NOVEL WEB Chapter 88 (S2) : The Battle Among Monster
In an open field, a fierce battle was taking place. The fight occurred at night, with a thin mist enveloping the battlefield. Occasionally, lightning struck several times, and the sky was covered by dark clouds.
This location was about 150 km southeast of Arclens City, a desolate and quiet place due to its isolation in the wasteland.
"What the hell is this!?" exclaimed a man, his body drenched in sweat, wearing a black robe with the cult’s emblem.
The man was Siegbart, a Grandmaster in the cult organization. A Grandmaster was a rank below the seatholders in the cult's hierarchy.
"Ggggrrrr........."
In front of Siegbart stood a Lich clad in armor, with a hood and mask concealing its face. The Lich wielded a sword in its right hand, exuding a terrifying presence.
This Lich was one of two **Royal Lich Assassins** present at the location.
"How can a Lich be at Level 150?" Siegbart muttered in frustration, staring at a blue holographic screen in front of him that signified his ability to assess information.
"This isn't normal," Siegbart growled.
"Huh?"
The Royal Lich Assassin's body suddenly trembled as though it was about to explode. Moments later, six sharp bones sprouted from its back, burrowing into the ground. Siegbart immediately readied his sword, taking a combat stance, fully prepared to engage.
A bone shaped like a large needle shot up from beneath Siegbart, but he swiftly dodged it by leaping into the air. However, as he shifted his gaze, the Royal Lich Assassin had vanished.
*Clang!!*
The bone that had attempted to impale Siegbart transformed into the Royal Lich Assassin, who instantly aimed a vertical slash at him in less than a second. In its current form, the lower half of the Royal Lich Assassin's body was a single bone anchored into the earth.
"Don't underestimate me, you bastard!!"
Siegbart hurled himself into the air, successfully blocking the Royal Lich Assassin's attack with his sword while upside down, his head facing the ground. Five more needle-like bones erupted from the ground, aiming to impale him, but Siegbart’s agility allowed him to evade.
He even used one of the bones as a foothold with his left hand, flipping himself upright again.
Seconds later, Siegbart and the Royal Lich Assassin clashed swords at an incredible speed, exchanging dozens of strikes within seconds. Both were equally capable of dodging the other's attacks, creating a tense, balanced battle.
At this moment, Siegbart and the Royal Lich Assassin were fighting about 25 meters above the ground, neither possessing the magic to fly. The Royal Lich Assassin relied on its bones embedded in the ground, while Siegbart continued to move by using the bones as platforms.
"Damn it... If this keeps up, I'll run out of stamina first," Siegbart muttered.
Fear began to creep into Siegbart's mind, though he was reluctant to admit it. Each of the Royal Lich Assassin's strikes felt sharper and faster, and Siegbart knew that his strength was slowly but surely being drained.
[Origin Skill: Thread of Death]
[Origin Skill: Great Poxi Blessing]
"....."
The Royal Lich Assassin sensed something amiss and quickly distanced itself from Siegbart, its instincts proving correct. A deep red aura enveloped Siegbart's body, and his sword turned black.
With speed far exceeding his previous movements, Siegbart slashed at the Royal Lich Assassin's five bones, which were immediately bound by razor-thin threads. In just 0.4 seconds, all five bones were sliced apart like vegetables by Siegbart's threads.
"DIE, YOU DAMN UNDEAD!!"
Siegbart then swiftly slashed at the Royal Lich Assassin with high speed, delivering diagonal strikes. Hundreds of tiny threads instantly bound the Royal Lich Assassin's body, shredding it into small pieces.
The broken bones of the Royal Lich Assassin released a foul stench that spread rapidly, nearly causing Siegbart to choke. However, the longer he fought, the heavier his sword felt. The large bone that had previously formed the lower half of the Royal Lich Assassin fell to the ground, causing a minor tremor from the impact.
"Is it over?" Siegbart said as he looked around.
Siegbart could not be certain whether his enemy had been defeated, so he remained on high alert. Suddenly, the large bone that had fallen began to move at high speed, reassembling the Royal Lich Assassin's body.
"How dare you... How dare you... attempt to destroy... Alice-sama's creation..." the Royal Lich Assassin uttered.
"Mark my words, human! Every breath you take is a countdown to your death!!" The Royal Lich Assassin's voice echoed with a chilling hatred.
The Royal Lich Assassin then removed its mask, revealing a skull face with glowing red eyes and purple lines around its skull. Siegbart, intrigued and challenged by the Royal Lich Assassin's words, responded, "Oh, so your master's name is Alice? That's good information."
Meanwhile, many cult members were battling the demons and undead guarding the area, struggling against the overwhelming odds, but a wind of victory began to blow in favor of the cult.
"........."
The Royal Lich Assassin advanced toward Siegbart. As it approached, the ground beneath it froze, creating fine cracks that emanated an aura of death. Siegbart's heart raced, and he felt cold blood beneath his skin.
"Huh?"
Siegbart's eyes darted in every direction to locate the Royal Lich Assassin when, suddenly, it appeared to Siegbart's right. He quickly parried the Royal Lich Assassin's attack. However, as he attempted to counterattack, the Royal Lich Assassin vanished once more.
"COWARD!!!!!" Siegbart yelled loudly.
The Royal Lich then appeared above Siegbart, vanished, and reappeared behind him, disappearing and reappearing repeatedly.
[Origin Skill: Poxi Anti-Teleportation]
Siegbart suspected this might be a teleportation skill, so he decided to use his anti-teleportation skill. However, it seemed ineffective as the Royal Lich Assassin could materialize near Siegbart at will, keeping him overwhelmed.
The cult forces currently engaged in battle against the undead and demons were at a disadvantage of 5 to 1 due to Boo deploying only a small number of troops in this area. Suddenly, an explosion occurred near Siegbart, sending him flying.
"........."
The explosion generated a thick cloud of smoke, but as the smoke slowly cleared, a large, overweight man standing about 2.8 meters tall emerged. His dark brown skin and thinning hair made him nearly appear bald. On his forehead was the cult's emblem, and he had six eyes. He wore large dragon pearl necklaces around his neck and a white vest.
"That's...," Siegbart said.
The large man appeared to have seized the Royal Lich Assassin by the throat, and it seemed the Royal Lich Assassin was gravely wounded from the tremendous burst of damage. Naturally, an Assassin typically had low HP, so taking a massive hit could lead to severe injury or even death.
It seemed the man had emerged from the darkness of night, his body radiating a crushing aura of destruction. The air grew thicker, and Siegbart felt the gravitational pull of his presence before he even saw him. Seraphim Predator stood tall with six eyes staring straight ahead.
Siegbart quickly rose to his feet, despite the pain in various parts of his body, and immediately knelt before the large man.
"Seraphim Predator-sama, I apologize."
The large man was known as Seraphim Predator, the holder of the third seat in the cult. He had the role of Fighter Magician, allowing him to use magic as well.
"It's all right. So our opponent is an Undead, huh!?"
Seraphim Predator then lifted the Royal Lich Assassin by gripping its skull, glaring at the Royal Lich Assassin with intensity.
"How naive, this Undead thinks it can defeat the Cult."
"Y.... YOU LOWLY CREATURES.... DIE.... FOR... THE GREAT PLAN... OF ALICE-SAMA...!!!!!!"
Instantly, the body of the Royal Lich Assassin turned bright red, but Seraphim Predator immediately ignited it with purple flames. The Royal Lich Assassin intended to launch a suicide attack, hoping to be of some use to its master.
"Indeed, they are all high-level Undead and Demons, and they all have a master named Alice."
"Alice? I've never heard that name," Seraphim Predator replied, trying to recall something.
"I've never heard of it either, but even their regular troops can fight on par with me... This is embarrassing."
"It makes sense that the holder of the seventh seat was killed in one attack by its guards; if their regular soldiers are this strong, we should retreat."
To avoid further casualties, the Seraphim Predator decided to pull back, especially since he had obtained some important information and a clearer picture of their enemy's strength. In this world, many high-ranking individuals tend to act cautiously and not recklessly, as they are all intelligent, even if their brains are solely focused on fighting.
"EVERYONE RETREAT!!!!!!"
Suddenly, the air around them began to thicken. The stench of decay, like rotting corpses that had been decomposing for months, suddenly filled the air without warning. The cold wind stopped abruptly, and the ground beneath their feet began to transform into a thick sludge that moved slowly as if something from the depths of the earth was trying to emerge.
The cult forces, hearing the command, quickly retreated. However, as they did, the sludge in the battlefield morphed into large needle-like obsidian spikes, which swiftly surged forward, killing all cult members in mere seconds.
"HELP!!!!!!"
"ARGGHHHHH!!!!!!"
"NO!!!!!!"
Desperate screams echoed as the massive obsidian spikes pierced through the bodies of the cult members, protruding out from their backs. Blood sprayed in every direction, soaking the ground and turning it into a pool of blood. The bodies trembled, some still alive despite being impaled on the sharp spikes, their eyes wide with terror before their bodies were ultimately obliterated.
From the sticky black sludge, something began to emerge slowly right before Siegbart and Seraphim Predator. The figure grew, initially just a mass, but gradually becoming clearer—the sludge formed into hands, a body, and finally a horrifying face. Beelzebub, the ruler of the sludge, emerged from the ground like a nightmare come to life.
"I am—"
Beelzebub's body towered high, formed from flowing sludge, dripping foul liquid onto the ground. On its head, two deep black holes glowed yellow, indicating Beelzebub's eyes.
Seraphim Predator immediately punched the sludge with his hand, enveloped in a mix of purple and black flames.
"I am not one to let the enemy introduce themselves first," Seraphim Predator declared.
The punch incinerated the sludge monster into nothingness, despite its composition.
"How rude! Beelzebub will not let you escape!!"
A humanoid creature made of sludge appeared right behind Siegbart and Seraphim Predator.
"Oh? You want to fight, do you?" Seraphim Predator said, glaring sharply at Beelzebub.
"Beelzebub will make you suffer in death and present you to Alice-sama!" Beelzebub proclaimed.