Amberxiu's tone was chilling and malevolent, resembling the classic evil villain from stories. Unfortunately, the cruel words he uttered were met with disbelief.
Even the paladins were taken aback. How could this lich appear to be protecting humanity?
Another lord, standing beside the Porcupine Knight, roared in fury, "Who are you trying to fool? I saw my people cultivating land on your land! Don't think just because you're a lich, you can freely raid the population of other lords!"
Amberxiu, indifferent, replied, "Humans let sheep graze on their own, don't they? If I'm to keep these prisoners, I won't let them farm; am I supposed to feed them myself?"
"Damn the undead!" The Porcupine Knight, though enraged, found no argument to counter.
Had they gathered troops at great expense, only to gain nothing?
Countless plans had been made, but they never expected their justification for war to fall apart.
Now, the Porcupine Knight's greatest concern was not the war itself, but the possibility that, if the battle failed to end Amberxiu's life, the lich could report this reasoning to Alchemy City. This would lead to grave trouble for the small lords like him.
It wasn't about justice or truth; Alchemy City merely needed an excuse to deal a heavy blow to these minor lords.
The Porcupine Knight feared the end result would be that they, the small lords, would be blamed for initiating the war, fined heavily, and perhaps even forced to relinquish their territory to Alchemy City.
It would be a mutually destructive outcome, one the Porcupine Knight could not accept.
At this moment, Harvey, the mage advisor who had been lurking in the crowd, approached the Porcupine Knight and whispered, "My lord, unforeseen trouble has arisen. I suggest we retreat temporarily and find another approach."
Reluctantly, the Porcupine Knight listened.
Rallying an army was costly, and troops consumed vast amounts of food. If they achieved nothing, it would be a pure loss.
Harvey noticed the hesitation in the Porcupine Knight's eyes. As an advisor, he should have offered a more proactive solution. However, from the moment Amberxiu appeared, Harvey felt his head buzzing, as the forces of the prophetic faction screamed warnings.
The lich before them was too dangerous; they must move away immediately, or disaster would strike.
Harvey urged, "My lord, if we continue this standoff, war is inevitable. I fear the outcome may not be in our favor."
Before the Porcupine Knight could make a decision, the paladin spoke up, "Porcupine Knight, perhaps now is the time for mercenaries to prove their worth. Let me lead the charge, how does that sound?"
The paladin could not allow evil to persist. Amberxiu stood before them, flaunting his lich form, and such malevolence had to be eradicated!
The Porcupine Knight's eyes lit up. He had invested great effort in winning over the paladins, hoping to use them against the lich. If they could defeat the lich, then the matter of right and wrong would be theirs to decide.
The Porcupine Knight asked the paladin, "Do you truly have confidence in dealing with this lich? If he escapes, we will face great trouble."
"Fear not. We have plenty of experience dealing with the undead. The lich's greatest weakness is not his skeletal form, but his phylactery. As long as the phylactery remains hidden within the ancient castle, he cannot escape. Once we breach this castle, I will find the phylactery and destroy him. Now, give the order!" the paladin said confidently.
"Very well. In the name of the Jaeis family, I command you to eliminate this evil. Harvey, I order you to assist the paladin in the extermination of this lich!" The Porcupine Knight issued his orders with utmost formality.
Harvey sighed inwardly, but reluctantly obeyed.
A paladin, a light priest, and a mage apprentice, the three of them mounted their horses and slowly advanced toward Amberxiu.
The paladin didn't even attempt a sneak attack, but boldly marched forward and proclaimed loudly, "Evil undead, I, representing the Holy Light, grant you the purification of your soul!"
With the paladin's cry, he charged forward.
This was the signal for the attack. The Porcupine Knight immediately ordered his soldiers to follow the paladin's lead and charge toward Amberxiu's castle.
Over a thousand soldiers charged forward, creating a formidable scene.
Amberxiu was slightly surprised. He had underestimated the humans' determination. But this was fine; he had been running low on experimental material lately.
With a wave of his staff, countless skeletons emerged from the ground.
Though it was daylight, the skeletons were unaffected and quickly formed ranks under Amberxiu's command.
Seeing these frail, stumbling skeletons, the paladin's confidence grew.
No matter how many weak undead there were, they were of no consequence. The paladin's armor and weapon glowed with brilliant light, even his mount was covered in the same radiant aura.
Charging into the skeletal horde, the seemingly feeble skeletons were obliterated by the holy light before they could even get close.
These ordinary humanoid skeletons stood no chance against the holy warriors of the Lyon Empire. They couldn't even block the paladin's charge.
As the paladin neared, Amberxiu cast a flight spell, soaring into the air.
The paladin, however, remained unperturbed. Flying undead were a common sight to him. He raised his weapon high as the light priest began chanting.
"In the name of the Lord of the Dawn, I command you to prostrate before the Holy Light!"
A dark light fell upon Amberxiu.
It was the priest's most commonly used divine spell—Command.
Drawing on divine power, the spell created an immense pressure, compelling the target to obey the command.
However, the Lord of the Dawn was a benevolent deity, and the Command spell could not force someone to harm themselves, but it could order them to kneel, drop their weapons, or flee the battlefield.
Such effects were formidable in battle. Imagine a warrior, disarmed and thrown to the ground under the spell's influence. What would be their fate?
While the Command spell couldn't kill, the paladin's sword certainly could.
If Amberxiu were bound by the Command spell, he would fall from the air and be swiftly decapitated.
Though the lich could reincarnate, it would take time, and that time would be enough for the paladin to storm the castle and find Amberxiu's phylactery.
"Heh, underestimated, huh?" Amberxiu smirked as a red light flashed from his body, instantly reflecting the Command spell back onto the light priest, nearly throwing him off his mount.
It was spell countering, the tactic most favored by mages, which allowed them to dissipate targeted spells using less or equal amounts of magical energy.
The light priest showed no signs of panic. The paladins and light priests of the Lyon Empire had encountered nearly all forms of undead magic, and Amberxiu had yet to surprise them.
The reason they used the divine spell despite knowing its futility was simply to draw Amberxiu's attention and close the gap.
Now, the real trump card could be played.
The light priest quickly retrieved a magic scroll and began chanting.
In less than half a second, a faint blue energy shield expanded, trapping Amberxiu inside.
A Counter-Magic Field!
Within its range, all magic effects would be nullified, preventing any further spells from being cast. Summoned creatures would be forcibly dispersed, and enchanted equipment would be rendered mundane.
Under the influence of the magic field, Amberxiu's flight spell would immediately falter, causing him to fall from the sky, and his once-proud magical powers would be sealed.
That's how it should have been.
But instead, to the priests' astonishment, Amberxiu did not fall but disappeared entirely.
The paladin quickly realized and shouted, "No! It's an illusion!"
In the next moment, green light, symbolizing decay, poured out from the castle in a torrent, like a meteor shower falling upon the soldiers. The soldiers, screaming in agony, were corroded into brittle bones, causing heavy casualties.
At the castle's gate, Amberxiu sneered, "Still too young. No lich would present himself before a paladin. Otherwise, what would be the point of such a grand magical castle?"
End of Chapter