Lord Sog, unlike Ludon, wasn't caught off guard by the Reaper Mantis's attack.
He remained composed, summoning his Golden Grimoire and raising a protective shield that deflected the lethal blow from above.
However, the Zombie Dragon beneath him wasn't so fortunate. Eddie's Ashen Demonic Blade sliced through the dragon's belly, cutting through the weakened flesh corrupted by long-term decay.
In the sky, the Reaper Mantis's scythes struck the shield with terrifying force, causing it to buckle slightly but ultimately holding strong against the Gold-level defense.
As the scythes rebounded, the Reaper Mantis launched a second attack, sweeping its arms and hurling the massive body of the Zombie Dragon through the air.
The dragon crashed into a mountain wall and fell to the ground with a thunderous crash.
The Reaper Mantis, moving with incredible speed, caught up and gripped the Zombie Dragon's tail, repeatedly slamming it into the ground.
The dragon, now sluggish and unresponsive in its undead state, struggled to rise as the Reaper Mantis prepared to tear it apart.
Lord Sog, however, immediately countered by attacking the Reaper Mantis's current weakness - its swollen belly, protecting its fragile eggs.
The second ice sphere launched from the sky caught the Reaper Mantis off guard as it leapt back to protect its vulnerable abdomen.
Eddie swiftly reacted, slashing at the ice sphere with his Ashen Demonic Blade, but to no avail. The sphere remained intact, striking the Reaper Mantis's back and encasing it in ice.
The Frost Dragon, under Lord Sog's command, ceased its biting attacks and instead continuously exhaled freezing breath onto the icy Reaper Mantis, strengthening the frosty bonds.
The Reaper Mantis struggled, its limbs flailing as ice chunks melted and flew off its body. However, a large ice mass formed on its belly, growing larger like a small mountain.
Lord Sog then summoned a shadowy figure and with a touch, exploded it into a cloud of black mist, enveloping the entire valley in darkness. The valley plunged into pitch-black night, obscuring all visibility.
Eddie, drenched in sweat, realized the formidable power of a mere lich. If Lord Sog, a practitioner with the strength of a Level Seven human overlord, was this challenging, how much more powerful would a Lich King like Gulun be? Eddie couldn't even begin to imagine.
Summoned war beasts are formidable indeed, but they can't compare to the enhanced warriors like Eddie, who still had his innate sword energy to rely on. He wasn't just a bystander in this grand battle.
Without the Gold Level Seven Reaper Mantis, Eddie felt he might have been at a disadvantage against Lord Sog. But now, the enemy's underestimation was his opportunity.
Indeed, in Lord Sog's eyes, eliminating the Reaper Mantis meant the human was easy prey. The Reaper Mantis, realizing its eggs were in danger as the enemy kept targeting its belly, went into a frenzy.
As a mother, it unleashed its full strength, dragging along a massive ice block as it rapidly approached the evolving Frost Dragon. One of its scythes dragged down the Frost Dragon before it could take flight, while the other scythe hooked around the dragon's neck, nearly breaking it.
Lord Sog, in frustration, watched as the Silver Level Eight Frost Dragon struggled helplessly against the Gold King Beast. The Reaper Mantis's natural hunting skills, amplified by its scythes' strength, made it impossible for the Frost Dragon to escape.
The Axe-Wielding Bloodwing Demon Guard, previously chasing the evasive Bloody Queen, was finally recalled by Lord Sog. He ordered it to join the battle against the Reaper Mantis, aiming to stop the mantis from attacking the Frost Dragon.
Eddie, however, wasn't about to let Lord Sog have his way.
After waiting for the perfect moment, Eddie, augmented with a hundredfold strength, dashed into the sky, crashing into the fiery embrace of the Bloodwing Demon Guard.
With his fingers pointed like a sword, he aimed straight for the guard's brow - its real weakness.
Lord Sog initially dismissed the threat, planning to use the guard's fiery shield explosion to blast Eddie away.
To his shock, he found he had completely lost control of his summoned creature.
The Bloodwing Demon Guard froze in mid-air, motionless, as Eddie's fingers penetrated its brow.
Innate sword energy burst from the back of the guard's head, spewing blood and brain matter.
Having successfully ambushed his target, Eddie grabbed the severely injured and dying guard, tore off one of its flaming wings, and hurled it high into the sky for the Bloody Queen to finish off. Eddie then swiftly turned and dove down, moving at a speed invisible to Lord Sog's naked eye, landing on the massive head of the Frost Dragon.
Summoned war beasts are indeed powerful, but they are no match for enhanced warriors like Eddie, who still has his innate sword energy to rely on. He wasn't just a spectator in this grand battle.
Without the Gold Level Seven Reaper Mantis, Eddie felt he might have been at a disadvantage against Lord Sog.
However, now, he saw an opportunity in the enemy's underestimation.
Indeed, Lord Sog viewed Eddie as a mere human who would be easy to dispose of once the Reaper Mantis was eliminated.
The Reaper Mantis, realizing its eggs were in danger as the enemy kept targeting its belly, went into a frenzy.
It dragged along a massive ice block as it rapidly approached the evolving Frost Dragon, using its scythes to pull the dragon down and attack its neck.
Lord Sog, frustrated by the struggle, saw the Silver Level Eight Frost Dragon overwhelmed by the Gold King Beast.
The Axe-Wielding Bloodwing Demon Guard, originally chasing the Bloody Queen, was recalled by Lord Sog to join the fight against the Reaper Mantis.
Eddie, however, seized the opportunity to attack when the second ice sphere targeted him. He was encased in ice, becoming a statue-like figure.
Lord Sog, now taking Eddie seriously, summoned a hammer-wielding golden puppet to smash the ice sculpture of Eddie. The impact sent Eddie flying, crashing into a clump of blood-red trees, which fell with a loud crash, raising a cloud of dust.
"Close call!" Lord Sog wiped sweat from his brow, relieved that his Ice Soul Orb had frozen Eddie.
He had underestimated Eddie's ability to kill a Bronze Level Seven Bloodwing Demon Guard with a single finger strike.
However, Eddie emerged unscathed, covered in dust and dirt, with tattered clothes but seemingly unhurt.
Eddie had indeed been hit, but he had learned to dodge attacks effectively in his dream training.
The hammer-wielding golden puppet's attack was clumsy compared to his training, and Eddie easily deflected the force with a spiral motion and energy projection.
Lord Sog was in disbelief, unable to comprehend Eddie's survival.
Eddie, smiling slightly, revealed that he had transferred most of the impact to his summoned beast, the Barbarian Bull Shadow, which had absorbed some of the force, causing it to crash into the trees. Eddie himself landed safely, obscured by the dust cloud.
Lord Sog wondered about the fate of his Ice Soul Orb, which should have left Eddie as an ice sculpture. Eddie, holding up his right hand with a smile, thanked Lord Sog for the "gift," having somehow acquired the orb.
In his palm, Eddie held a cold magic crystal, taken from the ice sphere. Using his innate true energy, he expelled the malevolent spirit from the crystal, rendering the formidable ice sphere harmless and turning it into a high-quality magic crystal.
Eddie, of course, wouldn't just passively take a hit; he seized the magic crystal from the Ice Soul Orb that had attacked him, instantly neutralizing it.
Killing the enemy's war beast and obtaining a premium magic crystal was Eddie's ideal outcome in battle. Lord Sog realized his mistake in summoning 'Nightfall.'
While it enhanced all undead war beasts, it rendered teleportation orbs ineffective within its range, essentially trapping him in a special summoning field.
With his war beasts heavily damaged and Eddie unscathed, Lord Sog acknowledged he had underestimated his opponent, who seemed nearly as powerful as an innate warrior. He had to think fast or risk a disastrous defeat.
Lord Sog no longer saw Eddie as an easily crushable human insect but as a formidable adversary. Eddie hesitated, wondering if Lord Sog might try to escape. Should he attack the Frost Dragon to obtain its magic crystal, or target the golden puppet for its crystal?
Suddenly, Wenli, Eddie's multi-armed serpent enchantress, appeared, signaling that Lord Sog couldn't escape and was ready to help Eddie defeat the powerful lich.
"How many summoned beasts do you have?" Lord Sog felt overwhelmed, seeing Eddie with the Gold Level Three Bloody Queen, a Bronze Level Five Barbarian Bull, a strange metal puppet, and now Wenli.
Despite Eddie's Grimoire being only at an early Silver level and his personal level as a high-tier novice, he commanded a formidable array of summoned beasts.
"Before you die, I might consider telling you!" Eddie commanded like a bandit leader, "Attack! Seize their treasures and magic crystals! In short, we implement the three 'burn, kill, rob' policies!"
Eddie's dynamic and strategic approach in the midst of battle, combined with his array of powerful and diverse summoned beasts, turned the tide against the formidable lich, showcasing his adaptability and cunning in the face of overwhelming odds.