Novel Bin Chapter 71: Delinquent and Fox meet an Irregular Lich!?
Ryuji\'s blue eyes focused on the skeletal archers. Their pale arms draw their bows atop the walls.
\'I don\'t like this... He feels dangerous.\'
The moment Ryuji removed his gaze from the seated existence. He felt as if that monster watched him, a glare that peeled back his flesh and searched him for all his secrets.
"Paul... we need to prepare," Ryuji muttered before feeling a kind of coercion. His gaze returned to the seated monster, its deep, empty eyes burning with a blue flame. "That thing won\'t be easy to defeat."
"Dear Challengers and our illustrious traitor, what brings thee to my humble kingdom of bones?" A voice echoed, yet felt more transmitted directly to their minds. The monster spread its arms, an elegant yet eerie voice oozing with treachery.
Everyone felt their spine tingle from its voice. Though elegant and well-spoken, the feeling of something speaking into your mind felt like sharp nails scooping out your ears.
"I will try, Simon, Sheila, get ready. This battle will be close." Paul\'s voice was low as he muttered, slipping his fingertips into his robe to grasp several runes. He tossed them in the air with a snap of his arms before several layers of arcane barriers formed in the air.
Sheila followed, pointing her hands to the sky and chanting to her goddess. She then formed a solid golden barrier around the party with ancient runes scribed in golden colours.
"Oh? A follower of that foolish goddess and the mistress of magic?" Once again, the sharp pain occurred. The monster\'s voice clawed at the sanity of the party members.
"Paul, Yumiko, Erika... Ready? This will not be an easy fight." Ryuji muttered, his hand resting on the shaft of his blood-drinking axe. Though he thought it might be useless against skeletons with no blood to drink.
[Tattoo\'s changed]
[Removed]
Kobold Tattoo of the Berserker (Rare): -4 Strength, -20 Rage, Dark Vision
[Currently Equipped]
Shadow Fox Tattoo (Uncommon): +2 Agility, Stops a fatal blow that would kill the owner once a day.
Lizardman Warrior (Epic): +3 Grit, -40% damage taken, Dark vision
Fire-Type Lizardman (Epic): +3 All Attributes, Fire damage on attacks, -50% Fire Damage Taken, Dark Vision
-
[Status]
Name: Ryuji Vincenzo
Title: Deathbringer (Kobold), Murderer (Human)
Class: Berserker: Lv.13 /?????????: Lv.2
Rage: 0/100 (0 Reserved) [40% damage resist] [50% Fire damage resist]
Rank: C
[Attributes]
Strength: 43 (+3)
Agility: 24 (+5)
Stamina: 25 (+3)
Grit: 60 (+8)
Intellect: 26 (+3)
**
The burning sensation of the new tattoo felt quite muted, likely because of the reduced fire damage. But Ryuji felt more secure once his chest stopped aching. Most of the skeletal mages seemed to use fire or ice magic, but sadly, Ryuji didn\'t get any tattoos from the ice-type monsters on the second floor. He realised that even the turtle boss hadn\'t granted him one either.
Once the barriers were completed, the archers fired their arrows without warning. Sheila held her mace, chanting quietly, trying to keep her barrier from faltering. However, the figure upon the throne lifted a single arm, and his skeletal mages also followed up, their magic swirling through the air and empowering the skeleton\'s master.
"This barrier reeks of divinity. Forgive me, but I must destroy it. Their foul stench offends this king," the monster declared politely, yet everyone could feel the disdain dripping from his words.
BANG
A black beam of light shot out with a devastating ray, penetrating Sheila\'s barrier. Instantly, the darkness corrupted the barrier before it broke through and shattered the divine barrier. Yet it didn\'t stop. The twirling ray of dark purple collided with Paul\'s barriers.
Several layers shattered, and Paul\'s face paled from the arcane backlash. "Guys, I can\'t create another barrier. We need to survive on your defence."
"Paul, retreat now. Ryuji can withstand those attacks. Let Sheila recover her strength. You are our trump card." Simon interrupted.
BOOOOOOOM
Once again, a bolt of dark purple light tore through the layers, shattering the final barrier aimed at the party as Ryuji dashed forward, holding his axe with both hands and blocking the beam with the head of his axe.
Ryuji felt his tattoos burn as veins popped across his body, and blood gushed through his muscles, pushing him beyond his limits as his grip on his axe tightened. His arms bulged, veins throbbing while his muscles writhed, and the dark ray pushed him back several metres while sapping his life force.
"Shit... Paul, Sheila, this beam isn\'t a joke! Hurry and recover—the arrows are coming!" Ryuji roared, his voice warped and coarse, while his eyes turned bloody, dripping down his cheeks, enduring the strain on his body.
He had no choice but to endure. His eyes widened as another volley shot from the archers, a dozen arrows arcing towards them. Ryuji grits his teeth before leaping to the arrows. Spinning in the air with his axe, cutting the first three down as he felt the others plunge into his body.
The skeletal mages roared. Their chanting reached a crescendo, and their bony fingers danced in the air, empowering the seated existence, their leader, while Ryuji watched him create a second beam.
\'Shit, I can\'t take that head-on... It almost killed me with two sets of barriers!\'
Ryuji felt his vitality reduce from the arrows plunged into his chest. He stepped backwards before a figure stepped past him, Alicia\'s hands clutching five explosive arrows as she lowered her hips and pulled back her bow.
"Explosive barrage!" Alicia roared before five flaming arrows shot through the air, a powerful force wrapped around the arrows. Ryuji watched in amazement before he noticed the dark twinkle in the monster\'s eyes and a dark purple beam flashing.
BOOM
Alicia\'s arrows shattered from the beam before a mocking laugh echoed in their minds.
"Dear challenger, have thou not seen the true power of this king? Fire will not work on the undead..." The monster\'s words ended because a vast light descended from the skies, a brilliance burning the skeleton archers as Sheila\'s hands pushed towards them, her face full of sticky sweat and pale.
"Holy light."
BOOM
"Impossible?!" The monster roared for the first time, an actual voice instead of his telepathy. Ryuji watched the seated existence scramble, standing from his throne for the first time, and finally, his observation analysed the monster.
"What\'s a Lich?" He asked while feeling awe at the monster\'s attributes.
-
[Status]
Name: Forgotten Lich
Title: The Old One, Deceiver
Level: 25
[40% magic resist] [40% damage resist]
Rank: B+
[Attributes]
Strength: 12
Agility: 15
Stamina: 35
Grit: 25
Intellect: 100
[Skill]
Undying - Unless you find the target\'s soul, he will keep reviving at full health endlessly.
**
"Did you just say a Lich?" Sheila\'s pale face looked worse, her lips trembling as she looked around with a fierce gaze. Her aura became more violent and became unapproachable.
His gaze watched her in surprise while her holy light finished its rampage, destroying most of the skeletal archers and a few mages. A strange smoke fluttered from their corpses and returned to the castle walls.
"Ryuji, liches are the vile and unsightly abominations created from the undead. Their bodies are immortal unless they find the target\'s soul and obliterate it." Despite her voice seeming to speak normally, Ryuji could feel it. A deep loathing and hatred was burning inside Sheila\'s eyes.
Maybe now wasn\'t the time to ask, but he could feel her hatred towards the enemy tripled the moment she knew what it was.
"Sheila, are Liches that bad?" Ryuji muttered, watching Simon rushing back. Alicia stumbled, and Paul was still recovering. He had no choice but to look at Yumiko and Erika with a feeling of powerlessness.
"Yes. Liches are cursed beings. Humans or other races that cannot let go of their lives will corrupt their souls, curse their flesh, and become Lich. This vile filth should never exist." Sheila stepped forward, holding her mace. Despite her clear sickness, a divine light flickered from her body like a broken bulb.
"Liches are the worst of existence. A Forgotten Lich is an undead created from a race\'s endless greed for power. Humans are greedy for endless life. Kobolds are obsessed with battle and power. Liches are the culmination of the filth and greed that fills races. That creature is a despicable Lich."
Ryuji listened to her explanation while Yumiko dashed forward with Erika, having Alicia support her with her arrows. "We will take out the soldiers!" Simon followed up, his dual blades shimmering with a silver light, an effective metal used against the undead and ghosts.
"Simon and I will support them. Ryuji holds Sheila; she\'s not in a normal state!" Paul followed up, his complex runes dancing through the air once more, reinforcing himself and Simon.
"Hey Sheila..."
"Do not stop me, Ryuji!" Sheila roared, a holy aura wrapping around her body. Her anger burned in Ryuji\'s senses, and a mysterious divine light formed like armour around her body.
"Ryuji! Support me in taking out that Lich!" Sheila declared. Ryuji could feel the divine pressure wrapping around her body, pushing him away, forcing him to step back from her overwhelming pressure. Not only that, but the tears at the corner of her eyes told him that there was a reason, something he wasn\'t close enough to her to know, which infuriated him.
"Sorry, I will stop you." Ryuji lifted his axe and stood in front of Sheila; something told him if she rushed into battle in this forced state, her face pale white, lips blue, and eyes filled with rage.
He was sure she would die.