Chapter 1231 Felix’s Unexpected Move
A day after the Pope had ordered Audrey and the ten Inquisitors to go to the meeting place that William had decided on, an unexpected incident happened in the Central Continent.
Felix, who was thought to be biding his time in the Zabia Kingdom, made an unexpected move that threw the Alliance’s as well as the Holy Order’s plan into disarray.
The Demon Army had suddenly appeared in the territory of the Elun Empire, which was located between the territories of the Kraetor Empire, and the Ares Empire that belonged to the Amazons.
Due to how sudden these events were, and due to the location, it would be impossible for the forces of the Alliance or the Holy Order of Light, who were in the southwestern regions of the Central Continent, to come to their aid in a short period of time.
All the Kingdoms, and Empires had sent a fifth of their total army to participate in the Alliance and Crusade against Felix, so their lands were not completely defenseless.
Even so, there were very few things that they could do if their opponents were Demigods, and Pseudo-Gods.
After a fierce battle, a quarter of the Elun Empire was taken over by the Demon Army in less than a day. If not for the fact that the empire itself was standing on a Ley Line, and was using it to invoke a protective barrier on the cities near its capital, the Demon Army might have taken more land.
For now, the Pseudo-Gods and Demigods of the Holy Order went to reinforce their ally because no one else would be of any help to the Elun Empire, which was currently holding back the Demonic Invasion through gritted teeth.
After hearing the news, the Pope decided to prevent any of the Virtues from going into battle.
Now that Melody, Shana, and Audrey were not in the Palace of Light, they would be unable to use the special formations that could deal a sufficient threat to Felix and the Pseudo-Gods under his command.
“What we must do right now is endure,” the Pope said to the remaining members of the Seven Virtues in the conference room. “We can’t allow any of you to be kidnapped again. The enemy is too cunning and the Six-Eared Macaque can transform into almost anything. It will be best to let the Pseudo-Gods deal with them first.”
Lira and Ephemera nodded their heads in agreement. Although the Virtues were strong, they were not a match against Pseudo-Gods who had broken the balance of their world.
“Should we not recall Audrey?” Cherry asked. “Isn’t it dangerous for her to meet with that Dark Prince? What if he captures her, too?”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” the Pope answered. “The Dark Prince cannot break the contract and vice versa. Audrey will be safe. We just need to know Melody’s and Shana’s condition and make sure that they are fine.”
“I bet they are being tortured right now,” Cherry said with an aggrived look on her face. “That Dark Prince is scum.”
Lira’s lips were twitching because she was fighting the strong urge to pinch the little girl’s cheeks for bad mouthing her beloved William. If not for the fact that Ephemera’s hand had pressed down on her leg from under the conference table, the Virtuous Lady of Temperance might have already stood from her seat and pulled the little girl’s cheeks out of irritation.
Celeste and Claire were paying close attention to Lira’s and Ephemera’s expressions. With a single glance, they could see the irritation on Lira’s face, while Ephemera remained calm. Their suspicion that the two ladies had an agreement with William rose, which made them exchange a glance at each other.
“All of you will stay here in the Palace of Light,” the Pope stated before standing up from her seat. “I will give you more details once our forces have engaged with the Demons. For now, stay put. Especially you, Cherry. You like to sneak away due to your Divinity. I’m telling you now that you are not allowed to do it.”
“Fine,” Cherry answered with a pout. She had already planned to follow Audrey and check for herself that Shana and Melody were fine. Her power allowed her to turn invisible, and very few people could detect her in this state.
If not for William’s System, he might have not been able to see Cherry spying in his talks with Melody and Shana back then.
—–
Floor of Asgard…
“… Elun Empire,” William muttered. “Should I make a move as well?”
The Kraetor Empire was Princess Sidonie’s second home. It was also where she and William got married, so the Half-Elf didn’t want his wife’s second home to fall into ruin.
Also, just like the Kraetor Empire, the Ares Empire, which was the home of the Amazons, was also Elun Empire’s neighbor. It was only natural for the two Empires to support their ally, and reinforce them during the Demon Army’s invasion.
“If I was Felix, I will definitely target the Ares Empire next,” William said softly as he looked at the Map of the Central Continent.
He was well aware of what Felix was doing with the women of the territories that he had conquered. Also, the Demon Race was always looking for talented women to bring to the Demon Realm to sire strong Demons for them.
If one were to think about it, the Empire that the Demon Army would surely decide to conquer next would be none other than the Amazon Empire, where the strongest women of the Central Continent could be found.
“Astrape, Bronte, Titania, Triton, and the Nymphs, come!” William ordered and the seven Pseudo-Gods appeared in front of him.
They looked at the black-haired teenager’s serious expression and realized that something big must have happened for the Half-Elf to have that kind of look on his face.
“Astrape, Bronte, and Titania, go to the Ares Empire to reinforce them if they get attacked by the Demon Army,” William stated. “The Nymphs and Triton will go to the Kraetor Empire to act as support. Make sure to hide your identities, and make the enemies think that you are the hidden Trump Cards of the two Empires. No matter what happens, you can’t let them know that you are connected to me. Do I make myself clear?”
“””Yes, Master!”””
William was tempted to send Sepheron with them, but the Black Phoenix would easily be recognized by his enemies. If that were to happen, Felix might become suspicious about how William suddenly got strong beings to be his subordinates.
This was a secret that William wanted to keep for as long as he could. That way, when he and Felix clashed, the green-haired Demon, who was also known as the Heir of Darkness, wouldn’t be able to react to his trump cards.
Now that the situation in the Central Continent had changed once again, the tension between the different factions would rise once again.
‘Did he attack under Ahriman’s orders?’ William thought. ‘If yes, then I need to speed up my preparations as well.’
The image of Melody and Shana appeared in the black-haired teenager’s mind for a brief moment. The two girls had somewhat gotten closer to him in their own way, which started with a simple kiss.
‘I guess I need to put the finishing touches on those two as well,’ William thought. ‘Although I planned to keep them for a month, the Holy Order needs them right now. I guess I’ll just let them stay for a few more days then have Audrey escort them back to the Palace of Light.’
The Half-Elf believed that the two Virtuous Lady had somewhat accepted the fact that not all Demons were bad. Also, their relationships with Invidia and Superbia were surprisingly decent as well.
The black-haired teenager wasn’t dense, so he could feel the budding feelings that were taking root in Melody’s heart. However, right now, he couldn’t afford to take chances and corrupt her, making her similar to Chloee, who had embraced the Darkness and had transformed into a Succubus.
Although he was curious about what would happen if a Virtuous Lady was corrupted by Darkness, he still thought that doing this was something that he didn’t want to do. As for what would happen in the future, even the Prince of Darkness couldn’t see past through the black veil that hung before him.
