Multiverse: Dimension Hopping Mage

Chapter 38: The Battle at the Quarry (Part 3)

Not only was Stone's face pale at this moment, but even Alex's complexion was no better. Think about it: you plan to head to Shadowfang Keep, only to encounter Kel'Thuzad as soon as you enter. How would you feel?

This is really playing against the rules! It's not even the same version, come on.

Looking at the lich floating in the air before him, Alex also took a few steps back quietly. No wonder he and Stone hadn't anticipated this situation; the opponent's disguise was just too good.

Being one of the top powerhouses of the Council of the Dead, it was almost certain that the opponent possessed legendary-level abilities.

Normally, such an entity would be accompanied by strong minions—skeletons and undead soldiers would be the basics, and a few banshees or bone dragons wouldn't be out of the question.

If Alex and his team had encountered higher-level troops, they probably wouldn't have ventured so deeply.

So what happened? This guy was clearly well-versed in online literature, mastering the "pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger" trope!

Along the way, Alex and Stone only encountered basic undead creatures like skeleton soldiers and giant zombies, so neither of them paid much attention. Even Stone thought there might just be a mad lich inside.

A plain old lich, though dangerous for grand knights like Stone and Malt, was at least manageable.

But they didn't expect that inside would be one of the Council of the Dead's most terrifyingly powerful members! A Lich Lord!

You're somewhat of a boss-level existence; have some dignity, will you? Is it necessary to mess with us like this? And why dress so low-key? In any game, a boss character is adorned with gold and silver, but you wear a tattered black robe… Alex admitted he had misjudged this one.

Oh, right, liches don't have faces.

"Well, since you're here, don't think about leaving…"

Frank remained calm, extending his hand and making a grasping motion toward Alex and Stone's direction.

At the same time, a flash of fire appeared from the side of the Lich Lord, streaking past like a meteor.

"Stop!"

Grand Knight Malt raised his longsword high, flames blazing on its blade. He roared, gripping his sword tightly and slashing down, sending roaring flames spiraling towards the floating Lich Lord. However, the Lich Lord didn't even glance at Malt.

The fierce flames had not yet reached it when a semi-transparent barrier materialized around the Lich Lord's body, and in an instant, the previously raging flames dwindled like a candle in the wind and were extinguished.

Yet the Lich Lord's movements didn't stop at all. He reached out with his right hand and made a gentle grasping motion. The next moment, Alex and Stone felt the ground shake. Behind them, walls of bones rose from the ground, quickly blocking their retreat.

This is really bad!

Alex's face darkened as he watched the scene unfold. He gripped his sword tightly, his eyes filled with hesitation. To be honest, Alex hadn't expected these guys in the main world to be so cunning. If only he had been more cautious... but it wouldn't have helped! He barely understood this world and had to rely on others' judgments without enough information.

"Guests, why not join my ceremony?"

"Absolutely not!"

Upon hearing the Lich Lord speak, Stone roared and charged forward with his greatsword. However, the Lich Lord, knowing the fate of villains who talk too much, didn't say another word. He simply reached out and traced a few gestures in the air. Immediately, a horrifying scene unfolded.

The bodies of over a dozen temple knights lying on the ground suddenly burst apart with a crack. Their bones, as if pulled by invisible strings, floated up and reassembled, transforming into a monstrous creature with a giant torso and a long scythe in its hands.

"It's a Death Harbinger, be careful!"

Malt's face changed drastically at the sight of the creature. He rushed forward, joining Stone in trying to flank the terrifying monster. However, the Death Harbinger reacted faster than they expected.

As soon as it formed, it raised its hands and swung its scythe in a 180-degree arc, striking both Malt's and Stone's weapons.

The two grand knights trembled and stepped back, cold air swiftly spreading up their arms, encasing them in thick frost.

Such terrifying power!

Malt and Stone shattered the ice on their arms with a shake, exchanging a glance and seeing the shock and fear in each other's eyes.

This was merely a Death Harbinger summoned casually by the Lich Lord, yet it could match the combined strength of the two of them?

Even though Malt and Stone were brave knights, cold sweat trickled down their backs. The Council of the Dead had a bad reputation, but they rarely appeared in the public eye.

Unlike the church of doom or the Dusk Legion, which loved causing trouble everywhere, the Council of the Dead believed that "all things will die," so they had the patience to wait for their enemies to self-destruct.

Therefore, the Council was more active in cemeteries or battlefields, often excavating and reviving powerful entities' remains as undead creatures. Naturally, such desecration of corpses was unacceptable to the Temple.

Even in the Temple, there were private rumors that the Council of the Dead, while low-profile on the surface, was actually the most terrifying enemy of all living beings.

If they encountered a troublesome opponent, they wouldn't resort to desperate measures like the Twilight Legion or the Church of Doom. Instead, they would patiently wait.

After all, time was their ally. They didn't need to take action themselves; with enough patience, their once-powerful enemies would either die of old age or be killed by others. Then, the Council could leisurely dig up graves and enjoy themselves.

Due to the Council of the Dead's passive and evasive attitude towards battle, most people mistakenly regarded them as clowns like the Church of Doom, who only plotted in the shadows and would crumble like rats on the battlefield.

But now, the Lich Lord's actions immediately shattered this rumor—these beings simply disliked direct confrontation, but this didn't mean the Council of the Dead was made up of clowns hiding in rat holes.

Just a Death Harbinger, temporarily created, could withstand the full attack of grand knights like Stone and Malt. In fact, Frank still had no intention of intervening himself; he seemed more interested in the ritual.

However, this didn't mean Frank would let them disrupt his plans. With a snap of his fingers, the torn flesh of the previous temple knights began to squirm and merge like melting pudding, transforming into two grotesque flesh monsters that lunged toward Alex and the other temple knights.

Damn it!

Seeing this, Alex's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He had only heard a bit about the Council of the Dead from Stone, knowing that these undead had profound mastery over the transition between life and death. But it wasn't until now that Alex truly experienced how terrifying these liches were.

Not only had they used people's bones to create a Death Harbinger, but they also utilized the remaining flesh to craft two flesh golems. These golems were mid-tier undead, their strength determined by the "raw materials" used.

If the golems were made from a few farmers, Alex wouldn't feel pressured. But these golems were made from the flesh of temple knights, making them a different story.

The flesh golems moved much faster than expected, reaching Alex in a few breaths. Staring at the giant flesh monstrosity, Alex felt his scalp tingle. He had seen disgusting creatures in the worlds of Demonica and Free World, but nothing quite like this.

Though unfamiliar with the creation of flesh golems, Alex could tell at a glance that this creature's body seemed to be a fusion of the previously melted limbs of the temple knights.

What disgusted him more was that these organs appeared to be functioning.

Especially the five eyes blinking at him from misplaced positions—it almost made Alex want to vomit.

"Roar———!!"

But the flesh golem had no such feelings. Acting on instinct, it roared and lunged at Alex, with two arms suddenly extending from its gelatinous body, wielding blood-stained longswords.

What the hell!

Facing the monster, Alex cursed under his breath, then rolled to the side, dodging its double slash. He retaliated with a backhanded strike, and the light of judgment erupted, leaving small holes in the flesh golem's body.

Without blood, the flesh appeared disturbingly pale, revealing shriveled blood vessels and internal organs. Worse still, possibly due to magical influence, these organs were functioning!

Alex felt he needed a trip to the bathroom to vomit. Unfortunately, there was no bathroom nearby, nor did he have the time.

After being attacked, the flesh golem's body trembled, and two more arms emerged from the attacked area, wielding longswords that slashed at Alex again.

This time, Alex didn't retreat. His sword flashed, drawing a beautiful silver arc of holy light through the air, slicing the two arms in half. He then raised his sword, and a radiant blade of light formed beside him, roaring forward.

In an instant, countless swords of light riddled the flesh golem with holes, turning it from gelatin to cheese. However, this didn't seem to bother the golem much. Its body merely collapsed for a moment before beginning to merge and transform again.

Meanwhile, the giant undead were already closing in with heavy strides.

(End of Chapter)

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