Chapter 633 - The Heart Moves Where The Heart Wills [Part 1]
William sped upwards with all his might in order to catch up to the fleeing Guardian. Something was telling him that if he allowed Belial to leave his sights, he would never see Chiffon ever again.
The mist that carried the pink-haired girl condensed together and Belial took on his Demonic form. He was just a few hundred meters away from the anchor that bound him to the Domain. As long as he would be able to pass that point, he would be able to get rid of the pursuer that was slowly closing the gap between them.
As the Guardian made his final sprint, a portal appeared a few meters in front of him.
Two colorful birds flew past him and glared hatefully at the person who tried to take their close friend against her will.
"F*ck you!" B1 screeched as it unleashed a barrage of magic missiles from the two lollipops it was holding in its claws.
The Magic Missiles' damage was dependent upon William's intelligence stat. Right now, the Half-Elf's intelligence stat was at 1,322, which allowed the power of the indigo lollipop to reach a threatening level.
B1 had properly aimed his attack in order to not hurt Chiffon. The magic bullets peppered Belial's body making him lose his hold on the young lady in his arms.
The Guardian was about to retrieve the girl, but a second wave of Magic Bullets once again slammed into his body without any shred of mercy.
"F*ck you too!" B2 cursed out of anger.
The attack had pushed Belial away, preventing him from chasing the falling girl, and bringing her to his private Domain.
Unbeknownst to William, Chiffon had secretly made B1 and B2 her Beast Companions. The two Dumb Birds had been the pink-haired girl's close friends ever since William had brought her to the Thousand Beast Domain.
They had long wanted to appear on the Devil's Floor because they had sensed that something had happened to Chiffon. However, the laws of the world had prevented them from doing so.
When William's clone, who was wielding Arondight, unleashed a powerful attack, the two birds' connection to Chiffon strengthened, allowing them to come to her rescue.
Belial roared in anger as he reformed his body and regenerated his wounds. He was about to try again to reclaim the young bride, when two powerful screeches rang in his ear.
""Brave Angray Bird!""
The two dumb birds' bodies grew until their wingspan was three meters long.
B1 transformed into a Red Phoenix, while B2 transformed into a Blue Phoenix.
The two phoenixes shrouded themselves in flame as they rammed Belial with their body.
"F*cking Cunt, how dare you hurt our Chiffon?!" B1 cursed angrily and clawed Belial's face until its blazing claws drew blood.
B2 wasn't being idle either as it used its burning wings to slap Belial's back making him cough a mouthful of green blood.
"B*tch, this Sir is going to tear you apart. F*cking motherf*cker!" B2 cursed as it clawed, pecked, and slapped Belial with its wings, causing the Guardian to scream in pain.
While the two Angray Birds were going on a rampage, William caught Chiffon and headed back towards the Pyramid.
He knew that as long as the pink flower didn't return to where it belonged inside Chiffon's body, her safety was still an issue.
William noticed that Chiffon's body felt cold to the touch. Perhaps, it was due to the humidity in the atmosphere, or perhaps Belial's coldness had rubbed off on her when he carried her towards the skies.
The Half-Elf hugged the girl tighter. He wanted to share his warmth with her, and make sure that she didn't suffer from the cold.
The Clones were busy fending off the minions of the Guardians with their superior firepower. Even though they were completely outnumbered, the power of the Legendary Weapons was not something to sneeze at.
William landed beside the altar while hugging Chiffon. He then looked at the Priestess and asked for the ceremony to continue.
The Priestess nodded her head, but instead of continuing to read the book, she closed it and made a gesture to William.
"Say your vows to her," The Priestess said. "Since she is incapable of giving an answer, it is up to you to profess your feelings for her."
William glanced at the young bride in his arms. He understood that the Priestess was right, and there was no way for Chiffon to answer his vow. However, that was fine with him.
In their past lifetime, it was Chiffon that chased after him. Now, it was his turn. William lowered his body and knelt in front of the pink-haired girl who had accompanied him in his journey through the Tower of Babylon.
While the time that they had spent together was not that long, William knew in his heart that he wanted Chiffon to be part of his life forever.
"I pledge to honor you, love you, and cherish you, as my wife today and every day," William said softly amidst the great battle that was happening around them.
The roars, screams, and war cries, weren't able to pierce the soundproofing spell that he had erected around the altar.
"Today I say, 'I do' but to me that means, 'I will'," William declared with all of his heart. "I will take your hand and stand by your side in the good and the bad. I dedicate myself to your happiness, success, and smile. I will love you forever.
"I promise to be your guiding light in the darkness, a warming comfort in the cold, and a shoulder to lean on when life is too much to bear on your own."
William took out the box that Adephagia had given him when the two of them had met. The Goddess of Gluttony had said that the box would open at the right time, and William believed that "Now" was the right time.
The moment the box was taken out of William's storage ring, it floated in the air and opened by itself. Inside, a golden ring with runic carvings shimmered with expectations.
William took the ring out from the box and reached out to hold Chiffon's delicate left hand.
"I was supposed to say, give me your hand, and I will give you forever." William smiled as he slid the ring that would mark Chiffon as his wife on her ring finger. "Instead, I will promise you that today I will have all the patience and passion that love demands. In the laughter and in the silence, I'll be forever by your side.
"I love you, Chiffon."
The Priestess nodded to acknowledge the vows that William had said. She didn't expect that the boy would be this fluent in proposing his love. It was quite unfortunate that his young bride wasn't able to say her own vows of love in her current state.
"William Von Ainsworth, you have expressed your love to your beloved, and through the commitment and promises you have just made. I now pronounce you husband and wife," the Priestess announced. "You may now kiss the bride."
William half rose as he cupped Chiffon's face. He then pressed his lips over hers and gave her a sweet and lingering kiss.
A kiss that bound them together for the rest of their lives.
The pink flower that floated in front of Chiffon's chest shone brightly. It was like a supernova that illuminated the crimson world that had remained unconquerable for the past thousand years.
When Belial saw this light, he roared in anger and tried to use his power as a Guardian to forcefully take Chiffon's heart who had reached the pinnacle of its power. Unfortunately, the pink-haired girl's two beast companions didn't allow him to do as he wished.
"Not in my watch, Motherf*cker!" B1 angrily slapped Belial's face with its blazing wing and pushed the Guardian a few meters away from his location.
B2's body blazed in a blue radiance as it rammed Belial's body with all its might.
The two dumb birds were willing to use suicidal attacks to prevent Belial from acquiring their Master's heart.
Belial screamed in anger and frustration as the two birds used their bodies to block him at every turn. Although B1 and B2 received severe injuries from Belial's counter-attack they didn't back away and continued their relentless attacks.
They'd rather burn their lives away than allow the Guardian to even touch a strand of hair from Chiffon's head.
Back at the altar, the pink flower embedded itself into Chiffon's chest then disappeared not long after.
It was also at that moment when William's kiss ended. He was about to pull back, when a pair of soft and delicate hands cupped his face, stopping him from moving away.
Chiffon's lifeless eyes slowly regained their vitality and stared straight into William's own green eyes with tenderness.
"Big Brother, was everything that you said earlier true?" Chiffon asked. "The vows that you made, are you going to fulfill them?"
"Yes," William replied with a smile.
"Are we really married? Am I truly your wife?"
"Yes."
"Big Brother, Do you love me?"
"I do."
This time, Chiffon took the initiative and kissed William's lips. Her soft lips, pressed over his as tears slid down the side of her face.
Right now, her heart was beating wildly inside her chest.
She felt loved.
She felt happy.
She felt that her life was finally complete.
Amidst the chaos on that forsaken floor,
Amidst Belial's angry screams,
Amidst the gazes of the other Guardians in the Tower of Babylon,
Two hearts that had been apart for thousands of years…
Had finally become one.