of melancholic look. Time slowly progressed as they all separated to their corners.

    ¡°Willard, come with me,¡± Aorah said to Willard after a couple of hours had passed. Willard opened his previously shut eyes and got up to follow Aorah out of the cave.

    ¡°Do you know why I have been insistent on bringing you along my journey?¡± Hearing Aorah¡¯s question, Willard continued to stare at her. Of course, he had no idea, this has been one of his biggest pains. He had essentially been kidnapped with no information as to why.

    ¡°I suppose you wouldn''t know. Let me explain from the beginning.¡±

    ¡°When a saint is born, a devine (not divine) energy from the heaven descends on the individual changing their body, soul, and core and forming a saint body. I believe that this devine energy is the key to breaking the veil of this mortal world and transcending to the nine heavens.¡± She said as she stared at the stars one more time.

    ¡°The only time this energy descends is when there is a birth of a saint. At least that was what I thought until I met you. For some reason during your exhibition match at the Minya household, you were able to use elemental energy without solidifying your natural element base and more importantly, I was able to feel this energy during your match.¡±

    ¡°With this, you should be able to tell why I had brought you along my journey.¡±

    Willard stood in place contemplating what Aorah had said to him. Although Willard knew Aorah¡¯s thought process was severely flawed, because of his experience as the God Thanus, there was also something that stood out to him. This was the first time someone other than himself had noticed this energy. Willard still knew Aorah¡¯s thinking was wrong, but this was his first clue in figuring out what to do with this energy. In a series of wrong ideology, Aorah¡¯s  first mistake was her assumption that the energy which transforms mortals to saints came from the nine heavens. As a God that had lived an almost infinite life in the nine heavens, he knew that no such energy freely existed within the nine heavens. He also knew that traversing the mortal existence into godhood did not require this so called devine energy.

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    ¡°I see. Is that supposed to justify your actions? Let me ask you this, what do you plan on doing if you cannot learn to use this energy you are speaking of?¡± Willard asked in response to Aorah¡¯s statement. In his head, all that Aorah had said were complete trash. He could care less about what she thought or theorized, all he cared about at this point were her intentions.

    ¡°Hahaha. Don''t let your thoughts stray that far. If I wanted to forcefully extract what bit of that devine energy you have, I would have done that awhile back. Do tell though, how is it that you are able to use that energy?¡±

    ¡°I am not sure what energy you are referring to. You have monitored the way I train, which should be no different from the way any other practitioner trains.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. that''s true, maybe someday I¡¯ll figure something out.¡±

    ¡°Be careful, the moment I grow strong enough to face you, will be your last in this world.¡±

    Aorah broke into a gentle smile, one that was both condescending and approving. ¡°When that moment comes, I will eagerly await you.¡± She said turning her gaze back to the stars. Willard sat resting his back against a small boulder.

    ¡°If you are up for it, why don''t you tell me about the chaotic warring times and the Ferry tribe.¡± Aorah was surprised to hear what Willard had just said. It took her a little time to arrange her thoughts before she responded.

    ¡°What has Nana told you already?¡±

    ¡°Only that you were born a princess of the Ferry tribe in the northern kingdoms. You grew up during the chaotic warring times of the north and that a great calamity fell on her tribe, which lead to the total annihilation of your tribe.¡±

    ¡°That was a long time ago,¡± Aorah said with a gentle smile. ¡°I guess I should at least tell you this much.¡±

    ¡°During those times, the northern states were unlike the neighboring southern states, that were divided into bigger kingdoms, it was a cluster of thousands of smaller tribes warring against themselves. My Ferry tribe was in a deadly war against the neighboring Kochet tribe. Although the times were perilous, it was also the best times of my life. The warriors and mages within my tribe were primarily trained in the wind element from a young age till adulthood.¡± Aorah said as she started narrating the story of her childhood for Willard.

    ¡°The next morning, the tribe was awakened to a huge assault from the Kochet tribe. It started like the usual raids that had been happening, but this day was actually different. Somehow, the Kochet tribe had gotten two other tribes to work together with them in battle. This was unprecedented because, until that moment, no tribe had ever joined forces with another to battle. It was an unspoken rule, that everyone obeyed or at least that was what I had previously thought.¡±

    ¡°It did not take long for the Ferry tribesmen to be overpowered. Within minutes of our defense collapsing, a wide-scale genocide of our tribe began. During that battle, I was stabbed but luckily survived within the piles of corpses. When I woke up, I was told that four other tribesmen including my father had taken my injured body and managed to escape to a nearby mountain. I stayed within the confines of the mountain with the remaining survivors for thirty years and trained every single day. At that point, I had reached the fifth level of elemental energy and was confident in my ability to protect my life. I had survived and persisted all those thirty years with the dream of avenging my tribes people.¡±

    ********************************************************************

    Author''s Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 41: Aorahéˆ¥æªš Past 2

    ¡°By this point in time, our population had started to grow slowly. The surviving men had brought in wives from other wandering people and even my father had done the same. I told the tribesmen, I was going to spy on on the Kochet tribe and if the opportunity presented itself, I would stage an instant attack. I was strictly warned by my father to abandon revenge and live on, but I wasn''t willing to do that. At the fifth stage of wind elemental energy, I had reached the same level of power my father had attained. There was no one within the tribe who could stop me. So I continued with my defiance in pursuit of revenge.¡± Aorah said before taking a slight pause.

    ¡°Who would have thought that by the time I got to the fringes of what used to be the Kochet tribe, I would see the complete destruction and massacre of the Kochet tribe. I did not feel a sense of joy, but rather the exact opposite feeling. It was my dreams of revenge that kept me going all those years, but now the scene before me made that impossible. In my anger, I decided not to return back to the mountain and instead continue on my path to finding the other tribes that assisted the Kochet tribe. It took me three years in my journey to find a remnant of that battle.¡±

    ¡°During my search, I found out that both the Kochet tribe and the weaker of the two tribes that had joined the Kochet in massacring my tribe were betrayed by the Maidu tribe who worked hand in hand with both tribes. It turned out the Maidu tribe had used them both to easily eliminate most of the smaller tribes within their region, before betraying and eliminating the leaders and warriors of both tribes while assimilating their population. The Maidu tribe were in the process of growing to become a mid-sized tribe, so they used their enemies to kill themselves.¡±

    ¡°I watched the Maidu tribe for over six months before I infiltrated the tribe as an ordinary tribeswoman. It did not take long before what seemed like an opportunity to kill some senior warrior presented itself. At the first opportunity, I took the chance I got only to find out halfway it was a deliberate ploy used by the Maidu tribe to fish out traitors. There quite a few others who had the same idea as I did. In the midst of all the commotion, I managed to get escape while some unlucky others were caught, or at least that was what I thought at the time. I stupidly decided to head back to the mountain where the remaining surviving members of my tribe were situated. Unbeknown to me, a squad of the Maidu warriors was tailing me. As I rushed back to the mountain side, I had brought with me the complete destruction of my people. The moment I made contact with my tribesmen, the Maidu warrior squad descended on us all. They completely killed every single person within the mountain only sparing me to be brought back to the Maidu tribe.¡±

    ¡°In the end, I had brought the true end to my people. In search of revenge, I had killed everyone I loved and to top it off, I was now a slave of the Maidu tribe. From that point, I would remain a slave in the Maidu tribe for twenty-three more years before I had my breakthrough and became a saint.¡± Aorah said before she stopped speaking. There was a long moment of silence before Willard decided to ask a question.

    ¡°I am guessing with the power of a saint, you should have had enough power to wipe out the Maidu tribe or cause serious damage to them. So what did you end up doing?¡± Aorah only stared at Willard for a second before she completely ignored him and walked back into the cave. Willard, on the other hand, sat where he was and continued stargazing.

    The next morning, Willard resumed his normal training. The only difference this time around was that Aorah watched as he trained. ¡°Interesting. His usage of the earth element is very profound. This child is truly talented. It is just a pity.¡± Aorah lamented as she watched Willard train. Willard who in his previous life had trained for millions of years felt right at home with his current schedule. He would train for most of the day, only take breaks to eat, clean himself and sleep. Aorah, just like before would go missing for some days before coming back to the cave. One thing remained constant, which was Nana¡¯s presence in the cave. All she had to look forward to was cooking and watching Willard train.

    ********************************

    Within a blink of an eye, time flew by and two years had passed. Willard was already twenty years, while Nana was sixteen years of age. She had grown a little, increasing just a couple of inches in height. She was no longer the little antisocial girl who sat off in the corner. She had grown to a young teen of sixteen. She had also started pursuing the path of a mage like her teacher. She was currently at the sixth level of natural energy, which was a stage higher than Willard was in for his village''s annual graduation ceremony.

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    As Willard trained, Nana watched every motion he took. Over time, her disposition to Willard had naturally changed. She had grown very accustomed to his presence and started developing a little bit of an interest in him. Although in the beginning Aorah sometimes took Nana to a nearby town to alleviate Nana¡¯s boredom, but as the months passed, Nana opted not to leave the cave more and more, before she finally decided to just permanently stay in the floating mountain.

    Willard''s training had been progressing at tremendous speed. In two years, he had reached the eighth level of earth elemental energy. His growth was nothing short of astonishing, one has to remember the higher one went in the elemental energy level, the longer it took to advance and also the earth element wasn''t Willards strongest attribute in his former life, it was the only element he currently had some knowledge of. But Willard''s speed had been utterly world shattering. Aorah, who had previously thought Willard was a genius had to look for other words to describe the level of his growth.

    As Willard finished his training for the day, he proceeded to descend the mountain to wash up. Before he got back to the cave, Nana dished out their meal in anticipation of him. Willard ate with a gratified smile. Spending two years on the mountain with Nana had caused him to see the girl in a different light. Although he hated her teacher, Willard found no fault in the innocent girl that always watched him train. Willard wasn''t a fool, he had a semblance of an idea as to what was going on in Nana¡¯s mind. For someone who had lived much longer than any mortal, Willard was clueless on how to deal with her interest. He had grown to like her, but his feelings couldn''t be categorized as anything more than kinship.

    After his meal, Willard started cultivating for the night. He sat with his legs crossed as he meditated. Willard¡¯s core was like endless abyss as it sucked in earth elemental energy in great proportions. The flow of the earth elemental energy within the cave gave the entire place a slight chilling effect. Time flowed as usual as night slowly turned to day. Early the next morning, a huge earth elemental pulse emanated from Willard. Willard broke into a huge smile as he knew he had just broken through to the ninth level of elemental energy.

    Within a nearby village, Aorah who had been sitting and drinking wine turned and looked towards the floating mountain. ¡°How can he advance this fast? This is a little troubling.¡± Aorah said to herself with a frown on her face as she immediately disappeared from the village.  Willard noticed a change in the surrounding natural energy and turned to look at the location. ¡°So you came? I am guessing you can no longer take your chances in waiting.¡± Willard said as he slowly walked out of the cave.

    ¡°You are truly gifted. I am afraid you are correct, I can no longer watch you grow. Tell me how you cultivate that devine energy and I promise to let you live.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha.¡± Willard laughed loudly. His laughter echoed within the cave, waking Nana from her slumber. Aorah gave Willard a side glance before she released her sound domain. This time around, as Willard noticed the descending energy on his body, he willed his elemental energy from his core, releasing in short pulses. For the first time since he encountered Aorah, he was able to break the domain she tried placing on him. Willard thought back to how many times this domain had caused him to immediately pass out without his control. Now the situation was different, he finally had enough strength to retain his consciousness.

    ********************************************************************

    Author''s Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 42: Saint Level Battle 1

    Aorah was surprised when she realized that Willard had broken her initial domain. ¡°Incredible. This must be the power of that devine energy.¡± Aorah chugged it up to that mystifying energy she sorted. Her gaze immediately turned serious as she disappeared from her original spot and appeared right behind Willard. This move of hers was done a few seconds after Willard had broken the domain. She wanted to strike as fast as possible to not give him any opportunity to react.

    As her hand extended in a grabbing motion aiming for the back of Willard¡¯s neck, Aorah felt the weight of her body increase exponentially. Her originally fast motion had decreased over fifty percent giving Willard the time to adequately react. Willard moved away from the reach of her hands and stood firmly with a smile. ¡®Impossible. How can his domain be at such a level?¡¯ Aorah silently thought to herself. Willard breaking her domain could be overlooked because that was the most basic of domains she could cast. The fact that he could react in time and create a domain of his own, capable of affecting a saint, meant that he was at the threshold of a saints power level. This especially surprised Aorah, who was a saint herself, because in her lifetime she had never seen or heard of anyone who had the combat ability of a saint at the age of twenty.

    ¡°It seems I really cant hold back against you,¡± Aorah said as the focus in her eyes changes. Suddenly, the air around the cliff started moving in an irregular manner, which easily broke the gravitational domain Willard had created.

    ¡°Teacher!¡± Nana called in a panicked voice as she noticed what was about to happen.

    ¡°Nana go back to the cave.¡±

    Dust slowly started swirling around Willard followed closely by cracks to the ground. Willard had already activated the earth energy to strengthen his body. The entire floating mountain was vibrating as all this was happening. Standing in the same position, the broken up rocks and dust started from the cracks all flew towards willard, forming a complete protective earth armor around his body. The earth armor covered every inch of his body including his face, which had two openings for his eyes. Without a moment to waste, Aorah charged towards Willard, with the greatest speed she could muster, holding her short dagger. Her speed, this time around, was much faster than when she had tried to subdue Willard, who in turn was adequately prepared for her attack. Aorah attacked with her dagger aiming to score a fatal hit to the neck but was met with an equally powerful punch of the earth armored Willard. Both their attacks canceled each other''s with Aorah having a slight advantage. Her dagger had broken through most of the earth armor surrounding Willard¡¯s fist and also pushed him back a couple of steps.

    Willard had been pushed closer to the end of the cliff from that attack. Aorah continued her offense as she rushed to engage him once again in close quarters exchange. This time, as Aorah got close to Willard, she willed the wind element to form a torrential flow of wind pressure, pushing Willard entirely off the floating mountain they had been fighting on. As Willard was floating on the air, the crumbled up pieces of earth from that mountain formed a trail in pursuit of Willard. Each earth peice kept adding itself to a different position along Willard¡¯s body. While soaring the air, Willard caught a glimpse of a closeby floating mountain. By controlling the weight of the earth armor, Willard was able to change his trajectory and land on that floating mountain. Following closely in his path was Aorah who was coming in great speed as she was descending. Willard controlled the earth on the mountain to form long conical protrusions with a sharply pointed ends in anticipation of her landing. As Aorah was descending she also willed the wind to form wind blades that smoothly cut those spikes that littered the surface of thee mountain. Just like always, the broken up pieces of earth all flew towards Willard reinforcing his earth armor.

    Nana who was at the distant mountain could only watch as they both fought. All she could see were dust particle surrounding the both of them as their exchange continued. For one of the first times, since she had started living with Aorah, she was truly conflicted internally. Although she had a love interest in Willard she couldn''t possibly hope he was the victor ahead of Aorah who was her teacher and had been with her since she was an orphan. She was truly grief stricken as she watched them fight. ¡°Please stop.¡± She yelled as tears began pouring from her eyes. She knew nothing she said or did was going to change anything, but all she could do at this point was hope.

    ¡°To think you would be this strong. I truly must admit, you are a peerless genius. Unfortunately for you, I have had years to prepare for this battle.¡± Aorah said to Willard as she swallowed a green pill in the form of an orb. Within seconds of ingesting the pill, a wild burst of wind energy emanated from Aorah¡¯s body. ¡°Get ready Willard. Things will get very difficult from now on.¡±

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    Aorah charged towards Willard again. Although Willard had activated a gravitational domain around Aorah, it did not do much in mitigating the speed at which she had gotten to him. Aorah stabbed aiming for Willard''s heart. Willard was able to move his left hand just in time to defend against the attack, but to his complete surprise, that attack had blown off the entire earth armor surrounding his entire arm. Droplets of blood splattered across the floor as the dust settled. ¡°Interesting,¡± Willard said as his entire being seemed to enter a trance. Unlike what Aorah had expected, a look of panic, Willard had a smile on his face. Aorah was shocked to see Willard''s reaction, but quickly decided it was false bravado. Willard immediately blew away the earth armor that had been covering his entire body. This also greatly surprised Aorah as it further served to solidify her original thought of Willard¡¯s false bravery.

    Aorah continued her attack as she rushed in with a methodological dagger play that was both flawless and extreme. The entire scenario was like a play from Willard¡¯s past. Willard was like an animal as his instincts for battle took over. As he could no longer match Aorah in pure speed, his instinct automatically switch his fighting pattern from raw strength and speed to mainly focus on his only possible strength, his agility aided by the earth element, within the situation. Willard¡¯s control of the earth element for his movement seemed to have had an instant breakthrough. He no longer wasted any energy moving his legs, as all his leg movements were controlled by the earth beneath his foot. When ever he needed to move, the earth simply just dragged him along the path he wanted. It was as if the earth had just taken control over Willard''s movement. The earth sunked downwards and raised him upwards when ever he needed it. This simple breakthrough had a significant impact on the fight. Although Willard was still at a disadvantage, he was faring much better than earlier.

    Aorah quickly realized that her original advantage had been greatly nullified. She was astonished at what she was currently experiencing. ¡®How can he keep improving this fast. This child is a true monster.¡¯ Aorah thought to herself as she furiously attacked Willard. At this point, Willard¡¯s mind was blank as all he could think off was surviving the next attack. Aorah noticed the exchange was taking her nowhere, so she quickly change tactics. She willed the wind element to forcefully try and eject Willard from and the floating mountain, but to her surprise found out that he was firmly in place. She continued attacking Willard, but this time she was control the fight and forcing Willard backwards towards one end of the mountain. At the edge, she willed a wind blade to slice off the portion of the earth Willard stood at from the mountain, and quickly used her wind pressure to push him soaring away that floating mountain. Aorah immediately took to the air in pursuit of Willard. On the air, she had greatly reduced Willards mobility. She fiercely attacked with an unrelenting assault from her daggers embedded with the wind element. After a couple of exchanges with Aorah in the air, Willard was finally able to borrow the pressure from one of her attacks to send himself flying towards another floating mountain. As he landed, Aorah followed suite. Willard already had some stab wounds and slashes all over his body, but he was happy with his results, because Aorah¡¯s rampaging energy quickly began to drop drastically.

    ¡°I can''t believe this child is forcing me to this extent.¡± Aorah thought to herself in disbelief before she popped another green orb and swallowed it. A look of dread appeared on Willard¡¯s face as he noticed Aorah previously depleting energy soar back up.

    ********************************************************************

    Author''s Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 43: Saint Level Battle 2

    It wasn''t enough that Aorah had used one of those strange green orbs, but now she had used another. Who was to say just how many she might have on her. Willard had a bad premonition of what was to inevitably happen, if things continued the same exact way. He never could had have imagined that Aorah had such an object on her. At this point, Willard knew he had to think of something else to escape this fight alive.

    Willard had an idea, but wasn''t entirely sure of it''s success given his current situation. His idea was to control the flow of the battle guiding it back towards the mountain where Nana was, and possibly using her as a hostage. Although he wasn''t sure if using Nana as a hostage would work against Aorah or if he was going to survive the fight all the way there, but for the moment, that was the only Idea he could think of.

    ***************************

    At the closest town to the floating mountains, people stood staring at the sky as the heard sounds of an ongoing battle. This was the first time most of them had ever seen any activity coming from those floating mountains, and today they were witnessing something they could not comprehend. ¡°Father what is going on?¡± A young boy asked his father as he tugged the fathers clothing.

    ¡°Seiyu. Run to the house and stay with your mother.¡± The father coldly responded.

    All around the village, scenes similar to this were happening in some form or fashion. Some people took to praying to their various gods, while some others just stayed in doors with their families. Either way the day would remain a historic one within that village.

    ¡°Elder. What is going on?¡± One of the men asked the asked the elder that had just walked out of his home in an obviously panicked tone. The elder¡¯s facial expression did not change as he watched everyone gathered around him awaiting his response.

    ¡°You all might not know this, but their are legendary existence that transcend mortal life. These existence are called saints. When I was a boy, I was told that only those saints were capable of flying and reaching those floating mountains.¡± The chief said as he noticed the looks on everyone''s face.

    ¡°I am certain that what is happening now has something to do with those saints.¡±

    ¡°Elder, what should we do now?¡± Another man asked.

    ¡°There is nothing we can do. We are mere ants in the eyes of these saints. If they plan to kill us, we will definitely be killed. Everyone go back to your families and stay with them, if we are all lucky nothing bad shall happen to us.¡± The elder said before walking back to his house.

    ********************

    As Aorah¡¯s energy was swelling back up, the look in her eyes seemed to get a little more deranged. Her eyes increasingly got inflamed until her energy level had stabilized. With that sinister look, Aorah dashed towards Willard. Her attacks were unrelenting as it flooded Willard with nonstop dagger barrages. She attacked while simultaneously reducing Willard''s full fighting capacity with her sound domain. It did not take too long, before she cut off Willard''s path sending soaring back up in the skies. Aorah¡¯s plan remained the same, she was aiming to cut off his mobility by fighting him on the air, where she had the overwhelming advantage of a saint.

    The fight persisted for a couple more bouts. By this point in time, Willard¡¯s body had cut and stab wounds all around. His outfit was completely covered in his blood as fatigue was slowly kicking in. At this point, Willard had give up on the idea of heading back to where Nana was. He was just giving it his best to survive the next attack. ¡®Is this it for me?¡¯ Willard thought to himself. Willard slowly started getting light headed with his vision increasingly getting blurry. ¡®I refuse. I will not die here. My enemies must burn before me.¡¯ He said to himself as he watched Aorah walk towards him. An all too familiar sensation seemed to grip Willard at that moment. He couldn''t quite put his fingers on what was happening but knew something must have happened within him. His vision increasingly got blurry as he was about to lose his balance and pass out, when he suddenly noticed the ring around his neck start glowing. Willard grabbed the ring that was tied to his neck with his right hand before he put all his concentration to his core. He noticed that red energy moving erratically within his core. ¡®What is this energy? Why is my ring reacting to it?¡¯ He thought to himself.

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    Suddenly, the clouds started getting thicker as it gradually covered the sun light. Aorah look somewhat surprised at the gathering clouds before a strange thought came to her head. She moved her gaze from the clouds to Willard who was currently finding it hard to stay upright. Willard opened up his eyes noticing the strange event that was currently happening before he caught a glimpse of Aorah¡¯s strange stare. At that moment both Willard and Aorah both reacted simultaneously. Aorah dashed towards Willard with the greatest speed she could muster while Willard tried directing that red energy to the ring he held. As Aorah got within three feets of Willard¡¯s position, massive lightning descended from the clouds bathing Willard and his surrounding. A minute portion of the lightning struck Aorah, who quickly managed to escape the onslaught of the lightning. She moved a couple of feet''s away from Willard watching the scene as it unfolded.

    Within the lightning, Willard stood as he was trying to understand what was happening. ¡°The lightning doesn''t harm me.¡± Willard said somewhat surprised. ¡°This must be the power of that red energy.¡± A determined look appeared on Willard¡¯s face, as the lightning died down. Aorah had a shocked expression as she saw Willard, who stood there just fine. ¡®This is trouble.¡¯ She thought to herself before she turned hill to run away. WIllard noticing Aorah run, stood in place watching her leave. When suddenly, he noticed Aorah¡¯s energy drastically fall. Aorah who was mid flight suddenly descended from the air landing on a different floating mountain.

    This was the opportunity Willard needed. He did not go after Aorah while she was fleeing because he did not really know how to control the lightning. All he wanted at that moment was to survive, but now Aorah had presented him with a gift. She was out of energy, out of breath as she slumped to ground lifelessly. ¡°This must be the cost of using that strange pill¡± Willard said with a smile. Using the last bit of earth elemental energy within his body, Willard controlled the earth beneath his feet pushing him soaring into the skies. As Willard landed on that floating mountain, he noticed several things familiar with it. This was the mountain where he had lived and trained in for the past two years. That was his prison and was also his home all that while. Willard walked towards Aorah who was breathing heavily on the floor.

    ¡°Hahaha¡± Aorah laughed before she coughed up some blood.

    ¡°Isn''t it funny? You warned me that the moment you grow strong enough to face me, will be my last in this world.¡±

    ¡°To think it would only take two years. Go ahead, I have no regrets.¡± Aorah said with a strange smile on her face.

    Willard had an indifferent look to him. He did not respond to a single remark Aorah had made, but instead picked up one of Aorah¡¯s daggers laying on the floor. Before he could get close to Aorah, Nana had rushed out of the cave. ¡°Please don''t kill my teacher.¡± She said as she dived in front of Aorah, covering Aorah with her body.

    ********************************************************************

    Author''s Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 44: Mercy

    Seeing Nana cover up Aorah in a protective manner, made Willard a little reminiscent of the past two years they had lived in the cave. Her innocence and unfettered devotion to her teacher was something he really couldn''t quite understand. ¡°Nana quick go back into the cave,¡± Aorah said with a little difficulty.

    ¡°No, I refuse,¡± Nana said as her tears kept pouring. ¡°No more deaths, please. No more.¡±

    Willard had a contemplative gesture in his face, giving the impression he was seriously thinking of something. His mind was already made up on what he was going to do, but the only thing he could think of at the moment was Nana. Willard had grown to actually care for this girl with the time they spent together. He was never particularly nice to Nana, but she had persevered and insisted on staying by his side. Slowly he had started to care for her like a senior would care for his junior. Willard dropped the dagger in his hands and walked closer to Nana.

    ¡°Nana get up,¡± Willard said as he reached down to help her up.

    ¡°I beg of you, please don''t kill teacher. Show mercy¡±

    Willard thought about the phrase ¡°show mercy.¡± When had he ever contemplated such a thing as mercy? In his world that word never existed. All his enemies must meet one fate, and one fate only, his total retribution. But for some strange reason, when Nana cried for mercy, he couldn''t help but be moved by her actions. He certainly did not like the sight of Nana crying for reasons he couldn''t quite figure out.

    ¡°I will show mercy,¡± Willard said as he walked Nana towards the cave. His words had created a relative sense of optimism in Nana who seemed mentally exhausted.

    When suddenly, dark clouds once more gathered around Aorah. Heavy torrential fall of lightning poured down on Aorah. Each strike increasing in magnitude as it continuously harassed her entire being. ¡°No!¡± Nana screamed trying to get away from Willard''s grip as the lightning mercilessly attacked Aorah. Willard held her place as the lightning continued to attack every inch of Aorah¡¯s body. When suddenly, the lightning destroyed a pendant on Aorah¡¯s neck, releasing a gray mist that quickly surrounded Aorah¡¯s body. Willard was shocked when he noticed that gray mist suddenly appear. Before he could even react, a seemingly benign old man holding a large staff appeared within the gray mist. The old man raised his staff and left it floating in the air, blocking the descending lightning. The old man carried Aorah¡¯s unconscious body and then completely disappeared with his staff without saying a single word.

    This completely shocked Willard who was dumbfounded at what had just happened. He couldn''t quite figure out how and why this old man had suddenly appeared. Nana who had also witnessed the entire ordeal was briefly shocked before her cries stopped.

    ¡°Who was that?¡± Willard asked Nana noticing the changes in her actions.

    Nana purposefully looked away trying to avoid Willard¡¯s gaze as he questioned her. ¡°Nana, who was that?¡± Willard asked again in an obviously agitated manner.

    ¡°That was teachers senior.¡± She simply responded avoiding prolonged conversation with Willard.

    ¡°How did he know to rescue her?¡± Willard asked Nana, who tried walking away from him again.

    ¡°Nana!¡± Willard yelled again.

    ¡°I don''t know.¡± Nana responded as she fell to the floor and resumed her cries.

    Willard was at a loss for his current situation, he knew he couldn''t blame Nana for anything, but he had really wanted to kill Aorah. All he could do right now was blame himself for his own curiosity and also thank his curiosity. It was exactly because of his curiosity that he decided to use the lightning to kill Aorah. On the other hand, he wouldn''t be able to tell what the old man would have done if he had met an already dead Aorah, especially since he wasn''t in a condition to fight a new opponent.

    As the opacus clouds dissipated, shimmers of brilliant sun rays dazzled the entire floating mountain range. Willard looked to the very heavily destroyed mountain sights. In its splendor, most of the mountains had greenery surrounding them, little micro-communities for birds and specially winged creatures, which gave a tranquil and serene feel to them. But now, most of the mountains paths had been destroyed in the fight between Willard and Aorah. Broken up pieces of earth from the mountains were falling nonstop.

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    ¡°Nana, what do you want to do now?¡± Nana turned to Willard wiping her tears off and stared at him speechlessly.

    Willard looked to Nana deciding what to do with her. Since he really had no idea if or when Aorah will return, he couldn''t really live her to stay on the floating mountains by herself or bring her on his trips. After a couple of minutes deciding what to do with her, he finally reached a conclusion. ¡°Do you want to take a trip with me back to the Amber Kingdom?¡± Nana nodded her head agreeing to Willard¡¯s suggestion.

    ****************************

    Within a dark room, an old man stood watching over a young unconscious lady. ¡°Little Aorah, why did you not call for my help earlier?¡± The man asked in a sad manner.

    ¡°I told you to never use two of those orbs. Now the damage to your core will be severe. It will take you a long while to repair if at all possible.¡±

    ¡°I told you to either kill that child or let him go, and now you have suffered the consequences.¡±

    ¡°Etimoah, I have failed in my promise to protect the little princess. Please forgive me.¡± The old man sorrowfully said as he watched the unconscious Aorah struggle for life. The damages from the lightning wasn''t the most dangerous thing to Aorah¡¯s life at the moment, it was the rebound effect of the green orbs. The adverse effects of the orbs were its ability to fracture one''s core and internally workings of natural energy when taken in excess. The natural energy within one''s body were the basic entities for life. The heart, lungs, and other organs were connected to the one¡¯s core and were all supported by natural energy. Although Aorah¡¯s body had been transformed to that of a saint, it still bore an internally similar marking to that of the average person, with the differences of being a thousand times more durable and connected to natural energy.

    ****************************

    It had been a whole month since the fight between Willard and Aorah. Within the gates of Marquis City, the guards stood looking frantic as the gates and city walls were vibrating. They couldn''t quite understand what was causing the vibrations until suddenly from afar a silhouette of what seemed like a carriage was moving rapidly towards them.

    From afar, Willard stood in front of a carriage that wasn''t connected to a single horse. Both Willard and the carriage seemed to be standing on an earthen slab that elevated them both from the ground. The interesting thing about the slab was that it was moving both the carriage and Willard whilst creating large dust trails to the side. Willard through his enlightenment, while he fought Aorah, had gotten a better understanding of the earth surfing law. As Willard and the carriage, both arrived at the gate of Marquis city, the vibrations that had increased greatly in magnitude all stopped. Willard opened the door to the carriage and helped Nana of the carriage. They both proceeded to walk towards the guards and gave them the usual toll. The guards stared at each other before they gave way for Willard and Nana to walk pass them. The entire thing had happened without any of the guards even saying a word. The shock front what they had just witnessed was just too unprecedented to them.

    ********************************************************************

    Author''s Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 45: The Return

    In the Gerret''s family- study, Sebastian was hurriedly browsing- through the contents- of a book. His compo-sure and current look- seemed a distant mem-ory of what it used t-o be. Book after book- Sebastian was pillag-ing its contents. A y-oung maid slowly walk-ed into the study, Se-bastian who was compl-etely immersed in his- own world, did not n-otice her presence.

    ¡°Young Master.¡± The m-aid said, bringing hi-m back to reality.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± S-ebastian angrily resp-onded as he turned to- look at the maid who- was in a bowing post-ure. ¡°I said no one s-hould disturb me for -the rest of the night-. Get away.¡± Sebastia-n continued before tu-rning back to the boo-ks.

    ¡°Master it¡¯s just tha-t your friend,¡± The m-aid was saying as Seb-astian turned to give- her a vicious scowl.- ¡°Master Willard has -returned.¡± She hurrie-dly said to conclude -her statement. Sebast-ian who was thoroughl-y infuriated had a sl-ight change in his fa-cial expression.

    ¡°Why did you not say -that earlier? Lead th-e way.¡± Sebastian qui-ckly responded as he -dropped the book in h-is hand. The news of -Willard¡¯s return was -truly a big one to Se-bastian. ¡®He has fina-lly returned. At leas-t, i have one more all-y right now.¡¯ Sebasti-an silently thought t-o himself as he follo-wed the maid into the hall. -

    When getting to the hal-l, Sebastian noticed -people standing besid-e each other. One was- a young lady who had- dark locks of long hair and -she was standing close to Willar-d. The other one was a fa-miliar looking man wh-o had to be Willard.

    Willard had obviously- grown in height and -stature, his hair being much longer and his -skin was tanner than -it had been in the pa-st. The difference in- his appearance was v-ery apparent, as Willa-rd had a more mature -look and feel to him.- Sebastian waved his -hand instructing the -maids out of the hall-.

    ¡°Brother, you made it- back alive,¡± Sebasti-an said with a smile -as he approached Will-ard.

    ¡°That day you left, I- had thought the wors-t had happened. Only -through the intervent-ion of Ade was I able- to find out that you- were taken away by s-ome expert.¡± Sebastia-n said recounting mem-ories of the past.

    ¡°Trivial matters of t-he past,¡± Willard res-ponded with a smile.

    Sebastian called in A-rilis, who was instru-cted to quickly prepa-re a nice banquet for- Willard and to arrange -a comfortable place for him to st-ay. Willard introduce-d Nana to Sebastian a-s an acquaintance.

    Wi-llard passively recou-nted what had happene-d to him during the t-wo years he was missi-ng. Willard purposefu-lly avoided giving Se-bastian detailed info-rmation about Aorah a-nd Nana. From Willard-¡¯s point of view, the-re was no point in Se-bastian knowing and i-t was better for Will-ard since he truly di-d not understand the -depth of Aorah¡¯s past-.

    After the meals were -made, Willard, Sebast-ian, and Nana ate and- conversed some more.- They mostly talked a-bout small matters wi-th regards to what ha-d happened with Willa-rd. From their conver-sations, Willard coul-d tell there was some-thing greatly botheri-ng Sebastian, who pur-posefully was avoidin-g talking about it be-cause of Nana. He kne-w Sebastian was waiti-ng to have a one on o-ne conversation with -him. Willard also fou-nd it weird that Baya- wasn¡¯t present or th-at Sebastian hadn¡¯t m-entioned anything abo-ut him.

    ¡°Brother, it¡¯s been a- long journey here. C-an someone show my fr-iend to her quarters -to rest up?¡± Willard -asked after they fini-shed their meals. Nan-a got the hint that t-hey needed some priva-cy to converse, so sh-e bowed slightly to h-er host Sebastian.

    ¡°Oh yes, where are my- manners? Arilis take- young miss Nana to h-er quarters.¡± Arilis -called some maids to -clear out the place a-nd personally lead Na-na away. Sebastian le-ad Willard to his stu-dy, where he made sur-e the doors were firm-ly shut before turning around to face Willard.

    ¡°Brother go ahead and- speak. What is going -on?¡± Willard immediat-ely asked.

    ¡°A lot has happened s-ince you went missing-. Let me start from t-hat point to tell you- what had happened.¡± -Sebastian said in an -obviously rattled man-ner.

    ¡°You killing Asyut br-ought about a huge st-orm in this city. The- Helden family poured- in all their resourc-es to find you. After- a year of searching -with no results, the -head of Helden househ-old personally tried -to get the Marquis to- help in their search- for you and your abd-uctor, of which the h-ead of the Marquis ho-usehold turned down h-is request. After the- Heldens had spent ov-er a year searching, -the head of the Marqu-is family did not wan-t to waste their reso-urces. This was the s-park that set everyth-ing into motion.¡±

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    ¡°You might not know t-his, but the Minya fa-mily had always covet-ed the Marquis househ-olds prestige, and con-trol. Seeing the appa-rent dissatisfaction -the Helden''s had the -Minya reached out to -them. Of course, all -of this had happened -without anyone¡¯s noti-ce of their secret meetings.- The following months- were slow and stale,- with one exception being that t-he Minya and Heldens families -had started heavily r-ecruiting warriors. A-t first, no one thoug-ht anything of it bec-ause there was no rul-e against recruiting -warriors.¡±

    ¡°But less than a month ag-o the Minya family ha-d sent a message to a-ll the founding and m-ajor families within -Marquis city. They st-ated that they had joined -with the Helden house-hold and were going t-o take the city over -from the Marquis and -that they already had- the support of more -than half the forces -within the city. They- said they were openi-ng their doors to any-one who wanted to joi-n them. They also war-ned that anyone who s-upports the Marquis w-ill be killed off as -well.¡±

    With Sebastian¡¯s word-s, Willard finally un-derstood what was goi-ng on. Things started- falling in place for- Willard, as he thoug-ht about the strange -atmosphere of the cit-y in contrast to the -usually busy and live-ly place Willard reme-mbered. ¡°So what deci-sion have you made?¡± -Willard asked.

    ¡°What decision is the-re to make? My Gerret- family has always be-en on the side of the- Marquis. I only sent- word to my father in-forming him of all th-at had happened. I gu-ess the Minya found a- better party to join- them than my Gerret -family.¡±

    Willard nodd-ed listening to Sebas-tian¡¯s response. He w-as secretly glad that- Sebastian hadn¡¯t act-ed out of cowardice. -He also couldn¡¯t help- thinking of one person,- the person that most- intrigued him during- his stay at Marquis -city, the head of the- Gerret family, Lord -Jayesh.

    ¡°One thing at a time.- Let¡¯s see how the Ma-rquis family reacts t-o all this.¡± Willard -gently laughed. ¡°One -thing is certain, no -harm could possibly c-ome to your Garret fa-mily.¡± Sebastian was -surprised that Willar-d had spoken with so -much surety, he co-uldn¡¯t quite understa-nd where his confiden-ce was coming from.

    ¡°At least one of us i-s hopeful,¡± Sebastian- said as he sighed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much- about it. Tell me, d-o you know where i mi-ght find a Saint?¡± Wi-llard asked Sebastian-, who had a shocked e-xpression. Who were s-aints?

    That Willard w-as casually asking to- find one. These were- existence on the lev-el of deities. They l-ived secluded lives a-way from mortal being-s. How was it that hi-m Sebastian would kno-w where to find one? -Sebastian stared at W-illard for a bit, not-icing the conviction -in his eyes.

    ¡°You would have to go- to the Blue Dragon acad-emy to even find some-one knowledgeable on -that. As for this cit-y, I can assure you t-hat no one would have- even met one.¡± Sebas-tian responded. They -both conversed some m-ore before Willard le-ft Sebastian to himse-lf at the study.

    ********************************************************************

    Author''s Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 46: Jurong Fa-mily Decision

    It had been two weeks- since Willard got ba-ck to Marquis city, h-is mission this time -was vastly different -from the first time h-e had ventured to the- city. Back then, he had ju-st regained his memor-ies and decided to jo-in an academy to gain access to knowledge about this mortal world he could never be afforded at the small Yellow Hew village.

    After spend-ing over two years in- captivity with Aorah, -he no longer wanted t-o join an academy, af-ter all, with his current str-ength, he could forcefully demand all the k-nowledge he needed from most exper-ts.

    Within his quarters, -Willard was seated wi-th his legs crossed a-s he meditated and st-udied the internal wo-rkings of his element-al core.

    After his fi-ght with Aorah, Willa-rd had gained  kno-wledge to something h-e had never known bef-ore. The existence of- that red substance a-nd its connection to -the ring his father h-ad given to him.

    Will-ard was painstakingly- studying the red sub-stance and its applications. Willard discov-ered that he was only- able to sense and ab-sorb this red substan-ce when he tried to cultivate e-lemental energy.

    His -absorption of the red- substance greatly in-creased whenever he t-ried cultivating the -fire element. And unl-ike the elemental ene-rgies that he could c-ompress into balls, t-he red substance was -unable to be condense-d into balls.

    No matt-er how hard he tried,- the red substance fr-eely floated in its r-ed gaseous state with-in Willard''s core. Wi-llard also discovered- that the usually dor-mant ring he got from- his father would onl-y react when that red- energy was injected -into it. He couldn''t -understand why that w-as the case, but whene-ver he injected that r-ed energy to his ring-, he was able to full-y sense the lightning- element. Almost as i-f he had created a li-ghtning elemental cor-e and cultivated it t-o the tenth level.

    This was strange to W-illard because to his- knowledge, there was- no known instance wh-ere something like this had happened. Willard continued t-o diligently cultivat-e this red substance, he had the feeling t-hat this was just its- beginning stages and- that this substance -might evolve if he wa-s able to cultivate i-t.

    Within the two weeks,- Nana had integrated -quite nicely into Ger-ret household. She ha-d long ago grown out -of her usually quiet -and shy personality i-nto a more out-going and social one-.

    Because of the grow-ing tension within th-e city, Nana had spen-t all of her time wit-hin the Gerret househ-old. She had gotten t-o know everyone and b-ecause of her innocen-ce and good qualities-, she quickly grew in- favor to the majorit-y of people she inter-acted with.

    Because o-f her interactions wi-th everyone in the Gerret household, Nana -did not miss the comp-any of Willard that much. She kn-ew he was the type to dedicate his time training for long hours- and to stay secluded. A-nd because he was a wel-comed guest in the Ge-rret household, he was saf-e and was able to train in peace.

    **********************

    Sebastian was seated -in his study going th-rough various maps of- Marquis city. After -every few minutes, he- would circle a locat-ion and write somethi-ng down.

    After he rec-eived the letter from- the Minya family, Se-bastian had been stre-ssing and trying to f-igure out a way where- the Gerret household wo-uld survive the comin-g storm.

    In truth, Se-bastian was very frus-trated at his father¡¯-s lack of interest in- running the Gerret house-hold. Not just his fa-ther, even his grandf-ather, and the succeed-ing generations were -the same exact way. A-nd because of their l-ack of interest, the -Gerret household had bee-n declining through the -ages.

    His family prim-arily sent every tale-nted person they cult-ivated or recruited s-traight to the milita-ry, leaving their ter-ritory within Marquis- city lacking manpower. Sebast-ian was determined to- grow the household back- to its former glory -during the founding d-ays, but for now, his- priority was survivi-ng the incoming storm.

    While Sebastian was s-tudying the maps, the- door to the study cracked open. A warrior wea-ring a brown robe ent-ered the study. His i-ntrusion broke Sebast-ian out of his previo-usly immersed state. Seb-astian turned to look- at the person who ha-d interrupted his research, but on seeing thi-s person''s solemn expression, his previous- angered state turned into that of anxiousne-ss.

    ¡°Balish, has some-thing major occurred?-¡± Sebastian asked eag-erly awaiting this pe-rson''s response.

    Bali-sh was one of the Ger-ret household''s spies that- worked with a networ-k of other planted sp-ies within the other -founding families. Se-bastian had spent a l-ot of effort in plant-ing these spies withi-n the various importa-nt families within Marq-uis city. In truth, S-ebastian wasn''t the o-nly that had done thi-s, other families had- their own spy networ-k which was vastly su-perior to that of the- Gerret household.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Young Master, the Jur-ong family has made the- decision to join the -Minya family.¡± Balish replied with a complicated expression.

    As Seb-astian heard those words, th-e shock had caused hi-m to unconsciously dr-op the book he had or-iginally been holding-. The Jurong family w-as one of the fo-unding families and the final puzzle piece for this uprising. Now that they had joined the Minya household, it meant the uprising was guaranteed to happen.

    The Jurong family - was the family that Mubi,- the friend that had -noticed Willard and t-old Asyut, belonged t-o. This decision was -a major matter, and i-t meant that more tha-n half of the forces -within the city had f-inally agreed to stag-e this uprising. Now -that this was the cas-e, things would soon -be playing out in the- open. Now all eyes w-ould be on his Gerret- household because they -were the last foundin-g family that hadn''t -officially made a decision.

    ¡°Now that this is th-e case, call all of t-he Gerrett household''s war-riors back to the ter-ritory. When everyone- comes back, I will a-ddress them.¡± Seb-astian said with an e-xhausted expression on his face.

    ¡°Yes, Young Master,¡± -Balish responded with- a bow.

    ¡®I guess it''s time to- face this directly. -Father, why haven''t y-ou returned already? -Do you really not min-d our family''s dilemma-?¡¯ Although Sebastian- knew of his father''s- indifference to the -situation within the -Gerret household, he -had still held on to -some hope of his fath-er''s return with some- aid from the militar-y. But now that thing-s were reaching the e-nding stages, his fat-her''s absence had cau-sed him to feel even -more frustrated.

    Sebastian got out of -the study and directly walked -straight towards Willard¡¯s- quarters. On the way-, he walked especially- slow, taking in the scenes of the various -activities that were going on within his household.

    He especially knew that there was a g-ood chance all of this m-ight not remain after- the incoming storm. They migh-t all have to evacuat-e out of the city or -worse; be exterminated. On h-is way, he ran into N-ana who had been chat-ting with a maid in t-he garden.

    Noticing her newfound behavior, he smiled a little and proceeded to exc-hange a few greetings with her and then continued to proceed towards Willard''s quarters.

    Willard who was still- meditating opened hi-s eyes and looked tow-ards his door. Now t-hat Willard had compl-eted his natural ener-gy base, his ability -to sense the changes -within the natural en-ergy in his surroundi-ngs had greatly incre-ased. Because of this-, he could instantly t-ell when someone was -within 30 feet of his- current location.

    Willard go-t up and walked out o-f his room, he saw th-e dejected look on Se-bastian¡¯s face and proceeded to comfort his friend. ¡°What- happened, Sebastian? You se-em quite worried.¡± Willard -asked with a smile as he patted Sebastian''s shoulder.

    ¡°The Jurong family ha-s joined the Minya¡¯s -camp. It shouldn''t ta-ke too long before we- hear from them.¡± He sighed as he replied solemnly.

    ¡°Don''t worry too much- about that. Let them- come.¡± Willard confi-dently said as he stared with resolution in Sebastian''s eye.

    Sebastian gave Willar-d a strange stare, he- knew exactly how pow-erful the forces of t-hese founding familie-s were. Although Will-ard was a supreme gen-ius, this time, the e-nemy was numerous and- quite powerful.

    With-in his heart, Sebasti-an had praised Willard¡¯s -boldness and confidence, but he simp-ly dismissed it as jus-t youthful vigor and -ignorance. In the face of- this storm, he hoped- Willard might be abl-e to escape.

    ********************************************************************

    Author''s Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 47: Envoy

    It did not take too long for the Gerret family warriors to congregate at the main hall. Sebastian stood up staring at the warriors before him, their numbers were less than a hundred with the vast majority of them being at the natural energy level. To the edge of the hall, the maids and servants of the household stood. Normally, during meetings for the warriors, the maids and servants were not permitted to be present, but the situation was different today so Sebastian permitted their presence. After all, the meeting this time around was one that determined their survival.

    ¡°Everyone, today our Gerret family is facing the biggest crisis since our founding. By now everyone should know what is going in the city, and it''s no secret that our Gerret family will soon join in this storm. Any moment now, representatives from the Minya family camp will soon reach our gates.¡± Sebastian said looking everyone straight in the eyes. He had no intentions of hiding the truth from them. ¡°At that moment they arrive, I plan on telling them my decision to support the Marquis household.¡± After saying that, the room was in complete silence, no one uttered a single word and just listened.

    ¡°So today with the biggest heart, I want to say, thank you to all of you that have worked for my family so diligently all these years. Anyone that wants to leave is free to go now.¡± Sebastian staring at the frantic eyes of everyone. Although Sebastian wanted to bolster his defenses, he wanted only those that were willing to fight to their deaths. When he had told them they could leave, he had done so knowing that those that remained knew the exact severity of the current situation. Following his words, seventy percent of the maids and servants quickly left the main hall. Following that about twenty percent of the warriors left as well. This did not come as a surprise to Sebastian, he expected such that was why he had addressed them with such words.

    ¡°This is the last opportunity to leave. Those who choose to stay will not be afforded such an opportunity in the future.¡± Sebastian said again to verify everyone''s resolve to stay.

    ¡°Good. Arilis see to it that everyone that had chosen to leave is escorted peacefully out of the house.¡±

    The warriors and maids that had chosen to stay knew exactly what the situation was. Those that chose to leave were naive to think they could escape the situation by just walking away. None of the opposing families would hire or bring them into their families. There was the possibility these people could be potential spies within their ranks, the opposing households will hunt and kill them all after everything was over.

    Afterward, the doors to the hall were firmly shut. Sebastian instructed the rest of the warriors on their task, leaving only a trusted few that he chose to lay out his plans for, giving strict and detailed instructions on how things were going to play out. Although, Sebastian himself wasn''t a warrior, his ability to put together a plan was of the highest order.

    ****************

    At the main gate to the Gerret household, a bright brown carriage had stopped. Coming out of the carriage, Ade stood with a little convoy behind her. Immediately, the guards had sent a message to Sebastian. ¡°Open the gate?¡± Ade called. Her words met deaf ears as the guards all stood without utter a single word. Ade noticing that broke into a queer smile. ¡®It seems Sebastian has really chosen the side of the Marquis.¡¯ She thought to herself silently.

    Suddenly, the gates cracked opened, with Sebastian and Willard walking out. Ade was shocked to see Willard beside Sebastian, for some unknown reason the presence of Willard had changed the entire game plan she had. She previously held some hope in changing Sebastian''s mind, but now a new threat had silently risen in her subconscious. ¡°Go back and tell your family head that my Gerret household has and always will be a pillar of the Marquis household.¡± Sebastian said as they got within ten feet of the convoy.

    ¡°Think this through carefully. Don''t throw your life and that of your followers away needlessly. My Minya household is in control of seventy percent of the forces within this city. There is but one possible outcome, our victory.¡±

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.¡°There is nothing to think. My decision has been made.¡± Ade frown a little as she heard his response. She moved her gaze towards Willard then smiled.

    ¡°I trust you know what the situation is like. If you join my Minya family, I guarantee we will protect you from the Helden household. We will also name you a knight of our family, given rights, wealth, and prestige.¡± Ade said enticing Willard to join their ranks. The rest of the convoy and guards were in shock by Ade¡¯s words. Not only was she going to protect and give him wealth, she was also going to name him a knight. Within each city, knights were only second the city governor. They were aloof figures above all ramifications of the law. They were powerful warriors who protected the governor at times of great risk.

    Willard turned to Sebastian and asked loudly; ¡°has this little miss always been this dumb?¡± Hearing Willard¡¯s question, a huge frown displaced the smile on Ade¡¯s face. Not just her, the rest of the convoy and the guards were stunned by his response. Sebastian couldn''t help but laugh a little at Willard''s question. Although Sebastian trusted Willard, he quite honestly did not know how he would react to Ade¡¯s tempting offer. ¡°Little miss don''t waste both you and our time here. As for the Helden household, please tell them I am waiting for them.¡± Willard responded moving his gaze back to Ade.

    One of the guards by Ade¡¯s side was utterly infuriated. Not only had Willard rejected a knighthood, which was something he would die for, he also insulted Ade to add to it. He finally couldn''t take it anymore, ¡°Shut your mouth you little monkey.¡± the guard said pulling out his sword. Before Ade could even stop him, the guard had dashed towards Willard and Sebastian. From the palm of the guard, light purple lightning could be seen dancing all the way through his sword. Willard seeing him run all the way towards him and Sebastian couldn''t be even bothered to use his gravitational domain on him.

    Willard took a single step that mysteriously made him appear right in front of the charging guard. Although the guard was shocked, he still maintained a calm state of mind with his attack. Holding the sword in his right hand, he attacked with a right swing of his sword. The motion of his attack showed exactly how much experience he had, guided by his control of the lightning element, he aimed straight for Willard¡¯s head. Now that Willard had completed his natural energy base, his activation of elemental energy was instant. Without much thought, Willard moved his hand in anticipation of the attack. Willard caught the sword in its motion for his neck. Holding tightly onto the sword, the look on the guard''s face changed drastically. ¡®How is this possible?¡¯ the guard frightfully thought before Willard snapped the sword, breaking off a portion of the sword. With the same motion of breaking the sword, Willard stabbed the broken off portion into the neck of the guard.

    It was at this moment the guard understood why Willard had spoken in that manner. Holding onto his neck, the guard dropped to his knees, gasping for life. As his vision increasingly got blurred, the guard couldn''t help but think of how frightening the youth in front of him was. The exchanged between them clearly showed that the youth did not even take that exchange seriously.

    ********************************************************************

    Author''s Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 48: Envoy 2

    Watching the guard fall lifelessly, sent shivers down the spine of everyone watching. The remaining two other guards that had escorted Ade and the envoy over had a more serious look to them. Each and every one of them was an elemental energy elite of the Minya household, but in the face of Willard, their companion was no more than a livestock to a butcher. Sebastian had a rather uncomfortable smile as he realized how ruthless and undiplomatic Willard could be.

    Unconsciously, Ade and her companions took some steps backward. ¡®Sir Allada was right, we should have taken this Willard fellow more seriously.¡¯ Ade silently thought to herself. Memories of the conversation her father and the senior members of her household had two years ago, after her Ducart¡¯s birthday function, came pouring through her mind. In that conversation, Allada especially insisted in swift action with regards to Willard. He wanted them to quickly bring Willard to their side or kill him.

    Ade looked towards Sebastian with a frown on her face. ¡°Even lord Jayesh has chosen to stay out of this, don''t regret your actions today.¡± She said turning to leave. Her entire entourage took the queue to leave as well. None of them even thought of retaliating because they knew there was no way anyone of them present could do anything to Willard. As they were about to board their carriage, the ground started vibrating. Unwillingly, they turned to see the image of the dead guard being dragged by the ground towards them. ¡°You forgot something., Willard said with a little smirk.

    Sebastian turned to look at Willard, even he himself was shocked at Willard¡¯s remarks. One of the three elite guards from the Minya household went back to carry the dead body of his companion. With anger and fear written all over his face, he carried the dead body and placed it on top of the carriage. The carriage then proceeded to leave. Within the carriage was complete silence, Ade had a huge frown as she thought back to what had just happened. Clearly, her entire plan had not only been ruined but completely insulted. ¡°He must die, they must all die,¡± Ade said angrily.

    <hr />

    Hundreds of miles away from Marquis city, a mid sized dust storm was hastily moving towards the city. In front of the dust storm were three men on horses riding with all they had, and behind the three men was a carriage inscribed with a white lotus flower insignia. The man leading the ride had a scarf that covered the majority of his face. Behind the scarf was a devilishly handsome man with long black hair. If Willard was present, he would have immediately recognized this man as Baya. Baya held the totem that was around his neck, he could feel the totem¡¯s pulse increase in intensity as he drew closer to Marquis city. ¡°You have finally returned,¡± Baya said to himself as he continued riding.

    To Baya¡¯s right, Hector was riding just as passionately. Hector had a solemn expression as he thought about the situation. Sebastian had sent three people, including Hector himself, to go to the northern borders military camp. This time around the situation was grave and needed immediate intervention from the lord of the Gerret house.

    <hr />

    Within the Minya household, a meeting was currently on-going. ¡°Once we confirm the addition of the Gerret family, it is all but decided.¡± Darey Helden, Asyut''s father, said with a straight expression. ¡°The Marquis dogs will be exterminated from the face of the world.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. It is time this city regains its freedom from the hands of the Marquis Household.¡± Marcos Jurong said in affirmation to Darey¡¯s comment.

    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Ducart Minya who sat at the head of the table laughed. ¡°In due time, everything will be set right. The ties between the Gerret and Marquis household predates any of ours. Things might not go as we plan.¡±

    ¡°Once my daughter returns, we will decide the next stage.¡±

    ¡°Remember, we cannot underlook the Marquis and the Gerret household. They are the oldest of the founding families. Allada, what is the situation in the Marquis house?¡±

    ¡°My network tells me it has been the same. No movement whatsoever from them.¡± Allada responded.

    ¡°Hmm. The dogs are hiding behind their tails. They no it''s over for them, given the reach of your Minya household, they know they have lost.¡± Darey said.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    The door leading to the meeting room cracked open. A man who wore a masked silently walked towards Ducart and started whispering some words to him. The others who sat on the table all acted like nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. They had gotten used to this sight over the course of their stay. After the man in the mask ended his words, a bright smiled blossomed on Ducart''s face followed by a short laughter.

    ¡°Everyone! Drink, relax our victory has been ordained by the nine heavens.¡±

    After saying those words, everyone looked at themselves before breaking into cheers. The majority of them had joined the Minya household, not out of loyalty, but out of the sheer depth of the connections of the Minya household. Ever since the current lord of the Minya household had taken the title as lord, he had increased the influence of the Minya household in dramatic fashion. Everyone knew about their business ties around the Amber kingdom, some even knew of their relations with the other kingdoms.

    Minutes later, the door once more cracked open. This time around, it wasn''t a masked man coming in, this time it was Ade who had rushed in. Ade slightly bowed before she approached her father. She proceeded to whisper some words to him. When she finished her reports, she took some steps backward and just stood there. Ducart nodded his head a couple of times as he digested the information Ade had brought. ¡°The Gerret brat has chosen the sides of the Marquis.¡± Ducart said with a smile. From his expression, everyone could tell that the news had not in the slightest bit phased him. ¡°The time has come for us to show the might of justice. The Gerret brat shall be the first to experience our might.¡± The faces of everyone seated immediately tensed up. This meant that the real battle was about to start. No longer waiting and planning from the shadows, now they were going to take this struggle to the open.

    <hr />

    Within the Garret household, Sebastian and Willard casually walked through the garden. The entire atmosphere of the household had been stiff ever since the meeting Sebastian had called. ¡°I am waiting for a response from the Marquis household. I just sent word of our meeting with the Minya envoy.¡± Sebastian softly spoke. ¡°I expect they will soon be calling for a joint army.¡±

    ¡°It seems we might not have enough time to wait,¡± Willard said braking Sebastian''s earlier flow.

    Ever since Willard had reached the ninth level of earth elemental energy, his ability to use the earth vibrations to monitor his surroundings had heightened to an unbelievable level. He could detect abnormalities in the movement of the earth from miles away.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sebastian asked.

    ¡°It seems the Minya¡¯s have already made their move. We have less than twenty minutes before they reach us.¡± The look on Sebastian¡¯s face changed. He wasn''t expecting the Minya to react so fast. This meant that the Minya¡¯s no longer had any reservations, and were about to go all out. Sebastian immediately left to make his preparations, while Willard continued walking heading towards Nana¡¯s quarters.

    From a distance Nana spotted Willard walking towards her, she quickly walked out to meet up with him. ¡°A battle would soon be starting. I wouldn''t be too far, but you need to be careful as well.¡± Nana nodded in response to his words. Willard and Nana watched as all the warriors in every corner of the house gathered in arranged rows right behind the main gate to the household.

    ¡°It''s about time I head over,¡± Willard said before using his movement technique to leave Nana¡¯s side.

    ********************************************************************

    Author''s Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 49: Battle at the city square 1

    Appearing right beside Sebastian, Willard turned to look at the faces of the warriors behind him. Unconsciously, he couldn''t help but sigh in disappointment as he noticed nothing but fright in their eyes. ¡°There is no use is waiting right here.¡± Willard slowly said to Sebastian. ¡°The walls and gates were superficially built, they cannot withstand an enemy attack.¡±

    Sebastian stared at Willard with disappointed written all over his face. Sebastian  knew Willard was telling the truth as he remembered his father saying the same exact words to him when he was younger. ¡°What do you suggest we do? They outnumber us about a hundred to one.¡±

    ¡°Well, they don''t have me,¡± Willard responded with a little smile. Over and over, Sebastian had been surprised with the level of confidence Willard had always shown. He looked at the young man before him with curious and gratified eyes.

    ¡°I will follow whatever decision you make,¡± Willard said moving his gaze forward.

    Sebastian thought hard and well about his options. Right now he was the defacto leader of his house, so he knew there was no one but himself to shoulder this burden. ¡°Kaban, you along with a fifty of our top archers and twenty of our top warriors and mages will head out with Willard to intercept our enemies. Remember this is not a war that must be won at the moment. All you need to do is slow them down until the forces of the Marquis comes to our rescue.¡± Kaban was a tall well-built warrior with gray hair. Although his hair was gray, one could tell that he was still young and in his late thirties. Kaban was one of the highest ranking warriors that served the Gerret house. He was a level 7 elemental energy warrior and one that had spent a long time serving the Gerret house.

    ¡°Willard remember this is not a fight to the death. Better to return alive than to die while fighting.¡±

    Willard nodded in response to Sebastian''s comments. Willard thought of the many memories of fighting in wars throughout the nine heavens. Then he thought back to Sebastian''s words ¡®Better to return alive than to die fighting¡¯; these were words no one had to remind him of. There was nothing more important than surviving each battle. He accessed the difference in power and knew when to withdraw or struggle to the end. That was the only way he could learn and grow.

    Kaban quickly led the group of archers and warriors and proceeded to ride to a favorable position for an ambush. Willard stood watching them as they rode out, all the hopes and faith of the remaining warriors were on them. Without making a single sound, Willard took a single step that mysteriously seemed like he had teleported to a couple tens of feet forward. With each step he took the distance seemed to increase exponentially. Everyone watching this couldn''t help but sigh in praises.

    Willard''s movement technique had drastically improved from what it had originally been in the past. With each increase in elemental energy so were his improvements more noticeably pronounced. If Willard were capable of sensing and using the fire element like he did in his past life, the caliber of techniques he would have had at his disposal would have greatly surpassed what he was capable of doing at the moment.

    It did not take long for Willard to catch up to Kaban and the rest, who had stopped riding at the moment. Kaban instructed the archers to take positions on top the various buildings surrounding the city square. After instructing them on their positions, Kaban began riding again with the warriors and mages. Riding a couple of minutes away from the city square Willard, Kaban and the rest could hear the heavy footsteps of the incoming Minya force.

    ¡°Quickly get ready. Start casting your spells.¡±  Kaban said to the four mages on their side. Immediately, the four mages clasped their hands. A faint variety of colors could be seen emanating from the mages, who were mumbling some words. ¡°Sir Willard, it would be up to us to slow them down now,¡± Kaban said turning to look at Willard. At first, when Kaban had heard of the young genius Sebastian was trying to recruit, he had thought nothing of it. After all, not all genius end up fulfilling their potentials. After witnessing the martial prowess of Willard during the encounter with the Minya convoy, Kaban had a newfound respect for Willard. He was certain this time around, that the young genius beside him was the real deal.

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    ¡°It''s time,¡± Willard said as his gaze was fixed on the army appearing before them. Kaban had chosen to wait just at the south entrance to the city square because of its smaller space. That way, they won''t be immediately overwhelmed by the share number of their foes. They could at the least buy some time with the aid of the hidden archers.

    Noticing the presence of the small Gerret team in front of them, the Minya forces came to a halt. ¡°Interesting. They already detected our movements.¡± Ducart Minya said talking to Allada by his side. ¡°Inconsequential. The last bark from a dying dog. They are probably trying to buy time to escape or wait for the Marquis.¡± Allada responded.

    Ducart laughing responded with a nod. ¡°Send out a small team to wipe them out.¡±

    Allada rode to the front of the army with several warriors behind. ¡°He is here,¡± Allada said to himself surprisingly as he noticed Willard among the warriors. ¡°Wipe them out. Be careful of that one.¡± Allada said pointing to Willard.

    The warriors all dashed towards Willard and the rest of the Gerret warriors. Standing at the back of Kaban, a mage finished his incantations with the word ¡°Gather.¡± Suddenly, a bright white illuminated light seemed to surreptitiously gather around him. Almost instantaneously, the white light expanded and spread from his body as the origin point. The spell from the peak level 3 elemental energy mage had taken the incoming warriors by surprise, as it quickly robbed them of their vision. The warriors from the Gerret household took the opportunity to attack as their foes were temporarily blinded.

    Kaban who was about to join the fray was stopped by Willard who grabbed his shoulder. Willard gestured for him to just watch what was happening. With the advantage their foes being temporarily blind, the Gerret warriors had gone all out on a wild assault. Of the twenty-something warriors from the Minya forces that had gone to attack, about six of them had survived.

    This was the reason why mages were revered. Although most mages were seriously lacking on close combat prowess, their supportive ability was of the highest order. Just from this one spell, the mage had virtually rendered those warriors immobile. Although, this wouldn''t have been the case if the warriors were prepared for the spell.

    Those six that had survived were prime elemental energy users who had found some way to compensate for their lack of vision. As the white light died down and the Minya forces regained their vision, a strange smile erupted on Allada¡¯s face. Calling for other warriors to join the six, Allada slowly walked forward. Without a second to waste, Allada released his gravity domain of the Gerret warriors.

    Allada, who was currently a level 8 elemental energy warrior, had immediately constrained the Gerret warriors with his gravity domain. Another Gerret mage who was proficient with the earth element started mumbling some words. As someone who was familiar with the earth element, he knew how effective a gravitational domain could be on the battlefield. Within a couple of seconds, earth essence from the ground started flowing to all the Gerret warriors. This supportive spell did not directly counteract the domain, but instead it increased the strength of the warriors to a degree the earth domain was ineffective on them.

    ********************************************************************

    Author''s Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Silva¡¯s Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 50: Battle at the city square 2

    With the gravity domain of Allada being mitigated by the earth elemental energy mage, the Gerret household warriors all felt a little confident in their next exchange. This time around, Kaban and Willard could tell that the warriors from the Minya side were all elites.

    As the battle started, Allada instructed his warriors to go all out and eliminate the forces of the Gerret household. At the back of his mind, he knew quite well that the Gerret household had no hope of winning this fight, all they were doing was trying to buy some time. Right now, he was confident he could take out the warriors in front of him with just a small squad.

    Allada charged directly towards Willard and Kaban. He reasoned that those were the two toughest opponents they had at the moment, so he wanted to quickly get rid of them. His speed reached his highest, as he dashed towards them. Kaban was slightly startled by Allada¡¯s speed, but notwithstanding, he still moved forward to engage him. Kaban immediately pulled out his black war blade from the strap on his back, which was currently covered in a fiery red elemental essence and directly proceeded to strike the incoming Allada.

    Seeing Kaban¡¯s quick blade strike, Allada willed earth elemental energy to form a visibly light brown elemental energy guard around his left hand. Ignoring the fact that Kaban was attacking with a weapon, Allada met that attack with his bare hands. A loud explosive sound was heard when the both of them exchange their first attacks. A look of complete awe could be seen in Kaban¡¯s eyes as he realized Allada was completely capable countering his attack with just his fist. ¡®Impossible. Weren''t we both Level 7 elemental energy warriors?¡¯ Kaban couldn''t help but ponder after that exchange. ¡®Don''t tell me he has broken through to the 8th level.¡¯

    The first exchange had completely stunned Kaban. In the past, they had both had friendly exchanges, so he had a good idea of how powerful Allada was in the past. But at the moment, he couldn''t help but be surprised at the sudden difference in power. Now Kaban couldn''t help but acknowledge Allada as the genius he was publicly acclaimed to be. Kaban had been a level 7 elemental energy warrior before Allada had broken through the level 7 stage of power, but to his surprise within eight years, Allada had already surpassed him.

    A cold smirk appeared on Allada¡¯s face as he proceeded to counter attack with his right hand covered in the same earth elemental energy. The look on Kaban¡¯s face immediately changed, his pupils seemed to slowly change in color from its usual brown to a fiery red color. Right now, Kaban knew he was truly at a disadvantage, and he had to give this battle his all if he wanted to survive. Wielding the black war blade with both of his hands, Kaban immediately defended Allada¡¯s attack. Sparkles flew in different directions as they both exchanged blows. This time around, Kaban used the counter force of that exchange to glide back a couple of feet away from Allada.

    ¡°You already broke through to the 8th level,¡± Kaban said looking at Allada. ¡°No wonder you seem so confident.¡± He continued.

    ¡°That''s right. From that exchange, you should know what the outcome of this battle will be.¡± Allada responded.

    ¡°Don''t look down on just because you have broken through to the 8th level.¡±

    Willard who stood to a corner, just watched as they both fought. Kaban immediately pointed his war blade straight at Allada with his right hand. He bent both his knees slightly increasing the stability of his center of gravity. Suddenly a little flame seemed to sprout at the tip of his war blade. The seemingly insignificant flame, slowly grew in intensity until it covered the entire blade in flames. Kaban immediately charged straight for Allada, who seemed to not care for anything in the world.

    Allada folded his fist again and covered it with the earth element energy like he had previously done. Kaban, who seemed like a divinity of fire, swung his war blade aiming for Allada¡¯s head. As he swung his war blade, the air seemed to instantly heat up. Allada met that attack with his fist again, but this time, as Kaban¡¯s war blade met Allada¡¯s fist, Kaban yelled; ¡°explode¡±. The confident look on Allada seemed to immediately disappear as he noticed the way surrounding air around his fist was exponentially increasing in temperature. Allada knew there was no way he could quickly move his fist away from that attack, so all he could do was unleash his overwhelming base of the 8th level of elemental energy to try and block the attack. As their attacks collided, a huge explosion was immediately heard.

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    Willard who stood to a corner raised an eyebrow in delight to what he had just seen. ¡®Interesting! He his barely touching on the doors of the primary law of explosion.¡¯

    Allada was forced to take about five steps from that exchange. He stared at his right hand, which was currently bleeding and moved his gaze back to Kaban. Allada was greatly surprised with the result of that bout, but without a moment to waste, he immediately brought out his longsword from its sheath. He no longer looked down on Kaban, as he realized how dangerous Kaban could be if he gave him the opportunity.

    The both of them continued fighting each other, as Allada sought to quickly kill Kaban. Every couple of seconds, a loud explosion could be heard, with blood splashing all around. Allada currently had the advantage as his overwhelming level of elemental energy compensated for his lower accomplishment with regards to the elemental laws of nature. Currently, Kaban was like a mad dog as he swung his war blade with every energy he could muster, each collision had the natural element of explosion added to it. Allada on the other hand, filled his long sword with earth elemental energy, although he wasn''t at a very high level with regards to the elemental laws, his elemental base was significantly higher than that of Kaban. The force from Allada¡¯s sword, sent Kaban tumbling all the way until he hit a nearby building. Kaban coughed out a mouth full of blood after the impact. Not giving up, he forced himself to get back up and continue fighting.

    Allada ran towards the already wounded Kaban, he swung his sword again aiming for Kaban¡¯s neck. As Kaban blocked the attack again he was sent flying to another direction. Allada continued his pursuit as he could already see victory in his hands. As he got right in front of Kaban, who was currently sluggishly trying to force himself up, he immediately thrust his sword in a stabbing manner at Allada. Before his sword could complete its motion, he felt an overwhelming surge of pain at his back. The pain did not die down anytime soon and only increased with every second. Allada stared at the hand that was protruding out his abdomen and coughed out a mouth full of blood.

    Allada''s sword that was on a path to stab straight for Kaban lifelessly flew out of his hands. Allada turned to see the person that had stabbed him. ¡°You!¡± Allada said as he coughed another mouth full of blood. ¡°Were you expecting me to wait until you were done?¡± Willard asked with a smirk on his face.

    Allada couldn''t help but feel regret as the life slowly left his body. He was currently staring at the kid, who he had once held the fate of in his own two hands. Right now it was over, there was no one he could blame but himself. Kaban had forced him to go all out, ignoring his surroundings, and now he had paid the ultimate price for that. ¡®If only I had killed you sooner.¡¯ Allada thought to himself as he slumped lifelessly to the ground.

    ********************************************************************

    Author''s Note:

    Thanks for reading. If you like the story and would like to help the author, please donate</a> or share the stories. Every little bit helps. Also, all further releases will first be posted on Re-Library</a> before being updated anywhere else.

    Thanks,

    ~Devine_Exodus

 Chapter 51: Battle at the city square 3

    At the Marquis house. A meeting was currently going in full session.

    Lyon was pacing back and forth within the meeting room. He slowed down his movements, and gradually settled down before he sat back down.

    ¡°Saving the Gerret household holds no value to us,¡± Lyon said to the room filled with high ranking members of the Marquis household. Currently, Lyon was the person with the highest authority within their house. His father, Leonardo Marquis, had left the city a month earlier on private business.

    ¡°If we don''t go to their rescue, that would spell doom for our only allies right now.¡± Another high-ranking member retorted.

    ¡°Their rescue? They are already a lost cause. The way I see it, the only option we have right now is to fortify our defenses. Hopefully, father will be able to get in touch with our ancestor.¡±

    ¡°Are you suggesting we leave our only ally to hang right now?¡± Another member responded to Lyon¡¯s remarks. ¡°What shame? To think the future head of this household will fall to such levels of cowardice.¡±

    Lyons muscle slightly twitched as he heard those words. Although he could be considered the current head, but in reality, his status wasn''t any higher than those in the meeting. These people consisted of knights, great warriors, and mages. None of them took Lyon as a serious leader, especially after his fit of cowardice. One after the other, they all raised issues with Lyons suggestion.

    ¡°Enough talking.¡± An old man with gray hair said as he banged the table and stood up. ¡°Even the young master of the Gerret household is bold enough to fight them head on.¡± He continued saying as he walked slowly towards the door. ¡°I will lead my unit and go back that young one.¡± He concluded immediately leaving the room.

    At the moment, the room had turned silent. ¡°Sir Allen!¡± Someone said to break up the complete silence. The next moment, several others got up as well. ¡°I will also be following the primero knight.¡± A young feminine voice rang out across the room. Everyone''s attention moved to the beautiful woman who stood up from her seat. She did not wait for any response as she left the table. Her long blonde hair dangled as she seductively walked out.

    The primero knight was a position given to the number one most outstanding knight in Marquis city. Sir Allen who was currently in that position, had been the longest current serving member of the knighthood. His accomplishment over the years had been phenomenal and praiseworthy and even in his current old age, no one had successfully taken the primero position from him. He was a man that effortlessly garnered awe and admiration, a pious and up worthy man.

    ¡°Wait up Agnes, I will also be joining you.¡± Another man said not paying any attention to anyone on the table. Lyon who was currently sitting down had a face full of frowns. He knew quite well that only the head of the Marquis house could command a knight. ¡®Wait until I inherit the position, I will make you regret your actions.¡¯ Lyons said bottling up his anger.

    *************************Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Marquis city square.

    Ducart was currently smiling as he watched the battlefield. ¡°Oh, that Kaban fellow of the Gerret house is quite outstanding.¡± He said with a smirk. ¡°He was actually able to make Allada use his weapon.¡± Ducart turned to the person to his right and asked: ¡°Sir Svecko, what do you think of that fellow Allada is currently battling?¡± Although Ducart was always a proud person, he also knew when to be respectful. Svecko was a special envoy that had been personally sent to him by one of his major backers. This envoy, in particular, was one of his special trump cards for this battle against the Marquis.

    ¡°He is indeed talented. He is barely touching upon the primary laws of explosions of the fire element. With a few more decades he would surely reach the saint level.¡± Svecko responded with an indifferent look. Ducart hearing ¡°saint level¡± was greatly shocked. This was the first time Svecko had spoken highly of anyone since he came to Marquis city, not even Allada, whom Ducart had considered the finest genius under his banner, was praised by Svecko.

    As they continued watching the fight, the smile on Ducart¡¯s face grew ever more crescent shaped. ¡°It¡¯s a pity we could not have recruited that one. He would have been an asset to us in the future. Since you are not with us, you must die.¡± Ducart¡¯s reasoning was quite astute since he could not have Kaban, it was best Kaban dies.

    ¡°What the?¡± Svecko straightened up his back as he first reacted. ¡°What hell just happened? How did he get there so fast?¡± Ducart said in complete surprise. They had been casually watching Allada beat Kaban effortlessly, and when it had reached the final moments of the battle, an unexpected variable came into play. Somehow, Willard had appeared right behind Allada in the last second and stabbed him to death.

    ¡°You bastard!¡± Allada cursed as he watched Allada slump to the ground. Seeing Allada die caused him so much pain, he had really high expectations of Allada¡¯s future prospects and now he had met his end at the hands of some youth. ¡°Who is that person?¡± Svecko asked.

    ¡°He is that young fellow I told you about. The young genius of the Gerret house.¡± Ducart said with a little bad taste in his mouth.

    ¡°Incredible. Even among saints of the earth element, his movement technique could be considered first class.¡± Ducart was shocked again by Svecko words. This was the second time he had praised someone from the opposing side, but this time, he really wasn''t happy to hear it. This particular person had killed one of his most dazzling stars, how could he possibly be happy hearing words of praises of the person. Svecko relaxed his posture back to his originally slacked position and paid no more attention to Ducart.

    Ducart called a nearby general to his side as they discussed. After a couple of seconds of exchanging words, Ducart nodded. ¡°Aswan, we shall do as you have suggested. Go immediately take charge of the army.¡± Ducart was currently unhappy with the state of the current battle. In every exchange so far, they had come in worse. So far they had lost more than twenty of their elite warriors while the forces of the Gerret household had only lost three. Just now, Aswan had suggested they neglect the small scrambles they were currently having and use their overwhelming numbers to completely crush the foes before them.

    As Aswan arrived in front of the army, he immediately yelled; ¡°Everyone attack. Kill the enemies before us.¡±

    Instantly, the morale of the warriors had risen to a higher level. They all charged forward with their weapons. They knew the warriors of the Gerret household were elite¡¯s, but for how long could they possibly defend against a large army like theirs? They knew sooner or later they would wipe them clean and rid the Gerret forces of their best warriors.

    Soon the large scale battle began. The unfortunate warriors who were cut in the first line of attack were instantly swamped by increasing amount of people. As they killed one person, the warrior will be surrounded by two more. It did not take long for the six Gerret warriors that were at the front lines to fall to the overwhelming number of the Minya forces.

 Chapter 52: Battle at the city square 4

    It did not take long for the battle to break into a frantic series of attack. Looking at the dire situation, of the battlefield, the remaining Garret warriors started retreating backwards towards the inner city square. Willard held Kaban by his side and instantly used his movement technique to transverse the currently frenzied battlefield. Willard arrived where the horses had been kept and instructed Kaban to ride back. Without watching him leave, Willard once more used his movement techniques to get back into the battlefield.

    At this point in time, the battlefield had moved backwards towards the inner city square. The Gerret house archers that had previously been in hiding all took to their positions in attacking their foes. Primarily because the archers had caught the Minya forces by surprise, the majority of the retreating warriors were able to reduce their casualties.

    In retaliation to the sudden interference from the Gerret archers, mages on the side of the Minya house started casting various offensive and defensive spells. A massive fire serpent took form and started gliding through the air. This massive fire serpent spell was a joint spell the several fire mages had cast, which gave it its frightening size. To another corner an earth style golem was taking shape. The colossal size was something to behold. Just like that, different aberrations of magic were getting on the offensive as they all primarily targeted the archers who were all frantically trying to escape. One after the other, large destructive sounds were heard as the magical aberrations all destroyed the buildings in their paths.

    Willard who had arrived in the midst of all this had a look of intrigue on his face. ¡®Why did it take them this long to use this?¡¯ He silently thought without the least bit of worry on his face. If the Minya forces had immediately used those magical aberrations, they would have easily annihilated the Gerret warriors. Willard concluded there had to be a price the warriors paid for using this spells and that was why they had not used it in the beginning. Perhaps the amount of elemental energy it consumed was astonishing.

    ¡°It''s about time the fun starts,¡± Willard said before clasping his hands in a loud bang. The clapping sound he made echoed throughout the battlefield but did not cause any change to the state of the battlefield.

    Within five foot of Willard, an enormous amount of earth elemental energy swiveled chaotic around him. Willard who shut his eyes as he roused the earth elemental energy, suddenly opened them. He could see hundreds of warriors running towards his direction, but he still stood in place. ¡°Strike!¡± Willard said, which immediately followed with the earth slightly trembling. The attacking Minya warriors could not feel the trembles as it blended perfectly with the echoes their running footsteps had caused.

    Suddenly, hundreds of earthen spikes surreptitiously sprouted from the ground. Within fifty feet perimeter in front of Willard, these spikes mysteriously appeared massacring everything in its wake. The original charging Minya warriors, those that were entangled in battles, and even some Gerret warriors who were in front of him, were all attacked by those spikes. Although Willard wanted to mainly attack their foes, but some of the Garret warriors were already caught in tight positions of which he couldn''t help. Willard wasn''t the type to second guess his actions as he mercilessly attacked every corner of the fifty feet in front of him.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    The sudden appearance of those spikes had caused huge casualties on the side of the Minya family. It was nothing short of share slaughter, which had blindsided the Minya forces. ¡°That kid is quite impressive. It¡¯s a pity, he should have used up a good amount of his elemental energy in that attack.¡± Svecko who had watched the entire thing happen said. The look on Ducart and the rest of the nobles faces were that of complete shock and anger. ¡°How is it that a meager force of less than thirty has caused us this much casualty? If things continue like this aren''t we going to be the losers in the end.¡± Ducart silent thought to himself.

    In the midst of this slaughter, three elemental aberrations remained. It was the earth element golem, the fire element serpent, and the wind element cheetah. As those aberrations made their way forward, the spikes that were clustered all around the battlefield were either disintegrated or blown away. It was clear that against these elemental aberrations, techniques similar to the earth spike, Willard had used, would have absolutely no effect on it.

    All three of those remaining aberrations charged towards Willard with their fastest speed. The wind element cheetah was the fastest of the three, and so was the first one to attack Willard. Several translucent crescent wind blades flew out of the mouth of the wind element cheetah as it approached Willard. From the density and speed of the wind blades, Willard knew he had to evade those attacks as there was no way he could defend against them with his physical body.

    Willard was like a hummingbird, each movement was fluid and crisp. After his battle with Aorah, he had tremendously improved in the aspects of agility and control of the earth element. This seemingly minor improvement translated to a difference of night day in the speed and control of his movement technique. If it was in the past he had fought with the wind element aberration, he probably would not have been able to avoid all of its wind blade attacks.

    Willard controlled the broken up pieces of earth from the earth spikes all around the battlefield to all float in mid air. Some flew towards Willard and started forming an earth element golem shield, while others just remained floating. At this point in time, the other aberrations had caught up to the wind element cheetah and started attacking. Willard was like a mouse to the cat-sized aberrations, a mortal to the titanic sized aberrations.

    The fire element serpent slithered through the air and attacked with its giant head. Willard met the attack straight on now that he was in his golem protective shield. He did not dare to defend with his bare body, but now that he had the shield he was at least certain to a certain degree to survive a head on attack. The blow from the fire element serpent sent Willard tumbling backward. The combination of the heat and power of that titanic sized serpent was much more power than Willard had predicted earlier. When Willard regained his balance, he immediately willed the earth around him to reinforce the damaged golem protective shield.

    The wind element cheetah was already in front of him, it swiped forcefully with its claw striking straight for Willard''s head. Now that Willard had the golem shield, his speed and agility had reduced a little bit, whilst he gaining much more strength. Willard punched straight at the incoming claw attack of the cheetah. To everyone¡¯s surprise, Willard had successfully defended the attack and also blown away the claw of the wind element claw. ¡°How is this possible?¡± Many of those who had been watching exclaimed as they realized Willard had not only defended the attack but he had also managed to destroy the claw of the wind element cheetah.

    On the current battle, only one other person aside from Willard was capable of understanding the subtleties of what had happened. To the ordinary person on the battlefield it seemed as if Willard just punched through the wind claw of the cheetah, but in actuality, a little more had happened. Before Willard''s earth golem fist had met with the claw of the wind element cheetah, Willard had formed a series of vibration in front of his blow. This translucent vibration was in accordance to one of the laws of the earth element. That was the basic form of the primary laws of vibration. And with that little usage of the primary law of vibration, Willard was capable of astonishingly increasing the strength of his blow.

 Chapter 53: Surprising Appearance

    With the claw of the wind element cheetah blown away, the cheetah retreated as its claw slowly reformed. The fire element serpent was next to charge in and attack. Before colliding with Willard, the fire element serpent coiled up in one spot. The fire element of the surrounding space around the fire serpent dramatically increased. This increase was evident with the drastic increase in the temperature of its surrounding. The serpent''s original orange like body slowly transformed red.

    The serpent charged forward towards Willard, wherever the serpent went through ghastly trembles in spaces could be seen elapsing. The serpent collided head first with Willard¡¯s golem shield. With that one strike, its intention to kill Willard was evident.

    As Willard tumbled backward from that strike, he couldn''t help but sigh in amazement of the intensity of fire element the serpent had condensed. After tumbling a few meters away, Willard regained his balance and stared at the aberrations before him. ¡®I can''t take too many attacks from this serpent.¡¯ Willard thought to himself.

    ¡°The wind element cheetah excels solely in speed, the earth element golem should excel solely in strength, while this fire element serpent has a good balance between speed and strength with the added power of incineration.¡± Willard softly said. Unknowingly, this battle had brought back the kind of thrill Thanus had lived for as a god. Although the aberrations seemed undefeatable to the others, but to him, it was a welcomed challenge.

    Willard once more gathered the earth element and formed his earth armor. He rushed towards the group of aberrations that seemed to be in perfect sync as they began battling Willard. At first, Willard seemed to have been at a disadvantage when they fought, but after the few exchanges they had, his experience fighting them had significantly increased. Willard decided to first take down the earth element golem given the fact he had ample experience with the earth element, and for the added fact the golem was the slowest.

    Willard who seemed like a squirrel climbing a tree, stealthy evaded the attacks of the earth golem and climbed onto the arm of the golem. Willard used his earth movement technique to hastily make his way towards the head of the earth element golem. ¡°Although you are talented you lack experience.¡± Svecko who seemed delighted with the current exchange between Willard and the aberrations said out loud. The onlookers had a face full of surprise as they watched Willard combat these aberrations. When Willard made his move gunning for the earth element Svecko had immediately known what Willard had been thinking.

    Of all the aberrations one could form with elements, the earth element golem was notoriously known for its strength. Even among saints, there is only a handful of them willing to compete against an earth element golem created by that many elemental energy mages. From that, he had stipulated that Willard had done so out of his ignorance. Although the earth element golem was not fast, its defense was at leastten times that of the fire element serpent.

    As Willard approached the head of the golem, his movement speed seemed to have drastically reduced. In front of Willard, a sudden strange ripple in space seemed to mysteriously appear and then disappear. Svecko who had been in a relaxed manner suddenly tensed up. ¡°This! How is that possible?¡± Svecko said out loud to the bewilderment of the people around him. Of which, Darey Helden who had joined Ducart at the center of the army had an unsightly look on his face. He was currently the one that felt the most animosity towards Willard, after all, Willard had personally slain his son.

    Darey had been shocked the entire time as he watched Willard battle the aberrations, but hearing Svecko¡¯s words his expression slightly changed to that of disgust. ¡®What is wrong with this envoy? Is he just noticing the fight now?¡¯ Darey silently thought to himself. ¡®What is Ducart thinking off for bringing such a useless person to the battlefield.¡¯ Darey who had been watching the fight intently did not notice anything new as everything seemed like it had previously been, but with Svecko¡¯s sudden outburst of surprise seemed to only just irritate him. Ducart only gave a slightly surprised look as he side glanced Svecko. The others on the battlefield might not know Svecko, but he was well aware of the fact that Svecko was a great expert from the Paisa kingdom. So when something could possibly startle someone like Svecko, then it had to have been something incredible.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Within less than ten seconds of Svecko¡¯s surprising outburst, a sudden loud bang was heard around the battlefield. When Willard had attacked, he had condensed all of the vibrations that were previously being spread out in a chaotic manner to a single point on his fist. As his fist collided with the head of the golem, a partial rip in the fabric of space had appeared at the point of contact, before it quickly reformed and fixed itself. But as that attack had met the head of the golem, the vibration quick spread from a single point to the entire body to the golem. It was like a silent hymn as the vibrations were continually increasing in magnitude until the body of the golem slowly started cracking up, followed by a loud explosion which sent the broken up pieces spreading across the battlefield.

    Immediately after the body of the golem had been destroyed, the earth mages that had casted that earth golem spell, all coughed out some blood. The remaining warriors on the side of the Minya household were all shocked with what they had currently witnessed. Not just the warriors, everybody that had been watching the battlefield was amazed. Some of the Gerret warriors who had already escaped to the outskirts of the Gerret household heard the loud exploding sound, they turned to look towards the battlefield. To their complete surprise, the noticed the complete disintegrating form of the earth element golem.

    The debris from the crumbled up golem first spread towards the aberrations that were close by. Of the two aberrations, the fire element serpent had struggled to successfully defend against the striking shattered earthpieces as its defenses was a little bit tougher, but the wind element cheetah suffered a couple of attacks that completely bore holes through its body. Because of their closure to the earth element golem when it was attacked and the sudden attack that took everyone by surprise, the remaining two aberrations were the first to be attacked by the shattered earth pieces. Although the wind element cheetah had suffered more under the attack, it still wasn''t enough to completely destroy the cheetah. The cheetah retreated to a safe distance, while its body slowly reformed.

    Willard took the opportunity to dash towards the regenerating wind element cheetah. Now that the cheetah was in a weakened state, this was the perfect opportunity to completely destroy it. Before Willard could attack the wind element cheetah, a voice suddenly rang all across the battlefield; ¡°Stop.¡± Willard that was already on the motion to collide with the wind element cheetah, ignored the voice and proceeded to attack the cheetah. Just as Willard¡¯s fist was about to get in the motion to attack, Willard suddenly felt a familiar feeling of someone using elemental energy to try and suppress his consciousness. Willard quickly abandoned his attack and roused the elemental energy within his core to quickly dissipated the attack.

    ¡°Impressive. Impressive. You are even able to combat the domain of a saint. You are quite the impressive young fellow.¡± Voice said before the image of a man appeared to be slowly descending. The man looked old but had short golden brown hair full of life. He had a strange smile that made it hard for people to know if he was smiling or frowning. This person was clearly a saint that had interfered in the battle, and Willard was unfamiliar with this person, so he knew it most likely had to be an enemy.

    ¡°Sir Svecko!¡± Ducart who had been utterly shaken by the destruction of the earth golem immediately called out in delight. Svecko was previously seated in a relaxed and unbothered state beside Ducart before he suddenly disappeared from his position without anyone noticing him. ¡°A saint!¡± Some of the Minya warriors exclaimed. They were ecstatic at the fact that a saint had suddenly appeared on their side. After Willard had displayed his overwhelming martial prowess, all of the Minya forces had given up hope. They knew beneath the saint level Willard was near undefeatable. But now that a saint had shown himself, the battle had completely shifted to their side.

    Darey Helden who was beside Ducart was in complete shock when he noticed who the saint was. This was someone he had felt utter disdain towards, someone he almost caused out not too long. Darey inwardly thanked the heavens he had not said anything inappropriate because he knew a saint killinghim was tantamount to killing an ant. He wouldn''t even have the opportunity to apologize. ¡®This must be one of the trump cards Ducart had spoken off.¡¯ Darey silently said to himself before he moved his gaze towards Ducart. He couldn''t even imagine what price Ducart had to pay to illicit the help of a saint.

    ¡®This child is as monstrously talented. Without a doubt, he will reach the saint level. If he is properly nurtured, he can reach the heights of those geniuses of the Eastern and Northern continent. If I can recruit him I will have rendered a great service to our side. And if I kill him, I will also have rendered great service.¡¯ Svecko thought to himself as he seized up Willard.

    ¡°Child I am quite impressed with your talents,¡± Svecko said before he finally landed beside Willard.

 Chapter 54: Ignorance

    <hr>

    The atmosphere of the current battlefield had immediately changed with the appearance of a saint. The so-called existence that defied mortal limits, the perceived absolute limit of the mortal world. Svecko who was right in front of Willard smiled as he stared at Willard, because of the naturally awkward shape of his face, it was difficult to tell if Svecko was smiling or frowning.

    ¡°I have had a change of mind. Kneel before me as a disciple.¡± Svecko said with the same awkward look on his face.

    Everyone that heard what Svecko had said was immediately stunned, especially Ducart and Darey. Ducart, who had personally financed the war, and had faced various major uphill battles to get things to incline the way he had wanted. But now, the number one expert on his side was inviting his enemy to be his disciple.

    Ducart currently had a huge frown on his face. He couldn''t believe the situation was about to change yet again. When they had finally gotten the upper hand, Svecko nonchalantly not only offered his enemy a way out, he also offered to be his teacher. The big question on Ducart''s mind at that moment was whether Svecko was going to turn against them. If that happened, that would spell utter and incomparable disaster to everyone on his side. ¡°How can this be happening? The lord from the Paisa kingdom had promised to assist me, so why is this Svecko choosing my enemy as a disciple?¡± Ducart couldn''t help but curse inwardly at his terrible luck. First Willard had become a major thorn in his shoes, he had killed Allada whom he had much expectation of, and now, not only was he not going to die, he was going to become a personal disciple of asaint.

    How many experts in the entire kingdom could boast of having a saint as a teacher? But Willard had gotten this opportunity at Ducart¡¯s expense. Ducart was filled with an overwhelming sense of hatred towards Willard. He couldn''t believe that just this one insignificant warrior under the command of a child like Sebastian Garrett, had caused him so much defeat time and time again and to make matters worse, he was about to gain a status much greater than any warrior in his command.

    The state of the battlefield had turned stale, the former cheering noises of the Minya warriors had completely died out and left a melancholic atmosphere. The situation before everyone had completely changed, the most important figure of this battle had strangely become the astonishingly talented youth before them.

    ¡°Kneel before you as a disciple?¡± Willard said out loud as he pretended to be in a state of thought. ¡°Tell me, if I become your disciple, would you kill every single one of my enemies?¡± He finally asked before a delinquent smile blossomed on his face. The choice of whether Willard took Svecko on as his master or not? Was not even a question on his mind. Willard had simply thought to take advantage of the situation before him. If the person before him would kill his enemies, why shouldn''t he take advantage of that? Watching them kill themselves while he preserved his strength would be the best possible scenario for things to play out.

    The faces of everyone on the Minya side all immediately changed. This was the worse possible scenario of things that could happen to them. If a saint decided to massacre them, there would be nothing they could do to fight back. ¡°What the hell kind of situation is this? This damn Ducart has doomed us all.¡± Darey furiously thought to himself as he gave Ducart a slight hateful glance.

    ¡°Sir Svecko,¡± Ducart called out in panic. ¡°Don''t forget my arrangements with the Lord of Paisa,¡± Ducart added in complete fright. Those around Ducart turned to give him a strange stare. At this pointin time, a lot of different thoughts was rushing through Ducart¡¯s mind. He thought back to all the sacrifices he had made for this battle, all the prices he had to pay to guarantee his victory. He had even sold his allegiance to the neighboring Paisa kingdom and yet all this was about to be for nothing. The person that was supposed to his trump card might very well be the one to kill him.

    ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± An angry voice echoed all through the battlefield. The voice was none other than Svecko himself who was angry at the fact Ducart had mentioned the Lord of Paisa. ¡°If you mention his lordship and the kingdom of Paisa again out loud, I would kill you on the spot.¡± Svecko¡¯sangry voice sounded in Ducart''s ears alone.

    Svecko turned his attention back to Willard, but this time around his strangely shaped smile was nowhere to be found. This time around his expression was clear as day, he was not pleased. ¡°I will give you one last chance to kneel before me.¡± Svecko coldly said to Willard, who seemed the same exact way he had been throughout the entire battle. ¡°If you know what''s good for you...¡± Svecko was saying before he was interrupted by Willard.

    ¡°In that case, I refuse,¡± Willard responded indifferently. ¡°If you kill them all, I would kneel before you as a disciple.¡± He added. A vein angrily bulged on Svecko¡¯s forehead. In all of his life as a saint, no mortal had ever spoken to him in that manner. Even among saints,very few would have the courage to speak to him in that manner.

    Svecko was slowly starting to be overtaken by a raging sense of anger, but as he stared at Willard, who did not even seem to think much of his statement, couldn''t help but think of what could be giving him so much courage in front of a saint. After a brief second of contemplation, Svecko immediately started laughing. ¡°Ignorance,¡± Svecko concluded in his mind, had to be all that drove Willard. No other mortal would have that much courage in front of asaint, only an ignorant person who knew nothing could possibly behave that way.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Ducart who had just heard that was utterly stunned. Who in their right mind would dare talk to a saint in the manner Willard had just done? Especially after knowing the person was a saint. ¡°It seems the heavens have not forsaken me.¡± Ducart thought as a joyful expression slowly came on his face. "Who would have thought this Willard fellow would be so arrogant? Truly foolish."

    ¡°Truly ignorant,¡± Svecko said as he took a step towards Willard. ¡°Your talent is truly amazing, but are seriously lacking in brains.¡±

    ¡°You were offered the heavens, yet you choose the dirty mud.¡±

    ********************

    Baya who was leading the way as he rode his mount, couldn''t help but grow slightly excited. At this point in time, he had noticed they had reached the outer limits of Marquis city. A particular scenic memory of the region flowed through his mind as he remembered walking through those parts on foot, while he was on a mission to get the Living Fire Plant.

    It had been more than two full years since Willard had gone missing. Baya was the only one who knew he was alive because of the talisman Willard had left for him, but he wasn''t entirely sure of the safety of Willard''s environment. Willard was the first person who had truly set him on the right part in his martial cultivation journey, he was someone he had the highest degree of respect and reverence for and now he was about to see his master again.

    Baya turned back to look at the carriage behind him. He knew the head of the Gerret house, Lord Jayesh, who was a powerful expert was in that carriage. His mission this time around, bring the head of the Gerret house a message, had been successful. Now all he could think of was getting back in time.

    **********************

    Kanban who had arrived at the gates of the Gerret household was signaling for the gate to be opened for himbefore he caught wind of some movement coming from the far right corner. His demeanor quickly changed as he noticed a group of people riding their horses and heading towards the Garret household. His originally tense expression quickly changed to an excited one. ¡°Sir Allen¡± Kaban said as a smiled slowly blossomed on his face.

    ¡°Isn''t that Kaban?¡± Agnes who was riding beside Allen and the other knight, Tadea, said out loud.

    ¡°He seems to be in a bad shape. Perhaps the battle has already intensified to the last stand.¡± Tadea responded.

    ¡°Where exactly are the Minya forces?¡± Tadea asked as he and Agnes discussed while they rode their horses towards Kaban. Allen had remained completely silent the entire time. He was like a rock, expressionless and seemingly unfazed.

    As the knights reached the gates of the Gerret house, Kaban gave an honest bow as he greeted them. ¡°What is the situation?¡± Allen asked

    As Kanban began narrating the events that had transpired, the gates to the Gerret household cracked open. Sebastian walked out with a distressed expression on his face. Although he wasn''t present at the battlefield, he was still able to guess what the situation had been. After all, the towering size of the aberrations was something he could see from the Gerret household.

    ¡°Greetings city knight,¡± Sebastian said as he gave an honest bow.

    ¡°After the greetings, Kaban narrated the situation of everything he had experienced until the time he was saved by Willard. As he finished his briefing of the situation, more of the warriors and archers that had stayed longer on the battlefield than Kaban himself, arrived at the gates of the Gerret household. Some of those warriors had seen Willard fight against those aberrations by himselfand narrated what they saw to the knights and Sebastian. One person in particular, while escaping, had seen some of the glorious scenes of Willard¡¯s battle with the aberrations.

    At this point in time, none of the people that had made their way back to the Gerret household had witnessed the appearance of the saint level combatant, Svecko. After making sense of all the information they received, Allen took command of all the Gerret warriors and rode out heading for the current battlefield.

    *******************

    ¡°It seems you do not understand your situation,¡± Svecko said followed by an increase in the intensity of the wind around them. ¡°I took mercy on you because of the little talent you have, but you do not know your place.¡± He continued as he slowly started floating upwards.

    Suddenly, the clouds rapidly started darkening. Snowflakes majestically started falling from the sky, while the temperature of the battlefield immediately dropped. ¡°Domain¡± Willard immediately thought to himself as he stared at the floating Svecko. Willard immediately abandoned his earth elemental energy and started channeling the red energy from his core.

    ¡°This fellow seems to be much more powerful than Aorah.¡± Willard thought to himself as his expression became more serious. ¡°He should be on the same level as the person that saved Aorah.¡± Ever since that encounter, Willard had known they were different levels of powers among saints. He instantly extrapolated that Aorah had to be among the lowest level of power among saints.

    One after the other, screams filled with agony erupted at the forefront of the battlefield. Some of the unlucky Minya warriors who were caught in Svecko¡¯s domain and were immediately turned to ice sculptures. The entire Minya forces all scrambled in a frantic manner to give some distance, no one wanted to die pointlessly.

    As they got to a safer location, they all held their breath in awe to the power of a saint. Those who had managed to escape with their lives knew how cold the domain was, so as they saw Willard still alive couldn''t help but acknowledge his strength. Truly among elemental energy users, there was none who could claim to be superior to Willard.

 Chapter 55: Sveckos Power

    As snowflakes fell from the sky, Willard couldn¡¯t help but sigh in praises of Svecko¡¯s domain. One flake at a time brought about great changes in the temperature of the battlefield. If Willard had not cultivated the peculiar red energy, he probably would not have been able to completely withstand Svecko¡¯s domain.

    At this point in time, the snow had slowly started to accumulate on the ground. Each snowflake piled on top of each other, creating a thin outline of a snowy surface. ¡°I take it your response is no,¡± Willard said staring up at the sky at Svecko, who had an unamused look. ¡®Such a waste.¡¯ Svecko thought to himself. Svecko couldn¡¯t believe such an ignorant martial practitioner existed. He was also slightly hesitant to kill Willard because of his tremendous potential. The best case scenario would have been for him to recruit someone as talented as Willard. ¡®Why am I this unlucky to meet such a fool?¡¯ Svecko angrily cursed inwardly.

    ¡°Who would have thought this brat would have been this foolish? You will surely die today.¡± Darey joyfully said as he watched from the distance.

    Willard, who was currently receiving the full brunt of Svecko¡¯s domain, exhaled slowly and watched as the water vapor in his breathe slowly condensed. ¡°If you are just going to keep staring at me from there, I would be excusing myself,¡± Willard said as he took small steps heading towards the Minya forces. A small smile erupted on his face as he was walking towards the Minya forces.

    Svecko stared at Willard who was walking in the opposite direction from him he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. Suddenly, a white piercing light quickly spread through Svecko¡¯s entire body. Svecko¡¯s body completely transformed into snow after the light was done spread through his body. The next instant, Svecko had appeared behind Willard. His movement was succinct and unnoticeable to the spectators of the current battle. ¡°Die!¡± Svecko said as he stretched out his right hand aiming for the back of Willard¡¯s skull.

    As Svecko¡¯s hand moved towards the back of Willard¡¯s head, Svecko noticed the pressure of his domain drastically reduce, which prompted him to immediately halt his attack and withdraw his hand. Staring strangely at the sky above him, he noticed the attack on his domain had come from the sky above. Suddenly, a violent streak of purple lightning descended from the sky and aimed directly for Svecko. Svecko moved his right palm in anticipation of the lightning¡¯s path. Although invisible to the naked eyes, a clear wall of ice had formed as adefense to the lightning. As the lightning collided with the ice defense, short purple fragments of lightning were reflected all around Svecko.

    His eyebrows were creased as he stood in place defending the lightning attack. Svecko gave a side glance at Willard¡¯s direction, thinking that he would have most assuredly died from the deflected lightning, but to his surprise, not only was Willard still alive, he was currently bathing in that lightning. Suddenly Svecko seemed to have realized something, but kept most of his attention on the lightning.

    After the onslaught of lightning had died down, Svecko turned to look at Willard. The domain he had originally set up had been completely broken by the intrusion of the lightning. Svecko¡¯s expression had completely changed as he stared somewhat dumbfoundedly at Willard. ¡°How is this possible?¡± Svecko thought to himself as he continued to stare at Willard. ¡°He clearly was using elemental energy earlier? So how is it that he is able to manifest saint lightning?¡± In this particular mortal world, the martial practitioners were capped at the saint level, so they had termed the tempest existence as saints and equivalently termed the elements saints were capable of unleashing as saint level elements.

    ¡°What a pity. I was truly hoping to kill you quickly while you had your guards down.¡± Willard said to Svecko who seemed lost for words.

    ¡°Are you a saint level martial practitioner?¡± Svecko coldly asked.

    ¡°Why ask? You should already know the answer to that question.¡±

    Without saying a word, Svecko seemed to have disappeared into the wind as he charged towards Willard. Willard in turn,had been anticipating the retaliating response from Svecko as he utilized his movement technique accordingly to evade Svecko¡¯s attack. They were like hummingbirds as they dashed from one spot to the other. From each interaction, explosions followed by purple fragments of lightning and ice were left as remnants.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Ducart who was currently sitting on the saddle of his horse, slowly dropped to the ground. He couldn¡¯t believe what his eyes were seeing at the moment. He subconsciously did not want to believe it, but the irrefutable truth was right in front of him. ¡°How can this be? It has only been less than three years.¡± He thoughtlessly said to himself as he continued watching. Every single warrior and mage in the Minya army held their breaths in shock. They couldn¡¯t believe they had been foolishly competing against some on that level.

    After a couple of exchanges, Svecko stopped his attack and stared deeply at Willard. The look on his face changed from that of anger to appreciation. He did not particularly respect Willard, but rather he was impressed with his talent. ¡°Truly remarkable,¡± Svecko said before he chuckled. ¡°You must be training in a very unique path of cultivation. Your talents are much more impressive than I had ever imagined.¡± He continued with a slight smile on his face. ¡°Against weaker saints, you should be able to tie them down, but unfortunately you have me as an opponent.¡± Svecko nodded his somewhat disappointedly. ¡°A pity. It is truly a pity. I must kill you now.¡±

    Although Willard was his opponent, Svecko felt some pain killing such a bright talent. Not only was Willard cultivating in a unique path, which required heaven-defying talent, he was also very young. His battle acumen was also very high and when added together, all those qualities would have truly made him one of the greatest saints of their world. To Svecko, it was quite unfortunate that he had to kill such a talent.

    ¡°March forward and get this battle over with¡± Svecko¡¯s voice loudly echoed through the Minya warriors battle front. From the tone of Svecko¡¯s voice, they could tell he was obviously agitated. Aswan who was the commanding warrior of the entire Minya forces immediately started leading the rest of the warriors to go assault the Gerret household. Willard had an ugly face as he heard those words from Svecko. His entire plan had changed upon the appearance of Svecko, who was a saint. He had changed his plans to just tie Svecko and the Minya forces down to give enough time for re-enforcement to join the Gerret camp.

    Dangling and flowing around Willards entire body were sparkles of lightning. Svecko noticed the change in Willard, and could pretty much guess what Willard was about to do. Lightning charged down from the sky aiming for Aswan and the Minya warriors as they began riding in the direction of the Gerret household. The lightning was met by a protective ice shield that took the brunt of the impact before it broke down and deflected the rest of the lightning.

    ¡°Forget it child,¡± Svecko said as he withdrew his hands to cross them behind his back. ¡°There four known levels for saints in our world. The first are the newly ascended saints those who have mastered just one law.¡± Willard couldn¡¯t help but think back to his battle against Aorah. After the intrusion of the old man with the staff, Willard knew of the difference within saints. ¡°The second are those who have mastered more than one law.¡± Willard stared deeply at Svecko, because he knew was at least on this level and above. ¡°The third are those who have combined two or more laws. For the fourth level, you don¡¯t even need to know about them.¡± Willard knew that Svecko had to at least be on the third level or above. From their earlier exchange where Svecko had used ice, he could tell that Svecko had combined laws of two different elements, water and wind, and had used them to form both the ice and snow he showed earlier.

    ¡°You can probably hold your own against a level one saint. You might even be able to stay alive against a level two saint. But against a level three saint, you can forget about staying alive. Come let me show you thedifference in levels within saints.¡± An unknown sense of danger ripped Willard as he heard those words from Svecko. He knew Svecko was strong, but he really couldn¡¯t quantify his strength. Willard had spent far too few years in this mortal world and was lacking in knowledge. Although he had some faith in himself, but he couldn¡¯t afford to be overconfident.

    A strange white glow of light appeared from the center of Svecko¡¯s head as he shut his eyes, which gave the sense that he was meditating. The glow seemed to strangely be reducing almost as if it was being condensed. Willard stood in place and watched as the glow on Svecko¡¯s head condensed. The moment the projecting light completely condensed, Svecko opened his eyes. His entire eyeball had turned completely white giving a sense of lifelessness in his body. Willard could instantly feel the noticeable difference in the level of power, as Svecko¡¯s majestic aura seemed to rise to even greater heights.

    *************

    Within a carriage heading for the Gerret household, Jayesh was currently conversing with a counterpart who seemed to be in high spirits. When suddenly Jayesh¡¯s counterparts jolly atmosphere changed to a more serious one. He moved his gaze pass Jayesh, seemingly staring through the interiors of the carriage to the ends of the world. ¡°Not good. Why has he gotten serious now¡± Jayesh¡¯s counterpart said before disappearing from thecarriage.

 Chapter 56: New Arrival

    As Aswan was leading the Minya forces, headed for the Gerret household, he noticed a group of warriors riding towards their direction. Aswan frowned a little as he recognized who was leading the group. ¡°Sir Allen!¡± Aswan said to himself as he was frowning. ¡°Why has he joined this battle? Ducart assured us the Marquis family would not be joining this battle. What the hell happened?¡± Aswan thought to himself in a little crazed fashion. ¡°It should still be okay. With that trump card of mine and my current strength, I should be able to take the primero knight.¡± Aswan said consoling himself.

    ¡°That¡¯s Aswan leading the Minya forces.¡± Tadea, one of the knights that had followed after Agness and Allan, said as a strange smile appeared on his face.Ever since they had spoken with Kaban and the rest of Gerret forces, he had been burning with an intense will to fight. The strength Willard had displayed and the fashion the Gerret warriors had reverently described it made him thirst for battle even more. ¡°It¡¯s been a while I, Tadea, have been this excited for a battle.¡±He said as he stared at the incoming enemy. With the affirmation of the arrival of both parties, everyone knew a large scale battle was about to begin.

    ¡°Agness, you will be in charge of leading the squadron of warriors. Tadea, your job will be to take the Dark leaf squad leaders on the Minya forces. You all are to leave Aswan to me. No matter what you do, do not engage that man. He might not be famed for his strength, but he isn¡¯t someone that can be easily beaten,¡± Allan said as he inserted more force to whipping his mount, which saw made the mount pick up its pace to lead the attack. Following closely behind Allan was Tadea, who had a brimming smile.

    *********************

    Svecko was like a lifeless frozen puppet, as he stared at Willard. Without much of a moment¡¯s warning, Svecko seemed to have disappeared from Willard¡¯s view. The sudden disappearance of Svecko, had hugely shocked Willard, who immediately radiated a combination of that strange energy and his earth elemental energy. Willard had chosen to do this because he wasn¡¯t entirely confident in using his earth elemental energy in detecting Svecko. Within less than a second of radiating the combination of both his earth element energy and the unknown red energy, Willard felt an intense cold bridge the back of his skull. The coldness he suddenly felt was nothing like the original domain Svecko had shown earlier. This coldness was worlds apart from the first snow domain Svecko had released, this coldness was chilling right down to one¡¯s soul. Because of the level Willard¡¯s soul had attained, he wasn¡¯t affected too much by the soul freezing effect of the piercing cold.

    Willard instinctively released all the stored up lightning within his body to the back of his skull, whilst doing that, he controlled the flow of lightning from the sky down towards his body at the same time. As the lightning within his body flowed to combat the piercing cold that had invaded his body, Svecko was inwardly surprised. If any other person had seen Svecko¡¯s face, they would not have been able to tell he was surprised because of the state of his body. ¡°How is his soul not yet frozen?¡± Svecko couldn¡¯t help but think. Svecko had been confident in ending the battle with just that one move, but somehow Willard had not only survivedbut had also attempted countering his attack. This truly shocked Svecko, because he knew how utterly devastating that attack was. Not all level 3 saints had the power to completely shake off the soul freezing effect of his attack, the way Willard had done. And definitely, no one below a level 3 saint should be able to survive it. How could Svecko know the level Willard¡¯s soul had possibly attained?

    ¡°What is this energy?¡± Svecko thought as he noticed traces of the unknown energy Willard was cultivating. ¡°It feels familiar, but also strangely different from all the energies known to me.¡± As the stored up lightning within Willard¡¯s body was getting used up, a flurry of purple lightning once more descended from the sky, striking Willard¡¯s body. The lightning bathed Willard like he was one of those legendary lightning fiends. With the re-enforcement of the lightning, Willard was finally able to defend against Svecko¡¯s attack. A new sense of fright gripped Willard as he immediately bolted several meters away from his original position. After Willard experienced that attack from Svecko, he had gained a thorough understanding of his current power limits. Without a doubt, he knew he was qualitatively on a lower power base than Svecko, even with the aid of the unknown energy he was cultivating.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°You are full of surprises. But if this is all you have, you will sure die here today.¡± Svecko said in an eerie voice, as he once more proceeded to attack Willard. At this point, Willard completely gave up all thoughts of winning the battle. He immediately put all of his efforts to escaping Svecko¡¯s presence. Willard used his movement technique aided with the unknown energy and ran in the opposite direction of the Gerret household. He knew if he was going to escape his current predicament, he had to find a way of to leave the confines of Marquis city.

    ¡°Trying to escape? That is notpossible child,¡± Svecko said as he once more gave chase to the escaping Willard. It did not take too long for Svecko to once more catch up to Willard and attack again. This time, Svecko punched straight at Willard, and as he did, a strange sort of restriction, in the form of extreme frost, was placed on Willard. Willard gritted his teeth as he moved both his arms to try and defend Svecko¡¯s attack.

    The moment Svecko¡¯s punch made contact with Willard¡¯s arms, a strange restraint once again flowed towards Willard¡¯s soul. This time, the freezing impact was a hundred times stronger than the earlier attack. With the increase of the soul freezing, Willard was immediately put in a dazed state. He had completely lost all awareness of his surroundings and was gradually losing all cognisance of himself. A silvery stream of translucent matter, that was neither liquid, solid or gas, flowed to the source of the crippling effect on his soul. After what seemed like an infinite amount of time, freezing effect on his soul was broken off.

    As Willard came back to his senses, he realized he was laying on the floor. He quickly understood what had happened and what his current situation was. Svecko¡¯s attack had frozen his soul and also sent him flying horizontally across a path. A sudden look of surprise appeared on Svecko¡¯s face as he noticed Willard had come back to live. ¡°Impossible! How can he still be alive?¡± Svecko said in complete astonishment. Currently, the white glow emitted from Svecko¡¯s eyes had considerably reduced in intensity. From this one could tell that Svecko had unleashed his most powerful attack, and yet Willard had still survived. ¡°How is that even possible? It only took him just a moment to break free.¡± The intent to Willard increased to an even greater length in Svecko¡¯s mind. If Willard was capable of surviving his most powerful attack at this stage of power, how terrifying will Willard get when he reached his level?

    Svecko raised his right hand and moved his palm in a right rotating fashion. Right above Willard¡¯s body, an ice spike was hastily forming. The moment, the spike was completed, Svecko moved his hand downward in a tugging fashion. The spike came flying towards Willard¡¯s head at great speed. The moment just before the spike could strike his body, a golden metallic cocoon covered his body.

    ¡°Senior snow of the West, why are you trying to kill a child of my Amber kingdom?¡± A gentle voice said as a middle-aged man slowly descended from the skies. The middle-aged man had long golden blonde hair, that match his soothing calm voice. This man that was descending, was the Jayesh¡¯s associate that had left the carriage earlier. ¡°He broke through my spatial sealing quite fast.¡± Svecko thought to himself without uttering a single sentence. Svecko stared at the middle-aged looking man for a couple more seconds and said, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°My name is Bryant Westplain, but I don¡¯t think someone of your class would have heard of me.¡± The middle-aged looking man said with a smile. Svecko thought about all the famous saints located in the Southern kingdoms, and there was no one he knew off with that name. A little frown appeared on Svecko¡¯s face. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure of what power level Bryant had, but he currently was in a depleted state after he unleashed his previous attack on Willard.

    ¡°Do you plan to stand in my way?¡± Svecko said in a hoarse tone.

 Chapter 57: Songs of my sword

    Bryant paused for a couple of seconds while moving closer towards Svecko. At their current level of power, the distance between Svecko and Bryant was of no importance. Given both of their speeds, they would be able to close the distance within less than a second. ¡°It is not that I want to stand in your way, it is you who have chosen a path I cannot ignore,¡± Bryant said with a soft laughter.

    Without a moment¡¯s warning, Svecko moved with his highest speed to attack Bryant. ¡°Let me see what ability you possibly have to stop me.¡± As Svecko got closer to Bryant, a spear made of ice had formed in Svecko¡¯s palms. He thrust the spear with incredible strength as he attacked Bryant. Although Svecko¡¯s attack could be considered a sneak attack, Bryant wasn¡¯t surprised as he had expected Svecko to attack himand given both of their speed, he could react fast enough. A golden glow illuminated around Bryant¡¯s entire body. Bryant moved his bare palm in anticipation of Svecko¡¯s ice spear. As the spear made contact with Bryant¡¯s palm, a crunching sound could be heard. The spear Svecko held crumbled as the force from Bryan¡¯s palm completely shattered the ice spear. Bryant continued the motion of his palm to counter Svecko¡¯s attack. As the palm attack touched Svecko, another crunching sound was heard. Bryant realized something was wrong, he immediately noticed he did not make contact with Svecko, but instead, his palm attacked had broken what seemed like an ice mirror. ¡°Perrish!¡± Sveckoyelled as he appeared behind Bryant and attacked with a punch.

    Svecko palm was glowing white, almost translucent and invisible. Bryant reacted as fast as he could, moving both his arms to defend Svecko¡¯s attack. As they both made contact, a seemingly white energy pervaded Bryant¡¯s body and went straight to attack his soul. In that brief moment, the soul freezing energy of Svecko had slowly started freezing Bryant¡¯s soul. A dull light appeared on Bryant¡¯s eyes as the life seemed to slowly leave his body.

    A smile appeared on Svecko¡¯s face as he stretched out his hand to grab the lifeless looking body of Bryant. Before he could grab onto Bryant, a golden and metallic-black light appeared all around Bryant. The formerly lifeless body now seemed to have gained some life. Svecko unconsciously took some steps back as he watched Bryant come back to life. After the golden and metallic black light died down, Svecko couldn¡¯t help but gasp in surprise as he saw a different Bryant. Bryant¡¯s body had changed from that of a normal human to a half golden and half metallic-black form.

    The right half of Bryant¡¯s body had changed to a golden form, while the left part of his body had changed to a metallic black form. Bryant¡¯s body had turned part gold and part iron. This two forms equally covered his body from the tip of his hair to the sole of his feet, giving off a strange otherworldly appearance Bryant had at the moment. ¡°You!¡± Svecko said in shock as he realized something.

    ¡°You are the metal element saint of the West,¡± Svecko said staring at Bryant incredulously. Of all the elements known to this mortal world, the metal elements were regarded as the most difficult ones to cultivate. Throughout the recorded history of the world, they were only three people to have successfully cultivated the metal element to a saint level and until this moment, there was none that had cultivated to a level three saint.

    ¡°You have broken through to the third level and fused gold and iron laws.¡± Svecko continued. ¡°Incredible. Yet another genius has appeared. Why are the heavens favoring the South?¡± Svecko quietly thought to himself. Looking at the current situation, Svecko knew there was no way he could defeat Bryant. He had already used up most of his energy and evidently, Bryant had infused the law of gold with the law iron within the metal element. This meant that there was no way he could win at the moment without paying a heavy price, and even if he had his energy completely restored, there were no guarantees he would win.

    Svecko turned around and flew off into the skies, without waiting for any response. Svecko was like a shooting star as he flew off into the distance. Bryant stood in place in a somewhat confused manner as he watched Svecko head towards where the battle was currently going on. After a couple of seconds, his expression turned to that of a smirk as he watched what had just happened. Bryant did not bother chasing after Svecko, because his goal wasn¡¯t to kill Svecko or his allies, and he also did not want to corner such a monster, he wasn¡¯t quite confident in killing Svecko. ¡°Very glad that this is over. That attack from the snow saint nearly froze my soul. If I was a second slower, that would have been the end for me.¡± Bryant said as he sighed in praise. ¡°How then was it possible that this child survived? That should not be possible, but yet I witnessed it with my own eyes.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Bryant waved his hand, and the golden cocoon that had Willard within it flew towards him. Bryant turned and stared in the distance, his stare pierced through the forest all the way to the battle that was still ongoing. ¡°It¡¯s about time I end all this,¡± Bryant said before disappearing from where he was.

    *****************

    Over at the battlefield, Aswan was currently fighting with Allan. He had a couple of scratches across his body, but he was still alive. ¡°The Primero knight sure lives up to his reputation. It has only been a couple of minutes, and yet he has pushed me to such a state even with my recent improvements.¡± Aswan thought to himself as desperately gasped for air. ¡°Damn it! Why must my luck be this bad? If I am to survive this, I must use that treasure Lord Ducart gave me.¡±

    Aswan gritted his teeth as he pulled out a blue looking pill the size of a golf ball. As Aswan bit down on the pill, a wave of terrifying energy burst out of his body. The previously disheveled looking Aswan seemed to have gained immense vitality. The surround elemental energy was stimulated and even traces of the water element became visible to the naked eye for a couple seconds before it died down. ¡°Damn you! Damn you Primero knight. Because of you, I have wasted this treasure. I will take your head, and the head of the other knights with me today.¡± Aswan said with aderanged look in his eyes.

    Allan stood quietly as his gray long beard fluttered along the direction of the air, he watched as Aswan bellowed in anger and remained calm without uttering a single word. Aswan charged towards Allan, his speed almost instantly doubled. He hacked his sword in an obviously crazed manner towards Allan. After taking the blue pill, Aswan¡¯s strength had immediately peaked to the limit of element energy warriors. This kind of strength could actually be classified as actually exceeding the limits of elemental energy, but because of Aswan low attainments in the elemental laws of nature, he couldn¡¯t properly control the immense energy and thus was capped at the elemental energy level.

    ¡°Die for me!¡± Aswan yelled as he continued to attack Allan, who was slowly being suppressed by the speed and strength of Aswan¡¯s crazed swords. After a couple of exchanges, the force of Aswan¡¯s sword blow had blasted Allan a couple of meters away. A smile grew on Aswan¡¯s face as he watched Allan get back up, to his surprise Allan still had the same unbordered look he had from the start, not even a slight show of panic could be seen on his old face. ¡°Throughout this entire fight, the primero knight has remained calm. Even after I took that pill, he still hasn¡¯t called for backup.¡± Aswan thought to himself as he watched Allan walk towards him. A sense of panic quickly filled his mind for a second. ¡°He must be pretending. He must be afraid. That¡¯s right, it must be his pride as the primero knight that¡¯s making show such bravery.¡± Aswan said dispelling the sense of fear the swelled up in his mind.

    From a distance, Bryant appeared and watched the battle that was currently unfolding. He quickly got a sense of what was happening and everybody¡¯s position. He moved his gaze to the far east, then moved it back to the battle between Allan and Bryant. ¡°This should be interesting. It has been over a decade I saw that kid Allan. This should be a good test for him.¡±

    As Allan walked closer to Aswan, a strange and uncomfortable smile appeared on his face. This was the first reaction he had given Aswan all throughout their battle. ¡°I was wondering what gave you such bravery to fight against me. I guess my questions have been answered. You got an essence pill from Ducart,¡± Allan said. ¡°A true treasure! It¡¯s a pity your accomplishment in the water element is just too low. You have been forced to the limits of the elementary level of power. Come, let me show you the songs of my sword.¡±

    Allan changed his previously casual stance to a more composed one. Holding the hilt of his sword with both hands, his every movement became more pronounced. ¡°First verse:song of speed,¡± Allan said as he swung his sword. A loud piercing noise was heard in conjunction with his swords movement. Aswan quickly tried moving his own sword to block theincoming attack from Allan, but was suddenly caught off guard as Allan¡¯s sword disappeared from his view, only for him to feel a striking pain on his chest.

    In reality, Allans sword did not disappear, it just moved so fast Aswan could not keep up with its movement. Luckily enough for Aswan, the water essence pill had given him the body strength of someone at the absolute peak of the elementary level. Aswan backed up a couple of steps and rethought about what had just happened. Beads of sweat appeared across his previously calm face. ¡°My goodness. I would have died just now if it wasn¡¯t for the effects of that pill,¡± Aswan said to himself in freight.

    Allan pointed his sword at Aswan and continued, ¡°Second verse:song of blades.¡±

    The essence of the wind slightly congealed around Allan¡¯s blades, before formless wind blade shot towards Aswan. That attack took Aswan by surprise as he felt yet another mysterious surge of pain on his body. Before he had the time to react, Allan had closed the distance between them. Allan began a surge of attacks on Aswan, switching from the first verse to the second verse, in an unpredictable manner. In less than five minutes of their fight, a loud screaming noise was heard from Aswan, as Allan¡¯s blade finally pierced through his chest. Aswan couldn¡¯t help but curse at his stupidity. There were always rumors of the martial prowess of the primero knight, but he never thought that it would be at such a state. If he had known how terrifying the primero knight was, he would have taken the pill earlier and tried escaping with the assistance of the pill, but it was all dream at this moment, Aswan knew he was already knocking at death¡¯s doors.

    Allan slowly pulled out his sword from Aswan¡¯s chest before fiercely hacking off Aswan¡¯s head. ¡°Such a pity. That essence pill could have truly been a life-saving treasure for someone with better accomplishments.¡±

 Chapter 58: Enlightenment

    On the battleground where the two parties were currently facing each other, what seemed like a meteorite fell from the skies and caught everyone¡¯s attention. With a loud deafening sound, akin to an explosion, rang out as this seemingly strange activity occurred. From the huge dust storm that swirled around the area of impact, a man with ghostly looking eyes walked out. This was Svecko who had landed and disrupted the currentsquabbles.

    ¡°Sir Svecko!¡± the Minya warriors called out in joy.

    Svecko ignored their calls and immediately dashed towards Ducarte and his daughter. Without saying a word, Svecko grabbed both Ducarte and his daughter and immediately flew towards thesky again. Everyone¡¯s expression became confused as they had no idea what Svecko¡¯s action meant. Both parties were equally nervous as Svecko¡¯s actions were not entirely clear. On the one hand, the Minya warriors were nervous and secretly hoped Svecko was not abandoning them, and on the side of the warriors were hoping Svecko wasn¡¯t going to interfere. No one knew what the conclusion of the battle between Svecko and Willard. Each side could only hope for the best.

    After waiting a couple of minutes and realizing Svecko wasn¡¯t coming back, the Gerret warriors found a new source of courage as they quickly mobilized to kill fight the Minya warriors. To add on to their delight, they saw reinforcements in the form of the Marquis city¡¯s primero knight join the battle. Allan¡¯s fame as a knight within Marquis city was second to none. And for him to join the fight meant one thing, he had killed Aswan. Without Ducarte and their military leader, the Minya warriors knew they had lost the battle. At this point, the Minya warriors had lost the will to battle, one by one they each dropped their weapons and proceeded to kneel in submission. In a matter of minutes, the surrendering Minya warriors were all rounded and escorted to a prison camp.

    The battle that had seemed almost impossible to lose, had been lost. A wild sense of jubilation filled every surviving member of the Gerret household. Who would have thought their suicide battle would have been won today? And in their celebrations, one person¡¯s name rang the loudest. The youth that had had personally intervened to save their lives against ranked spells and had thoroughly held his own even against a saint. From that moment on, a new legend had been born to the people of Marquis city. For generations, people would tell tales of a youth that had fought a saint at the elemental level of power.

    ***************

    A couple of hours later, within the Gerret household, a banquet was currently being held. All the Gerret warriors were celebrating their victory with wine and food. Within a private study in the house, stood Jayesh, Sebastian, Allan, Bryant and a couple of higher ranking warriors. This list included both knights that had joined Allan to reinforce the Minya household and Baya. At this moment, everyone¡¯s gaze was Willard who was currently laying on a bed. ¡°This child is currently in a grave situation,¡± Bryant said as he touched Willard¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Is there anything we could do to help him?¡± Baya asked with a distressed look on his face.

    ¡°He used up all of his elemental essence during his battle with the snow saint and ended up using his life essence. At this point, it would really be up to him to survive this,¡± Bryant said.

    ¡°It is thanks to this child my Gerret family was not completely killed out,¡± Jayesh sighed as he stared at the Willard. As someone who had almost reached the level of a saint, he knew what dangers Willard was in right now. It was taboo for any warrior to use their life essence to battlebecause that meant suicide.

    Everyone remained silent for a couple of seconds before the silence was broken by Allan. ¡°Esteemed saint, lord Jayesh. We would be taking our leave right now. We have to wait and report the outcome to the lord of the Marquis household.¡± With that, Allan and the rest of the knights paid their respects and left.

    Jayesh looked at his son Sebastian and gave a gentle smile. ¡°You did well,¡± he said. ¡°You might not have the body of awarrior, but you more than makeup for it with your bravery.¡± Hearing those words from his father brought a smile to Sebastian¡¯s face, which was immediately overridden by a sense of guilt Sebastian felt for the current situation Willard was in. Jayesh felt a great sense of pride looking at his son and seeing how he managed the situation. Not only did Sebastian not completely cowering in fear, he also chose to fight rather than submit.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ************

    At the Marquis, a quiet maelstrom was slowly brewing. Rumors of the complete decimation of the Minya forces were flying around the mansion. Lyon was seated on a wooden bench behind his quarters and was in deep contemplation. ¡°How is this possible? Even our spy network has confirmed every bit of this information.¡± Lyon was currently frustrated at how things had turned out. He had previously refused to head over to the aid of the Gerret familyand was heavily criticized by all the knights. Lyon had believed his actions were right, given the strength of the Minya resistance, there was no way the insignificant Gerret family would have survived this disaster. But somehow, the people he held in no regards had not only survived, they had won the battle without the official aid of the Marquis family. Lyon¡¯s frustration mostly stemmed from the fact that Sebastian actually lead their family to victory.

    ¡°That damn Sebastian must be gloating now,¡± Lyon said with burning rage. ¡°Those useless Minya dogs couldn¡¯t even win against the Gerret. This was supposed to be my glory, those fools couldn¡¯t even handle that much.¡±

    Lyon got up from the bench and walked towards the main hall of the inner mansion. He frowned all through the way there. He sat at the head of the war chamber and patiently waited for the arrival of the knights.

    It took about an hour for Allan and his company to arrive back at the Marquis household. On arriving the atmosphere was much different than when they had left. At their arrival, all of the knights that had assembled back for a meeting, all got up.

    Lyon who sat at the head of the table, stood up to address the incoming knights. Before he could utter a single word, a big wave of praises came flooding the room. ¡°Congratulations primero knight! Lord of the sword prevails again!¡±

    More praises kept pouring as the other knights joined in congratulating. Within the congratulations, a sense of guilt could be felt from every single one of their praises. They were sworn-knights with the duty of protecting their city, but they had hesitated in doing their duty and instead chose to obey the word of the next city lord. Especially after the victory of the Gerret household, they all had faces covered in guilt and praises of the strong primero knight.

    ¡°Congratulations primero knight, your battle was successful. This entire city owes you a great deal of debt,¡± Lyon said with a smile on his face. Although he showed a glowing smile, he was inwardly causing at his terrible luck. Not only had the primero knight undermined his authority, he had also returned successfully. How could he not be angry? His entire actions were nothing short of cowardly.

    ¡°No need for all these praises. The battle would have been won by the Gerret household with or without our intervention,¡± Allan said in response to Lyon¡¯s comments.

    ¡°What do you mean primero knight?¡± Lyon asked with a startled expression. Not just Lyon, all the other knights were equally as confused. What did the primero knight mean by his statement? Was he trying to say one household, had more power than the combined forces of several households? Everyone had thought it was the efforts of the primero knight that would have won them their victory.

    ¡°The next generation of the Gerret household is quite commendable,¡± Allen said taking a slight jab at Lyon. ¡°Especially the youth called Willard,¡± he said before pausing with a slight look of adoration. With that, Allen kept quiet and silently sat on the table. Following his lead, was Agness and Tadea. The look of frustration on Lyon¡¯s face grew more apparent, but he couldn¡¯t say a word. Allan and the rest of the group spoke about some of the events that had happenedbut left out some of the important matter like the appearance of the metal saint.

    *******************

    A week had passed since the advent of the Minya uprising. At the Gerret household, Willard was still in a coma. Nana stood by his bed tending to his body. Within a world shrouded in gray clouds, Willard was walking in a straight direction. ¡°What the hell is this place? I¡¯ve been walking for how long now and I still can¡¯t find a trace of any life,¡± he said in a frustrated manner. ¡°How the hell did I end up here? I can¡¯t even remember anything.¡±

    While Nana was tending to his body, tears slowly started falling from her eyes. She leaned onhis lifeless body of Willard and started crying. She felt quite miserable seeing Willard in his current state. After the death of her parents, she had always been at the side of her teacher, and after the departure of her teacher, Willard had assumed the position of the most important person in her life. ¡°Please come back. Don¡¯t leave me. Don¡¯t leave Nana¡± she said with all the grief she held in her heart.

    Within the strange world, Willard stood in place as a strange sensation gripped his entire body. Slowly Willard heard the words ¡°Please come back.¡±

    ¡°Who was that?¡±

    ¡°Why does that voice sound so familiar?¡± When suddenly something akin to sunlight pierced through that gray world of his, but this sunlight was red and ethereal in feeling.

    ¡°What is this? Why does it feel so familiar?¡± When he then heard the words, ¡°Don¡¯t leave Nana!¡±

    ¡°Nana!¡± Willard said with a strange look on his face. Memories of a smiling young girl came to his mind. Suddenly, like an egg cracking, the gray cloudy world broke apart leaving nothing but that red sun. At that moment, a flurry of memories flashed through Willard¡¯s mind. In the real world where Willard¡¯s body laid, his fingers moved. Nana was too engrossed in her sorrow and failed to notice the movement of Willard¡¯s fingers.

    Within the red world, Willard stared at the red sun with a look of astonishment. ¡°What is this world? Is this due to the red substance I cultivated?¡± Although Willard had gained acomplete understanding of what lead to his current situation, he still had no idea how to leave the red world.

    Willard sat down and stared at the red sun, and while he staredat the red sun, he felt something familiar about this red energy, he couldn¡¯t quite put his fingers on it, but he knew that there was something peculiar about that energy. For a brief moment, Willard started thinking about all of his experience, both as the god of destruction and the mortal Willard. Like a bolt of lightning, Willard gained a sudden insight. The insight wasn¡¯t a new found knowledge, it was more like a reminder of something he already knew. ¡°That¡¯s right. This red energy has the same feeling as the substance in Gaya¡¯s eternal fountain. But why do I feel like it is still different from Gaya¡¯s eternal fountain?¡± Willard continued pondering on his current findings.

    In a vast world of complete darkness, void of any life, a formless figure in the shape of a woman smiled.