Chapter 219: Soleil, The Flower That Blooms In The Battlefield

A golden spear appeared in William's hand that shone brightly in the night. From the handle, up to the tip of its blade, everything was golden. If William didn't know better, he would think that Soleil was simply a mythical weapon meant for showing off. But he knew, with utmost certainty, that the spear, that was slowly getting hot in his hands, was a weapon of mass destruction.

"Let's go, Mama."

"Meeeeh!"

Ella jumped off the town wall and a portal of light opened up behind William's back. 

Thirteen Angorian War Ibex emerged from it and formed a protective circle around Ella and William. 

"Blergh! Trollhounds," Psoglav, who had just emerged from the portal, spat in disdain. "Disgusting!"

"Don't whine, you still owe me from the cores of the Werehyenas." William snorted at his demonic "Business Partner".

"Fine." Psoglav glanced at the direction of the Titanic Trollhound that was fighting in the distance. "But, I ain't touching that thing."

William nodded his head in understanding. He knew that Psoglav wouldn't do anything that could potentially harm its own life. This was one of the rules that they had established when they made their business deal.

The Angorian War Ibexes were like little children that had found new toys to play with. They kicked, tackled, and sent the Trollhounds flying wherever they went.

Of course, they didn't just "play". They kept their formation steady because they were completely outnumbered. The only reason why they were able to overwhelm their opponents was due to the difference in ranks.

Even the few dozen Class D Trollhounds stayed away from the War Ibexes who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started their rampage.

At first, William planned to start a massacre, to thin the ranks of the Trollhounds. However, for some reason, something in him was preventing him from going through with his plan. This was a very weird feeling, because this was the first time that it happened to him. 

It was as if he was an adult that was about to bully babies which made him feel confused. 

While William was still deciding what to do, a notification suddenly appeared on his status screen.

-----

< Ding! >

< Special Quest Acquired! >

< Defeat the Titanic Green-Scaled Trollhound >

-- The Trollhound Horde will disperse after its leader is defeated.

-- Reward: 2,000 God Points

-----

William frowned as he looked at the battle of the Titanic Trollhound and the Fire Elemental in the distance. 

From what he could see, the Titanic Trollhound had the upper hand and the Fire Elemental was on the defensive. This didn't bode well for them because the Fire Elemental was the strongest ally they had that could faceoff against the biggest threat on the battlefield.

William then shifted his attention to Philip who was now leaning on the ramparts. With a glance, he could tell that he was nearing his limit.

Soleil, that was being held in William's hand, was no longer golden in color, but was completely dark red. Like steel that had been soaked in flames, by the blacksmith, it was nearing its limit before its might could be unleashed.

'Ten more minutes,' William thought as he observed the battlefield. 

Because of his presence, the Trollhounds' attack completely stopped. None of them dared to move forward because Psoglav and the Angorian Ibexes were too strong for them to handle. Also, they felt that their strength was halved under William's presence. 

What William didn't know was that his Shepherd Job Class had a deterrent effect when fighting against certain creatures that fell under the Shepherd's protection. Only Beasts with Demonic or Dark Properties, would be able to resist this "debuff" that was radiating from William's body.

This was also why the Alpha Hipogriffs, and the Centaurs, didn't want to get into a conflict with William. They could tell that they would be greatly weakened if they tried to fight against the heir of their Eternal Guardian.

(A/N: Although dogs belong to a pack, they were a Shepherd's trusted companion, which also made them vulnerable to William's Job Class.)

Trollhounds were not demonic, or dark creatures. They were beasts that were born from the fusion of alchemical troll blood and wild dogs. This new and ferocious breed gained the power of regeneration, and resistance to almost everything except fire and acid.

The Trollhounds growled at William, and his party, but made no further movements to attack. This made the defenders on the wall sigh in relief as they looked at their Guard Captain for his next order.

"Standby, but keep your crossbows loaded," Mark ordered.

Amelia had an anxious expression as she used spirit magic to help her father keep the Elemental Summon on the battlefield. 

After weighing the pros and cons, William decided that he had no other choice but to show one of his trump cards to end the battle.

"Lord Philip, can you sacrifice the Fire Elemental to summon a Solar Flare?" William asked. He knew that time was crucial and every second counted.

"I can," Philip replied. "However, the Fire Elemental will immediately disappear after that."

As a Pyromancer he could, at most, use Solar Flare twice a day. However, he had already summoned a Fire Elemental and his magic was almost depleted. In order to perform William's request, he would need to order the Fire Elemental to use its ultimate move and burn itself until nothing was left. 

This would send the Fire Elemental back to its Elemental Plane where it would stay for some time to regain its strength.

"Amelia, you are a Wind Spirit user, right? Can you bestow someone the power of flight?" William inquired. He was hoping that Amelia was skilled enough to use this support ability. 

"Yes, but it will only last for ten minutes," Amelia answered.

"That is more than enough. Please cast your flight spell on the Fire Elemental," William ordered. "Lord Philip, command the Fire Elemental to fly as high as it can while hugging the Titanic Trollhound!"

Amelia and the Baron nodded as they used their magic power to carry out William's orders.

Soon, the angry howls of the Titanic Trollhound reverberated in the night as the Fire Elemental rose slowly in the air. It only stopped when it reached three kilometers above the ground. 

"Now!" William shouted.

Philip clenched his fist as he gathered the last dregs of magic power in his body.

"Solar Flare!" Philip opened his hands to unleash one of the strongest spells he could cast with his current level of power.

A dazzling light erupted in the night sky that momentarily turned night into day. It only lasted for a brief moment because the radiance was immediately absorbed by the spear in William's hand that was burning like molten lava. 

Without the Fire Elemental holding onto it, the Titanic Trollhound fell from the sky with black smoke coming out of its body. Even though the Sun Flare lasted for only a few seconds, it still dealt grievous injuries to the ferocious beast. However, due to its strong regeneration ability, it's injuries were slowly getting better as it fell down from three kilometers above the ground.

"Bloom in the battlefield!" William roared. "Fleur Du Soleil!"

William threw the Mythical Spear towards the Titanic Trollhound with deadly accuracy. The moment the spear embedded itself on the monster's chest, a powerful explosion similar to a small nuclear missile sent shockwaves on both the sky and the ground.

After the explosion ended, a beautiful flower bloomed and illuminated the night sky. Although it was not bright enough to turn the night into day, like the Solar Flare, it still could be seen for many miles around the Barony of Bradford.

The defenders on the ramparts had already been blown away by the blast, including the Trollhounds on the ground. Fortunately, Amelia managed to cast a windshield to neutralize the shockwave and kept her father from being blown away by the impact.

The father and daughter pair looked at the radiant flower in the sky in awe and admiration. Philip felt a tingle ran down his spine as he looked at the youth that had unleashed that unbelievable display of power. 

If he had any misgivings about William being the Knight Commander of the Kingdom, all of them were erased by the deadly flower that illuminated the sky of his barony. 

William raised his hand and a shining golden spear flew down from the sky to appear before him. It then transformed into a golden ring and returned to his right ring finger. The red-headed boy looked at the flower in the sky, before shifting his attention to the Baron of Bradford.

Philip looked back at William and nodded his head. 

It was his way of thanking William and acknowledging his mistake in underestimating his abilities. He should have known better. The King wouldn't appoint someone who was not qualified to become the Commander of a Knight Order that served directly under him.