Chapter 341: The Wrath Of The Righteous
"Just leave me," Leah pleaded. "It is me that they are after."
"No," Matthew replied as he held her hand firmly. "You are my wife. How can I possibly let anyone take you from me?"
The two were currently hiding inside a small house in order to lose their pursuers. An hour ago, they used a teleportation gate that would connect them to the town called Westwend.
This town was still many miles away from Lont, but this was as far as the teleportation gate could take them. Earlier, they noticed several black-robed men following behind them, just before they entered the teleportation gate.
The two didn't pay them attention because they were the Special Forces of the Hellan Kingdom. At least, that was what Prince Lionel told everyone in the conference room.
Matthew thought that they were just going to inspect the other towns to see how the survivors were doing. It never crossed his mind that those same men would try to snatch his wife away from him, after arriving at Westwend.
An intense battle ensued and the two were immediately pushed back. Not only did their enemies have the advantage in numbers, they were also quite strong. The majority of the people among the black-robed men were in the Platinum Ranks, but four of them were in the Mithril Ranks.
(A/N: Platinum Ranks are equivalent to Class B Beasts, while Mithril Ranks are equivalent to Class A Beasts.)
Matthew and Leah were only at the middle stages of the Platinum Rank, so they were easily overpowered by their enemies.
During the battle, the two noticed that the black-robed men were just focusing their attacks on Matthew and ignoring Leah. In order to protect her lover, Leah decided to take a gamble and block a fatal attack that was meant for Matthew.
The black-robed man hastily pulled back his attack, but Leah was still injured in the process. Fortunately, she only received minor injuries because she was wearing special armor under her clothes.
In a desperate attempt to escape from their attackers, Leah used the same skill she had used during the Dungeon Outbreak to escape from the Lamias. She and Matthew appeared inside a public bathhouse because Leah's ability allowed her to teleport to nearby places with bodies of water.
Matthew carried his exhausted lover out of the bathhouse and hid inside the nearest house in the vicinity. Fortunately, the house was empty, so the two didn't have to worry about having strangers get hurt because of them.
'Just why are they doing this?' Matthew thought. He tried to think of a reason for why the Special Forces of the Kingdom hunted them down as if they were escaped criminals.
After pondering for a while, Matthew still couldn't think of any reason why the black-robed men wanted to capture Leah. It was at that moment when a possibility appeared inside his head. Although it was absurd, it was the only thing that Matthew could think of.
'Could it be the Prince…' Matthew gritted his teeth in anger. Although he didn't want to believe it, and wanted to toss this idea aside, his instincts were telling him that he was spot on.
'Bastard.' Matthew cursed the Crown Prince who acted like a benevolent ruler in front of them, but was secretly planning something vile behind their backs.
Matthew looked at his beautiful wife who was sleeping in his embrace and held her tighter. He wouldn't allow anyone, not even a Prince, a King, or an Emperor, to touch his wife.
While he was thinking of a way to escape from their predicament, a gaseous substance entered the sole window of the room.
Matthew caught a whiff of it and was immediately alarmed. It was a
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gas that could paralyze a person if they were to inhale it for an extended period. He had learned about this gas during a laboratory lesson inside the Royal Academy and was very familiar with it.
He channeled his magical energy into his leg and foot before kicking the wall beside him. A big hole appeared soon after, and he jumped out of the house without looking back. Leah woke up at that exact moment and was disoriented by what was happening around her.
Matthew didn't have time to explain as he channeled his magical energy into his feet to run as fast as he could from their pursuers.
Just as they were about to reach the gate of the town, several black-robed men appeared before them.
"Stop running," one of the black-robed men said in a teasing manner. "If you cooperate, you will not get hurt."
"Why are you doing this?" Matthew asked. "Why are you targeting us?"
"You don't need to know," the black-robed man answered. "Your only choice is to obediently cooperate, or we will beat you up until you cooperate. I'm sure that the young missy in your arms doesn't want you to get hurt."
Leah bit her lip as she stared at Matthew then turned to the black-robed man who seemed to be the leader of the group that was tasked to catch them.
"If I go with you, will you let him go?" Leah asked.
"Oh?" the black-robed man grinned. "Very well. Come with us obediently and we will let him go unharmed."
"No!" Matthew rejected Leah's proposal. "I will not leave you with these scums!"
The black-robed man chuckled, but he didn't do anything else. He had no intention of letting Matthew go because the Prince wanted him to be brought back as well. The only reason he agreed to Leah's proposal was to prevent the girl from getting hurt further.
Once she is in their hands, they would immediately capture the boy and bring the two of them to the Crown Prince's chambers in the capital of Gladiolus.
"Matthew, this is the only way. I don't want you to get hurt," Leah looked at her lover pleadingly. "Please, just go."
"Never! I'd rather die!" Matthew was adamant.
Clearly, he had no intention of letting Leah go alone.
"I'll count to three," the black-robed man said with a smile. "If the young lady doesn't turn herself in then we will have no choice but to do it the hard way."
Matthew glared at the man as he held Leah close to his chest. He channeled his magic powers around his body to create mage armor. Clearly, he planned to fight to the death to protect his wife.
Leah knew that Matthew had made up his mind, so she decided to respect his decision. Although she couldn't move right now due to exhaustion, she still had enough magic power to shoot a few spells to protect the young man she loved the most.
The black-robed man narrowed his eyes and began counting.
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
"Times up." the leader of the group made a gesture and the encirclement closed in on the two lovers. "Get them, but do your best not to damage the girl."
""Yes!""
Ever since the Continental spell was activated, thick gray clouds covered the continent, preventing the light of the sun from coming in. Not only that, a powerful barrier enclosed the entire Southern Continent.
This move was done to prevent any outside influences from reaching the Southern Continent. And disrupting The Organization's plan for a one-sided conquest.
Of course, this barrier also extended up to the sea.
The fleets of the Kraetor Empire and the Elves were already within the territorial waters of the Southern Continent, since they had anticipated that something like this to happen. They used powerful artifacts to allow their ships to pass through the barrier while it was still not fully formed.
Aside from the Elven fleet and the Kraetor Army, no other forces would be able to enter the Southern Lands unless they used extraordinary means to do so. The moment the Continental Spell was activated, the Southern Continent had been closed off from the rest of the world.
Suddenly, the sky darkened as thunder rumbled in the heavens. The black-robed men paused for a bit before continuing their mission. Although the sudden change in the weather caught them by surprise, they didn't think much of it.
Just as they were about to close in on the two teenagers, several lightning bolts descended from the heavens and struck all the black-robed men. Only the leader of the group was able to dodge in time and escape getting seriously injured.
"Not bad."
A teasing voice praised the leader of the black-robed men.
Matthew's and Leah's eyes widened in shock as they stared at the young man that was standing in front of them.
He had his back turned on them, but his blazing red-hair and his voice had already given away his identity.
"Who are you?" the black-robed man asked as he raised the weapon in his hand.
The red-headed boy smirked as he summoned a wooden staff into his hand.
"Just a Shepherd," William answered. "Now, I will count up to three. If you haven't knelt down and apologized to my Big Brother and Big Sister by the time I'm done counting then I will have no choice but to do it the hard way."
Thunder rumbled in the heavens, and lightning snaked down from the sky. Sparks streaked out of William's eyes as an evil smile spread across his handsome face.
"One… Two…"
"W-Wait!"
"Three."
"Please! Have mercy!"
William chuckled and pointed at his face. "Tell me, does this look like the face of Mercy to you?"
Before the man could even give out a reply, a flash of bright light streaked across the sky followed by a roar of thunder.
William had no intention of showing any mercy to those who tried to hurt the people that were important to him.
Soon a blood curdling scream reverberated in the town of Westwend. This served as the prelude to the war that would be written in the history books.
A war which would still be talked about for thousands of years in the future.
A war that many historians would fondly refer to as "The Wrath of the Righteous".
Chapter 342: Let's Return To Lont First
"So, are you ready to spill the beans now?" William asked with an evil smile plastered on his face.
*Kzzzzt*
Tendrils of lightning snaked across William's hands as if they had a life of their own.
The leader of the black-robed men, Lewis, shuddered as he looked at the devilish smile of the young man in front of him. He could feel that he was only just a hair's breadth away from being turned into a charred corpse.
"I-I'll talk," Lewis answered hurriedly. "I'll tell you everything."
William nodded and made a gesture for Lewis to start talking.
The right hand of Calum told William that they were sent by the Crown Prince to capture Leah and bring her to his chambers tonight. They were also ordered to beat up Matthew if he resisted and drag him back as well.
When Matthew and Leah heard Lewis' confession, their expressions immediately became grim. Matthew already had a hunch that it was the Prince that sent the black-robed men after them and it made him want to rip the bastard Prince into pieces.
Leah, on the other hand, was in disbelief, but Matthew's reactions told her that what she heard was indeed the truth. After this realization, she felt disgusted with the Crown Prince and buried her head into her lover's chest.
"I swear, everything I told you is the truth. Please, let me go." Lewis begged. "I promise that I won't tell the Prince anything. I'll just mention that our targets successfully escaped."
Lewis swallowed his pride and begged. He made an oath that if he managed to escape with his life, he would definitely tell this incident to their leader, Conner, and beg him to take vengeance for him.
He was confident that, with the members of The Organization that were scattered across the Southern Continent, the Half-Elf would have nowhere to hide.
"Okay, you may go." William waved his hand in a casual manner. "Don't let me see your face again."
Lewis bowed repeatedly, while sneering inside his heart. He then walked away and headed towards the teleportation gate, which would bring him back to the capital of the Hellan Kingdom where the Crown Prince was waiting for him.
However, he had only managed to walk twenty steps before his feet stopped moving. Blood flowed out from the corner of his lips as he collapsed on the ground, on the verge of dying.
He forced himself to turn his head to look behind him, only to see the red-headed boy looking at him as if he was looking at a dead person. Soon, Lewis' eyes clouded over because his heart had ruptured inside his chest.
William had planted a strand of lightning deep within Lewis' heart and detonated it like a miniature bomb. The Half-Elf had no intention of letting
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him go in the first place, because he had already dealt with a few people similar to Lewis.
He knew that these people were better off dead because if they were left alive, they would make others suffer simply by existing.
"Well then, how about you two fine gentlemen tell me everything about your Organization," William glanced at the two surviving men from The Organization who were playing dead on the ground. "Of course, if you love playing dead, I will be more than happy to send both of you to the afterlife."
"W-We will tell you everything!"
"Spare us! We're just following orders!"
William snorted as he summoned a whip made out of water, and used it to tie up the two men to prevent them from escaping. After making sure that they were properly tied up, William smiled and looked at his Big Brother and Big Sister, who were looking back at him with grateful expressions.
Suddenly, a boy materialized out of thin air and stood beside William. He glared at the Half-Elf before pinching his waist.
"You just regained consciousness two days ago and you're already pushing yourself." Ian reprimanded. "What was that part about taking it easy for the time being? Didn't you say that you wouldn't over-exert yourself? What if your Spiritual World collapses again? What are you going to do then, huh?!"
William's intimidating presence immediately disappeared as he tried to pacify Ian who was about to smack him to oblivion.
"I-It was an emergency! Besides, you merged with me so my Spiritual World is safe," William replied as he grabbed Ian's wrist.
He then used his other hand to touch his forehead and spoke in a monotone voice, "O-Oh no! I'm feeling dizzy!"
William's body wobbled dangerously and was about to fall down when Ian caught him. The brown-haired boy looked at William anxiously as he supported the Half-Elf's body.
Of course, William was just acting to stop Ian from nagging at him. Matthew and Leah looked at this scene with complicated expressions. Matthew looked confused, while Leah was looking at the two in amusement.
When Ian noticed that Matthew and Leah were looking at them in a weird manner, he hurriedly let go of William, making the Half-Elf fall on the ground with a thud.
"Head Prefect Matthew, Vice Prefect Leah, it's good to see that both of you are safe," Ian said as he ignored the fallen boy near his feet. He even hurriedly kicked William's bum, which made the latter yelp in pain, in order to vent out his frustration for being seen in a weird manner by others.
Matthew cleared his throat as he pretended not to see his cousin being mistreated by the handsome brown haired boy in front of him.
"If I remember correctly, you are one of the officers in the First Year Magic Division," Matthew replied as he cleared his throat. "Are you Ian, or Isaac?"
"I am Ian. Sir Matthew, can you please, tell me, what happened to my Young Master and my twin brother?" Ian inquired.
He was very worried about Est's and Isaac's safety because the last time he saw them was before they left for the war.
"Your Young Master and your twin brother are safe," Matthew replied. "We parted a few hours ago and if I remembered correctly, they were planning to return to the capital. Est seemed to be worried about his mother's safety, so he decided to see her condition as soon as possible. Your twin went along with him. They should be in the capital by now."
Ian breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that Est and Ian were safe and had survived the war against the army of the Aenashaian Dynasty.
A loud shriek resounded in the sky as Dave and his partner, Lionheart, descended from the sky while pulling a flying carriage.
"Since Est and Isaac are safe, let's return to Lont first," William proposed as he dusted himself. "I'm worried about Eve and the townspeople that were left behind."
Matthew, and Leah nodded their heads because it was their sole purpose for leaving the fortress. Ian didn't have any objections and decided to come along with them back to their hometown.
Although William looked healthy on the outside, his Spiritual World was still far from a full recovery. In order to ensure that the red-headed boy wouldn't push himself like he usually did, Ian resolved to stay by the Half-Elf's side for the time being.
After all, if something unexpected occurred, he was the only one that could enter William's Sea of Consciousness and initiate treatment when necessary.
Chapter 343: The Presence Of A Demigod
While riding inside the flying carriage, Matthew and Leah narrated everything that they had experienced during the war. The swarm of ants that covered both the land and the sky, and the sacrifices that were made to prevent the fort from being overrun by the invaders.
William listened with a serious expression to his Big Brother's and Big Sister's tales because he had no idea how the war between the Hellan Kingdom and the Two Dynasty transpired. Issei, David, and Lily didn't tell him anything about the war and prevented him from making contact with Ian, who was constantly nursing his Spiritual World.
He understood that the Gods didn't want him to worry, so that he could train in peace. Now that his training was over, he wanted to know everything, so that he could formulate his next course of action.
"So, we're dealing with an unknown Organization and they were in cahoots with the Crown Prince and the Second Prince." William frowned as he digested the information taken from his relatives and the two prisoners that he had brought along for questioning.
"I never liked the Crown Prince," Ian commented from the side. "The Young Master doesn't like him either."
William nodded his head as he glanced at the two tied up men that were looking at him with anxious faces.
"You said the name of your leader is Conner, right?" William asked.
""Yes!""
"What is the name of your Organization?"
""Deus!""
The two men answered simultaneously because they were afraid that if they didn't answer right away, William would kill them, just as he did to their superior, Lewis.
"What can you tell me about him?" William wanted to know more about the main culprit behind the Continental Spell that had turned everyone into crystal statues. If he could find a way to reverse the curse, he would be able to seek the help of the adults in dealing with this Organization that went by the name Deus.
"T-The leader, I don't know anything about him."
"R-Right. He just gives us orders. We're just grunts, so we didn't get to interact with him much."
"What does he look like?" William pressed on with his questions. "Tell me his age, race, or anything that would help me identify him."
The two men glanced at each other before lowering their heads. Both of their lips were quivering as if they were fighting an internal battle.
William noticed this and immediately changed his line of questioning. He was familiar with this condition because he had encountered a similar situation when he was traveling with Ezio.
"Forget my earlier question, just listen to me first." William narrowed his eyes as he observed the body language of his two captives. "Nod if the answer is yes, and shake your head if the answer is no. Understood?"
The two men nodded in understanding.
"Is your leader Human?"
The two men hesitated, but didn't nod, or shake their heads to answer William's question.
"Does he always wear a mask?"
The two men nodded this time.
"Can you tell me the location for the
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headquarters of your Organization?"
The two men shook their heads.
"Do you know the goal of this leader of yours named Conner?"
The two men shook their heads once again.
William noticed that both of them were perspiring so much and a subtle magical pulse was starting to radiate from their bodies. The Half-Elf finally understood that the oath they had made rendered them incapable of answering certain questions.
He knew that if he continued his inquiries, the two men would probably suffer a backlash and die in front of him.
The interrogation came to an abrupt halt, and no more words were spoken inside the carriage. Matthew and Leah slept because they were exhausted from their escape from their pursuers, as for the two men, William knocked them unconscious to prevent them from doing anything unsatisfactory.
A few hours later, the familiar scenery of Lont appeared in their eyes. William's face immediately became serious when he noticed some craters and deep cracks in the ground as they neared his hometown.
A single glance was enough to tell him that an incredible battle had taken place, while he was away.
'Dave, fly higher. We will first check the situation from the sky. Don't land until I tell you to do so,' William ordered Dave using telepathy. This was an ability that he could freely use with the people that were part of his King's Legion.
He hurriedly woke up Matthew and Leah to tell them about the current situation. Just like William, the two's expressions immediately became serious as they saw the destruction that had taken place near their hometown.
With his keen vision, William noticed something golden in the distance. It didn't take him long to see that it was none other than Lufie. The golden ape that guarded his hometown.
Ourobro was currently lying on the ground and seemed to be unconscious. Not far from Lufie, several Wyverns were also lying on the ground, as if they were in deep sleep.
The flying carriage circled Lont from the skies as William and the others observed the surroundings.
It was at that moment when they saw something fly from Lont and head in their direction.
A loud piercing cry reverberated in the air as Blitz, John's trusted animal companion, greeted William and his entourage.
The hawk shrank in size and flew beside the carriage. Blitz shrieked once again and William nodded in understanding.
"Let's land," William ordered Dave. "Head towards our family residence."
Dave acknowledged William's order and maneuvered the flying carriage to descend from the sky. As they neared the hometown, they noticed that the streets were deserted, and none of the residents could be seen anywhere.
As William focused his attention on the house where he grew up, he noticed three figures standing near the entrance of his home.
The Half-Elf immediately recognized his Master, Celine, and the Dentist of Lont, Jekyll. Both of them were standing beside each other. He was quite surprised to see that his Master, and the Dentist of Lont had not been affected by the Continental Spell.
Even so, he was very relieved to see that both of them were safe. After taking control of his emotions, William then shifted his attention to the stranger that was standing a few meters away from the two.
A sense of dread immediately gripped William's heart when he felt the aura that leaked out of the man's body.
William was quite familiar with this aura because he had been in close proximity to one of them.
'Demigod,' William thought as he once again glanced at Celine and Jekyll who were giving him the "Don't do anything reckless" stare from where they stood.
William nodded to tell them that he understood.
An expression of relief immediately passed through the two people's faces as they nodded back at him.
The black-haired stranger looked at William with an intrigued expression. There was even a hint of appreciation on the man's face as he watched the flying carriage land on the ground.
When Dave jumped down from his Gryphon to open the carriage, the first to step out was not the Half-Elf, or any of the people that were by his side.
It was none other than a white and fluffy Angorian Goat.
Ella stared at the black-haired man for a brief moment before jumping out of the carriage. She had been resting inside the Thousand Beast Domain when she felt the presence of a strong entity near William.
Naturally, she wouldn't allow the boy to be harmed by someone that was way out of his league.
The brows of the man rose up as he stared at the harmless looking goat that was standing beside the red-headed boy.
The black-haired man had come to Lont to visit an old friend. He didn't expect that what was waiting for him was a surprise beyond his wildest imaginations.
Chapter 344: One Of The Four Evils
William, Ian, Jekyll, Celine, Matthew, Leah, and the black-haired middle-aged man sat inside the conference room inside the Ainsworth Residence.
Ella stood beside William as she observed the stranger who was also eyeing her with curiosity.
Jekyll cleared his throat in order to catch everyone's attention.
"Let's all start with an introduction," Jekyll said as he looked at William and the rest who had just arrived in Lont. "This is my father Vladimir. You can just call him Lord Vlad or just Vlad. He is your grandfather's… best friend."
Matthew and William frowned as they glanced at Vladimir who was still looking at Ella with great interest.
Their grandfather, James, liked to boast and tell stories about his adventures. However, he didn't mention, not even once, that he had a best friend that went by the name Vladimir.
Jekyll's attitude towards his father was lukewarm. It had been many years since they last saw each other and the first thing they did after their reunion was brawl.
Originally, Vladimir had been hibernating inside the Strathmore Forest when he felt an incredible magic power descend upon the entirety of the Southern Continent. Although he was curious, he didn't feel any interest in investigating the cause of the disturbance.
What prompted him to leave his lair was due to the sudden loss of connection between him and James. Both of them had been very close friends over the years and their relationship was a strong one. Feeling that the connection was suddenly lost, he left his territory and traveled towards James' hometown, which was Lont.
When he arrived, he saw Lufie, who was standing near the gates of the town, and thought that the Golden Ape was one of the culprits behind James' disappearance. It didn't take him long to neutralize the Ourobro before the Wyverns came flying towards him.
Because he was in humanoid form, his Demi God presence was greatly hidden. However, that didn't stop the Guardians of Lont from perceiving him as a threat to their territory.
After knocking the Wyverns unconscious, he was about to wipe them all out when Jekyll and Celine appeared at the gates.
Seeing his son, Vladimir decided to put off killing the Ourobro and Wyverns until he knew more about the current situation.
However, before he could even say anything, Jekyll had transformed into his True Form and engaged him in battle.
Vladimir thought that it was the perfect opportunity to beat the crap out of his son, whom he hadn't seen for years, to see if he had grown stronger. The result of the battle was Jekyll's complete defeat.
Although Jekyll was strong, he was still far from stepping into the ranks of a Demigod.
After beating Jekyll to a pulp, he then started to interrogate his son to know the current situation. Jekyll even showed his father James' statue–that he had stored inside his stomach for safekeeping.
Vladimir pondered for a while before finally making a decision. For the time being, he would stay in Lont to protect James' hometown while he was out of commission. As a Demigod, he had also tried to undo the curse, but it was far too complex for him to resolve with his limited Arcane Knowledge.
An awkward silence descended inside the room because Vlad
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didn't pay any attention to William, Matthew, and Leah.
Seeing that his father had no intention in talking to William or Matthew, Jekyll decided to ask them what they had seen outside of Lont.
Matthew glanced at William first before narrating the battle at Ravenlord Citadel. He also explained how–Deus–tried to capture Leah and him due to the orders of the Crown Prince.
"We brought back two members of The Organization, but they seem to be under an oath," William commented after Matthew finished his tale. "I was afraid that they would die if I pried any further, so I decided to bring them here to be interrogated."
Jekyll nodded his head and smiled. "Good job. I'll interrogate them later and get the answers that we need. How about you, William? The last time I saw you, your Spiritual World had been destroyed. I thought you would be in a coma for a few months, but it seems that you've somewhat managed to recover."
William grinned, "I woke up a few days ago, but I'm not fully recovered."
"Can you fight?" Jekyll asked.
William nodded his head. "I can. However, I can't fight for a long period of time. According to my estimate, an hour is my limit."
Celine looked at William with a worried gaze, but she decided to not say anything for now. She planned to make a detailed examination of William's Spiritual World later. The beautiful elf wanted to personally see the extent of the damages that her disciple received from the battle with the Astral Worm.
After exchanging information, Celine cleared her throat to catch everyone's attention.
"Right now, all the adults in the Southern Continent have turned into Crystal Statues," Celine said with a serious expression. "I'm not sure why The Organization did this, but it shouldn't be as simple as conquering the lands and establishing an empire. There has to be a deeper meaning behind it."
Although she was a member of The Organization, she only received periodic reports from them. The last letter she received from Calum was a warning to remind her of what would happen if she went against them.
"We don't have much information," Jekyll admitted. "What we gathered was that Deus and the Crown Prince were in cahoots with each other. I wouldn't be surprised if they've made Prince Lionel their Puppet Emperor at this point."
William closed his eyes and tried to connect to the members of his Legion who were currently outside of Lont. It was at that moment when a familiar chirping answered his telepathic summons from a great distance away.
Aethon, the small Wren, chirped and reported everything he had seen since he parted with the boy. Due to William's unconscious state, the Wren decided to continue his information gathering while his Master was asleep.
Ironically, the little Wren was able to come in contact with Conner's group by chance, and started following them. He followed them when they went South because his instincts were telling him that they were up to no good.
After a few days of spying on them, Aethon was able to witness how Conner used the Oathkeeper Key to open the domain and explore it. The Wren had pondered for a long time if he should follow them inside the domain or not.
In the end, he decided to stay put and just observe them from afar. He was afraid that if he entered the domain, his connection with his Master would be cut off and Conner and his subordinates might discover him.
'Thank you,' William thanked the enthusiastic bird through his connection. 'Don't do anything dangerous and just stay where you are. I'll be there shortly.'
Aethon chirped to say that he understood. Due to the distance between them, William wasn't able to keep the connection for a long time. However, he still managed to pinpoint Aethon's current location with the help of the System.
After talking to his little reporter, William shared the information that he had compiled with the help of the System.
"It seems that the Undying Lands have finally been discovered."
Vladimir, who had kept his silence since the beginning of the meeting, finally made his presence known.
Jekyll's father chuckled as if remembering something sinister. He then gazed at William and eyed him with scrutiny before shifting his attention to Jekyll.
"I will stay here in Lont and guard this place," Vladimir declared. "Leave James and the rest of the statues under my care. I'll keep them safe. You and that boy investigate what is happening in this Kingdom and find a way to undo the curse."
"Okay," Jekyll replied.
Although he didn't get along with his father, he felt at ease knowing that he would be staying in Lont as it's protector. This would allow him to scout the Hellan Kingdom and get a better grasp of the current situation.
William stared at Vladimir and subtly used his Appraisal Skill on him. After ascending his Shepherd Class to its next stage, a few features of the System had been unlocked, and one of them was the strengthening of the Appraisal skill.
—-
< Qiong Qi >
— Lord of Chimaeras
— Demigod
— One of the "Four Evils"
— Nightmare Behemoth
— Threat Level: Calamity (High)
— Cannot be added to the herd
— ?????
— ?????
— ?????
— ?????
— ?????
Chapter 345: Tempted To Give A Good Spanking
"Wuwuwuwu!"
Eve clung to Matthew as she cried her heart out.
Ever since Mordred and Anna had turned into statues, it was Celine who personally took care of the youngest member of the Ainsworth Family.
The children and teenagers of Lont, who weren't affected by the Continental Spell, were currently in the underground shelter. It was a shelter that James and the other veterans of Lont had secretly built after the incident of the Beast Tide that happened many years ago.
In order to prevent the worst case scenario, they decided to make a safe place to hide the women, children, and the old people during emergencies.
Now that Vladimir had taken the role as Lont's protector, Celine, and Jekyll decided that it was safe for the children to return to their homes. This action turned the Ghost Town version of Lont into a lively one.
After assuring them that their parents were in no immediate danger, the children of Lont worked hand in hand with Matthew to make a detailed plan on how they would establish roles for each and every one of them
Living in the countryside, the children were very much self-sufficient because they would often go out to fish, hunt, and forage with their parents. The problem that Matthew currently faced was the other two towns that were part of their territory.
Fushia and Xinnar had long been added to their lands, and it was his duty as the temporary Viscount of the land to see that they were well taken care of.
This was a massive undertaking that Matthew had to face, but he was confident that he would be able to come up with something. After all, his wife, Leah, was by his side and she was very good at managing territories, just like him.
After Eve stopped crying, she then turned to William and asked to be carried on Ella's back. William happily agreed to the request of his cute niece and patrolled with her, while she rode on Ella's back.
After a short talk with Jekyll, He and William decided to leave Lont the next day in order to investigate the Southern Regions where the leader of Deus currently was.
After dinner, William and Ian went to Celine's house so that his Master could inspect the damage in his Spiritual World.
While this was happening, two figures appeared on the Eastern Side of Lont where a small grove was located.
"Who are you?" Vladimir asked. "I've lived on this continent for many years and, yet, I have never heard of someone like you. Did you perhaps come from the Central Continent?"
A fluffy white Angorian Goat looked at Vladimir with a calm expression.
"I was born here in Lont and raised by your best friend," Ella replied using telepathy. "It was only recently that I discovered that I was the incarnation of a Goddess."
Ella looked in the direction of the Ainsworth Residence as if reminiscing beautiful memories.
"However, my current vessel is not strong enough to house my true form. It's quite unfortunate that I don't remember any of the times I was able to transform into my deity form due to the limitations that
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bind me."
Vladimir rubbed his chin because this was the first time he had heard of such things. This was his first time seeing the incarnation of a Goddess in the thousands of years that he had lived.
"Then why don't you change your vessel?" Vladimir inquired. "If you like, I can help you snatch a vessel that would be strong enough to house your Divine Soul. Perhaps, one of the Holy Maidens in the Central Continent would be a perfect match for you."
Ella shook her head firmly. Although her current body had limitations, it wasn't to the extent that she found it uncomfortable. After all, if she hadn't met William in her current form, she might not have awakened her past memories due to David's intervention.
"Keep this a secret," Ella said. "I intend to stay by William's side for as long as possible."
Vladimir raised his brow as he asked another question. "What is that boy to you? What is your relationship to him?"
One of the Four Evils was curious about what kind of relationship Ella had with the Half-Elf, who was also the grandson of his best friend. He wanted to know why an entity such as Ella would choose to remain by his side.
"William is the most important person in this world to me," Ella gave Vladimir a side-long glance before walking away. "I hope that you and him will get along in the future."
The Angorian Goat increased her pace as she ran towards Celine's house. Vladimir looked at her retreating back while deep in thought. He had been sleeping for many years and was currently wondering what he would do now that he was awake.
For the time being, he decided that he would safeguard James' hometown. As to what he would do after this incident was over, this was something he could figure out while waiting for James' curse to be lifted.
—–
"How are you even still alive?" Celine asked after looking at William's broken spiritual world.
William smiled as he held the hand of the beautiful mermaid that was beside him. "It's because of Ashe. if not for her, I'd probably be dead by now, Master."
William took off his upper clothes and showed Celine the gem embedded in his chest. He knew that Celine only wanted the best for him, so he decided to tell her the truth. This was why Ashe was also present in his Spiritual World.
He wanted to formally introduce one of his future wives to his Master, Celine.
The Dark Sorceress curiously eyed the gem and even touched it using her finger. After seeing Ashe's true form, the elf managed to connect the dots and lightly pinched William's ears.
"Very good, little Disciple." Celine teased as she pulled on William's ears. "You snagged yourself a lover in your dying state. I'm quite impressed with how you managed to pull that off."
Celine shook her head as she let go of William's ears before inspecting the gem once again.
"If I'm not mistaken, the heart of a mermaid allows you to gather Spirit Power inside your body," Celine commented. "Do you have access to Spiritual Power now?"
William nodded his head in affirmation.
"Also, if I remember correctly, the act of giving a mermaid's heart to someone is akin to making that person their life partner," Celine said as she glanced at Ashe who stood beside William. "Does this mean that you chose him as your significant other?"
"Yes," Ashe replied. "He said that he's going to take responsibility."
Celine eyed the beautiful mermaid before shifting her attention back to William's collapsed spiritual world.
"How long will it take for him to fully recover?" Celine inquired.
Ashe lowered her head as she made an estimation. "According to my estimate, it would take at least four to five months for him to fully recover. Right now, he will be able to fight for an hour if he is alone and up to three hours when I merge with him. Fighting beyond that time limit would put a great strain on his Sea of Consciousness which might lead to its complete collapse."
Celine nodded. She had made the same assessment after checking her surroundings.
"Make sure that you keep a close eye on him," Celine said after a few minutes of silence. "My Disciple is dumb. He needs someone with a good head to take the reins."
"Not only is he dumb, he's also a womanizer." Ashe joined Celine in bad mouthing the boy by her side. "I'm worried about the future. The way things are going, he will be adding more girls into his harem."
William raised his head to look at the broken sky above him. He was curious if he could fly high enough to enter that giant gaping hole inside his Sea of Consciousness. Perhaps, by doing so, he would be saved from being forced to hear the discussion of the two beautiful ladies who were badmouthing him.
Deep inside he was very tempted to give both of them a good spanking. Of course, he only thought of this in his head and didn't actually dare to spank the two ladies. He vowed that, when he became older, he would let them know who the boss was, and punish them severely when
Chapter 346: No One Is Allowed To Leave Alive
When morning came, the flying carriage left Lont and headed towards the Southern Regions of the Hellan Kingdom.
William, Jekyll, Ian, and Dave traveled for three days before arriving on the outskirts of the hidden valley where the Wren, Aethon, was currently located.
They didn't know how many members of Deus were stationed inside the valley, so they decided to be more sneaky in their approach.
"Let's rest for now," William proposed as he looked at the sun in the sky. It was currently around noon, and it was still a few hours away from sunset. "We will infiltrate the hidden valley in the evening. Dave, you will be here on standby when we start our operation."
"Yes, Sir," Dave replied.
The group ate lunch using the rations they had gotten from Lont before resting inside the carriage. The Gryphon, Lionheart, was given the role of lookout, while everyone slept.
—–
"Has there been any progress in finding a path that leads to the floating island?" Conner asked.
"No, My Lord," one of the black-robed men answered. "This Domain is quite big. Based on our initial estimate, it is at least a quarter of the size of the Hellan Kingdom. It would take a few weeks with the current manpower we have to fully map it."
Conner nodded his head in understanding.
After opening the Domain, he had sent some of his trusted subordinates to bring over a hundred members of Deus to map the surroundings. The main reason they were finding it hard to maneuver the terrain was due to the restriction on any form of flight.
Because of this, they had no choice but to do things the hard way and travel the domain by land.
'Should I bring more men here?' Conner thought. Right now, they had a shortage of manpower because the members of Deus were scattered throughout the different kingdoms in the Southern Continent to seize control of its people.
Unfortunately, forces from the Kraetorian Empire and an Elven force had arrived, which forced these agents to flee for their lives. Sadly, not all of them were lucky and over half of them were captured.
The Elves didn't kill the members of The Organization, but they made sure to lock up any of them that had come back, to try and infiltrate the capital of the Zelan Dynasty, for interrogation. The Kraetorian Empire, on the other hand, was brutal in their approach.
They didn't bat an eye in killing the members of The Organization who couldn't give them the information they wanted. Of the thousand members that had taken control of the Kingdom of Freesia, less than half remained.
They were the lucky ones that were assigned to ambush Princess Sidonie on her journey back to her kingdom. After the members of The Organization escaped Freesia, they gathered their remaining forces and made a beeline towards the Anaesha Dynasty.
The members that were stationed in the Anaesha Dynasty were able to secure it
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for themselves, because the survivors offered very little resistance.
Right now, at least five thousand members of The Organization were currently stationed in the Aenasha Dynasty and twenty thousand stationed in the different parts of the Hellan Kingdom.
The Kraetorian Army, led by Jason, numbered Fifty-thousand. The Elven army, on the other hand, only numbered twenty thousand. However, they couldn't be underestimated. All of these Elves were superior to Humans in terms of rank, and their fighting prowess couldn't be looked down upon.
Unlike Humans, Elves had a slower reproduction rate. This was why very few had left the Silvermoon Continent to travel in Human lands. They were always in danger of being caught by slave traders and sold as slaves.
Elves had always been sought out for their beauty, and one could even say that there was not a single Elf whose beauty was below average.
After pondering his options, Conner decided to temporarily return to the capital of Gladiolus to see the current situation. He tasked his subordinates with continuing to explore the Domain and write down the locations of the various precious resources that could be gathered within this unexplored frontier.
—–
The Hidden Valley was home to many ferocious beasts. This was why it was chosen as the hiding place of the Domain that was called the Undying Lands by the first King of the Hellan Kingdom.
However, the mighty roars of the beasts couldn't be heard anywhere. It was as if they had all gone into hiding.
In the darkness, two figures traversed the valley with nimble feet. Jekyll took the vanguard, while William ran behind him. The Half-Elf was carrying Ian in his arms, because the brown-haired boy wasn't able to keep up with Jekyll's pace.
At first, Ian proposed that he just merge with William, but the latter opposed it. The two of them could only perform Familia Oversoul for three hours. William didn't want to waste that precious time traveling the Hidden Valley.
Although he was confident in his fighting ability, he could only fight for a limited period of time due to the destruction of his Spiritual World. Three hours might be a long time, but William was used to fighting inside the Goblin Crypt, which lasted for half a day or more.
The only saving grace was that he could call upon his King's Legion to fight for him when he was only dealing with small fries.
*Chirp*
*Chirp*
"I miss you too, Aethon." William grinned as he rubbed the head of the chatty Wren with his finger. "Tell me, have there been any changes?"
*Chirp*
"Oh? Their leader left?"
*Chirp*
"Interesting…"
William rubbed his chin as he thought of a plan to infiltrate the Hidden Domain. According to Aethon, the leader of The Organization left alongside a dozen of his subordinates. He didn't know where they were going because William had tasked him to monitor the entrance of the Domain at all times.
"There are only two guards at the entrance." Jekyll sneered. "It seems that they lack the manpower to secure this location. We came at a good time."
William nodded in agreement.
"Since we don't know what is in store for us when we enter the gate, I say we just knock out these two and interrogate them first," William proposed. "It wouldn't hurt to know more about our enemy before we barge inside their den."
"You're learning, Little Will."
"I have good teachers."
"It's a shame that you didn't choose me back then. I would have taught you a lot." Jekyll teased.
William wasn't able to stop himself from shuddering after hearing Jekyll's words. He didn't regret choosing his Maestro, Feyright, to become his teacher while he was still struggling to return to a normal life.
The Half-Elf had a feeling that if he had chosen Jekyll back then, he might be living a life quite a bit different from the lifestyle that he had right now.
"Let's just knock the guards unconscious first." William stepped forward and disappeared from where he stood.
Jekyll gave a soundless chuckle, as he too disappeared, leaving Ian behind with Aethon.
A few seconds later, the two pitiful guards were subdued and underwent Jekyll's hellish interrogation.
For the first time, William was able to witness how devilish the dentist's method was in getting the answers he needed. It was at that moment when he made a vow to himself to not get on Jekyll's bad side. The consequences were something he couldn't afford to experience.
After getting the information they needed, Jekyll made sure to dispose of the two guards without leaving any evidence behind. Only after the deed was done did William fetch Ian from their hiding place.
It was now time to enter the Hidden Domain. Their agreed upon battle plan was really simple…
No one from Deus was allowed to leave the Undying Lands alive.
Chapter 347: The Undying Lands
"Who are you peop-argh!"
"Stop!"
"Intrud-gah!"
Jekyll and William didn't allow any of the members of Deus to call for reinforcements after entering the portal. Although the two guards that they interrogated told them that they had less than a hundred people inside the Hidden Domain, they still didn't trust their words completely.
"The Spiritual Power in this [D]domain is unbelievable," Ian said after scanning his surroundings. "Clearly, this place has been left undisturbed for centuries."
Jekyll nodded in agreement, "This is a treasure trove waiting to be plundered. I can now understand why these people were covert in their actions."
Aethon who was perched on top of William's shoulder chirped with pride. It was due to his contribution that they were able to discover this Hidden Domain that had been kept secret since the Hellan Kingdom was founded.
William's gaze focused on the floating island in the sky. For some reason, he felt that something on the island was calling out to him.
Suddenly, the dagger that had been entrusted to him by King Noah flew out of his storage ring. It hovered in front of William and pulsed with a red light.
Back then, when he tried to use his appraisal skill to identify the dagger, he wasn't able to gain any information about it. However, after upgrading his main Job Class, certain functions of Gavin's Divinity had been upgraded as well.
William grabbed the floating dagger and immediately used his appraisal skill on it.
—-
< Relic of the Oathkeeper >
— Relic from the Era of the Gods
— In order to find the secrets to immortality, the first King of the Hellan Kingdom poured the Kingdom's resources into developing this Hidden Domain.
— The First King was a very powerful Archmage that specialized in Dark Magic, and also a cautious person. After discovering a lost relic from the Era of the Gods, he decided to put a restriction on the Domain in order to prevent any form of flight. This was to ensure that no one would be able to step foot in the fortress where an Ancient Power was imprisoned.
— Only the holder of the Relic of the Oathkeeper would be exempt from the restriction and be able to gain access to the flying fortress that was called Avalon.
—–
'Is this just a coincidence?' William thought as he stared at the dagger in his hands.
When King Noah gave him the sheathed dagger for safe keeping, he thought that it was just something that the King had done on a whim.
However, this was far from the truth. King Noah had known that the Princes were acting weird since they reached out to him to talk about the Oathkeeper Key. What Prince Lionel and Prince Rufus didn't know was that there were actually two keys that were handed down to each King of the Hellan Kingdom.
One was the Oathkeeper Key. The other, the Relic of the Oathkeeper.
The Oathkeeper's Key was merely a replica to enter the Hidden Domain. The Relic of the Oathkeeper, on the other hand, not only served as a key to open the Domain and but also an important relic to provide access to the Flying Fortress, Avalon.
Between the two, the Relic of the Oathkeeper was the most important one and King Noah understood that he had to entrust it to someone that he could trust.
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Even though he didn't know where the Hidden Domain was located, he believed that as long as William held the relic, no one would be able to take advantage of the Domain that had been passed down the line of the Royal Family from one generation to the next.
Naturally, the King has another reason why he did this. During the marriage ceremony of Matthew and Leah, the King's most trusted adviser had gone to Lont as the King's representative. He was wearing a special artifact that hid his real appearance, so no one was able to identify him during the event.
He was also the one that had witnessed William's strange behavior and secretly followed him. Although he was not a hundred percent certain that it was William who had manipulated the Lightning Storm, his intuition told him that this was the case.
After reporting this incident to King Noah, he and his advisor decided to keep this secret to themselves, until the time that William decided to expose this secret on his own.
Because of this, the ruler of the Hellan Kingdom felt that the Ancient Relic would be safe in William's hands, because those who could wield the power of lightning were also secretly referred to by the Royal Families in the world of Hestia as The Bane of all Evil.
"Interesting," Jekyll muttered as he walked towards William to examine the dagger in his hand. "The runes inscribed in this dagger are very ancient. Even someone as knowledgeable as me can't decipher the meaning behind it."
William returned the dagger inside his storage ring and glanced at the floating island in the sky. Now was not the time to quench his curiosity. It was more important that they get rid of all the agents of Deus that were currently exploring the domain.
They were also worried that Conner would return with more reinforcements. If that happened, even though the three of them were strong, they would still have a hard time dealing with all of them at the same time.
"Let's hunt the members of Deus first," William said. "After that, we need to find a way to seal this Domain or move it to a different location. We can't allow Deus to secure the Undying Lands no matter what."
Jekyll smirked because William was just like James when it came to treasure. The Old Man had a favorite phrase whenever he looted Bandit Camps.
"It's no crime to steal from a thief."
However, when Jekyll asked James why he ransacked the treasury of the Hellan Royal Academy the Old Coot said a very funny thing.
"I didn't steal from the treasury of the Royal Academy. I stole the treasure that The Organization had stolen from the Royal Academy. It is no crime to steal from a thief."
Jekyll was quite certain that William had the exact same mindset as well. However, he didn't mind it one bit. After all, the Half-Elf and him were on the same side.
After that short episode, William summoned the beasts from the Thousand Beast Domain. They didn't have much time, so he decided to do a full sweep of the Domain using all the manpower at his disposal.
Psoglav almost drooled when he sensed the dense Spiritual Power density in the air. He then looked at his business partner with a wide grin on his face.
Ever since he had started to accompany the boy in his adventures, he always made a killing whether it be monster meat, beast cores, and even resources that couldn't be found in the forest where he resided.
Because of this, he decided to have a talk with the boy and negotiate a new contract where he would play a more active role. Naturally, this would also give him more rewards as well.
Chronos, Aslan, as well as the other Angorian War Ibexes were also summoned to join the cleaning operation. It had been a very long time since they had gone into action and they were itching to test their strength against strong opponents.
The Blood Eagle was perched on top of William's shoulder. Since there is a flight restriction, it couldn't be of much help aside from sensing the locations of the Humans in the Domain.
The Angray Birds, on the other hand, was forced to stay inside the Thousand Beast Domain because they couldn't help at all. Besides not being able to fly, William was afraid that the Angray Birds would start to curse out loud, alerting their enemies that there were intruders within the Undying lands.
"Go in teams of four and search every nook and cranny of this Domain," William ordered. "Once you discover the enemy, engage them at once. If possible, capture them alive. If it's not possible, kill them."
The beasts growled, shrieked, and screeched as they acknowledged William's order.
Jekyll went alone, while William, Ian, Aethon and the Blood Eagle formed a team to search for the members of Deus. They knew that they should complete this mission as soon as possible to prevent any mishaps from taking place.
Meanwhile, within the flying fortress of Avalon, an ancient being opened its eyes. It had sensed the Relic of the Oathkeeper and knew that someone had intruded inside his territory.
Rattling sounds echoed in the fortress as things started to rise from their slumber. Hundreds of thousands of green orbs of light burned like torches amidst the darkness.
"Foolish… mortals…," a hoarse voice spoke from deep within the fortress. "The Undying Lands… belong to the undead… the only way for all of you to stay… is when all of you are dead…"
Chapter 348: God Points Don't Fall Down From The Sky
"Do you feel anything weird?" one of the members of Deus asked the comrade by his side.
"What do you mean weird?" his comrade replied.
"I feel like we are being watched or something."
"Don't be too paranoid, man. There's nothing in this Domain aside fro-argh!"
"What's wro-bwah!"
Psoglav and his doppleganger sneak attacked the two men using the ability Shadow Punch, rendering both of them unconscious. He then used his darkness whip to bind the two of them before dragging them back to their meeting place.
The same thing was happening all around the Domain as William's Legion swept the Domain in order to capture or eliminate the members of Deus.
It was quite a daunting task because the Domain was quite vast. Nevertheless, William managed to capture half of the members of Deus after two days. These agents were not weak and the majority of them put up a good fight.
There were cases when some of the members of William's legion were at a disadvantage, fortunately they could communicate to each other via telepathy and managed to gang up on their targets.
Like always, William left the interrogation to Jekyll while he and the other Beasts continued their search.
Six days later, all of the members of Deus had been subdued. The great part about their operation was that they managed to get the maps that the agents had painstakingly made. For William, this was a great boon because they no longer needed to put a lot of effort in mapping the Domain themselves.
Also, he was pleasantly surprised when he found out that three days inside the Undying Lands was equivalent to a day in the real world. This lessened his worries about Conner returning anytime soon.
"I gathered all the information that I can get from them," Jekyll reported as he approached William who was busy reading the information that was on the maps.
"Did they say anything that we didn't already know?" William inquired.
"Just a few things, and most of them are about the Hellan Kingdom falling completely into their hands. They are now focusing on bringing more men here to gather the resources for their Organization."
"… I see."
William sighed. He and Jekyll knew that staying inside the Domain for an extended period of time would be dangerous for them. Also, once Conner found out that there were others that had discovered the entrance to the Undying Lands, he would definitely increase the guards that would be stationed to protect it.
Currently, William didn't have the manpower to deal with Deus. The members of his Knight Order had all returned to their hometowns to check the current situation of their families. He knew that he couldn't count on them to help him at this point in time.
There was also the issue of the Floating Island in the sky. William was very tempted to explore it, but time was not on his side.
'System, is there a way for us to move this Domain?' William was out of options, so he decided to ask the System for recommendations.
< Host, after analyzing the Domain, I found out that its structure was similar to the Ring of Conquest. The monument outside this domain served as the vessel, which is similar to the ring on your hand.
< As long as we can move it then we can take this Domain with us. However… there is just one big
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problem. >
'And that is?'
< The Monument is connected to the entire Hidden Valley. In order to take away the monument, we have to take the entire valley as well. >
William rubbed his face with both hands. He knew that things weren't going to be so simple, but the reality still made his head hurt.
'Is there anything that we can do?' William didn't want to give up. 'Even just sealing the entrance to prevent others from coming in will suffice.'
< The monument was made from the Era of the Gods. It has very powerful runes inscribed on it. Sealing it is not an option. The only choice we have is to take the entire Domain as a whole."
"And how do we do that?" William asked.
< We will need One Million God Points in order to merge the Undying Lands with the Thousand Beast Domain. >
William looked at his pitiful God Points and felt his heart ache. Currently, he only had 2,980 God Points. It was near impossible for him to do what the System was trying to achieve.
'Just where are we going to get a million God Points?' William looked at the sky in resignation. 'God Points just don't fall down from the sky.'
While William was feeling depressed, a series of notification sounds emerged from his Status Page. The System alerted the red-headed boy that he received several pieces of mail from the God Shop.
—–
< Mail 1 >
Sender: No Loli No Life!
Subject: God Points Loan
Hello, this is the Cutest Lolita. Congratulations, you have been chosen among the many candidates to have a Loan from the Cutest Loli in the multiverse. Attached in this mail is 200,000 God Points.
This loan is payable within ten years with 0% interest! If the loan is not paid within ten years, you will have no choice but to sign a contract with this Cute Lolita the next time you kick the bucket!
—-
< Mail 2 >
Sender: Simp King
Subject: God Points Loan
Hello, this is the Simp King. Congratulations, you have been chosen among the many candidates to have a Loan from the most suave man in the multiverse. Attached in this mail is 200,000 God Points.
This loan is payable within ten years with 0% interest! If the loan is not paid within ten years, you will be forced to marry one hundred ladies in a span of one year. If you don't want to die by snusnu, you'd better increase your stamina dear comrade.
—–
< Mail 3 >
Sender: Old Ginger Is Still Spicy
Subject: God Points Loan
Hello, I might be old, but I'm still spicy! Congratulations, you have been chosen among the many candidates to have a Loan from the most refined, elegant, and charismatic man in the multiverse. Attached in this mail is 200,000 God Points.
This loan is payable within ten years with 0% interest!
P.S
Aside from the God Points, there is also a wooden staff included in this mail. Make sure to give it to a little girl that has the name Eve. This is very important! She has a lot of potential and it would be a waste if she became the Priestess of another God in the future. All good things must stay in the family!
—–
< Mail 4 >
Sender: One Night Stand
Subject: God Points Loan
Hello, I need a one night stand.
Attached in this mail is 200,000 God Points.
This loan will be paid the next time you visit the Temple of the Gods.
P.S
Don't worry, I will not tell your wives about it.
——
< Mail 5 >
Sender: Donger 4 Ever
Subject: God Points Loan
Attached in this mail is 200,000 God Points.
I will be sending the "Goods" in another mail. You don't have to pay me back because I am rich.
P.S
Remember your promise.
—–
< Mail 6 >
Sender: Donger 4 Ever
Subject: Donger
——
The corner of William's lips twitched as soon as he finished reading all the correspondence he had received from the God Shop. He didn't expect that the God Points he was lacking would literally fall from the sky.
It was quite easy to know who the senders of the letter were. However, he was still surprised when he saw that One Night Stand and Donger 4 Ever were also helping him with his dilemma. Although the contents of the letter from One Night Stand were troublesome, he thought that the Goddess of Lust was just teasing him.
As for the last mail from Donger 4 Ever, William didn't dare to open it. He was afraid that if touched the Dangerous Mail he would be unleashing a terrible calamity into his world.
'Better be safe than sorry,' William thought as ignored that last piece of mail he had received from the God Shop. 'Still, I didn't know that Gods could loan God Points.'
William closed his hands and pressed his hands together to offer a silent prayer to the Gods who were always there to support him from the Heavens. He thanked them for their love and support and promised to repay them as soon as possible.
William knew that his Patron God was currently recovering from the backlash he received from the battle against the Astral Worm. He felt sad about the fact that Gavin was injured because of him.
'May you recover soon, Gavin,' William finished his prayer inside his heart before taking the God Points from the mailbox.
Since he now had the necessary amount of God Points in hand, it was time to steal the domain out of the hands of The Organization.
Chapter 349: Unexpected Turn Of Events
After getting a One Million God Point Loan from several sponsors, William decided to bring the entire Hidden Valley inside his domain.
Since the Ancient Monument was merged with the land itself, it would be impossible not to bring the valley along when he moved the entrance of the Undying Land inside his domain. When Jekyll heard William's explanation, he thought that the boy had gone crazy due to the killing.
"Can you repeat what you said?" Jekyll asked as he looked at William in a weird manner.
"I will be taking this entire Domain with me," William replied with a smile. "I know that it sounds unbelievable, but trust me, I can make it happen."
They had already exited the Hidden Domain and were currently standing in front of the Monument that served as its entrance.
Ian and Psoglav were also looking at William as if he had lost his marbles. Although they had only spent a brief time inside the Undying Lands, they understood that it was something that couldn't be taken as a whole as if it was just a cabbage from the farm.
William knew that none of them would believe him, and he wasn't surprised about it one bit. Frankly, he also didn't know how The System would do it. The only thing he could do was believe that it would become a reality.
"Okay, so what are we going to do now?" Jekyll inquired. Although he was still in doubt, he decided to trust William just this once.
He also wanted to see how the red-headed boy was going to pull it off. Jekyll knew that he himself wouldn't be able to carry away the entire domain, even if he used his true form.
"Please bring Ian and Psoglav to where Dave is and leave the valley as soon as you can," William explained. "I don't want any of you to be caught up in what is going to happen."
Jekyll reluctantly nodded his head and took Ian and Psoglav with him. Ian gave William a worried glance, but the latter only smiled back and told him that everything was going to be fine.
When the three had left the Hidden Valley, William focused his attention on the Monument in front of him.
'System, I'm ready.'
< Understood. >
< Host, please brace yourself. >
< Initializing Domain Merging… >
< Pooling resources… >
< First Phase Commencing… >
As soon as the System finished his announcement, the entire Hidden Valley started to shake. The Beasts that were living in
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it roared in confusion and fear as the land they had lived in for many years suddenly suffered from an earthquake.
The flying beasts immediately took to the skies, while those who roamed the land ran away in panic. All the inhabitants of the Hidden Valley started to flee in different directions.
William didn't have time to worry about them because he was busy trying to keep his footing. He had already embedded the wooden staff on the ground and used it as support to prevent himself from being tossed about with the shaking of the ground.
The System had told him that he should remain as close to the Monument as possible in order for the transfer to work. William just didn't realize that the entire ordeal was, literally, going to be an Earth Shaking experience.
Ian, Jekyll, Psoglav, and Dave, who were currently flying not far from the Hidden Valley, saw an unbelievable sight.
The valley started to break free from its surroundings and slowly rise. While this was happening, several beasts jumped off the edge of the valley, while it was still a few meters above ground.
The majority of them were Class D and Class C Beasts. There were even a handful of Class B Beasts in the mix. They were all dumbfounded by what was happening to their old hunting ground.
< First Phase Completed! >
< Starting the Second Phase… >
Just like what had happened back in the Kyrintor Mountains, the system temporarily established a pseudo-God Domain. This was the only way to forcefully merge the Thousand Beast Domain and the Hidden Valley.
Meanwhile inside the Floating Fortress in the Undying Lands…
"… Someone is trying… to bend reality," a hoarse voice said with undisguised surprise. "… Foolish Mortal… Do you think… that you can take… the Undying Lands… as you please?"
A gigantic beam of dark light shot from the fortress towards the Gateway of the Undying Lands. It passed through the gate and travelled across space and time.
< Emergency! >
< Emergency! >
< A powerful wave of Dark Energy is about to pass through the Monument. Host! Brace yourself! >
Just as soon as The System warned William of the incoming attack from the domain, a surge of Dark Energy erupted from the monument and descended on William like a tidal wave.
Just before the wave was about to fall upon him, the collar on William's neck glowed brightly. At the same time, the blue gem embedded in his chest shone with a radiant blue light.
A Black-Rose-Tattoo, with the blue gem at its center, appeared on William's chest and forcefully swallowed the Mass of Dark Energy at a rapid pace. Soon, a giant dark-magic barrier enveloped the entire valley that was still floating in the air.
The spectators watching from the outside didn't know if this was part of William's plan or not. Jekyll frowned because he had briefly sensed the presence of a very powerful being within the valley.
The Dentist of Lont was certain that it didn't belong to William because the presence he felt was in a realm that was well beyond the boy's current capabilities.
'Pseudo-Demigod!' Jekyll narrowed his eyes. 'I'm certain, it belonged to a Pseudo-Demigod.'
A Pseudo-Demigod was a being that had reached the peak of the Myriad Beast Realm. They were just a step away from becoming full-fledged Demigods and Jekyll was sure that the one responsible for this phenomenon was a being that was as stronger than him.
However, this understanding didn't help the current situation. Jekyll didn't hesitate and made up his mind to save the boy from harm. After all, William was the one-and-only son of That person.
A person whom Jekyll had acknowledged as the most precious companion in his life.
"Get as close as you can to the valley!" Jekyll ordered. "I'm going to save William!"
Dave gritted his teeth as he and Lionheart flew towards the valley that was floating in the sky. However, just before Jekyll was about to jump, the entire Hidden Valley disappeared right in front of their eyes.
Chapter 350: Kiss My Hand To Show Your Undying Loyalty
Somewhere between the God Realm and reality, there floated a valley. A concentrated ball of dark energy pulsed within the cave where the monument was located. Because of The System's sudden intervention, the integration of the Monument and William's own domain was forcefully put into a halt.
The System didn't dare to continue the merging, while William was still unconscious and submerged in dark energy.
Within that concentrated ball of darkness, a small blue light pulsed in a steady rhythm. It was steadily absorbing the dark magic at a rapid place as if it was an impoverished person that hadn't eaten in days.
< Gained Exp Points: 5,000 >
< Gained Exp Points: 5,000 >
< Gained Exp Points: 5,000 >
< Gained Exp Points: 5,000 >
< Gained Exp Points: 5,000 >
< Dark Wizard Job Class has gained a level! >
< Gained Exp Points: 5,000 >
< Gained Exp Points: 5,000 >
< Gained Exp Points: 5,000 >
< Gained Exp Points: 5,000 >
—–
Name: William Von Ainsworth
Race: Half-Elf
Health Points: 7,238 / 10,000
Mana: 17,500 / 17,500
Job Class: Quick Shot Shepherd (Level 13)
Sub Class: Dark Wizard (Level 20)
< Strength: 55 (+10) >
< Agility: 50 (+10) >
< Vitality: 30 (+10) >
< Intelligence: 60 (+10)>
< Dexterity: 45 (+30) >
Stats Exp: 122,391 / 438,257
(Dark Wizard Level 20)
Job Class Exp: 25,250 / 75,976
—–
< Gained Exp Points: 5,000 >
< Gained Exp Points: 5,000 >
< Dark Wizard Job Class has gained a level >
< Gained Exp Points: 5,000 >
——
Stats Exp: 173,117 / 438,257
(Dark Wizard Level 21)
Job Class Exp: 4,274 / 85,016
—–
Just before William got hit by the Dark Energy, The System had switched his Subclass to Dark Wizard.
When this Job Class was equipped, William's resistance to Dark Magic's corruption was boosted to an unprecedented degree. Also, the Collar of Wisteria and the Spirit Core worked together to transform the Dark Energy into Spirit Energy, which helped strengthen William's body and Spiritual World.
With each passing hour, the concentrated ball of Dark Energy shrank.
—–
< Gained Exp Points: 5,000 >
< Dark Wizard Job Class has gained a level! >
—–
Stats Exp: 258,859 / 438,257
(Dark Wizard Level 22)
Job Class Exp: 726 / 94,250
—–
An hour after the Ball of Dark Energy disappeared, William finally opened his eyes. His body was aching all over as if he had been trampled by a herd of Angorian War Ibexes.
It took him a few more minutes before he could ask The System about what had transpired while he was unconscious.
< Congratulations Host! Your Dark Wizard Job Class has reached Level 22! >
"Huh?"
William blinked before he hurriedly opened his Status Page to see if The System was just teasing him. After checking his stats for the third time, a smile broke out of William's
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face as he silently thanked whoever was responsible for giving him a free boost in experience points.
< Host, please listen to me. We are currently in a dangerous situation. Right now, we are hovering between the real world and the God Domain. If the host doesn't act soon, we would be unable to return to Hestia. Based on my calculations, we only have fifteen minutes to complete the merging of the domain before we get stuck here forever. >
"Fck! Hurry, restart the merging!" William hastily ordered The System.
< Restarting merging of Domains… >
< Second Phase Commencing… >
William focused all of attention on the monument as he helped The System forcefully attach the Hidden Valley to his Thousand Beast Domain. Fortunately, no other attacks came from the Undying Lands, which allowed William to complete the merging.
< Host, I'll open a portal through time and space to return you to your world, make sure to enter it as soon as possible. >
"Understood."
< Three >
< Two >
< One >
< Forceful tearing of Time and Space initiated! >
A small portal that was only a meter wide appeared in front of William. He didn't hesitate and entered it head first, because he knew that The System couldn't maintain it for a long period of time.
After entering the portal, William found himself falling headfirst towards the ground. Luckily, he only fell five meters above ground, and was able to turn himself around–somewhat, so he didn't suffer any injuries at all.
However, before he could even assess his surroundings, he felt a sharp blade against his neck.
"Don't move."
A familiar voice ordered him from behind. He didn't need to turn his head to know who the owner of the voice was.
"Priscilla, are you trying to kill your drop-dead-gorgeous, and super awesome Knight Commander?" William asked in a teasing tone.
"C-Commander William?!" Priscilla hurriedly removed the blade that was pressed against William's neck and backed away.
William turned his head and looked at the black-haired beauty in surprise.
"Fancy meeting you here, Priscilla." William looked at his Vice-Commander whom he hadn't seen for a long time. It was at this moment when he realized that his current surroundings were somewhat dark and dry.
"Where are the other members of the Knight Order?" William inquired. "Where are we?"
Priscilla looked at William with a complicated gaze. She didn't know how to answer the Half-Elf's inquiry because she didn't know whose side he was on. Fortunately, there was someone in the spacious underground cavern that came to her rescue.
"Allow me to answer that question for you, Sir William," a voice that was as smooth as silk entered William's ear from the back.
William turned his head and came face to face with an angelic beauty with long reddish-brown hair. The Half-Elf could have sworn that he had never seen hazel eyes as beautiful as hers, that seemed to stare right through his soul.
A familiar feeling took hold of his body as Princess Sidonie walked towards him. Her fragrance assaulted his senses as she tenderly caressed the side of William's face, while looking straight into his eyes.
"Kneel," Princess Sidonie ordered. "From now on, you will be my Knight. My personal protector that will stay with me for life. Kneel, Sir William, and kiss my hand to show your undying loyalty. In turn, I promise that I will treat you well and keep you with me until the day you draw your last breath…"
Princess Sidonie looked at the handsome Half-Elf in front of her and gave him her sweetest smile. She had turned many people into her personal slaves, but he had to admit that the red-headed boy held a special place in her heart.
Even Morgana had no complaints about making William their Knight in Shining Armor. Although they wouldn't admit it, both girls felt their heart beating fast as they stared at William's light-green eyes that were as clear as a polished emerald.
Princess Sidonie and Morgana watched as the boy, whom they liked, raised his hand and lovingly…