781-790

Chapter 781: The Diabolical Hell Ape's Request

William frowned when he heard the Diabolical Hell Ape's request. If he was only going to deal with one or two Myriad Beasts, he would definitely lend a hand to his old acquaintance. Afterall, the Guardian of the Forest had helped him in the past.

Unfortunately, more than a Dozen Myriad Beasts were aiming for the fruit. William was sure that all of them wanted to acquire it in order to evolve into a Pseudo-Demigod with a powerful bloodline.

"Your Excellency, it isn't that I don't want to help you, but it is extremely difficult for me to do so," William replied. "The Black-Striped Terror Rats, as well as the lurking Myriad Beasts in the shadows could easily kill us with a single slap. The battle for the golden fruit is way beyond our league."

The Diabolical Hell Ape sighed. He understood that his request was too hard for Humans that still hadn't stepped into the Saint Rank to accomplish. If he was in William's shoes, he might have already ignored the idiot who was asking them to risk their lives for his sake.

Even so, he was hoping that William could help him snatch the fruit in this free-for-all battle, so that he could make his dream a reality.

The young man eyed the Half-Elf whom he hadn't seen for a few years. When he first saw William, he was but a fragile child that would die if he were to accidentally step on him.

Now, the red-headed teenager was famous all over the world for the accomplishment that he had achieved in the Tower of Babylon. Because of this, the Diabolical Hell Ape thought that the Half-Elf would be able to help him achieve his lifetime wish to become human.

"Understood," the Diabolical Hell Ape said. "Sorry for asking for too much."

William scratched his head helplessly when he saw the disappointment on the young man's face. However, he wouldn't risk Chiffon's and Lilith's lives in a struggle where they were at a great disadvantage.

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency. If I can assist you in any other way without endangering our lives, I will be more than happy to help you." William stated.

After pondering for a while, the Diabolical Hell Ape then thought of something.

"Do you have any means that can temporarily restrain these beasts?" the young man asked. "Even if it will only last for a few seconds, that will be more than enough for me to grab the fruit and flee. Whether I succeed or not, I will owe you a favor. How about it?"

William rubbed his chin as he eyed the fruit from a distance.

"Delaying them for a few seconds is not impossible," William answered after a minute of observation.

"Really? That's great! I've been here for two months, and during that time, I have been paying close attention to the fruit. According to my estimate, it will reach maturity sometime tomorrow."

"Good. That will give me enough time to prepare. By the way, Your Excellency, is there some place where we can rest? We just entered the Forbidden Ground and we're still a bit tired from our journey. I was wondering if you can help us with this problem."

The Diabolical Hell Ape nodded his head in understanding. "I have made a temporary residence near this area. I guarantee that it's safe. All of you can rest there for the time being."

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

"No. It is I who should be thanking you. With your help, my chances of getting that fruit will increase by a good margin."

The Diabolical Hell Ape glanced at the fruit in order to ensure that he hadn't miscalculated the time when it would ripen. After two minutes of observation, he decided that the time that he had estimated needed some adjustments.

After ensuring that everything was in order, he made a gesture for William and his group to follow him.

Ten minutes passed and they arrived at a tree that didn't stand out from those beside it.

The young man then knocked on its trunk thrice then stopped for five seconds before knocking twice.

Suddenly, a two-meter tall door appeared in front of them, which the young man opened with ease.

"Come in," the young man invited. "I apologize if it's messy inside. I didn't anticipate that I would have guests."

William nodded and entered the door while holding Chiffon's hand. Contrary to what he expected, the interior of the tree was very spacious. This reminded him of "Eternity", the artifact that Celine possessed and used during their training.

"There are three floors in this house," the young man said. "The bedrooms can be found on the third floor. Please, follow me."

The three glanced at each other before following behind the young man. Soon they arrived at the third floor where several doors could be seen.

"There are a total of nine bedrooms here," the young man explained. "All of them are the same, so it doesn't matter what room you choose. Feel free to take any room you like. If you need me, I'll be on the first floor."

After the Diabolical Hell Ape left, William approached the nearest door and opened it. The room was quite spacious as well. If he would give a rough estimate on how big it was, it was at least twice the size of his dormitory room back in Hestia Academy.

The bed was big enough to fit six people, and Chiffon happily jumped into it to check how comfortable it was.

Seeing the pink-haired girl roll over the bed, William could tell that she was very satisfied with it.

"We will be taking this room," William said as he looked at Lilith. "How about you?"

Lilith pondered for a bit before making a decision.

"I'll be staying with the two of you," Lilith replied. "Just in case something unexpected happens, it will be best if the three of us are together."

William didn't find anything wrong with Lilith's words, so he nodded his head in agreement. He then took out a few baskets from his storage ring and placed them on the table.

"Are you hungry?" William asked. "Let's have an early dinner before we rest. Although we won't be actively participating in the battle for the golden fruit, we still need the strength to escape if the circumstances turn for the worse."

Lilith glanced at the food on the table and nodded her head. Since she had emptied her stomach a while ago, truth be told, she was very hungry.

At the mention of food, Chiffon stopped playing on the bed and approached the table to eat.

While the three were eating, the Diabolical Hell Ape sat cross-legged on the first floor with his eyes closed. He had left a magical ward near the tree which allowed him to observe the Golden Fruit, as well as the Beasts that were slowly gathering around it.

He felt a bit anxious because the number of monsters that were gathering at the blood-red tree had increased. A Fifth Black-Striped Terror Rat even joined its comrades in order to increase their chances of securing the fruit.

"I only have one chance…," the young man muttered.. "I just hope that William's restraining plan will work."

Chapter 782: May The Gods Shower You With Their Blessings

An hour before sunrise, William heard a knock on the door of their room.

"It's time." The young man's voice could be heard from the other side of the door. "Meet me on the first floor as soon as possible."

The Diabolical Hell Ape didn't even wait for William's reply and left them to make some last minute preparations.

William and Lilith had both woken up when they heard the knock on the door. Only Chiffon was still asleep, and slathering William's chest with her drool. This was not the first time that this had happened, so the Half-Elf was already used to the pink-haired girl's sleeping habits.

"Chiffon, wake up," William lightly nudged the sleeping glutton. "Breakfast is ready."

The pink-haired girl's eyes abruptly opened as she sleepily looked around her.

William chuckled as he lightly pinched Chiffon's cheek, which made the latter break out of her daze.

Ten minutes later, all of them gathered on the first floor. William explained the strategy that they would be using, and the Diabolical Hell Ape nodded his head in understanding.

"After you've done your part, run away as far as you can," the young man said. "I will head towards the East, so you guys run to the West."

The Diabolical Hell Ape then gave William a blue gem with an intricate design.

"This will allow me to sense your location," the young man explained. "After I escape from their pursuit, I will come to find you guys. Until our reunion, do your best to survive."

William, Chiffon, and Lilith nodded their heads.

Since this was the last time that the Diabolical Hell Ape would be using the tree as his base, he took the special artifact that he had embedded in the tree and stored it inside the golden bracelet on his right wrist.

This was the same bracelet that allowed him to temporarily take human form. The Diabolical Hell Ape didn't want to pretend to be human. He really yearend to be one, so even though he could take human form, he still wanted to realize his dream of actually becoming one.

As they neared the clearing, William, Chiffon, and Lilith, could sense a heavy pressure that was steadily increasing with every step that they took.

"This is more dangerous than I thought," William muttered as he broke out in cold sweat after Optimus gave him the number of Beast that were vying for the Golden Fruit.

Thirty Myriad Beasts.

That was the total number of Beasts that had gathered in the clearing to snatch the fruit that had started to release a very fragrant aroma. After giving it a quick glance, William noticed that it had reached 99% maturity.

Basically, the fruit could fall any moment from now and, once that happened, a Royal Rumble of epic proportions would definitely unfold.

If Thirty Myriad Beasts were to suddenly appear in the Central Continent, the Patriarchs of influential families, the Kings and Emperors of their respective domains, would all be praying to their respective Gods and Goddesses for salvation.

Fortunately, the Myriad Beasts born in a Forbidden Ground would be unable to leave it due to the powerful restriction that the Domain possessed.

William felt a shiver run down his spine because he understood that the Myriad Beasts in the clearing was just a small number compared to the overall population of Beasts within the Seventh Sanctum.

As an Independent World, the Seventh Sanctum was just as big as the Central Continent, and many more powerful Beasts hid within its vast expanse of land.

"Remember, after you distract them, run away without looking back," the young man reminded. "If you have an instantaneous movement technique, use it right away."

Chiffon's and Lilith's expressions paled when they heard the young man's reminder. If possible, they didn't want to experience that again.

If not for the current tense situation, William would have teased the two pale-faced girls because of the impending hardship that they were about to face.

"Don't worry, I will not make the two of you suffer," William said. "Chiffon, I'll leave Lilith in your hands."

Chiffon looked up at William and nodded her head in understanding. "I understand. Be careful, Will."

The pink-haired girl then grabbed Lilith's hand as she walked forward.

Lilith was caught by surprise by Chiffon's actions, but before she could even ask for an explanation, a portal appeared in front of her.

A few seconds later, both girls had successfully entered the Thousand Beast Domain.

Although William knew that sharing this secret with Lilith might hold complications later on, this operation was too dangerous for them to participate in. The Half-Elf was confident that he could run away if he was alone. However, if he were to drag Chiffon and Lilith along during his escape, it might cause consequences that he was not willing to bear.

"You made the right choice," the young man said as he patted William's shoulder. "I'm going."

"Goodluck," William replied. "May the Gods shower you with their blessings."

The Diabolical Hell Ape smiled as he walked towards the tree, which was now surrounded by many formidable beasts that were not weaker than himself.

The five Black-Striped Terror Rats hissed at the Beasts that were trying to get close to the tree. Clearly, they were hell bent to stand their ground to defend and acquire the golden fruit at all cost.

The young man took a deep breath before he transformed to the ferocious Diabolical Hell Ape who was born from the pits of hell. Dark-purple flames enveloped its body as it prepared itself to fight with everything it had.

As if waiting for that moment, a loud cracking sound reverberated in the air.

Several cracks appeared on the surface of the Golden Fruit, as the fragrant smell in the air intensified. The various beasts then started to bare their fangs as they, too, prepared to snatch the fruit that was on the verge of falling.

Suddenly, the entire Golden Fruit shattered and a golden ball, no larger than a basketball fell along with the broken shards of the fruit's shell that protected it until it reached maturity.

"Now!" The Diabolical Hell Ape shouted to William via telepathy as it charged towards the falling fruit.

William threw the lollipops in his hand and activated Lightning Strider, flying towards the East.

Since everyone's attention was on the falling fruit, they didn't notice the lollipops that William had thrown by using the power of his Quick Shot War Art First Form, Railgun.

These lollipops arrived in front of the falling golden fruit and a blinding light erupted in an instant.

The various Myriad Beasts were caught by surprise and all of them shrieked in pain by the sudden brightness that turned their world completely white.

The Diabolical Hell Ape then snatched the falling fruit and ran towards the East with all its might. It knew that after the Beasts had regained their bearings, all of them would run after it and tear the Diabolical Hell Ape apart.

William didn't even bother to glance behind him, and simply left the scene at the speed of lightning.. He sincerely hoped that the next time he met the Diabolical Hell Ape, the latter would have already taken the final step to realizing its long cherished wish.

Chapter 783: The Path Of Atonement

"W-Where are we?" Lilith looked at her surroundings in a dumbfounded manner.

"We are in the Thousand Beast Domain," Chiffon answered. "Come with me."

Chiffon pulled Lilith along as they walked towards the Villa in the distance.

Along the way, Lilith saw several Beasts looking in their direction. The weakest among these beasts were Rank B, and Lilith could tell that all of them were looking at her with curiosity.

Soon two birds flew down from the sky. Lilith knew who these birds were because they had seen them not long ago. They were none other than Chiffon's Beast Companions, B1 and B2.

The two dumb birds reduced their size until both of them were the sizes of sparrows. They then landed on Chiffon's left and right shoulders, and started to chat with her about random things.

A moment later, a little golden piglet came running from the Villa and stopped beside Chiffon's feet.

Chiffon happily picked up the little piglet and patted its head. The latter gave a soft grunt as it closed its eyes. Clearly, it was enjoying the pink-haired girl's attention.

After a few minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the Villa, where Charmaine, and a few Elves greeted them with a smile.

"Lady Chiffon, would you like to have some snacks?" Charmaine asked. "We just cooked a few pancakes and they are still warm."

Chiffon felt conflicted after hearing Charmaine's words. As someone who bore the Sin of Gluttony, eating was second nature to her. However, William had told her through telepathy that they should hide in the Thousand Beast Domain, while he helped the Diabolical Hell Ape secure the golden fruit from its competitors.

William added that he would call out to them after the threat had passed, so Chiffon didn't know whether she should accept Charmaine's offer, or wait for William's news.

"Thank you, Charmaine," Chiffon replied. "I'm just waiting for Will to summon us back outside."

Lilith, on the other hand, eyed Charmaine and the other Elves with curiosity. She was quite curious about the type of clothes that they were wearing because she had never seen clothes like that before.

Charmaine and the Elves were wearing frilly made costumes, which highlighted their natural beauty. Although she didn't understand the current situation, the Elves' servile attitude made her feel that they were working under William.

'Are they perhaps the Elves he captured during the war in the Central Continent?' Lilith thought. This was the only explanation that she could think of. She was also surprised that William had this many ladies serving under him.

Suddenly, a question popped up inside Lilith's head. She then approached Charmaine and decided to ask her a question, in order to confirm her guess.

"Are all of you William's concubines?" Lilith asked. 'Is this the reason why he's not interested in visiting our Empire?'

When the elves heard Lilith's question, all of them blushed and looked at the Amazon with "I wish that were true" expressions on their faces.

Charmaine gave Lilith a bitter smile as she shook her head. "We're not Sir William's concubines. However, I'm sure that if he asked any of us if we wanted to warm his bed, all of us would definitely say yes. It's quite unfortunate that our Lord deeply cherishes Lady Chiffon and his other wives, so we are not given the opportunity to serve him to our fullest."

Lilith frowned when she heard this. She then gave Chiffon a side-long glance before shifting her attention back to Charmaine.

"Your name is Charmaine right? Do you know someone named Pearl?" Lilith asked. After becoming part of Princess Eowyn's group, she managed to befriend Pearl. Charmaine's older sister had mentioned in passing that William had taken her sister custody, and her goal was to set her free.

Lilith didn't understand what Pearl meant when she told her that William had taken her sister in custody. But, after seeing the beautiful Elf in front of her, she finally understood what "taken in custody" meant.

After hearing her sister's name, Charmaine showed a sad expression on her face. Because of the sudden change in her mood, Lilith thought that the Elves were being forced to stay in the Thousand Beast Domain regardless of their will.

This discovery made her look at William in a new light, but the Elf's next words made her feel that her assumptions were wrong.

"We did terrible things during the war in the Southern Continent," Charmaine replied. "I, and the others, wanted to atone for our sins by serving Lord William for a few years. Even if we served Sir William for a lifetime, it will not be enough to repay the mercy that he has given us.

"My sister doesn't understand this and is making things difficult for our Lord. In fact, Sir William intends to set us free after a few years. It is quite unfortunate that my sister wanted to resort to violence in order to drag me back to the Silvermoon Continent."

Lilith frowned because Pearl had also mentioned that her sister's character was very different from the one she knew. She even suspected that William had brainwashed her, and the rest of the Elves.

After hearing Charmaine's answer, Lilith came to the same conclusion. Elves were a proud and arrogant race. They would not act servile to someone, especially if that person was a Half-Elf.

For them, Half-Elves were a disgrace. Whenever they saw one, most Elves would ridicule them for tainting their pure bloodline. This was why most Half-Elves don't mingle themselves with Elves because the latter would do their best to make the Half-Elves feel inferior.

Lilith knew that it was not her place to say who was right or wrong. She didn't have a friendly relationship with the Elves, so she didn't really care about their circumstances. However, since she was able to meet Charmaine, she thought that Pearl would owe her a favor if she played her cards right.

"Do you want me to pass a message to your sister?" Lilith inquired. "Of course, that will have to wait until we arrive at the Academy. But, if you ever want to say something to your sister, I can help you out and pass your message to her."

Charmaine thought for a moment before looking at Lilith with a serious expression on her face.

"Please, tell her to wait for a few more years," Charmaine replied. "I promise to return with her to the Silvermoon Continent after my atonement period is over."

Lilith nodded. Whether Charmaine had been brainwashed or not, it was none of her concern. The victors in a war had the right to treat the defeated as slaves. This was the rule of conquest in the Central Continent, so she didn't find any of this uncommon.

The Amazon Princess then walked towards Charmaine and whispered something in her ears.

"Have there been any instances where he's shown signs that he wanted to do it with you?" Lilith whispered. She was dying to know if William was a lustful person. If the answer was yes, this would allow her to formulate a plan on how to entice the Half-Elf into bedding her sisters.

Lilith's whisper made Charmaine's face turned beet red.

"No," Charmaine answered. There was even a trace of disappointment in her voice, which made Lilith widen her eyes in shock.

'So, he's not a lustful person,' Lilith mused. 'At least he's not like those men who only think with their lower half.'

For some reason, Lilith felt both sad, and relieved at the same time after hearing Charmaine's answer. A part of her wanted William to be the man she hoped him to be. The other half wanted the Half-Elf to be different from the rest. A man who had principles and would not treat women as a tool to sate his lust.

Now she finally understood why William would politely reject the subtle advances that the girls in their class would give him from time to time.

This also explained why the Half-Elf wasn't interested in her offer to give birth to his babies.

Of course, Lilith wasn't aware that Princess Sidonie had already done this in the past.. If the Amazon Princess only knew that the lustful beauty had already taken the initiative to ask for William's babies, Lilith's would definitely have asked the beautiful Princess for advice on how to secure the Half-Elf's seed for the betterment of the Amazon Empire.

Chapter 784: As Long As I Am Alive, There Will Come Another Opportunity

William was not aware that Lilith had already started to get a better picture about his character from the beautiful Elves that served under him.

He was busy in finding a safe place to land, after parting ways with the Diabolical Hell Ape.

The Half-Elf had ordered Optimus to place a tracker on his acquaintance, and based on the System's monitoring, the Diabolical Hell Ape had secured the golden fruit, and was now being pursued by the beasts that wanted nothing more than to tear him apart.

True to his word, the Diabolical Hell Ape traveled westwards, pulling the Beasts away from William.

After half an hour of looking for a safe place to hide, William broke out of the forest, and found himself in a valley, surrounded by mountains.

The Half-Elf then landed on an inconspicuous area, and scanned his surroundings. Until he had determined that the place was indeed safe, he wouldn't allow Chiffon and Lilith to come out from the Thousand Beast Domain.

After observing his surroundings for a few minutes, he summoned the Rainbow Birds and had them explore the valley.

"Fly in different directions, and prioritize your safety," William ordered. "Never engage with any monster you may encounter along the way. Our goal is to explore this part of the Forbidden Ground."

The Rainbow Birds all voiced out their agreement and scattered in different directions. Even B1 and B2 had once again been mobilized to explore the surrounding area.

Optimus would monitor the Rainbow Birds and map the areas that they had traveled through. The System would then check for any potential threats that might endanger William and his companions.

Aside from that, Optimus could also use this opportunity to scan the land for treasures. Although there was a powerful law that prevented it from scanning treasures buried underground, scanning for precious resources that could be found above ground was still something within its capabilities.

While this was happening, the Diabolical Hell Ape was having a difficult time escaping his pursuers.

Among those that were aiming for the golden fruit were two flying beasts. One of them was an owl-like creature, the other a Wyvern. These two Beasts locked onto him from the sky, while the rats, and other beasts, chased him on the ground.

The Diabolical Hell Ape couldn't consume the fruit at the moment because it would render him immobile. If that happened, the creatures would definitely catch up to him and take the golden fruit from his corpse.

He had also suffered several injuries because some of the beasts had long range attacks that grazed his body. Although he tried to fight back by shooting fireballs, and spraying a cloud of acid behind him, the Myriad Beasts that were chasing him were not pushovers.

What made it worse was that the Beasts that were along his path also sensed the treasure he was carrying. This rapidly increased the number of pursuers, which made the Diabolical Hell Ape helpless.

More hours passed and the Diabolical Hell Ape found himself on the precipice of a cliff. In front of him was a horde of monsters. Behind him, was a long drop, where a purple river was waiting at the bottom.

The Diabolical Hell Ape would rather face the horde of monsters in front of him, than jump into the river. He might have only been inside the Seventh Sanctum for a little more than two months, but he understood that there were some things that he should avoid at all cost.

The purple river that flows all over the Seventh Sanctum was the River of Samsara. Anyone who fell on this river would experience a perpetual cycle of death and rebirth. Of course, that didn't mean that all hope was lost.

According to the information from the handful of survivors who had escaped the Seventh Sanctum, those who fell on the river had a chance of salvation. However, the chances of breaking free from the hold of Samsara was very slim

Even the Diabolical Hell Ape who was at the end of his rope didn't think of jumping in the river to save his life.

'I guess, I can only use this method,' the Diabolical Hell Ape thought, while gritting its teeth. If possible, he didn't want to do this, but he had no other choice but to do so.

The Diabolical Hell Ape undid his transformation and turned into a young man. He held the golden fruit in his hand and raised it high in the air.

"You want this? Then come and get it!" the young man roared as he threw the golden fruit towards the horde of monsters.

A Blazed-Wing Wyvern dove down from the sky and stretched out its claw to grab the golden fruit that was thrown at the center of the densely packed group of monsters.

Before the Wyvern could even grab the golden fruit with its claws, several attacks flew in its direction, which instantly gave it grievous injuries.

With an unwilling shriek of pain, it fell down on the ground and was smashed to bits by the monsters who saw it as an eyesore.

After ending the Wyvern's life, all of them stared at the golden fruit that glowed on the ground.

None dared to approach it casually because the number of Monsters aiming for it had exceeded five hundred. The Blazed-Wing Wyvern was the perfect example of what would happen to anyone who recklessly tried to grab it.

Because of this, a ten-meter wide clearing with the golden fruit at its heart appeared in the center of the group of monsters. None dared to make the first move, as they eyed the golden fruit with greed.

The Diabolical Hell Ape sighed as he glanced at the fruit one last time before leaving the area. Although he was unwilling to part with it, his life was more important.

'As long as I am alive, there will come another opportunity..' the young man consoled himself as he ran towards the East, leaving the precious golden fruit and the horde of monsters behind him.

Chapter 785: I Decided To Trust You Once

Several of the Rainbow Birds died a minute after they started to explore the valley.

Millennial Beasts at their peak stages, Pseudo-Myriad Beasts, and Myriad Beasts could be found all over the valley.

Beads of sweat formed on William's forehead as he checked the map on his status page. Orange, red, and purple blinking dots littered the entirety of the map. A single glance was more than enough to tell William that he was surrounded by monsters in every direction.

The orange dots represented the monster at the Peak of the Millennial Rank. The red dots represented monsters that were only half a step away from becoming Myriad Beasts. The Purple dots, on the other hand were bonafide Myriad Beasts, and William would be stupid if he were to carelessly traverse their territories.

According to Optimus' scan, most of the Myriad Beasts were located in places that held resources, similar to the Golden Fruit that the Diabolical Hell Ape sought out.

Even now, William couldn't believe that so many Myriad Beasts could be found inside the Forbidden Ground, and it filled him with dread.

The reason for William's anxiousness was very simple.

If so many Myriad Beasts could be found inside the Seventh Sanctum, it could only mean one thing.

There should be a Demigod, or Demigods, who stood at the top of the food chain. With such a high concentration of powerful beasts, it would be next to impossible if there weren't any Demigods that stood at the Apex of this Domain.

'Vlad is the Demigod who ruled over the Strathmore Forest,' William thought. 'Since that is the case, I should prepare myself for the worst case scenario.'

After getting a general understanding of his surroundings, William began to make his move. He treaded lightly through the territories of the powerful beasts in the valley, and stayed clear from the Myriad Beasts' Domains.

He made his way Northwards, because one of the Angray birds noticed lightning strikes in that direction. Although he wasn't too sure about his hunch, he believed that the Hall of Thunder should be located in a place where there was lightning.

William gave the surviving Rainbow Birds a new order and all of them flew towards the North.

B1 alone took the lead because B2 had already died, after it had unknowingly trespassed into the territory of a Flying Myriad Beast.

With every minute, more of the Rainbow Birds died. Two hours later, even B1 died after being hit by a fireball from the ground.

When all of the Rainbow Birds had fallen, William also stopped his advance. He made a small cave at the base of a mountain. He then engraved several runes that would hide his presence, and scent, from the Beasts that roamed his surroundings.

After making sure that his new hiding place was safe, William then opened a portal that led to the Thousand Beast Domain in order to rest.

The journey had stretched his nerves to its limit because he had to be wary of his surroundings at all times.

He was only able to breathe a sigh of relief after he had entered his Domain. The moment he appeared outside the Villa, Chiffon immediately sensed his presence and came running.

"Will, are you alright?" Chiffon asked as she looked up at him. "I sensed B1's and B2's deaths and became worried about your safety. Also, your face looks pale. Did something happen outside?"

William sighed as he gave Chiffon a light hug and patted her head.

"For the time being, you and Lilith will be staying here," William replied. "It is too dangerous to go outside."

Chiffon nodded and pulled William towards the Villa.

"Is it that bad outside?" Lilith inquired. She had followed Chiffon when the latter sensed William's presence, so she was able to hear their discussion.

"Yes," William answered.

Lilith then looked at William with a serious expression on her face as she asked him a question.

"Is it really okay for me to know about this place?" Lilith asked. "Or are you planning to brainwash me like you did to those Elves?"

Lilith wasn't a fool. Although she had only been inside the Thousand Beast Domain for a few hours, she knew that she had stumbled upon William's core secret. The Amazon was afraid that in order to protect his secret, William would resort to foul means in order to prevent her from divulging his secret to other people.

William smiled evilly as he looked at Lilith. "Now that you know my secret, you will not be able to leave this place alive… is what I'd like to say, but you can rest easy. I'm not going to brainwash you or do anything to you."

The Half-Elf smiled as he approached Lilith. "All I ask is that you keep everything you see here a secret."

"That's it?" Lilith asked. "Only a verbal promise that I won't say anything about this Domain of yours?"

The Amazon Princess snorted.

"I don't know if you're bold or stupid. Aren't you afraid that I will betray your trust?"

"Although it is risky, I've decided to trust you this once."

William looked at Lilith with a serious expression. "If you share this secret with anyone, especially your mother, I will never trust you again for the rest of my life."

"Are you a kid?" Lilith teased. "So what if you don't trust me for the rest of your life? Do you think I will not be able to sleep at night knowing that you are disappointed in me?"

William didn't say anything to Lilith's provocation. He just smiled and pulled Chiffon towards the Villa.

He was very tired and wanted to rest as soon as possible. Although there was a possibility that Lilith would betray him, he decided to believe in her for the time being.

Actually, he was relieved when the latter took the initiative to tell him that there was a possibility that she would betray him. William could tell from Lilith's words, and actions, that she was a very smart person.

If the Amazon Princess hadn't voiced out her thoughts out loud and remained silent, William would feel more anxious because that meant that there was a higher chance of Lilith betraying him.

Lilith watched his retreating back with a look of appraisal. She could tell that William was truly exhausted and didn't have the strength to argue with her.

Also, when William said that he was willing to trust her once, the Amazon Princess felt that a pressure had disappeared from her shoulders.

Unlike her calm expression on the surface, she had been quite anxious at the possibility of being brainwashed by William. If that were to happen, would she still be herself? Or would she be servile like Charmaine and the others?

This thought scared her.

Fortunately, William had washed away her fears with a few words.

After making up her mind, Lilith walked towards the Villa with determination. She decided to get to know more about William.

Lilith wanted to know more about the boy who had cleared the Devil's Floor.

She wanted to know more about the boy who had been chosen by her sisters that belonged to the Seven Deadly Sins. It was very difficult for someone to accept them because they were the abnormalities that broke the rules of the world.

Even so, two of her sisters had married William. Not many people could accept them for who they were, and their predecessors' love stories almost always ended in tragedy.

The Amazon Princess wanted to know why Princess Sidonie and Chiffon had chosen William to become their partner for life.

Lastly, she wanted to know more about the boy that said that he was willing to trust her.

Lilith never trusted anyone aside from her mother and the Goddess Mammon. For her, the word Trust had a symbolic meaning, and shouldn't be used casually.

"Fine," Lilith muttered as she walked with steady steps towards the Villa. "I will also trust you once. If you break your promise, I swear that I will make you regret it for the rest of your life."

High above the Temple of the Ten Thousand Gods, the Goddess Mammon, smiled ever so lightly.

"Daughter of mine, trusting people is hard. Knowing who to trust is harder," Mammon chuckled. "Don't worry.. If that Half-Elf dares to harm you in any way, I will steal everything from him… until not even his sanity is left."

Chapter 786: A Treasure That Belonged Only To Her

"What are the two of you doing here?" Lilith asked.

"I should be the one asking you that question. What are you doing here?" Princess Sidonie asked back.

Ian, who stood beside the beautiful Princess, looked at Lilith in surprise because she didn't expect to see the Amazon inside the Thousand Beast Domain.

Princess Sidonie and Ian knew how important this secret was to William. If the Half-Elf was forced to bring Lilith here, it meant only one thing, and that was that the Forbidden Ground was a truly dangerous place to be.

Lilith ignored Princess Sidonie's question and asked another question in return. "Aren't both of you supposed to be in the Academy? How did the two of you end up here?"

Princess Sidonie ignored Lilith's question and walked towards Charmaine who had just finished preparing dinner. She then dragged the Elf to the corner of the room, and asked her questions in hushed whispers.

Ian, on the other hand, asked Lilith what the Forbidden Ground was like.

Lilith wasn't in the mood to answer any questions, because none of her questions were being answered. In the end, she, too, ignored Ian and went to the dinner table to eat.

It was at that moment when Chiffon appeared in the living area. Ian took that opportunity to ask the pink-haired girl how they were faring inside the Forbidden Ground.

Lilith paid close attention to Ian and Chiffon's discussion. From what she observed, Chiffon and Charmaine didn't have surprised expressions when Princess Sidonie and Ian appeared.

That just proved that this was not the first time that this had happened, and Chiffon and Charmaine were already used to seeing Princess Sidonie and Ian suddenly appear inside the Thousand Beast Domain.

'If you think about it, this is nothing unusual,' Lilith thought. Since William was capable of bringing her to his personal Domain, it would just be as easy to bring anyone else inside it as well.

After Princess Sidonie and Ian got the general gist of things, they no longer asked Lilith anything and simply waited for William to arrive at the dining table.

Ten minutes later, the Half-Elf approached the dining table while stifling a yawn. Clearly, he was still exhausted and only came to the dining table because his wives had come to visit.

All of them ate in silence, and the only things that made sounds were the cutlery they used to eat.

After dinner, William talked to Lilith and told her that the outside world was still dangerous, and she had to stay inside the Villa for the time being.

Lilith nodded her head in understanding because she had personally experienced how dangerous the Forbidden Ground was. Also, she wanted to explore and investigate the Thousand Beast Domain in order to get a better understanding of it.

"You can go anywhere, except for the wide plains in the East," William said. "There is a colony of Antz there and they are still undergoing rehabilitation. If you venture into their territory, they might attack you even though I gave them explicit orders not to attack the residents of this Domain. For your own safety, just don't go there. Do you understand?"

"Okay," Lilith replied. "Still, I'm surprised you're not putting me under house arrest."

William smiled. "I already said that I am willing to trust you."

He then placed his hand on Lilith's shoulder and looked at her eyes.

"Am I wrong to trust you?" William inquired.

Lilith met William's gaze. His light-green eyes, and her own amber-colored-eyes stared at each other, unblinking.

"No," Lilith replied. "I will not break your trust."

At first, the Amazon wanted to tease William, but she felt that this was not the appropriate moment to do that. Since that was the case, she decided to answer with her honest feelings, and put this matter to rest.

"Thank you."

"C-Can I also call you, Will?"

The moment her words left her lips, Lilith immediately realized that she had spoken out of line. For a brief moment, she wanted to take back her words and tell William that she was just joking.

The Half-Elf, on the other hand, blinked once then twice before giving the flustered Amazon a smile.

"Of course," William replied. "I hope that the two of us can be good friends, Lilith."

William extended his hand for a handshake.

Lilith accepted the handshake and held William's hand firmly. After shaking it twice, both of them let go at the same time.

"Goodnight," William said. "See you tomorrow."

Lilith gave him a brief nod in return before lowering her head.

"Goodnight," Lilith replied before turning around to head back to the room that had been assigned for her use.

Princess Sidonie and Ian glanced at each other with a knowing gaze.

"What do you think?" Princess Sidonie asked.

Ian only gave a shrug. She trusted William, so whatever he decided in the future, she would definitely give him her full support.

Seeing her friend's attitude, Princess Sidonie rubbed her temple. Back then, she and Morgana had asked William to give them his babies. Seeing other women do the same made her realize how embarrassing it was.

< It's fine. You're too much of a worrywart, Sidonie. I can tell that Darling doesn't hold any special feelings for Lilith. >

'No. My worry isn't about Lilith becoming friends with William. I am just worried that her Divinity will suddenly go out of control. She carries the Sin of Greed. What if in the future, she would want William all to herself? When that time comes, you and I better be ready to put her in her place.'

< Don't worry. When that time comes, I'll be sure to go all out and make her understand the consequences of stealing our most important treasure. >

'As long as you understand.'

Princess Sidonie also didn't want to have any conflicts with Lilith. After meeting William, she had thrown away her desire for conquest and stopped making everyone submit to her will.

If she hadn't met the Half-Elf who had shown her what love was like, she might have ended up as the most vile creature in the world, who lorded above others through the power of her charm.

After sighing in her heart, she glanced at the pink-haired girl, who was looking back at her with a smile on her face.

"What's wrong, Chiffon?" Princess Sidonie asked.

Chiffon shook her head. "Nothing. I'm just glad that I met you and William."

"What is this all of a sudden?"

"I just feel blessed being with everyone that I love."

After saying those words, Chiffon walked towards William and held his left hand. The Half-Elf smiled and patted her head before looking back at Princess Sidonie and Ian.

Seeing her husband's love-filled gaze, Princess Sidonie understood what Chiffon meant when she said that she felt blessed being with everyone that she loved.

The beautiful Princess felt something warm spread inside her chest, as she too, moved towards William to hold his right hand.

"I love you, Will," Princess Sidonie whispered and kissed William's cheeks. "Let's go to our room. I think my Divinity is getting out of hand. You're going to help me treat it, right?"

"Of course," William replied as he gently squeezed Princess Sidonie's hand.

That night, inside William's room. The Half-Elf showered his three wives with his love.

Although he didn't know why Princess Sidonie and Ashe suddenly became assertive, he was more than happy to satisfy the overflowing love that they had for him.

While all this was happening, Lilith lay on her bed hugging a pillow as if her life depended on it. When she had set her sights on a treasure, an invisible mark that couldn't be detected would appear on their bodies.

It didn't matter if it was an object or a living person. As long as Lilith considered them to be a treasure, she would be able to know where they were no matter what.

This ability of hers also had some added bonus. Lilith would be able to see, hear, and feel anything around her marked object, as if she was the object herself.

Because of this ability, she had also accidentally discovered Ian's secret, which surprised her greatly.

However, that was the least of her concern. Lilith didn't know that marking William would let her feel things she had never felt before.

She didn't know that she would experience things she had never known before.

The Amazon Princess' face was already as red as a tomato, and her breathing had turned completely ragged. Although this wasn't her original intention, she was able to witness, and experience how William made love to his wives.

The incredible sense of pleasure was transferred to every fiber of her being. With every moan, Lilith felt her heart trembling. With every thrust, her body shuddered in ecstasy. Waves, upon waves of euphoric sensations assaulted her senses, making her unable to think properly.

'This is bad,' Lilith thought as her hands tried to quench the fire that had engulfed her entire body. 'I want this… I need this…'

Lilith's Divinity slowly awakened and a great yearning to obtain the Half-Elf bloomed inside her heart. In the past, she was just curious about William, but now… she was being consumed by the greed that took hold of her senses.

'Calm down,' Lilith said as she temporarily cut off her connection with William. She then used her willpower to resist the power of her Divinity that had suddenly erupted, catching her by surprise.

'Calm down. I must calm down…' Lilith closed her eyes as she panted for breath. 'I don't want him to hate me, so I must calm down.''

Lilith's amber eyes glowed as the Divinity inside her body surged. In the end, the Amazon Princess took out a vial from her storage ring.

She hastily drank its contents and closed her eyes.

'It is going to be okay,' Lilith thought. 'I am going to be okay.'

Lilith repeated these words inside her head over and over until the effects of the potion started to kick in.

The drug was a very potent sleeping potion that would knock anyone unconscious for a few hours upon consumption. This was a medicine she had planned to use on William in order to drag him back to the Ares Empire when an opportunity presented itself.

Now, she was forced to consume this same potion in order to prevent her Divinity from getting out of control.

Soon, the Amazon Princess collapsed on the bed with tears streaming down her eyes. The potion had taken its effect, and the danger had been suppressed for the time being.

She hoped that when morning came, her craving would subside.. That way, she would be able to act normally in front of William, who was still unaware that the Amazon Princess had marked him as a treasure that belonged only to her.

Chapter 787: Unexpected Reunion

"Good morning," William greeted Lilith as soon as he saw her in the living room of his Villa.

"Good morning," Lilith replied as she looked at William's face.

She could feel her cheeks heating up as the sights, sounds, and sensations that she had felt yesterday once again resurfaced.

William frowned when he saw the flushed expression on Lilith's face. He immediately walked towards her, and pressed his palm over her forehead, to check if she was sick or having a fever.

The Half-Elf thought that the Amazon Princess had been infected by a disease that was exclusive to the Forbidden Ground, due to how red her face was.

"I-I'm fine," Lilith said as she pried away William's hand from her forehead. However, instead of releasing the Half-Elf's hand, she held it firmly in her grasp as she faced William with a beet-red face. "Thank you for your concern. I just didn't get much sleep last night so I might not be at my peak performance."

"I see," William replied. "That's good to know."

Since Lilith was holding William's hand, the red-headed teenager asked Optimus to use a Diagnostic Spell on Lilith's body to ensure that she was as fit as a fiddle.

< There is nothing wrong with Lilith. All her vital signs are good, and I don't see any abnormalities aside from a slightly higher heart rate, which I think is normal for girls her age. >

'That's good to hear,' William replied.

The Half-Elf smiled at the Amazon who was looking at his face with a serious expression. Her gaze was so intense that it made William feel uncomfortable. Although he didn't mind being stared at by a beautiful girl, Lilith's stare was different.

Her gaze was like those of a thief that was looking for ways to steal a treasure that was housed inside a crystal casing. William didn't feel safe under Lilith's gaze, and he had a feeling that the latter would tie him up and carry him back home with her.

"Is there something on my face?" William asked as he tried to keep the calm expression on his face. "Or do you perhaps find me so handsome that you can't keep your eyes off me?"

William's words broke Lilith out of her daze, and the latter reluctantly let go of his hand, before briskly walking towards the dining area.

The Half-Elf scratched his head because he didn't understand what had just transpired between him and the Amazon Princess.

Princess Sidonie, Ashe, and Chiffon, were still sleeping inside William's room. The three had fought William until dawn, and all of them were quite exhausted. This was not the first time that this had happened, so the Half-Elf was confident that his three wives would be waking up around noon.

For the time being, he decided to have breakfast before he continued to explore the Seventh Sanctum alone.

His goal was to go to the place where the lightning bolts were active. Although there was no evidence, William thought that the Hall of Thunder was more likely to appear in a place where lightning storms rampaged unhindered.

After eating breakfast and leaving a message with Lilith to pass to Chiffon, William left the Villa and headed back to the real world.

As soon as William appeared inside the make-shift cave that he had made the night before, he came face to face with a robed figure that almost made him jump up in fright.

"Relax, it's just me."

The person standing in front of him said and removed the robe that was covering his body. Even though the interior of the cave was dark, William's Dark Vision allowed him to see the familiar face of the young man he had seen the day before.

"Your Excellency, please, don't scare me like that," William said as he pressed his hand over his chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

The young man gave William a bitter smile as he made a gesture for the Half-Elf to take a seat.

William obeyed and observed the young man in front of him. He was quite certain that the latter had taken the golden fruit from the tree, but after a good look, he didn't see any particular changes in the Diabolical Hell Ape's looks and aura.

The young man understood William's appraising look and sighed deeply.

"I was able to get the fruit thanks to your help, but I wasn't able to keep it," the young man said with a trace of sadness. "In the end, I was forced to give it up in order to survive. I greatly underestimated the golden fruit's attraction to the creatures inside the Seventh Sanctum."

William felt sorry for the young man in front of him, but he also knew that the Diabolical Hell Ape made the right choice in letting the golden fruit go in exchange for his life.

"Do you have any future plans, Your Excellency?" William inquired.

"No," the young man replied dejectedly. "Also, stop calling me 'Your Excellency'. From now on, you can call me Aldric."

"Understood, Lord Aldric."

"Good."

William stared at the young man in front of him and answered the question that he was dying to ask.

"Lord Aldric, how did you find me?" William inquired. He was very curious on how the Diabolical Hell Ape was able to pinpoint his location.

"Good question. I was able to find you because I can trace your aura," Aldric replied. "This is an ability I acquired after spending a month inside the Seventh Sanctum. My senses made a breakthrough and I can lock on the auras of any individual of my choosing. I already said that whether I succeeded or not, I would owe you a favor.

"I memorized your aura so that I could find you, and repay you for the help that you have given me. Now, tell me, what is it that you search for in this Forbidden Ground? Don't tell me that you're just out for a stroll in this dangerous place?"

After pondering for a short moment, William decided to tell the Diabolical Hell Ape that he was looking for the Hall of Thunder. He was hoping that Aldric had come across this place during his two-month stay inside the Seventh Sanctum.

"The Hall of Thunder?" Aldric frowned. "You're also looking for it?"

"Also?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, I am also looking for it. I was supposed to head there after acquiring the Golden Fruit. My plan was to consume the fruit, while undergoing the trial of the Heavenly Thunder.

"According to that person, my chances of achieving my goal would be higher if I had the golden fruit in my possession. She was also the one that gave me this bracelet that allowed me to temporarily take human form. If I remember correctly, her name should be Ariadne."

William's body stiffened after hearing the familiar name. He hadn't seen the Oracle since he left the Southern Continent, and he found this whole situation baffling.

"Aldric, do you remember her face?" William inquired. He wanted to know if the Diabolical Hell Ape was referring to the Oracle that served under the God of Shepherd, or a lady that only shared the same name.

Aldric shook his head. "This is also the reason why she gave me a lasting impression. Aside from her name, I can't remember her face. During our entire conversation, I felt like my focus would lapse from time to time whenever I observed her face. It was quite a mysterious encounter.

"Ah! I almost forgot. When she met me, she wasn't alone. There was this young girl, with red hair beside her. Actually, the little girl was also holding a wooden staff, similar to the one you own.. If memory serves me right, her name is Eve."

Chapter 788: What A Small World

William didn't expect to hear about Aldric's encounter with Ariadne.

As an Oracle, Ariadne was blessed with the power to glimpse the future. Unlike Elliot's clairvoyance, the mysterious lady could activate her ability whenever she wished for it.

'My meeting with Aldric should be a coincidence, right?' William thought.

However, he couldn't stop the nagging feeling inside his head that the Oracle might have set things up for William to meet the Diabolical Hell Ape inside the Seventh Sanctum.

For the time being, William decided to ask subtle questions in order to verify his hunch.

"How did you meet her?" William inquired.

The Half-Elf knew that the Guardian of the Forest preferred to stay inside his Domain and not meddle with the outside world. Even when William came to ask for his help, the latter only said that he would help William if he could help him become a human.

"She came to my forest to look for me," Aldric replied. "She said that if I wanted to become Human, I should stop wasting my time in the Southern Continent and go to the Central Continent. I didn't know how she found out about my wish, but since a path has been opened up for me, I decided to take a leap of faith and come to the Central Continent with them."

"Wait!" William couldn't stop himself from stopping Aldric from continuing his explanation. "Ariadne and Eve are also here in the Central Continent?"

"Do you know them?" Aldric raised an eyebrow. "Yes. The three of us traveled together, but, we parted ways after she led me to this place. I've been here for two months, so that means that we arrived here in the Central Continent a month ago."

William sighed because of the missed opportunity. If only he had known that his little cousin, Eve, and Ariadne had arrived in the Central Continent, he might have gone to look for them.

After reigning in his emotions, William inquired if Aldric knew where Ariadne and Eve were headed. Unfortunately, the Diabolical Hell Ape didn't know, so the Half-Elf's lead ended then and there.

'No matter,' William thought. 'After I leave this place, I will inform gramps that Eve is also in the Central Continent.'

"What a small world," Aldric said with a smile. "I didn't know that Eve was your cousin. She's quite an adorable girl."

"That she is. I'm worried about her safety." William scratched his head. "Did she bring her ducklings and that white goose with her?"

"Yes," Aldric replied. "They are an interesting bunch. Always following her around like she was their mother or something."

William only smiled at Aldric's reply. Eve had raised the ducklings since they were chicks, so all of them treated her as their mom. As for the White Goose, it was her bodyguard.

Although a Millennial Beast was a powerful deterrent in the Southern Continent, the same couldn't be said in the Central Continent where countless Myriad Beasts could wander freely.

The Half-Elf could only hope that Ariadne would be strong enough to protect her cousin from Humans, as well as these dangerous vagabonds that would appear when one least expected them.

"Well then, I guess it's time to go," Aldric stood up. "You said that there is a chance that the Hall of Thunder is located in the north, right? Let's head there first."

William nodded as he followed the Diabolical Hell Ape outside the cave. With a powerful Beast to accompany him in his journey, the Half-Elf would have a higher chance in reaching his destination without falling prey to the Territorial Myriad Beasts that stood in their way.

—–

Two days after William and Aldric traveled to the north, a certain group of monsters were making their journey to the west.

Just like Aldric, these three monsters had failed in the all-out-war for the golden fruit. Two of their members had died in the free-for-all battle for supremacy.

In the end, the one who managed to snatch the fruit from their grasp was the Alpha Crimson Flame Wolf, who brought its entire pack to the battlefield.

The Alpha Wolf had been ruthless, not caring if the members of its pack sacrificed their lives in the process. The battle for the golden fruit lasted for an entire day, and the ground was littered with bodies of Myriad Beasts that died during this intense struggle.

After acquiring the Golden Fruit, the Alpha Crimson Flame Wolf returned with its pack to their den. No monster dared to pursue them because they held the absolute advantage in numbers.

All the monsters knew that after a few days, a new powerful overlord would be born inside the Seventh Sanctum. The Terror Rats knew that it would be futile to snatch the fruit back from the Ruthless Alpha Wolf.

Because of this, the Black-Striped Terror Rats decided to hunt down the culprit that was responsible for snatching the fruit, and attracting so many additional monsters along the way.

If only the battlefield had remained in the small clearing, the Terror Rats were confident that they would have won the skirmish against the dozens of Myriad Beasts that decided to try their luck.

They held a vendetta against the Diabolical Hell Ape for foiling their plans to obtain the Golden Fruit, and decided to hunt him down.

During the chase for the golden fruit, they had used their ability "Trace" on the Diabolical Hell Ape, to prevent him from escaping their grasp. For an entire month, they would be able to follow Aldric's tracks, even if the latter were to fly in the sky.

Several squeaks reverberated in the air as the three monsters communicated with the other Terror Rats in the vicinity. Soon, dozens of giant rats ran across the forest, forming an unstoppable force.

Because of this, no Myriad Beasts dared to block their path as they made their way towards the West.

"Squeak!" the leader of the Black-Striped Terror Rats raised its head as it continued to run to the West.

""Squeak!""

The other Terror Rats voiced out their support as they ran behind their leader.. They were out for vengeance, and they would not stop until the target of their hatred was ripped to shreds by their very own hands.

Chapter 789: I Will Stop Him Even If This Body Of Mine Breaks Into Pieces

Inside Hestia Academy…

"Ever since we returned, the academy forbade us from accepting any missions," Princess Eowyn said as she glanced at the beautiful flowers that swayed in the distance.

She, along with Kenneth, and Pearl were having afternoon tea inside a gazebo located in the academy's garden.

"The Headmaster is just worried about your safety, Your Highness," Pearl replied. "The incident with the Dryad had alarmed his Majesty, and he personally requested that we be exempt from the Quarterly Test of the academy.

"I know, and I understand why father acted the way he did," Princess Eowyn commented. "If not for Conan delaying for time, and Sir William's arrival, all of us might have suffered a fate worse than death. Even so, I just feel that nothing has changed. I'm still a flower inside a greenhouse, that is not allowed to go outside in fear that I might wither away."

Pearl sighed as she listened to Princess Eowyn's complaints. She then glanced at her comrade, Kenneth, who was sitting perfectly still with his eyes closed.

"Kenneth, are you asleep?" Pearl asked as she lightly tapped the silver-haired Elf's shoulder. After spending some time with William's Ex-Roommate, Pearl noticed that he would automatically fall asleep whenever they were not going to do anything.

'This person sure likes to sleep,' Pearl mused as she eyed the silver-haired Elf who was not giving any kind of reaction to her slight nudging.

Princess Eowyn also shifted her attention to the elf who was sleeping peacefully while sitting on a chair.

She didn't know much about Kenneth. The only thing she knew about him was that he came from the Rayleigh Family, who were well-known for their accurate prophecies.

Right now, the Elders of the Elven Council, as well as the Elf King were starting to feel anxious. According to the Patriarch of the Rayleigh Family, the time of the prophecy was near. Although he couldn't give an accurate time when it would happen, he affirmed that the Prince would be born in less than two years.

This had sent the Silvermoon Continent into a frenzy and various defenses were being set up around the Elven Kingdom in preparation for the Prince's arrival.

Princess Eowyn had also been given a special task by the Elven King, and that was to pay close attention to William.

As someone who had met the twins of destiny, and learned Dark Magic, he was the prime candidate for becoming the Dark Prince.

It was not only her who had been keeping an eye on William. The Headmaster of the Academy, in addition to the various rulers of the land, were doing the same.

With William's conquest of the Devil's Floor, their conviction that the Half-Elf was the Dark Prince was at an all time high.

Even so, there were still people that doubted whether William was truly the prophesied Prince or not. Kenneth was one of them.

"Sir Kenneth, do you still think that Sir William is not the Prince that will cover this world in darkness?" Princess Eowyn asked the silver-haired elf who still had his eyes closed.

Half a minute passed before Kenneth opened his eyes to look at the Elven Princess, who was looking at him with a serious expression on her face.

"I want to believe that William isn't the Prince of Darkness," Kenneth replied. "I don't want him to fall into darkness. If that were to really come to pass, I would personally go and stop him."

Kenneth's voice was firm, and his eyes held conviction. The Princess could tell that William's Ex-Roommate was serious in his declaration.

"And if you can't stop him?" Pearl asked. She had a very bad impression of William due to her sister's brainwashing. If only she was a match to the Half-Elf, she would have already beaten him up and demanded that her sister be returned to her former state of mind.

"There is no can't," Kenneth answered. He eyed Pearl as he firmly made his declaration. "I will stop him. Even if this body of mine breaks into pieces."

—–

"You can't find him?" Byron, the Headmaster of Hestia Academy, asked his agent who was tasked to follow William's movements after he set out of the academy.

The agent, who was in his late thirties, shook his head firmly.

"I was able to follow him up to the Port City of Alabaster, but after that, I lost his traces," the agent replied. "I made subtle inquiries to the Army Vice Captain named Haleth, but she didn't know where William was planning to go.

The Half-Elf only told her that he would go sight-seeing with the two ladies that accompanied him.

Byron snorted. "Sightseeing my foot."

Byron raised his hand and a giant scroll materialized in front of him. He then unfurled the scroll and gazed at the map of the Central Continent with a critical gaze.

"He went to the Port City of Alabaster…," Byron muttered. "There are many places that he could go from there, so finding his trail will be hard."

After eyeing the map, a hint of realization appeared on Byron's old face.

'Could it be? No. He's not stupid enough to go there…,' Byron thought as eyed a purple vortex that spun at the Southwest corner of the Central Continent.

"The Seventh Sanctum…," Byron said softly. "Could he have really gone there?"

The face of the agent, who was listening to Byron's muttering, started to become pale after hearing the words Seventh Sanctum.

'I hope that he won't order me to go to the Forbidden Ground.' the agent prayed inside his heart. 'I still haven't lived enough. I don't want to die.'

After a few minutes, Byron sighed and made a gesture for the agent to leave. The agent respectfully bowed his head before leaving the Headmaster's office.

After stepping out of the office, the agent was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Even if his commission was increased, he would not dare to enter the Forbidden Ground for the sake of finding a Half-Elf.

Back inside the office, Byron tapped the map with his finger, while deep in thought.

'Did he really go there?' Byron mused as he stared at the purple vortex on the map that was spread on his desk. 'That boy sure has guts. Does he not care for his life?'

The Headmaster of the Academy sighed as he rolled up the scroll and returned it inside his storage ring. Even with his current powers, he would have to think twice before venturing into this mysterious domain that had claimed many lives.

He knew that if William really had entered the Seventh Sanctum, it was already too late to do anything. All he could do now was wait in the Academy for the Half-Elf's return.

As the Headmaster was about to deal with other urgent matters that required his attention, the door of his room broke apart, and a little fairy entered the room with a big smile on her face.

"Headmaster! I'm here!" Chloee announced as she landed on the Headmaster's desk. "I have already finished my mission. The item you requested has been delivered properly!"

The corner of Byron's lips twitched as he looked at the destroyed door of his office. He had just repaired it a week ago, and it was once again destroyed by the little fairy who liked to smash things that blocked her way.

"Chloee, didn't I tell you to knock on the door properly before you enter my office?" Byron asked.

"Didn't I just do what you told me to?" Chloee replied while tilting her head. "I knocked down your door properly! Hehehe, now, pay me for my mission! I plan to go shopping!"

The little fairy stretched out her little hand and demanded her payment.

Byron was about to argue with her when an idea came to his mind.

"Say, Chloee, I have another mission for you ,and I plan to give you double, no, triple the rewards," Byron asked with a benevolent smile. "Are you interested?"

"Triple the rewards?" Chloee looked at the Headmaster suspiciously. "Since when did you become generous? Are you an impostor? Tell me, where did you hide that senile and stingy old man that doesn't take a bath? If you don't tell me the truth, I'm gonna clobber you!"

It took a while for Byron to coax and convince the violent little fairy that he was not an impostor. Also, after hearing the contents of the mission, Chloee readily agreed and set out to look for Celeste in order to inform her and ask for permission for her next expedition.

The Headmaster of Hestia Academy looked out of the window of his office with a smile.. Since the Forbidden Ground was a dangerous place, he would send out an equally dangerous little fairy to look for the Half-Elf who had disappeared without a trace.

Chapter 790: The Vengeful Terror Rats

"You're going to the Seventh Sanctum to look for William?" Celeste frowned after hearing Chloee's report.

"Um, the Headmaster isn't sure if Will is inside the Seventh Sanctum," Chloee replied. "However, he gave me an artifact that could detect if students of the Academy have entered the Forbidden Ground. If the artifact does find traces of William's group, I am tasked to find them and bring them out safely."

Celeste rubbed her temple. She didn't expect that the Half-Elf would do something as dangerous as enter the Seventh Sanctum without notifying the Academy. If she knew beforehand, she would definitely send Chloee to accompany him on his journey.

"Very well, you may go," Celeste stated. "If William really went inside that dangerous place, make sure to bring him back alive, no matter what. Do you understand, Chloee?"

"Yes." Chloee nodded.

Claire, who was listening quietly to the side, frowned, but she didn't have any opinion whatsoever about Chloee's mission. Instead, she patted her twin's shoulder and told her to be careful.

"I'm off!" Chloee said as she flew out through the window of Celeste's room.

Celeste and Claire watched her small figure disappear from their sights with complicated emotions.

As a Familiar, even if Chloee died inside the Forbidden Ground, Celeste could summon her once again. However, that didn't mean that she didn't feel sad or hurt whenever one of her Familiars died.

Chloee and Claire were born from Celeste's soul. When they died, the beautiful Elf would feel a stinging pain in the core of her being.

William felt the same when Elliot and Conan died. Although the pain would subside given time, it was still a painful reminder to Celeste and William that a part of them had died alongside their Familiars.

—–

Two weeks had passed since William and Aldric had started to make their way towards the North Western Regions of the Forbidden Ground.

They had encountered several mishaps along the way, but with the help of the Diabolical Hell Ape, they were able to arrive at their destination.

William, Chiffon, Lilith, and Aldric stared at a vast expanse of land where several purple rivers met.

Lightning streaked towards the ground en-masse, and thunder roared endlessly.

Aldric's expression became grim because not only were the lightning bolts truly dangerous, the rivers that surrounded the area were branches of the River of Samsara.

One mistake and they would find themselves in an endless cycle of birth and rebirth, that would only stop after their thirteenth lifetime.

"William, Chiffon, Lilith, no matter what happens, don't fall on the river," Aldric said with a serious expression. "That is the River of Samsara. If you fall on that river, your obsessions and memories will be taken from you, and you will undergo a series of lifetimes through the cycle of death and rebirth. I advise all of you to tread lightly."

William frowned when he heard Aldric's explanation. Looking at the raging rivers that were similar to purple snakes that covered the entirety of his vision, he wanted to curse out loud.

With such difficult terrain to maneuver, and the constant bombardment of lightning from above, the Half-Elf felt that finding the Hall of Thunder within this hell-like place would prove to be extremely dangerous.

Just as William was about to ask Optimus if it had a better idea about how to traverse through the region, a series of notifications rang inside his head.

The map on his status page enlarged and hundreds of purple dots appeared and seemed to be headed in their direction.

< Will, according to my calculations, these Black-Striped Terror Rats seemed to have locked onto our location. >

'What?! Why?!"

William's mind raced as he thought of several possibilities as to why these rats had run all the way from their forest to look for them.

'I clearly escaped the moment I threw the lollipops, so they are not after me,' William then gazed at the Diabolical Hell Ape who seemed to have also sensed that something was amiss. 'Don't tell me…'

< That is the only possibility. The Black-Striped Terror Rats are after the Diabolical Hell Ape. >

'F*ck!'

Soon, the ground trembled as the Horde of Terror Rats appeared in their vision. Shrill shrieks that spoke of death spread throughout their surroundings as the monster horde eyed William's group with murderous eyes.

"Chiffon! Go!" William ordered as he tried to open a portal that led to the Thousand Beast Domain.

The pink-haired girl didn't waste any time and instantly teleported into William's domain using the wedding ring on her finger.

Just like Princess Sidonie's Collar of Wisteria, William had added a special feature on Chiffon's wedding ring, to allow her to travel to the Thousand Beast Domain, anytime, anywhere.

Once Chiffon was safe, William started to open a portal so Lilith and Aldric could also enter his Domain. However, as the portal slowly formed in front of William's group, a Heavenly Lightning Bolt struck it, dispersing the portal instantly.

William, Lilith, and Aldric were blown away by the explosion, sending them skidding a few meters away from where they once stood.

"Run!" William hastily stood up from the ground and activated his heroic avatar.

Lilith and Aldric glanced in his direction before running towards the hell-like land that was right in front of them.

William held the golden staff in his hand and aimed its tip at the approaching monster horde.

"Quick Shot War Art, Fourth Form!" William roared. "Grand Bazooka!"

A powerful explosion exploded from the golden staff's tip and flew towards the hundreds of Terror Rats.

The bodies of the rats glowed crimson as they unleashed their racial ability, a horrendous sound that was similar to fingernails scraping a chalkboard, reached William's ears.

Hundreds of giant Crimson Blades, that had the power to rend space, met William's attack creating a powerful explosion that blew him, and several of the rats away from where they stood.

After regaining his footing, William hastily dodged to the side, to evade the Primal Rends that were raining down on him.

The attacks that he had evaded created craters that were over ten meters wide, forcing William to use the golden staff as a pole vault to gain distance.

He had discovered a while ago that he couldn't fly in this hell-like region, which made escape very difficult.

Turning his head to look at his companions, he saw Lilith summon a crystal bridge to cross to the other side safely.

Aldric, on the other hand, summoned fireballs to attack the Crimson Blades that were headed in their direction.

William gritted his teeth as he shot several Railguns to repel the Crimson Blades that Aldric wasn't able to hit.

Thanks to the power of his golden staff that could lengthen itself, the Half-Elf jumped over the Rivers of Samsara without worries.

He was about to give the Terror Rats the middle finger when he noticed something unexpected.

Instead of stopping their pursuit, the Giant Rats stepped over each other's bodies, using them as a stepping stone to jump over the river.

If William was alone, he would have no trouble escaping the monster horde. Unfortunately, he couldn't leave Lilith and Aldric behind, so he was forced to engage the Terror Rats in order to delay their mad pursuit.

Ruyi Jingu Bang lengthened as William prepared to swat the Terror Rats, and send them to the torrential rivers that surrounded the land like a spiderweb.

Just as William was about to unleash his devastating attack, several Heavenly Lightning Bolts fell on his body.

He had already anticipated that this would happen, so he had swapped his Job Class to Prince of Thunder. Unfortunately, the Heavenly Lightning Bolts were not ordinary lightning bolts. They contained a piece of Heaven's Will that tested the limits of humanity.

Even if William was immune to lightning, he still felt a stinging pain as he was pushed away by the lightning bolts, breaking his stance mid-air.

A mighty roar erupted in the distance, followed by ear-piercing shrieks.

Aldric had transformed into his original form and entered a slugfest with four Myriad Black-Striped Terror Rats.

Lilith, on the other hand, was about to cross her crystal bridge when a Crimson Blade split it in two.

Showing her no mercy, the Terror Rats unleashed dozens of Crimson Blades in her direction.

With the raging purple river in front of her, and dozens of Primal Rends behind her, Lilith was left with no room to maneuver as the Primal Rends tore through space and headed in her direction.

Just as the Crimson Blades were about to land on her body, William appeared in front of her.

Using Ruyi Jingu Bang as a shield, he prepared himself to endure the powerful barrage that was strong enough to obliterate them.

With each blade that landed on the golden staff's body, William's feet skid on the crystal bridge. Blood started to flow at the corner of his lips because each attack that fell on him hit like a truck.

Suddenly, just as he thought that the worst was over, a gigantic crimson blade fell upon his body, sending him, and Lilith hurtling towards the River of Samsara.

William hurriedly reached out to the Amazon Princess and used his body to break their fall on the river's surface.

The Black-Striped Terror Rats angrily ran along the river bank as they searched for their prey. They were Myriad Beasts so it was very easy for them to detect any signs of life, even if it was beneath the waters.

Five minutes later, the Black-Striped Terror Rats shrieked and ran towards the Diabolical Hell Ape who was being attacked from all sides.

Now that the pests were gone, it was time for them to take their revenge.. They charged at the Giant Ape with their fangs bared in fury, no longer caring for the two people that had fallen into the raging River of Samsara.