After receiving William’s notice, the various rulers of all the Kingdoms and Empires in the Continent all decided to stay out of the war that was about to unfold.
Since they didn’t know where the Main Headquarters of the Holy Order Of Light was located, they decided to send lookout parties to every corner of the Central Continent, in order to look for signs that the war had started.
A big battle would certainly leave traces, and they would be on the lookout for those traces. Once they had confirmed the whereabouts of the Palace of Light, they would immediately head there, and witness the battle that would decide the fate of the Central Continent.
Suddenly, in a hidden valley located at the very center of the Central Continent, a golden portal opened.
A moment later, a black-haired teenager stepped out of it and glanced at the magnificent Palace that also served as the Main Headquarters of the Holy Order of Light.
With a wave of his hand, countless portals appeared on the land and in the sky and Monsters started to pour out of them, numbering in the tens of thousands and steadily increasing.
Suddenly, the tolling of bells reverberated in the surroundings. It was the signal that their enemy had arrived, and alerted everyone to prepare for battle.
The Palace of Light’s Radiance grew brighter, as if warding off the great evil that had come to destroy it.
Five powerful presences stood on the balcony of the Palace and stared at the approaching Monsters with calm expressions on their faces.
They were none other than the five Pseudo-Gods that had been summoned by the Pope to fight for their side in the war against the Dark Prince.
Belle stood at the very center, and her gaze never left the Half-Elf, who was also looking straight at her.
“You’re finally here,” Belle said softly.
“Yes,” William replied. “I have come to send you, and that hateful Pope, to the afterlife.”
The two stared at each other without even blinking. Belle had long wanted to see and talk to William the moment she was summoned to Hestia, but the Half-Elf had never appeared during their battles in the Ainsworth Empire.
Unlike the other Pseudo-Gods, Belle never targeted any of the innocents whenever they attacked William’s territory. She only focused on targeting the cheeky and foul-mouthed Loxos, who also carried the Half-Elf’s mark on her womb.
“Welcome, Dark Prince. It is time for you to know your place!” the Pope shouted as she stood beside the Altar of Light. After making her declaration, she raised her scepter high up in the air and activated the defenses of the Palace of Light.
“Kyrie Eleison!”
A moment later, muffled groans were heard as the four Virtuous Ladies’ Divinities were harnessed in order to power up the Castle’s defenses.
Lira, Ephemera, Shana, and Melody were shackled to four pillars, preventing them from speaking, moving, and escaping.
After hearing their pained cries, the Half-Elf’s face contorted in anger when he saw his women suffering due to the Pope’s machinations.
“Kill her!” the Half-Elf ordered.
Immediately, six of the Pseudo-Gods serving him sprang into action.
Astrape, Bronte, Sepheron, Opis, Loxos, and Hekaerge, immediately started their bombardment on the barrier that protected the Palace of Light.
Six Pseudo-Gods unleashed their full might, creating explosions on the barrier’s surface, and making the ground tremble. However, the barrier endured and their attacks didn’t even leave a scratch on its surface.
The Pope sneered after seeing the outcome of the bombardment that was being directed in her direction.
Several magical cannons appeared on the Palace of Light and aimed at the monsters that were making their way towards the barrier. Magical power started gathering in their bodies until they were all charged up and ready to fire.
“Time for all of you to die!” the Pope pointed her scepter at William’s Army and roared.
“Lex Eterna!”
The magical cannons all roared to life and beams of light illuminated the night sky, completely obliterating those who were unable to resist its might in a straight line.
Many monsters were instantly killed by the magical cannons, but the number of monsters didn’t stop their advance as more of them poured out of the countless portals on the land and in the sky.
William was paying close attention to the four ladies whose Divinities were being siphoned from their bodies.
He could tell that as long as they were tied up on their respective Magic Circles, the Pope would treat them as her batteries to keep the Palace of Light’s main defenses active, making them suffer.
“Do you think I didn’t know that these sluts had already become your playthings?!” the Pope sneered at the Half-Elf whose killing intent was steadily rising. “Since they are not willing to fight for me unconditionally, I will make use of them against their will.
“Tell me, how does it feel to see these sluts, whom you toyed with, suffer? Do you hear their muffled screams? Are you enjoying their suffering? Good! I’ll let you enjoy it to the fullest. Die, Half-Elf!”
The Pope then pointed her scepter towards the Half-Elf in the distance, and all the magical cannons in the palace all aimed their muzzles in his direction.
“Lex Eterna!”
A concentrated beam of light, that was almost blinding, shot out towards the Half-Elf. It was shot at an angle that, if William were to dodge, would hit the flying ship behind him, where Shannon and Erinys were staying.
The Pope was paying close attention to the battlefield and was using everything to her advantage. Even if she didn’t succeed in killing William with the cannon fire, she would certainly kill the people that were important to him.
The Half-Elf didn’t move and summoned the golden metallic staff in his hands.
“Sweep away all Adversaries!” William roared. “Ruyi Jingu Bang!”
The golden staff immediately grew in size as it collided with the concentrated cannon fire that was aimed in his direction.
What followed next was an earth-shaking explosion that obliterated the land, and monsters that were near the point of impact.
This was the first exchange between William and the Pope, and both of them were looking at each other with the intent to kill.
