System's POV

Chapter 1413: The Weight Of Countless Worlds [Part 1]

Countless Fire Bullets shot toward Thirteen, leaving him no place to escape or hide.

But he remained calm and simply waved his hand in a slashing downward motion.

Several shields hovering in the air flew to him, timely blocking the Fire Bullets.

The Trial of Valhalla was fair to both those who possessed magical skills and those who didn’t.

The weapons hanging in the air could be manipulated through sheer will and mind power.

Even without spells, as long as Thirteen had enough mental power, he could wield those weapons as if they were an extension of his body and use them at will!

"Two can play that game," Thirteen said when the barrage of Fire Bullets ended.

Several spears and halberds rained upon the Half-Elf, who only smirked at his opponent’s resourcefulness.

"You’re well aware of the rules of this trial, huh?" William stated before swinging his spear to deflect the weapons fired in his direction. "Have you fought in this trial before? Are you also an Einherjar?"

"Of course," Thirteen replied. "In fact, my name is William Pendragon."

"You really like courting death, huh?" William once again activated his flash step, appearing only a meter away from his opponent.

Behind him, dozens of Fire Bullets floated, as if merely waiting for his command to attack. He then thrust his spear toward Thirteen’s chest.

Since the teenage boy’s skills and abilities were currently sealed by the shackles binding him, he did the only thing he could do at that moment.

He charged forward, meeting the spearthrust head on.

Thirteen was more worried about the Fire Bullets than William’s spear, so to prevent him from firing the spells up close, he decided to cross the distance between them.

His daggers collided with the tip of William’s spear, barely pushing it to the side in order to deflect it.

But he wasn’t able to deflect it completely. The blade of the spear grazed Thirteen’s cheek, leaving a trail of blood behind.

He then followed up with a knee-strike, but William had also unleashed a knee-strike of his own.

Both of their knees clashed against each other, canceling each other’s attack completely.

But Thirteen’s weapons were daggers. It was meant for close range combat, so with the dexterity that only he could perform, he attempted to stab the Half Elf’s chest without hesitation.

However, William used his knee kick to propel himself backward, and Thirteen’s stab only grazed the surface of the Half-Elf’s chest.

The moment he managed to gain a bit of distance, the Fire Bullets finally made their move and flew to their target.

Flashes of flames burst as the Fire Bullets collided with Thirteen’s daggers.

He had already expected something like this to happen, so he prepared to face the Fire Bullets without stepping back.

When the last of the fire bullets were destroyed, Thirteen’s daggers shattered, turning into particles of light.

"I didn’t know you were this weak," Thirteen said before once again wiping the blood that dripped from his nose. "You can’t win with weapons, so you resorted to using magic. Just how low can you get?"

Thirteen’s voice was calm, and yet, his disdainful tone was very obvious for everyone that could hear it.

His message was simple.

Do you really need to use magic against someone who couldn’t use it?

"Coward," Thirteen said. "You told me earlier that I was hiding behind your daughters. But you can’t even face me like a man? Who’s the coward now? How old are you? Do you get high from bullying a teenager?"

Thirteen had no qualms in using any means to win, even if it meant resorting to taunts.

Technically, he was thousands of years old. But since he said that he was only sixteen in this lifetime, he wasn’t lying as well.

"You might win this challenge by being a cheapshot," Thirteen continued his taunt. "But are you sure that you want your children to remember you in this manner?"

"You really know how to run off your mouth huh?" William replied. "Very well, I won’t use spells against you. Let’s fight mano a mano."

The Half-Elf threw his spear away and raised both of his hands in a boxing stance.

"Good," Thirteen replied. "That’s how a man should fight."

Thirteen also took a fighting stance and charged at his opponent.

He had succeeded in forcing the Half-Elf to compromise in hand to hand combat. This was his goal all along.

Thirteen originally planned to challenge William to a fist fight. But since his opponent had taken the initiative to do that, he was more than happy to oblige!

The two clashed repeatedly, exchanging blows against each other. Both were able to block, deflect, and dodge each other’s attacks, turning the duel in a battle of attrition.

That was when it happened.

From the audience stands, particles of light floated toward William’s body.

Not many people could see it, for ordinary people weren’t meant to see them to begin with.

This was the power of faith.

Since the people in the stands were part of the Half-Elf’s family, their subconscious belief and support for William gave him strength.

It wasn’t obvious at first, but with each clash between the two fighters, Thirteen was slowly being pushed back until finally, the Half-Elf’s fist connected with his chest, sending him skidding a few meters away.

"How about you just surrender?" William cracked his knuckles. "That way, you won’t have to get hurt."

"Why would I surrender when your punches are so light?" Thirteen asked.

Unlike other people, he could see it.

More light particles were flowing toward his opponent, and it wasn’t only coming from the audience stands.

They came from all directions, from all over the world.

While they didn’t know that a duel between the Half-Elf and the teenage boy was happening, the denizens of the world subconsciously felt that their Guardian was fighting right now.

As such, a part of their strength, the power of faith, was being sent in his direction, enhancing William’s strength in ways that go beyond the physical limits of the Trial of Valhalla.