Goliath’s armour shattered at the chest and blood gushed out. His axe having completed its slash, William failed to stop his own momentum and collided into Goliath. The two rolled and rolled till they were able to lift themselves up.

Distance was made.

For Goliath, there was no time to recover. Nikolai pounced at him.

“Blazing Fury Combo!”

Blood dripping, Goliath struggled to deflect the punches of his opponent. The comfort that once navigated his movements were gone.

Bam!

‘Finally!’

A clean punch to the cheek. Goliath’s health bar officially hit the red zone and he dropped to one knee.

William grinned, his hold on his axe weakening. By calling for Advanced Flow of Mana in his head, he was able to blast himself with mana to the point that it made his head dizzy. If he attempted to summon mana on his own with no System assistance, it felt like he was barely dipping his toes into the water. With this, he entered a temporary Super Saiyan state. Like Goku on Namek, he was activating something he did not understand. He was doing it because the System put it in his skill list, not because he actually understood the principles behind it.

Regardless of how momentary it was, regardless of the headache he was feeling, it was a state he needed to learn to control. The fear of losing control of himself and hurting others, especially those close to him, was a valid excuse, yes, though one hidden behind another fear of his. The fear of moving on. The fear of becoming an adult in this strange world. He didn’t want to accept that he was growing up. He didn’t want to accept the consequences of his actions.

He hurt Nash’s friends. Whether it was valid or not, he did it and he had to own up to it.

Wisps of darkness dripped from his fingers. He swallowed. Frankly, he was afraid. His arms and legs were shaking. He didn’t want to confront whatever it was that was festering inside him.

But he had no choice. Running away, making excuses, relying on his pills, letting the past dictate his actions—that would be an even worse mistake. After all he had experienced, he couldn’t stop now. He was the strongest version of himself.

Smelling the blood in the air, he froze again, then controlled his breathing. He could do this. He was strong. He was strong!

“It’s not over yet!”

Nikolai's exclamation was followed by a laugh. Goliath rose to his feet, his lips set in a cruel smile. His health bar was still in the red, his injuries seemingly limiting his mobility. On the other end, Nikolai was exhausted and William was dazed.

Goliath grinned.

Nikolai wiped the blood off his fist.

William felt a cold magical energy course through his veins.

If even one of them was weighed down, they did not show it. The body was but a vessel of combat. The mind was a part of the spirit. To these three warriors, the limits of mankind did not apply.

Words were not needed. William ran at him, with Nikolai a step behind. Goliath’s gaze flickered between the two, torn between how to react.

‘Advanced Flow of Mana Lv. 7!’ Pain burst into his forehead yet still he swung his axe. ‘I have to end this—’

His ambitions were just that though—ambitions. His movements were too easily telegraphed and Goliath read him like a book, swerving out of the way and elbowing him in the back of his skull. William’s momentum died off.

That left Nikolai with Goliath. A brief one on one. Goliath’s sword was already accelerating.

“Counterflow Stance!”

Yet Nikolai was one-step ahead. Time slowed and he narrowly avoided a devastating strike down his shoulder.

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“Ember Uppercut—!”

His fist scathed past Goliath’s jaw. At the very last moment, he was able to jerk his head back and kick him back.

However…

‘I want to win!’

William was back on his feet, behind Goliath and charging up a devastating attack. ‘Advanced Flow of Mana Lv. 7! Whirlwind Strike!’

Two back-to-back skills! Eyes black, William aimed for his head. Goliath’s senses flared up and he roared.

Smash!

His helmet! Goliath tilted his head in order for it to take the brunt of the blow! His axe wiped the bronze helmet away like butter, metallic debris scattering like confetti. Arm and axe outstretched, it was like time had stopped. Nikolai was too far back.

It was up to William here.

‘I WANT TO WIN!’

Mana surged through his body again. He released his axe, spinning on his heel to maintain the superhuman momentum of his swing, and slammed Goliath with a punch to the face. His clenched fist connected squarely with Goliath's exposed cheek and the impact resonated with sparks of black.

The force of his punch sent the giant hurtling through the air. Goliath soared to the side, his body twisting uncontrollably before crashing against the ground some distance away.

The battlefield fell momentarily silent as Goliath came to a motionless halt.

“Ha…haah…”

Drip.

Black blood dripped from his fists. The adrenaline fading, hos breaths came in ragged gasps as he fought to steady himself, his body trembling with the residual energy from the relentless combat.

[ Advanced Flow of Mana Lv. 7 upgraded into Advanced Flow of Mana Lv. 8 ]

[ Receive:

70,000 XP ]

[ Congratulations! Gate 9 : Players and the Goliath

SPECIAL OBJECTIVE: Defeat the strongest of the Philistines, Goliath — Complete!

Receive:

60,000 XP

40,000 PP ]

[ Congratulations! You are the first player to complete the Gate 2 Special Objective! ]

[ Bonus Receive:

200,000 XP

100,000 PP ]

[ Level up! ]

[ Level up! ]

Even with the levels, William fell to one knee.

Goliath lay sprawled on the ground, his body bruised and battered from the ferocity of the battle. His voice, though strained, held a tone of unexpected clarity as he addressed William.

"You are exactly what Kazi Hossain described you to be," Goliath grunted, his breaths coming in shallow intervals as he struggled to rise. "I am satisfied."

William, still kneeling, glanced at Goliath, perplexed by the sudden change in tone and demeanour. The declaration caught him off guard, the gravity of Goliath's words sinking in.

"Huh?" William responded, his voice tinged with both surprise and caution.

With an effortful motion, Goliath managed to prop himself up on his elbows. "I will pull my forces back," he continued, his voice carrying the weight of finality. "The war is over."

[ HIDDEN OBJECTIVE found! ]

[ Congratulations! Gate 9 : Player and goliath

HIDDEN OBJECTIVE — Complete!

Receive:

100,000 XP

500,000 PP ]

[ Congratulations! You are the first party to complete the Gate 9 Hidden Objective! ]

[ Bonus Receive:

300,000 XP

1,500,000 PP ]

[ Level up! ]

[ Level up! ]

On the Philistine side, there was acceptance. Whatever Goliath said was what they all said. It wasn’t just them, the Israelites believed it too.

The next thing William knew, a hand was on his shoulder. Kazi, smiling, gave him a nod. “I'm proud of you. Good job.”

“Heavenly Resurgence!”

A warm light enveloped him, courtesy of Marta’s healing spell: Heavenly Resurgence. All of a sudden, the black muck of energy inside him dissipated. He was able to breathe, able to see without feeling dizzy.

Ksenia had gone to Nikolai and handed him a potion. Meanwhile, Goliath was being dragged off by his army. The Philistines were retreating with not a bone of regret in them.

“That’s it?” Ksenia asked. “Kazi, what did you say to him?”

“A common element in David and the Goliath is that the Philistines flee once Goliath is defeated. He is their beating heart. Their strongest warrior. The representation of their army. If he loses, they all lose. I told him that we would do the same thing: we would send two individuals that would represent the Israelites in their entirety.”

“And you did this behind everybody’s back.” Ksenia shook her head. “Wait, more importantly, how did you get them to believe you?”

“Bringing food, dashing good looks…” Kazi winked. “Why wouldn’t they think I was a messenger?”

“That’s…”

“Even I gained a level! Nice! And you guys?” Kazi commented.

“I got a bunch of levels,” William replied.

“Me three,” Marta added.

“Nice going, you two!” Kazi ruffled his hair, grinning. “Seriously, you blew away all expectations!”

“I didn’t get anything,” Ksenia muttered.

"William Martin and Nikolai Aleksandrovich Ivanov.” King Saul’s neighed and announced his arrival. "You have done exceptional work. Your valour and determination have brought an end to weeks of bloodshed. You are outsiders. Your names are strange, yet you fought nonetheless. For that, we owe you.”

“We did what we had to do,” said Nikolai. “Right, William?”

“Right!”

King Saul’s gaze swept over to Marta, then Matty and Jules who were watching at the back. “You as well, Matty. And of course, Marta. The Israelites will not forget this.”

A ceasefire assured, King Saul signaled to his army to leave. The troops, weary yet relieved, began to assemble at his command. In an orchestrated formation, the soldiers gathered their gear, readied their mounts, and prepared to depart from the valley that had witnessed the fierce clashes of human potential. William smiled to himself. He did it. He won a true battle.