Chapter 1241 William's Choice
"And this is the current situation we are facing," Audrey explained. "I apologize in advance, but we really need to have Melody and Shana return as soon as possible."
William glanced down at Audrey from his Obsidian Throne. It was a position of power which reminded the Virtuous Lady that the one calling the shots here was the Prince of Darkness, and not her.
Also, the Half-Elf had been able to verify Audrey's claims due to his connection with Lira, Ephemera, and Cherry. Not only that, Chloee had personally asked Celeste through their connection, and the beautiful Elf confirmed that the Demon Army had indeed taken over the Elun Empire in a Blitzkrieg attack.
"I understand your concern," William replied as he gave a side-long glance at a reluctant looking Melody that was standing behind Audrey. "Very well, I will agree to release Melody and Shana tomorrow. Even if you leave now, it will take you several days before you return the next city that has a long-distance teleportation gate.
"Also, I don't feel safe letting you girls travel across the continent in these troubled times. Because of this, I will send you directly to Hestia Academy. Are you fine with this arrangement?"
Audrey's eyes widened in shock after hearing William's words. In order to reach the Tower of Babylon in the fastest time possible, the Holy Order of Light had to use a considerable amount of resources in order to teleport Audrey and her escorts just outside its borders.
They had to use the Flying Ship after that and had to travel another half day before reaching their destination. If William could really teleport them to Hestia Academy, where a dedicated portal was reserved for the Holy Order, they would be able to cut their travel time down several days if they just waited for the Half-Elf to finish his preparations.
"We will be very grateful for that," Audrey said with relief. "To be honest, after my sisters got captured, the thought of traveling across the Central Continent with our small group was quite worrisome."
William smiled. "Then, please wait for one more day. I will guarantee that all of you will be able to return safely to participate in the war against the Demonic Army."
Audrey was about to say something, but decided to keep it to herself. However, William was quite curious about what was on her mind, so he asked the young lady what was troubling her.
"I know that it is presumptuous of me to ask this, but do you have any plans in regards to the Heir of Darkness?" Audrey inquired. "Do you plan to fight him? If yes, we can collaborate with each other and drive him into a corner."
William nodded. "Of course I plan to fight against him. You already know that the two of us cannot exist under the same sky. Either he dies, or I die. As for collaborations… I'd like to decline your offer. I prefer to do things at my own pace. But, rest assured. If there will come a time when I can offer you my help, just like how I saved Melody and Shana from Felix's evil clutches, I will be more than willing to extend a helping hand."
"Thank you for your help."
"You're welcome."
Shana, who was standing beside Melody couldn't stop the smirk that appeared on her face. Although the two of them might have been saved from Felix's evil clutches, the Dark Prince, who stood before them, still managed to get under Melody's skirt in a roundabout manner.
Still, she believed that William's decision to delay their departure from the Thousand Beast Domain for one more day was done for Melody's sake.
Knowing how her friend had fallen for the handsome Half-Elf, she could feel William's sincere desire to not make her part with him empty handed.
Melody also had a relieved look on her face. If she could stay with William for one more day, she would be able to part ways with him in a proper manner, and not leave with regrets in her heart.
After the meeting ended, William immediately ordered the Pseudo-Gods that were keeping a low profile in the Kraetor and Ares Empires to ensure that the Demon Army could not advance within the two Empires' territories.
The Kraetor Empire was the birthplace of Princess Sidonie's mother, and the royal family there were her relatives. For the sake of his beloved wife, William would not allow it to be taken over by the Demons.
The Ares Empire on the other hand, was Lilith's homeland. As the Half-Elf's fiance, he would not allow the Amazon Princess to encounter hardships.
Because of these reasons, he had mobilized all of the Pseudo-Gods under his command, with the exception of Sepheron, to defend both empires.
The Black Phoenix was known to belong to William's side, and having him enter the battlefield would only raise suspicions as to which faction the unfamiliar Pseudo-Gods belonged to.
'How is the situation on your end, Lilith?' William asked via telepathy.
Both Lilith and him were wearing magical earrings that formed a pair. Through this, the two could communicate over great distances and talk in real time.
"All the Warriors of our Empire have mobilized," Lilith answered. "The non-combatants were taken to a safe location. Thank you for sending Astrape, Bronte, and Titania to guard our Empire. With them around, the Demon Army won't be able to gain an advantage over our forces."
"This is the least that I can do," William said softly. "Be careful. If anything happens, just tell me right away and I'll be there as soon as possible."
"Thank you. Also, I love you, Will."
"I love you too. Keep me updated."
"Mmm."
After making sure that his fiance was safe, William was left with two choices.
Right now, the cooldown to summon Sun Wukong hasn't ended yet, but he could still use his Heroic Avatar, allowing him to jump through the ranks and reach the Peak Stage of the Demigod Rank.
He was confident that even if he faced the Bull Demon King, Princess Iron Fan, and Da Peng, he would be able to escape easily from their clutches. His only concern was whether Ahriman's Avatar would appear on the battlefield or not.
As a Primordial God, even an avatar was more than enough to turn the tides of battle. This was also the main concern of the Holy Order of Light, so they had given the Celestial Raiment to Melody, allowing her Patron Goddess to descend to the world of Hestia and wield her full powers.
Naturally, the Celestial Raiment had a restriction and couldn't be used in a casual way. This was the Holy Order of Light's Trump Card, which would allow them to fight Ahriman on even footing if he so chose to appear on the battlefield.
Unfortunately, William didn't have this convenient artifact in his possession. Although he could have taken it from Melody, he chose to let her keep it in order to keep herself, Shana, as well as Lira and Ephemera safe.
After pondering for an hour, William heard a knock on the door of his room. Without waiting for his reply, Melody came in with a longing look on her face.
No words were shared between the two of them, because there was no need to say anything.
This was the last time that they would be together before the Virtuous Lady of Faith would head to the battlefield to fight for the peace of the Central Continent. Right now, what she needed was William's warmth, and love, to allow her to endure the days they could not be together.
The Dark Prince didn't reject her initiative because this was also why he decided to delay her departure by a day.
He wanted Melody to understand that she was now his woman, and he would care for her even if she didn't ask for it.
As he embraced the beautiful lady in his arms, the Half-Elf finally made up his mind to use everything he had at his disposal, and join the war to protect the people that were important to him.
While William was making love to his new lover, he had sent a mental note to Chloee and ordered her to mobilize his army in the Silvermoon Continent.
After several weeks of preparation, the Drows, who had all submitted to William, were now ready to join the war and fight their nemesis in the Central Continent.
The Guardians of the Silvermoon Continent had also agreed to participate in the battle. With the addition of two more Pseudo-Gods, and several Demigods, the army that William commanded was enough to conquer any Empire, or Kingdom, in the world.
He had been waiting for this moment and, this time, he would not be as helpless as he once was. He would show the Primordial God of Darkness and Chaos that he was no longer the Half-Elf that he could easily crush underneath his feet.