Chapter 138: Full Potential of Dream Ki

Howard found a few new usages of his Dream Ki when training with Demon King Earl. Though it was only 10 minutes, he had been challenged by him to try the impossible.

Demon King Earl had developed a few techniques with Dream Ki in his time. Just like Howard, he had once formed a connection with a Dream Myth. One thing in particular that he taught Howard was to stop following the normal rules of reality.

Swoosh!

Howard's body disappeared through the rubble and appeared inside of the underground shelter. Two bloodied bodies laid on the floor mangled and torn. A young boy seemed to be running away from a man with a large saber. Howard 's body instantly suffused a Dark Flame. His horns grew out the top of his head as all of his power manifested into his hands. 

Vigil turned and saw Howard with an expression of disbelief. He'd just taken his time killing two women and still had blood on his skin. He tried to wave his hands and explain himself, but before he could it was too late.

"You're dead!" Howard stepped off his back foot and activated his Dream Ki. He instantly appeared in front of Vigil and instantly slashed him in half. His body split into two bits before Howard's front hand manifested a powerful orange flame.

Swoosh!

Virgil disappeared into dust while the hundreds of onlookers gasped in shock. 

The few women he'd killed had been left by some other civilians who had been tied up. Howard sighed, and tosed away his sword. He walked over to the civilians and began to untie them one by one.

"You-you're all free now. Sorry that happened!" Howard said with a smile, "Heh, there are a few bad people in the world. You just got to make them disappear."

"Help me! Help me!" Howard heard screaming behind him and rushed to Bermenthols' tent. He walked in and saw two women tied up in a wagon. He figured instantly that Bermenthol planned on using a hidden tunnel to escape with them.

He sighed and untied them quickly. At the same time, he looked around for any clues that might explain the current situation.

'He-he… He was about to! He was about to… take my baby!" Bermenthol's wife screamed. "Where-where did he go? Did he escape?"

"He's resting in pieces now," Howard said with a smile. "However, he blocked the tunnel. Do you know how he planned on escaping?"

Howard hadn't thought when he saw Virgil about to kill a small child. In fact, his rage grew so much that he activated all his energy in an instant so he had no chance to counterattack. Maybe it was something that Barabin taught him when he trained with him. He remembered him saying, "always strike when your opponent is at his weakest. Never worry about the future."

Howard sighed and gently watched Bermenthol's wife fix her white dress. Her face trembled constantly from the terror she'd just experienced becuase of Virgil's plot. He could see a bruise on her neck from where he choked her, and his rage grew a tiny bit more.

"He-he didn't touch me anywhere important, don't worry," The woman smiled and patted her daughter on the shoulder. "Mommy! Mommy's here darling. Let's go get your father."

"I'll go clear the tunnel pathway now," Howard flexed his muscles. He never felt good about knowing what to say, but he at least had the strength to protect people. The more he became a leader, the more he realized he had to improve in so many areas. "However, can you girls untie all the other women. I don't feel right doing it."

"Of course!" The teeanger girl wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffled. "I-I'll go help them right away!"

"Good," Howard sighed and exited the tent. He walked over to where the rubble was and slowly but surely tossing aside the boulders and propping back up the wooden frames. 

'I got a lot stronger,' Howard commented while he kept making his way further down the tunnel. 'However, what would've happened if I didn't have Dream Ki? Would he have killed all those people?'

Howard looked back at two dead bodies, and cracked his knuckles. The Jarkales had to pay dearly for attacking! They had to pay with all their might!

He tossed aside all the remaining rubble and found Bermenthol digging his hardest on the other side. He had sweat dripping down his forehead, and looked a complete mess. Something about his eyes seemed contaminated with darkness.

"Are they okay! Howard! What did he do?"

"Two people are dead. I can't save them," Howard said with a smile. "Sorry for being so useless! I-I killed Virgil. He deserved to die a million deaths!"

"He might not be alone. There might be two more in the civilians. I'm sure they're terrified right now. Did-did you use Dream Ki to get through the wall?"

"Mmmmhmmm," Howard said and finished fully clearing the path. "Why? Are you surprised?"

"I'm not surprised about you, however, I am surprised we got betrayed." Bermenthol pointed at the cracked rockface of the tunnel. It could probably only hold for a few more hours unless they fortified it with more wooden pillars. "Unfortunately, Howard, I don't think we can win against the Jarkales. I had no idea a general was coming. Our best course of action is to cautiously retreat! We-we can go to the Unclaimed Shirnes."

"I-I heard that's a bad idea. We're going to get attacked at the Unclaimed Shrines in a few week by another Nation," Howard shook his head. "However, don't worry. I promise it will work out!"

"He killed you Howard! Think for a few minutes, damn it! Can you really beat that monster? He's probably stronger than all the Four Guaridans combined! Only a Fonuder of the Horned would stand a chance against him! Are you going to get Founder Arista to come back?"

"Nope, I'm going to crush him myself," Howard nodded his head and pointed down the tunnel. "Now, go see your wife and decide if you want to leave or not. Even if I have to fight all of them myself! I'll do it!"

Bermenthol felt something inside of him crack before he briskly rushed away from Howard. He wiped a tear off his eye and made his way towards his wife's tent. When he walked inside, he noticed Virgil's two family members had been killed. 

"The bastard killed his own family first? What a sick bastard!" Bermenthol slammed his hands into the floor. "Damn it! And 300 more monsters are on their way here! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry Howard but we have to leave! You'll have to fight him by yourself."

"You're not going anywhere," Bermenthol's wife came up to him and slapped him in the face. "Howard just saved us! Now be a man and go out there and save us all! Do you hear me?!"

Bermenthol looked up his wife's neck which had a large abrasion on it of a hand and started to cry. He immediately embraced her with all his might and felt his heat merge with hers. 

"I-I don't think we can even escape, honey. The Jarkales are known from attacking on all sides. I-I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry I wasn't strong enough!"

"Get stronger," His wife kissed him once on the cheek. "However, before that, I think there might be two more men in here who were working with Virgil. Do you think you or Howard can find them?"

"I'm about to," Bermenthol turned and looked at the dozens of civilians in white armor slowly getting untied by his daughter. "Virgil only had 10 friends. I'm sure 2 of them are right here in front of us!"