Chapter 497: I Came Here To Bargain

William gazed at this overwhelming lineup that would make the hearts of anyone who saw it tremble where they stood.

The millions of Undead Monsters encircled the red-headed boy, giving him no place to run. The Dracolich knew that William had the ability to summon Beasts to fight by his side. In fact, it was even anticipating it.

It wanted to see the look on Wiliam's face when his precious companions became part of its undead army.

"What's... wrong? Aren't you… going to… call for help? Why don't you… summon… your… Beast… Army?"

The hoarse voice asked in a teasing manner. Above the fortress of Avalon, a hundred-meter tall spectre appeared in the sky. It gazed down on William with ridicule and contempt as he waited for the boy's answer to his question. 

"I didn't come here to fight, Malacai," William replied. 

"Hah… to think… there are still… those who remember… my name," Malacai said hoarsely. "However… knowing who I am… won't save you. You didn't… come here… to fight. You… came here… to die."

"No." William shook his head. "I came here to bargain."

"Hah?" 

"I came here to bargain."

Malacai stared down on the boy before uttering a long, and hoarse, laughter.

"Ha… ha… haha.. Ha… Bargain?" Malacai chuckled. "You… came here to… bargain? Haha… haha…"

The millions of undead joined their Lord in laughter. The clattering of bones resounded throughout the Undying Lands, and it was enough to make anyone who heard it run away in fear.

"Yes. I came here to bargain," William repeated. 

The giant spectre in the air continued to chuckle. Thousands of years had passed, and it had no opportunity to talk to anyone except the souls that had been trapped inside the Undying Lands. Hearing his visitor's request to bargain tickled its heart that had long stopped beating.

While the Dracolich was laughing, William appraised the monsters that seemed to be the generals of the Undead Army. He first looked at the three High-Tiered undead that were mounted on top of the Bone Dragons. 

-----

< Primeval Bone Dragon >

-- Undead Dragon

-- Threat Level: SS

-- Millennial Undead (High)

-- Cannot be added to the Herd

-----

< Diabolical Death Knight >

-- Undead Heroic Champion

-- Threat Level: SSR

-- Myriad Undead (High)

-- Cannot be added to the Herd

-----

< Grim Nightmare Revenant >

-- Vengeful Revenger

-- Threat Level: SSR

-- Myriad Undead (High)

-- Cannot be added to the Herd

-----

< Arcane Spectral Lich >

-- The First King of the Hellan Kingdom

-- Threat Level: SSR

-- Myriad Undead (High)

-- Cannot be added to the Herd

-----

William's gaze stayed at the Arcane Spectral Lich for half a minute before shifting his attention to the three Goliaths that stood in front of the gate of Avalon, and appraised them.

-----

< Monstrous Skeleton Sovereign >

-- Primordial Skeleton King

-- Threat Level: SSR

-- Myriad Undead (High)

-- Cannot be added to the Herd

-----

< Giant Slaying Draugr >

-- Re-animated Warrior King

-- Threat Level SSR

-- Myriad Undead (High)

-- Cannot be added to the Herd

------

< Nuckelavee >

-- The Devil of the Sea

-- Vile Hybrid of Man and Beast

-- Threat Level: SSR+

-- Pseudo-Demigod

-- Cannot be added to the Herd

-- Of all the supernatural beings that once roamed the land, none was as feared as the being known as Nuckelavee.

-- This was a creature that was born part human, part beast, and a monster that was known to terrorize mankind. 

-- However, during the final war of the Gods, this creature of sheer Evil fought on the side of the Humans. Perhaps, that was due to the reason for its existence. If the other races succeeded in wiping out the very beings that it was born to slay then its existence would no longer serve its purpose. 

Thus, in that final battle, where Gods, and the different races, fought for supremacy, there was a lone demonic beast whose mere presence made all the races' skin crawl.

-- A being that even the Demigods feared.

-----

William wasn't able to stop himself from sucking his breath after reading Nuckelavee's information. He didn't think that the Devil of the Sea had such a background. 

It was also at that moment when the spectre of the Dracolich stopped laughing. It then moved closer to the Half-Elf as its size shrunk to over three-meters tall. 

"You said… you came here… to bargain," Malacai said. "Give me… one good reason… why I shouldn't kill you… right here… right now…"

"Because killing me will not benefit you in any other way," William replied. "At most, you will just gain one handsome Undead-Half-Elf that will annoy you for eternity."

"Hoh… you only... spoke... half-truths."

"Because the truth is embarrassing."

The Dracolich stared long and hard at William. Being locked up for thousands of years, while waiting for the day the seal was undone was pure torture. Although it estimated that it would take no longer than three to four years before the seal disappeared completely, it still made the waiting unbearable. 

If the seal could be undone sooner then wouldn't that make its life easier? Unfortunately, it couldn't be done. Even if he forced William to break the seal, it would be impossible, for no mortal could break it.

Only a God could release it from its binding.

"You… came here… to bargain." Malacai took a step forward until its spectral face was mere inches away from William's face. "Bargain… what… exactly?"

"I came here to borrow your scepter for a day," William replied.

Malacai's expression froze before it raised its head and laughed once more.

"Borrow… my scepter?" Malacai asked. "You really… came here… to die… didn't you?"

William looked at the Dracolich with an unwavering gaze. Takam had said that there was a very small possibility that Malacai would agree to his request. If he failed to convince the Dracolich, he would immediately become part of its undead legion.

Of course, William didn't come to the Undying Lands to die. He had already prepared a Plan B that ensured his escape if the negotiations failed. 

He would then go back with King Minos to the Minotaur Sanctuary, and do guerilla warfare with the Elves, once his Heroic Avatar had reset its cooldown. 

"What do you want in return?" William asked. Right now, this was the only option he could think of to finish this war, once and for all.

The Dracolich extended its spectral hand and reached out to grab William's heart. The red-headed boy didn't resist, because his heart had been linked with the jewel embedded in his chest. Right now, that jewel had been hidden.

Even if the Dracolich were to crush his heart, he wouldn't die from it. William would use that brief moment of time when the Dracolich had relaxed its guard to escape.

The Spectral Hand firmly held William's heart, and it felt very cold and uncomfortable. Malacai's glowing eyes stared straight into the Half-Elf's own eyes and looked at their depths. 

Malacai wanted to see William's despair, fear, and helplessness.

Unfortunately, he didn't see any of them in William's eyes. Instead, what he saw was an unyielding determination that stared right back at him. 

"Do you know… what my scepter… can do?"

"Yes."

"Do you know… the price… for using it?"

"No."

Malacai released William's heart, and the Half-Elf sucked in a cold breath. Traces of the Spectre's touch lingered inside his body, and it sent shivers down his spine.

"My scepter… can only be used… by the dead," Malacai said. "If you want… to use it… you need to… die first."

"I don't intend to die. I have lovers waiting for me."

"Ha… ha… haha. Very… funny."

The Spectre raised its hand and a scepter made of bones appeared in front of it.

It was a meter long, made with dragon bones, that seemed to emit a faint bloody light. Malacai presented the scepter in front of William and sneered. It didn't lie when it said that only the dead could wield it.

Malacai's scepter would literally suck up the wielder's entire life force, forcibly changing their body into the undead. A mortal's body wouldn't be able to wield such power. Not even Malacai had escaped from its fate when it used the staff during the Era of the Gods. 

William looked at the scepter in front of him and back to the spectral Dracolich that was eyeing him with a devilish smile. 

"Only the dead… can use it…," Malacai said in a teasing tone. "Would you like… to try… dying once?"