Chapter 1487
With a magic item currently in use, this kind of situation is basically impossible—unless your luck is unbelievably bad.
The appearance of this crack means the Voodoo Doll's power will drop sharply; especially at a time like this, it might even fail completely.
The Voodoo Doll looked like a pitch-black, ugly rag doll, with sinister big eyes and a mouth twisted into a chilling grin—the crack was right across its face.
Normally, this kind of crack would be a minor flaw, but right now, it was fatal—and it was spreading fast.
Alonzo, who was already mentally prepared, wore a grim expression. The moment the crack appeared, he began chanting an incantation and violently crushed the Voodoo Doll.
This spell was completely different from the previous ones; it sacrificed the Voodoo Doll to unleash its power—this was how to trigger its greatest effect.
From the start, Alonzo never planned to keep the Voodoo Doll, even though making it was a huge hassle. In all these years, he'd only been able to craft one of this caliber.
The Voodoo Doll shattered, and the spell was finally cast successfully...
In that instant, Leon suddenly felt something strange—as if his very soul was enveloped by a bizarre force, though now part of that force had faded.
At the same moment, the Blood Lich burst free from Anderson and Theo's double suppression. A terrifying aura of death exploded outward, forcibly tearing open Anderson's spell torrent and Theo's chaotic storm.
When the Arcane Wheel and the Book of All Spells are combined, their power far surpasses that of any single magic item. It's like having a mage as strong as Leon—one who can instantly cast any spell, even tier-nine spells, without worrying about mana consumption.
But now, that kind of power was like a mighty river crashing against a boulder that's stood for tens of thousands of years—completely unable to shake the Blood Lich.
They managed to stall him for only a few seconds, which was already impressive. Anderson and Theo weren't affected by the Curse of Misfortune, but if Leon himself were controlling the Arcane Wheel and Book of All Spells, it might've been a different story...
Because Alonzo destroyed the Voodoo Doll to cast this spell, he suffered some backlash, and in that instant, his defenses plummeted to their lowest.
Leon was blasted away; the three deans were no match for the Blood Lich. Once the Blood Lich went berserk, they were sent flying with a single blow.
Agalon's protective shield was shredded almost instantly. Just as the Blood Lich was about to tear Alonzo apart, something unexpected happened...
On the chaotic battlefield, with Agalon's shield destroyed, mana and supernatural power surged like a balloon suddenly punctured—energy clashed wildly, with no rhyme or reason.
When the Blood Lich closed in on Alonzo—less than a hundred meters away—the chaotic energies inexplicably collided. These wave-like surges of power weren't all that dangerous by themselves.
But just like two waves crashing together and doubling in force, several strong energy surges happened to collide at the same spot, right at that moment.
It was like a tier-nine spell detonating right there—the Blood Lich was halfway through chanting when the blast hit him square in the face...
It's like when you're moving fast and suddenly get a mouthful of wind—the Blood Lich had his spell forcibly interrupted, his head snapped to the side as if he'd been slapped.
Worse still, the spell he was casting had a particularly nasty backlash. He hadn't expected it to be interrupted like this, and in an instant, his mana went haywire. Death energy turned violent, and with a bang, a chunk of flesh and half his jaw exploded off his dried face—uncontrolled death magic surged inside him all at once.
The Blood Lich was sent flying, then floated quietly in midair. In his pitch-black eye sockets, two pinpricks of blue light flickered as the raging death energy around him coalesced into countless whipping tendrils.
Suddenly, the whole scene turned oddly bizarre...
Leon stood pale-faced, clutching a bottle of life potion and chugging it nonstop—so fast he choked twice. The Death Tome had already closed shut.
Agalon's robe was in tatters, his beard and hair looked like they'd been chewed by a dog, and Alonzo's face was even more twisted, the mana around him wildly unstable.
The three deans weren't any better off—somehow, they'd all ended up seriously injured...
As for the Blood Lich—one leg gone, head askew, a chunk of face and half a jaw missing. He looked utterly miserable, and even the death energy swirling around him seemed beyond his control.
Nobody dared make a move...
By sacrificing the top-tier True Spirit magic item—the Voodoo Doll, painstakingly crafted by Alonzo over many years—everyone's luck was brought down to the same level.
Calling it 'equalized' is a bit generous. In reality, the Blood Lich's luck was dragged down to an absurdly low point, and even after the Curse of Misfortune was split among everyone, it was still deadly enough to ruin them all.
The scene got weird—no one could leave, not even the Blood Lich, but nobody dared to move. Who knew what kind of catastrophic bad luck would strike next?
Leon and his team didn't dare move, and the Blood Lich was even more cautious. His True Name had just been chanted aloud, meaning his soul was in Leon's hands. Thanks to the god-demon soul, Leon couldn't easily destroy it, but if he released the soul, the Blood Lich would be doomed...
Hit by the Curse of Misfortune and facing the god-demon soul of the Nightmare Lord, the Blood Lich's fate would be total annihilation—so he didn't dare make a move either.
Nobody dared to act, but nobody could leave. The situation was getting awkward...
The Field of Bones operates by Undead Plane rules: if the Blood Lich isn't killed, Leon and his team can't escape. But if the Blood Lich doesn't kill them, he can't leave either.
Dragging things out used to favor the Blood Lich, but now, it's the opposite—he's at an even greater disadvantage.
The Curse of Misfortune won't fade with time; only death can break it.
The Blood Lich had set up layer after layer of traps, ensnaring Leon and his team—only to find that, at the last moment, Leon dragged him down with them...
Now the Blood Lich was suffering—he'd set up this elaborate trap to guarantee his plan went perfectly, but now he couldn't escape it himself...
After several minutes of eerie silence, the Blood Lich finally spoke.
"Humans, you've won. Let's make a deal—perfectly."
Leon grinned, a hint of mockery in his gaze as he looked at the Blood Lich but said nothing. Alonzo snorted, busy dealing with the backlash, while Agalon was occupied stabilizing his mana.
The Blood Lich paused, then continued to outline his deal, talking to himself.
"I can lift the seal here, even abandon this body, and lift the Curse of Misfortune—all you need to do is return my soul to me...
I have endless years to wait, but you do not. The Curse of Misfortune will persist, and in endless time, you will certainly die here.
I know you're trying to build a hexagram magic array to seal the passage between the Leviathan Plane and the Undead Plane, to keep the Undead Plane from devouring it.
Time is running out. We're all cursed, but I can wait—you can't.
Even losing this body wouldn't be an unacceptable loss. Lucky human with the Death Tome, you can't destroy my soul—you should know it's not an ordinary soul.
If this drags on, you'll all die, the Leviathan Plane will be devoured, and then that ambitious Fergus will surely move to invade the Material Plane.
I don't want your Death Tome—I just want my soul back. I'll let you destroy this body of mine. As long as we make a contract to seal the deal, that's all it takes. It's a win-win, but honestly, it's a bigger win for you..."
The Blood Lich made a solid argument. Alonzo stayed silent, his face dark, while Agalon seemed thoughtful. Even the three deans looked a bit swayed.
The Blood Lich's willingness to compromise surprised Leon, but thinking it over, it really was the best option. Taking everyone down together wouldn't help anyone; destroying the Blood Lich's body was enough to solve all their problems, at least for now.
Alonzo and Agalon both looked at Leon. They knew that destroying this body wasn't a huge loss for the Blood Lich—after so many years, he must have backup bodies. Even if they weren't all peak level, they'd still be formidable.
The Blood Lich's proposal really was the best way to break the current deadlock.
In the end, everyone would just go their separate ways—no one was going to kill anyone this time. Next time, who knows.
Leon grinned.
"You're right, I really can't destroy your soul completely. And yeah, this situation is awkward... but this is the Field of Bones...
As the creator of the Field of Bones, it doesn't matter how many people come in—it's easy to get in, but no one gets out. Anyone can enter, but escape is another story..."