Collection 1 Chapter 69 751-760

Chapter 751: Bringing An End To The Rule Of Light

"Sir William, about the assessment test, can I also join your team?" Princess Aila asked in a hopeful tone.

Although she already knew the names of her classmates by heart, she wasn't that close to them. Some of them had also invited the angelic looking princess after they had found out that she was a Life Magician.

Healers were highly sought out in any mission, or Dungeon Expedition, because their ability to support a party during dire situations was priceless.

"About this, my party members are already complete," William replied with an awkward expression on his face.

It was not because he had forgotten about Princess Aila. in fact, the thought of inviting her to his party crossed his mind. However, with the member restriction, he only had enough slots for Zhu, Sha, and his wives.

"… Is that so?" Princess Aila lowered her head. Although she had already expected that William would reject him, she still felt at a loss when the rejection finally came.

"Don't worry, I already thought of this issue," William said as he glanced at Conan who was sitting by the window, and looking at the clouds in the sky.

"Conan, come. I need a favor."

"Oh! You need the help of this amazing Conan. You made the right choice, Will."

The Devil Familiar happily flew towards William and landed on his shoulder. He had been feeling relaxed as of late because Claire was always busy and had no time to look for him.

With his newfound freedom, he would often accompany Princess Aila to explore more of the Academy after their classes ended in the afternoon. The princess and the little Devil shared similar traits. In a way, both of them were pure of heart, so it was very easy for the two of them to get along with each other.

"You see, Aila needs someone to accompany her on a mission," William said. "She needs someone strong and dependable to ensure her safety. With that said, I can't think of anyone more suited to the job than you. Will you accept this mission?"

"Kekeke. This is a piece of cake," Conan patted his chest. "Don't worry, Aila. As long as I'm around, no harm will come to you."

A very sweet smile appeared on Princess Aila's face as she looked at Conan. The smile was so dazzling that the boys in the class started to curse William and Conan in their hearts.

Damn, we couldn't even win against a Familiar?!

Why is life unfair?!

Everyone gave the little Devil a hateful glare, but the latter only tilted his head in confusion. Conan didn't know that he had become "Public Enemy Number Two", in the hearts of the

boys of Class C.

"Kenneth, do you and Eowyn have any plans for the upcoming Assessment Test?" William inquired. "Aila is a healer. She will be an indispensable member in your team."

Kenneth nodded his head in understanding. "Prin– I mean, Lady Eowyn, we still have a few slots in our party. Can we add Aila to our team?"

Princess Eowyn glanced at William's direction and nodded her head. In fact, she had already invited Princess Aila a day ago, but the latter politely said that she would think about it first.

Now that the Half-Elf had rejected Princess Aila, the Elven Princess would definitely not allow a dedicated healer to slip out of her grasp.

"I would love to have Aila in our team," Princess Eowyn said with a smile. "Lilith, if you still haven't joined any parties. Feel free to join us as well."

The Amazon Princess had been lowkey as of late. She would often wander around the Academy as if looking for someone or something.

William even jokingly teased her one time that Lilith might be looking for precious items in the Academy to steal.

Lilith's reply was just a mischievous smile, but that smile was enough to tell William that his guess was spot on!

The Amazon Princess was indeed strolling around the Academy in search of priceless treasures to grab, without anyone noticing.

"Sounds like a plan," Lilith replied. "I'm in."

"Great!" Princess Eowyn clapped her hands together.

Kenneth, Pearl, and Lilith were strong fighters. Princess Eowyn knew support and offensive magic, so her role was quite flexible.

Princess Aila on the other hand was a pure healer, and Conan was a defensive player. With such a balanced party, they could easily clear any dungeon that had less than sixty floors without any problems.

—–

Somewhere in the Central Continent…

The Supreme Pontifex of The Organization, Deus, held a scroll in her hand.

This scroll held the complete prophecy of the Prince of Darkness. It had been written personally by the Patriarch of the Rayleigh Family after he had received the vision.

With the help of the now deceased Alessio, who was once the Branch Leader of Deus in the Silvermoon Continent, the original copy of the Prophecy landed in the Supreme Pontifex's hands.

Just like the Elves, she had also sent several of her subordinates to monitor potential candidates that had the possibility of becoming the prophesied Prince.

She also shared the same opinion as the Elders of the Elves about William being the most likely candidate.

"Born from the union of the Saintess of the World Tree and the Dungeon Conqueror," the Supreme Pontifex said as she caressed the scroll in her hand. "Personally taken as a disciple by Celine, and taught Dark Magic at an early age. Now, he resides inside Hestia Academy and has a close relationship with Celeste.

"Anyone would think that he is indeed the Princes in the Prophecy, but is he truly the chosen one? The Prince that will trample on the Silvermoon Continent, and bring an end to the rule of the Light?"

The Supreme Pontifex sat on her black throne, and took out an Obsidian Crystal Ball from her storage ring.

The images of the candidates appeared one by one within its depths.

Three of them were from the Demonic Continent.

Another one was the youngest prodigy of an Ancient Elven Clan that had been exiled from the Silvermoon Continent.

There was also a Prince that hailed from the Gunnar Federation.

More images of young men in their late teens appeared. The majority of them came from influential families, while others were mere commoners, who had some fortuitous encounters early in their life.

All of them had the possibility of being the Dark Prince.

Soon, William's face appeared on the Obsidian Crystal Ball as well.

"I've waited over a hundred years already," the Supreme Pontifex said as she gazed at the crystal ball in her hand. "Waiting a year or two more is not a problem."

The Supreme Pontifex giggled as she thought about the future that she had been waiting for for many years.

"For hundreds of years, we have been cursed never to walk on the surface during the day," the Supreme Pontifex said in a tone filled with hate. "But, that too, will soon come to pass…"

The Supreme Pontifex sighed as she caressed her Obsidian Crystal Ball as if it was the face of her lover.

"That's why, our Beloved Prince, please, wake up soon.. Your faithful, and loyal subjects are dying to feed you with a silver spoon."

Chapter 752: Spirited Away [Part 1]

"Here you go, Conan. Say ahh…," Princess Aila handfed a cookie to the familiar who was currently sitting on her shoulder.

Conan and her had become good friends ever since William had asked the familiar to guide the Princess around the academy.

After experiencing the war in the Southern Continent, Princess Aila had lost her innocence. Nor was she the only one the War forced this loss upon. They had to learn quickly that they either had to kill or be killed by others.

Owen had not only taught her the arts of being a Life Mage, he also taught her how to defend herself during combat. The Princess had become a Battle Mage under Owen's teaching, but this was something very few people knew.

Princess Aila's innocent appearance would make anyone think that she was no more than a harmless girl, but if force came to shove, she would be just like Owen. A Life Mage who would not blink her eyes when needing to kill people, using the secret arts passed directly to her, by the Grand Life Archon.

"A-Aila, I can feed myself," Conan stuttered. "Someone as great as me doesn't need to be hand fed. My hands are not for decoration."

Princess Aila smiled as she handed the cookie to the Familiar who insisted on eating by himself.

"I know that you're great, Conan," Princess Aila replied. "This is why I am assured that we will complete this mission."

"Right! As long as I am around, this mission is a walk in the park. Don't worry. I will carry you."

"Thank you in advance, Conan."

Princess Eowyn looked at this scene while sipping her tea. Right now, they were inside a flying carriage that they had rented from the academy. They were on an expedition to solve mysterious disappearances that were happening in a small town, located a day's ride away from the academy using a flying carriage.

Hestia Academy is not just an ordinary academy. One could think of it as a Mercenary Organization that sent people to solve various problems plaguing the entirety of the Central Continent.

Lilith lay on the couch as she lazily bit into a cookie. She was also observing William's Familiar because she was curious about what the little Devil could do.

As someone who was a good judge of character, Lilith knew that Conan wasn't like his twin brother, Elliot, whom she couldn't' read no matter how hard she tried. T

The Angelic Familiar even gave her a dangerous feeling everytime their gazes met. It was as if Elliot could see through her schemes, and this made her feel uncomfortable.

'Compared to him, Conan is like a gullible child,' Lilith thought.

Kenneth, who

was seated beside Princess Eowyn sighed internally. Since his main task was to watch over his Junior sister, on behalf of the Elven King, and his Master, he wasn't able to accompany William in his dungeon expedition.

In the end, he decided to study the information they had about the mission in order to pass the time.

'Something is very fishy about this mission,' Kenneth thought as he read the documents. 'Regardless whether it is night or day, someone from the village disappears every three days. There is no pattern in the disappearances.

'It doesn't matter if it is young or old, men or women. One will disappear without fail after three days, but whenever someone investigates the matter, the disappearances are delayed two days. Very strange.'

They were not the only ones that had chosen this mission from the academy. Aside from them, there were ten other teams that were currently headed to the town of Willowdale.

The rewards for this mission were quite high, which included Ten Thousand Merit Points for each team member, and a thousand gold coins.

The town was not that big, and the villagers were not that well-off so the compensation money was not much. In order to entice the students to take on this mission, the academy decided to increase the merit points as well.

"Still, I don't think this mission is going to be easy," Conan said after eating his cookie. "The Academy has also dispatched professors to deal with the disappearances, but all of them came back empty handed. The only good news is that of those who went there to investigate disappeared."

Princess Aila who was about to give Conan another cookie also found this strange. "I think that whoever is responsible for the disappearances didn't want to provoke the Academy. They probably know that once a student or a professor disappears, the Academy will send enough manpower to flip the entire town upside down."

Princess Eowyn nodded her head in agreement. "The Academy is taking this mission seriously. They already dispatched two professors to accompany the students. It seems that they want to solve this mystery once and for all."

Lilith only smiled as she listened to the conversation. As someone that was the embodiment of greed, stealing things was her specialty. This also included kidnapping people.

Under Andraste's command, she would travel alongside Elite Amazon Warriors in order to kidnap talented young men to be brought back to their Empire in order for them to spend a few days with her sister.

Naturally, after a few days, the young men would be safely returned to their homes, loaded with gold coins, and other treasures, given to them by the women whom they had embraced in the Amazon Empire.

For Lilith, this was a walk in the park. As long as she activated her Divinity, she would be able to catch the culprit without fail!

A few hours later, the flying carriages finally arrived at their destination.

The Town Mayor had already prepared accommodations for all of them. Although they weren't comparable to the comforts that they were used to in the Academy, the rooms given to them were clean and comfortable enough to stay in.

Professor Garen, William's homeroom teacher, was one of the Professors that had been tasked to supervise the mission.

Since the three Princesses in his class had taken the mission, the Headmaster of the Academy ordered him to accompany them to ensure their safety. Although the Academy usually didn't give the members of the Royal Family special treatment, the current mission was sensitive.

If one of the Princesses were suddenly spirited away, Byron would have a hard time pacifying the members of their Royal Families.

Since they had just arrived at the town, the professors as well as the students, who had taken the mission, decided to rest for the time being.

They thought that since they had arrived at the town, whoever was responsible for the disappearances would stay their hands.

But, their expectations were broken the next day.

As if to mock their arrival in Willowdale, the daughter of the Town's Mayor disappeared, from under the same roof where the Professors of Hestia Academy were staying.

"Please, Professors, find my daughter!" the Town Mayor pleaded. "She is about to get married next month. Please, save her!"

Professor Garen did his best to assure the Mayor that they would do their best to find her daughter.

This was why, right after eating breakfast, the ten teams alongside their Professors, immediately started their investigations, in the hope that they would find the culprit before the day was over.

Chapter 753: Spirited Away [Part 2]

Lilith stood inside the bedroom of the Mayor's daughter and used her Divinity.

She frowned when she sensed the remnants of spiritual magic inside the room. If not for her strong Divinity, no one would be able to find these faint traces, which could help them find the culprit.

"No one entered the room," Lilith said as the frown on her head deepened. "The victim walked out of her own accord. If I have to make a guess, she might have been under a hypnosis spell, or something similar to it."

Lilith followed the traces and left the house along with her Party Members. Since this was a mission, she didn't plan to share her discovery with the other groups.

Professor Garen followed behind the group, and didn't interfere with their investigation. However, he was shocked that the Amazon Princess had this trick up her sleeve.

'It seems that the Headmaster's words are right,' Professor Garen thought. 'We might be able to solve this mysterious case with Lilith's help."

The traces led them a mile outside of the town into a nearby forest. What puzzled Lilith was that even though the Mayor's Daughter had snuck out of the house in the middle of the night, she had definitely exited the town through the main gate.

Due to the disappearances that had been happening, the mayor had organized people to patrol the town in shifts to intimidate whoever was causing the disappearances. The Main Gate was also sufficiently manned, so it was impossible for anyone to exit the town without being discovered.

If the Mayor's daughter, Elena, really left through the Main Gate, wouldn't that make the guards that were stationed there either blind or completely incompetent?

"The traces stop here," Lilith announced.

Everyone looked around their surroundings, but aside from trees, they didn't see anything unusual.

The trees were covered in vines, but there was nothing unusual about them. They were regular vines that could be seen anywhere in a forest.

All of the girls activated their unique skills meant for detection, but of them found anything unusual, except for Princess Aila.

As a Life Mage, she was able to detect life force. However what she saw almost took her breath away.

"Oh? So I've been found out?"

A playful almost teasing voice reached their ears.

Immediately, the forest around them became lively as the vines on the trees suddenly sprang to life.

Kenneth, Lilith, Pearl, and Professor Garen immediately took a defensive formation with Princess Eowyn and Aila at the center.

Conan hovered above Aila's head, holding his deathscythe and looking at his surroundings vigilantly.

"It's no use," Princess Aila said. Her voice contained traces of disbelief, fear, and despair in them. "We need to run!

"Run? Perish the thought, my dear. All of you will become great additions to my collection."

Several vines sprouted out of the ground and coiled themselves on everyone's legs and feet, preventing them from moving.

Flowers bloomed on the vines above the trees, unleashing a pink spray.

"Don't breathe it!" Princess Eowyn shouted as she used a powerful gust of wind to blow away the smog that had almost covered their bodies.

A chuckle erupted around them. Clearly,

the one who was responsible for all of this was finding this scene quite entertaining.

A second later, Everyone felt a prickling pain in their legs.

The vine that had wrapped around their legs suddenly grew thorns, and injected some sort of substance in their bodies.

Everyone knew that this was not a good sign, so they hurriedly unleashed their strongest attacks in order to break free.

Lilith had used the artifact that she had taken from the Kraetor Empire and covered her body in red armor. Her battle prowess also jumped to the Saint Rank and she immediately turned the vines around them into crystals, which shattered into fine dust.

"Run! Our opponent is a Myriad Beast!" Princess Aila shouted. "We can't win!"

She had already detected the powerful life force hiding under the ground due to her ability, but it was already too late, and there was nothing she could do about it.

When they heard the Princess' words, everyone's expressions turned grim as they hurried towards the exit of the forest.

"Surely, you don't expect to leave this forest under my watch, right?"

A giant flower sprouted in front of them, and standing in its center was a beautiful lady with green hair and eyes.

"A Dryad!" Professor Garen exclaimed.

The Elves were no stranger to Dryads because they coexisted with these tree spirits in harmony. Since that was the case, Princess Eowyn decided to negotiate with her in order to get the beast to let them go.

"Your Excellency, My name is Eowyn, and I am a Princess of the Elves living in the Southern Continent," Princess Eowyn said with the dignified voice of the Royal Family. "I think there is a misunderstanding. We are here to–"

"I know why you're here," The Dryad interrupted Eowyn's words and smiled seductively. "An Elven Princess? Truly, this is a lucky day. I do not have an Elven Princess in my collection. The Gods must be giving me their blessings since they brought you to me."

The Dryad then glanced at Princess Aila with great interest. "I am very confident in my ability to hide. This is the first time that someone has seen through my hiding place. It seems that you're no ordinary girl. I'm feeling a very pleasant magical power coming from you. I'm guessing that you're highly attuned to spirits, or are blessed with a nature type ability. I will definitely not let you go."

Seeing that the Dryad had no intention of letting them go, Princess Aila finally found the courage to voice out her opinions.

"Why?" Princess Aila asked. "Why are you kidnapping people from the town? Aren't dryads supposed to be noble spirits? Why are you doing this?"

The Dryad giggled as if what she heard was the biggest joke she had heard in her lifetime.

"Noble spirits? Sweetheart, it seems that you know nothing about dryads," the Dryad replied. "It's in our nature to kidnap people. The men serve as fertilizer, and the women serve as seed beds. Don't worry. I will personally take care of you and love you for a long time."

Lilith was about to unleash her power in order to turn the Myriad Beast into an ice crystal when she suddenly collapsed on the ground.

Princess Eowyn, Princess Aila, Kenneth, and Garen followed suit as they also collapsed due to the toxin that had invaded their bodies. The Dryad smiled seductively because she knew that she had already won.

As she was about to wrap the ladies and take them underground, several shields materialized in the air and stopped the vines' advance.

"Oh, I missed a flying bug." The Dryad smiled sweetly. "You don't look tasty, so just die for me, okay?"

Conan ignored the Dryad's taunting and stood in front of everyone.

"Iron Fortress!" Conan shouted.

He knew that he couldn't possibly defeat the Myriad Beast, so he did the only thing that he could do and that was to defend!

Kenneth, Princess Aila, Princess Eowyn, Lilith, Kenneth, and Garen, were enclosed in a steel dome. After everyone had been safely stored inside his Iron Fortress, Conan flew towards the fortress and became one with it.

'This is the first time I'm going to do this,' Conan thought. 'I hope it works.'

The Dryad frowned and lashed at the Steel ball with a thorned whip, with the intention of breaking it apart, but the attacks only caused a deep dent to appear on its surface.

Suddenly, the steel dome shook and started to grow metallic spikes on its surface.

"I'm Rolling!"

Conan's mighty shout reverberated in the forest as the three-meter tall spiked ball started to roll away, destroying the trees in its path. The war cry was other than Kasogonaga's signature battle cry before it wreaked destruction.

The Devil Familiar knew that he wasn't good when it comes to offensive attacks, so it decided to imitate the rainbow-colored Anteater's move, in order to compensate for his lack of offensive prowess.

The Dryad sneered as she followed the speeding wreckingball that was spreading destruction in its wake.

As a Myriad Beast that had roamed the Central Continent for many years, it was confident that this pitiful attempt to escape her would be in vain.

Chapter 754: Playtime's Over

Conan's desperate struggle amused the Dryad, but she knew that she must end the battle soon. Although she wasn't afraid of the students of Hestia Academy, it was indeed troublesome if they discovered her presence now.

'I'll capture them first before I leave this forest,' the Dryad thought. 'Those girls are of a much higher quality compared to the townspeople. I'm sure that they will become the perfect seed beds for my children.'

—–

Elliot, who was seated on William's shoulder, suddenly looked to the South.

Because of certain things, their departure had been delayed by a day.

As they were about to leave the academy, Elliot felt that Conan was in some sort of predicament. Although it was just a passing feeling, the Angelic Familiar trusted his sixth sense because of the nature of his powers.

"Will, I feel like Conan might be in trouble," Elliot said with a serious expression. "Since he is out of our communication range, he can't send us any messages. Can you talk to him telepathically and see if there's something wrong?"

What Elliot didn't know was that William also felt that something was amiss. He didn't know what it was, but the feeling of uneasiness was starting to make him uncomfortable.

His two familiars were born with a part of his soul, so he could vaguely sense their location, even if they were far away. This also allowed him to communicate with them anytime he wanted.

William closed his eyes and used one of the skills of his Familiamancer Job Class, to talk to Conan telepathically.

"Conan, is everything fin–"

As soon as the connection connected, Conan's voice immediately reached William's ears.

"Will! Save us! A Myriad Beast is chasing us! Everyone is paralyzed, I am–ahh!"

William's face immediately turned grim as he focused on Conan's location.

A second later, a streak of lightning flew towards the south. William had used the power of his Prince of Thunder Job Class in order to travel to Conan's exact location at the speed of lighting. He could only use this skill twice a day, so he only used it in extreme instances.

Elliot watched William go as he stood on top of a golden spear. The red-headed teenager had left Soleil in the academy, and tasked the Angelic familiar to look after it.

—-

Back in the forest…

Conan felt nauseous as he maneuvered the dented steel wrecking ball along the forest floor. Due to the Dryad's powerful attack, Conan's defensive dome was like a disfigured aluminum can that had been crushed.

Finally, the steel dome broke apart after getting hit by the Dryad's thorn whip.

The girls, Kenneth, as well as Professor Garen, rolled helplessly on the ground because they couldn't move their bodies. They hadn't lost consciousness, but they wished they had, because just like Conan, all that rolling made them want to puke.

"Play time's over," the Dryad said with a smile. "Although I enjoyed this little game of tag, it would be bad if others discovered us, no?"

Conan gritted his teeth as he held his Deathscyhe. He faced the Dryad with a glare as his body glowed briefly.

A second later, a boy, with black hair, stood on the place where Conan hovered earlier.

Aside from the hair style and hair color, the boy looked exactly like William when he was twelve years old.

Conan had unlocked seventy percent of his power, which allowed him to jump to the peak of the Centennial Rank.

A Centennial Ranked Creature fighting against a Myriad Beast was a fruitless endeavor. Even so,

Conan stood his ground.

He was a defender, and it was his job to protect everyone. Regardless of how strong his opponent was, he couldn't back down.

He wouldn't back down!

"I, the great Conan, will not allow you to harm my friends," Conan shouted. "If you wish to get them, you will have to get past me first."

A giggle escaped the Dryad's lips as several vines sprouted from the ground.

"Sounds simple enough," The Dryad smirked and hundreds of vines lashed towards the black-haired boy, whose eyes had started to glow red. "Too bad, you're not human. If you were, I would definitely use your body as fertilizer for my children."

Hundreds of shields materialized in the air, but all of them were torn apart by the vines as if they were merely pieces of paper.

Conan slashed his deathscythe left and right to block the vines that had made it past his defenses. The Dryad only curled her lips on this futile endeavor.

As Conan defended from the front, several vines burst out of the ground and wrapped around the girl's bodies, taking the Devil Familiar by surprise.

"Naive child," Dryad said with a teasing tone. "Do you honestly believe that I will play with you all day? Didn't I tell you that playtime is… over?!"

A dozen vines lashed out at Conan who had his concentration broken due to the attack that the Dryad had made on Kenneth and the girls. The Myriad Beast didn't hold back her attacks and the young boy's body was almost ripped to shreds.

The Devil Familiar flew several meters away and fell on the ground with a loud thud. He had been seriously injured, and blood flowed out of the injuries in his body.

His left arm was severed, and deep gashes could be seen on his body. Blood also flowed out of his mouth, ears, and nose.

"C-Conan…," Princess Aila said with hardship as she tried to reach out to the Familiar who was several meters away from her.

Conan's vision was slowly turning dark, but Princess Aila's voice had woken him up from his stupor.

"D-Don't worry. I.. am just taking… a short rest," Conan replied as he forcefully rolled his body to the side. He used his remaining arm to try to prop himself up, as blood spilled from his wounds.

The Dryad shook her head helplessly as she lashed her whip out to pin the boy back to the ground.

Conan coughed up blood due to the new injuries he received. He felt faint, and every part of his body was aching.

He once again tried to prop himself up, but the whip lashed at him again. This time, it slammed against his body with more force, creating a four-meter wide crater.

"Stop!" Aila cried out as the Dryad pummeled Conan's little body while giggling.

The Dryad shot her a side-long glance as the corner of her lips curled up into a smile. She then wrapped the boy's body in her vines and held him in the air.

Conan's body was bathed in blood. His legs, and arm, were bent in different angles, which showed that they had been broken.

"Okay, let's tear this off first," The Dryad said as she used the vines to tug on Conan's remaining arm.

Conan cried out in pain as his arm was torn off from his body.

"Stop it!" Princess Aila pleaded.

The Dryad paid no attention to her, and continued to toy with the Familiar who was under her complete mercy.

"Now the left leg." The Dryad chuckled. "Off you go."

Conan bit his lip until it bled. Tears streamed down his eyes as the pain wracked his body. With a chuckle, the Dryad pulled off his remaining leg, making Aila tear up.

She had seen worse things in the past, and yet, seeing it happen to a close friend of hers broke her heart.

"In order to honor your… futile efforts of protecting these people, I will remember your name,'' Dryad said as she pulled Conan's body close to her. "Conan, is it? Well, you can die knowing that you failed miserably to protect these people. Don't worry. I will take good care of the–"

The Dryad hastily backed away as the vines that held Conan in place were hit by lightning bolts.

The familiar's bloody body fell down, but a pair of strong arms caught him mid-air.

"What… took you… so long?" Conan said softly. He could no longer see as the strength in his body slowly faded.

William patted Conan's head as he held back the anger that was burning in his chest.

"You did well. You protected everyone," William replied as he gazed at his familiar's body that was slowly turning into particles of light. "Great job, Conan."

"Keke… I am… the great… Conan. A Myriad… Beast… is… nothing…"

A sigh of relief passed through Conan's lips as his entire body shattered in a shower of sparks. He had given everything he had, and he died knowing that everything was going to be fine.

William looked at his empty hands before shifting his attention at the Dryad who was looking back at him with contempt and ridicule.

"Another wannabe hero?" The Dryad smiled sweetly. "A Half-elf? I still don't have a Half-Elf in my collection. You will do quite nicely. Don't worry, I will give you lots of love."

William didn't say anything and simply pulled something out of his ear. His eyes never left the Dryad's pretty face as the anger in his chest slowly rose to the surface.

Not long after, a golden metallic staff that shone brightly in the sunlight appeared in his hand.

"Are those your last words?" William asked as he looked at the Dryad in front of him. The golden staff in his hand gave a metallic hum as if to answer to the Half-Elf's raging heart.

Right now, there was only one thing in William's mind, and that was to smash the Dryad's pretty face, until it turned into meat paste.

Chapter 755: The Next Time You Reincarnate, Make Sure To Live A Better Life

The smile on the Dryad's face immediately stiffened after the Half-Elf in front of her released a terrifying aura.

Earlier, she sensed that the newcomer's strength posed no threat to her. Very few individuals could threaten her because she was a very intelligent creature. If there was someone that far surpassed her level of strength, she would immediately migrate to another territory, and lie-low for a short time before resuming her activities.

This was how she managed to reach the Myriad Rank, in the span of just a hundred years. Now, there was a creature in front of her that posed a threat to her existence, and the teasing expression on her face disappeared completely.

"Take them away," William ordered.

After giving out his order, a portal appeared behind him. Psoglav, the Demonic Dog that had accompanied William for a long time, had finally entered the Millennial Rank.

The Demonic Dog wasted no time and summoned dark whips to grab the paralyzed people on the ground. It made sure to knock them unconscious first, before taking them back to the Thousand Beast Domain.

William was planning to go all out, so he couldn't guarantee their safety. It would be best for them to sleep inside his Domain until the battle was over. This would also prevent the Dryad from using them as hostages against him.

"Sweep away all adversaries!" William roared. "Ruyi Jingu Bang!"

The golden staff grew until it was over a dozen meters long and slammed towards the Dryad without showing any mercy.

The Dryad stood in place, motionless even after the staff had smashed her body to pieces. The attack also created a big crater where the Dryad once stood.

A kilometer away from the battlefield, a giant flower sprouted from the ground. The Dryad had used a substitute in order to fool her opponent into thinking that they had slain her.

She was not a battle junkie, and always prioritized her safety above others. Over the years, she had created various substitutes inside the forest and the nearby surrounding areas. In times of danger, she would swap locations with these substitutes in order to escape from her stronger opponents.

'I guess it is time for me to migrate to another territory,' the Dryad thought. 'Too bad. I was starting to like this place.'

Just as she was about to quietly leave, her instinct told her that death was right behind her back.

A second later, a gigantic golden staff descended from the heavens and turned her body to meat paste.

—-

Deep inside a mountain not far from the forest…

A giant flower appeared inside a cavern. The moment the flower bloomed the Dryad collapsed on the ground, and spat a mouthful of green blood.

This was the hiding place that she had painstakingly prepared as a last resort. The moment she felt that danger was approaching her, she didn't hesitate and swapped with another substitute.

However this time, she wasn't able to leave unscathed and suffered internal injuries.

"That brat! How dare he!" The Dryad cursed out loud as she wiped the green blood on her lips. "Just you wait, when I break through another realm, I'll come to find you and tear you to pieces!"

The Dryad was very irritated by the sudden turn of events. Earlier, she thought that it was her lucky day because several high-quality seed beds had entered her domain. It was very rare for her to find ladies with powerful magical and spiritual energies that could be used as nurseries.

The Dryad had grown stronger after absorbing the seeds that had matured inside their bodies. She would repeat the process over, and over, until the ladies' magical and spiritual powers ran out.

When the Dryad saw Princess Aila, she felt a very strong life energy inside her body. If she were able to capture her, the Dryad would be able to acquire a vessel that could serve as a rechargeable battery.

Unfortunately, a hindrance appeared and her initially good day had been completely ruined.

"Fortunately, I placed my mark on that girl's body," the Dryad muttered as she tried to calm herself. "If an opportunity arises, I can just kidnap her and flee to a far away place."

The Dryad was about to leave the cavern when her body unconsciously shuddered. Right in front of her was a young man, with red hair, and a pair of glowing golden eyes that shone brightly in the darkness.

"Sorry, but that won't be happening under my watch." William said.

"How?!" The Dryad couldn't believe that the person that had almost killed her twice, was now standing in front of her.

William sneered as he pointed the staff in her direction.

Immediately, a burst of light emitted from the tip of the staff.

"Grand Bazooka!" William roared and a powerful

explosion shook the entire mountain.

William had ordered Optimus to place a tracker on the Dryad's body as soon as he arrived at his destination. The System had warned him that Dryads were experts in running away, so it was best to place a tracker on them to ensure that they couldn't escape their pursuit.

"She sure is good at escaping." William sneered as he fused with the golden staff in his hand.

Not long after, the golden staff pierced through the mountain and headed towards the direction of the Forest, where the Dryad originally stayed.

As he neared his next destination, A giant Flower that was over thirty meters tall shone brightly in the center of the forest.

William canceled his weapon fusion, and stared at the Giant Flower. The energy levels that were being radiated by it were slowly climbing up to the middle stages of the Myriad Rank. Soon after the flower had appeared, it opened and revealed the monster within it.

"Tired of running away?" William taunted the Dryad whose face was no longer pretty.

"I'll kill you!" the Dryad shouted. Her body was now over twenty-meters tall, and her face was laced with thorns, just like a cactus.

Several flowers grew out of her body. Inside each of them was one of the young women that she had captured ever since she had arrived in the territory.

She knew that she was no match for William at her current level, so she decided to go all out and burn some of her life essence, which would temporarily boost her strength to the peak of the Myriad Rank.

Although she would be greatly weakened afterwards, she still decided to take this risk. The Dryad knew that William wouldn't stop until one of them was dead, so she decided to go all out against him.

For the first time, a grim expression appeared on William's face. He was confident that he would be able to kill the Dryad, but she was currently using hostages against him.

If he disregarded the life of others, this battle would end in his victory. However, he still hesitated about whether he should sacrifice the townspeople to kill the Dryad in front of him or not.

There was also the issue of the duration of his Heroic Avatar. If possible, he wanted to end the battle before it ran out.

Seeing that her plan had worked, the Dryad immediately launched a series of long range attacks at the Half-Elf who was hovering in the sky.

Several flower vines released acid sprays in Willliam's direction, forcing William to put more distance between himself and the Dryad.

The entire forest was like a sea of green snakes that wiggled non-stop. The Beasts that resided in it had started to flee, but the Dryad had other plans for them. The countless vines in the forest captured these beasts and devoured them, sending nourishment to the Dryad whose powers were still constantly rising.

Firming his resolve, William once again pointed his staff towards the forest and unleashed another Grand Bazooka.

The Dryad shrieked in pain as the entirety of the forest erupted in a sea of flames.

William fired several more Grand Bazooka's, with the intention of burning the entire forest. He knew that fighting a Dryad inside her home turf would pose difficulties to him. Also, he was still frantically figuring out ways he could save the girls from the Dryad's body.

The Dryad forcefully used her magical power to extinguish the flames around her. It didn't take long before the raging flames died out, but the entire area was surrounded by thick smoke, reducing the visibility of the surroundings.

This was not a problem for William because he could use the ability of the Monkey King, Fiery Golden Eyes, that could see evil in any form.

Just as soon as William activated this ability, he saw tens of thousands of vines headed in his direction, from the center of the smoke-filled battlefield.

Instead of backing away, William charged at the countless thorny vines that were out to shred his body to pieces. He then activated one of the skills of his Elemental Archon Job Class, which was Blaze Wing Tempest.

William's body momentarily transformed into a Phoenix and burned everything in his path. The System had given him advice on how to deal with the Dryad. However, even Optimus conceded that it was not certain whether this idea would work or not.

Still, William decided to do it. He understood that the Dryad had no intention of letting her victims go, so he decided to take a gamble.

The Myriad Beast unleashed a barrage of acid sprays, poison sprays, vines, and energy blasts towards the Phoenix that was headed in its direction.

When William charged as the Phoenix, he also merged with Ruyi Jingu Bang as a way to ignore most of the attacks that were headed in his direction. As William dodged the relentless assault against him, the flames of the Phoenix started to change color.

Earlier, his entire body was blazing in fiery red, now, streaks of white flames were slowly spreading on his body. William had coated the Phoenix's body with the Flames of Purification with the intention of burning the Dryad's body with it.

Although he, and Optimus didn't know if this plan would work, they had no choice but to do it. The duration of the Heroic Avatar was nearing its end, so they could only try this method once.

"Blaze Wing Tempest!" William once again activated the skill and the flames on the Phoenix's body burned with more intensity.

The acid sprays, vines, and poison sprays, burned in a fiery blaze as they neared the purifying flames. However, the energy attacks were unaffected by it.

Fortunately, William's body had merged with a Legendary Weapon so the damage he received was minimal.

"Nooooo!" the Dryad cried out loud as she used the flowers that housed the women as a shield, with the hope that William would cancel his terrifying attack.

Wiliam hardened his heart as he broke past the Dryad's last attempt to save her life.

A powerful explosion erupted and it blew away the smoke that lingered over the forest. Before her entire body was engulfed by purifying flames, the Dryad glared at William who had appeared a few meters in front of her face.

"Curse you Half-Elf!"

Her gaze contained fury, unwillingness, and regret. If only the Half-Elf hadn't appeared, her dreams of stepping into the Demigod Realm might have become a reality after a few years.

Unfortunately, there was no If.

"The next time you reincarnate, make sure to live a better life. Also, do not make me your enemy. Otherwise, you will suffer the same fate."

That was the last thing that the Dryad heard before her anger, her body, and dreams burned to ashes.

—–

Several miles away from the battlefield, a small flower bloomed at the base of a tree. Its petals had a pinkish flower, and it looked very beautiful.

After burning the Dryad's entire body, William's mark had also disappeared alongside it. With that said, he thought that the Dryad had finally died, and her threat had ended.

He was only half right.

Currently, the beautiful flower was just an ordinary flower. It would take several years before it once again evolved and transformed into a plant type creature, whose rank would be the lowest on the food chain.

Even so, it would retain the memories that it had in its past life. Because of this advantage, it would rapidly grow in strength and reach its former glory after several decades.

"At least, that is what you thought would happen, right?" Elliot said as he hovered above the beautiful flower. His usual carefree attitude, and the permanent smile that was always plastered on his face could not be seen at this time.

Instead, a chilling gaze filled with killing intent landed on the beautiful flower. Perhaps it was due to Eliot's gaze, or maybe a breeze passed by it, but the flower's body started to shake.

"You messed with the wrong person." Elliot sneered as he pointed at the flower. "You shouldn't have done that to Conan."

A crisp, sizzling sound erupted from Elliot's fingertip as he blasted the flower with a lightning bolt.

The flower was burnt to a crisp, and its ashes flew in the wind, never to be seen, or heard from, ever again.

Chapter 756: Conan's Gamble [Part 1]

"Yes. everyone is safe," William said via telepathy. The gem on his chest glowed softly as he communicated with Ashe, who was still at the Academy, waiting for him. "Take everyone to the location of the dungeon, and bring Soleil with you. I will be there after I finish my business here."

"Understood. We'll wait for you at the Dungeon of the Horde," Ashe replied.

After a few more words of assurances, William ended the long distance communication and looked around him.

The entire forest was gone, replaced by a giant crater and scorched Earth that extended for over a mile.

'In the future, this area will become a lake, and give birth to new life,' William thought. 'I better return these girls back to their villages, but first I need to ask Charmaine and the others to give them some clothes.'

When William used the Flames of Purification to burn the Dryad, he hoped that the flames wouldn't hurt the townspeople. Fortunately, his fears didn't come to pass and all the girls had been saved.

It was quite unfortunate that the men had all been killed by the Dryad to use as fertilizer, so there was nothing that William could do about it.

He just hoped that after this incident, the town of Willowdale still had the strength to be able to move on.

"You there! You're a student from the academy, right?" a woman who seemed to be in her early thirties asked from a distance.

William recognized her because she was one of his teachers in the Academy. The pretty woman with long brown hair was one of the combat instructors in Hestia Academy, Professor Megan. She was tasked to supervise the students on this mission, alongside Professor Garen, and ensure their safety.

Since a Professor had already accompanied Princess Eowyn's group, Professor Megan accompanied the others in search of the clues for the latest disappearance.

The moment she felt a powerful fluctuation in the distance, she immediately ordered the students to return to the town, while she went to investigate.

When she arrived at the scene, she was immediately shocked at the battle that unfolded. Professor Megan saw William fight against a Myriad Beast until the battle was concluded, and she still couldn't believe what she saw.

If not for the fact that she recognized William's robe, that marked him as a student in Hestia Academy, she might have thought that he was one of the hidden Saints that was under their Headmaster's personal command.

"Professor Megan." William nodded his head in greeting. "Can you please send some people to help these ladies? They are very weak and unable to stand on their own. They are in dire need of rejuvenation potions to help their recovery."

"U-Undertood!" Professor Megan replied. "I'll go back to the town and ask our students, and the townspeople that we have located the missing people. Please, watch over them until I return!"

Professor Megan didn't even wait for William's reply as she left the scene in haste. Since she was a martial master, it wouldn't take her a long time to reach the town and get some help.

'Optimus, are you sure that she wasn't able to escape during our last clash?' William asked.

< The marker that I placed on her body disappeared completely after the explosion. Although I am not a hundred percent certain, the probability of the Dryad surviving that attack is very low. >

William sighed in relief because the Dryad was a very troublesome enemy. Her ability to escape by swapping her main body with a substitute was quite annoying.

Without the System's help, their target might

have escaped somewhere else, and continued to terrorize innocents after lying low for a while.

'Now, I just have to deal with the unconscious people in my Domain,' William thought. 'I'll just wait for Professor Megan to arrive before I deal with them.'

——

When Princess Aila opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a bed in the room that she had slept in the day before.

Magic crystals illuminated the room, and the darkness outside her window told her that it was night time.

She was still half asleep, and the gears in her head had just started to turn. The Myriad Beast's poison had a very strong paralyzing effect and a weakening effect on its victims. This deadly combination prevented the Dryad's prey from ever mounting a resistance against her, as she slowly absorbed her victims inside her body.

A minute later, the images of what transpired flashed in her memories. All the drowsiness in her head disappeared when she remembered the bloody scene that broke her heart.

"Conan!" Princess Aila immediately tried to get out of bed, but her legs collapsed under her.

Just as her body was about to hit the floor, a powerful breeze swept under her, catching her in place.

"It's good to see that you are awake already," William said as he stood on the doorway, carrying a tray of food. "Sorry for not knocking, but I heard you shout Conan's name when I was about to knock on the door. I thought that something had happened so I opened it without permission. Are you alright, Aila?"

William moved his hand and Aila floated back on the bed.

"Sir William, what happened to Conan?" Princess Aila inquired. William could sense the anxiousness in her voice, so he decided to tell her the truth.

"Conan died," William answered. However, after seeing Aila's broken hearted expression he hurriedly continued his explanation. "But, you don't have to worry. He just needs to rest for a bit then I can summon him again before noon tomorrow."

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes. So, wipe those tears on your face. Conan will be sad if he heard that you spent the night crying because of him."

William was truly surprised by Princess Aila's concern for Conan. He never thought that he would see someone react that way to the Little Devil's death.

'You've found a good friend, Conan,' William thought as he placed the tray of food on the table.

He then grabbed a chair and placed it beside Aila's bed in order to check her condition.

"Have you run a diagnostic spell on your body?" William inquired. "I did it while you were sleeping, but I didn't find anything wrong. I think it is best that you check your body first, and tell me if something seems amiss."

After William's reminder, Princess Aila closed her eyes and her body glowed briefly. Several minutes passed before a sigh escaped her lips.

"Aside from feeling a bit lethargic, everything is fine," Princess Aila replied. "This must be the after effects of the Dryad's poison."

William nodded. Optimus and him had come to the same conclusion. Princess Eowyn, Lilith, Kenneth, Pearl, and Professor Garen were in the same boat, but all they needed was rest to completely recover.

After finishing her diagnostic scan of her own body, Princess Aila stared at William with a confused expression on her face.

"Sir William, why are you here?" Princess Aila asked. "Aren't you supposed to head to the Dungeon of the Horde? Did you change your mind and choose the same mission we did?"

Princess Aila was aware of the mission that William had chosen for the Academy's Quarterly Exam. The dungeon he was planning to challenge was three days away from the academy by flying carriage, and was in the opposite direction of their mission.

She found it strange that the Half-Elf had suddenly appeared in Willowdale, just in time to save all of them from harm.

"I-I'm not saying that I am not grateful that you appeared to save us." Princess Aila panicked when she realized that she was interrogating their savior. "I am really thankful, but, could you have arrived earlier? If so, Conan might not have suffered so much."

The corner of William's lips twitched because he could sense the traces of complaint in Princess Aila's tone.

Even so, he also wished that he could have arrived earlier. If he did then his Little Devil wouldn't have had to suffer like he did.

"Eat first," William said as he took the tray from the table and placed it on her lap. "You will need to regain your strength before I summon Conan tomorrow."

Princess Aila nodded her head. Deep inside she was feeling guilty and ashamed. She didn't know what came over her, and said those things to William.

She was about to apologize, but William shook his head as he pointed at the food on the tray.

"Eat. if you don't, I'll tell Conan that you are not taking care of yourself."

"… Sir William, you're a bully, aren't you?"

William rolled his eyes at the Princess who was slandering his good name.

After the Princess finished eating, William left the room and sighed. He remembered what Optimus' had said about Conan's state when they arrived, and he hoped that the System had just made a mistake.

'I'll know when morning comes,' William once again sighed internally. 'Conan. You really did your best. I just hope that you will not take a gamble like this again in the future.'

Even if Familiars died, they could easily be summoned again after a twenty four hour cooldown. Just like the Angray Birds, they could resurrect over and over again.

However, there was an exemption. If the Familiar used 100% of its true power, they would gain great strength, but after that power faded, they would die permanently.

Even Chloee would only use 70% of her powers during battles, and would not exceed that mark.

Unfortunately, Conan had crossed that line. Although he didn't use a hundred percent of his powers, according to the System, he had used 80%. This was the thing that worried William.

He hoped that his honest and straightforward familiar would not suffer any kind of extreme backlash from going past his limit when he summoned him the next day.

Chapter 757: Conan's Gamble [Part 2]

"What did you say? A Myriad Beast appeared in Willowdale?!" The Headmaster of Hestia Academy, Byron, couldn't believe the report he had received from Professor Garen and Professor Megan.

The two were talking to him using communication crystals that exclusively belonged to the Professors of the academy.

"Tell me everything that you know,' Byron ordered. "Make sure not to miss anything!"

He almost had a heart attack after hearing the Professors' emergency communication in the middle of the night.

A Myriad Beast appearing in one of their students' missions was a disastrous thing. Byron immediately became worried because several high-profiled students had been involved in the incident.

Fortunately, William had arrived and prevented the incident from escalating. After hearing this piece of good news, Byron felt that the great pressure on his shoulders had suddenly disappeared. He was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief after knowing that the members of the Academy hadn't suffered any casualties during their expedition.

'Fine. I will no longer trouble you with what you did on Antilia Island," Byron thought as he listened to the rest of the two Professors' report.

After a few minutes, Byron ordered them to all remain in the town while he sent the Academy's Special Forces to check the current situation. These elites would also serve as the students' escort when they returned to the academy.

—–

The next day…

"Sir William, please," Princess Aila looked at William with a pleading gaze.

The Half-Elf nodded his head as he summoned Conan.

A magic circle appeared in the air and the Little Devil appeared in front of them.

A smile appeared on Princess Aila's face, but it didn't last long because she noticed that something was wrong.

As soon as Conan was summoned, the familiar fell down from the Magic Circle.

William had already prepared himself for something like this to happen, so he was able to catch Conan before he fell on the floor.

"Conan?" William asked as he took a closer look at the Devil Familiar, who had his eyes closed.

Conan's eyes fluttered before slowly opening.

"Oh… good morning, Will, and Aila," Conan said weakly. His face was very pale, and it was obvious that it took him great effort to speak. "Um, I'm still a bit tired from yesterday. Can I sleep a little more?"

William frowned as he used a diagnostic spell on Conan who was resting on the palms of his hands. The Devil Familiar could barely keep his eyes open and soon lost consciousness.

It was not only William who was checking Conan's current condition. Princess Aila's eyes glowed in a purplish hue as she examined her friend's condition.

< Will, Conan's parameters are dangerously low. His life hangs in the balance, so I highly recommend that you give him a powerful Rejuvenation Potion. After that, sprinkle a bottle of lesser restoration on his body to help stabilize his condition. >

'Get me the best Rejuvenation Potion

from the God Shop,' William ordered. His heart shuddered when he saw Conan's current condition. Conan's life force was like the flame of a candle, swaying in the wind. A flame that could disappear at any time.

This realization had made him very anxious, so he hurriedly asked Optimus to give him the best rejuvenation that was available.

Princess Aila also noticed how dire Conan's condition was. If not for William giving her a stern glare, she might have already grabbed Conan from his hand and used her Life Magic to forcefully help him recover.

"Calm down," William said with a serious expression on his face. He tried to keep his voice from shaking because he knew that the Princess in front of her was starting to panic, just like him.

At that moment, a small bottle of Rejuvenation Potion materialized in front of Princess Aila.

"Let him drink it," William ordered. "Do it slowly."

Princess Aila nodded and gently poured the contents of the small bottle on Conan's lips. She did it in intervals, so that Conan would not choke. Finally, after a few minutes, the bottle had been emptied.

Next, a vial of Lesser Restoration materialized over Conan's body. Princess Aila grabbed it and gently poured its contents over Conan's body.

The Familiar's body glowed faintly as the two potions did their work. However, William was still not feeling secured so he switched his Job Class to Life Mage and used Healing Wind to help speed up Conan's recovery.

Princess Aila also did the same as she cast a healing spell on Conan. The two of them did this several times until the paleness in Conan's expression disappeared.

They spent half an hour trying to stabilize Conan's condition. Only when Optimus could inform William that Conan's life was no longer in danger did William stop Aila from continuing to use healing magic on the unconscious Little Devil in his hand.

"He's no longer in danger," William said with a sigh of relief. "Can you look after him for a while, Aila? I still have things to do."

Princess Aila nodded her head as William used a gentle breeze to lift Conan's body and place him in the princess' palms.

According to Optimus, Conan would recover faster if he stayed with Princess Aila. Her body was rich in life energy, and it would greatly speed up the Familiar's recovery.

Just as Wiliam was about to leave the room, a knock was heard on the door.

He then exchanged a glance with Princess Aila before opening it.

"Professor Garen told me to inform you that we will be returning to the academy in an hour," Kenneth said. "If you are finished with your preparations, please go to the flying carriage parked outside the Mayor's Residence."

"Okay," William nodded before turning around to look at Princess Aila. "Can you look after him for me? Conan only needs a few days of rest. After that, he should be fully recovered."

Princess Aila nodded. "You can count on me, Sir William. I'll make sure that no harm comes to Conan."

"Good. I still need to finish my mission so I'll be taking my leave," William stated before leaving the room. "Kenneth, tell the Professors that I'll be going to finish my own mission. I will not be returning with you guys to the academy."

"Okay." Kenneth gave Wiliam a brief nod before stepping aside to let him pass.

William walked into the hallway with a serious expression on his face. After making a right turn, he vanished, leaving no traces of his departure.

—–

A few seconds later, William reappeared inside a room holding Soleil in his right hand.

"How is he?" a voice filled with concern asked William from his left side.

"His life is no longer in danger," William replied as he turned to look at Elliot who was hovering beside him. "Aila is currently taking care of him. He will recover faster by her side."

The Angelic Familiar patted his chest as he breathed a sigh of relief. He was really worried about his twin, and he had been awake throughout the night, trying to discern his condition.

However, Elliot's clairvoyance was an ability that he couldn't control. It could let him see glimpses of the future at random times, but he couldn't use it to target specific persons.

William gently patted Elliot's shoulder with his finger as he faced his wives who were looking at him with concern.

"Let's go," William said softly. "Let's clear this dungeon."

In order to strengthen his Familiars and get to that next stage, William would need to acquire the Dungeon Core Essence needed to upgrade his Familiamancer Job Class and further strengthen his Familiars.

William hoped that once he had reached the highest level limit of his Prestige Class, his Familiars would not have the need to gamble with their lives ever again.

Chapter 758: Are You Ready For Round Two?

Dungeon of the Horde, this was a Dungeon that was on the outskirts of the Empire that was ruled by the Amazons, Ares Empire.

This was why William had kept his destination a secret from a certain Amazon Princess.

He knew that once Lilith became aware of his Dungeon expedition, she would immediately inform her mother to send some people to try and capture William as he dove into the dungeon.

William wasn't afraid of a bunch of Amazon Warriors who were planning to kidnap him. However, in order to prevent variables from getting in his way, he decided to keep his destination a secret.

The Dungeon of the Horde was the stronghold of the Orcs.

They were a savage, humanoid race that possessed strength that far surpassed ordinary Humans.

This race in particular liked battles. They specialized in group warfare, and their brutish attacks against all the other races had earned them the moniker Warmongers.

Because of this, no one dared to build any towns, cities, or any kinds of settlement within a ten-mile radius of their territory.

However, these same Savage Orcs were now running for their lives, as a horde of monsters invaded their domain.

"Don't run! We are your friends!" B1 shouted as the lollipops in its claws shot multiple magic missles at the retreating orcs.

Although one magic missile was not enough to kill them, it was strong enough to blast them away, and give them serious injuries.

"B1 sure is enjoying himself," Chiffon said as she jogged while holding bacon in her hands.

"Right," Ian agreed as she jogged beside William. "B1 seems to be venting out his frustration on the Orcs. I wonder why?"

Ian then glanced at William who was running beside them, while carrying Princess Sidonie in his arms.

The Princess wasn't a warrior, so her stamina when it came to running wasn't the best. Because of this, William decided to carry her as they did a speedrun inside the dungeon. Their goal was not to kill every monster they saw, but to get to the 70th Floor as soon as possible.

With Elliot, Zhu, Sha, B1, and B2, leading the charge to scare the monsters, their progress had increased significantly.

Right now, they were on the 30th Floor of the Dungeon.

The adventurers, mercenaries, and even students of Hestia Academy who had seen William's group were dumbfounded by the strategy that they were using.

William and the rest would only fight when they arrived at Boss Floors. On regular floors they would just fight when a battle was unavoidable, but due to their current strength, the battles ended right away.

Compared to the Dungeon of Atlantis, the Dungeon of the Horde was

nothing.

It didn't take long before their group arrived at the 50th Floor.

William only stood off to the side as his party faced the Orc Chieftain and its minions.

The Orc Chieftain was a Millennial Ranked Beast, and it was guarded by four Centennial Ranked Orc Warriors.

In the past, William would certainly choose to run away from such powerful monsters. Now, he could easily defeat them with the current power he possessed.

Right now, he wanted his wives to get used to fighting against strong monsters, in preparation for the future. Chiffon and Ian had already experienced fighting against strong enemies, but Princess Sidonie was not as proficient as them in battle.

Because of this, William decided to let her fight alongside the others, so that she wouldn't overly rely on Morgana, when her life was in danger.

The beautiful Succubus floated in the air as she hurled purple fireballs at the Orc Warriors. Although her attacks were a bit clumsy, she was slowly getting used to fighting while using her Succubus powers.

"Are you sure that they don't need any help?," Zhu inquired as he rubbed his chin. "Chiffon and Ian are able to fight the Orc Warriors, but Sidonie is having a hard time controlling her powers."

"No need," William replied. "She will get the hang of it in time."

Sha, who had his arms crossed over his chest, nodded his head. "Great things start from small beginnings. Even so, this brings me back when we were still in the Celestial Army. Usually, when monsters would wreak havoc on mankind, the Jade Emperor would send us on expeditions to clear them out.

"The majority of the Beasts we encountered were led by Centennial and Millennial Ranked Creatures. They were quite troublesome since they numbered in the thousands."

While the three were discussing the Expeditions of the Celestial Army, Chiffon and Ian had just defeated their opponents. Princess Sidonie, on the other hand, was still fighting against the Orc Warrior assigned to her.

"You can do it, Sidonie!" Chiffon cheered.

"Beat that Orc Warrior!" Ian supported her friend as well.

Princess Sidonie redoubled her efforts as she channeled her energy and fired a barrage of fireballs at the Orc, giving it no chance to evade.

Half a minute later, the charred body of the Orc Warrior finally fell.

Princess Sidonie landed on the ground and panted. She had long been used to giving orders to others, so her physical prowess was not her strong point.

The only time her physical prowess shone through was during her night battles with William!

"Good Job to the three of you," William said as he approached his wives. "Do you girls still have the strength to fight against that Millennial Beast over there?"

William pointed at the Orc Chieftain who was roaring in anger at the annoying creatures that were toying around with it.

"Yes!" Chiffon said as she unequipped her Devourer's Gauntlets. This time a brilliant flash of light appeared and the "Smasher of Thousands" appeared in her hands.

"Let's go, Sharur!" Chiffon stated as she ran towards the Orc Chieftain.

"Leave it to me," Sharur replied. "I'll smash that Orc to oblivion."

Ian summoned her sword whip and ran after Chiffon. She also wanted to challenge the Orc Chieftain and see how she fared against Millennial Beasts."

William chuckled as he patted Princess Sidonie's shoulder. "How about you? Are you ready for Round Two?"

Princess Sidonie rolled her eyes before flapping her batlike wings to join the fray.

She had heard about what happened to Princess Eowyn, Lilith, Princess Aila, Kenneth, and Pearl. If possible, she didn't want to become a helpless damsel in distress and be saved every time she was in danger.

Just like the others, the Princess of Freesia also wanted to fight alongside William. Because of this, she decided to participate in the Dungeon Expedition in order to get used to fighting against strong monsters.

Although she didn't mind always being saved by William, she didn't want to become a burden to him, especially when it came to critical moments.

A few minutes later, the dying shriek of the Orc Chieftain resounded inside the Boss Room. After getting the treasure chests, and beast cores, the group once again continued their descent to the lower floors of the dungeon.

Their target was the 70th Floor, and according to William's estimates, it would still take them a day before they fully conquered the Dungeon that held great importance to the Familiamancer's Job Advancement.

Chapter 759: You Call THAT A Perfect Being?

Muspelheim was the land of the Fire Demons, Giants, and other sinister monsters, whose fiery temperament had led to the destruction of many worlds in the multiverse.

They were the World Destroyers that were led by one of the Gods of Destruction, Surtr. Currently this frightening being was bathing in lava, inside the giant volcano that was located in the center of the planet.

"Your Excellency, the battle that is being waged on the World of Fuma, is about to come to an end," A Fire Demon who was four meters tall said in a respectful tone. "Our warriors are victorious and have successfully destroyed the World Core. The planet has started to collapse on itself, and it is only a matter of time before all life inside it will be given eternal rest."

"Good," Surtr replied. "Any news about the expedition teams that we dispatched to the other worlds?"

"To answer Excellency's question, All three thousand exploration groups have long departed Muspelheim and Jotunheim. The majority of them have already arrived at the worlds that were assigned to them and are currently battling against the denizens of those worlds."

The Fire Demon lowered its head. "Some of them had activated their Destroyer Beacons to ask for assistance."

"How many?"

"Around three hundred and thirty, Your Excellency."

Surtr stood up from the lava and walked out of the crater of the Volcano. He then grabbed his helmet, and donned his armor. Raising his hand, a giant flaming sword appeared, immolating Surtr's body in a cloak of flames.

"Tell my Destroyer Legion to prepare for an invasion," Surtr ordered.

The Fire Demon bowed his head before leaving the scene.

Surtr took giant strides as he headed towards the direction of the Void Gate. As the God of Destruction, his sole purpose was to destroy worlds.

"I just hope that these resisting worlds will entertain me," Surtr muttered as he looked at the Giant Gate that would lead him to the worlds that were resisting their invasion.

Soon, the sounds of battlehorns reached his ears.

Surtr allowed a chuckle to escape his lips as he turned around to see his mighty army.

Billions of Giants, Fire Demons, Trolls, and other Monsters roared in unison. With just a glance, Surtr could see the excitement on their faces.

"To war!" Surtr roared.

""To War!""

With a domineering laugh filled with confidence, the God of Destruction stepped into the Void Gate. Not long after, the Army of World Destroyers followed suit.

Within the Temple of the Ten Thousand Gods, the Jade

Emperor shook his head.

"Another world is about to be destroyed," the Jade Emperor said as he sighed in his heart. "I pity those who will come face to face with this army. With Surtr personally leading them, all hope is lost. What do you think?"

The Emperor of the Celestial Realm glanced at the Monkey King who was busy picking his nose.

"I think they should take a vacation," Sun Wukong said after flicking the filth in his hand away, which landed on the Jade Emperor's Wine Cup.

The corner of the Jade Emperor's lips twitched when he saw what had transpired. He then raised his hand and ordered his steward to replace the cup that had been soiled by the Monkey King's lack of manners.

"Okay, let's set aside those World Destroyers for the time being," the Jade Emperor stated. "Tell me. What is your excuse for taking Zhu and Sha to that boy's world?"

"Excuse? What are you talking about?"

"Are you playing dumb with me? I am asking you why you agreed to help Zhu and Sha? You already know that I planned to let them reincarnate in a better world, and not a world that is about to be destroyed!"

The Jade Emperor slammed his fist on the armrest of his throne. Thunder rumbled in the heavens, and lightning flashed in the sky. Clearly, he was very displeased by Sun Wukong's meddlesome actions, which had ruined his plan for his two loyal subordinates.

Sun Wukong was unfazed by the Jade Emperor's actions. He didn't fear anyone, even if that person was one of the Strongest Gods in existence.

"Have you heard of that famous saying 'Man proposes, God disposes?'" Sun Wukong asked back in a teasing tone. "This saying means that Mortals can make any plans they want, but it's God that decides their success or failure."

The Monkey King lazily laid on his back as he took out one of the peaches that were in his pocket. He then rubbed it on his robe before blowing at it.

"If Mortals knew that the Gods whom they prayed to were not omnipotent, I wonder what they would think?" Sun Wukong eyed the Jade Emperor before taking a bite at the peach in his hand.

"We. Are. Omnipotent."

"Yeah? Then if you are omnipotent, why can't you prevent me from smuggling two demons to a world that is about to be destroyed? Doesn't this contradict your statement?"

The Jade Emperor snorted. "You took advantage of the fact that I was handling important business when you smuggled the two of them to that world."

"Which proved my case. You are not omnipotent."

"Sophism!"

The Monkey King chuckled as he took another bite on the peach in his hand.

"Sophism? I call this incompetence. Do you really think of Gods as perfect beings?"

"Yes."

The Monkey King Snorted and pointed at the God of Lolicons who was currently running away from the FBI God.

"You call THAT a Perfect Being?" Sun Wukong sneered.

The Jade Emperor lightly cleared his throat. "New Generation Gods are not included in this discussion. They're a bunch of…"

"A bunch of?"

"A bunch of, you know!"

"I don't." Sun Wukong shook his head. He then stood up and started to walk away from the Jade Palace. "I guess it is about time for you to re-evaluate yourself, and make your stance on this matter. Don't think you can fool anyone with what you are trying to do in the background."

Sun Wukong somersaulted in the air and disappeared. However, the mocking words that followed echoed across the sky, reaching the Jade Emperor who was seated on his heavenly throne.

"Most of the things worth doing in the world have been declared IMPOSSIBLE, before they were done. People who say it cannot be done should just roll over to the side, and not interrupt those who are doing it."

The Jade Emperor shook his head as if to ignore the Monkey King's words.

"Stupid monkey," the Jade Emperor muttered.. There was a hint of sadness on his face as he gazed in the world that was about to meet its end. "Who said that I didn't try?"

Chapter 760: I See. So, You Are Just His Friend.

Several days passed, and the students of Hestia Academy were busy doing quest after quest, in order to raise their evaluation before the Assessment Test was over.

Of course, there were a few exceptions to this rule.

Princess Eowyn, Princess Aila, Lilith, Kenneth, and Pearl, were put under house arrest. The Headmaster had told them that there was no need for them to do any missions because the Myriad Beast incident was already enough for all of them to pass the evaluation.

Although Princess Eowyn didn't mind accepting the Headmaster's decision, Lilith argued that she didn't do anything of merit when the Myriad Beast exposed itself.

In fact, the Amazon Princess insisted that they were saved by William, so their mission didn't count. However, her attitude did a 180 degree turn when the Headmaster gave her a hundred thousand Merit Points as compensation.

She even praised the Headmaster for being wise before going to the Academy's Exchange Department to cash out her merit points and purchase some of the Unique Equipment and artifacts that were stored in the Academy's treasury.

Inside the Girl's Dormitory…

Claire was looking at Conan who was sleeping on a cushy pillow inside Princess Aila's room.

The Little Devil had been sleeping for several days already, but Claire knew that his life wasn't in danger. Princess Aila had made sure to inject his body with Life Magic on a regular basis, to hasten his recovery.

When Claire heard the news about Conan's incident, she immediately went to see the Devil Familiar to confirm for herself if the news were true or not.

As a Progenitor Familiar, Claire was able to detect the abnormalities that had happened in Conan's body. She had seen this before once, when Chloee stupidly went past her 70% limit, during her fight against the strongest Demigod of Hestia, Tarasque.

As Claire watched over the sleeping Conan, the door of the room opened and Princess Aila appeared, carrying a small bottle in her hand. It was a rejuvenation potion that she had exchanged some of the Merit Points she had received from their mission for.

"His condition is already stable," Claire said. "You don't have to use that rejuvenation potion on him. Even if you did, he would still remain unconscious for a few more days."

Princess Aila frowned, but she still opened the cork of the rejuvenation potion, and gently placed it over Conan's lips.

Claire sighed, but she didn't keep the angelic looking lady from taking action on her desire to help

Conan recover faster.

Only when the bottle was emptied did Claire move towards Conan, and placed her hand over his chest. She was checking to see if there were any changes. Princess Aila did the same, and for a few minutes, silence descended inside the room.

Suddenly, Claire looked up at Princess Aila. Their gazes met and the corner of Claire's lips curled up into a smile.

"What is your relationship with him?" Claire asked.

"Conan is my Best Friend," Princess Aila replied. "How about you? What is your relationship with him?"

"I am his…," Claire pondered for a brief moment before finishing her sentence. "I am his Good Friend."

The two ladies eyed each other before coming to an understanding.

"I see. So, you are just his Friend."

"Right. A Friend. Just like you."

Suddenly, a soft sigh escaped Conan's lips. One of the fingers in his hand twitched, and this movement caught Princess Aila and Claire's attention.

The Little Devil's eyes started to flutter, but it soon returned to its normal state. Soon, the breathing of a deep sleeper reached the two ladies' ears. A trace of disappointment appeared on their faces because they thought that Conan was about to wake up.

Sadly, the Familiar was still in deep sleep, and seemed to be dreaming about something. This was the conclusion the two ladies had because Conan would mutter things from time to time, but his words were either too low, or too jumbled to be understood.

They had already done what they could.

Now, the only thing that they had to do was wait.

—–

High above the Kyrintor Mountains…

"Your Excellency, are you leaving already?" Takam asked.

Ella nodded her head. "Yes. The threat has been dealt with, and our world is safe for the time being. I plan to go to the Central Continent to reunite with William."

"Then, is there something else that I can do for you?"

"No, but, please, prepare for what is to come in the future. We need all the help we can get."

Takam nodded his head in understanding. "Understood. I will do my best."

Ella smiled and walked down the Kyrintor Mountains along with the members of the Angorian War Sovereign.

Although she said that she planned to go to the Central Continent to see William, she still needed to meet up with a few people before going on her journey to reunite with William.

Her first stop would be to visit Lont. After that, she would go and see Wendy and Est.

She had long recognized them as William's lovers, so she thought that it was necessary to tell them a few things about what would happen in the future.

'I haven't been keeping track of how many lovers William has at the moment,' Ella thought. 'So, there is Wendy, Est, Ashe, and that Princess from Freesia. That makes it four out of nine. It has been several months since I've seen him. Is it possible that the number of his wife candidates has increased?'

A rare pouting expression appeared on Ella's face as she thought of the red-headed teenager who was far away from her reach.

'Well, I'll find out soon enough,' Ella thought as she led the way down the Kyrintor Mountains. The pout on her face disappeared and was replaced by a mischievous smile.

'I wonder how he will react when he sees me?' Ella mused. 'Maybe it's still too early. I guess I'll stay in my former form when I meet him. It will not be too late to let him see my true form after I assess the situation.'

The goats following behind her were also thinking of the same thing. They had been with William since they were born, and they were also excited to show him their evolved forms.

Takam watched them go from on top of his castle and sighed internally.

'Uncertainty is the most stressful thing,' Takam thought. 'Still, the only thing that is certain is that nothing is certain. Perhaps a miracle will happen.'

The Demigod of the Kyrintor Mountains shook his head as he returned inside his castle.. He knew that thinking of the future was useless, for it would come soon enough.

Chapter 69 - 751-760

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