William spat blood as he was pushed away by the recoil of his last attack. Although the "Quick Shot War Arts" were quite powerful. He still hadn't thought of a good way to withstand the recoils of his stronger attacks.
Also, the more powerful attacks drained his stamina drastically everytime he fired a round. Now, he understood why one of the attributes that he gained from acquiring the Job Class was an increase in his stamina by 200%
With his current strength, he could only fire Railgun and Howitzer four to five times using his original body, before running completely dry. Although the body he was using was strong, it was still only a replica and didn't have his natural attributes.
'I need to find a Job Class that is sturdy enough and has increased stamina recovery,' William thought as he gasped for breath while lying face up.
His body was aching all over and he couldn't even lift his hand to prop himself up.
It was at that moment when a shadow loomed over his body. Sha, the Sand Demon, stood a few meters away from him. William glanced at his opponent's body. There were no signs of the damage that he had caused during their clash.
"You won," Sha said after a full minute of silence. "As promised I will let you pass."
William sighed in his heart and used his thoughts to control the golden cube in his pocket. The Demonic Pig, Zhu, appeared beside William and looked at him with a complicated gaze.
After giving a snort, Zhu picked up William like a sack of rice and carried him on his shoulder.
"Be grateful, Oink!" Zhu commented as he walked in the direction of the last Trial that William was about to take. "I will carry you until we reach the end of this desert. Oink! However, I won't help you fight against the Celestial Guards that protect the Heavenly Gate. You are on your own. Oink!"
"Thank you," William sleepily replied.
This was another downside to using the Quick Shot War Arts, it made him sleepy now that his stamina had been completely drained from his body.
Sha glanced at the sleeping boy that was being carried by his friend towards the Heavenly Gate. He hesitated for a brief moment before deciding to follow behind Zhu.
As one of the Great Generals that once served the Jade Emperor, he knew how formidable the Celestial Guards were.
He wanted to tell William that reaching the Gate was impossible in his current state. Why? Because the Celestial Guards that guarded it were a million strong.
Not only that, the bulk of this army was composed of Gold Rank Fighters. There were also thousands of Platinum, and Mithril Rank Warriors. What was worse was that there were also a dozen Adamantium Ranks that served as commanders for this massive army.
Clearly, William didn't stand a chance of fighting them all, even if Zhu and Sha were to help him battle.
Zhu also thought this way, so he felt generous and decided to bring William to his last trial, so the boy could see the impossible mission he was trying to complete.
------
After the conclusion of the battle, the King finally moved his winecup towards his lips to take a sip. The battle hadn't progressed how he thought it would due to William's "unique" way of fighting.
The King was amused by the Half-Elf's battle strategy. He could tell that William was proficient in close and ranged combat. However, the ability to use Aura to manifest his unique abilities piqued the King's interest.
The other Immortal Heroes chatted with each other. Watching William fight was like watching a T.V show for them. They found his struggles interesting, especially after watching him clear the trials one by one.
Of course, there were others that were looking forward to his despair when he fully understood the next challenge he was about to face.
What William didn't know was that the trial also had a special meaning. There were certain individuals with strong Will Powers that died in their worlds. These souls refused to enter the Cycle of Reincarnation the natural way.
Since that was the case, the Heavenly Domain was made to give these souls a chance to prove their worth. Any soul that was able to clear the trials and reach the Heavenly Gate would be allowed entry into the Temple of the Gods where they could choose a Patron God and receive their blessings.
What happened to the souls that were unable to clear the Trial? Simple. They were dragged by the Celestial Army out of the Heavenly Domain and tossed into the Cycle of Reincarnation, where their memories would be erased. This was done so they could live their new lives without having any attachments to their previous one.
William was unaware of this rule because David didn't tell him.
The God of Shepherds planned this whole thing because he believed that William would be able to overcome this obstacle. This was why he had asked Lily to "smuggle" a part of William's soul to the Temple and store it inside a vessel.
Also, David wanted William's soul to be bathed with Divine Energy so that when he returned to his world, he would immediately regain consciousness. This way, William wouldn't need to spend a few months in a comatose condition, which was detrimental considering the current situation of his Kingdom.
As much as possible. David wanted William to regain his ability to fight for the sake of the people that were important to him.
'I believe in you, Will,' David thought as he glanced at the countless Immortal Heroes that were watching William's trial. He hoped that one of them would lend him their hand and bestow upon him the power of the "Heroic Avatar".
This way, William would have another trump card that he could use when he fought against an opponent that he couldn't defeat with his current strength.
If one were to classify the Heroic Heroes, who were protecting the Temple of the Gods, all of them could be compared to beasts that were at the peak of the Millennial Rank.
'You don't have much time, Will,' David thought as he looked at Ravenlord Citadel. The defenders of the Citadel were in the middle of an intense battle against the Aenasha Dynasty. The million Ant reinforcements had arrived, and both sides were wholeheartedly slaughtering each other, painting the battlefield with the color of their blood.