Chapter 135: I Want To Fight

’Total peace?’

Had Kazi mentioned that before? That was…quite the dream. He exchanged looks with Marta, who seemed equally surprised. ’Didn’t Azrael say that the wishes couldn’t be too whacky? World peace, I mean…that does sound like something that would upset world balance.’

Although maybe Kazi had asked already and she approved of it. In that case, then maybe it was possible…?

“Haha, interesting! Very interesting, Kazi Hossain!” Exhaling through his mouth, Nikolai also dropped his guard. “I give up today, but! Do not expect that to happen next time! I will defeat you one day!”

“Giving up?” William asked, confused.

“One must know their limits to break them. Someday, I will return and challenge you again. You have my word.” Overcome with exhaustion, Nikolai fell on his butt. “I dislike players with no ambitions. It is such a waste of humanity. All of us died. Some horrifically, some sorrowfully. But it doesn’t matter—we have all left behind our old world. It is the past. I believe we should all seize this change, this White Abyss, no matter how our old life ended. We all now know there is an after in life and we should pursue it to the end! Don’t you agree!?”

Another small look between William and Marta. Neither of them quite agreed with that sentiment. It seemed too encompassing. He wasn’t sure how Kazi or Marta or Nikolai died, but he refused to believe they didn’t have some regrets. Everybody had regrets. Everybody would want to restart their life with the knowledge they had now, no matter how much they lied that they wouldn’t.

’I know I do.’

Kazi wore a small smile. “Maybe,” he said.

’Is it just me or does he look…sad?’ William shook his head. ’No, I must be imagining it.’

He couldn’t begin to imagine Kazi failing tremendously like some normal person. He was above all that. Too smart, too well-composed, and too kind to experience hardship. William was sure if he had met Kazi back then that his life would have gone very differently.

So differently…

***

The morning sun arrived and coloured the valley. He slept surprisingly well. The bruises Nikolai gave him withered away by the time Kazi handed him a sleeping bag. The local soldiers were astonished by the entrapment—and no, he wasn’t referring to their ability to get stuff from their ability, it was the sleeping bags. They didn’t dare lay in it but they were curious about it. Poking it and checking to see what it did.

It was hilarious. They thought it was a power-up station. A place where the magically-inclined slept in to maintain their connection with God.

Thirty minutes remained till the next battle. Jules and Matty, who had secluded themselves away from them, reintroduced themselves as part of the group.

“I’m worried,” Marta said. “A one v. two? It’s too good to be true.”

When Goliath declared he was worth two men, he meant that literally. He challenged them to fight him with two people. The question was: who would be fighting?

“I’ll go!” Kazi said.

“Yeah, let’s send in Kazi,” William said.

“Agreed,” Ksenia added.

Kazi blinked. “Wait, that was a joke, why is no one trying to stop me? Are you not worried for me?”

“Nope.”

“Not really.”

There was a bit of a chuckle, yet some sincerity too. Ksenia might have had a grudge but everyone else truly believed he would be okay. Why wouldn’t he? So far, he hadn’t lost a fight.

Kazi laughed it off. “Okay, but seriously, let’s exclude me. I think if we want to maximize for future rounds, we should send—”

“Is there any among you longing for a worthy battle!?” Goliath’s roar burst into the world. The Israelite soldiers tensed and the front lines were once again filled. The players didn’t have time, they needed to talk to King Saul.

“Warriors sent by God.” King Saul’s voice rumbled upon their appearance. “What have you decided?”

His royal eyes lingered on Marta, as if expecting her to volunteer. She didn’t. The one to come forward was—

“I, Nikolai, will serve!”

William smiled at his enthusiasm. Of course he wanted to fight. He was a man of hopeless improvement. A man that, in all honesty, William admired. He didn’t seem to hide his frustration. He didn’t fake himself or what he wanted. He went for it without looking back.

Ksenia was the same. “I will fight—!”

William wanted to be like that. He wanted to show off his powers with pride. He wanted to be proud of himself. He summoned his axe and interjected Ksenia. “No, I want to fight,” he declared to the king. “My name is William Martin, sir. I will be the man to defeat Goliath.”

*****

“The Great Noble Families. The Imperial Sect. The Demonic Sect. The Alhambra Guardians. The Asuras. When you think of power, you think of groups and gods. Rarely do you think of individuals.

My own family. The Main House of Yamato, the Minamoto Branch Clan, and the Taira Branch Clan. I cannot keep count of how many have supported my Eternal Empire.

Yet not a single one of them has achieved Ascension.

My sons, my grandsons, my great-grandsons.

Me.

None have been able to reach Ascendency.

To achieve Ascension means to stand amongst the top. To be so powerful that you disregard all that it is in front of you. To be one with the System and become a human deity. On record, only four players in the history of the Heavenly Games have achieved Ascension. The affects of it are vague yet it is understood that it bolsters the player’s powers to undeterminable heights.

From my brief talks and observation with the Kingslayer, as brief and violent as they were, it appears that the health and mana per minute stat is irrelevant. Ascended players can control and activate it per second rather than per minute. Moreover, even after losing the System, they get to keep their skills. That’s right, Ascended players – unlike all other players – get to KEEP the skills they’ve been honing. Lucky Break, Super Speed, whatever it is, no matter the logic, it is with them now.

It is why the Kingslayer dominated the eras after him. It is why he is the strongest.

That does beg the question: will there be a fifth Ascendency?”

– Excerpt from the private journal of the Eternal Emperor, 121 HE

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