Atticus calmly watched William get on his feet, showing no signs of impatience. There was no need to rush; he was going to take his time.
William struggled to stop his hands from trembling. Shaking off the dizziness, he tightened his grip on his sword, which seemed to work as his hands stopped trembling slightly. He turned his gaze towards Atticus, his eyes filled with complete fury.
'I couldn't see his movements,' William thought. No matter how hard he tried to remeber, he couldn't see Atticus's movements.
William's gaze swept through the hall, where everyone watched the battle with rapt attention, further intensifying his anger towards Atticus.
William gritted his teeth and decided, 'I have to go full power.'
The ground in the hall wasn't made of earth he could manipulate yet; it was made of marble.
William still possessed a level one elemental bloodline, which meant that his connection to the earth element was still subpar. He only had the ability to control and manipulate earth in its more natural and typical form, such as soil, rocks, or dirt.
As individuals with elemental bloodlines progress and level up, their abilities often expand and grow more versatile.
This was a major weakness for individuals with an earth bloodline element, but one easily solved by the advent of storage space.
There was a significant chance that there wouldn't be earth where an earth elemental would be fighting, especially during an abrupt fight. That was why people with earth bloodlines always stored earth in their storage space, and William was no exception.
Focusing on his storage ring, a massive block of earth materialized in front of William. He reached out and, channeling the power of his earth bloodline, commanded the earth to envelop and shield his entire body.
The earth swirled and molded itself to conform to his form, encasing him from his legs up to his arms and torso. A line of earth traced from his neck to his head, forming a solid helmet.
He paid special attention to reinforcing the earth around his cheeks, layering it to ensure additional protection. The only spaces he left untouched were for his joints, allowing for unrestricted movement.
Normally, seeing someone so young with amazing control over their bloodline element would have astonished many in the hall.
However, because of a particular 10 year old boy, their expectations had been unknowingly raised. No one even batted an eye at William's display of skill.
Having clad his entire body in the protective earth covering, William faced Atticus with newfound determination.
However, before he could make his move, Atticus once again moved, and William found himself subjected to another powerful force on his left cheek.
PAAA!
The impact was so forceful that it broke through the earth covering his cheeks, delivering a scalding slap directly to his left cheek with a resounding crack.
The intensity of the strike sent him hurtling through the air once more, and the earth that had previously encased him crumbled away as his concentration was lost.
Struggling to regain his composure, William attempted to move. It felt as if his brain was rattling inside his head. His vision remained disoriented and blurred, making it difficult to see. He made futile efforts to shake his head to clear his vision.
A huge trail of drool escaped his mouth as he found it hard to close his mouth because the swollen condition of his cheeks hindered his ability to close his mouth properly.
'What just happened?' his thoughts raced as he tried to figure out what just happened.
Placing his trembling hands on the floor, William pushed himself up, an action that exerted a great deal of effort to accomplish.
Sitting up, his gaze immediately landed on Atticus, who was slowly advancing towards him with the same neutral, unfeeling expression on his face.
But William couldn't even see that. He couldn't see anything clearly. He was currently seeing four different Atticuses approaching him, a nightmarish sight that sent shivers of terror through him.
William shook his head once more, trying to dispel the dizziness affecting him. He forced himself to stand, his trembling legs barely supporting his weight.
He faced Atticus, and just as he was about to raise his sword, he was subjected to yet another blistering slap on his left cheek.
PAAAA!!
The sheer force sent his head crashing towards the floor, breaking through the surface for several inches.
Atticus watched William's form on the floor with cold eyes.
Deciding to get this over with, Atticus unleashed another potent, resounding slap that landed with unforgiving force on William's vulnerable cheek on the floor.
PAAA!
The sound echoed throughout the hall, each impact reverberating like a thunderclap.
Then came another fierce slap,
PAAA!
Followed by yet another,
PAAA!
Each blow intensifying in its savagery. With each slap, William's head was mercilessly pressed into the floor, each time sounding as devastating as the last, each time pushing William's head further into the floor.
The whole hall watched in silence as Atticus slapped the living daylights out of William, who couldn't even do anything to fight back. None uttered a word; only the reverberating sound of Atticus relentless slaps echoed in the hall.
PAAA!
PAAA!
PAAA!
PAAA!
William had long since lost his grip on reality. He had immediately wanted to beg for mercy after the third slap, but Atticus didn't even give him a chance to.
He didn't stop for even a second; he just kept delivering slaps upon slaps on William's cheeks with no end in sight.
Just when it seemed that Atticus wasn't going to stop and the host wanted to intervene, Atticus ceased his slapping and stood up straight.
William's cheeks had already absorbed a barrage of slaps, rendering them swollen and discolored, resembling a grotesque, oversized block of purple dough, disfigured and painful to behold.
Then, everyone watched as Atticus simply walked away and headed towards the trainee section, sitting down on his seat nonchalantly as if the current situation had nothing to do with him.