"Icycle Realm!"
A sound similar to hundreds of tinkling glasses reverberated in the surroundings as William activated this Icycle Realm. This spell was one of the most powerful spells in the Ice Wizard job Class.
It allowed William to create a zone where Icicles protruded from the ground. However, it didn't stop there. Within this battle zone, hundreds of sharp icicles crisscrossed in the air, attacking those that the red-headed boy deemed to be his enemy.
Simply put, it was a slaughterhouse that was designed to prevent others from entering, while keeping its victims inside as they got cut down with blades made of ice.
William decided to go all out because he was not confident that he could prevent anyone from getting seriously hurt from the swarm of undead that had appeared from the depths of the fortress.
A hoarse laughter echoed within Avalon as Malakai watched its guests get cornered by his minions from his underground prison. It had been many years since he had seen something entertaining. The hollow sockets of its eyes glowed eerily as it watched the battle that was taking place above ground..
"Do not bother fighting them," William ordered. "These cannon fodders are just here to sap our strength. Just follow me and don't lag behind!"
William waved his hands as several walls of ice blocked the advance of the undead army. He knew that the walls wouldn't hold for long, but it was more than enough for them to gain some distance from the skeletons, who were determined to make William, and his entourage, part of their undead army.
Ashe, who was residing inside William's Sea of Consciousness, was monitoring the changes in his Spiritual World. This was the first time that William had fought for an extended time, and the beautiful mermaid was there to ensure that her lover wouldn't overtax himself by going past his limit.
'Twenty more minutes,' Ashe reminded William. 'After that, I will start to supply you with Spiritual Energy. If possible, do whatever you need to do within that span of time.'
'Understood,' William replied as he cast two Glacial Lance to pierce through two Draugrs that suddenly appeared in front of him. These warriors were a higher form of undead.
A Draugr was often referred to as a revenant or ghost that had gained a physical body.
Unlike zombies, with a decaying exterior, Draugrs had dark-blue skin and possessed immense strength. They were classified as Class C (Mid) Undead, which were as strong as the Angorian War Ibexes in William's herd.
The two Draugrs' were pinned against the wall where they growled in anger. They smashed their hands on the Glacial Lance that had pierced their chests in an attempt to break free from it.
William didn't even bother to give them a second glance as he ran through the spacious hallways of the fortress. Unfortunately, these hallways were also infested with the undead, so William had to use brute force in order to clear the way, so that they could pass.
Fenrir and the trollhounds had positioned themselves to guard the rear, while Ella and the other War Ibexes charged at the front. The Cercopes monkeys were at the center, throwing their Hollow Concrete Blocks that were as hard as steel at any Undead they saw along the way.
In time, even these strong monkeys felt their arms getting heavy from the non-stop throwing that they were doing.
Mohawk understood that his subordinates were reaching their limit and ordered them to just keep pace with William.
Dave and Conrad were also by William's side because the two were not used to fighting multiple enemies at the same time.
The Trollhounds did their best to stop the undead's advance as they used their limited numbers to block the hallway, giving William time to flee.
William understood the Trollhound's mindset, so he didn't stop them from staying behind. The Half-Elf had already blessed them with the power of Rhongomyniad, making their bodies stronger than before.
Right now, Fenrir and his pack of Trollhounds' only had one weakness and that was an acid strong enough to melt Adamantium.
Although the Undead Army could hack them to pieces, they could still regenerate themselves if given enough time, like what happened to the Gigantic Green-Scaled Trollhound that William had faced in the past.
Fenrir growled as he used his special ability to turn himself into a three-meter tall, Silver-Gray Trollhound with bloody eyes.
He clawed, bit, kicked, and swiped any Undead within his strike range. Fenrir had long decided to hold on until he fell from exhaustion. The Trollhounds under his command had the same intention.
They would hold down their line of defense no matter what, and not allow a single Undead to pass through them.
----
"Those dogs are very loyal," Psoglav commented as it ran behind the Half-Elf.
William snorted, "Yes, unlike you who only accompany me to pillage for resources. By the way, our contract is set to expire next month…"
"Hahaha! What are you talking about, Partner? Of course, the contract will be extended!"
"... But, what if I don't want to extend it?"
"William, you shouldn't think like that. Where will you find someone as strong and as smart as me to handle the dirty work for you?" Psoglav asked. "You don't need to do anything, just tell me what to do and it shall be done. I can even promise to stop eating Human meat for five years if you like."
William sighed as he glanced at the shameless Demonic Dog who was looking at him with its single eye. "Meaning, you will eat Humans again after five years?"
"Of course. Ah, but I will compromise. I will only eat the bad guys. That's fine, right?"
"... Fine. Just make sure to do your duties well."
"Naturally! You can count on me, Psoglav, to get things done right."
Right now, the Demonic Dog was a bonafide Class A Beast after enjoying the resources that he had obtained from being William's business partner. Because of this, he had become the strongest Ruler of the Forest among his comrades, and this made them very jealous.
Some of them even asked Psoglav if he would introduce them to William. Clearly, they also wanted to experience the benefits that Psoglav was enjoying through the red-headed boy's company.
The sly Demonic Dog agreed on the surface. But, deep inside, he had no intention of letting his acquaintances hug the Half-Elf's thigh.
He planned to hoard all the resources that he could get from William, and had no plans to share them with anyone!
'Hmp! Trying to steal my game? Not a chance!' Psoglav mused as a devilish grin appeared on its demonic face. It was certain that if it continued to follow William, it would soon step into the Centennial Rank, which had seemed to be far from its reach in the past.
William didn't know that Psoglav wouldn't leave his team even if the Half-Elf were to end their contract. It would shamelessly hug his thigh until he reached the Millennial Rank. Until then, it would shamelessly stick to the golden goose that gave it wealth and power.
Finally, after a great struggle, they finally arrived at their destination.
William raised the sheathed dagger in his hand and the giant gates opened wide to allow him entry.
"Everyone get inside!" William ordered.
The goats, monkeys, the two boys, and Psoglav entered the room without questioning William's orders. William was the last to enter and the gates immediately closed behind him.
"King's Legion!" William shouted.
A brief flash of light illuminated the room before the sound of several bodies collapsing on the floor echoed within its walls.
All the Trollhounds had green blood oozing from their bodies and they were all in a very miserable state. Fenrir was the only one left standing, but its trembling legs soon gave way as the leader of the pack lost its strength.
"Mass First Aid!" William cast his healing spell to treat their injuries without batting an eye.
Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead and his breath had already grown ragged. Advancing towards their destination took them two whole hours. If not for the fact that Ashe had merged with William, and was constantly supplying him with spirit energy, the Half-Elf would have long run out of juice and would have been forced to abort their mission.
'Are you alright?' Ashe asked. 'Does it hurt anywhere?'
Ashe had been monitoring William's body and, aside from exhaustion, she couldn't sense anything else that might be wrong with her lover. Still, she still felt anxious so she asked William if he was hurting somewhere.
'I'm fine,' William replied as he tried to catch his breath. 'Just give me some time to rest and recover.'
William took deep breaths in order to calm his nerves. The adrenaline rush had receded, and he was feeling sore all over. Still, he could still count their expedition a success because they managed to reach their destination in one piece.
"Sir William, what's that?" Dave asked as he pointed at something that was floating in the center of the room.
William patted the chubby boy's shoulder as he stared at the white fireball that was hovering in the center of the room.
"That is the reason why we came to this place," William answered. "That white fireball is called Astraea's Tear. However, it also goes by another name."
William walked towards the center of the room before he continued his explanation.
"The mortals that survived the Era of the Gods simply called this flame, born from the tear of a Goddess, the Flames of Purification."