The door, blown open by the powerful combined attack from Jay's team, revealed a vast, open space beyond. Enormous chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the area. As Jay looked around, he couldn't help but think it resembled a hotel lobby more than a temple.
Jay, follow me," Seraphina called out. Jay looked toward her and moved to stand behind her. "First, let's have the skeletons and zombies check the area in case Evan set any traps," she added. In response, Jay summoned 200 skeleton soldiers, four skeleton mages, and 100 zombies to scout the room.
"Good idea," Seraphina nodded. "When we enter the battle, you and Pluto should stay behind me. If we're up against a master rank, your warrior level might not even withstand the shockwaves."
"Got it," Jay replied. "I'll stay close with Pluto behind you. If anything goes wrong, I can still use my transformation skill and my fusion ability—though I haven't tested that one yet—to protect myself." He glanced at his status screen. I'm nearly at General rank, he thought. Just need to defeat a general rank on my own to level up. Right now, I'm at level 30.
[System Attributes - Supreme Lich Monarch System]
[Class - Supreme Lich Monarch Necromancer (Unlocked 1st Grade) ]
[Rank : Warrior (level -30) ] - Level Up to General Class (Option 1 Kill - 1 General rank solo ,Option -2 Kill 3 Master ranks with Summons /Legion )]
[Stats : Auto Class Unlock
Strength : 100
Speed : 100
Defense : 100
Mana : 100
Stamina : 100
Health : 15,00/15,000
Mana storage(New) : 12,000/12,000
[Special : Evil Heart (incomplete)]
[Bloodline :?? (Unlocks at Master rank )]
[Class Skills : Arise undead (???) ,Arise Spirit (???) ,Arise Skeleton King ,Arise Black eyed ghouls (???) ,Arise Skeleton Legion , Arise Undead Legion , Arise weaker Ghoul Group , Necromancer's call , Shadow space , Inventory , Death Transformation (1st form) , Summon fusion (Warrior)]
[Spells of Lich Monarch : Blood curse (1st tier spell) , Blood Control (1st tier spell) , Black Plague (1st tier spell) ,Blazing infernal flame ( 2nd tier spell ) , Laser eyes (2nd tier spell) , Shadow spikes (3rd tier spell) , Soul possession (3rd tier spell) ]
[Normal skills (Basic skill that coincide with class are removed) : Medium Heavy Bone Spike lvl 5 , Bone Poison (Mid level) ,Medium Bone Spike regeneration lvl 5, Medium Curse of words (???) , Advanced Lich Flame lv 1 , Advanced Lich curse lvl 1, Burning Soul Mind lvl 0, Medium Bone Regeneration ,Skill Lock on, 2nd Soul (Basic Authority (locked), Slave seal (locked) , Barrier seal (locked) , True Eyes ]
[Summons - Alpha Wolf Skeletal King (Warrior) lvl 28, Chenoo -The Evil Ice Giant (Master) lvl 92, Pluto - Skeletal Sword Spirit (Warrior) lvl 30 ,Seraphina -The 6 Winged Fallen Angel (Master) lvl 97,Adonis - Multi Winged Devil Skeleton King (Master) lvl 74 ,Amelios - Undead True Master (Master) lvl 97 ,Black eyed 9 headed serpent (General) lvl 57 , Black ghoul beholder King(General ) lvl 54 , Black eyed 4 legged Kaiju (General) lvl 59 ].
[Legion - Skeleton Legion (Troops - 2100) ,Undead Legion (Troops - 1500) , Weaker ghoul group (Troops - 84) ]
[Inventory - 4670 Corpses ]
Killing three master ranks might be too tough, and I doubt we can pull that off with me being a warrior rank. It's better if I can reach General rank before facing Evan and his masters, Jay thought inwardly. He then commanded the skeleton and zombie legions to enter the lobby hallway.
As soon as Jay's legions stepped inside, a massive white mist erupted, spreading from the room to the outside, blanketing the entire area and reducing visibility to near zero.
"Master, be careful," Adonis warned, stepping forward to block the searing mist. Though he managed to absorb the immediate impact, he couldn't stop the mist from continuing to spread. Suddenly, Chenoo, the ice giant, appeared in front of Adonis. With a deep, resonant rumble, Chenoo activated his Frost Aura, releasing an intense chill that gradually froze the surrounding mist, turning it into a flurry of snowflakes and sheets of ice.
After a brief moment, an explosion echoed from within the hall, in the direction where the legions had been exploring.
"Dammit, this bastard Evan loves his traps," Amelios grumbled, glaring past Chenoo into the corridor. "I'd love to shove one of his traps right up his—"
"Master, we've lost almost half our skeleton legion," Adonis reported, his voice tinged with concern.
Jay grimaced, feeling the severed connection to his skeleton soldiers. "Yes, I feel it too," he muttered.
Soon, the Beholder King spoke. "Master, let me try using my Mind Possession skill on one of the skeletons or zombies through your connection."
Jay nodded, "Sure, how can I help?"
"Just put your hand toward me, Master. I'll try to connect with the skeleton and see what's going on," the Beholder King instructed.
Jay raised his hand and extended it toward the Beholder King. The Beholder King approached, sending a red ray toward Jay's hand. As the ray made contact, Jay felt a strange, itchy sensation in his soul, which quickly faded away.
"Master, I'm now connected to a skeleton. It seems to have found another entrance. This one is much larger, and it looks like it could be the door to the control area. However, there are a lot of traps around, and many skeletons have already died. Some were trapped in laser cages, and others are completely pinned down," the Beholder King reported.
Jay pressed his fingers to his forehead. "Is the path clear, or can you look ahead to check?"
"Master, I'll try to memorize the path. Give me a couple of minutes to access this skeleton's memories, even though they're short-lived," the Beholder King replied.
As the Beholder King continued his search, Amelios turned to Adonis with a sigh. "Adonis, are your skeletons that much better? My zombies are pretty lame right now. Other than the few mutated ones, most of them are completely brainless."
Adonis chuckled. "Well, mine are worse than yours. At least your zombies have brains—mine are completely lacking in that department, and their spiritual will is close to zero. They're basically pointless. I was just lucky my legion found the door."
Amelios smiled at the remark. "Guess we've all got our strengths and weaknesses," he said with a shrug.
As Jay's team continued forward, the Beholder King's connection to the skeleton began to show promise. The mist had thickened, and every member of the group moved cautiously, aware of the deadly traps that awaited them. Jay stayed close to Seraphina, who kept her wings extended slightly to shield the group from any potential attacks. Adonis led the charge, his wings fluttering to keep his balance as they traversed the icy, mist-shrouded path. Chenoo followed close behind, his enormous form leaving heavy footprints in the snow as his frost aura continually froze the mist that tried to creep toward them.
The faintest crackle of energy filled the air as Amelios muttered under his breath, his eyes scanning the darkened surroundings. "I don't like this," he said, his fingers twitching as he controlled the toxic energy around them. "Something feels off. It's too quiet."
Seraphina's sharp eyes darted from corner to corner. "Stay alert," she said softly, her voice calm but filled with authority. "The last thing we want is to be caught unaware."
Jay clenched his fists, ready for anything. "What's the Beholder King saying?" he asked.
"Almost there," the Beholder King responded telepathically. "The path is dangerous, but there's a way through. I've managed to map the safest route."
Jay nodded, relieved. "Good. Keep us posted." He turned to Amelios. "How long until we reach the second entrance?"
"Not long," Amelios replied, adjusting the energy around him. "But don't get too comfortable. Evan's traps are a nightmare."
The team proceeded with caution, the atmosphere growing tense as they neared the second entrance. They reached the hallway, where the air shimmered ominously.
Before anyone could react, a series of red beams shot out from hidden wall apertures. The beams raced toward the group, each one sizzling with raw energy. "Move!" Seraphina shouted, launching herself forward with a flap of her wings.
Jay reacted quickly, teleporting just as a beam grazed the side of his robe, leaving a scorched mark on the fabric. Chenoo charged forward, his immense size blocking several beams with his body, his aura shielding those behind him from the worst of the impact. Adonis leaped high into the air, avoiding the beams with his superior agility, his wings spread wide to catch the wind. Amelios formed a barrier of toxic energy around him, deflecting the beams that came his way.
But not everyone was as lucky. The skeleton legion, still under the control of Jay's summons, charged forward, unaware of the imminent danger. Several of them were hit by the beams, instantly disintegrating into ash, while others fell into concealed pits that suddenly opened beneath them. Jay winced, feeling the connection to his fallen soldiers sever as they were obliterated.
"Damn it!" Jay cursed, watching the remnants of his legion fall to the traps. "Get to the other side quickly!" he shouted.
But the path was far from clear. As the group pressed forward, they encountered more traps: massive spiked walls that shot up from the floor, razor-sharp blades that swung from the ceiling, and energy fields that scorched anything that came into contact with them. Each trap claimed another wave of skeletons and zombies, their bodies crumpling under the weight of the onslaught. Jay could feel the loss of his legions with each sacrifice, but there was no time to mourn their destruction.
Amelios gritted his teeth as his zombies were torn apart, their already-limited intellect doing them no favors in avoiding the traps. "They're too weak to fight back," he muttered. "These traps were made for something stronger."
The path was treacherous, but Jay's team pushed forward, knowing the second entrance was close. As they neared it, a final barrier stood in their way: a massive door, reinforced with thick metal plating and energy shields. The skeletal remains of Jay's legions littered the hallway, their broken bodies a grim reminder of the toll the traps had taken.
"Now we break through," Jay said, his voice steady despite the chaos. He turned to Pluto, who had been silently waiting behind Seraphina. "Pluto, let's finish this."
The Skeletal Sword Spirit nodded and raised his sword high, its dark blade gleaming with a strange energy. With a single swing, Pluto sent out a wave of necrotic energy that collided with the door. It groaned under the pressure, but didn't give way. Jay's hands glowed with dark energy as he called upon his Lich Monarch abilities, conjuring a wave of intense power that struck the door with brutal force.
The door buckled, sparks flying from its surface, and with one final push from Chenoo's immense strength, it shattered, revealing the vast, ominous control room beyond.