William had awakened.
Awakening was the first true step toward becoming a Transcendent. It was the moment when the human body began to evolve, truly evolve, transcending the limits of mortality. But reaching that state typically took years, even decades, of relentless training and tempering.
William had no such luxury. He didn't have a moment to adjust to his new state. Two more demonic beasts were already trying to slip past him.
He couldn't allow that.
Unbothered by the blood spraying across his body, he raised his greatsword and decapitated the nearest beast in one swift motion. It had already been bleeding profusely from an earlier wound, but William wasn't about to take any chances. He remembered all too well the phantom strike from the wraith back in the village.
Before the other two demonic beasts could reach Isabella, William had already positioned himself between them. The beasts halted their advance but didn't retreat either. William stood firm. With his newfound vigor and strength, he was confident he could defeat both creatures. But he couldn't leave his daughter unprotected.
The beasts circled, keeping their distance but refusing to back down. William understood their tactic, they were stalling. Blocking his escape. Even with his Awakening, he wasn't faster than them. Not yet. His body was still the same weathered, battle-worn frame it had always been. The Awakening had granted him strength that would have been impossible otherwise, strength befitting a warrior at the peak of the Initiate stage. But his body hadn't yet caught up to his power.
He was in a pinch. He couldn't run. He couldn't wait.
Before he could think of a solution, two more beasts appeared in the distance.
Now truly desperate, William made a decision. He had to escape, even if it meant turning his back. If he carried Isabella in his arms, at least she might survive. He had no choice.
But the moment he turned, the two beasts lunged,one from the left, the other from the right.
He was forced to abandon his escape and defend.
Before he knew it, he was surrounded. More demonic beasts caught up to him. Two, then four, then five. Their aim was clear. They didn't even care about their own survival. Only William stood as the last barrier between Isabella and the monsters.
He was like a lone lion shielding his cub from a pack of ravenous hyenas. A weary lion, newly awakened and tired. Or perhaps a towering rhinoceros facing a pride of lions, not limitless in strength, but overflowing with courage and determination.
These were no cowardly scavengers afterall. They were as ferocious as apex predators.
All five surrounded him, refusing to give him a moment's reprieve. They harassed him relentlessly. William's stamina was nearly spent, he had sprinted across terrain and fought a demonic tiger already. Without the Awakening, he wouldn't have lasted a second. Even now, their relentless attacks was draining him rapidly.
They attacked him from different directions. He had to give everything he had just to keep them at bay. Isabella was still safe, her back pressed against a massive boulder, while William defended her front. He had moved closer, now only few steps away from her, to better defend her. With wide, sweeping strikes of his greatsword, he kept the beasts at bay. With his enhanced strength, a direct hit might be fatal.
But he couldn't keep this up. He couldn't outlast them. His only hope was that John and Telo could arrive before it was too late.
They should be close, he thought.
But his thoughts were derailed as two beasts charged again, one from the left, one from the right. He gave his all to repel them, but before he could even recover, a sixth beast lunged from behind, leaping over the boulder, directly toward Isabella.
William barely registered it.
"NOOOOOO!"
An inhumane roared escaped his mouth. His body reacted, moving twice as fast, but it wasn't enough. He was still entangled with the beasts in front. He could only watch, from the corner of his eye, as the creature's claws reached for his daughter's neck.
Then, woosh.
A sharp, cutting sound split the air.
The beast froze midair. Its trajectory shifted. It collapsed, landing on Isabella's legs, limp and lifeless.
She was unharmed.
The creature convulsed once, then went still. An arrow had pierced cleanly through its left ear and exited its right eye.
William swung his blade, but the beasts in front managed to deflect it, suffering only minor injuries. Before he could strike again, four more arrows fell in rapid succession. Each one struck a beast directly. They never had a chance to react.
The final beast turned to flee.
William lunged.
The creature stumbled. With one mighty swing, William severed both its front limbs. A follow-up strike ended its life.
Silence fell.
He didn't understand what had just happened, but he wasn't about to question a miracle.
He rushed to Isabella. Her lower body was beneath the sixth beast, soaked in blood, but she was unharmed. Alive.
He scanned the clearing, expecting to see a group of soldiers—but there was no one. The clearing was wide, open. There was nowhere to hide. No one in sight.
Had he imagined it?
No. The arrows were real, too fast, too precise for an ordinary archer. The beast's body still layed around him, proving that.They had to be magically enhanced. Killing demonic beasts in a single shot was impossible for anyone else.
Then he noticed them.
Warhorses. Dozens Of them. Thundering across the valley toward him across the valley.
Atari City's garrison?
Yes. It made sense.
Before he could fully grasp what was happening, another arrow landed in front of him. This time, he saw it clearly, it came from the same direction as the warhorses. A small note was tied to its shaft.
He unrolled it. It read
***
"Stay exactly where you are.
With a clear line of sight, I can protect you from here.
I've dispatched my garrison.
They'll escort you to the outpost."
—City Lord
Jofra Archer
Atari city
***
Of course. The deadly precision. The overwhelming power.
Only one man could make those shots.
The Transcendent Lord. Jofra Archer.
The Archer Transcendent.
William had never imagined meeting him here.
His determination had saved his daughter. His struggle had not been in vain. She was safe now. Even if the Dark Lord himself came, he would never lay a hand on her, not with a Transcendent guarding her.
William's legs finally gave out.
The stress, the fatigue, the blood, it all came crashing down at once.
He sat down, Isabella still in his arms. Deliberately, he chose the most prominent spot in the clearing, giving the Archer Lord a clear line of sight.
And there he waited, as the warhorses drew closer.