Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 132: Victory in Defeat

Chapter 132: Victory in Defeat

The declaration of surrender hung in the air, uttered like an unexpected gust of wind in the calm of a storm. It left the battlefield in a state of suspended disbelief, the silence speaking volumes as both adversaries and onlookers grappled with Matty’s decision. King Saul himself was lost. His own representative had given up.

The King of the Israelites assumed Matty would have fought to the death. Frankly, William understood avoiding a death match but still. The battle felt disappointing.

"Good work, Matty!" Jules’ voice sliced through the tension like butter. "You can come back now."

Matty’s scowl softened and he returned to her with the smallest of smiles.

Goliath was unable to evoke a protest or a fighting stance. Clearly, for Matty, the battle was over. "Fine. Fine!" Goliath stabbed his spear into the river. "The woman spared one of my men; therefore, I shall allow this. However!" Goliath pointed his sword at King Saul. "The next time you dare challenge me, do not expect such leisure! I am worth two men!"

A rumble of murmurs began to emerge from the Philistine side of the battlefield. Slowly but steadily, the whispers swelled into a unified chant. A sign of admiration and respect for Goliath’s undeniable might and unwavering spirit.

"Goliath! Goliath! Goliath!" The chanting rose higher and higher until it transformed into music. "The one who stands against the giants! The one who fought the Son of Hercules! The one who conquered the king of the Kurds! Goliath! Goliath! Goliath!"

The men on the other side became riled up. Their cheers descended into messy stomps. Their stomps turned to confidence and pride. No long term damage had been dealt to their champion. To an ordinary onlooker, the battle looked to be a waste of time. A demonstration of Goliath’s might. Matty returned with purpose though, ignoring William, Kazi, Marta, Ksenia, and Nikolai in favour of his ally.

"Goliath uses his spear for offence and sword for defence. Specifically, he does a slow shift before a powerful thrust," Matty told Jules. "So plan for that."

’Kazi could have told you that,’ William said in his head, before the thought dawned on him. ’Huh. Wow, he really was right. About...literally everything.’

Down to Goliath’s usage of his spear to his sword, Kazi deduced everything with...what? A single glance? It didn’t seem so unbelievable till Matty went out there to actually confirm it.

"You gave up," Nikolai stated. "Why?"

"None of your business," Matty replied.

Nikolai looked him up and down, judgmental. His gaze went over to Jules, then back to Matty. A big grin broke out. "Ho! So you did for the lady! I approve!"

Matty glared at him, but softened again at Jules’ voice.

"So do you think I can win?" she asked politely.

Matty jabbed at his shields. Both of them were cracked. "He’s strong. One clean hit to the head and you’re dead. Goliath is nothing like the monsters we’ve fought in the past. They had magic and instincts. This guy is pure brute strength combined with a keen eye and a decent brain. Keeping a long distance will be a tough job. I doubt he’s going to let you do what you want. He aims to win and kill."

"You gave up." King Saul appeared, looking down at Matty. His kingly aura had a small effect on Matty, unlike Nikolai. "Did you get what you desired, warrior of shields?" A small shake in Matty’s demeanour as he nodded. The king’s stare flew past him and became fixated on the woman with the cat. "And you believe she can do it?"

"That hasn’t been decided yet," Ksenia interjected. "I will fight him."

"No, I will—"

Nikolai and Ksenia were arguing again. Great. William wished they could decide.

"We have eight hours till the next battle with Goliath," Kazi pointed out. "We will discuss and return to you, King of the Israelites."

"Hrn." Even King Saul in all his authority heeded Kazi’s words. A dash of bewitching good looks and a steady tone that insinuated intelligence and even the king mistook him for an advisor. He was curt yet optimistic. King Saul nodded. "I understand. None of my men could possibly stand up to the giant. I hope you are able to succeed where they fail."

The king’s horse went off to go back to his camp. Ksenia remained silent, her eyes locked on Kazi.

"I hope you realize I still haven’t forgotten what you did last time," Ksenia said.

"I don’t expect you to," Kazi replied.

"The more I think about it, the more I believe we should have killed that old man. Instead, you bribed everyone into sparing him." Ksenia’s brown eyes dimmed. "I don’t know what you were thinking. I seriously can’t fathom why you would let a killer walk around scot-free."

William didn’t either, till Kazi told him about Jack. The real danger amongst the players, a threat that would, from Sun-young’s words, crush everybody with his mere presence.

Still, he understood where she was coming from and William wasn’t sure if he could hate her for it. The tension and anger wouldn’t boil down even as the sun fell and evening turned to night.

***

Nikolai was amazing at the gym, the type that was so kind and warm and strong that you had to give props regardless of personal feelings. Sitting around a campfire deep into the night, Nikolai was exactly who William thought he was: a bit loud, dense, but ultimately a super welcoming guy.

"A wish. That is why we are here! But look at everyone! No wishes! No ambition! Aimlessly finishing gate after gate, collecting points, and for what? Money in the real world?"

William was taken aback by his proclamation. "I mean...money doesn’t hurt anyone. Plus, I mean, what else are we going to do?"

"I have no intention of going back to Earth. My time there is over," Nikolai declared. The magical flame twisted, his smile revealed. "I am having so much fun here! So many friends, so much to learn...it’s a world of possibility!"

"Do you really not have a wish?" William asked.

"My wish?" Nikolai slapped his own tight and guffawed. "It is the same as it has always been: to push people to their utmost limits!"

"He was a gym trainer," Ksenia explained.

"My father did it, and his father’s after," Nikolai explained. "They trained the best of our country to victory. I feel it is my purpose to help people reach their limits too. It is in my blood!"

’I’m jealous.’ William stared into the fire. ’I wish I could have been proud of my family like that.’

His own dad was...

It didn’t matter. Not anymore. In this world, he had to focus on himself.