The Half-Elf collapsed on the ground covered in wounds.
It took everything he had to remain conscious after the God of Death’s repeated attacks on his body. He could tell that Thanatos had no intention of killing him, but that didn’t stop the latter from making him suffer excruciating pain until his life hung by a hair’s breadth.
Right now, he couldn’t even move a finger, due to the injuries he received.
“Please, Father,” Erinys pleaded. “Please stop hurting Will.”
Thanatos snorted before crossing his arms over his chest.
“I will spare him, but you must promise to remain here in the Underworld with me,” Thanatos replied. “You can no longer return to the surface world, and you will break all of your connections with this weakling. You are also not allowed to see, or talk to him in any way possible. If you agree to these conditions, I will let the Half-Elf go.”
Erinys looked at William who wasn’t moving from the ground and bit her lip. She didn’t want the Half-Elf to suffer, and if she could trade herself for his safety then she would gladly do it.
“If I do as you ask, will you allow him to take the souls of his wives back to the Surface World as well?” Erinys asked as her vision blurred due to her tears that were falling like rain.
“Yes,” Thanatos replied. “I will allow it.”
The Half-ling took one more glance at the Half-Elf whose blood had already started to create a small puddle on the ground. Erinys knew that if this continued, even if her father was holding back, the person she loved would die.
Because of this, she took a deep breath and opened her lips to give her father an answer.
“Believe in him.”
The Half-ling looked down at the crystal vials that she was holding in her hands.
Chiffon, Princess Sidonie, Morgana, and Ashe, looked at her with determined expressions on their faces.
“Stop interfering, you pests!” Thanatos roared as he raised his hand to make a grabbing motion.
A moment later, the crystal vials in Erinys hands floated in the air and flew in the direction of the God of Death, who grabbed them firmly in his hands.
“If I knew that all of you would just cause me endless trouble, I would have minded my own business and allowed Ahriman to absorb all of your souls,” Thanatos gripped the crystal vials firmly, causing its exterior to crack. “You ungrateful wenches! I should have thrown all of you into the River of Flames where all of you belonged!”
Thanatos crushed the crystal vials, causing Chiffon’s, Princess Sidonie’s, Morgana’s, and Ashe’s Souls to float around him.
“I’ve been too soft as of late, I should have made you understand who makes the rules in this place!” Thanatos growled.
pAn,Da-n0v e1,c
William had come to the Underworld to save his wives, and if their Souls were bathed in Hell Flame, it would cause severe damages to their souls. Even if William succeeded in returning their souls to their bodies back in the surface world, it was possible that they would remain in a vegetative state for life.
However, before the Hellish Flames could reach the soul of the four ladies, a wooden staff smashed into the side of Thanatos’s face, making him take a few steps back.
“The truth is, I sympathize with you,” William said as he slowly moved the fingers on his hand.
“If I had a daughter as loveable as Erinys, I would probably lock her up as well to prevent her from getting hurt.”
The Half-Elf who had been lying on the ground earlier, slowly propped himself up using his right hand.
“If there was a guy who suddenly appeared to take her away from me, I would also beat the crap out of him until he was half dead.
“However, I disagree with your methods of parenting,” The color of William’s hair slowly turned silver. “You have done everything in your power to protect your daughter, but you have failed as a father.”
“If I have a daughter like Erinys, I will never, ever, leave her alone, making her feel lonely.”
The Half-Elf then raised his head to look at the God of Death with a steely gaze.
“I will give her the best presents on her birthday, and tell her Happy Birthday.
“I will take her to the amusement park on the weekends to have fun.
“I will buy her toys that she can play with.
“I will make sure that she is always smiling.
“And last but not the least, I will tell her I love her.
The wooden staff that had accompanied William since he was a baby flew in his direction, and the Half-Elf held it firmly in his hands, using it as something to lean on to support his body.
“You’ve already hurt your daughter, and now you plan to hurt my wives?!” the Half-Elf roared as the wounds on his body started to heal at a rapid pace.
His green-eyes, which glowed like emeralds, slowly turned golden, and a pair of white wings sprouted from his back.
“It’s hard to fight with only a quarter of my soul,” William stated as the white gem in his chest turned blue.
Chiffon’s, Princess Sidonie’s, Morgana’s, and Ashe’s souls, flew towards his chest, merging with him.
A golden flame suddenly appeared on WIlliam’s forehead, and two small horns grew out of his head.
Particles of blue light spread out from under his feet, making him float in the air, as if they were some kind of rocket booster.
“My soul may not be complete,” William said. “But now, the sleeping part of my soul has finally merged together, allowing me to have half of my soul.”
A shockwave erupted within the Fourth Layer of the Underworld with William at the center.
His rank that had stagnated at the peak of the Demigod Rank, had finally broken through after the other half of his soul, which had been sleeping in the Bell of Amalthea finally awakened, allowing him to break through to the Pseudo-God Rank.
Holding the wooden staff in his hand, a weapon that had rightfully belonged to him since birth, the Half-Elf faced the God of Death, who had re-summoned his Deathscythe.
“Playtime’s over, Boy,” Thanatos declared as the Deathscythe in his hand turned crimson.
William faced the God of Death fearlessly as the silhouettes of his wives appeared behind him, supporting him in his fight, by lending him their powers.
“Yes,” William replied as a small spark ignited within the depths of his golden eyes.
Even though he had become a Pseudo-God, it was still too early for him to fight against a God.
But, right now, he felt as if he had awakened a small part of the power that had long remained dormant in his soul.
A power that had accompanied him throughout his past lifetimes.
A power that was supposed to become part of a prophecy that had been fulfilled in a roundabout manner.
Deep inside William’s subconscious mind, Optimus felt himself shudder, half in excitement, and half in fear of the unknown potential that William was slowly, but surely, starting to awaken from its thousands of years of slumber.
