Collection 1

441-450

Chapter 441: William Vs Elandorr [Part 2]

The Elves watching the battle from the forest drew in a deep breath when they saw the attack that William had pulled back at the last second.

Although they were quite far away, they instinctively felt that they would have also been affected by the powerful attack that the Half-Elf had unleashed, if he hadn't stopped it like he did.

Elandorr calmly dispelled the barrier protecting him and eyed William with a serious expression. His earlier composure could no longer be seen and one could tell that he now took his opponent seriously.

"I see that you can back up your arrogance," Elandorr said as he activated the enchantments on his armor.

"And you can't back up yours," William replied snarkily. "I expected more from the Commander of the Elves, but I guess I was hoping for too much. You ain't worth sh*t."

A second later, the two teenagers clashed. The ground under their feet broke apart and pieces of soil and rocks were launched into the air around them.

Elandorr unleashes several swift strikes of his sword, which William countered with strikes of his own. Due to the staff's longer reach, Elandorr had no choice but to take a few steps away to distance himself from William's fierce and relentless strikes.

As Elandorr backed away, the tip of his sword skid across the ground, creating magical sparks. He then swung it upwards in an arc, creating a wave of soil and rocks that headed in William's direction.

< Elemental Lord Job Class Equipped >

William stomped his feet on the ground and thrust his staff forward. The wave of soil and rocks froze in place before blowing up into a thousand pieces.

Suddenly, these pieces of soil and rock merged together and hardened, transforming into Stone Bullets. With a wave of his staff, these Stone Bullets rained down on Elandorr, leaving no room for him to maneuver.

With a loud shout, the Elven Commander created a Wind Tornado with him at its center. All the Stone Bullets aimed at him were all sucked up and returned to William with twice as much force thanks to the tornado's momentum.

William flicked his arm and a wind funnel appeared in front of him. Just like what Elandorr did, he sucked up all the Stone Bullets, but this time, instead of sending them back, he merged them together.

"Quick Shot War Art, First Form," William said as his hand made a gesture to imitate a handgun. "Destroy everything in your path…"

"Railgun!"

Due to how fast this attack was, Elandorr had been unable to react right away. If not for the fact that his life saving artifact activated automatically, he would have been impaled by William's Earth Spear, that traveled at the speed of sound.

A loud explosion took place and the Elven Commander was blown away due to the force of the impact. He received no injury due to the barrier that protected his body, but he was still blown tens of meters away from where he stood, slamming into

the trees in the forest before finally coming to a stop.

William summoned Stormcaller and lightning crackled upon its blade tip.

"Lightning God War Art, Thirteenth Form," William roared. "Go for the kill!"

"Gaebolg!"

The lightning spear flew towards the fallen Elven Commander without mercy. William had already decided to kill Elandorr because he could tell that the latter also wanted him dead. Since that was the case, there was no need to show mercy.

The red-headed boy had no compassion for those who deserved to die.

Even though the barrier protected Elandorr, the impact of William's attack had briefly paralyzed his body. The barrier had also disappeared, leaving him exposed to the Half-Elf's killer blow.

The sound of metal clashing against each other reverberated within the forest as Stormcaller's blade tip collided with a shield made from adamantium. The Blademaster that served as Princess Eowyn's Guard had appeared in front of Elandorr to block the strike that was meant to take the Elven Commander's life.

"Hah!" The Blademaster shouted and the shield in his hand glowed brightly. With one powerful push, he repelled Stormcaller's attack, sending it hurtling towards the sky.

William snorted and raised his hand to recall Stormcaller. He then looked at the fallen Elven Commander in disdain as he rested the handle of his spear on his shoulder.

"Weakling," William said in contempt. "If that's all you can do then you'd better pack up and return to the Silvermoon Continent. Make sure to tell your Patriarch that I, the son of the Hero that saved your race, used your face to wipe the floor."

William twirled the spear in his hand and pointed it at Elandorr's direction. "Feel free to challenge me in a hundred years. Maybe, you will stand a chance by then."

The young Elven Prodigies who saw William's dominating performance felt their hearts tremble. They thought that they were already the strongest teenagers, not only in the Silvermoon Continent, but in the entire world of Hestia as well.

"He really is the son of our hero," a pretty Elf said softly. "He's so strong!"

The Elves near the girl nodded their heads in agreement. Elandorr was hailed as one of the strongest Prodigies in the Elven Race, and William dealt with him in a manner that made him look like a fledgling warrior who was fighting for the first time.

"I'll kill you!" Elandorr shouted as he forced himself to stand. "You filthy Half-Blood!"

Elandorr's face was now distorted with rage due to the embarrassment and humiliation that he suffered from William's words.

Princess Eowyn almost didn't recognize the young Elven Commander because this was the first time she had seen Elandorr's rage-filled expression. She unconsciously took a step back due to how scary Elandorr's expression was.

"Come and help me turn this scum into ashes!" Elandorr roared as he pointed his finger towards the sky. "Hear my call, Deoldreoss!"

A silver beam of light shot out of his fingertip and formed a Giant Magic Circle in the air.

Moments later, A ten-meter-long Silver Dragon emerged from the magic circle and gave an intimidating roar.

"Kill him for me! Deoldreoss!"

The Silver Dragon who was at the apex of the Millennial Rank opened its massive jaw and prepared to fire a Dragon's Breath. Erchitu immediately stepped in front of William and took a defensive stance to protect the Half-Elf.

Deoldreoss was about to unleash its ultimate attack when a cry of a crane sounded from the heavens.

Suddenly, a blue comet slammed into the Dragon's head, making it stagger and preventing it from executing its attack. The blue comet repeatedly attacked the Dragon's head with a vengeance, not giving it any chance to resist.

Soon, the Silver Dragon crashed on the ground, due to a powerful blow that made it unable to stay airborne.

Elandorr glanced at his fallen Beast Companion before shifting his gaze to the one responsible for thwarting his plan on killing this hated Half-Elf.

A white crane flapped its wings in arrogance as it uttered a loud and deafening cry.

"T-That crane!"

"It's her Excellency!"

"What is she doing here?!"

The Elves gasped in shock when they recognized the majestic Crane in the sky. Everyone in the Silvermoon Continent knew who this crane was because she was the Beast Companion of their one and only Saintess.

She was none other than the Royal Silvermoon Crane that was known to make even Dragons cower in fear.

Skyla glared hatefully at Elandorr who had tried to kill William by summoning a Millennial Beast. Although she was gentle by nature, she was more dangerous than an Elder Dragon when someone tried to hurt the people that were important to her.

Right now, she was looking at the young Elven Commander filled with killing intent.

She didn't care if it was a Human, Dragon, or Elf. Anyone who dared to touch one of her reverse scales had only one fate and that was… Death!

Chapter 442: Sweep Away All Adversaries!

"Big Sister, Skyla," William said softly as he stared at the White Crane who seemed to be preparing to unleash a strong attack due to anger.

"Krooooo!" Skyla dived towards the ground as she transformed into a blue comet.

She planned on ending Elandorr's life once and for all without caring about the consequences of her actions. The Blademaster wasn't able to react in time and could only watch helplessly as the enraged White Crane went past him.

"Senior Sister, please stop!" Princess Eowyn stood in front of Elandorr with her arms stretched wide.

Skyla recognized the Princess and immediately turned to the side, avoiding her completely. Even so, the gust of wind that followed behind her attack almost blew the Elven Princess away. Fortunately, the Blademaster, acting as her guardian, held her waist to keep her in place.

The hate-filled cry of the Crane descended upon all the Elves within the forest. Skyla had unleashed her overbearing Beast Aura, which forced the Elves to kneel on the ground. The fallen Dragon had once again regained its bearing and roared back at the White Crane who was hovering in the sky.

Seeing that a mere Silver Dragon dared to roar at her, the White Crane dived down like an arrow to vent out its anger at the Millennial Beast who dared to defy her.

The Silver Dragon didn't back down and flapped its wings to fight the backstabbing Crane who had knocked it out of the sky. Skyla used its swing to slap the dragon's head, making it roar in pain.

Although her opponent was five times bigger than her, the White Crane fearlessly bombarded it with Wind Blades at point blank range.

Still, a Silver Dragon at the Peak of the Millennial Rank was no pushover. Earlier, Skyla was able to get the upper hand because she had unleashed a surprise attack.

The White Crane was only at the Middle Stages of the Millennial Rank, and the Silver Dragon was considered one of the High-Tiered Beasts in the Silvermoon Continent. Its scales were very resistant to Magic and Physical attacks. Even so, it was still unable to properly deal with the swift and agile Crane who almost pecked its eye out during one of their collisions.

Perhaps due to luck, or perhaps it had waited for the right moment, the Silver Dragon used its tail to lash at the White Crane that was making its life difficult. The tail squarely hit the side of Skyla's body, sending her crashing towards the ground.

"Big Sister!" William's eyes became bloodshot as he ran towards the White Crane that had been injured because of him.

"Big Sister! Are you fine?" William asked as he held the White Crane's Head.

"Kroooo? Kroooo! Kroooo?!" (Do I look fine? Fool! That bastard dared to harm your Big SIster. Are you just going to watch as that overgrown lizard bully me?!)

William sighed in relief because Skyla seemed to be fine despite receiving a full-powered strike from the Silver Dragon.

"Wait here, Big Sister," William said as he stood in front of the White Crane that loved him dearly. "I'll cook us some Dragon Meat BBQ for dinner."

The Silver Dragon

fired its Dragon Breath towards the Half-Elf and the White Crane that were on the ground. It didn't want to give Skyla another opportunity to challenge him in an aerial battle because what had happened earlier was just a fluke.

"Sweep away all adversaries," William declared as a golden-metallic staff appeared in his hands. "Ruyi Jingu Bang!"

The golden staff in his hand extended forward to meet the Dragon's Breath. It grew in a matter of seconds. The Dragon Breath was completely nullified by the hundred-meter-thick golden staff.

The Silver Dragon roared in fright as it flapped its wings to distance itself from the staff of unprecedented proportions.

"Where do you think you're going?" William asked with a sneer as he swatted the Silver Dragon in the air like a pesky bug.

The Silver Dragon was like a little puppy that wasn't able to prevent itself from being body-slammed by an Elephant.

When the staff smashed on the ground, half of the forest was decimated. The Elves that were nearby had been blown away by the shockwave that followed the impact. All of them received serious injuries as they collided with the trees in the forest.

"I-Impossible!" Elandorr's body shuddered as he looked at this scene in disbelief. He refused to believe what he was seeing and for a moment, he thought that he was dreaming.

Unfortunately, he was not, so he could only look at the carnage with a pale expression.

William raised the staff to see what happened to the Silver Dragon that dared to harm Skyla. Surprisingly, the Silver Dragon had only received minor injuries because it had made its scales as hard as adamantium.

The Half-Elf smirked. He didn't expect that he would be able to beat a Millennial Beast with a single strike. However, he didn't intend to give the Silver Dragon a quick death. Once again, he slammed the giant metallic rod on its body.

The Silver Dragon roared in pain with each successive strike William unleashed. The Half-Elf was merely toying with the Silver Dragon, making it suffer before going in for the kill.

"Stop!" The Blademaster that protected Elandorr earlier shouted. "This Duel is over! You already won! If you don't stop your actions, I will be forced to subdue you!"

William glanced at the Blademaster and gave him a devilish grin.

"You think just because you told me to stop, I will stop?" William asked in a teasing manner. "When you Elves invaded the Zelan Dynasty and the children begged you to stop torturing them, did you stop? Did you show them mercy?"

William sneered as he plucked out a few hairs from his head. He then blew on them as they scattered in the wind.

Soon, a dozen Williams appeared holding the same golden-metallic staff in their hands. William, as well as his clones pointed at their faces as they continued their taunt.

""Does this face look like the face of mercy to you?""

William's current strength in his Heroic Avatar form was equivalent to a Saint. Since that was the case, he didn't need to obey anyone's orders because he was now among those who stood at the peak of the Mortal Realm, thanks to Sun Wukong's overwhelming might.

""Sweep away all adversaries!""

All of William's clones shouted in unison as they somersaulted in the air. They nimbly landed on white clouds as the weapons in their hands extended and grew in size.

""Ruyi Jingu Bang!""

The expression of the Blademaster became grim as he dodged hurriedly to the side. A giant staff slammed against the ground where he stood a while ago, which proved that William wouldn't listen to their demands.

Soon, sounds of screams filled with fear rang in the forests as the Elves fled in every direction.

Elandorr decisively activated the teleport scroll in his possession, which would take him back to the capital. He knew that staying would be pointless, so he decided to escape while he could.

The Blademaster that guarded Princess Eowyn did the same as he grabbed hold of the Princess.

After making sure that the Princess was safe, the Blademaster that confronted William earlier also used his teleport scroll to leave.

William's clones snorted as they watched the beams of lights streak towards the sky. They ignored these four people, and shifted their attention to the Elves that were lying on the ground.

The Half-Elf's purpose for luring the Elves into the territory of the Minotaur Race was to conduct a massacre. His only regret was that he was not able to kill Elandorr because the latter didn't hesitate to leave his subordinates behind.

Naturally, William had no intention of hurting Princess Eowyn, so he allowed her to escape back to the capital.

"Well, it's fine," William glanced at the ground where several injured Elves lay helplessly. "Kill them all!"

The clones swatted the fallen Elves without batting an eye. Screams asking for forgiveness and mercy reached William's ears but he turned a deaf ear to it.

This was war.

"Wars don't prove who's right or wrong," William said as he decisively slammed Ruyi Jingu Bang against the head of the Silver Dragon that was on its last legs. "It only shows who's left."

Chapter 443: A War Cannot Be Won By A Single Individual

Sounds of weapons clashing echoed inside the wide cavern as Elves, Humans, Goblins, Beasts, and members of the Minotaur Race, fought with wild abandon.

The teleportation gates of the Elves were built deep under the ground, protected by several layers of enchantment. These enchantments should have been enough to prevent the Freedom Fighters from barging in.

However, these solid defenses broke apart in the face of…

"I'm Rolling!"

Kasogonaga slammed against the Elven Barrier and broke it instantly. Its rainbow-colored scales were not only incredibly hard and sturdy, they were also capable of destroying barriers with ease.

Aside from being called the Rolling Calamity, it was also known by another title, which was none other than Shield Breaker.

The two-meter-tall rainbow-colored wrecking ball slammed against the Elven Defenders without any intention of backing down. Its hatred of the Elves had superseded every other emotion it had as it killed, killed, and killed more!

Due to the Millennial Ants it had eaten and the Magical Energy it had absorbed within the Magic Crystal Cavern, Kasogonaga had managed to reach the Centennial Rank. it was now a force to be reckoned with and its hate fueled its power even further.

"Wow, scary," Psoglav commented as he pierced the body of an Elf girl with its bastard sword made from Dark Energy. After the Elf breathed her last, the Demonic Dog sneakily tossed her corpse inside the special ring in its possession.

It had promised William that it wouldn't eat Humans. But, Psoglav didn't say anything about not eating Elves, especially dead Elves that it had slain with its own hands.

The heated battle continued for an hour before the Alliance breached the Elves' final line of defense. Hundreds of dead bodies laid on the cavern floor. There was a mix of Humans, Goblins, Beasts, and Elves.

Paul panted as he stared at the gate that was nearing completion in the distance.

"You've done well in reaching this far," one of the Archmages said as his hands glowed with power. "But this is where your journey ends."

Two Blademasters, two Archmages, and hundreds of Elves stood to protect the gate that would connect them to their homeland.

The other two Blademasters and Archmages had been left in the Zelan Capital to oversee its protection. They didn't expect that a bunch of ragtag misfits would dare to intrude upon the place where they decided to build their teleportation gate.

"Really?" Jekyll inquired with a mischievous smile plastered on his face. "You think the four of you are enough to stop us?"

"More than enough," one of the Blademasters snorted as he unsheathed his blade. "As for you, we will deal with you as well, traitorous b*tch!"

Celine covered her lips and chuckled. She ignored the Blademaster who cursed at her and eyed the gate with great interest.

"We should have killed you when you were still a child," one of the Archmages spat on the ground. "Filth of the Elven Race."

The two Blademasters unleashed their Sword Auras, which pushed back the teenagers who were standing behind Jekyll and Celine. Psoglav, who bullied the weak and feared the strong, stood behind the children and watched from afar.

Kasogonaga, who was at the forefront of the Alliance, narrowed its eyes as it prepared to strike.

"Paul, take the others and guard the entrance of the cave," Jekyll ordered. "We will handle the rest."

"Understood," Paul replied. He knew that he and the other Freedom Fighters would only be a burden in a battle of this magnitude. The only way they could help Jekyll and Celine was to stay far away, so that they wouldn't be caught in any friendly fire.

In the end, only Jekyll, Celine, and Kasogonaga remained to face off against the strong Elven Force that was stationed to protect the teleportation gate.

"I'll handle the two Blademasters," Jekyll said. "Can you handle the Archmages?"

"Naturally," Celine replied. "Kasogonaga, I'll leave the small fries to you."

"Very well." The Rainbow-Colored Anteater stomped its foot on the ground as it transformed into a two-meter tall wrecking ball. "Ready when you are."

Jekyll laughed as he transformed into his true form. A giant beast that stood ten-meters tall roared as it opened its massive mouth.

"It's you!" one of the Archmages yelled in anger. "You're that hateful Human's Beast Companion!"

Dark Energy enveloped Celine's body and transformed her clothing into a black latex armor that highlighted the curves of her body. If this was any other time, the young Elves might have stopped to admire her beauty. However, knowing who Celine was, made them look at her in a hateful manner.

Celine didn't care what they thought, because she didn't care about the opinions of the soon-to-be-dead Elves that looked at her in disgust.

She summoned a Deathscythe and twirled it around before taking a fighting stance. It was not only Kasogonaga who hated the Elves. Celine hated them too, which was why she joined Deus in the first place.

He wanted The Organization to help her massacre the hateful Elves who made her life a living hell.

—–

Meanwhile inside the Palace of the Zelan Dynasty…

< … Darling is amazing >

Morgana muttered as she watched the vision that Empress Sidonie had shared with her. She watched as William pounded the Silver Dragon repeatedly, leaving only a strand of life in its body.

Empress Sidonie, on the other hand, observed the capabilities of William's clones with a serious expression. As a military strategist, she needed to get as much information as possible about the important people that could tilt the scales of the war in any direction.

Originally, she thought that William was strong. Her guess was that the boy she loved was in the middle stages of the Platinum Rank, which was already considered a True Prodigy, even among the empires within the Central Continent.

However, the fighting prowess that she had witnessed had surpassed her initial estimate.

"A Saint," Empress Sidonie muttered softly.

She then narrowed her eyes as she appraised every move that William made.

'This might be some kind of ability that can only be used for a short period of time. Also, I believe that Sir William has just recently gained this ability,' Sidonie thought. 'If he had this before the Demon Invasion, he wouldn't have suffered from a coma.'

Empress Sidonie was a rational individual. There were several artifacts that could boost a person's strength drastically for a short period of time. These were abilities that were only used as a Last Resort due to the extreme penalties that they had.

< Well, I believe that you are right in your hunch. >

Morgana chimed in because she could also read Sidonie's thoughts.

< But, that doesn't change the fact that the difficulty of conquering Darling will have to be raised due to this Heaven Defying ability of his. I mean, if he used that golden metallic-rod against us then the Ant Queen would have been dead by now, right? >

Empress Sidonie agreed with her other half's conjecture. Somehow, she felt slightly irritated because William's abilities seemed to perfectly counter her own.

The Half-Elf was immune to her Charm.

William also had Kasogonaga, that rainbow-colored Anteater that could send all of the Warrior Ants running away in fear.

Lastly, this new ability of his gave her a headache. It was so domineering, that she felt her heart beat wildly inside her chest. Her desire to beat the boy she loved ignited the Power of Lust that laid dormant within her body.

'One step at a time,' Empress Sidonie mused as she shifted her attention to the battle that was currently happening on the other side of the Zelan Dynasty.

'A war cannot be won by a single individual.' Empress Sidonie was well aware that no matter how strong William was, he was not invincible.

The corner of her lips curled up as she observed the intense battle that was being waged at the location of the Elven Teleportation Gate. Just like watching a movie, Empress Sidonie wanted to see whether this attack against the Elves would have a good or bad ending.

Her finger lightly tapped the armchair of her throne as millions of chirping sounds reached her ears. These were the replies of her million strong army that she could command anytime, anywhere.

They waited, ever patiently, for the time that they would make their presence known, and trample those who dared to stand in their way under their feet.

Chapter 444: Elven Reinforcement

Jekyll roared and opened its mouth wide. Right now, he was in his true form. A Chimaera that looked like a Half-Dragon and Half-Lion with green scales covering its entire body. He was a Taotie. One of the Four Evils that had made the Southern Continent his home.

The Blademasters immediately unleashed their Sword Aura to keep their footing firm on the ground. One of the Archmages cast Entangling Roots on their own forces to prevent them from being sucked up by the Taotie's vacuum that was similar to a blackhole that would devour anything.

This was not the first time they had seen Jekyll's true form, because they were also there when the Human Hero repelled the Demons, while standing on top of this very same beast.

The remaining Archmage wasn't idle either. He threw a Golden Crystal at the Teleportation Gate. There was no way that they could fight against a Beast that was as powerful as Jekyll so they decided to activate the gate prematurely to call for help.

A Giant Golden Portal appeared at the center of the gate, which signaled that it was currently active.

Jekyll unleashed a breath of black flames at the Teleportation Gate to destroy it once and for all. He saw what the Archmage did and decided to just destroy the gate first, before dealing with the Elven Defenders.

"Not on my watch!" The Archmage who casted the Entangling Roots Earlier activated the runes surrounding the teleportation gate and created a barrier.

The underground cavern shook as Jekyll's flames collided with the barrier protecting the gate.

Celine stabbed the blunt end of her Deathscythe into the ground and created a Dark Sphere to protect herself from the aftermath of Jekyll's strong attack.

"I'm Rolling!"

Kasogonaga disregarded the black flames and charged towards the barrier. It planned to destroy it, so that Jekyll's flames could annihilate the hateful Elves whom it wanted to kill so badly.

A cracking sound echoed within the cavern as several cracks formed in the defensive barrier after Kasogonaga's attack. The Rainbow-Colored Anteater pressed on with determination.

"Die!"

With a hateful shout, the barrier broke apart and Jekyll's Black Flames advanced towards the Elves whose faces had turned pale.

Suddenly, a resounding clap reverberated from within the Teleportation Gate. Several massive lightning bolts erupted from the center of the gate, negating Jekyll's black flames, and pushing back Kasogonaga at the same time.

"We meet again, you damned Taotie," an arrogant voice said. "It's time to settle our differences once and for all!"

A beautiful creature emerged from the Giant Golden Portal and landed in front of the Elves. Lightning snaked along his silver body as he glared hatefully at the Taotie in front of him.

He had a long single horn protruding from his head that glowed brightly within the Cavern. He was a creature of Myth and Legends. He was none other than a Qilin. A Half Unicorn, Half Dragon Beast that was hailed as one of the protectors of the Silvermoon Continent.

He was only five-meters tall and yet, he gave off a presence that wouldn't lose to Jekyll.

"Your Excellency, Eneru, thank you for hearing our call!" the Archmage that threw the golden crystal at the Gate bowed respectfully.

The Qilin gave the Elf a side-long glance before returning his attention to the Taotie.

"Ah, the most Hypocritical Being among the Myriad Beasts of the Silvermoon Continent has arrived," Jekyll sneered. "I regret

not eating you back then."

"That was your mistake," Eneru replied. "You will no longer have that opportunity."

"We'll see about that, you little Lightning Horse."

"Shut up, you disgusting Abomination."

Jekyll and the Eneru charged at each other, making the ground tremble.

The Qilin had covered itself with the power of lightning, turning himself into a lightning bolt. Jekyll, on the other hand, unleashed the Evil Energy within his body and turned into a dark ray of light.

Light and Dark collided causing sparks of deadly elements to rain down on the spectators around them.

Kasogonaga took this opportunity to attack the Elves. It was only pushed back by the lightning bolt earlier and received no damage from the Qilin's attack. The two Blademasters immediately repelled it because the Anteater targeted the teenage Elves who didn't have the strength to resist its attack.

"Dark Pestilence!" Celine shouted and hundreds of Blood Bats materialized in front of her. These bats shrieked in unison before descending upon the congregation of Elves that was protecting the Teleportation gate.

"Ahhh!"

"Noooo! Get away!"

"Don't come near me!"

The Young Elves tried their best to attack the Blood Bats, but they were too fast, and too agile to hit. These bats mercilessly bit their targets, drawing blood from their bodies. Immediately, those bitten by them suffered several status ailments like blindness, paralysis, lethargy, berserk, and confusion.

"Don't panic! They are just made up of Dark Energy. Use your Wind Magic to repel them!"

The two Archamages worked in unison to use a powerful gust of wind to repel the Blood Bats, but Celine had already anticipated this reaction.

She then snapped her fingers and stared at the Elves in disdain.

"Detonate!"

The hundreds of bats detonated at the same time, showering the Elves with a blood rain that was highly acidic. Screams of pain resounded within the cavern as wisps of smoke rose up from the bodies of the Elves that were hit by Celine's attacks that were filled with anger and hate.

"You traitorous bitch!" one of the Archmage roared in anger as he summoned a giant fireball to turn Celine into ashes.

Celine merely chuckled as she disappeared from where she stood. The fireball missed its target and exploded, making the inside of the cavern tremble.

Pieces of rock and soil started to rain down on the heads of the Elven Defenders as Jekyll and the Qilin wrestled with one another. That and the fact that the Elves had no choice but to fight inside the cavern made things worse.

Soon, the cavern showed signs of collapse as more rocks and dirt started falling from above.

"This was your plan all along!" Eneru finally realized that Jekyll was purposely hitting the areas around the cavern to cause a cave-in, in order to bury the Teleportation Gate as well as the Elves defending it.

Celine was helping with the same as she allowed the Elves to cast powerful spells at her, and dodging at the last minute.

When Kasogonaga also realized that this was a good plan, it began slamming itself against the cavern walls to help speed up its collapse.

"Bastards!" Eneru gave Jekyll a powerful kick, sending him several meters away from the Teleportation Gate.

He didn't dare to unleash a strong attack because it might trigger the cave's collapse. The Golden Portal of the Elves glowed once more and a two-meter Earth Golem jumped out of it.

"That was one difficult journey," the Earth Golem muttered as it glanced at Jekyll.

'Sh*t!' Jekyll cursed internally because an Ancient Earth Golem had appeared to assist the Elves.

He recognized the small Earth Golem because it was one of the Guardians of the Silvermoon Continent that he didn't want to face the most. He would rather fight a dozen Qilins than face this single Earth Golem that was known for its cheat-like ability.

Jekyll's tail lashed at the Qilin and sent him flying towards the Teleportation Gate. He then opened his mouth to suck up Celine and Kasogonaga, who were still attacking the cavern, unaware of the current peril that they were facing.

The two were immediately sucked up inside Jekyll's mouth and the latter ran away without looking back.

'What's wrong?' Celine inquired.

'Why did you stop us?' Kasogonaga chimed in to ask a question.

Jekyll's stomach was like a special domain where he could choose to store anything he swallowed. Currently, he placed Celine, and Kasogonaga in a safe place that allowed them to communicate with him.

'Drauum arrived,' Jekyll replied as he ran through the passage leading to the cavern's exit. He needed to save the members of William's Legion as well as the Freedom Fighters who accompanied them to destroy the Teleportation Gate.

Celine's face immediately went pale when she heard Jekyll's words. Among the Guardians of the Silvermoon Continent, Drauum was considered a Pseudo-Demigod. It was so strong that many grudgingly acknowledged that it was something that they wouldn't want to face in battle.

Jekyll was one of them, so the moment he saw Drauum, he immediately chose to flee rather than stay and fight against the Ancient Golem.

The Alliance had already considered the possibility of the gate being able to bring forth reinforcements from the Silvermoon Continent in its incomplete state. However, none of them expected that it would be able to summon a Myriad Beast, and a Pseudo-Demigod at the same time.

'This mission is a failure,' Celine muttered in helplessness.

Now that she was fully aware of their current situation, she felt thankful for Jekyll's quick-wittedness. Perhaps, if they had stayed inside the cavern for a minute longer, all of them would now be buried deep within the Earth, unable to free themselves from a rocky prison.

Chapter 445: Ignorant Child

"What's with all the shaking?" Wendy asked as she sat on top of Thor.

They were guarding the entrance of the cavern and their role was to stop any reinforcements coming from the outside.

Est, Isaac, Dave, Conrad, Crown Prince Alaric, Princess Aila, and Sharx–the Goblin Marauder–were also keeping watch outside the Cavern.

They had already repelled several groups of Elven reinforcements who had been notified that a small army composed of Humans and Beasts had launched a surprise attack on their Teleportation Gate.

The tremors intensified and all of them had to grab onto something to steady themselves from the constant shaking.

Suddenly, the tremors grew stronger as they heard something like a giant running at them from behind.

A Draconic Lion's head appeared behind them, but before any of the teenagers could even react, all of them were being sucked up into its wide and gaping jaw.

Jekyll had no time to explain things, so he dumped all of them in the same space where Celine and Kasogonaga were being held. As soon as he arrived at the surface, he immediately unfurled his wings and soared towards the skies.

A few seconds later, a loud shout came from the cave entrance as a giant lightning bolt flew after Jekyll.

"You're not getting away, Jekyll!" Eneru roared in anger.

Jekyll knew that he couldn't outfly his pursuer because the Qilin was among the fastest beasts in the world.

"Scram!" Jekyll roared as he slashed at the incoming lightning bolt with his claws. A powerful collision ensued in the heavens as both beasts were pushed several meters away from each other.

Suddenly, a giant boulder the size of a hill was hurled in Jekyll's direction. The timing of the attack was so precise that Jekyll was unable to evade it in time. Blood seeped out of the corner of Jekyll's lips as the hill-sized boulder collided with the side of his face.

'Dirty bastard!' Jekyll cursed internally as he allowed his body to fly away using the rock's momentum.

The sky suddenly turned dark as Eneru summoned a massive lightning storm. Jekyll was bombarded by giant lightning bolts left and right as he flew towards the West.

Like all Demonic Creatures, lightning was Jekyll's weakness. However, he was strong enough to endure them because of his superior rank. Still, being constantly bombarded by massive lightning bolts was doing a number on him. That and Drauum, who was an Ancient Earth Golem, followed him on the ground like a carriage that had been given wind sails.

Jekyll knew that the moment he landed on the ground, the Ancient Earth Golem would make his life extremely difficult, so he gritted his teeth and endured the beating as he flew West.

The Qilin had no intention of letting Jekyll escape, so he repeatedly harassed him with long range attacks. He knew that he was a level weaker than the Taotie so he just focused on hurling lightning bolts at him as he made his escape.

"Die!" Eneru shouted as the single horn on his head glowed brightly, like a small sun. He then fired a lightning bolt that was big enough to swallow the retreating Taotie.

Jekyll's scales glowed faintly as he increased his resistance against magical attacks. He knew that he needed to endure this attack no matter what, so he braced himself for the impact.

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A loud clap of thunder reverberated as a bright flash illuminated the heavens. It was so bright that Princess Eowyn, who had arrived at the Zelan Palace not long ago, saw it in the distance.

The Qilin's eyes glowed in power as he looked in the direction of the Taotie whom he had forced into a corner.

Drauum crossed its arm over its chest as it looked up into the sky. Its ancient eyes waited patiently for the light to recede to see the outcome of its' comrade's full powered strike.

Lightning snaked in the sky and thunder roared in the heavens. Soon, Jekyll's figure once again reappeared in their sights. However, he was no longer alone.

*Burp*

William wasn't able to stop himself from burping after getting hit by the overwhelming lightning attack that was unleashed by a Myriad Beast.

—–

< Gained Exp Points: 225,000 >

< Prince of Thunder Job Class has gained a level! >

< Prince of Thunder Level 25 >

—–

"Thank you for the experience points," William said as he stood on top of a cloud. He then looked at the Qilin with a devilish smile as tendrils of lightning snaked across his body. "Can you do that one more time? It's quite addicting!"

Eneru suddenly felt an overbearing presence that made his body unconsciously shudder. He looked at the red-headed boy in disbelief because he could feel his power was being suppressed by an ancient force that had existed alongside his race's creation.

It took the Qilin half a minute to realize the reason why his power was being suppressed.

"You! Are you his protege?!" Eneru asked in disbelief.

William activated his appraisal skill and looked at the beast in front of him.

—–

< Eneru >

— Qilin

— Mythical Creature

— Herald of Storms

— Threat Level: SSR

— Myriad Beast

— Can be added to the herd

— Success Rate: 00000001%

— A Mythical Creature known for its noble lineage and incredible power.

— It wields the power of lightning and can easily conjure lightning storms when provoked.

— This Spirit Beast hates Demonic Creatures and will immediately move in for the kill at the mere sight of them.

— It is also one of the few beasts that had rebelled against the God of Shepherds and defied his orders. Because of this, the God of Shepherds gave them a bloodline curse where their power would be suppressed by those whom he chose as his Disciples.

—–

"I see, so you are a rebel," William narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Draconic Unicorn in front of him.

It was at that moment when a giant boulder flew towards William's direction. The Half-Elf, casually waved Ruyi Jingu Bang and smashed the boulder to pieces.

"And you are?" William glanced at the Earth Golem on the ground and once again used his appraisal skill.

—–

< Drauum >

— Ancient Golem

— Guardian of the Silvermoon Continent

— One who survived the Era of the Gods

— Threat Level: SSR+

— Pseudo-Demigod

— Cannot be added to the herd

"Oh? A Pseudo-Demigod?" William rubbed his chin with interest. "Might as well give it a try."

William thrust the golden metallic rod in his hand towards the ground.

"Break all the walls that stand before me!"

"Ruyi Jingu Bang!"

The golden staff extended and increased its size. Its width was over fifty meters as it descended towards the ground, with the intention of crushing the golem into pieces.

"Ignorant child," Drauum said softly as it stomped its foot on the ground.

A stone pillar that had the same size as William's golden staff jutted out of the ground and met it head-on.

The two attacks collided and William was surprised because the Earth Pillar managed to block his weapon effectively and cancel the force behind it.

"It's no use, Will," Jekyll said as he flew near the boy. "As long as Drauum stands on the ground, it can borrow the power of the land to defend against any attacks. Only the attack of a Demigod would be able to break through its defenses.

William nodded. The purpose of his attack was to gauge how strong the Golem was. Also, his Heroic Avatar was nearing its limit, so he couldn't possibly engage it in battle.

William channeled the remaining power of the Monkey King in his staff as he prepared a powerful attack.

"Quick Shot War Art Fourth Form."

"Grand Bazooka!"

The tip of the golden staff, that was currently being suppressed by the Earth Pillar, emitted a burst of light.

Drauum's eyes widened as it immediately merged with the land and buried itself deep in the ground.

Not long after, a powerful explosion took place, making the surroundings tremble.

The Earth Pillar collapsed entirely as the power of William's attack made its way to the ground, creating a giant mushroom of light.

Eneru was forced to retreat due to the blazing flames that scorched the land, and reached into the sky at the same time.

He looked in disbelief at the two-mile-wide circular devastation from the sky. When he regained his senses and glanced in the direction of the boy and the Taotie, both of them were gone.

William made the attack flashy in order to fool the two powerful beings as he and Jekyll made their escape back to the boundaries of the Hellan Kingdom.

Chapter 446: What I Want Is Absolute Conquest

While the two Guardians of the Silvermoon Continent were busy pursuing Jekyll, the Elven Defenders were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. The healers tended to the wounded and those that had suffered from Celine's Dark Magic, while the rest used Earth Magic to stabilize their surroundings.

The Cavern had received serious damage and they didn't want it to collapse any time soon.

One Blademaster and One Archmage left the defenders to check on what was happening above ground, leaving the rest to defend their teleportation gate.

Five minutes later, one of the injured Elves glanced around her surroundings because her sensitive hearing had caught something.

"What's wrong?" the Elven Cleric tending her asked because he noticed that something was amiss.

"Can you hear it?" the injured Elf inquired because the sound that she heard a while ago was getting stronger. "I hear some kind of chirping sounds."

Some of the Elves who overheard their conversation quieted down and listened to their surroundings. Soon, their eyes all moved in a certain direction and that place was…

The ground under their feet suddenly shifted and a wide mandible jutted out of the ground.

Cries of alarm echoed within the cavern walls as several Warrior Ants emerged from the ground right under the Elven Defenders.

Four Giant Golden Ants of the Millennial Rank rampaged and headed towards the Teleportation Gate. Riding behind them were three Sword Saints and one Archmage.

"The Kraetor Empire!" The Elven Archmage cast a defensive spell to protect himself, but he was a second too late.

His head slid to the side as a transparent blade took his life in less than a second.

The Elven Blademaster knew that he couldn't possibly handle the attacks of three Sword Saints at once, so he immediately used the teleportation scroll in his possession.

Seeing that their only opponent had decided to flee, the Sword Saints of the Kraetor Empire ignored the young Elves and immediately attacked the Teleport Gate. The gate was instantly demolished due to their powerful attacks.

The Sword Saints didn't take any chances and used a storage ring to take all of the broken pieces for safe keeping. When all the destroyed pieces were gathered, they turned their attention to the young Elves who were currently being thrashed by the Warrior Ants that completely outnumbered them.

The Sword Saints exchanged glances with each other before nodding at the same time. They then moved in to knock as many of the young Elves unconscious as fast as they could.

It didn't even take five minutes before all the Elves had been subdued and the Warriors Ants carried them down into the tunnel that they had created beforehand.

They made a hasty retreat because they knew that the Qilin and the Earth Golem could return at any moment.

Fortunately, Jekyll had lured them far enough away from the location of the Teleport Gate that neither Guardian Beast had any idea that someone had delivered the Coup De Grace, while they were busy pursuing the Taotie.

—–

Empress Sidonie nodded in satisfaction when she saw that the operation had been a complete success. William was not the only one who was worried about the Elven Reinforcements that would come to aid their vanguards in the Southern Continent.

The Officers of the Kraetor Empire had held several meetings on how to effectively deal with the Teleportation Gates that the Elves were constructing.

Due to the Ant Queen's countless eyes

observing the Zelan Dynasty, Sidonie was able to come up with a daring plan that would catch the Elves by surprise.

She had ordered the ants to start making a tunnel that extended from the border of the Anaesha Dynasty up to the Northern Regions of the Zelan Dynasty, where their Teleportation Gate was being constructed.

She already knew how many defenders were protecting the gate, so she prepared an army that numbered in the hundreds of thousands. It was supposed to be a blitzkrieg operation that would focus more on destroying the gate, using the Ants as cannon fodders.

The Three Saints and One Archmage were there to ensure that things would proceed according to plan. Empress Sidonie knew that no matter how strong the Ants were, a Human's mind was more complex and capable of making quick decisions at a moment's notice.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty," Prince Jason said with a smile. "With this, the Elves will not be able to create a force that can threaten us."

The Prince was standing several meters away from Empress Sidonie because he was afraid that he would not be able to resist her charm, even if he was wearing a set of charm resistant artifacts.

"It is too early to celebrate," Empress Sidonie replied. "The Qilin and Ancient Golem are not pushovers. If my hunch is correct, these two Beasts will launch an attack on our own Teleportation Gate to even out the playing field."

Prince Jason smiled as he eyed the beautiful Empress. "That may be true, but I'm sure that Her Majesty had already thought of a plan to counter them, yes?"

"I alone will not be able to defeat those two powerful Beasts, especially the Ancient Golem that is close to being a Demigod," Empress Sidonie smiled. "Fortunately, the Kraetor Empire has their own Guardian Beasts that could match them in battle. If they are not here then the Elves will still be able to conquer the Southern Continent with the aid of their two powerful protectors."

Prince Jason nodded. Just like the Elves, their Empire had already made enough preparations. They were not afraid of the Ancient Golem because they, too, had their own Guardian Beast that was just as strong as Drauum.

"What do you think they will do next?" Jason inquired. "Will they continue their plan to conquer more lands after this incident?"

Empress Sidonie giggled and it made the hearts of those present in the throne room skip a beat. Prince Jason was one of them and he silently cursed himself for not being strong enough to resist her allure.

"With the current situation, the Elves are clearly at a disadvantage," Empress Sidonie said as she leaned her back on the throne. "They have two options. One is to attack us, and the other is to send an ambassador to negotiate."

Empress Sidonie smiled before continuing her explanation. "If they decide to attack us then they would just be cornering themselves. They can't afford to resist the combined attack of the Kraetor Empire, as well as the forces of the Hellan Kingdom. I'm sure they will do their best to negotiate a compromise, even if they had to pay us a heavy compensation."

Prince Jason crossed his arms over his chest because he agreed with Sidonie's reasoning. An Elven attack would lead to the Elves' downfall, so they wouldn't choose that option no matter what. His only concern was due to the fact that the beautiful Empress seemed to have no wish to unite the Southern Lands under her banner.

"Your Majesty, can you please tell me what you plan to do?"

"Me? I want to play it Big."

"What do you mean, Your Majesty?" Jason inquired.

Empress Sidonie rested the side of her face on her palm as she eyed the handsome Prince from the Kraetor Empire.

"One month," Empress Sidonie said softly. "If the Elves don't initiate talks with us after one month… we will move in to invade them."

Prince Jason frowned. Their own Teleport Gate would be completed in two weeks and once that happened, the mighty army of the Kraetor Empire would step foot on foreign lands.

If Empress Sidonie willed it, this army would march forth and conquer the entire Southern Continent unimpeded.

Since that was not the case, Prince Jason couldn't find a reason as to why they should sit down and listen to the compromise of the Elves.

If he had the final say, he would immediately declare war and launch an all out attack on the capital of the Zelan Dynasty, before dealing with the Hellan Kingdom, who was currently the weakest faction among the three.

"Your Majesty, what is your goal?" Prince Jason inquired. He no longer asked what Sidonie's plan was, but her goal instead.

< Hehe. You can ask as much as you want, but you're not getting an answer oh~ >

Morgana teased the handsome prince from within Empress Sidonie's Sea of Consciousness. She knew that Prince Jason would definitely lose his marbles if he discovered what her other half wanted the most.

Empress Sidonie chuckled internally as she met Prince Jason's inquiring gaze.

"I will only say it once, so you'd better listen carefully," Empress Sidonie said in a firm manner. "What I want is Absolute Conquest. A move to conquer everything, including the body, heart, and soul. Nothing more, nothing less."

Morgana laughed because she had already anticipated this answer from Sidonie. She even praised her other half for her ingenuity in the choice of her words.

Prince Jason sighed in his heart because if what Sidonie wanted was Absolute Conquest then it matched the Kraetor Empire's interest. If he only knew that what the beautiful Empress wanted to conquer were not the lands of the Southern Continent, but the heart of a narcissistic Half-Elf then the handsome Prince would definitely do everything in his power to erase William from the face of the Earth.

Chapter 447: Look At The Bright Side

"I never thought that your true form would be this awesome," William said as he sat on top of the Taotie that was flying towards the borders of the Hellan Kingdom.

Jekyll increased his speed because he wasn't sure if the Qilin and Ancient Earth Golem would still pursue them after William's destructive attack.

"And I never thought that you'd have this kind of trump card hidden in your sleeve," Jekyll replied. "I'm guessing that you can't use this ability as you please, right? There has to be some kind of restriction."

Jekyll was quite thankful that William appeared when he did. He wasn't sure that he would have been able to escape from the Qilin and the Ancient Golem's combination attack if Wiliam hadn't come to his rescue.

"By the way, how were you able to arrive at my location that quickly?" Shouldn't you be in the far South?"

"If I told you that I could travel at the speed of lightning, would you believe me?"

"I have no choice but to believe you at this point. But, how were you able to pinpoint my exact location?" Jekyll inquired.

William scratched his cheeks because he actually didn't know that Jekyll was in danger. He just felt that there was a powerful lightning storm somewhere in the Zelan Dynasty and he immediately went there to bathe in lightning bolts to increase his rank.

There are many ways to level up the different Job Classes. For example, his Sun Knight required him to bathe in the sunlight to increase its level. Even if William killed a million monsters, the Sun Knight Job Class wouldn't gain any experience points from it.

The Prince of Thunder gained experience points from killing monsters. However, the most efficient way to raise its rank was to absorb the power of a lightning storm.

Although William could travel at the speed of lightning, he could only do this twice a day. It was one of the cheat-like abilities that was available in his Prince of Thunder Job Class.

"I felt a very powerful lightning storm coming from the North, so I decided to investigate," William replied after careful consideration. "Since the weather of the Southern Continent is fixed to this gloomy, and cloudy state, such sudden changes meant that something abnormal was happening."

Jekyll nodded his head. Although WIlliam's explanation had holes in it, he decided not to pry because everyone was entitled to their own secrets.

"Did you manage to destroy the Teleportation Gate?" William asked.

Jekyll sighed. "No. If it was only that stuck-up Eneru then I could have dealt with him, but that Ancient Golem, Drauum, was a heavyweight that I couldn't handle in such a closed off space."

William also sighed internally because

their main objective wasn't met. They purposely allowed themselves to be seen when they entered the borders of the Zelan Dynasty. They headed South to trick the Elves into thinking that they were heading to the Sanctuary of the Minotaur Race.

Halfway in their journey, William and Erchitu continued South while Jekyll, and the others headed North, using the hidden teleportation gates that only the members of the Royal Family of the Zelan Dynasty were aware of.

Crown Prince Alaric had led the Alliance towards the Northern Regions with stealth, so they wouldn't alert any of the Elves that were scattered to the several outposts in the Zelan Dynasty. Their plan had been flawless, but unfortunately, some unforeseen events transpired.

William was about to say something else when he received a message from Ezio through their special means of communication.

The Half-Elf had a complicated look on his face as he shared this piece of news with Jekyll.

"The Teleportation Gate has been destroyed," William said. "The Ant Warriors and several Saints from the Kraetor Empire dug a tunnel underground and attacked when the two Guardian Beasts were busy pursuing you."

"Oh?" Jekyll couldn't hide the surprise in its tone after hearing William's report. A few moments later, he chuckled wryly because he realized that they had unknowingly played the role of bait and cannon fodder that led to the Kraetor Army's Coup de Grace.

"This leaves a bad aftertaste."

"Look at the bright side. At least, we no longer have to worry about the Teleportation Gate."

Jekyll grunted when he heard William's optimistic reply. The Taotie had no choice but to agree that although their mission was a failure, their main objective had been achieved at the same time.

"So, what happened to your mission?" Jekyll inquired. "Did you manage to eliminate any of their high-ranking officers?"

William shook his head. "Just some small fries. The big fish got away, but I managed to kill more than a thousand Elves."

In truth, William would have liked to kill all the Elves that had accompanied Elandorr to the domain of the Minotaurs, but Skyla stopped him from wiping them out completely.

Skyla was still his mother's Beast Companion, so she couldn't stand by and watch William massacre all the Elves in front of her. Because of this, William compromised and spared those that had surrendered to him.

He knocked all of them unconscious and tossed them at the newly bought Prison from the Godshop that he had placed on the Thirty Sixth Floor of the Goblin Crypt.

William had closed off the entire floor, so even if the Elves escaped, they wouldn't be able to leave without his permission.

Surprisingly, he found one Human boy amongst them and placed him in a separate cell. He had no time to interrogate the boy earlier because he had felt the disturbance in the weather that was happening in the North of the Zelan Dynasty.

William had already used his Appraisal Skill on the boy and learned his name. He knew who he was because Prince Alaric and Paul had told him the name of the Top Prodigy of their Dynasty.

The Half-Elf had also discovered the slave collar on the teenager's neck. Because of this, he decided not to take any chances and imprisoned him for the time being.

'I'll just wait until we have crossed the borders of the Hellan Kingdom,' William thought.

The red-headed boy suddenly remembered the beautiful Princess of the Kingdom of Freesia. They had not communicated with each other ever since she left the Kyrintor Mountains. William didn't know if their alliance still stood because they seemed to have parted on bad terms with each other.

Even so, he was quite thankful that the Princess, who had asked him for his babies, had made her move during the critical moment. If not for her, the threat of the Elves would still remain like a sharp blade hanging over all of their necks that could fall off at any given moment.

'I will thank her personally later,' William thought. 'For now, I still need to deal with the aftermath of this operation.'

Jekyll had already told William that their side had suffered several casualties during the clash with the Elves. William was also thankful that Jekyll had acted the way he did in order to save everyone's lives.

If not for Jekyll's decisive action, William might have lost more than some of the members of his Legion. He could have lost people that held great importance in his life.

Chapter 448: Dealing With The Aftermath

Elandorr slammed his fist on the table inside his personal office after hearing the report of his subordinates that were stationed in the Northern Regions.

"Filthy Humans!" Elandorr roared in anger.

The messenger that had delivered the letter trembled in fright because this was the first time he had seen their Commander act in this manner.

Of course, the messenger understood that Elandorr's reaction was quite normal because their Teleportation Gate had been destroyed and the Cavern had completely collapsed. He thought that their Commander was only acting like this because he grieved the loss of their Archamge and thousands of young Elven Elites.

What the messenger didn't know was that Elandorr was still seething from his shameful defeat in the Southern Regions and was currently venting out his frustration and irritation. Still, as the Commander of the Elves, Elandorr reigned in his emotions as he took deep breaths to calm himself.

"Commander, Lord Eneru and Lord Drauum are still in the Northern Regions," the messenger reported. "They are asking you to report to them before the sun sets. They have important matters to discuss."

Elandorr nodded his head in acknowledgement. He might be the Commander of the Elves on this expedition, but he was nothing compared to the two Guardian Beasts that protected the Silvermoon Continent.

"I'll be there shortly," Elandorr replied. "There are still some minor things that I need to attend to. Please, send Lord Eneru and Lord Drauum my regards."

"Yes, Commander."

The messenger bowed respectfully before leaving the room. Elandorr watched him go with a cold expression on his face. He was still feeling bitter about the humiliation that he had suffered at William's hands.

What was worse was that Princess Eowyn and the Prodigies that had accompanied him to the Sanctuary of the Minotaur Race had witnessed it all.

The prideful Elven Commander clenched his fists as his nails dug into his palms. It took him half an hour to fully regain his composure before he left the Royal Palace to meet with the two Guardian Beasts who were waiting for his arrival.

—–

The Ant Army traveled tirelessly until they reached their destination. One by one, they opened the wings behind their backs and took off to the sky. Half of the Ant Army, headed straight towards the Anaesha Dynasty, while the others remained behind to act as bait for anyone who might try to follow the tracks they had left behind.

Although they had triggered the collapse of the underground Cavern, and the tunnels they had dug many days ago, they were still dealing with two powerful beings.

Empress Sidonie had communicated with the Archmage that had accompanied the Ant Army in their operation, and told him about the escape route that she had devised after careful consideration.

The flying ants, that were carrying the unconscious Elves, traveled as quickly as they could while the remaining ants dug several tunnels headed in different directions. Their plan was to hoodwink the Ancient

Golem and Qilin so they could not find their flying army.

Even if the Ancient Golem was strong, it couldn't possibly find the right tunnel that would lead it to the bulk of the Ant Army that were carrying the Elves that they had captured.

Fortunately, it took Eneru and Drauum an hour to return to the location of the Teleportation Gate. At that same time, the Ant Army had already taken to the skies. They flew along the route that Empress Sidonie had carefully selected to prevent any pursuers from finding their tracks.

The two Guardian Beasts were unscathed from William's destructive attack. The reason why they were delayed in their return was due to the fact that they debated whether they should pursue Jekyll and the red-headed boy or return to the location of the Teleportation Gate.

In the end, Eneru and Drauum half-heartedly tried to search for Jekyll and William's whereabouts before returning to the Northern Regions.

When they arrived, the cavern had already collapsed. Drauum immediately used its power to lift the debris from the Teleportation Gate. Hundreds of Elven Corpses, Goblins, Beasts, and corpses of several teenage Humans were unearthed from the collapsed cavern.

Drauum unceremoniously tossed them aside as it looked at where the Teleportation Gate was, but found nothing.

It was then when it discovered the presence of several tunnels under the Earth and immediately went to investigate. There, it encountered several Ants, and killed them without mercy.

After several hours of following several dead ends, the Ancient Golem decided that there was no use in continuing its investigation. The Teleportation Gate had been destroyed and there was nothing it could do about it.

The only thing that it had discovered were the Ants and it was planning to ask the Commander of the Elves, Elandorr, if he knew anything about them. That way, they would be able to find out who the culprit was and punish them for their transgression.

—–

While all of this was taking place, Conner was inside his office inside the Royal Palace of the Hellan Kingdom, and waiting for the report of Floyd whom he had tasked to go talk to Celine.

He was hoping that Celine would be able to convince William to work with him temporarily until the threat of the Elves had been dealt with.

Several days had already passed, but no news returned to him. At first, he thought that Floyd had succeeded in his mission and was just working with Celine to find William. However, after waiting for many days, he still hadn't received any report from the Sorcerer who was in charge of creating the super soldiers for their organization.

"Calum, has Floyd reported anything to you?" Conner asked his right hand man, who was currently stationed in their Main Headquarters. Calum was busy coordinating with everyone who was continuing the search for the whereabouts of the Undying Lands and filing the reports that they had made.

"Floyd? I haven't heard from him since two weeks ago," Calum replied. "Did he not report the result of his mission to you, Sir?"

"No. Do you know where he is right now? He is not answering his communication crystal."

"Please give me a moment while I contact his subordinates in his laboratory."

Conner nodded and cut his connection with Calum. After waiting for a few minutes, the crystal on his ring glowed brightly. He once again opened the connection and saw that Calum was frowning.

"What's wrong?" Conner asked.

"Sir, Floyd is back in his laboratory," Calum reported. "However, he asked his subordinate to tell you that he is currently busy and must not be disturbed at all cost. He added that the Super Soldiers are nearing completion and this was a very crucial moment. Only members of his inner staff were allowed to enter the inner level of his underground laboratory."

Conner frowned after hearing Calum's report. "Did he mention anything about the negotiation he had with Celine?"

Calum shook his head. "Sir. Should I go there to personally ask him some questions?"

"No." Conner sighed. "I'm guessing that his talks with Celine didn't turn out well, so he's locked himself in his laboratory and refused to give us an explanation."

Conner was starting to regret that he gave the important task to the eccentric scholar that idolized Celine. He thought that since Floyd wanted to meet Celine so badly, he would be the perfect messenger to meet with the Dark Sorceress and discuss his proposal.

'I just hope he didn't do anything stupid,' Conner sighed internally. "Continue to monitor our agents that are looking for the Undying Lands. I will be leaving to meet with Celine shortly. Report to me if anything important arises. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Sir," Calum bowed respectfully.

Conner then cut the connection as he made preparations to go to Lont. For some reason, he started to feel anxious. He hoped that Floyd didn't annoy Celine too much that the latter would refuse to meet with him.

Chapter 449: Preparation For A Nasty Surprise

"Arslan, I'm glad that you are still alive!" Paul wasn't able to stop himself from giving Arslan a bear hug after seeing him.

"I won't live for much longer if you continue to crush my lungs," Arslan wheezed as he tapped Paul's back to tell the emotional knight to back away.

Prince Alaric watched this exchange with a smile. He was quite thankful seeing that the strongest Prodigy of the Zelan Dynasty was safe. However, the slave collar hanging on Arslan's neck dampened the mood of the reunion.

William had interrogated Arslan earlier before releasing him from the prison. Naturally, he made up a story that he possessed a legendary artifact that could store people inside it. Everyone looked at him in doubt, except the people that were in the know.

In order to reinforce his lie, William decided to drag Jekyll along and tell them that the artifact was given to him by the Dentist of Lont, who was also a Taotie.

After experiencing Jekyll's abilities, everyone half-believed William's explanation and decided to drop the topic about his artifact prison.

"William, Is there a way to remove this slave collar?" Prince Alaric asked. He hoped that his distant cousin would be able to find a way to free Arslan from his enslavement.

"There is a way, but I think it is better to let that collar stay on his neck for a little while longer," William replied as he pointed at his own slave collar. "A slave collar makes people drop their guard because they are not afraid that a slave might revolt. If we use this fact to our advantage…"

The Crown Prince was a smart person and he was able to catch on to what William was hinting at.

"Make him a double agent?" Prince Alaric inquired.

"Yes." William nodded. "Of course, if he doesn't want to then I can remove the slave collar on his neck. However, it will take some time to do so."

Arslan who was listening to their conversation looked at William in disbelief. He never thought that there was someone that was capable of removing a slave collar from another person. When Arslan saw the slave collar hanging on William's neck, he believed that the latter was telling the truth.

His impression of William also became better because in his mind, both of them were slaves and shared the same hardship.

Actually, William had discovered a few things about the Collar of Wisteria after having a heart to heart talk with his Master, Celine.

One of the hidden functions of the slave collar was to give its previous wearer the immunity to enslavement magic.

The second interesting function of the collar was that it could actually dispel the enslavement magic of other slave collars.

Now he finally understood why Celine and Celeste were forced to wear their slave collars when they were young. This was to prevent the two of them from being enslaved by anyone. Now that William had worn the collar for

several years, even if he took it off, no other forms of enslavement magic would work on him.

According to Celine, the Collar of Wisteria had nine special functions.

— Unlock the hidden power of light or darkness within a person.

— Prevent anyone who wears it from being affected by enslavement magic.

— Grants the ability to dispel the enslavement magic of other slave collars or any other similar tools and artifacts.

— Grants the last wearer of the collar the ability to pass the collar to others, making them their slave.

— Allows the user to enter certain places in the Silvermoon Continent that belonged to the Wisteria Clan.

Celine had only told him five of the nine functions of the collar because the remaining four were something she couldn't share with anyone even if she wanted to.

Her grandfather had given her an absolute order, while she was still wearing the collar, that she mustn't divulge the four remaining functions of the Collar of Wisteria to anyone.

William lied when he said that he needed some time to prepare the method of dispelling Arslan's slave collar because he thought that the young warrior would play a more important role if he became a mole within the Elven Forces.

Naturally, Arslan also understood the consequences of William's plan. On one hand, he was prone to suffer abuse and torture from the Elves if he returned to the capital of the Zelan Dynasty.

On the other hand, he would be able to receive and pass important information to the Alliance because he served as a personal guard of Princess Eowyn.

What Arslan didn't know was that William was testing his resolve. If he agreed to remain as a slave then he would tweak the Slave Collar to allow Arslan a little bit of freedom. He could choose to ignore certain orders and even act independently.

Simply put, Arslan was like a hidden blade that could stab the heart of the Elven Chain of Command when they least expected it. Although this role held untold danger, it could also tilt the balance of the war during crucial moments.

Arslan stared long and hard at William for several minutes before nodding his head. He had finally made his decision and his answer made everyone look at him with admiration and respect.

"I will ask you one last time." William patted the shoulder of the teenage boy who was older than him by a few years. "Is this your final answer?"

Arslan nodded his head firmly. "Yes. I will return to Briar Glen and become the rat that will bring the Elven Race to their knees. But, I have one condition."

"Speak," William replied. "If it is within my ability then I will grant it."

Arslan stared straight into William's eyes before saying his demand.

"Let me kill the Elven Princess."

William frowned and firmly shook his head.

"You can't," William replied. "Princess Eowyn is my Moth- the Saintess' Disciple and one of the precious Princesses of the Elven Race. If you kill her then the Elves would make a blood oath to exterminate not only you, but all the citizens of the Zelan Dynasty. Believe me when I say that they are capable of doing this."

William told Arslan about the appearance of the two Guardian Beasts of the Silvermoon Continent.

Drauum alone was more than enough to raze the Zelan Capital to the ground. The wrath of a Pseudo-Demigod was something that couldn't be brushed off easily.

Arslan narrowed his gaze as he digested William's words. As much as he wanted to give the Elves a devastating blow, he couldn't involve the innocent survivors of their Dynasty. He didn't want to become the sinner that played a role in having their Dynasty wiped off of the face of the Southern Continent.

"Then allow me to kill…," Arslan stated. "I will not compromise again."

"Deal." William agreed to Arslan's condition.

He didn't care about the life of the other Elves, but he cared about the life of the Elven Princess.

William's mother, Lady Arwen, only had two Disciples. The red-headed boy didn't want his mother to be broken-hearted at the loss of one of her Disciples.

Celine had already informed him that not all the Elves had agreed to the invasion of the Human lands. The beautiful Elf may hate her race, but she didn't want to lie to her Disciple. After all, William's mother was the Saintess of the World Tree.

"Come with me," William said with a mischievous smile plastered on his face. "We need to discuss a few things before you return to Briar Glen."

William had already felt Arslan's resolve, so there was no need to hold back. He intended to have Arslan give the Elves a nasty surprise that would make them regret enslaving the battle-hardened prodigy of the Zelan Dynasty.

Chapter 450: A Temporary Truce

"Is this really fine?" Prince Alaric asked as he looked at the Lamassu that would take Arslan near the border of the Zelan Dynasty.

"No," William replied as he stood with his arms crossed over his chest. "But, having him behind enemy lines is better than having him fight by our side. The damage he can cause using his ability, when used at the right moment, could tilt the balance of the war in our favor."

Prince Alaric sighed as he reluctantly nodded his head. They were currently at the Fortress where James had taken command before he turned into a crystal statue.

The two Guardians of the Silvermoon Continent didn't pursue them, which made Jekyll and William breathe a sigh of relief in their hearts. There was no way that both of them could fight against the two guardians, especially since William's Heroic Avatar was no longer available.

"What do we do now?" Prince Alaric looked at William with a serious expression. "Do we even have any chances of winning?"

"We have no chance of winning against the Elves with our current forces," William replied. "Those two Guardians alone would make it very difficult. One of them is a Myriad Beast, the other a Pseudo Demigod.

"We can count ourselves lucky that their teleportation gate was destroyed. However, they will build one again, and this time, they will ensure its completion. The most we did was buy ourselves a month or two. If we can't find anything to match the power of those two Guardian Beasts then winning is just a dream outside our reach."

The two leaders of the young generation stood in silence as they stared in the direction of the Zelan Dynasty. They had done their best, but even their best wasn't enough in the face of absolute strength.

While the two boys were pondering on their next move, Celine walked towards William and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Will, we need to talk," Celine said.

"Understood, Master." William nodded. "Let's talk more after we've returned to Lont, Prince Alaric. Please, tell everyone that we leave in two hours."

Prince Alaric nodded in acknowledgement. He gave Celine a glance before turning around to leave.

Celine waved her hand and a small dome of Dark Magic shielded William and her from the outside world. What they were going to talk about was highly confidential and she didn't want others to overhear their conversation.

"Will, I am a member of Deus," Celine said as she looked at William with a serious expression.

William nodded. "I know, Master."

"You do?" Celine raised an eyebrow. "Did you tell him, Oliver?"

A black mist came out of William's shadow and materialized into a Parrot Monkey. Oliver looked at his Mistress and nodded his head.

"I apologize for stepping beyond my bounds, Mistress," Oliver said. "I have no excuse for what I did."

Celine stared at her loyal retainer before shifting her gaze back to her one and only Disciple.

"What are your thoughts about it?" Celine asked, her eyes never left William's as if she was trying to see his true emotions in the depths of his clear, green eyes.

"It was a shocking revelation,"

William replied without batting an eye. "But, I am sure that Master has a good reason for doing what you did."

William paused before asking the question that had been nagging in his mind. Although Oliver had already said it, he wanted his Master to say it using her own words.

"Master, did you take part in the creation of the Continental Spell?"

"No."

"Understood."

William felt that a burden had been dislodged from his shoulder. Now that he confirmed that Celine really had no part in the creation of the spell that turned his family into crystal statues, he was able to put his mind at ease.

"The reason why I wanted to talk to you is not only because I wanted to tell you that I am a member of Deus, but to tell you something that might aid us in this battle with the Elves. Oliver has already told you that some members of The Organization attacked Lont in order to capture Matthew and Eve to be used against the two of us, right?"

William nodded.

"I know the character of the Branch Leader of Deus here in the Southern Continent," Celine stated. "He is not someone who would do something stupid like antagonize me and make me his enemy. Conner is too smart for that. I believe that what happened was an arbitrary action of that person named Floyd."

"Floyd?" William asked. "What role does he play in the organization?"

Celine smiled. She had a feeling that William would pay Floyd a visit and beat the crap out of him for trying to take his family members hostage. However, she knew that this would not be a good idea if she looked at their current circumstances.

"After we interrogated his men, we found out that he is a Scholar who is currently working on the project that I had done research on in the past," Celine explained. "The Super Soldier Project. This was an experiment where people are subjected into a specially controlled environment, where they would be exposed to artificial Miasma.

"This would corrupt and transform their bodies to surpass its limits, turning them into mutant creatures that are very hard to kill." Celine crossed her arms over her chest. "Floyd took over my research papers and put them into action. Based on the letter that he had sent me, His experimental subjects are now in the final phase of their mutation."

When William heard the words Super Soldier Project and Artificial Miasma, his expression became grim. Now that the final pieces of the puzzle had fallen in place, he knew the identity of the person whom the Trollhounds wanted to kill the most.

However, what worried William was that according to Celine's choice of words, Floyd had managed to solve the flaws of Celine's research. That could only mean one thing…

'Mass Production of Super Soldiers that have powerful bodies and a regeneration that is on the same level as the Titanic Green-Scaled Trollhound.' William shuddered at the mere thought of going against these killing machines.

The Trollhounds in his herd were extremely tenacious and powerful. Not only that, they were very hard to kill. Only an acid that was strong enough to melt Adamantium could kill them completely. Simply put, they are nearly immortal creatures in the battlefield. Their only downside was that their hunger levels were higher compared to ordinary beasts.

Fortunately, William had the Goblin Crypt before, and now, he had the Dungeon of Atlantis. The Trollhounds could eat their fill with Syokois, and Nagas, who could be hunted on the floors that they had cleared.

"Yes," Celine replied. "Right now, The Organization has an army that can rampage on the battlefield without fearing for their lives. They are the perfect vanguards against their enemies. So, if we make The Organization your enemy at this point in time, it would only lead to mutual destruction."

William already understood what Celine was hinting at. Although he didn't want to admit it, this was not the time to have a head-on confrontation with Deus. He already had a headache with the current lineup of the Elven Army. Facing both of them at the same time would be suicidal.

"A temporary truce?" William asked.

Celine nodded. "I believe that this is the best course of action for now. If you like, I can send Oliver to Conner right now, so he can inquire why Conner wanted to talk to you. Depending on his answer, we can plan whether we will cooperate with them or not."

William pondered for a bit before nodding his head. A temporary truce was fine. He needed to choose the lesser evil between Deus and the Elves, and right now, the threat of the Elves was higher compared to Conner's Organization.

"Very well, Master," William said. "Let's meet this Conner first."

William already knew who Conner was because a little Wren had followed him to the Hidden Valley where the Undying Lands had been located. Even so, what he knew about the Leader of Deus was only second hand information.

Only by meeting him face to face would William be able to discern Conner's character and whether he was a person he could cooperate with. At least, until the threat of the Foreign Invaders was no longer an issue.

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