Chapter 888 - Lightning Thief
"I will kill you!" Dias roared as he raised his hand to retrieve the Red Lightning-bolt that was still at war with Mjolnir above the heavens.
After hearing its Master's call, the Red Lightning bolt reluctantly returned to its owner. Mjolnir danced in the sky as if saying that it was the winner of their match before flying back to aid William in his battle.
After retrieving his weapon, Dias dived into the sea to clean the filth off his body. He never felt so humilated in his entire life, and this time, he was feeling murderous.
He knew that the other Gods were spectating in his battle, so the shame he felt was multiplied tenfold. Right now, the only thing he wanted to do was to kill William and feast on his blood.
"You have successfully angered me!" Dias roared as he rose towards the sky. Thunder and lightning crackled around his body which showed how truly angry he was.
William scoffed at the God who was spouting b*llsh*t.
Like bruh, dafuk? You've been angry at me from the start. Making you angrier wouldn't make a difference!
"Don't worry, there's more where that came from," William pointed his chamberpot at the arrogant God, which made the latter wince subconsciously. "Come at me Bruh, or I'll come at you!"
The Half-Elf held a chamberpot in his right hand, while Mjolnir hovered beside him. Clearly, the Divine Weapon had no intention of letting William touch it for the time being unless he properly washed his hands.
William felt Mjolnir's reluctance to be held by him, so he didn't force the issue.
Just as the two warriors were about to duke it out again, William suddenly felt his strength leaving his body. It was at that moment when he realized that his Heroic Avatar's duration had finally ended.
'S-Sh*t!' William had completely forgotten that his Heroic Avatar had a cooldown.
He could only watch helplessly as the Red Lightning-bolt pierced through his body, sending him flying for thousands of meters in the sky, with his blood trailing the heavens.
It was truly an unexpected development that even Dias, who had expected William to resist his attack, was caught by surprise.
Wiliam could feel a searing pain in his body as the red-lightning bolt dragged him about without mercy. As if leaves were falling from a tree, the Half-Elf saw his life pass before his eyes.
Images of his childhood, family, his journey, battles, his wives and lovers, appeared in front of him.
'No… this cannot end here…' William thought as he gritted his teeth. 'I will not let it end here!'
The red-headed teenager grabbed the Red Lightning bolt with both of his hands. Red lightning crackled into his entire body, tearing his flesh, but the Half-Elf endured it and held on.
"I will not fall here!" William roared. "I will not be defeated here!"
William used every fiber of his being in order to pull the Red Lightning bolt that had pierced through his body out.
Blood started to pour from his hands, dying the Red Lightning bolt with the color of his mortality. Centimeter, by painful centimeter, William roared as he pulled out the weapon that was sticking out of his chest.
His blood trailed behind him, making him feel light-headed, but he knew that he must persevere no matter what.
Just as his eye-sight was starting to turn blurry, a notification sound broke through the haze in his mind.
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William's eyes glowed with power as he forcefully absorbed the power of the red-lightning bolt inside his body.
One of the ways to level up a Job Class was to meet its requirements. For example, the Sun Knight Job Class would only increase its level if Wiliam allowed himself to be bathed in sunlight.
Right now, the red-lightning bolt was like a super-charged battery that was being greedily absorbed by William's body in order to heal the injuries that it had received from it earlier.
This time, the Half-Elf no longer tried to pull out the Red Lightning bolt, but simply held it in place. How could he possibly let something precious escape his grasp?
—---
—-
Several notifications appeared nonstop in William's Status Page as the Red Lightning bolt he was holding slowly shrank. Although its power was still overwhelming, it no longer dealt any damage to William's body.
In fact, the Red Lightning bolt was doing its best to free itself from William's hold. If earlier, the Half-Elf was doing its best to pull it out, now, the Red Lightning bolt was trying to pry itself out of William's body on its own accord!
Even so, the red-headed teenager was no fool. This was a golden opportunity to reach the Max Job Level of his Thunder Emperor Job Class, so he wouldn't let his battery go until he had drained it completely.
As if sensing his weapon's distress, Dias snapped out of his daze and flew after William turning into a Red Lightning.
The Half-Elf sneered at the pursuing God, as he, too, transformed into a golden lightning bolt that flew towards the horizon.
A grand chase that spanned the entire world commenced with William and Dias traveling at the speed of lightning. They had circled the world several times over, making the spectating Gods scratch their heads in helplessness.
"Return it to me, you lightning thief!" Dias shouted in frustration. "If you do, I will forget everything that happened today."
William ignored the handsome man's shout and juiced the Red Lightning bolt, until it reverted to its original size.
Only after the final confirmation that his Thunder Emperor reached its Max Level did Wiliam stop his escape. He floated in the sky facing the God that had tried to kill him several times, over something that he couldn't remember.
The Red Lightning bolt had lost its luster, and its color was now lighter. However, it didn't stop its efforts to free itself from William's body.
It was like a wriggling snake in Wiliam's hand, that couldn't break itself free because it was being held in a vice grip.
"Return it to me, now!" Dias said in a threatening manner.
"And if I refuse?" William replied.
Dias was about to say that he would kill him, but stopped short because he had already tried and failed in doing so.
"What do you want?" Dias asked. He could tell that if the Half-Elf wished for it, he could drain the powers of his lightning bolt until it ceased to exist.
It was the handsome man's most powerful weapon, and he didn't want it to be destroyed in the hands of the red-headed teenager that was on the verge of driving him insane.
"Blood," William replied. "Lots of it."
Dias frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I want to drink the blood of others," William replied. "The Nymphs would do nicely. Don't worry, I will only drink some of their blood.
"There will be no lasting damage to their bodies. You already saw it earlier, right? I'm just a mortal and I lost so much blood. If I don't replenish it soon, I might just use this lightning bolt as an alternative to recover my strength."
Dias frown deepened. Although there were monsters that drank the blood of mortals to live, he didn't expect the Half-Elf to demand that he be given the blood of the Nymphs that served under him.
"Fine, but give me the lightning bolt first," Dias stated. "I will let you drink your fill afterwards."
William shook his head. "Make an oath first. Only after you finish making your oath will I agree to this trade."
"Don't push your luck, Mortal."
"Alright. Say goodbye to your weapon then."
William sneered as he absorbed the power of the struggling lightning bolt in his hands. Although he had already reached the Max Level of his Thunder Emperor Prestige Class, that didn't mean that he couldn't continue to absorb the Red Lightning bolt's power.
Seeing that his weapon was at its last legs, Dias was forced to make an oath using his name.
He stared at William with bloodshot eyes, while the latter returned his gaze calmly.
"Here you go," William tossed the not-so-Red Lightning bolt to its owner who held it firmly in his hands.
Dias panted heavily as he forced himself to regain his calm. He then gave William one last death-glare before flying back to his residence.
The Half-Elf trailed behind him with a smile, but deep inside he was really nearing his limit. He had lost a lot of blood during the battle, and if he didn't drink some soon, he might enter a state of bloodthirst, which would make him lose control of his senses.
That was how the battle between William and Dias ended. Although the Half-Elf got the upper hand, it was only due to the help of every ability in his arsenal.
Without the Heroic Avatar and Mjolnir, he would have definitely suffered a world of pain under Dias' fury.
With his goal of breaking through finally achieved, William would spend two days in Dias' residence to recuperate, surrounded by the Nymphs who became addicted to having their blood sucked out by the handsome Half-Elf, who would be leaving their world in a few days' time.