Chapter 1123: A Long, And Lingering Kiss Of Loyalty
(Disclaimer: Minor R-18 Scenes.)
William looked at the unconscious Lira with a complicated expression on his face.
His intention was to corrupt her completely, but as he was about to do that, something inside him prevented him from doing so.
'It's the part of my soul that still believes in happy endings,' William thought as he sighed internally.
Although his plan to completely corrupt the Virtue of Temperance didn't succeed, he was still able to get her True Name. Even so, for some reason, he felt disgusted at the thought of using her name to make her do vile things for him.
His manhood, that was still deep inside Lira, was still hard, but he no longer wished to make the unconscious lady in his arms fall into depravity.
It was at that moment when he heard a ragged cough inside the room.
'I almost forgot about her,' William mused as he shifted his gaze at the purple-haired beauty, whose body trembled uncontrollably a few meters away from him.
Ephemera was still suffering from the afterglow of the incredible climax that she had experienced, despite being left untouched by the Half-Elf who had made her friend a woman.
William then used a silence spell over Lira to prevent her from hearing their voices, and allow her to continue sleeping in his arms.
"Oi, Ms. Justice, did I accidentally break you by any chance?" William asked in a teasing tone.
Ephemera who heard William's voice raised her head, but instead of her usual proud, and arrogant appearance, she had a debauched look on her face. Clearly, her body was still suffering from the side-effects of the one-sided pleasure that she experienced through her friend's emotions.
As Wiliam looked at the lady, who had a warped sense of justice, he sensed something inside her that wasn't there before.
With a frown, the Half-Elf waved his hand, and the clothes she was wearing were burned by black flames, until nothing was left.
"... I see. So, that's it," William muttered as he looked at the pink crest that had appeared on Ephemera's lower abdomen.
Since William had used the powers of his incubus class, with the intention to corrupt Lira, he had completely forgotten that its effect also applied to Ephemera.
Suddenly, William felt something unusual from the unconscious lady who was leaning against his body. The black-haired teenager held Lira's shoulders and gently pushed her back to see what was happening to her.
Immediately, he saw something golden glowing in the center of her chest. A few seconds later, a small golden flower materialized in front of her, and flew toward the black obsidian gem in Wiliam's chest and was absorbed completely.
Before William could wonder what was going on, a notification message appeared on his Status Page.
—-
– You have received a fragment of Divinity from the Virtue of Temperance.
– You will now be able to use the ability "Exceed Break."
– Allows you to increase your normal speed by up to 500%
– Allows you to decrease your enemy's speed by up to 500%
—--
After asking Optimus about the Skill, The System informed him that he could now increase his body's overall speed. Whether it be movement speed or attack speed, he could increase it up to 500% which was quite incredible.
Not only that, he was able to manipulate his enemy's speed, making them move slower than they normally do. This was quite crucial during battles, and would completely take his enemies by surprise.
"Thank you, Lira," William said softly as he planted a kiss on her head before allowing her to lean back against his body. "I will put the fragment of your Divinity to good use."
He had also noticed the pink crest on Lira's lower abdomen earlier, which was proof that she had surrendered her body to the pleasure that William had given her.
'Optimus, do you know why this happened?'
The balck-haired teenager didn't have any idea why he received a fraction of Lira's Divinity, and wanted to ask Optimus if he knew the reason for what had just transpired.
'Tell me what you think,' William urged The System to share his insights on what had happened earlier.
< I think this is similar to how you register your wives as your Familia Members. Since you have registered them as your women, you were able to merge with them and use their powers as your own.
I'm guessing that what happened earlier is a similar case. The only difference is that you don't consider Lira as one of your wives. Because of this, she subconsciously shared a part of her divinity with you, allowing you to use her powers at any given time.
Take note that it is only a fragment of her Divinity, which allows you to use a tenth of her full power. Without your ability to break the rules, you would have fallen to her sneak attack back then. Although she doesn't have the power to stop time, her ability has a similar effect, and is very deadly to her foes. >
William nodded as he lightly petted the unconscious girl in his arms before shifting his attention on Ephemera, who seemed to be just a push away from breaking down completely.
Despite being a virgin, the crest on her body was proof that she had fallen from her high horse, and was completely at William's mercy.
William waved his hand and the chains that bound Ephemera disappeared, allowing her to stand up, albeit shakily, on her own two feet.
The purple haired beauty then slowly made her way towards William, while the latter watched her with an indifferent gaze.
When she was only a meter away from him, she kneeled down and looked up at him in a pleading gaze.
"Don't worry," William said coldly. "I am someone who looks at the bigger picture. You can keep your maidenhood, and you will be allowed to return to the Holy Order. However, the next time you and your sisters defy me, I will not show any mercy. Do I make myself clear?"
Ephemera nodded her head as tears streamed down her eyes. Her anxiousness and fears had all disappeared after gaining William's pardon.
"Please, I can't…" Ephemera pleaded as she touched William's knees. Her body was still burning up, and she needed to find release. "Please."
William frowned, but still decided to take pity on her. He had already declared that he would not take her, and he intended to keep his word.
The black-haired teenager knew that his still-untainted-soul had already used up a bit of its power to stop him from corrupting Lira. Since that was the case, he would honor his wish and let both of the girls go, so that they could return to the Holy Order.
The war against Felix still hadn't started. Keeping the Virtues on his side would only weaken the resistance against the Demon Army. William still had many things to do, and he needed time in order to accomplish his goals.
For the time being, he was more than happy to let the Palace of Light fight the Heir of Darkness.
In order for them to resist the invasion, they needed Lira and Ephemera by their side, so William was willing to let them go for the bigger picture.
The black-haired teenager raised Lira's hips, allowing him to pull his manhood out from inside her. Perhaps due to Lira's wish, William's seed didn't spill from her womb, and was kept in place.
Ephemera's breathing became ragged when she saw the thing that was responsible for taking her friend's innocence. It was still covered with William's seed, and blood from Lira's deflowering. Even so, Ephemera didn't care.
She reached out to hold it firmly in her right hand, before lowering her head to give it a kiss. The purple-haired beauty, as well as her friend, Lira, had never kissed a man before. And yet, both had given their first kisses to the thing that was currently in her hands.
Just like a Knight, kissing his Sovereign's hand as a sign of loyalty, Ephemera did the same. Her soft, and seductive lips pressed over the tip of William's manhood, giving it a long, and lingering kiss.
Suddenly, a golden radiance shown at the center of her chest.
Not long after, a small golden flower bloomed and flew towards the black gem on William's chest. Just like what happened to the flower Lira had given him, the golden flower was absorbed completely.
Ephemera had willingly shared a fraction of her Divinity to William as a sign of her loyalty, as well as appreciation for the freedom that he had bestowed upon her and her friend, Lira.
When her kiss ended, William extended his hand towards her.
Ephemera took it, and she was pulled up, and allowed to sit beside William on his throne. The purple-haired beauty then wrapped her arms around William, as well as her unconscious friend before closing her eyes.
She had reached her limit both physically, emotionally, and spiritually. A few seconds later, she fell asleep.
William glanced at the two beautiful ladies who were now seated on his left and right sides, with both of their arms wrapped around him.
Although he had no intention of marrying any of them, he no longer treated them as his enemies.
From beyond the darkness of the Temple of the Ten Thousand Gods, a sigh escaped the Primordial Goddess' lips. This was not the scene she wanted to see.
What she had envisioned were both of the Virtues falling into depravity and shaking their hips as they cast away their dignity and pride. She wanted them to become William's slaves, and allow him to stand above the world, making those under his feet cower in his presence.
"I guess, not being able to fall completely into darkness allowed him to retain a bit of his heart," the Primordial Goddess muttered.
William had already lost half of his soul, so this half was filled with the Power of Darkness, which stabilized his body, and influenced his thought pattern.
The Darkness was able to further corrupt the remaining part of William's remaining soul, while the other half had taken refuge inside the Silver Bell that Amalthea had left. This prevented the corruption from progressing further, allowing William to preserve a quarter of his soul.
"Still, this is a satisfactory result," The Primordial Goddess said with a smile. "Although I don't want to admit it, I like him to have a bit of kindness left in him."
The Primordial Goddess sighed as she remembered when she had descended into the body of her Avatar.
She had embraced William back then, and the taste of his soul was just as sweet as she imagined it to be. Deep inside, she was quite satisfied with the time they spent together. The otherworldly beauty was even looking forward to the next time her Avatar would meet with the black-haired teenager, whose heart now belonged to her.