Chapter 458: Death, Part Twenty-Five – Heaven-Defying Summon
As a high-tier undead creature, the Lich is born with the innate ability to cast a Necrotic Barrier. This barrier is almost certainly the Lich's strongest form of defense, forged from countless strands of death energy. Even opponents of equal rank, unleashing their full power, would struggle to break through it in a short time...
But now, as the torrent of spells unleashed by the Wheel of All Magic crashed down, Barton the Lich finally felt the pressure. Even when it was surrounded and wounded by the crowd earlier, it hadn't bothered using the Necrotic Barrier for protection. But now, it had no choice—the presence of Leon Merlin posed a tremendous threat.
In fact, this was the first time in thousands of years that it had ever felt panic.
Leon Merlin flickered through the air in a burst of flame, hovering midair with the aid of Levitation. Raising the Doombringer Staff, he unleashed a surge of blazing fire element, and one Fireblast after another hammered the Necrotic Barrier. Each Fireblast exploded, scattering portions of the death energy, and as nearly a hundred Fireblasts struck in rapid succession, the barrier's death energy began to look thin and fragile.
If this had happened some time ago, he might have been powerless against the Necrotic Barrier. But in the study on the ninth floor of the Wizard’s Spire, he’d stumbled upon the Elemental Chapter and merged it into the Book of Death, amplifying his attacks from all four elements—earth, water, wind, and fire—to a terrifying degree.
That’s why nearly a hundred Fireblasts could erase most of the death energy making up the Necrotic Barrier. Suddenly, the flames around him flickered and died out, replaced by a chilling, ruthless aura. Layers of Ice Armor coated his body as he completed the transformation into his ice element avatar. Standing tall like an ancient god or demon, Leon’s ice avatar—now boosted by the Elemental Chapter—was even stronger than when he’d fought the Flame Demon Lord months ago. Partly, it was his own growth; partly, it was the Elemental Chapter’s power.
An Ice Spear materialized in Leon’s grip. With a fierce clench, his strength surged and he hurled the spear with all his might. The sound of air being torn filled the battlefield as the Ice Spear shot toward the Necrotic Barrier, its sheer force making the barrier shudder violently...
At that moment, Councilor Weiss and the other Title Archmages seemed to grasp Leon’s intent. Without hesitation, they unleashed their own high-tier spells, bombarding the Necrotic Barrier.
Boom!
With a thunderous, earth-shattering boom, the Necrotic Barrier—assailed by countless attacks—finally collapsed. Stripped of its protection, Barton the Lich stood exposed, vulnerable to the fury of every mage present...
A blinding white figure swept in, trailing a wave of bone-chilling frost. It surged before Barton, raised a colossal fist, and brought it crashing down with merciless force.
But...
Barton was, after all, a Lich—he possessed the memories of a peak Title Archmage, and his own strength hovered at level thirty-seven. Even faced with a storm of attacks, he showed no panic. The Necrotic Barrier had bought him precious time; this long, grueling battle made one thing clear: without killing the young mage, victory was out of reach.
A cruel sneer twisted Barton's lips, followed by a harsh, rasping chant. Twin blue flames flared wildly in his hollow eye sockets, while the Bone Staff in his grip radiated a chilling aura. Barton swept the staff through the air in a sinister arc, and in an instant, a vast black mist surged forth, coiling around the tip.
By now, Barton had already raised his Bone Staff high overhead. Endless death energy gathered at its tip, and within seconds, a black sphere materialized, pulsing with an aura of overwhelming terror.
"Not good..."
Even Councilor Weiss, seasoned and knowledgeable, was left speechless. His mouth hung open as he stared at Barton in disbelief, his voice barely a whisper.
He'd already guessed Barton's intent—the black sphere held pure death energy. But this wasn't Barton's own power; it was the lingering death force left behind on the battlefield.
Just imagine: nearly ten thousand undead creatures had died here. The death energy remaining was unimaginably immense...
Now, Barton was using his bone staff as a conduit, gathering every trace of death energy left on the battlefield into a single orb forged from endless necrotic power.
It wasn't a spell, but something far more terrifying than any spell.
If it explodes...
The thought sent a chill down Weiss's spine, cold sweat breaking out as he realized Barton intended to use this extreme method to kill the young mage.
The real trouble was, the young mage was still in his Ice Elemental Avatar form. Weiss knew all too well that, while the Ice Elemental Avatar offered incredible protection, it came with a fatal flaw: movement was far too slow.
Honestly, in a situation like this, sluggish movement was a disaster. If that black orb exploded, there'd be no way to dodge it!
The Ice Elemental Avatar's defenses were astonishing, but only just that—astonishing. Against such a terrifying blast, not even a Sword Saint above level six, shielded by layers of battle aura, would likely survive.
From Weiss's perspective, if the young mage played it safe, victory would only be a matter of time—the Lich was being besieged by eleven people, after all.
But this young man was a bit too reckless. The moment the Necrotic Barrier fell, he charged straight in without a second thought.
Right now, the black orb was swelling with death energy, emitting eerie hissing sounds. Countless strands of black power flowed within, radiating a terrifying, sinister aura. Barton raised his head and sneered; though his face was nothing but bone, in the eyes of the crowd, he looked monstrously vicious.
In just a few seconds, the orb had swelled to the size of a human head. Barton gave his bone staff a subtle wave, aiming directly at Leon Merlin in his Ice Elemental Avatar form, then began chanting a strange incantation...
Roar...
But just then, a sudden roar erupted behind Barton, and a terrifying aura swept across the battlefield, black sword energy rising into the air.
A thunderous crash rang out, cutting Barton's incantation short. Before he could even react, a massive force struck him from behind, sending him flying...
Boom!
At the same time, the orb—swollen with death energy—lost its balance and exploded with earth-shattering force. A shockwave sent countless pale bones flying, endless death energy surged, instantly engulfing Barton.
As the blast wave swept across the battlefield, everyone hurriedly cast protective spells. The explosion had been so terrifying it made their scalps tingle.
Barton, now, had both arms severed, his body sent flying dozens of meters like a broken kite before crashing heavily to the ground...
A fire-red shadow darted in, giving Barton no chance to recover. The Nightmare's forehoof came down in Barton's terrified gaze, landing with a dull thud...
"Ah! Damn it, Ragulin, you actually betrayed Lord Barris, you—you..." Barton lay sprawled on the ground, twin dim soul flames raging in his eyes, glaring furiously at the Death Knight.
It was the Death Knight's sudden attack that sent Barton flying, causing the black orb to lose balance and explode. If not for that, the young mage would have been blown to pieces.
Yet the Death Knight remained unmoved, brandishing his gleaming longsword and stabbing fiercely at Barton's skull, sparks flying with each blow...
"Ragulin, Lord Barris will never forgive you! When he awakens from his slumber, you and those humans will be damned to eternal torment in the endless abyss..."
You had to admit, the bodies of high-tier undead were absurdly tough—especially a Lich's skull. Even after the Death Knight's full-powered strike, it only cracked a little. But the Death Knight didn't stop. By the fifth blow, the helpless Lich's skull finally shattered, and its soul flame flickered out.
Suddenly, a faint light shot out from the fragments of Barton's skull. Leon Merlin, still in his Ice Elemental Avatar form, didn't hesitate—his magic-infused hand snatched the necromantic essence just before it could escape. Then, dispelling his ice avatar, he pulled out the Book of Death and placed the essence inside.
In a flash of black light, the undead essence vanished, replaced by a new dark symbol on the Book of Death, pulsing with eerie energy...
Staring at the new symbol, Leon nearly burst out laughing. This was the essence of a Lich as strong as a thirty-seventh level Title Archmage—stronger than any Death Knight he'd faced before.
What did it mean to be a thirty-seventh level Title Archmage...?
That was a bona fide high-tier Title Archmage. In the Black Tower—one of Auckland's two major mage factions—they'd be a councilor-level figure.
Yet now, Leon Merlin could command such powerful beings at will, making them fight for him...
Take the Death Knight, for example...
At the most critical moment, the Death Knight appeared as a summoned creature, saving him by interrupting Barton's spell and completely turning the tide.
Honestly, the Book of Death's power is nothing short of heaven-defying.
The only drawback was the terrifying amount of death energy required to summon such high-tier undead...
At this moment, no one paid any attention to Leon; all eyes were fixed on the three-meter-tall figure in battered armor, wielding a rusted longsword, and the Nightmare, its body wreathed in red flames, standing over two meters high.
Everyone was on edge, barely able to believe their eyes. Wasn't this the same Death Knight they encountered hours ago—the one they'd killed?
And why was it attacking the Lich so frantically, as if possessed?
Most astonishing of all, after killing the Lich, it just stood there, motionless, as if waiting for orders.
In that moment, countless questions flashed through everyone's minds.
It was like a dream...