'It hurts… please, help us...'
'We can't hold out for much longer, please, save us…'
Two pleading voices echoed inside William's mind as the lightning bolt engulfed his entire body. His student uniform was made from a special material that could withstand magic attacks up to the First Circle. However, against an attack from a Centennial, it offered no form of resistance whatsoever and immediately turned to ashes.
Time seemed to slow down as William entered a trance like state. In that white world, William saw two orbs of light. One was yellow, the other red. The lights of these two orbs gradually dimmed as they pleaded for William to help them.
When the world regained its color, the red-headed-boy laid on the ground unmoving. His wooden staff lay on the ground a few meters away from him as tendrils of electricity snaked around his body.
If not for the pants that his Aunty Helen made specially, that he wore under his uniform, he would have been completely naked the moment his student robe was destroyed.
"Meeeeeeeh!" Ella bleated as he hurried by William's side. She nudged the side of his face in an attempt to wake him up.
While Ella was trying to awaken the fallen Half-Elf, the lightning currents that snaked around William's body gathered towards the black-rose-tattoo on William's chest and were absorbed completely.
"Will!" Wendy shouted as she ran to his side. She then checked William's body for any injuries and was surprised that his body was still intact with only minor bruises.
William raised his hand and caressed Ella's neck to assure her that he was fine. He then slowly opened his eyes to look at the side where Wendy was looking down on him with a worried expression.
The watchtower where they had been standing had collapsed due to the intensity of the attack and several students received injuries, some of them were seriously injured. William had taken the brunt of the damage and mitigated it to the best of his abilities, but it was still an attack from a Centennial Beast, so it was impossible to block completely.
When the attack happened, the system made an arbitrary decision and forcefully changed William's Subclass to Prince of Thunder. Because of this, the lightning bolt didn't cause much damage to his body and helped him resist the attack that could have easily claimed his life.
The instructors were in the process of taking the injured students and transporting them to the infirmary. Andy appeared beside William and was about to carry him off when the shepherd shook his head in response.
"Instructor, I'm fine," William said as he stood up from the ground. He even brushed off the dirt that had accumulated on his body to indicate that he was perfectly fine.
Andy eyed the boy and made sure that he was indeed still capable of fighting before going to another student who had lost consciousness not far away from their location. Although he wanted to ask William questions, now was not the time for it.
It was not only Andy, but several students and instructors, who had witnessed the event, looked at William in surprise. From every angle, he looked fine and healthy. His lean and toned body radiated youthful strength and his eyes were still bright and clear. Although he had some bruises here and there, they were only a minor concern for warriors in the battlefield.
"Um, aren't you going to wear anything?" Wendy asked as she looked at William's face. She was doing her best not to look down because William's body was visually attractive. Although they were in the midst of battle, Wendy couldn't keep herself from being charmed by her idol.
"In a while," William said as he retrieved his wooden staff.
Thunder roared in the heavens and lightning flashed like dragons in the sky as Xolotl manipulated the elements to follow its bidding. Quetzalcoatl wasn't being idle either and flapped its mighty wings causing gusts of wind that blew the students off the ground.
Wendy was almost blown away, but William firmly held her waist in place. The shepherd looked at these two creatures while thinking of his next plan of action.
'Help us…'
'Please, save us…'
Two words echoed inside his mind, and this time, he knew that they were real and not made up by his imagination. He could also tell that the voices were not coming from the two Mythical Beasts that were about to annihilate all of them.
No. They came from the direction of the dungeon and they were pleading for him to help them. William tapped the ground with his staff, as he summoned a helper to fight by his side.
"Eternal Guardian who guards the forest, help me in my time of need!" William shouted. "Come forth, Spire!"
A white portal appeared behind William's back as the Guardian of the White-Tailed Deer Tribe walked out of it. Its majestic body glowed in radiant light and served as a beacon to illuminate the darkness.
Right now, the Spire was only a Class B (Mid) Beast. It was impossible for it to fight off against Centennial Beasts who were labeled as Class S Threats. Even so, Spire looked at these two beasts fearlessly.
It had regained a boost in its ranks after William gave it the 'rewards' that he promised during the Battle for the position of Head Prefect in the Enchanted Forest.
The students who had watched the competition for the Head Prefect of the Martial Class were quite familiar with this noble creature. They just never expected that it would appear in this battle against the Dungeon Outbreak.
Behind it, forty Long-Horned Enchanted Deer emerged from the portal and stood in a row facing off against the dungeon monsters, who stopped their advance a few hundred meters away from the watchtowers.
These Long-Horned Enchanted Deer were Class C (Mid) Beasts and were more than capable of dealing with the small fries.
Although reinforcements had arrived, no one believed that they would be able to win against the Dungeon Outbreak with their current numbers.
"Please, honor your promise and help us this once!" William pleaded. "Come forth, Diabolical Hell Ape!"
Another portal appeared behind William's back, but this time, it was bigger than the one that Spire had come from. A giant ape, with two protruding horns on its head, came out of the portal. Its serpent tail hissed as it raised its head to look at the two mythical beasts in front of it.
'Are you sure you want to waste this one favor in dealing with these small fries, boy?' the Diabolical Hell Ape asked through telepathy. Everyone in the battlefield heard its voice inside their head.
The dungeon monsters shuddered unconsciously because they felt a presence that was way beyond their league. Even the two Mythical Beasts were affected by the overpowering presence of the Giant Ape who was in a realm above theirs.
The instructors of the academy were surprised because they recognized the towering beast that appeared on the battlefield. It was none other than the Sovereign who ruled the forest just outside the Hellan Royal Academy. A creature that was at the peak of Class SS Beasts.
It was so powerful that even the Dean of the Academy had to be respectful to it. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that summoning the Diabolical Hell Ape to fight against the Dungeon Outbreak was overkill.
"Indeed it is a waste for me to summon you to such a small scale battlefield… is what I'd like to say, but this is only true in the eyes of creatures as powerful as yourself, Your Excellency," William replied in a respectful tone. "However, no matter how weak and short-lived humans are. Every life is precious. If I can prevent even a single student of the Royal Academy from dying then it is not a waste to ask for your help.
"I would not be able to sleep peacefully at night if I turned a blind eye and allowed the students to sacrifice their lives if it could be prevented. Although this favor is a one time offer, I have no regrets."
The Spire nodded its head in appreciation to William's words. It was a noble and righteous creature, and it liked how the red-headed-boy denied that he wasted the favor given to him by the Diabolical Hell Ape.
The students, and instructors who heard William felt conflicted. Some of them were quite thankful for William for calling the Diabolical Hell Ape to help them in battle, while others felt ashamed that the shepherd had to resort to using his "Trump Card" because all of them were too weak to fight against the monsters in front of them.
'I will honor our agreement and help you once,' the Diabolical Hell Ape said as it stood in front of the defenders. It lived in a world where the law of the jungle was supreme. Although he understood William's words, he still felt that the young boy was pitiful for having no choice but to summon him.
Several portals appeared behind him, as the rulers of the forest joined their Sovereign to battle. Ironically, Psoglav, was also there who gave William the middle finger before facing the Dungeon Monster Army in front of it.
'With this, the incident of Psoglav will no longer be brought up in the future as per our agreement. Do you understand?' the Diabolical Hell Ape glanced at the red-headed-boy beside its feet.
"Yes," William answered firmly. "We have no more debts between us."
Psoglav who was listening to the conversation only snorted, but didn't say anything else since he was in the presence of his Sovereign.
'As it should be.' the Diabolical Hell Ape nodded its head. 'So, which one should I deal with?'
"Please take care of the Xolotl."
'Okay. It's too troublesome to fight against flying creatures. I'll handle this overgrown dog for you. But, who will face off against that Winged Serpent?'
"My Second Master will," William replied with a grin. "Second Master, please, take care of the Quetzalcoatl. It is way out of my league."
The corner of Oliver's lips twitched as he heard William's shameless request from his hiding place. The Parrot Monkey had hidden himself within the dark clouds in the sky, while observing the situation on the ground, but somehow, William was still able to find him.
What Oliver didn't know was that the system had already detected his presence when he entered the skies of the battlefield. It was very easy for it to locate his position since all the "allies" were highlighted on the map of the territory.
'Fine.' Oliver's voice echoed inside William's head. 'You owe me one, Little Will.'
'Thank you, Second Master,' Will replied in his heart.
Inside the dark clouds, Oliver looked at the Giant Winged Serpent with a mischievous grin as if it was looking at a new toy.
'A fake centennial beast that is forcefully upgraded by Miasma can't compare to the real deal.' Oliver chuckled. 'Mistress asked for a souvenir. This snake will do quite nicely.'
Oliver was just like a little puppy facing off against an elephant, but he didn't even see the Quetzalcoatl as a threat. For him, the oversized winged serpent was only a little snake that he could easily trample under his talons without breaking a sweat.
"Wendy, stand at the rear," William said as he patted her head. "I will handle this."
Wendy nodded her head and immediately retreated to a safe place. Although she was worried about William, she didn't want to get in the way of this battle.
"Mama, let's go."
"Meeeeh!"
Ella transformed into an Angorian War Ibex and allowed William to ride on her back. He then ordered the system to change his Subclass to the Cavalier Job Class. He then equipped the Golden-Scaled-Light-Armor from the Ring of Conquest.
This armor was made from the scales of the Golden-Scaled-Crocodile that Celine had defeated four years ago. It boasted great physical and magical defense, and was custom made to change its size to fit William perfectly.
When William donned his armor, he looked like a young prince that had come to save the princess from the Evil Dragon. He wasn't wearing a visor, but a winged circlet that highlighted his natural beauty.
Instead of the wooden staff that he usually used to do battle. He summoned a spear that was made from the fangs of the Thunder-Horned Wolf and the teeth of the Golden-Scaled-Crocodile.
The spear was two-meters-long and its design was similar to the Stormcaller. The only difference was that it was made with barbed edges that would bring its victims a world of pain the moment it grazed them.
Barbatos was quite happy with his creation and named it Triam, The Executioner of Giants.
All the girls who saw him couldn't stop themselves from sighing in admiration. Wendy, who had retreated to a safe distance, also looked at William with a reddened face. She looked at her Prince in shining armor as her heart beat wildly inside her chest.
Est, and Ian, who stood at the center of the Defenders, wanted to roll their eyes in annoyance.
'Showoff.'
'Stupid, William.'
Even though the two boys resented William for taking the spotlight and stealing the heart of the ladies around them, they were still pinning their hopes on him. They believed that, as long as William was around, everything was going to be alright.
This belief was deeply ingrained in their hearts, and would continue to believe them through the years to come.
The two sides faced off against each other as everyone readied themselves for the decisive battle. It was at that very moment that the Diabolical Hell Ape thumped its chest and issued a deafening roar. It then charged towards the Xolotl while coating its body in fire.
'Wait for me. I will save the two of you soon,' William said inside his heart and hoped that the two voices that were calling out to the dungeon could hear him.
He then pointed his spear forward and issued the order to attack. "Charge!"
Ella bleated and issued a warcry to raise the stats of the Deers who were accompanying them to battle. Spire, on the other hand, used its ability "Call to Arms" which further enhanced everyone's stats by 50%
It then followed behind William along with the Long-Horned-Enchanted Deer that flanked his sides.
"Charge forward!" Grent ordered and the rest of the Defenders followed his orders. "Show them the power of the Hellan Royal Academy!"
The students cheered in unison and joined the fray. William's show of strength had made their blood boil and they were raring to fight by his side. They didn't want to admit it, but in their eyes, William became the flag of hope that fluttered in the darkness. A flag that was about to lead them to victory.
This was how the second round of the battle began and the land trembled in their wake.