Chapter 322: The Shepherd Versus The Celestial Army [Part 1]

“Eve!”

William shouted as he reached out his hands to hug his beloved little cousin. That is when he awoke from his dream

Out of nowhere, the image of Eve’s crying face appeared inside his mind, which prompted him to wake up from his dreamless sleep. 

The Half Elf immediately stood up and scanned his surroundings. He was feeling restless and something was urging him to take action as soon as he could. It was currently nighttime within the Heavenly Domain, and countless stars twinkled in the Heavens.

Not far from him, Zhu and Sha sat on a log. Zhu stirred the campfire that he had made, and waited for the fish Sha caught earlier to finish cooking.

William had passed out after releasing Zhu from the Golden Cube to keep his promise. He didn’t know that Zhu had acted of his own accord and brought him to the edge of the twelfth trial, where the million strong Celestial Army, that guarded that Heavenly Gate, stood.

“You’re finally awake, Oink!” Zhu said after hearing William’s shout. “Oink. Are you hungry? The fish are almost cooked.”

Sha glanced in the boy’s direction before closing his eyes to meditate. Since he had lost to William, he wanted to see how the boy would be able to cross this last hurdle and reach the Heavenly Gate in order to clear this trial. 

William nodded and said his thanks to Zhu before sitting on the log opposite the two Demonic Guardians. 

He stared at the bonfire as he recalled the sad expression on Eve’s face. It was so heartbreaking that William wanted to go to Lont as soon as possible to check on her condition.

“It’s cooked,” Zhu announced. “Here, have one.”

The Pig Demon handed the grilled fish to William, before grabbing another to pass to his friend Sha. After he had given each of them a piece, he grabbed the five remaining fish and ate them hungrily.

William didn’t say anything and just absentmindedly bit into the grilled fish in his hand. He was still thinking about his little cousin and wondered if what he saw was really a dream or reality.

The three of them ate in silence. Only the crackling sounds of the bonfire and Zhu’s chewing could be heard within their small camp.

Half an hour later, William raised his head to look at the Pig Demon that was currently smoking on a pipe. Based on their surroundings, the Half-Elf realized that they were no longer in the desert where they had fought earlier.

As if reading his thoughts, Zhu removed the pipe from his lips and blew a puff of smoke towards the red-headed boy.

“We are currently at the boundaries of the Heavenly Gate. Oink!” Zhu stated. “You see that small shrine over there? That is the teleport gate that will take you to the Elysian Fields. It is also the final battlefield that you need to overcome in order to leave the Heavenly Domain.”

“Thank you for the information, but can you tell me more?” William inquired. “I noticed that each trial’s difficulty increased the closer I traveled to the Heavenly Gate. Honestly, if I didn’t use any underhanded tricks, I would not have been able to defeat the two of you. What is the final trial like?”

Zhu glanced at the meditating Sha behind him and tapped the Sand Demon’s shoulder. 

Sha sighed as he opened his eyes to look at William. “The last trial is finding a way to reach the Heavenly Gate that is protected by the Celestial Army. Mind you, this army is numbered in the millions. If you don’t have any tricks that will allow you to sneak through the Heavenly Gates unnoticed, you will have no choice but to fight your way through.”

William frowned as he pondered the difficulty of his last mission. He had already formulated a plan in his mind, but he didn’t know if it was applicable. The only methods he could use were the skills that he had learned in his “Quick Shot Shepherd Job Class”. 

He had tried to activate the “Heroic Avatar” skill many times during his trials, but no Immortal Hero seemed interested in lending their hand to help him. 

Feeling restless, William walked towards the shrine that would take him to the Elysian Fields. However, he didn’t enter it right away.

He sat cross legged in front of it and meditated. William would wait until morning before entering the shrine when his mental strength had reached its peak. 

Zhu and Sha watched him from a distance. They had discussed during their journey, while carrying the sleeping William, that they would go with the boy to the Elysian Fields to see how he would fare against the Celestial Army.

They wanted to see, with their own eyes, if the boy that had beaten the two of them would be able to create a miracle.

—–

“Does he have any chances of winning without a Heroic Hero stepping in to help him?” Lily asked. 

David played with his beard as he looked at the meditating boy from his palace. “I don’t know. Although I believe in William, the chances of him succeeding this trial without any outside interference is very low.”

Lily nodded before looking at Issei, who was seated beside her. “How about you? Do you think he will be able to clear this trial?”

“Even if he is able to use the power of our two Divinities, his chances are next to impossible,” Issei answered. “Right now, he can only use the power of our Divinities and his Shepherd Class. I believe that David wants him to explore and experiment with new techniques by relying solely on the abilities we bestowed upon him.”

Lily nodded and secretly glanced at David before whispering in Issei’s ears. “Should we pull some strings and bribe one of those Immortal Heroes to become William’s Heroic Spirit?”

“You shouldn’t do that,” David reprimanded the loli that sat beside him. “Karma also plays a role in the fate of an individual. I believe that William’s determination will be able to reach his destined guardian. Let Fate play its course. Forceful intervention might give an outcome that none of us want to see.”

Lily sighed and tossed her idea aside. David was right. Karma also played a role in a person’s Fate. He just hoped that the Karma that William had accumulated in his previous lifetime would be enough to move the hearts of the Immortal Warriors that were currently watching over his trial.

——

A few minutes before sunrise, William opened his eyes and carefully stood up from the ground. He did some light stretching and summoned the wooden staff in his hand. After taking a deep breath, he touched the shrine in front of him.

A small ripple appeared in the place where his hand had landed. Soon Wiliam’s body was sucked inside the shrine. Seeing that the boy had already left for his trial, Zhu and Sha hurried towards the shrine.

“Brother, Let’s go. Oink!” Zhu said. “It has been a while since I’ve seen the Celestial Army. My hands are starting to itch.”

“Mmm,” Sha hummed as he placed his hand over the shrine. 

——

William stood on a vast plain.

In front of him was a towering mountain where thousands of flags fluttered in the air. Warriors that numbered in the millions looked at him with a serene gaze. 

They were the soldiers that protected the Heavenly Gate from any trespasser who dared to try and leave the domain.

William planted his wooden staff on the ground and aimed its tip at the center of the Giant Gate that stood in the middle of the towering mountain.

William braced himself and executed the plan that he had thought of while meditating. He was going to try it for the first time and he didn’t know if it was going to work or not. Even so, he didn’t hesitate and went ahead with his plan. 

This was the last hurdle that stood in his way, and William would not allow anything to stand in his way!

William glared at the Celestial Army in the distance as he channeled his Aura in his wooden staff. 

“Quick Shot War Art…”

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