821-830

Chapter 821: Goddamit! Bro, Are You Mad?!

"What's this?" William asked. "Didn't you say earlier that you would not harm those who entered the Tower? Our talks have just ended and you're already breaking your word? I guess your words aren't as credible as you made us believe."

Avril and the other Leaders frowned at this development. They remembered that the Death Lord had said that no harm would come to them during their stay. If Morax were to really attack William then that was tantamount to going back on his words.

Someone who could break their promise easily, was someone not worth trusting. The leaders were not stupid people. They couldn't possibly trust someone who could easily take back their words depending on their mood.

If they really turned a blind eye to this injustice then they would never be able to fully trust the Dread Lord ever again.

Morax's obsidian eyes locked on William before an amused expression spread across the Dread Lord's face.

"Harm you? Perish the thought," Morax said. "I am merely asking you a question. So, what is your answer?"

"Like I said, what Death Lord?" William replied. "Bone Dragon? Is that edible?"

Avril, and the other Leaders, suddenly had the strong urge to beat the Half-Elf into oblivion. They had just sealed a deal with Morax, and he was already stirring up trouble.

Swiper, on the other hand, was very happy with this development. He was both awestruck and embarrassed at how shameful William could be.

Just admit it, dammit!

This was the collective thoughts of all the Leaders who were glaring at William from their positions.

The Half-Elf pretended that he wasn't aware of their eye signals, and continued to look at Morax with confusion.

"You have guts, I'll give you that," Morax said with a trace of admiration.

"You don't?" William replied. "Ah! Sorry, you're an Undead. Dead people don't have guts."

Goddamit! Bro, are you mad?!

If earlier the Leaders only wanted to beat Wiliam to oblivion, now, they wanted to hack him to pieces.

Lindir had already taken out his spear and was about to stab William's bum, but Eldon and Wade held back the Lizard with everything they had.

"Dammit, just let me stab him once!" Lindor roared in anger. He had never seen someone as dense and stupid as William.

None of them dared to provoke the Dread Lord in front of them because they wanted to resolve the conflict peacefully, but the Half-Elf was keen on going to hell, and all of them thought that he planned to bring them all with him.

Suddenly, Morax roared in laughter. No one could tell if his laughter was due to anger, or irritation, or maybe both. However, whatever his current feelings were, the Dread Lord made sure that it didn't show in his face.

Morax raised his hand and all the Death Lords sheathed their weapons and backed away.

"It's been a while since I met someone who has the audacity to lie to my face," Morax said. "Fine. Since we just finished our talks, I will turn a blind eye on this incident. However, if this happens again, I will no longer show any mercy. All of you may go."

"Thank you for your mercy, Lord Morax." Avril bowed. "We will do our best to find the mirrors for you."

"At least there is someone sensible among your group," Morax shifted his gaze on Avril, who had shown exceptional statesmanship in front of him. Very few people could have her composure when faced with such a situation.

Because of this Morax genuinely appreciated Avril's character.

"Your name is Avril, right?"

"Yes, Lord Morax."

The Dread Lord gave her a brief nod. "If you have any difficulties, feel free to talk to me using the crystal. I'll try to help fix those problems for you."

Avril had a vague understanding of what Morax was trying to say, but it was more than enough for her to give the Dread Lord another bow filled with respect.

"Thank you, Your Excellency," Avril replied. "We will now take our leave."

Avril turned around and walked towards the exit without looking back.

William held Lilith's and Raizel's hand and hurriedly followed behind Avril. It was as if he didn't want to be the last to leave the throne room, and suffer from an unexpected sneak attack from the Dread Lord that he had offended earlier.

Several minutes later, the group were safely back in their trucks.

It was at this moment when all the leaders glared and confronted William at the same time.

"Lad, you should have held back there," Elron said as he played with his beard. "That guy is a monster, we ain't gonna beat him even if we all attacked at the same time."

"What were you thinking?!" Lindir hissed in anger. "We worked so hard to come to an agreement, and you just decided to one-sidedly annoy Lord Morax! Are you seeking death, boy?!"

"William, there are times when men must compromise," Wade said through gritted teeth. "Fortunately, the Dread Lord decided to be merciful. Next time, don't bother to come with us when we meet with Lord Morax. If you want to die, you can die alone. Don't bring us to hell with you!"

The other Leaders said similar things, but William remained indifferent. When all of them had finished venting their anger at him, it was at that moment when the Half-Elf decided to break his silence.

"I only did what all of you were afraid to do," William replied. "This is only the first time we've met Morax, and you guys are already treating him like a trustworthy person. Remember that you are dealing with a Dread Lord. They specialize in lies and deceit. Are all of you so gullible that you'll trust his words at face value?"

It was at that moment when Avril suddenly had a realization and she looked at William with genuine surprise.

"So, you're saying that you tried to anger Lord Morax on purpose to know if he would go back on his words?" Avril asked.

"Of course," William replied. "I'm not you guys, who readily believe the words of a stranger. If his words cannot be trusted then what is the point of coming to an agreement with him? Someone had to play the villain. I did it for all of you, and this is how you repay me?"

William snorted at the Leaders who suddenly had awkward expressions on their faces. They didn't realize that the Half-Elf was purposely testing the Dread Lord to see if he would attack after saying that no harm would come to them after entering the tower.

Seeing the faces of the Leaders who berated him, William heaved a long sigh of disappointment, which made those who heard it avert their gazes in shame.

"It's fine," William said. "At least with this, we can say that we can trust Morax to a certain extent. However, don't be deceived. A being of that caliber should not be taken lightly. Let's go, Raizel. Let's return to the shelter."

Raizel nodded her head and started the engine of the truck. Soon, William's group left the others behind.

Avril stared at the leaving truck before looking at the golden crystal in her hand with complex emotions in her heart. She didn't know if she could believe Morax's words, but if the Dread Lord could grant her wish then she was willing to trust him once.

"I can't believe that you had this plan in mind," Lilith said after they were a mile away from Avril's group. "You were quite impressive back there."

William chuckled as he gave the Amazon Princess a side-long glance. "What I said back there was a lie."

"Hah? What do you mean, a lie?" Lilith asked in confusion. "What part of it was a lie?"

"Everything."

"Everything?"

William smirked. "This place is not safe. I'll tell you the rest after we return to the Shelter."

Lilith was still in a state of confusion, while Raizel, on the other hand, drove the truck without a word.

However, If one were to look closely, they would notice that the corner of the young beauty's lips were curled up into a smile.. It was as if she already knew that the meeting with Morax would end this way, and she simply went there to be a spectator.

Chapter 822: A Distant Future That Held Infinite Possibilities

Inside the Glory Shelter…

"So, you're saying that you didn't do that to test whether the Dread Lord would go back on his word, right?" Lilith asked.

"Yes," William replied. "I was testing whether he would really attack me or not."

"But why? Why do something stupid?"

"It's because I could tell that he was injured."

William leaned on the couch as he looked at the ceiling. "Morax is undeniably injured, and I have a feeling that he can't leave that Dragonbone Throne even if he wanted to. The reason I provoked him was to test whether my hunch was true or not."

"And if you were wrong?" Lilith countered. "What if he could leave his throne and attack you."

"Then I would have smashed his face and sent him flying towards the wall," William replied like it wasn't a big deal.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Lilith tilted her head in confusion. "What gave you the confidence that you can send a Dread Lord flying with a punch?"

Raizel, who had been quietly listening from the side, raised her head and gazed at William. "It's because of the Tower, right?"

William raised an eyebrow as he looked at the young beauty in front of him. Raizel stuck her tongue out like a little girl, but refused to comment any further.

"Am I the only one that is clueless about this whole thing?" Lilith asked with a frown. Seeing that Wiliam and Raizel seemed to have come to some sort of understanding, she suddenly felt that she had been left out of the hoop.

This made her feel very uncomfortable.

Suddenly, a pair of delicate hands wrapped around her body, and the young beauty with long red hair, rested her head on Lilith's shoulder.

The discomfort she felt earlier disappeared as her left arm subconsciously wrapped around Raize's waist.

William looked at this scene with a calm expression. However, he couldn't deny that the two beauties holding each other was like a beautiful painting that was meant only for him to see.

A minute later, William cleared his throat and explained why he did what he did.

"When I was inside the Tower, I felt that a part of my soul resonated with it," William said. "You could even say that I was forcefully fed information without my permission. There, I saw images of events, people, and other important things that were related to the Black Tower. It was also at that time that I gained some understanding of Morax."

When William mentioned the Dread Lord's name, his expression suddenly became very serious. "If the information I received from the Tower is correct, Morax was a God that came from Hell.

"However, Gods can't enter this place. The only reason why he was able to cross time and space was because he had been seriously injured, and a large part of his Divinity was sealed in his body.

"If he forcefully activates his Divine Powers, the Deadlands will eject him in a heartbeat, and I'm sure that this is something that he can't afford to do. This is also why I tried to provoke him earlier. Once he is kicked out of this place, the people here will no longer have to worry about the Haunting."

Lilith was still half in doubt, but she decided to believe William for the time being. "Then what about those Death Lords? Although Morax can't attack you, they certainly can."

"Oh, I'm not worried about the Death Lords," William smirked. "If they attacked me then I would have converted all of them to my side. Of course, I can't do this alone. You and Raizel would have definitely had to help me, but the chances of us winning were quite high."

Lilith eyed William with a serious expression. "And the Dread Lord?"

William shrugged "If he stays seated on his Dragon Throne then he is simply untouchable. He can swat me as easily as swatting a fly as long as he is within the confines of the throne. That throne is the heart of the Tower. As long as he sits on it, the Tower is under his control.

"He acted all high and mighty earlier to try and intimidate us, but compared to my Gramps, he's just a second rate con-actor. He might be able to fool people, but he will not be able to fool me."

"Just what kind of grandpa do you have?" Lilith snorted. She had already seen James in the Misty Sect, and she found the Old Man to be a very greedy person, just like her and Wiliam.

Lilith was not aware of how the old man managed to succeed in becoming the new Sect Master of the Misty Sect, which not only surprised her, but everyone that had been invited to the celebration.

"My grandpa is the best," William replied. "He's just being lowkey, but he is one badass Gangsta."

Raizel, who was resting her head on Lilith's shoulder, giggled. It was as if she remembered her own Great Grandpa, who would readily spoil all of his grandchildren rotten, even if he had to steal the heirlooms of the Royal Families on the Continent.

"Then, about the mirror, is he lying about that as well?" Lilith inquired.

"No," William answered firmly. "That part was true. In order for us to get out of this place, we need to find the mirrors. This is where your power will come in handy, Lilith."

"Let's say we find the mirrors… what are we going to do about it?"

"We will hide one of them. That way, we can buy some time before Morax completes the ritual."

"And that ritual is?" Lilith inquired. She was also very curious about what kind of ritual the Dread Lord was planning to do.

William sighed as he looked at the ceiling of the room. "To gain full control of the Black Tower… and gain the power to bind the souls of the departed, preventing them from entering the Cycle of Reincarnation.

"This will allow him to raise an army without equal. Just imagine this, an Undying Army that can easily threaten the cycle of life and death, which will, in turn, bring ruin to any world he visits."

The Half-Elf shook his head in order to clear out his depressing thoughts.

The discovery of the Black Tower's ability made him feel truly fearful. If, for some reason, the Black Tower fell into the wrong hands then all life on any given world would cease to exist.

"No matter what happens, we must prevent this from happening," William said as he shifted his attention to the two beautiful girls whose eyes were locked onto his face. "We need to seize the Tower from Morax's control. Raizel, if you have any way to do this, please, lend us your help."

The young beauty glanced at Lilith before shifting her gaze back to William. She held the Half-Elf's tender gaze for a full minute before giving her answer.

"I have a plan, but for it to happen, both of you need to trust me," Raizel replied. "So, are both of you willing to trust me with your lives?"

William and Lilith nodded at the same time. Ever since they met Raizel, they already felt that she was someone very important to them.

Raizel smiled and held William's and Lilith's hand firmly.

"Then to celebrate our cooperation, why don't the three of us take a bath together?" Raizel proposed.

Immediately, William pried his hand away from the little imp who was trying to make things difficult for him.

The Half-Elf hurriedly left the room in order to get away from Raizel's mischievous attempts to test his willpower.

However, just as soon as he was about to close the door. Raizel's heartfelt laughter reached his ears. Clearly, the young beauty was very amused by William's reaction, which made the Half-Elf shake his head helplessly.

'I swear, this girl will be the death of me,' William thought as he walked the abandoned hallway alone. Even so, he still couldn't keep himself from smiling because his heart felt at peace.

Raizel's laughter was like a tonic that made all his worries disappear.

Deep in his heart, William had started to entertain the possibility that he had been trying to deny these past few days.

If that possibility were to truly become a reality then the soft and delicate hand that held his own a while ago, was something that he would surely cherish in the distant future that held infinite possibilities.

Chapter 823: A Good Deed Must Be Rewarded

'… Just how did it end up like this?' William thought as he stared at the ceiling.

Currently, two beauties were hugging him from his left and right sides.

Earlier, William asked Raizel if she had a way of dealing with Morax's plan to make the Black Tower fall under his control.

The young beauty said that there was a way, but in order for that to happen, William and Lilith had to trust her with their lives.

The two readily agreed to Raizel's condition because they felt that they could trust her. However, the first thing that Raizel said after that was for the three of them to take a bath together.

Naturally, William escaped the room because he felt that Raizel was just teasing him. He thought that everything would be over by then, but an hour before he was about to go to sleep, Raizel dragged him to her room in order to strengthen their trust with each other.

William didn't expect that the girl would insist that the three of them sleep together every night, with the excuse of raising each other's trust.

The red-headed boy was going to reject it initially, but Raizel gave him the "If you leave through that door the deal's off" gaze.

Left with no choice, William found himself, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep because two beautiful ladies were using him as a hug pillow.

Eventually, William fell into a dreamless sleep.

—–

Three days had passed since their meeting with Morax, and the entire alliance busied themselves in the search for the mirrors that the Dread Lord was looking for.

So far, no one had succeeded in finding one, but the search continued day in and day out.

The Glory Shelter had been divided into two groups.

The first one was the resources gathering group led by Xenovia and Cathy.

The second one was the treasure finding group, which was composed of William, Lilith, and Raizel.

Although the Undead no longer attacked anyone in the Deadlands, Raizel was still worried that conflicts would arise between their Shelter and Swiper's Demonic Shelter. In order to prevent this from happening, she assigned Xenovia to become the group's protector, in order to prevent the Demons from doing something stupid.

Also, having only three people in the treasure gathering group was more ideal because the things they needed to do were highly confidential. If possible, Raizel didn't want to share it with the others, including Xenovia.

William agreed with Raizel's decision. Although he had freed Xenovia from Morax's control, ther was a high possibility that the Dread Lord would be able to spy on them through the Death Lord's eyes.

The golden crystal that Morax had given them was also left in the Shelter. What they were going to do was a sensitive matter, so they didn't dare take any chances with anything that belonged to Morax.

"I'm getting a strong presence in that direction," Lilith said after using her Divinity.

Raizel glanced at the direction where the Amazon Princess was looking and a frown appeared on her face.

"That is where the Glittering Bay is located," Raizel muttered. "Is it possible that the mirror is under the sea?"

"Let's check it out first," William proposed. "We can just look for other locations if it is really under the water."

Raizel nodded and drove the truck towards the Glittering Bay. There were nine mirrors in total, so they didn't have to force themselves to retrieve the mirror themselves. If push came to shove, Raizel could suggest to the Lizardfolk to check the sea surrounding the area, in order to look for the mirror.

As long as they got one of the mirrors, they would be able to delay the Dread Lord's plan without fail.

After arriving at their destination, Lilith once again closed her eyes to concentrate. Several minutes later, she nodded her head, confirming Raizel's conclusion that the mirror was indeed under the sea.

"Okay, since we have a rough idea where one of them is located, let's try to look in other locations," Raizel stated.

"Good plan," William replied.

Lilith nodded as she closed her eyes once again.

Raizel started the engine and drove southwards.

While William, Lilith, and Raizel were looking for the location of another mirror, a commotion broke out on the Eastern outskirts of the city.

"Lady Avril, is this it?" an Elf with short, blonde, hair asked as he presented to her a mirror that they'd found in a ruined mansion.

Avril held the mirror with one hand, and activated the golden crystal with the other. A projection materialized and the images of the nine mirrors appeared in front of them.

The beautiful Elf then touched one of the images to enlarge it. After doing so, she looked at the image, and the mirror in her hand, to check for similarities.

"This looks like one of the mirrors we are looking for," Avril stated. "But, I am unsure whether it is the real thing. For the time being, let me contact Lord Morax first. Your reward will be given to you once we confirm that this is one of the mirrors that we are looking for."

The blonde Elf nodded in understanding. All of them had been promised great rewards if they were to find the mirrors that the Dread Lord was looking for. Naturally, Avril wouldn't deny these rewards to them because she knew that she needed to motivate them to work harder.

A few seconds later, a projection of Morax appeared in front of them.

"Your Excellency, we found this mirror and wondered if it is the same as one of the ones that you are looking for," Avril said in a respectful tone.

"You've done well, Avril," Morax praised as he gazed at the mirror in her hand. "That is indeed one of the mirrors that I am looking for."

The Dread Lord smiled in happiness because he was now one step closer to achieving his goal.

"You may bring the mirror to the Black Tower, so I can personally give your team the reward they deserve," Morax said. "A good deed must be rewarded, so don't be shy and come. I'll wait in anticipation for your group's arrival."

"Thank you, Your Excellency," Avril replied with a smile.

Morax gave her one brief nod before closing the connection. The Elf who found the mirror was overjoyed, while his companions were filled with envy.

Avril was not worried that she wouldn't receive any rewards from Morax. After all, the Dread Lord had assured them that even if their subordinates were the ones that found the mirrors, they could still ask him for a reward.

The beautiful Elf stared in the direction of the Glory Shelter with determination before ordering her subordinates to pack up and head towards the Black Tower.

Soon, the news of their discovery was relayed to everyone in the Deadlands, which made the Leaders sigh in relief. With one mirror in hand, they had bought themselves another week of peace.

Although they felt a bit envious about Avril's accomplishment, they didn't worry too much about it.. There were still eight mirrors waiting to be found, and all they needed to do was mobilize more manpower, as they swept every inch of the city, in search of the mirrors that would lead them back home.

Chapter 824: Spoken Like A Real Third Rate Villain

"Avril got lucky," Raizel said after hearing the news from one of the Dwarves that they had met along the way.

William nodded. He had no problems with Avril finding the mirror first because even if his group found one, they would never hand it over to the Dread Lord who was planning to take the Black Tower for himself.

"Any news?" William asked Lilith who still had her eyes closed.

Lilith shook her head, but she didn't open her eyes.

Right now, she served as a treasure hunting radar. However, since her Divinity was suppressed inside the Deadlands, she needed to fully concentrate in order to get a general direction as to where the treasures could be found.

After driving for five hours, Lilith finally opened her eyes and asked Raizel to stop the truck.

The Amazon Princess then tried to pinpoint the location where the strong presence was coming from. After five-full-minutes of total concentration, Lilith pointed towards a coffee shop, whose windows had all been broken.

"It's over there," Lilith declared with confidence.

Raizel nodded and drove the truck in front of the coffee shop.

'Star Box,' William mused as he read the name of the shop with a nostalgic smile. 'This name sure takes me way back.'

When he was still relatively healthy, he would pass by a coffee shop, bearing the same name, on his way to school. Although he wasn't able to enter one, because he didn't have much money, he could still remember that it was a popular place back on earth.

"Lilith, lead the way," Raizel said.

Lilith nodded as she disembarked from the truck.

William and Raizel walked behind her and gave the Amazon Princess ample space to maneuver.

A few minutes later, they arrived in the staff room where the mirror was located.

Raizel had a photographic memory, so she was able to remember the images of the mirrors that were recorded in the golden crystal.

"This is it," Raizel said as she took the mirror from the wall and showed it to William and Lilith.

William tried to extend his senses towards the mirror, but felt nothing. If not for the fact that Lilith's Divinity and Raizel's memory worked hand in hand, the Half-Elf would not think that the plain looking mirror in the young beauty's hands was the mirror that the Dread Lord was looking for.

"Fortunately, the mirror is only a foot long," William commented. "We can easily carry this. But, if we return to the shelter with the mirror, several people will definitely discover it."

Raizel nodded her head in agreement. "If we were to carry this back then it would certainly be discovered. However, Lilith can hide this without problems. Isn't that right, Lilith?"

"Yes," Lilith answered. "Although my power is greatly suppressed in this place, taking this mirror is not a big deal."

Raizel passed the mirror to Lillith and the latter pressed it over her chest. Soon, the mirror turned into particles of light and disappeared without a trace.

Just as the group was about to leave the coffee shop, William raised his hand to tell them to stop.

"What's wrong?" Lilith asked.

"Something is coming," William replied. "It sounds like four trucks."

Raizel frowned. The main reason she had chosen to search this area was due to the fact that it was away from the Shelters.

They wouldn't be antagonizing anyone if they searched here, so Raizel thought that their group wouldn't be seeing anyone for the next few days.

Since their truck was outside the coffee shop, it was bound to be discovered. Fortunately, the conflicts between Shelters had more or less been resolved, so she didn't have to worry about their truck being stolen by anyone.

Even so, she still decided to play it safe and made a gesture to William and Lilith to follow her outside.

As soon as the three left the Coffee Shop, they came face to face with the last person they wanted to see in the Deadlands.

"What are you doing here, Pig?" William asked as he looked at Swiper who was sitting on top of their truck. "Also, get off our truck before I give your face a good smacking."

"You again?" Swiper snorted. "Why are you here? This isn't the territory of the Glory Shelter."

"And this is not the Demonic Shelter's territory either. What are you doing here?": William asked back.

"I asked first."

"No one cares about your question. Now answer me, or I'll smack you for real!"

William and Swiper glared at each other for half a minute before the Demonic Boar reluctantly jumped off the truck.

"Talk about dog-sh*t luck. Of all the bastards I have to meet in the Deadlands, why does it have to be this filthy Half Breed." Swiper spat on the ground as if the mere sight of William was enough to give him an aneurysm.

William rolled his eyes at the Demonic Boar's underhanded taunt to provoke him.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Swiper asked as he shifted his gaze to Raizel. "Don't tell me you came here to drink coffee?"

"Yes." Raizel smiled sweetly. "We came here to drink some coffee, but since the coffee machine is damaged, we just took the coffee beans."

Raizel showed him the two bags of coffee beans that she had picked up before leaving the store.

Swiper nodded. "Did you know that Avril has already found a mirror?"

"Yes," Raizel answered honestly. "We met some Dwarves on our way here, and they told us about the news. Avril got really lucky."

"That she is. Now, she can ask Lord Morax for a request. I wonder what she will ask for."

"Knowing Avril, it will not be something simple."

Swiper agreed with Raizel's reply. Among all of them, Avril had never shown any greed towards material things. She also refrained from resorting to violence when her group had conflicts with another Shelter in regards to acquisition of resources.

The beautiful Elf liked to resolve things in a civil manner. This was also why all the Leaders voted unanimously that she become their temporary Leader in the Alliance.

Swiper sighed internally because he was afraid that his position was in danger. If Avril made it into Morax's good graces then his advantage of being the Dread Lord's first lackey would no longer hold any value.

This was why the Demonic Boar was desperate to find a mirror for himself. This way, his usefulness would not be questioned ever again.

"How about you? What are you doing here?" Raizel asked in a teasing tone. "Don't tell me you also came here to get some coffee?"

"Of course not," Swiper replied. "I'm here to look for one of the mirrors like everyone else."

Raizel nodded. "Well then, goodluck to you. We will also be searching in the vicinity, so how about we come to an agreement?"

"What agreement?"

"You search on the left side of this area, while we go to the right. Finders keepers."

Swiper smirked. "Little girl, my group and I planned to explore this place by ourselves. We don't have any intention of letting anyone get in our way. So, why don't you take those coffee bags of yours and go back to your Shelter. There's no need for us to have conflicts, right?"

The Demons laughed as they took out their weapons.

This time, Swiper had brought forty of his men to look for the mirror in this area that was far from their Shelter.

His plan was to explore the outer areas, while the rest of his men back at the Demonic Shetler would search their territory for the mirrors.

This was Swiper's divide and conquer plan, to get an edge over the others when it came to searching for the mirrors.

"You really think you can scare us with this small mob?" William commented from the side. "We fought off hordes of undead, Death knights, Dullahans, a Death Lord, and a Bone Dragon with only the three of us. If you're in a hurry to become a dead Pig, feel free to test my patience."

Swiper's body stiffened when he heard William's reply to his threat. He had completely forgotten about the Haunting and tried to intimidate Raizel, who always did her best to compromise because she was protecting Cathy and the other members of the Glory Shelter from the harassment of the Demons.

Now that William and Lilith had become the young beauty's helpers, they could no longer use their bullying tactics on her.

"Still here?" William took a step forward. The ground under his foot shattered, sending rocks, and debris flying everywhere.

"Stop!" Swiper roared. "The Alliance forbade fighting against its members!"

William sneered at the Boarkin whose intimidating aura had long disappeared.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt any of you," William replied as he took another step forward with a casual smile on his face. "I will just destroy your trucks. That way, you can walk back to your Demonic Shelter while contemplating the meaning of life."

"Bastard! I'll remember this!" Swiper jumped on one of the trucks and made a gesture. "Let's go!"

The trucks sped away leaving a trail of dust behind. Swiper had a feeling that even if he and his goons worked together, they would not be able to beat William even if they fought with their lives on the line.

William waved his hand to blow the dust away, preventing it from touching Lilith and Raizel.

"Spoken like a real third rate villain," Raizel said giggling as she looked at the trucks that were speeding away. "Let's go back to the Shelter for now. We're done for the day."

William and Lilith agreed to Raizel's proposal. They had already secured one of the mirrors, so their objective had been achieved.. As for the other mirrors, they would just let the other Leaders have them, in order to make the Dread Lord feel complacent that everything was moving according to his will.

Chapter 825: You Can't Have A Rainbow Without A Little Rain

Inside the Black Tower…

"Thank you Lord Morax, thank you very much!" the blonde Elf bowed his head respectfully after receiving his rewards from the Dread Lord.

"It is only natural to reward those who worked hard," Morax said with a benevolent smile. "You may go. I have something to talk about with your leader."

"Yes! Your Excellency!" The Elf bowed and left the throne room with a big smile on his face.

Morax had awarded him with a unique weapon that greatly increased his fighting abilities. Now that he had this weapon in hand, he was certain that he would be able to play a bigger role in helping his Leader, Avril, reach her goal.

After making sure that the Elf would no longer be able to hear their discussion, Morax made a gesture for Avril to come closer.

The beautiful Elf obediently walked towards the throne without any hint of anxiety on her face.

"Tell me, My Dear, Avril, what is it that you desire?" Morax asked. "As long as it is within my capabilities, I will give it to you without fail."

He was very impressed by the beautiful Elf's performance, and decided to bring her to his inner circle. The Dread Lord needed capable henchmen to take care of some miscellaneous things for him, and Avril fit the bill perfectly.

In order to gain her loyalty, he would need to give her some benefits first. This was a very common thing in Hell where everyone had a price. Morax was dying to know what it would take to make the Leader of the Alliance become his most loyal supporter in the Deadlands.

"Your Excellency, what I desire is…"

Morax listened to Avril's request with great amusement. He didn't expect that the beautiful Elf would ask him for something sinister, but it made him feel confident that he would be able to make her his loyal subordinate.

"What you want can be done," Morax replied with a smile. "However, I will need time to create it. Let's see… I will need at least four days to make this tool to help you realize your wish. Are you fine with this arrangement?"

Avril nodded. "I'm not in a hurry, Your Excellency."

Morax grinned. "Very well. Return to me after four days. Also, I promise that you, and your subordinates, will no longer have to fear the Undead Army again. This is my promise to you."

"Thank you, Your Excellency," Avril bowed respectfully.

Deep inside she felt relieved that she and her people would no longer have to worry about the Undead Army that had been the cause of many sleepless nights.

However, what Avril was looking forward to was the tool that she would receive from Morax after four days. Ever since she arrived in the Deadlands, she hadn't wanted something so bad in her life.

Now that it was within her grasp, she would definitely hold on to it with all her might, preventing it from slipping away from her fingers.

"You may go," Morax said as he leaned on his throne. "I expect more good things from you, Avril. Keep doing a good job, and I will ensure that you will not regret working for me."

"Yes, Your Excellency," Avril gave Morax one last bow before leaving the throne room with a sweet smile on her face.

—-

Meanwhile inside the Glory Shelter…

Lilith and Raizel went to the shower room together, leaving William behind.

The young beauty had tried to invite William to accompany them, but the Half-Elf firmly rejected her offer.

He even flicked Raizel's forehead and told her to not attempt to invite him again in the future.

Lilith could only watch this scene with a smile because she had more or less accepted the possibility about Raizel's identity.

Her only concern was that even though the young beauty was trying to bridge the gap between her and William, the red-headed teenager was still on the fence in regards to the matter.

Although he no longer resisted the idea of the three of them sleeping together, and would often sneak glances at her when she was looking away, she could tell that the Half-Elf still had reservations when it came to taking the last step, that would bridge the distance between the two of them.

As the cold water fell on her lean and toned body, Lilith once again felt a pair of mischievous hands, fondle her breasts from behind.

She had lost count of how many times she had told Raizel to stop doing this kind of thing, but the latter seemed unperturbed about this.

It was as if the young beauty was taking the opportunity to do things that she would no longer be able to do in the future, and Lilith was very helpless against it.

In the end, she still pried the naughty hands away from her chest, and pinched the young beauty's waist as a counter attack.

After a bit of frolicking, they finished washing their bodies and soaked their body's in a bathtub.

"Lilith, I think Will is almost there," Raizel said as she leaned on Lilith's body. "Why don't you test the waters tomorrow night when he drinks your blood? I promise that I will leave the two of you alone, and keep the others away. Use this opportunity to know his thoughts, and see if you can pin him down."

Lilith wrapped her arms around the young beauty's body and held her in place. The Amazon Princess ignored Raizel's words and instead, asked her about her parents. "Tell me more about your Papa. What is he like?"

"I've already told you everything about him," Raizel replied as she placed her hand over Lilith's. She then closed her eyes as she enjoyed Lilith's warmth from behind.

"You did? Is that all you can tell me about your father?" Lilith inquired. "You only told me about his good points. You didn't tell me about his bad points."

"Ah… so you want to know his bad points." Raizel giggled. "Well, Papa has many bad points as well."

"For example?"

"He is overprotective of his daughters."

"I don't think that is a bad thing."

Raizel chuckled. "Oh, you have no idea, Lilith. No man dared to become our suitors because if they didn't die in our great grandpa's hands, they would definitely die in our Papa's hands. There was once this Prince who shook my hand during his visit to our residence.

"That night, someone snuck into his room and broke his arm. The person responsible for doing so even left a note that said… "The next time you annoy me, I will break your third leg.""

Raizel sighed after recalling the memory of that incident. "Too bad, that Prince was one of the experts of the young generation. My grandma wanted him to become my partner, but after the incident, the Prince returned to his empire and never showed his face in front of me again."

The corner of Lilith's lips twitched after hearing Raizel's story.

"You're an Amazon, right? What are your thoughts about getting a partner?" Lilith inquired. "We Amazons only look for strong men to become our mate. Do you feel too restricted from having such an overprotective Papa? What did your Mama say?"

Raizel didn't answer right away. Instead, she lightly squeezed Lilith's hand that was holding her in place.

"She said… she said that I should follow my heart, instead of following the tradition of the Amazons," Raizel answered. "She said that falling in love is a wonderful thing. Mama assured me that if I really found someone I love, she would definitely hold Papa back and let us be together."

Lilith felt something warm spread inside her chest, because she understood that feeling. In the past, she hadn't cared about love, and simply thought of finding a strong warrior to become her mate, in order to do her duty as an Amazon.

After meeting Raizel, things changed. She no longer wanted a casual relationship. What she wanted was something that would last forever.

"You should follow your mother's words," Lilith commented after calming the emotions in her heart.

"Mmm," Raizel hummed. "I want to fall in love like Mama. However, I wanted my partner to be as strong as Papa. I'm a greedy person, so I want to have both. Since Mama was able to do it, why can't I do the same?"

Lilith lightly kissed Raizel's head. "Indeed. We should not settle for anything less. After all, we are greedy people."

The corner of Raizel's lips curled up into a smile. The young beauty wished that someday, she, too, would also have that fairy tale ending like her mother.

Everyone wants happiness.

Nobody wants pain.

But, one can't have a rainbow…

Without a little rain.

Chapter 826: There's No Need To Think Of The Future. It Will Come Soon Enough

Five days after Avril surrendered the mirror to Morax, Elandor, the leader of the Dwarven Shelter, unearthed a mirror in his territory.

This discovery made the other Shelters double up their efforts to search for the other mirrors that the Dread Lord needed.

Meanwhile, back in the Glory Shelter, Raizel was inscribing runes on the mirror that they had found using her blood as the medium.

William looked at this scene with great interest because he had the Job Class Runemaster. From what he could tell, the young beauty was using advanced runes that not even he had seen before.

However, although William couldn't recognize the runes, he had a general idea about what Raizel was trying to do.

After the young lady finished inscribing the last rune, all the bloody runes on the surface of the mirror merged with its body.

"Did you succeed?" William asked.

Raizel smiled and nodded her head. "I managed to make this mirror my possession. Even if Morax gets it, I will be able to manipulate it from the shadows."

"You're amazing." William sighed. "How did you learn Rune Arts?"

"I was taught by the best."

"Who was it?"

Raizel smirked as she passed the mirror to Lilith. "Of course, my Mama."

The corner of William's lips twitched when he heard Raizel's reply. He then looked at Lilith who had a confused expression on her face because she didn't understand what Raizel was talking about.

"Girl, you really know how to mess around," William shook his head in defeat.

He could tell that Raizel was only teasing him. William had already expected that the young beauty was going to say that she learned it from her Papa, but in order to deny his smugness, she answered that it was her Mama that had taught her instead.

Raizel stuck her tongue out playfully as she gave Lilith a hug after the latter had properly stored the mirror inside her Divine Storage.

As the one who bore the Sin of Greed, Lilith could store many treasures in her Divine Storage, similar to how Chiffon could store a lot of food inside her stomach.

"What is our next plan?" Lilith asked as she patted the young beauty's head.

She had long gotten used to Raizel's clinginess when it was only the three of them, so she didn't push her away.

"We will wait for tonight to make our move," Raizel answered as she closed her eyes in contentment. "We need to bring the mirror to an area that hasn't been searched yet. Since we can't move out in the open as a group, Will must be the one to take the mirror to that location.

"If he is discovered, he can simply say that he found the mirror during his night exploration. This will be the safest option right now."

Raizel reluctantly pulled back and moved towards the table at the center of the room where a map of the city was displayed.

"Right now, everyone is busy searching in their own territories for the mirrors," Raizel said. "The North Eastern outskirts are still left out in the open because it is far from the other shelters. Will, it will be best if you hide the mirror in this area."

William nodded and understood the gist of Raizel's plan. However, he still had something he had to ask.

"Why don't we find more mirrors and allow you to take possession of them?" William proposed. "Wouldn't this be the most ideal move we can make to ensure that we will have an advantage during the ritual?"

Raizel shook her head. "Technically, you are right. However, I can't use my full powers in this place. If I transcribed runes on another mirror, the control that I have over the first would be cut in half.

"The more mirrors we take, the less control I will have over them. It will be best if we just focus on one, instead of biting off more than we can chew."

William eyed the young beauty with admiration because he hadn't thought that Raizel had already considered this possibility.

"Aside from this, is there anything else that we can do to ensure our side will have a chance to win against Morax?" Lilith inquired.

Raizel nodded. "Do you remember when I said that in order for us to win, both of you need to trust me with your lives? The second half of our operation relates to this. I will be making unreasonable demands, especially to you, Will."

The young beauty looked at William with a serious expression on her face.

"No matter how unreasonable my request will be, you will have to do it without any hesitation," Raizel explained. "If you hesitate, all the lives here in the Deadlands, as well as our own souls, will be damned for eternity. A lot is at stake here. Whatever happens, please, trust me with your life. Can you do that?"

Raizel's gaze met William's. The Half-Elf could see how serious she was, so he decided to nod his head in agreement.

"Very well, I will trust you," William said with a determined expression. "No matter how unreasonable it is. I will do it."

"Great!" Raizel clapped her hands together. "Then, time to put your words to the test. It's already late, so why don't you take a bath with Lilith? You can also drink her blood while you're at it. You drank Cathy's blood yesterday, so today it is Lilith's turn. Now, go. I will make sure that no one enters the bath area."

Raizel left the room with a smile, not even bothering to look at the reactions of the two that were left behind.

'Is she playing cupid again?' Lilith thought as she stared at William's face. She was trying to discern how the Half-Elf was faring with the idea of taking a bath with her.

The Amazon Princess could clearly see the hesitation in William's eyes, which made her heart ache a bit. Unable to continue observing him, she lowered her head and looked down on her feet.

It was at that moment when a rough hand firmly held her own.

Caught by surprise, Lilith raised her head only to see William's eyes staring at her face. The Half-Elf's face was flushed, and she could even see that the tips of his ears were red.

"Don't be mistaken," William said. "I am not hesitating because I don't like the idea of bathing with you. It's just that, I don't know if you are fine with this arrangement. Raizel can be mischievous at times and goes at her own pace. I know that you are only after me because of my genes, and this is why I shy away from you.

"However, many things have happened as of late. Even though I still don't know what will happen in the future, I've decided to believe that by taking that first step, I will be able to understand my true feelings."

After saying those words, William averted his gaze because he didn't want the Amazon Princess to see his embarrassment.

After half a minute, Lilith cleared her throat and gave a teasing reply. "Well, that is a unique way of inviting me to take a bath with you."

William smiled bitterly as he shifted his attention to the Amazon Princess' beautiful face. "You don't want to?"

Instead of answering, Lilith firmly held William's hand and walked towards the door. She was afraid that if she didn't act now, this opportunity would not come again.

As the two walked towards the Shower Area of the stadium, a young beauty peeked around the corner of the hallway with a devilish grin on her face.

'I thought Will was going to hesitate, so I was a bit worried,' Raizel mused. 'Fortunately, I'm here to push things around. Lilith, it's all on you now. Don't waste this opportunity. This is the first step to happiness!'

As the young beauty giggled, watching the two disappear down the hallway, the Death Lord by her side scratched her head in confusion.

'Will this really be alright?' Xenovia thought. 'Kids these days really have it tough.'

It was very easy for her to see that Raizel was doing her best to get William and Lilith to have a closer relationship.

She didn't mind playing along and acting as a bodyguard, to ensure that no one would disturb the possible couple. Her only concern was that their Shelter had still not found any mirrors to present to Morax, and she was getting worried that the other Leaders would find the other mirrors before them.

What she didn't know was that In order to play it safe, William, Lilith, and Raizel, didn't tell her that they had already found a mirror.

The Half-Elf wasn't confident that Morax didn't have the ability to spy on them using Xenovia. During the day, she was assigned to accompany Cathy and the others to look for resources, as well as the mirrors.

This was Raizel's plan to hoodwink the Dread Lord into thinking that they were being serious when it came to looking for the artifacts that would allow him to take full control of the Tower.

As the Death Lord was deep in her thoughts, the young beauty had already left the scene and returned to her room.

There, she picked up the small wooden mallet that William and Lilith had unearthed when they went treasure hunting.

The young beauty playfully smacked the mallet on the palm of her hands, while thinking of the future.

"You're right, Papa," Raizel said softly as she reminisced on some of the happy moments she had spent with her family. "There's no need to think of the future.. It will come soon enough."

Chapter 827: I Want You As My Life Partner. Your Answer?

The sound of falling water spread across the shower room.

William was finding it hard to avert his gaze as he snuck glances at Lilith's backside.

Both of them were showering on opposite sides of the room, but since there were no dividers in place, it was just a wide open area with no place to hide their bodies.

'That's one fine tush,' William thought. 'Raizel didn't lie. It is indeed very attractive.'

Whenever William and Raizel were alone, especially when the Half-Elf needed some blood, the young beauty would often praise Lilith's good traits.

Out of everything that Raizel said about Lilith, one thing stuck out to him and that was the Amazon Princess' irresistible backside, which William was now seeing for the first time.

Using all of his willpower, William reluctantly averted his gaze and focused on scrubbing his body. He didn't know if Raizel was playing a prank on them or not, but since he had already promised to trust her, the Half-Elf decided to just go with the flow.

Lilith, on the other hand, didn't share William's worries. As a warrior, it was very easy for her to feel the stares of other people on her body.

If William could see her face right now, he would notice that Lilith's face was as red as a beet. Although she had already marked William as her treasure, Raizel's appearance in her life had solidified her determination to make the Half-Elf her life partner.

The red-headed teenager wasn't aware that many things had already changed in Lilith's plans since their appearance in the Deadlands.

She no longer planned to kidnap William and drag him to the Amazon Empire, in order to share him with her sisters. The Amazon Princess suddenly felt selfish in regards to the Half-Elf. She wanted to keep him to herself, and not let other girls take him.

Of course, she knew that this was not possible because William was already married to several girls. However, the feeling of wanting to keep him to herself was becoming stronger.

She could also feel that her Divinity was slowly, but surely, awakening from its deep slumber.

'Maybe, this is what it means to be greedy,' Lilith thought. 'I thought that by obtaining material treasures, I would be happy. But now, I want more… I want…'

The image of the young beauty with long red hair, and amber eyes that matched her own, appeared in her vision.

'I want that future,' Lilith slowly raised her hand to reach out towards the falling water droplets above her head. 'I want her in my life.'

A new goal blossomed in Lilith's heart, and her determination soared. After finally understanding what she wanted, she turned around to look at the Half-Elf who was busy scrubbing his body.

Lilith took a step forward then another… towards the person that would make her wish a reality.

As William was about to scrub his back, a pair of hands pressed down on his shoulders.

"Don't move," Lilith whispered. "I'll wash your back for you."

Before Wiliam could even reply, a pair of rough hands, similar to his, started to scrub his back. Lilith was a warrior, so her hands weren't as soft and delicate as the noble ladies that had never held a weapon in their lives.

"Your back is quite broad," Lilith commented. "It feels nice."

William didn't know how to reply to Lilith's comment, so he just kept his silence and allowed the Amazon to wash him properly.

Suddenly, the Half-Elf's body stiffened when he felt Lilith's hand lightly squeeze his bum.

"It's softer than I expected," Lilith said as if she was a connoisseur who was appraising an exotic dish that she had never tried before. "Might as well clean it properly."

William's body shuddered when he felt Lilith's hands knead his bum like a baker on steroids. He had a feeling that the Amazon was just playing around out of curiosity and waiting for him to react to her actions.

However, when he thought about admonishing her, the hands stopped and an arm stretched out to open the shower, sending a steady stream of water to fall upon their two bodies.

Half a minute later, William felt two soft peaks press against his back and a pair of arms wrap around his waist.

"Hey, do you find me attractive?" Lilith asked.

"Very," William replied honestly.

"I want you as my life partner. Your answer?"

"… I don't think I'm ready yet."

Lilith sighed before lightly biting William's shoulder. "When will you be ready?"

"… Must it be today?" William asked softly.

"It doesn't have to be today, but I want an answer soon."

"How soon?"

Lilith pondered for a brief moment before voicing out her thoughts. "Four days from now. When it is time for you to drink my blood again."

"Okay," William replied. "I will give you an answer four days from now."

"You won't try to run away?"

"I won't."

"You won't try to avoid me?"

"I won't."

"Good, now turn around," Lilith said as she took a step back and let go of William's body.

William did as he was told, and both of them stared at each other.

A pair of light-green eyes, that were like emeralds, stared into Lilith's amber eyes without blinking.

Lilith pressed her hands over William's shoulders, as she lightly rose to her tiptoes and brushed her lips over William's.

The action was fleeting, but the Half-Elf felt how serious the Amazon Princess was. Because of this, he had also resolved to sort out his feelings seriously, and give her a proper answer on their promised day.

"Let's go," Lilith said as she held William's hand. "We don't want to catch a cold, right?"

"Mmm," William replied as he allowed Lilith to drag him to the bathtub.

That night, William felt his body burning, as Lilith's warmth washed over his body from inside and out.

Lilith's body pressed against him as he drank her blood sparingly. They were both naked and facing each other, but due to their promise, neither of them did anything inappropriate.

William could hear Lilith's strong heartbeat resonate in his ears along with the sinful sighs that escaped her seductive lips.

The Half-Elf hadn't paid too much attention to these sensations in the past, but due to what happened earlier, he had become more aware of her.

Lilith's heartbeat, the sweet and intoxicating taste of her blood, her voice that was tinged with pleasure, and her warmth that fanned the fires of desire in his own heart.

After William finished drinking her blood, the Amazon Princess wrapped her arms around his head, and gave him a long, lingering kiss on the lips.

William subconsciously wrapped his hands around Lilith's waist, to hold her in place.

When the kiss ended, Lilith kissed William's forehead, before reluctantly backing away.

She left the bathtub without saying another word, and took one of the bath towels to cover her body. She gave William one last glance before leaving the room.

William watched her go in a daze. Only after a few minutes passed did he return to his senses.

The Half-Elf felt hot and bothered, and knew that he would not be able to sleep easily that night.

He knew with certainty that after he had finished the mission Raizel gave him, and returned to her room, the three of them would sleep together, like they had been these past few days.

Imagining how the Amazon would be sleeping right next to him, made the fires in his chest burn brighter.

In order to extinguish the burning desire that was plaguing his body, William stayed inside the shower room for another half an hour.

This was the only way that he could think of, in order to survive the next four days, without thinking of the Amazon Princess' passionate, soft, lips that had claimed his own.

Chapter 828: A World Where Hope Was Merely A Fleeting Illusion

Wiliam left the Glory Shelter an hour after his steamy talk with Lilith.

He was headed to the North-Eastern outskirts of the Deadlands in order to put the mirror in a place that was likely to be discovered.

According to Raizel, it was highly possible that in a span of two weeks, all the mirrors in the Deadlands, with the exception of the one on the seabed would be found by the Alliance.

Because of this same reason, Raizel was decisive and asked William to take the mirror to the place they talked about as soon as possible.

As a Half-Elf, and a Vampire, William traveled through the city in the middle of the night with absolute confidence.

He had paid close attention to his surroundings and ensured that he wasn't being tracked by anyone. In order to hasten his journey, he rode a bike, which allowed him to arrive at his destination in an hour.

'Now to find a place to hide the mirror,' William thought as he gazed at his surroundings from on top of a building. After considering his choices, the Half-Elf decided to place the mirror inside an antique shop.

This shop would be a very suitable place to look for the mirror, because of the nature of its business.

After completing his mission, William didn't dawdle and returned to the Glory Shelter as fast as he could. Although being discovered in this area wouldn't arouse any suspicions whatsoever, he knew that staying under everyone's radar was still the best option available for him.

As soon as William exited the North-Eastern parts of the Deadlands, his powerful eyesight detected some light sources a mile away from his location.

The Half-Elf immediately entered an abandoned shop near him, which was a pet shop. He moved towards its second floor and positioned himself near the window, overlooking the street.

William was very curious about who would be visiting this area at this time of night.

A few minutes later, he saw a convoy of trucks pass the place he was hiding in.

The corner of William's lips curled into a smirk when he saw the identity of the late-night explorers.

'Swiper,' William mused. 'Are you my tail or something? Why are you always appearing wherever I go?'

The Half-Elf had no love for the Demonic Boar who always did his best to antagonize him, Lilith, and Raizel.

If possible, he would love to smash the Demon's head to meat paste so that all of his troubles would be gone. Unfortunately, the chances of Swiper returning as an undead was very high. It would also create many unforeseen consequences that he didn't want to deal with right now, so the effort was not worth it.

William didn't immediately leave after Swiper's group had left his area. He waited five more minutes before leaving the Pet Shop to return to the Glory Shelter.

Fortunately, his return trip was smooth and he didn't encounter any more mishaps along the way.

The moment he entered Raizel's room, he was surprised to find that the two girls were still awake. It was quite obvious that they were waiting for him to return, which made William feel warm and fuzzy inside.

"What happened?" Raizel asked. "Did you encounter some problems when you delivered the mirror?"

William shook his head. "I saw Swiper's entourage on my return trip, but don't worry, they didn't see me."

The Half-Elf then explained everything that happened on his mission towards the North-Eastern part of the Deadlands without leaving anything behind. After his narration, he excused himself to take a quick shower to remove the dust that had accumulated in his journey outside of the shelter.

However, before he left the room, Raizel handed him a set of pajamas that she had prepared especially for him.

William thanked her and left the room, leaving the two ladies to discuss his latest brush with the inhabitants of the Demonic Shelter.

"If Swiper plans to explore every nook and cranny of the North-Easter regions, he will definitely find the mirror sooner or later," Lilith said with a frown. "At most, we will get the news tomorrow. The only thing I am worried about is his request to Morax. He had a grudge against us, and if he has decided to get back at us using Morax's help, it would definitely be troublesome."

Raizel nodded her head in agreement. "Indeed. If he really has decided to make a move on us, we might not see it coming even with all our eyes open."

"Then, what do we do?"

"The only thing we can do. Just continue to be vigilant, while we 'look' for the other mirrors."

Lilith sighed. "We will be on the passive side when that happens. Maybe we should get one mirror ourselves and give it to Morax. After that, we request something to ensure our safety."

"Well, that is certainly an option, but what will you ask of him?" Raizel asked with a curious gaze. "I doubt that he will agree if we request that Swiper be killed, imprisoned, or kicked out of the Deadlands."

"True." Lilith admitted. "But, some kind of deterrence is better than nothing, right?"

Raizel covered her lips and giggled. "Frankly, I think having Will around is already a deterrence. You might not know of it, but everyday that passes here in the Deadlands, Will becomes stronger. I don't know if Morax realized this yet, but Will's body is automatically siphoning the Undead energy from the Deadlands.

"Perhaps, Will is not aware of this as well. However, I'm sure that he can feel his body getting stronger with every day that passes, most especially during the night when the Tower activates its powers."

"Will he be as strong as Morax?" Lilith inquired. If the Half-Elf really became as strong as the Dread Lord then they would no longer fear anything in the Deadlands.

Raizel shook her head. "Not at the moment. But, if everything goes according to plan, he will become the Dread Lord's equal, perhaps even stronger."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Lilith glanced at the young beauty that was looking back at her with a smile.

"Why are you smiling?" Lilith inquired.

"It's because I am happy," Raizel answered.

"Happy about what?"

"Happy because you already took the first step, Lilith."

Raizel moved closer and gave the Amazon Princess a light hug.

"Please, do your best," Raizel encouraged. "Just one more push, and Will is in the bag."

The Amazon Princess blushed at Raizel's egging.

Lilith was quite helpless when it came to Raizel's advances. However, what she said was also true. The Amazon Princess recalled the scene back in the shower room, and the memory made her cheeks feel like burning.

Although it only lasted for a brief moment, she felt that Wiliam had returned her kiss when she kissed him in the bathtub.

It meant that the Half-Elf no longer resisted her advances towards him, which made her heart skip a beat.

The two girls chatted for half an hour about different ways to ensnare William.

What they were not aware of was that the Half-Elf was already standing outside the room's door, with an awkward expression on his face.

He arrived a few minutes ago and was about to knock on the door when he overheard what the two girls were talking about.

The corner of his lips twitched when Raizel proposed that Lilith and her should go to one of the abandoned shops near their shelter to look for sexy lingerie that could seduce William.

In the end, William waited for five more minutes before knocking on the door to make his presence known.

When he entered, the two girls were already lying on the bed with beet-red faces, as if they were a pair of thieving cats that had been caught red-handed by the police.

Half an hour later, the Half-Elf slept peacefully on the bed, while being hugged by a beautiful girl on each side.

Lilith and Raizel gave each other a knowing gaze before simultaneously giving William a soft peck on the cheeks on each side.

After sneakily taking advantage of the handsome Half-Elf, both girls closed their eyes to sleep.

Both hoped that when morning came, a new day, filled with happiness and love, would grace the three of them in a world where hope was merely a fleeting illusion that dreamers loved to dream.

Chapter 829: Please, Take Off Your Shirt

Just as Raizel and Lilith predicted, the news of Swiper finding the mirror spread throughout the Deadlands around noon.

The funny thing was that the reason why they knew of this news was because Swiper, himself, had gone to the Glory Shelter to brag about his latest achievement.

He even roared in laughter as he showed the mirror in his hands to William, Lilith, and Raizel, who were doing their best to prevent themselves from spitting on his Demonic Pig's face.

"You see, this is what happens when I become serious," Swiper said as he patted William's shoulder in a friendly manner. "This proves that I'm better than you, right?"

William wanted to roll his eyes at the bragging Demon who was only a few inches from getting his snout smashed to a pulp.

"Well then, since I'm a busy man, I guess I'll be going to the Black Tower now," Swiper declared with a smug expression on his face. "See you later, losers! Hahahaha!"

Swiper's lackeys all laughed in unison as they looked at William's group with disdain. They had searched all night until the sun had started to rise before they found the mirror that Morax was looking for.

As the Demonic Entourage left in the direction of the Black Tower, William shook his head helplessly. If possible, he hadn't wanted Swiper to be the one to find the mirror he hid, but Fate was a fickle lady, who had the hobby of breaking people's expectations.

"Will, I think we need to move to the next stage of our plans," Raizel said after careful consideration. "Time is not on our side."

William turned around to look at the young beauty that was looking at him with a serious expression on her face.

"What are we going to do next?" William asked.

"Follow me," Raizel replied as she turned to go back inside the Glory Shelter.

Just like usual, she had ordered Cathy and Xenovia to look for resources and a mirror within their territory.

This served as a smokescreen to the observers of the Dread Lord, who were regularly patrolling the areas of the Shelters.

This time, Raizel didn't bring William to her room, but in the room next to hers, where William had stayed the night a few days ago.

"Sorry, Lilith, but it will be only William and I who will be talking," Raizel said with an apologetic gaze. "I'm sorry."

"Silly girl, what are you being sorry about?" Lilith replied as she held her hand. "If it is something that I shouldn't listen to then that's fine with me."

"Thank you."

"I'll just go to your room for the time being and wait for the two of you to finish your business."

Lilith didn't say another word and went to Raizel's room, closing the door behind her.

Raizel took a deep breath as if she was preparing herself for something before she entered the room.

William, who still had no idea what the young beauty had planned, entered the room behind her.

"Please, lock the door," Raizel said. "This is to ensure that we won't be interrupted during our… exercise."

The Half-Elf nodded and locked the door as he was told. He then moved towards Raizel who was sitting on top of the bed with a determined expression on her face.

"I told you before that in order to have a chance of winning, you must trust me with your life," Raizel stated. "No matter how unreasonable my request will be, you will have to do it without any hesitation. I ask you now, will you trust me?"

"Yes," William answered. "I trust you."

"Good." Raizel sighed in relief. "Then let's begin. Please, take off your shirt."

The rustling of clothes echoed within the walls of the room, heralding the start of the second phase of Raizel's plan.

While this was happening, Swiper had finally arrived in the vicinity of the Black Tower where Morax's Death Lords were already waiting for his arrival.

The Dread Lord received Swiper in his throne room with a big smile on his face that made the Demonic Boar feel less anxious.

"I knew that you would not let me down, Swiper," Morax said. "Fortunately, I didn't make a mistake when I chose you to become my spy among the Shelters."

Swiper respectfully bowed his head as he presented the mirror to Morax.

"Your Excellency, I am but your humble, and loyal, supporter," Swiper declared. "As long as I am able to help, I will not hesitate to go above my capabilities to meet your expectations."

Morax nodded his head in appreciation before accepting the mirror in Swiper's hands. "You are truly a subordinate that I can be proud of. Now, tell me, what is it that you wish for?"

The image of William's arrogant face briefly appeared in Swiper's mind, as he raised his head to look at the Dread Lord who was waiting for his reply. For a very long time, Swiper had wished that he could trample on the Half-Elf's face and regain his pride.

Now that an opportunity was right in front of him, wouldn't it be a shame not to use it to his advantage?

"Your Excellency, I wish to deal with the Half-Elf who has recently appeared in the Glory Shelter," Swiper stated."He is also the same person that dealt with your Death Lord and Bone Dragon during the Haunting. The same person who has shown you disrespect in this very throne room."

"Ah, that person." Morax nodded. "Well, he truly is an eyesore. But, he is also actively searching for the mirror on my behalf. Even so, since you want to deal with him then I can make it happen… the question is, how do you want to deal with him?"

Swiper gritted his teeth as he voiced out his inner thoughts."Your Excellency, I wish to…"

Morax listened to Swiper's request with a calm expression on his face. After hearing what the Demonic Boarkin had to say, the Dread Lord pondered for a bit before giving his reply.

"Your request is not impossible to realize," Morax replied after careful consideration. "But, the timing is important. If I were to make a move right now, the other leaders of the Shelters will be wary, and there is a chance that they will refuse to cooperate. Although I can use force to quell their resistance, I have more important matters that come before any desire to wipe them off from the face of the Deadlands.

Also, you will instantly become a suspect and will be alienated by the rest of the Alliance. Like I said, it is not impossible for your request to be realized, but the timing must be done right.

"How about this? We will wait until all the mirrors are gathered before we make our move. I promise you that when that time comes, I will let you personally deal with that Half-Elf after I'm done with him. With this, we can accomplish both of our goals with minimal to zero risk. It's a win-win situation for both of us, what do you think?"

Swiper pondered for a bit before firmly nodding his head. "I will do my best to endure, Your Excellency. I just hope that the wait will be worth it."

"Trust me. I will make sure that you will be satisfied with the results."

"Thank you, Your Excellency. I look forward to the day where both of our wishes will be realized."

After a bit of chit chat, Swiper left the Black Tower with his subordinates and returned to the Demonic Shelter to rest. The Dread Lord watched them leave with an indifferent expression on his face before gazing in the direction of the Glory Shelter.

"Mortals are truly interesting creatures," Morax muttered. The corner of his lips curled up into a smile as he thought of the wishes of those that had presented mirrors to him.

"For pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth, they are willing to step on any number of corpses just to satisfy their desires… and people say that I'm the evil one? How laughable."

Morax shook his head before closing his eyes. He could gradually feel that the time he was waiting for was at hand.

All he needed to do was wait for all the mirrors… to fall into his hands.

Chapter 830: Parallel Wishes

Two days had passed since Swiper had given the mirror to Morax, and the Demonic Shelter's prestige was at an all time high.

With three out of the nine mirrors found, everyone was putting in double the effort in finding the six remaining mirrors.

Even William, Lilith, and Raizel had no choice but to "act" like they were desperate to find the remaining mirrors in order to let Morax, and the other Leaders think that they were doing their best to find it.

Lilith was now familiar with the aura of the mirrors, so she was able to tell William and Raizel about their locations. However, they didn't make any moves to obtain them. They simply wandered around the Deadlands, looking for other treasures.

It didn't come as a surprise when Lilith managed to find one more treasure as they traveled around the city.

Lilith guided William and Raizel to the location where she sensed the treasure. After nearly an hour of travel, they arrived at a small abandoned temple at the Western side of the Deadlands.

As they explored its interior, Lilith opened a small wooden box and found a pair of golden earrings. One of the earrings had a blue gem in its center, while the other one had a red gem.

When Raizel saw these earrings, her eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

'So, this is where they found them,' Raizel thought as she held the two earrings in her hands as if they were priceless treasures.

She eyed them closely to ensure that they were the same earrings in her memory. After a minute of close observation, she affirmed that these were the same ones she knew of.

"Are you familiar with these earrings?" William asked after seeing Raizel's surprised expression.

"I-I've seen it in an ancient text in the past," Raizel stuttered. "They say that when two people who are in love wear these rings, they will be able to see the path to Nirvana."

"Really?" Lilith asked as she eyed the earring with a red gem embedded in it.

Raizel suddenly had a flash of inspiration as a mischievous smile appeared on her lips. "How about we give it a try? Will, can you lower your head for a bit?"

"Hmm? Okay." William obeyed and lowered his head. He already had an idea of what Raizel was trying to do, but he couldn't find it in his heart to reject the young lady's request.

Holding the golden earring with the blue gem at its center, Raizel attached it to William's right ear.

The instant the earring was firmly clasped on his ear, William felt a tingling sensation wash over his body for a brief moment, before disappearing completely.

"How is it?" Raizel inquired. "Has something changed with your vision?"

William blinked once then twice before focusing his eyes on his surroundings. William already had a 20/20 vision in the past, so he could see things very clearly. However, after being conscious of Raizel's words, he noticed that he could see other, more subtle, things in his surroundings that he had never seen before.

He could see a few faintly glowing particles in the air surrounding them. He didn't know what they were, but something was telling him that these small particles were something important.

"I can see some sort of light particles around us," William replied as he tried to examine the particles by lightly touching them. However his fingers just passed through them as if they were something that couldn't be grasped by anyone.

"What are these things?" William inquired.

"Laws," Raizel answered. "Well, part of the laws that bind this world together."

After finding out that the earring was working properly, Raizel approached Lilith with a smile and attached the earring to her left ear.

Just like William, Lilith didn't resist Raizel's action. She knew that Raizel wouldn't harm her in any way.

Also, seeing that the Half-Elf was wearing the other earring, the Amazon Princess felt the young beauty was back to playing her role as a cupid in order to bring them closer together.

"Now then, let's test whether your earring works or not," Raizel clapped her hands happily as she shifted her devilish smile at the red-headed teenager who suddenly felt goosebumps on his body.

One glance was enough to tell William that the young beauty was up to no good!

"Will, do you love me?" Raizel asked with a bashful expression.

The corner of William's lips twitched because he felt that this was a tricky question. He understood that this was one of Raizel's pranks, so he decided to put the young lady in her place.

"No," William replied, which made Raizel pout.

"… You're lying," Lilith commented. It was at that moment when she realized that she suddenly gained the ability to tell whether a person was lying or not.

"Hmp! So, you lied to me," Raizel complained as she lightly hit William's chest with her closed fist.

Naturally, this playful action didn't hurt anyone. After taking her revenge, Raizel winked at Lilith and mouthed a few words without being seen by William.

The Amazon Princess froze because she knew lip reading and understood what Raizel was trying to tell her.

However, Lilith just shook her head and smiled. "I will know the answer soon. There's no need to put him on a spot right now."

"Then ask him other questions."

"Like what?"

"Like, what is his favorite food? Hobbies, etc?"

Lilith nodded "That sounds like a good idea. I'll do that after we return to the Shelter. But, you need to answer my question first."

Raizel smirked. "That will depend on what question you are going to ask me. If it's something I can't answer, I won't answer no matter what."

"What are the names of these earrings?"

"Parallel Wishes," Raizel answered. "The earrings that were said to show the path to Nirvana to two people who truly love each other. Isn't it romantic?"

The young beauty winked at Lilith before turning around to look at William, who was pretending to read the ancient scripts that were left inside the temple.

Seeing that the Half-Elf had no intention of cooperating with her, Raizel shook her head before looking out of the window of the temple.

"It's almost sunset. Let's go back to the Shelter," Raizel said. She then looked at Lilith with a serious expression as she spoke out her mind. "Also, Lilith after dinner, it will be your turn to help me."

Lilith was surprised at first before nodding her head. For two nights, William and Raizel had holed themselves up in the room right next to hers.

Out of respect for their privacy, Lilith didn't bother to eavesdrop by using the mark that she had placed on William.

Although she was very curious to know what they were doing inside the room together, she decided to trust Raizel, and just waited for her to return.

William, who heard Raizel's words, didn't respond. Raizel had already informed him a day ago that it will be Lilith's turn today, so he was already expecting this to happen.

He couldn't possibly tell anyone what the young beauty and he was doing during those two days that they were together.

Even if he did mention it to someone, he was very confident that no one would believe him. Since that was the case, it was better to keep his lips shut tight.

Deep inside, he was very curious about what Raizel planned to do with Lilith.. He just hoped that whatever the young beauty had planned for the Amazon Princess, it wouldn't be the same as the exercise that they were doing together.