Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

The fireball struck the soldiers again, reducing their numbers even further. Kier, who had been worried before, was now as calm as ever.

With those two devastating attacks, there weren't many soldiers left to face in direct combat, and most of them weren't anywhere near their level. The rest of the fight would be easy.

It seemed the soldiers knew it too. A few of them began to run.

"Screw this! And screw this noble family!" someone shouted. "I'm out of here!"

When William saw them fleeing, he said, "Kier, go after the ones running. I'll handle the ones who still want to fight."

Kier obeyed without hesitation. "Understood."

He took off, chasing after the soldiers who tried to escape.

As for William, he walked slowly toward the ones who remained—those who still clung to the idea of fighting. They were grouped together, standing in a loose formation, like soldiers trying to convince themselves they still had a chance.

Among them stood their commander. Somehow, he had survived both fireballs and was still holding his position in front of the others.

"Who are you?" the commander asked. "Are you here for the treasures in the palace? You should know there are traps in there that even someone like you can't survive."

He wasn't lying about the traps—they really were deadly. But with royal blood running through his veins, William didn't have to worry about them.

"I was just in the palace," William said. "Nice place. But most of the treasures are gone. I think the royal family took everything and fled."

"What? Did you check the treasure room?"

"I did. There's nothing there."

William was going to kill them anyway, so he didn't mind sharing a few things. In fact, he enjoyed watching the hope drain from their faces.

They were all here risking their lives for treasure, gambling everything on the idea that the palace was still full of riches. So when William told them it was empty, it was like their entire world collapsed.

Why stay and fight if there was nothing to gain? If the treasure was gone, they were dying for nothing. And that thought alone shattered their morale.

"You're lying," the commander said. "The traps are nearly impossible to disarm, and none of my scouts saw anyone inside the palace. You must be bluffing."

"Your scouts didn't see me because they're still stuck in the front rooms of the palace," William said. "I, on the other hand, went through everything else. But honestly, it's not like this information matters. You're all going to die here."

He smiled, cold and sharp.

The commander's bravado crumbled. He dropped the tough act and started to plead.

"Maybe we can talk. You can let us go? You've already killed most of us. What difference would a few survivors make? We won't tell anyone about you, I swear."

That was a lie. A pathetic one. William wasn't an idiot.

The first thing they'd do if they escaped would be to find reinforcements—powerful ones—to come after him. If William was leaving the island tomorrow, maybe he wouldn't care. But they still needed time to gather the citizens who were fleeing with them. That would take days.

"No way you're leaving this place alive," William said, his voice like ice. "But I can promise you a quick death. How does that sound?"

A wave of killing intent poured out from him, heavy and suffocating.

The commander fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands. He was horrified.

He didn't want to die. No one there did — but deep down, they all knew that was their fate.

"Commander, don't give up!" one of the soldiers yelled. "If we work together, we can win! Let's kill this bastard!"

William threw his sword.

The blade whistled through the air and pierced the man's chest with a sickening thud. He collapsed, dead before hitting the ground.

"Don't talk," William said coldly. "Just die."

He dashed toward them, unarmed — but it didn't matter.

He was faster than all of them. Stronger. More resilient. Nothing they tried worked. No spell. No weapon. No formation.

His movements were fluid, almost like a dance. But with every step, someone died. A punch to the skull. A kick to the chest. Bones shattered, heads burst, and bodies were torn apart.

Screams echoed through the wilderness — raw, desperate, and short-lived.

The commander remained on his knees, paralyzed with fear. The screams filled his mind like the ringing of a death bell. A never-ending nightmare he couldn't escape.

Eventually, the noise stopped. The battlefield fell into silence.

The soldiers were dead. Only the commander remained.

William approached him from behind. The sound of footsteps — slow, steady, inescapable — grew louder with each second. To the commander, it was like Death itself was walking up to collect its due.

William stopped behind him. With one quick motion, he slapped the man's head clean off.

"All done," William muttered. "Now let's see how Kier's doing."

Kier was still chasing the fleeing soldiers. He wasn't as strong or fast as William, so it took more time. And chasing down scattered enemies was always harder.

William spotted him from a distance. He could've helped. But he didn't.

If Kier wanted to live — if he wanted to work for William — then he had to prove he was useful. William wasn't going to babysit him forever.

"I can't keep helping him," William thought. "I don't want someone useless with me either."

To him, this was a test.

From the corner of his eye, Kier could see William watching — like a hawk judging its prey. He knew what would happen if he failed.

"If William thinks I'm useless… he'll kill me," Kier realized.

That thought lit a fire inside him.

He fought harder. Pushed himself to the limit. And one by one, he took them down. Every last one of them.

"All done," Kier said, panting.

"Took you long enough," William teased. "Alright, let's go talk to the king. We can finally move forward with the plan."

Kier nodded, but asked, "Do you trust him? The king?"

William shrugged. "I don't know. But it's not like we have many options."

He glanced toward the horizon. "We can't use the portal that's guarded by enemy troops. If there's another one we can find and take… then that's what we'll do."

At this point, William just wanted to get out alive. He wasn't going to risk everything for the people of this island.

And with that, they turned back — returning to the palace to meet the king.