"Listen, I can't stay in this form forever," William explained as he used his dark magic to pull Est, Isaac, and Ian along with him as he evaded the attacks of the Cyclops.
Since they were fighting on a plain, it gave him plenty of space to dodge its attacks. Although the Cyclops' attacks were powerful, as long as they didn't hit then they would be safe.
"I'm using a forbidden spell that allows me to become strong for a short period of time," William said with a serious expression. "Once this magic runs out, I will not be able to use magic for five years."
"What?!" Est asked in surprise "You will not be able to use magic for five years?"
"Yes," William replied. "Not being able to use magic for five years is still better than dying here. Don't you agree?"
"B-But still…"
"Don't worry. I didn't do this only for you. This is part of my trial as well, so we are in the same boat."
Isaac looked at William with admiration. Ian, on the other hand, had a rare look of pity on his face. Although both of them had different expressions, they still understood the weight of William's sacrifice. They never expected that the red-head boy would go this far in order to help their Young Master clear the Trial of Courage.
"We can't afford to fail this Trial," William stated. "Since I decided to go all out, none of you are allowed to pull my leg. I have a plan, but it is risky, are you all willing to put your life on the line and trust me?"
"Yes," Est replied with a determined look. He then gripped the sword in his hand tightly. "If it will help us clear this mission then I'm in."
Isaac and Ian exchanged a glance at each other before firmly nodding their heads. This time, both of them would not question William's orders and give him their full cooperation.
"We only have one chance to do this, so let's make it count." William then started to explain the plan he had in mind.
Est's and the twin's expressions became very serious as they listened to his instructions.
"Any of you can still choose to back down," William sighed. "However, after the time limit of my magic ends, we will just be waiting for our deaths."
"Since we don't have a choice then let's just do it," Ian said as he looked at the Cyclops in the distance.
"I agree," Isaac voiced out his opinion.
Est nodded his head in agreement.
"Very well, since all of you agreed then we are all in this together," William said with a smile. "Hold him off for two minutes. I need to make my preparations."
""Okay!""
William landed on the ground, but he kept the dark whips tied on the children's waists. That way, he could pull them away from danger if they were unable to evade the Cyclops' attacks.
< Gained Exp Points: 10,000 >
'Good job, Mama Ella,' William thought. 'Just one more.'
Est, Ian, and Isaac charged toward the Cyclops from different directions. The twins were using their ranged magic attacks to get its attention.
William made a few hand seals as he prepared the spell that would aid them toward their victory. A black dagger appeared in front of him and stabbed the tip of his finger, allowing blood to spray from his fingertip.
As the blood was absorbed by the ground, A red-magic circle appeared under William's feet. As soon as the magic circle had fully formed, William immediately began his chant.
"Darkness that is darker than black,
Blood that burns with the life of the living.
I pledge myself to overcome the obstacles that lay before my eyes.
Bestow your power upon my unworthy hands,
And let the Fools who stand on my way be destroyed by your unending might!"
"Clones of Darkness!"
William, Est, Isaac, and Ian suddenly multiplied as William's spell took effect. The Clones of Darkness was able to create a dozen clones for each of William's targets. These clones were not ordinary clones because they were able to manifest fifty percent of their original's power.
It was not only the children that had gained this wondrous effect, but Ella and the other goats as well.
Because of this, the hundreds of goats easily overpowered the last Gasmirage and sent it to the afterlife.
< Gained Exp Points: 10,000 >
""MEEEEEEEH!"
The goats made a full powered charge towards the Cyclops. Of course, the original goats aside from Ella were ordered by William not to join the battle. Even though they were unwilling, they still followed their Shepherd's orders and remained a safe distance away from the Cyclops.
As the clones converged on their target, an all out battle Royale Began with the Cyclops at the center.
Est's clones wielded their swords and started to inflict wounds on the Cyclops' ankles and legs. Due to William's current circumstance, Est finally threw caution to the wind and resolved himself to beat the Cyclops.
This sudden change in his attitude made the power of his sword slowly increase with each passing second.
William's clones darted across the battlefield and used the dark whips in order to help his allies evade and attack the blindspots of the towering giant.
The Cyclops became annoyed and wildly swung its hammer left and right. It even fired beams of light from its eye in the hope that it would be able to destroy the insects that were currently ganging up on him.
Unfortunately, William's clones had dedicated themselves to the supporting role. All of his clones were flying in the air and took control of the situation.
The original William who was on the ground, raised his bloody finger and aimed it at the Cyclops' eye like a gun.
"Lirowasniel aerriien tireirélrieth, merrieth, telendyn, talaránial. Ararasnal trylinbradies, marániel, Áerorilbras, elowen, Thriasrilriel rinilol, triloren, morelalyn. Nielinbrnil aeraenas, merlenian..."
An eerie red glow appeared on the tip of William's finger as he took aim. This spell only had a 1% chance of instantly killing a Millennial Beast and Celine had used it on the Golden-Scaled Crocodile back in Lont.
William decided to take a gamble and use this spell to end the life of the Millennial Beast in front of him.
"Finger of Death!" William roared as a red lightning bolt shot out from his finger.
The Cyclops felt the deadly threat of William's attack and immediately countered it with its own beam of light. The red beam and the red lightning bolt clashed against each other, which caused everyone's heart to tremble.
William's feet skidded across the ground as he faced the Cyclops' counter-attack head-on.
Blood seeped from the corner of his lips, but he didn't relent his attack. He was pouring every strand of his magic power in this offensive spell because this was their only chance to beat the Terrorhand.
A powerful explosion sent shockwaves in the air as the two attacks canceled each other out. William fell powerlessly on the ground as the last vestige of magic power left his body.
"Est!" one of William's clones shouted as it held the wooden staff in his hand like a baseball bat.
Est didn't hesitate and leaped into the air. He landed on the wooden staff as he prepared his body to strike.
"Go!" William's clone shouted as he swung the wooden staff. "Magnum Burst!"
Est flew in the air like a cannonball. The Cyclops' reaction was a bit slow because it had also exhausted itself in countering William's full powered death blow.
The young boy fearlessly pulled back the sword in his hand as he prepared for his strongest move.
"Light that shines upon the world, bathe us all in your Eternal Glory!" Est shouted. He then stabbed the sword forward with all of his might. "Grand Cross!"
A radiant light enveloped the holy sword as it pierced the center of the Cyclops' eye.
The Cyclops didn't even get a chance to let out a scream as a cross made of Holy Light split its body into two halves.
A black whip of darkness wrapped around Est's waist and pulled him away to safety. Not long after, the hulking giant fell on the ground with a resounding crash. Everyone in the battlefield looked at the Giant's remains as William's clone gently landed on the ground, carrying Est in a princess carry.
"Good job," The clone said as he helped the handsome boy stand on his feet.
"Did we win?" Est asked. He was still half in doubt if they had really won against a Millennial Beast.
"Yes," William's clone replied with a smile before vanishing into particles of light.
For some reason, Est felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the smile of approval on the clone's face. A feeling that he had never felt before started to bloom inside his innocent heart. Surprisingly, he didn't dislike this feeling.