"Look, they're so afraid that they've become speechless." The man in the middle of the formation laughed. "I call dibs on the bride. You two can just choose among the womenfolk."

"I came here to complete the mission, not indulge in carnal desires." the man wielding dark magic replied as he focused his attention on the people on the ground. "I don't care what you do, just don't get in the way of the operation."

"I hope there's someone strong," the hooded man on the right commented. "The other towns didn't even have strong fighters. Conquering them was boring."

As he said these words a swarm of bats flew from the East and circled around Lont like a red cloud. They numbered in the thousands and their red eyes glowed eerily in the darkness. It reminded William about the time when the Dire Wolves attacked them in the valley.

Back then he was still a weakling who only knew how to hide behind the strength of his Mama and the other adults. Now, he eyed the bat swarm with keen interest and he had only one thing on his mind.

'That's a lot of experience points,' William mused. 'I'd better not miss this opportunity. Gramps and the others will definitely capture these idiots and interrogate them later. For now, I need to make sure that the small fries don't get away.'

William used his appraisal skill and checked the monsters that were presented to him as a sacrifice.

----

-- Vampire Bat

-- Threat Level: B (Mid)

-- Uses powerful supersonic attacks in order to neutralize its prey before going for the kill.

-- Resistant to Dark Magic

-- A species of Vampire Bat that thrives in places where high concentration of Miasma can be found.

-----

-- Vampire Bat

-- Threat Level: E (Low)

-- With a wingspan of two-feet, this vampire bat usually hunts in groups in order to take down bigger prey.

-- Its fangs carry a mild paralyzing venom that it uses to incapacitate its prey.

-- A species of vampire bat that lives in places where death and decay abound.

-----

'Although they are only Class E, they make up for their weakness through sheer numbers,' William smirked. 'Well, it's fine. They're free experience points anyway.'

William caressed the side of Ella's neck in order to pass his message to her. Having been together for many years, the Angorian Goat already knew what William was thinking.

She moved away from the crowd and went to the Southern Side of Lont where the number of people was scarce. Celine noticed her disciple's movements, but didn't do anything to stop him. The beautiful elf just told Oliver via telepathy to watch over the boy just in case something unexpected came up.

Celine was quite interested in the identity of the three people who dared to attack Lont. She wondered if they were part of the organization that she had joined, or part of a separate one. The senior members knew that she was staying in Lont, so she doubted that they would send these small fries to annoy her.

However, the possibility existed. Her only concern was if these members were sent here by the organization, it meant that she couldn't interfere with them. This was a very strict rule among its members, and Celine had made an oath to follow this rule.

'It doesn't matter,' Celine sneered. 'I don't even need to lift a finger in order to deal with these fools.'

As if waiting for that moment, a dragon's roar erupted from where Mordred stood. He shot into the air clad in flames and took on the form of a fire dragon.

James stood on Mordred's back and looked at the three intruders with a wide grin. Deep down he was very furious because these three numbskulls disrupted his grandson's happy event. He planned to capture them alive and torture them until they regretted the day they were born.

"Should we join, too?" John asked as he looked at the sky.

"No need." Trent, who was standing beside him, said as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the swarm of bats with interest.

"Too bad they're in the air." Marcus rubbed his chin in disappointment. "I kinda want to join the action."

Several of the masters of Lont also feel the same way. They were quite annoyed that their festivities had been ruined by these three gatecrashers.

----

On a hill overlooking Lont…

William held Eve securely in place as he sat on Ella's back. Flashes of lightning bolts snaked within his pupils as his lips moved to utter a chant.

"When dark clouds hang on the horizon,

And the roar of the heavens announce their presence…

It is now time for me to break the silence.

Lightning ever weaving, Thunder ever seeking, I call upon you now."

A deafening roar of thunder shook the sky and lightning bolts snaked the heavens like wild dragons, waiting for the call of their lord.

William raised his right hand and pointed at the swarm of bats in the distance. Oliver observed this scene with a curious gaze as he sat on a tree branch.

"The power I wield would obliterate one and all," William said as his eyes glowed with power. "Pierce through the darkness and hear my call!"

"Thunder God's Wrath!"

Like a clap of thunder, William's words echoed through the dark sky. A blinding flash of light illuminated the battlefield and everyone was forced to cover their eyes due to its radiance. What followed next was an ear-deafening rumbling that descended from the heavens.

"Evade!" James shouted.

Mordred hurriedly nose-dived to the ground to escape the unexpected rain of lightning bolts that came out of nowhere. A stray lightning bolt snaked towards them, but James calmly swatted it aside with his giant axe.

His eyes glowed in wonder and disbelief at the scene that was happening in front of his eyes. It was then when the image of a young boy with red-hair, and light-green eyes flashed briefly inside his mind.

'Could it be?' James thought in disbelief. 'Is this William's doing?'

Unlike James who had dealt the lightning bolt calmly, the three villains were caught completely by surprise. Fortunately, they were strong enough to resist the lightning bolts, but they were injured pretty badly.

Their mounts, the Red-Eyed Screecher Bats, on the other hand, shrieked in pain as the rain of lightning hit them left, right, and center. Although their bodies were strong, getting assaulted by dozens of lightning bolts still left them helpless.

Soon, the Screecher Bats crashed to the ground after being mercilessly assaulted by lightning bolts.

As for the bat swarm? They fared no better. In fact almost all of them were obliterated when the lightning storm descended. Any bat that was grazed by a lightning bolt burst into flames and illuminated the dark sky with their fiery blaze.

The citizens of Lont looked at the blazing sky in awe as the threat that once presented itself was burned away before their very eyes.

Owen had erected a barrier on the ground to prevent any of the citizens from getting hit by stray lightning bolts. Several of the experts of Lont worked in tandem to ensure that none of their people got hurt in the crossfire.

Meanwhile on the hill overlooking the incident…

Sweat streamed down the side of William's face as he looked at the devastation he'd caused. This was the first time he had used the power of the Prince of Thunder and he wasn't expecting that it would be this destructive.

For a brief moment, William thought that he had seen a glimpse of what the "End of the World" would look like, if it were to really happen.

The lightning storm didn't differentiate from friend or foe and simply struck everything within striking range. Fortunately, Barbatos had remodeled the defenses of Lont and activated a protective shield that was further strengthened by Owen's magical barrier.

'Next time I use this, I better ensure that no one is around,' William thought as he patted Eve's head.

The little girl got scared of the thunder and lightning and was currently bawling her eyes out on William's chest.

The bat swarm only had a tenth of its original number by the time the effects of the skill subsided. The survivors screeched anxiously as they flew away in haste.

-----

-----

Name: William Von Ainsworth

Race: Half-Elf

Health Points: 5,500 / 5,500

Mana:

Job Class: Shepherd (Lvl 30)

Sub Class: Prince of Thunder (Lvl 17)

Stats Exp: 77,391 / 438,257

(Prince of Thunder Lvl 17)

Job Class Exp: 26,849 / 60,854

-----

By using the passive ability "Child of Thunder'', William was able to manipulate the lightning storm to do his bidding. Since he didn't have any mana at the moment, he could only use external sources to activate the power of his Job Class.

The result however had exceeded his expectations. William decided to be more mindful of his surroundings when using this extremely powerful and destructive skill. What he didn't know was that, aside from Oliver, someone else had witnessed his display of power.

After the initial shock had faded, the pair of eyes observing the boy became serious. After an internal debate, the figure retreated and returned to where everyone was congregated.

Clearly, that person didn't want William to know that one of his secrets had been exposed while he was busy dealing with the fools who dared to step inside his territory.

'I'd better report this,' the person thought. 'His excellency has to know.'

The person stood beside the confused crowd and acted like nothing had happened. There was a right time for everything, and leaving the town of Lont was a priority. Everything else could wait until then.