by Zhuang Bifan
"BAM!"
What followed was an instantaneous Fireball.
"WHAT A JOKE!" The Lich laughed in amus.e.m.e.nt. Although the Fireball was one that had a shocking impact, the Lich was not moved by it at all. It raised up a colorful Elemental Shield, and at the same time, it used its staff to create a wall of white bones over the shield.
That was the Skeletal Shield that was specific to undead creatures. It was a formidable fortress against all magical and physical attacks.
"You are the joke, Bhaskar!" Sarsen declared determinedly despite being faced with two layers of defensive shield. After a rapid recitation, another gust of sparks flew up into the air. This time, it was the Flaming Spear… and Sarsen was resolved to bomb Bhaskar.
Lin Li stood at the entrance of the cave and observed quietly. He had to admit that Sarsen really had the means to be arrogant. He was outstanding in both his tactics and control of mana. Since he could reach a draw with the Lich of at least level-15, the skills of this level-13 Magic Shooter had to be exceptional.
In terms of strength, Bhaskar definitely had the advantage. Its double protection—Skeletal Shield and Elemental Shield—was so impressive that it was hard for Sarsen to threaten it with his magical spells. The mental impact the Lich created never weakened, and was always disrupting Sarsen from casting his spells.
To ensure he could complete his recitation, Sarsen had no choice but to continue to hold up his Mental Protection Field there.
Multitasking was a deadly thing to mages.
Even if it was a battle between two parties on the same level, if one were to direct some focus to support the Mental Protection Field, he would fall to the losing end. What was more for this unfair battle?
Frankly speaking, Sarsen did not look promising to Lin Li at the beginning. That was because they were so different in their levels. Furthermore, there was still the life-threatening mental attack. Even if he were to calculate it optimistically, Sarsen would crash within 30 seconds. Yet, what happened afterwards was an eye-opener for Lin Li.
With his adept skill set and accuracy in mana control, Sarsen pushed the battle into a deadlock.
"This fella is not bad…" commented Lin Li as he nodded, not rushing to launch his attack. He only opened the Ring of Endless Storm and transferred some mana into the torrent of elements.
"Mage Felic…" Kayla called out to him after downing a bottle of Recovery Potion. Although his face was still pale, his injuries were better, and he did not have any difficulties walking already. Seeing how Sarsen and the Lich was in a deadlock, Kayla could not sit still any longer. He went over to Lin Li with a concerned expression, and whispered to him, "Now is a good opportunity…"
"Oh," Lin Li responded without any concern, but his gaze was fixed at the battle not far away.
After waiting for Lin Li's speech to continue for quite a while to no avail, Kayla could not help but feel anxious. "Mage Felic, you have the greatest abilities among all of us. If you don't do anything now, I'm scared Sarsen would be…"
This time, Lin Li did not even care to turn his head to look at Kayla. He just replied, "Let's wait and see."
"…"
Kayla really felt like crashing himself against the crag. He could not understand why this seemingly great and powerful mage was so foolish… Sarsen had already fought to a deadlock, so even a moron would understand that it would only take one more straw to defeat "the camel" Bhaskar!
This is such a rare opportunity…
The deadlock is so fragile. Who knows if Sarsen won't be defeated in the next second? What is that damn Jarrosus mage thinking about? Is he waiting for Sarsen's defeat so that he can play hero?
"What a freakish fighting spirit…" Kayla berated Lin Li quietly. He would definitely not dare to provoke such a man. What if he triggered Lin Li, and he lit him up with a Flaming Hand?
Lin Li shot a glance at him, and explained nothing.
He knew what Kayla was thinking about, but he did not plan to explain himself.
For him, what would be more important compared to his own life? How would he care about honor or heroism? If he could, he would be more than willing to bring a bunch of followers and fight.
The thing was that it was not the time.
There were some things that he understood better compared to Kayla.
Sarsen was definitely not weak. To come into a deadlock with a level-15 Lich with his level-13 Magic Shooter abilities definitely made this battle a superficial one. Looking at how the magical waves were, Lin Li could be sure that Bhaskar was not exerting his entire strength.
From the start till now, Lin Li clearly realized that the Lich did not use any spell that was beyond level-10!
And that was impossible in a normal battle…
It was a creature of at least level-15 and 1200-years-old, much older than Old Andoine. Throughout those years, the number of times it used its spells could only be counted with astronomical figures. For such a monster, there would not be any difficulty in summoning spells.
For a creature like the Lich that had lived for a long time, it had an edge in casting a spell of its own level without worrying about the bite of mana.
There could only be one reason for it to only use spells lower than the 10th level—it was messing with Sarsen!
Undoubtedly, the act of playing pranks was a very personal matter.
Lin Li knew that he would be very furious if he were the trickster and someone tried to disturb him. Hence, if he were to interfere in their battle, what was important was not whether he could defeat Bhaskar, but rather that he would agitate the old monster to unleash its true powers…
This situation was akin to m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e.
It would be incredibly dangerous for one to disturb people who were m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e. Lin Li would not want to do such an immoral act…
Furthermore…
There was no need to make this gamble and disrupt his entire plan.
… Unfortunately, Kayla did not know what was on Lin Li's mind. Seeing how Lin Li dilly-dallied, Kayla lost his patience, and braved forward despite his injuries. After discussing the matter with his two teammates, they began a long recitation.
"Aish…" Lin Li sighed, and shook his head, but did not stop them. Since they were not closely related, Lim Li did not pity them at all. Even if they disturbed Sir Lich's love-making session, they were purely asking for it. After all, there were consequences to suffer for peeping…
When Sarsen was in a deadlock with the Lich, the recitation of the three peeping Toms also came to an end…
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
The three men finished their recitation concurrently, and their three staffs lit up together.
Chapter 150 - Death Sentence
The three Icy Spears created a sharp whizzing noise when they were high up in the air.
It was definitely a planned attack.
Sarsen swapped the Lich's Skeletal Shield with his own Elemental Shield. At that moment, the three Icy Spears pierced through the vault of heaven when the Lich was at its weakest.
And then…
Sarsan began reciting his spell again…
He did not even replenish his Elemental Shield, he just gripped onto his magical staff, and recited with a sonorous voice as powerful runes were produced rapidly. The tides of the magical elements tossed and turned in the air, and a gust of extreme coldness was spreading at top speed. Everyone knew that Sarsan was definitely going to unleash a very powerful and impactful spell.
Subsequently, the three spears pierced through the Elemental Shield, with Sarsen in charge of giving the last critical blow.
In Kayla's eyes, the planned attack had been proceeding smoothly.
At this time, he even grinned triumphantly. How could he not smile? A monster of at least level-15 was going to be defeated by a team of four! If this were to be known to the public, who would dare to belittle him in the future?
He was going to get fa
mous in just one battle. Maybe after today, he would become a man highly sought after by the higher powers and the man of the hour at the feast held by the nobles of Felan!!
He even felt grateful to Lin Li, the timid mage of Jarrosus. If it weren't for his cowardice, how would such a good opportunity fall into his hands?
The three Icy Spears lined up together in the air. Amidst the cold and blue fluorescent light, a ghastly, chilly wind blew by.
Before that critical attack, the Lich only used a simple gesture to disperse Kayla's daydream…
It raised its ghastly white skeletal arms into the air, and drew an arc across the sky. Everyone's vision blurred at that moment. What followed was a series of shattering sounds when the three spears got struck at once. What waited for them was not a skinny Lich, but a Skeletal Warrior with a machete in its hands.
"Stand-in Puppet!" Kayla exclaimed out after seeing the rusty machete. It was too late for regrets. The three Icy Spears were already torn into pieces by the Skeletal Warrior.
Almost simultaneously, everyone's vision blurred once more. That skinny figure of the Lich was as though a ghost that drifted above their heads. Then, after a moment of croaky and rapid recitation, a gust of strong and mighty mental strength came down from the sky like torrents, threatening to suffocate everyone else. Sarsen was only halfway through his recitation before he got interrupted by such a huge flood of mental strength.
"AH!" There was an excruciating cry. Before he could make clear of the situation, torrents of mental strength flooded into his mind. Under such pressure, he could not exert any mana. A level-13 Mage became like any ordinary human being.
"Mind Crush!"
Just when Sarsen was in a state of confusion and anxiety, the Lich waved his Skeleton Staff in the air, and unleashed a Mental Whip.
The "PAK" sound it produced was like a tight slap on Sarsen's cheek, throwing him harshly against the crag again like a kite string that snapped. How could he block this level-10 mental spell with his mana totally suppressed?
Lin Li guessed it right. The Lich was indeed playing with Sarsen. From the beginning till the end, it did not put in all of its effort at all. It merely took two spells, namely Stand-in Puppet and Mind Crush, to resolve the simple crisis; as for the last Mental Whip, it was actually not necessary.
It was only then that the Lich in the sky broke out in a sinister laughter. "HUMANS, YOU HAVE PROVOKED ME…"
Kayla looked up into the air blankly; his ashened face was terrifying. He suddenly realized the foolish deed he had done. How was that a battle? It had been a prank all along! His interruption finally caused the Lich to lose all of its patience.
A chill went down their spines just by thinking of what would become of them…
But it was too late for regrets. After the Lich used the Mental Whip on Sarsen, it laughed hideously again. Then, it waved the Skeleton Staff in its hand gently…
"BAM!"
Soil particles flew into the air, and ghastly white bones surfaced from the ground. Those bones created an airtight cell almost immediately, and sealed the entrance of the cave.
"Hell Prison…" Kayla raised his staff and shot out two Wind Blades in panic.
Yet, the Wind Blades that had been sharp and deadly became so powerless now.
Those bone shards were like they were made of steel. When the sharp and firm Wind Blades fell onto the bones, there was not a single scratch mark, and only an ear-splitting noise in everybody's eardrums.
"H-how…?" Kayla was horrified. Sarsen was gravely injured, and even if he could use the Recovery Potion to save him, it would take quite some time for him to recover. On top of that, since everyone was trapped inside of the Hell Prison, it would be extremely easy for the Lich to kill all of them with a few Archmage-level spells. Not only them—the Hell Prison and the cave would also become ruins. How could Kayla remain calm…?
"Wait," Lin Li only said a word.
"…" Kayla knocked his head into the wall of the Hell Prison. He really wanted to ask what that Mage from Jarrosus had been thinking about. Like mice, we are all trapped in the cave now! Is he going to wait for an Archmage-level spell to crash onto everyone?
Luckily, he did not ask that…
Or else, Lin Li might really respond with a "yes".
Seeing that the situation had deteriorated into the worst, apart from Orrin and Mason, who had a deep trust in Lin Li, almost everybody became hopeless. Sarsen leaned against the crag with blood flowing out from one side of his mouth and a gaze towards the sky that had lost its usual spark. The Mind Crush had not only caused him to lose his mana, but also his confidence.
Sarsen always had a lot of confidence in his abilities. He believed that although he was only level-13, with his deep understanding and knowledge of Magic, he had the capability to defeat anyone at the Archmage-level. The deadlock he had with the Lich at the beginning reaffirmed this confidence. When Sarsen felt that a level-13 could be on par with a Lich with at least level-15, he was full of pride.
However…
What followed the three Icy Frost transformed the battle into a complete nightmare.
Then, Sarsen realized how far were his abilities from the Archmage-level creature's.
It was the distance of heaven and hell.
He had no strength to defend himself against the Mental Spell of the Lich at all. Just like a lamb in the slaughterhouse, he could similarly only struggle helplessly under the butcher's knife.
Being entrapped in the skeletal prison, even with Sarsen's previous arrogance, he had no other choice but to reach out for the Teleportation Scroll in his pocket…
Everyone could hear the croaky recitation through the chinks of the cell. The Skeleton Staff on its hand glowed, and when the Lich waved it in the air, what filled the air was black fog, and a pungent rotting stench that stole everyone's breath.
It's here…
Lin Li tightened his grip on his staff, and increased the force within the torrent of mana gradually.
The fog in the air got thicker and thicker. Under the pressure of the heavy Death Energy, the fog transformed into a gigantic luminous black sphere. A series of shrieks and screams sounded out from it, and shards of white bones circled rapidly.
"Sh*t…" Mason gasped even though he had confidence in his teammate. That was Death Sentence, a level-16 Dark Magic! It definitely would surpass that of an Archmage-level Dark Magic.
The Lich's recitation was as though it came from hell. Every single rune carried a thick and deadly strength.
After the last rune fell from the sky, a strong wind blew onto the cave.
"Szzz… Szzz…"
The electric streaks that appeared on top of the black sphere gave everyone goosebumps on their scalps. Dark Magic elements stirred, and a great "BAM!" followed right after. Everyone's hearts sank to the lowest point immediately…
"Let's see who's the judge!"
At the same time, the mana that Lin Li transferred into the torrents suddenly expanded.
Chapter 151 - The Highlord's Ring
The unending death aura emanated; Kayla and the others took out their Teleportation Scrolls all at the same time.
Against level-16 Dark Magic, Kayla had no hesitation at all. No matter how important the trial mission was, it could not be more important than his life. Only a moron would choose to persist in this situation.
Kayla was secretly gloating as he took out his Teleportation Scroll, for he saw that the guy named Felic was still standing at the cave entrance and had no intention of taking out the Teleportation Scroll; there was even a reckless smile on his face.
Idiot, this is a Death Sentence…
Of course, Kayla was just saying it in his heart. He was not foolish. There was not even time to escape from the Death Sentence, so how did he still have the mood to remind others? Besides, there wasn't any friendship between them at all; on the contrary, there was some friction. He wouldn't forget that the fellow had tried to drive himself away from the cave a while ag
o…
Apart from Lin Li, only Orrin and Mason did not take out their Teleportation Scrolls among all others; they had too much trust in their teammates. To some extent, this trust had reached a blind level. Perhaps only they knew how perverse their teammate was. Let alone persisting in the Death Sentence, even if Lin Li said "This stone tastes good, everyone try it", they'd probably pick one up immediately and gnaw at it.
Having seen all kinds of perverted behaviors of their teammates, the thought that such a freak would stand foolishly under the Death Sentence to wait for death never crossed their minds at all.
No kidding; this fellow would wait for death foolishly? Might as well say a herbivore Dragon existed—it might be more believable…
Faced with such an unprecedented Dark Magic, the group of young mages had different thoughts in their minds. However, Lin Li had no time to care about them. His eyes were fixed on the Solar Sphere falling from the sky as he slowly raised his right hand to magnify the magical elements within the Torrent of Elements…
Almost immediately after the creation of the elemental channel, the Death Sentence was free from the shackles of the Lich's mental strength. The glow of the Solar Sphere made a deafening roar in the sky. Under the impact of the overwhelming Dark Magic element, the skeletal prison was destroyed almost instantaneously.
Then…
There was no "then".
Bone fragments flew about outside the cave, and inside the cave, the silence was astonishing.
Everyone froze; they stood rooted to the ground with a dazed look on their faces. All of them held the Teleportation Scrolls in their hands, but none of them could open it.
Even Orrin and Mason were dumbfounded.
They had already seen how perverse their teammate was back in the Alanna Guild of Magic, and both of them remembered the clash between Orrin and Matthias—the freak had received a burning fireball with his body then.
But, after all, that was only a fireball. Compared with the Death Sentence earlier on, there was more than twice the difference in level; the disparity in power was as that of the ant and the elephant.