Malik is tasked with defending the fort. His barriers holding strong while he switched in and out between wiping a horde of undead and resting while holding the barrier. Upon seeing the giant serpent coil around the Lesser-lich's flesh golem, he knew that the time to strike has arrived.
"THE LICH IS DISTRACTED! It's time to go on the attack!"
Malik once again called onto the gods of the ocean to call out its rough waves. With the lich distracted the rate of regeneration of the opposing forces will dwindle giving them the chance to strike back without being punished.
The serpent's augments are limited but this did not mean that it could not have more physical modifications. All over the puppet's body are sharp blades that saw through its larger opponent. With the sickening sound of metal on bone and flesh, Its arms fell off and just as it did so Matthew's threads dissipated now connecting to the Blue Tiger once more.
The Blue Tiger ravaged the lich's main body, forcing lightning onto it and crushing the skull.
But without the phylactery the lich can keep regenerating, which is why both Blue Tiger and the Dark Queen are running around the surface of the golem's body looking for it.
"Matthew, I've located the phylactery" Malik reported.
"Where is it?" Matthew asked.
"Inside the Golem." Malik replied.
With the general location of the phylactery at hand, Matthew wasted no time in reconnecting his mana threads onto the serpent.
"Rokhan focus on stalling the lich! I'm tearing through that golem's back." The large mouth of the serpent took a chunk off of the flesh golem's back.
"Spellcasters! Can you sense it from there?"
"No sir!"
"I'll keep digging then!"
The fight dragged on as the Phylactery's search became a bit easier. With Rokhan finally taking down the skeleton knights the ever regenerating lesser-lich was now on the backfoot.
It would take almost an hour before they finally found it.
With a flash of blue lightning and the help of Dark Queen's augments the phylactery would be destroyed.
[You are the third local human who has slain a Greater Monster.]
[You have slain a Lesser-Lich. You have obtained a soul orb.]
"The job isn't finished! Stand your ground knowing that we took down a lich! FINISH THEM OFF!"
It would take over half a day for them to successfully clear the area, but what welcomed them afterwards was a safer region. One that was now reclaimed by the Virtuoso's general forces.
Walls would soon be erected as the plan to open the dam once more began to take place.
At the end of the month the system message once again came up, showing off a new update for everyone involved. An overall ranking of the humans that came back home along with the guests that they brought along the way.
[Rankings are now available.]
[World Ranking - TOP 5]
1. Taesang Kang [Martial Artist] - Sky Sovereign
2. Daniel White [Swordsman] - Sword Saint
3. Matthew Khan [Puppeteer] - The Virtuoso
4. Arthur Blanco [Martial Artist] - Dragon's Spawn
5. Hakeem Markov [Sorcerer] - Scion of Vladimir
While Matthew was a genius and a monster in his own right, the world in and of itself is vast and others would have the luck of the goddess on their side. The world rankings quantify not just a person's individual power but also their achievements and titles.
The world ranking was made as an attempt to encourage those on the bottom rung, those that are clinging to others for survival without even trying on their own.
Upon seeing their leader as one of the top dogs in the leaderboard the Virtuoso's forces rejoiced. Their achievement in killing the lesser-lich undoubtedly aided in his growth and standing within the list.
Matthew as the person in question, cared not for the rankings but for his plans to come to fruition. With the soul orb in hand he needed the help of a few other puppeteers to create a new advanced puppet to take into battle. "This will be the orb for number 8, with all of us here it will take at least a few weeks to finish."
If his master, Mag was here then the puppet's creation would only take days.
"We don't need this in a rush, I have all seven of my advanced puppets with me. This is just a new design to prepare for the worst."
Matthew Khan and his army would grow as more survivors from the city joined his cause, his group was not just the strongest within the region but it was also the most well-kept. A castle with walls, soldiers that defend it. It was like a small city from the other worlds, brought to life in their original one.
And a ranked individual within the top 3 was a beacon of hope for people who barely survived their journey in the other worlds. With his original soldiers singing his praise, it's almost impossible not to join their ranks when protection is provided as well as food and other amenities.
While dozens of soldiers were lost to the battle against the lich, many more joined his cause upon learning the news.
They quickly rose in fame, becoming the go to faction for any survivors in their region.
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A/N: This book is on hiatus for now.