William had a very bad feeling as all of his senses screamed at him that death was fast approaching.
He firmly gripped the golden rod in his hand as he gritted his teeth. Since his opponent had now become serious, it was time for him to get serious as well.
'Quick Shot War Art… Fusion Form.' William shouted internally as he pointed the tip of his spear. 'Blitzer Railgun!'
"Make the world tremble in your presence," Lugh roared. "Annihilate all opposition, Assal!"
The two powerful attacks activated at the same time.
William's attack travelled at the speed of sound.
The other, at the speed of lightning.
The Half-Elf was bathed in heavenly lightning and pain wracked his body. However, he endured. He dodged Lugh's attack by a hair's breadth, but it was enough to seriously injure him. If his skill activation had been delayed by half a second, the God's attack would have hit him without a doubt.
The golden rod's body was strong. Afterall, it was a weapon that belonged to one of the greatest Immortal Heroes of all time. Even against the attack of a God, it was a weapon that wouldn't be destroyed that easily.
Eight seconds.
It took eight seconds before Ryu Jingu Bang passed through the Heavenly Gate. William's vision blacked out right after he managed to escape with his life.
Lugh stared at the Heavenly Gate with a smile as he raised his hand, "Athibar."
Assal, the lightning spear, and one of the Four Jewels of the Tuatha De Danann, returned to his hand.
"You're just as slippery as your ancestor." Lugh grinned evilly. "Isn't that right, Assal?"
The spear in Lugh's hand remained silent. The God snorted and casually threw the spear towards the sky, where it disappeared. He then returned to the Temple to rest.
Even though it had only lasted for a brief moment, he still enjoyed the short battle he had with William after staying in the Temple for thousands of years.
------
William groggily opened his eyes. He then tried to move his body and immediately regretted it.
Tendrils of electricity snaked around him, and the smell of burnt flesh reached his nose. It was also at this moment when a wave of burning pain washed over his body.
The Half-Elf gritted his teeth as he summoned a Pink Lollipop into his hand. He tore the wrapper off using his teeth before placing it inside his mouth. William sighed in relief as he tasted the familiar, cherry-flavored, sweetness spreading across his taste buds.
The numbness and semi paralysis he was feeling wore off after eating the Pink Lollipop infused by the Divinity of a Goddess. The next thing he did was summon a Red Lollipop. He didn't eat it right away. Instead he held it firmly in his hand as he increased the effects of the Lollipop.
Just like the White Lollipop, William could compress and stack the effects of the Red Lollipop, making it a very powerful healing candy.
After exhausting half of the Red Lollipop's daily quota, William placed it inside his mouth to eat. Immediately, he could feel his injuries getting better. Although they were far from a complete recovery, it was still better than nothing.
'I almost died back there,' William thought as he chewed on the lollipop inside his mouth.
The crunching noises of the candy being grounded by his teeth sounded nonstop.
Suddenly, a light cough was heard in the distance and a pair of feet walked towards him.
"Child, I'd appreciate it if you didn't litter here in the entrance of the Temple," an old man with a long white beard said in annoyance. "Do you want me to make you pay with God Points?"
William turned his head to the side and saw the familiar old man that had once opened the gate to allow William, and those that came with him, to enter the Temple of the Ten Thousand Gods.
"Um, Gramps, why am I here?" William asked. He thought that after he entered the Heavenly Gate, he would return to his world where his loved ones were waiting for him.
"You're here because you entered the Heavenly Gate," the old gatekeeper said with a hint of approval and admiration. "This is the second time I've seen someone manage to clear the Heavenly Trial. Not bad, young man. Not bad."
"Uh…." William groaned as he covered his face with a hand. He still didn't understand why he ended up in the entrance of the temple, but since that was the case, he just had to meet with Issei, Lily, and David to know what was going on.
A few minutes passed before William managed to stand on his own two feet. He summoned the golden staff that belonged to the Monkey King, and it flew to him as if it was originally his.
William gritted his teeth as he dragged his injured body towards the gate with the aid of the golden staff. The old gatekeeper walked beside him, matching his pace.
It was his way of showing respect to the second person that had cleared the trial and fought against the Celestial Army within the Heavenly Domain.
Naturally, he remembered who William was. This was why he was both surprised and curious about how the boy managed to return to the Temple a second time. Usually, souls that were still living were banned from entering the temple.
Only the souls of the dead were allowed to enter the gates that he had guarded since time immemorial. However, since William cleared the trial, he would be given special rights to enter the temple for a second time even though he was still technically alive.
"Well then, I welcome you once again to the Temple of the Ten Thousand Gods," the old man said as he opened the gate to allow William to pass through. "May this be the last instance you visit this temple during your lifetime. Of course, I will be here to welcome you once again when the fates decree for you to return to the Cycle of Reincarnation."
William smiled bitterly as he nodded his head.
Indeed. The next time he would enter this temple again would be on the day of his death.
The images of his family, friends, and acquaintances flashed before his eyes. It was then when he remembered that there were still some things that he still needed to do. His lovers, Wendy, Est, and Ian were waiting for his return.
He also hadn't met the Goddess Astrid to ask her about the method that would remove the curse from Est's, Ian's, and Isaac's bodies. Since Est and Ian were his lovers, it was his responsibility to return them to their true forms.
There was also the fact that he still hadn't seen his Patron God, Gavin.
Issei, Lily, and David had casually mentioned that Gavin had received a backlash when he forced himself to descend to William's world.
William knew that he still had many things to do. Dying so young was not one of them
If possible, William didn't want to die too soon. He still had promises to keep.. Promises he was determined to keep.