The Evernon Saga - The Journey Of Ascension, A Struggle For Godhood.

While Reginald was engaging the bandit leader's group...

William sprinted towards Magnar, skidding to a stop beside him. His eyes widened in shock and fury, as he gazed upon the long, diagonal wound that ran from Magnar's left shoulder to right hip.

His clothes were beginning to change color, to a deep, dark red.

Magnar's face was pale, and his forehead glistening with sweat. His expression was creased up in pain. William almost couldn't hold himself back from charging at the bandit head on. His logic stopped him, for if the bandit could so easily keep Magnar at a distance whilst inflicting such a wound, all while holding a hostage, then he was not to be taken lightly.

"Mag, can you fight?"

"Y-yeah, but damn does this hurt, it's worse than anything else we've ever gotten."

Nodding, William turned his head to the boy slumped up against the carriage.

The bandit who had taken Alison hostage stopped jeering at them when he realized that they were ignoring him. Grinning, he began to slowly cut away parts from Alison's clothing, making her scream in frustration at her powerlessness.

The boys tensed up, infuriated, but were likewise unable to act. It was a lesson that they had to learn the hard way, that was what their parents and old relatives had always said.

"Out in the wide, lawless world, might makes right. The power you have, determines how much control you have on the people around you."

They had always heard it being said, but were unable to comprehend it.

Until now.

William, Magnar, Clayton, and Alison were all running high on emotions, before coming to this understanding. Now they were silent, and brooding. It truly was the case. Due to their lack of power, there was no room for negotiation.

"If we're gonna fight, then come at me! Otherwise, this little treat right here is going to look a whole lot more delicious soon..." leered the bandit as he licked his lips, a lecherous look in his eyes as he stared intently at Alison's still-developing b.r.e.a.s.ts.

Alison's expression was one of pure terror, as her resolve finally began to crack, tears forming in her eyes as she shot one last look at Clayton.

William's eyes flashed, as his body moved.

He had to act, now!

He grabbed Clayton, and discreetly whispered something to him, to the ignorance of the bandit, before throwing him into the back of the wagon.

He then walked toward the bandit, trying to make himself look as angry as possible.

"This one's got some spunk! I'll make sure you go out with a bang, just like I'm going to do with this little lady here afterwards!" taunted the bandit.

Alison's tears finally began to flow, as William genuinely became furious.

His father, Jonathan, is a man of impressive stature and physique, standing at 1.95 meters. Yet, he still has a gentlemanly and righteous bearing, the opposite of a brute.

He was William's role model.

Jonathan possessed a strong, muscular body but was still able to be gentle and treat both small animals and women with tenderness and care. William truly saw him as the best kind of man that there ever was.

Jonathan always berated William and Magnar whenever they committed mischief or pulled pranks, claiming that it was unbecoming of young gentlemen, which they tried their best to be.

But this time, there was no way for William's anger to be contained. There were no 'gentlemanly' actions in a life or death battle!

The only thing that mattered was the outcome, and William's anger told him that it was time to drop all pretenses. He let his fury flow.

How vulgar is this f.u.c.ker going to get?!

William charged forward, as the bandit pushed Alison out of the way, onto the ground. She was left sitting on the snow, clutching the remains of her clothes in fear and in tears.

William was almost about to summon his Mana, before remembering Joseph's advice.

Do not expose trump cards or secret tricks early on. Save them for when it counts!

William charged at the bandit. He feinted and slipped backwards as soon as he entered melee range, allowing the bandit to slash the thin air where his neck was. A surge of fear washed over him as he realized that if he had messed up the timing right then, he wouldn't have a head on his shoulders right now.

William then dashed inside the range of the sword, risking an attempt to injure the sword hand or arm. It seemed logical to him, and if the bandit was down an arm, he and Magnar could team up and try to take him down.

William grabbed the bandit's wrist, and tried to twist it, before realizing that it wouldn't budge even a centimeter. He was much stronger than him, even in that awkward position!

Feeling a cold sensation that can only be described as the premonition of death, William swiftly took one step back, whilst thrusting his arms backward behind his body as fast as he could.

Just in time.

A cold reflection of light flashed in front of his eyes as a sword came crashing straight downwards, embedding itself into the snow. If William's outstretched arms had still been there, he would have only had two stumps left below the elbow, where his forearms used to be.

His eyes widened as an opening had revealed itself!

"You slippery rat!

The bandit grunted in frustration as he struggled to pull his sword out of the ground.

William used this moment to sprint, and deliver a hard, flying kick to the bandit's abdomen, send him sprawling backwards and separating him from his sword.

William glanced back at the back carriage, and shouted,

"For Nashya!"

...upon which 17 youths leaped out of the wagon, charging towards the bandit, yelling war cries of their own.

Clayton was injured, and therefore stayed inside. However, he had fulfilled his task, which was to explain the situation to those inside the carriage, and for them to charge out when they heard William's signal. This was William's idea.

If we're too weak individually, we can still overwhelm him with numbers!

Now that the bandit was separated from his sword, he couldn't inflict fatal wounds as easily anymore. The 17 youths surrounded William and the bandit, as William fought him hand-to-hand. The bandit was stronger than him by a considerable amount, but he wasn't that much faster. Furthermore, he didn't seem to have been trained at all. His attacks were monotonous, predictable, and inefficient. The bandit's blows had power behind them, but if they didn't connect, then it was all for nothing.

As William drew the bandit's attention head-on, and the 17 other youths blocked his peripheral vision, Magnar was able to sneak around the circle, slip through, and sneak up behind the bandit. The sounds of his footsteps were drowned out by the deliberate cheering and taunting of the youths.

By this point, the bandit was panting and was obviously beginning to tire. He threw a haymaker, but once again, only managed to hit thin air as William side-stepped. Using this moment where the bandit was off-balance, he drop-kicked the bandit right in the solar plexus, making him tip backwards towards Magnar.

Magnar's arms came swooping in from behind, restraining the bandit momentarily, as his eyes widened in surprise.

The bandit didn't expect the kid that he slashed earlier to have Strength that nearly rivaled his, and that he still had that kind of strength in him after losing a large amount of blood.

He wouldn't be able to break out of this hold quickly!

The youths in the circle immediately dashed forwards and grabbed the bandit's extremities, restraining them through sheer numbers.

Oh no!

The bandit finally began to feel panic and fear, as he realized that even with his early Tier 1 strength, he was completely pinned!

The bandit was restrained from the back by Magnar, with his extremities being held by the 17 other youths, from the sides and back. This meant that the front of his torso was completely open.

William walked slowly and with purpose, towards the currently immobile bandit.

A triumphant grin turned into a furious scowl, as he shot a sideways glance at Alison, who was still frightened and shivering in the snow, her clothes in disarray.

"Magnar, call that injured guy.", said William softly.

Magnar nodded, a mischievous grin popping up on his own face.

"Clayton! We've got a present for you!" shouted Magnar.

Clayton poked his head out of the back of the wagon, his pale face breaking into a big smile as he saw the bandit at their mercy, and then morphing into a glare as he saw Alison's shivering figure on the snow.

"Good! That is one hell of a present!", yelled Clayton back.

"What do you want us to do with him?", asked William.

"If I were strong enough, I'd do it myself..." muttered Clayton dejectedly.

"Do you see that girl on the ground? She's mine!"

Upon hearing this, Alison blushed.

"For her sake, make him regret that he had ever laid hands on her!" declared Clayton loudly and passionately.

"Well said!" praised William.

"All of you! My name is William, and everything you see here today, must never leave your lips!"

William's mind was currently clouded by his boiling blood, strong emotions, and the hype of the situation. He saw nothing else around him but a red haze, and the helpless bandit.

Seeing William's murderous glare, and the stirring of Mana inside him, the bandit shivered.

"No! Please! I have a family, and children! Think about the children! Don't kill me!" pleaded the bandit desperately.

"Well then, it was your wife's mistake to marry you, and your children's misfortune to have been birthed to you. Regardless, I doubt any woman is stupid enough to swoon in the embrace of sc.u.m such as yourself.", retorted William.

The bandit paled, but scowled defiantly as he was insulted relentlessly by William. This quickly reverted back to pure fear as his eyes widened.

William invoked his Personal Mana, a golden glow forming around his body. This glow, and the visual shape of the Aura itself was only visible to those who could perceive Mana. The bandit was one such person, as his pupils shrunk, staring straight at the sacred glow that wreathed William's silhouette.

What...what is this kid?!

The bandit's heart felt like it was being crushed, as every fiber in his body wanted to escape, but couldn't.

However, regardless of one's ability to perceive Mana, the searing heat was felt by all who were in the immediate vicinity of William.

The other youths were dumbfounded.

Why were they feeling so uncomfortably warm while it was snowing?

William had thought of an experimental move, and was wondering how and when he could test it out. Lucky for him, he now had a victim in front of him to use as a test subject.

William walked till he was in front of the bandit, within arm's reach.

Ever since Joseph had informed him on how he had melted a boulder from the inside-out on their training island, William had been entertaining a morbid, insatiable curiosity as to what his Mana would do when used on a person.

William readied a palm strike, and focused a good deal of Mana into his right arm, the heat reaching new heights. The snow and ice underfoot had long melted, with the earth underneath it having turned from muddy, to dry and cracked within seconds.

The bandit fully felt Death's blade pressed against his throat, as he relaxed with the knowledge that he couldn't escape, and that no one was coming to save him. He tried to find some inner peace before perishing.

William didn't give him the shadow of a chance of doing so.

William launched a powerful palm strike, right underneath the bandit's solar plexus, injecting a torrent of golden flames into the bandit's abdomen. The flames that entered the bandit's body began to rampage wantonly, wreaking havoc and destruction wherever it went.

Molten Gold Palm!

The bandit's face scrunched up in pain, turning paler than ever before, and screamed in such agony, that his vocal chords ruptured.

The flames caused his blood to literally boil within his body, searing his veins and flesh, and melting his organs into mush. His body began to convulse and twitch violently. The screams turned to an agonized gargle as steaming blood and bits of half-melted organs began pouring out of the bandit's gaping mouth.

The youths were frightened to the point where they had unconsciously let go of the bandit's limbs, as his current state was a pitiful and terrifying sight.

The bandit was in too much pain to move, as his body slumped onto its knees. William walked forward, stepping over the puddle of steaming blood, which was currently being absorbed by the cracked, parched ground around William's feet.

William stretched out his right arm, laying his hand on the face of the bandit.

"Is this the mouth that spoke such filthy words?" growled William as his Aura flared.

The other youths began to back up even further, for they knew not what was coming next, but feared it nonetheless. The area of melting snow and dried up ground around William was widening, as the blood on the floor had long evaporated.

"Is this the mouth that tried to taint that young girl over there?" yelled William as the skin where his hand touched the bandit's face began to sizzle and burn, turning black.

The bandit could only groan in pain, and despite it being near impossible to worsen the excessive pain that he was currently feeling, William was currently accomplishing this feat.

William's Aura turned into a raging, golden inferno around him, in congruence with his emotions. His voice suddenly dropped an octave, as it took on a dire tone that bore no argument.

"Is this the mouth that dared to threaten my people?!"

***

Reginald had already wrapped up the fight with the bandit leader.

The bandit leader was currently on his knees, missing both his hands, surrounded by the 2 Warriors accompanying Reginald, who had their blades pointed at his throat.

Reginald walked nonchalantly across the battlefield, heading towards the back of the caravan, where he knew a fight was taking place. He wasn't worried. As long as the other Warriors were there, nothing could really go wrong as long as they intervened. He trusted the judgement of his men.

If anything, he was more worried for the bandit, who he could sense was surrounded.

"Men, finish your battles, playtime is over!" ordered Reginald whilst strolling.

"Yes sir!" responded the Warriors as they all dispatched each of their foes with two or three well-aimed and timed Skills in quick succession.

The remaining bandits all fell to the ground within 9 seconds after that order was given. The survivors were mixed in with the dead, but they were already in pieces and wouldn't be alive for much longer either way.

Reaching the back of the caravan, Reginald happened upon a sight that gave him a slight, involuntary chill.

A lone bandit, restrained by Magnar and many other kids, and William was walking towards that bandit. He seemed to be consumed by a bloodl.u.s.t that seemed impossible to have originated from a teenager.

After some pleading from the bandit, Reginald heard William say this,

"Well then, it was your wife's mistake to marry you, and your children's misfortune to have been birthed to you. Regardless, I doubt any woman is stupid enough to swoon in the embrace of sc.u.m such as yourself."

Reginald cringed when he heard that.

Ouch.

Reginald also thought that that was pretty good, and that he could use that sometime. Nevertheless, he found William's tongue to be impressive for his age.

William's Aura covered him, as he delivered the palm strike that melted the bandit from the inside out, making him literally scream his lungs out, in a melted, bloody mess. Reginald was astonished, as usual, when it came to William.

That power! Did he just use his Mana in combat? As a Tier 0 mortal?!

Reginald's grip on his swords tightened involuntarily as he felt a wave of bloodl.u.s.t emanate from William, washing over him.

"Well he seems angry." commented Reginald.

...

"Is this the mouth that spoke such filthy words?"

Ohoho, he's valiant!

...

"Is this the mouth that tried to taint that young girl over there?"

What an almost stupid level of righteousness...

...

"Is this the mouth that dared to threaten my people?!"

As soon as William said this, Reginald almost failed to restrain his Aura. A wave of passion rose within him that he had almost failed to halt.

This feeling...this natural regal nature he has...

Reginald was suddenly full of emotion, as he had never expected such fury and passion for the sake of another, from someone of William's age.

Out of the blue, it struck him.

Reginald's hands went slack, as his swords fell to the ground with a 'thump'.

He had finally found it.

His mother had always told him stories about it. He himself had read in many books and ancient scrolls, about how a rare few, special people have been born throughout Human history. They possessed multiple traits that made them overwhelming, and unsurpassable by their peers. Four of these traits stood out the most.

A wisdom that surpassed their age.

An inborn nobility that surpassed their birth.

A pride that surpassed their weakness.

And most importantly, the talent to surpass all.

Reginald was sure that the second and fourth traits applied to William. The other two traits had yet to be seen, but he swore to keep a close eye on William.

As all of this ran through Reginald's head, William had unleashed another Molten Gold Palm directly onto the bandit's face, melting his brain, eyeballs, and everything else inside his head. This turned the bandit into a fountain as he bled es masse from his eye sockets, ears, and nostrils, in addition to his mouth. He then kicked the kneeling corpse in the c.h.e.s.t, causing it to fall over.

It was his first kill.

Reginald seemed to be deep in thought, stroking his chin.

"He seems to have anger issues, and strangely enough, it reminds me of someone. I can't place my finger on who though..." muttered Reginald as a Warrior behind him smiled nervously, and kept his mouth shut.

***

William retracted his Aura, and stumbled briefly, from a slight shortage of Mana. He still stood up straight, looking at the other youths with an amiable smile.

"Thanks for the help, all of you. This wouldn't have worked without you.", congratulated William as he clapped his hands.

The youths that were holding the bandit in place were now scattered, but all eyes were on William.

While they were confused and a little frightened at what had happened to the bandit, what had happened was undeniably a feat that invoked awe!

***

"Men, prepare to resume our journey to the Capital, we must make haste!" barked Reginald.

"Yes Sir!"

Reginald gazed at William with a resigned smile on his face.

This boy is definitely going to become something big, even if he isn't one of those people...

Just look at how he hasn't even flinched yet, during and after having taken what was most likely his first life.