Chapter 658: Summoning the Elemental Dragon
Years ago, when Charles the Conqueror stepped into the Undead Plane, he encountered a Lich who was practically a demigod. Their battle nearly shattered the entire plane. Even after many years, when Charles’s name had spread across countless realms, this peerless mage still remembered that fight—and admitted it was one of the hardest battles of his life…
And that demigod Lich wielded none other than the Life Anchor Rune…
It was from that legendary battle that the Life Anchor Rune truly made its mark in the Northend World. Countless mages and alchemists began to study this rune, which could replace the traditional phylactery.
People gradually realized that, despite its many flaws, the Life Anchor Rune’s concealment alone made it invaluable. Concealment meant safety—and for Liches who staked everything on their phylacteries, safety was paramount. Even the slightest increase in security was enough for them to tolerate any drawbacks…
For something that even Charles the Conqueror suffered against, how could Leon Merlin not remember it vividly? With just one glance at the inscription, he was certain: these four Half-Liches didn’t have traditional phylacteries at all—they’d used the Life Anchor Rune to transform themselves!
And the object anchoring their true souls was none other than the Crystal Wheel!
The moment Leon saw the Crystal Wheel, everything clicked into place…
No wonder the transformation took so long. No wonder the process was so strange…
Normally, when a Lich transforms, their power surges—their battle strength becomes unmatched beneath the Sky Rank. But these four maniacs, compared to their former selves, hadn’t grown much stronger at all…
This time, Leon Merlin truly understood…
The Crystal Wheel itself was an Essence Relic. Now, its incarnation must have dissipated—the four maniacs must have forcibly destroyed the artifact’s spirit and anchored their true souls to it instead.
The benefits were immense—their lives became intertwined. Killing just one wasn’t enough; only by killing all four at the same time could they be temporarily defeated.
To truly kill these four maniacs, you’d have to destroy their anchored souls. That’s the only way!
And doing this brings enormous advantages—their powers after the transformation would far surpass ordinary Liches!
But Leon Merlin felt that someone had set them up. By doing this, they were forever bound to the Captain’s Quarters.
Whoever told them about this method clearly had ulterior motives. In the Captain’s Quarters, they were virtually invincible—especially after the transformation. Even a swarm of Sky Rank mages would be slaughtered.
And in the Captain’s Quarters, they were truly immortal…
But there was a huge flaw—the Crystal Wheel was part of the USS Dauntless, even a key component for controlling the ship. It couldn’t be hidden.
An anchor for their souls that couldn’t be hidden…
This was, without a doubt, the most disastrous use of the Life Anchor Rune in Northend World’s history…
But now that the opportunity was here, Leon Merlin didn’t care about anything else—surviving the current crisis was all that mattered.
Most of the four maniacs’ energy was tied up by the Life Anchor Rune. If they interrupted the transformation midway, they’d fail completely—which was why they were so anxious about the Crystal Wheel…
Everything had to make way for the completion of the Lich transformation.
While fighting and retreating, Leon Merlin recalled what he’d seen—he reconstructed the Crystal Wheel’s surface and the alchemical array near its pedestal in his mind.
He didn’t even need to think much—he quickly figured out a simple and fast way to break through.
Once he had a rough plan, he called over Andefa, who still looked miserable, and quickly explained the plan.
Andefa kept nodding miserably.
Half an hour later, the battlefield was seven or eight miles away from the Crystal Wheel. By then, it was clear—most of the undead were on the other side of the Captain’s Quarters, and only a few were chasing Leon Merlin’s group.
Only then did Andefa force a bitter smile and nod. “I understand everything, but… don’t get me killed, alright?”
From the start until now, they’d been fighting for over an hour. No one could remember how many undead had poured out of that Death Vortex. But finally, they had a chance to strike back.
Leon Merlin took out the Death Tome and muttered, “It should be about time…”
Within ten seconds of speaking, the Death Tome began to tremble. A strange energy surged out, and Leon Merlin could clearly sense the book’s power growing stronger!
He flipped to the Elemental Chapter—the image of four elements vanished, replaced by a swirling vortex of four colors. The vortex rotated slowly, and the pure elemental power of all four types was palpable.
“It’s finally fused!”
Leon Merlin let out a long sigh of relief. He’d finally waited for this moment. The whole way here, he’d been counting the seconds for the Elemental Chapter to fuse—waiting since the battle began, and now, at last, it had happened…
With the fully fused Elemental Chapter, Leon Merlin’s confidence in this battle soared…
Because Leon Merlin knew that only after fully merging with the Death Tome could the Elemental Chapter’s true power be unleashed. Not only would it greatly enhance elemental spells, but it also granted an ability that was nothing short of miraculous.
That was—the ability to summon an Elemental Dragon!
Summon the mightiest elemental creature from the Elemental Plane!
However…
Before Leon Merlin could summon the Elemental Dragon, a new twist occurred…
The four Death Vortexes were like four gates of death—undead poured out, forming a sea of death. The sheer number was the greatest threat.
But at that moment, Leon Merlin suddenly noticed that some of the undead chasing them were actually starting to retreat!
Especially some skeleton warriors—their soulfire flickered violently. Even with Bloodlust cast on them, making them savage, their soulfire trembled uncontrollably, as if on the verge of extinction.
Fear! A terror so overwhelming that these skeleton warriors could only act on instinct!
Leon Merlin watched closely—as the undead drew within thirty meters, every creature below level twenty seemed gripped by immense fear, retreating involuntarily.
But those above level twenty were barely affected.
Nemesis of the Undead!
Without a moment’s thought, Leon Merlin immediately realized it—this was the Nemesis of the Undead ability!
He’d always overlooked this ability—because the undead aboard the USS Dauntless were usually above level thirty. Even now, in the sea of undead, there were none below level ten.
His Nemesis of the Undead ability only crushed undead below level ten. For those above level ten, it merely suppressed their fighting power, and above level twenty, it barely affected them at all.
Now, seeing the chaotic undead—some retreating, some advancing—they were in total disarray. The battle hadn’t even started, and they were already taking losses.
Seeing this, Leon Merlin couldn’t help but smile with joy.
The Nemesis of the Undead ability had leveled up—now, none of the undead below level twenty could approach within thirty meters.
And now, the vast majority of these undead were below level twenty!
There were plenty of high-level undead, but far more below level twenty. These lower-level undead were like the foot soldiers in a legion—only when all the soldiers charged fearlessly did they pose a real threat. Relying on just the commanders, the overall strength was cut tenfold.
Especially for undead, sheer numbers were their greatest strength. Without it, they were barely a challenge for Leon Merlin—just a little disgusting, really.
Now, the number of undead within thirty meters had dropped by more than ninety percent—less than a tenth could cross the boundary. So as long as the four Half-Liches didn’t act, these masses of undead were no longer a lethal threat.
Leon Merlin vaguely guessed that the Nemesis of the Undead ability could be upgraded—and that it only improved after killing huge numbers of undead. Wasn’t that how Charles the Conqueror did it, battling undead his whole life and gaining the Nemesis of the Undead ability after slaying countless undead?
The upgrade to Nemesis of the Undead was like a timely rain, greatly easing everyone’s pressure.
“Stay close to me…”
Leon Merlin gripped the Death Tome and solemnly gave the order.
Mana poured into the Death Tome, and the four-colored vortex formed by the Elemental Chapter began to spin rapidly. In the sky, a vortex the size of a fist appeared.
Then, as if inflated, it instantly expanded to over ten meters across—a fiery red dragon’s head emerged from the four-colored vortex.
A resounding, earth-shaking dragon’s roar echoed, and the fire elements in the air danced like lively sprites.
Massive flames converged, their intensity rivaling a volcano’s crater. Sparks flashed across the air—only when elemental fire reached such density and activity would this phenomenon occur.
A fire dragon over ten meters long burst from the four-colored vortex. As it landed, the sacrificial flames on its body instantly incinerated all low-level undead within thirty meters.
(Irrelevant system message skipped.)