The legendary Moonlight Sculptor

[V49C05] An eye for an eye (part3)

From Bar Khan's body, black sparkles of light bloomed and shot up high into the sky.

"…Huh?"

As the sun was beginning to be covered in black clouds, darkness reached the sky where Weed and Wy-3 were.

'It's as if the light itself is being devoured…Has Bar Khan always been this powerful? "

Weed's survival instinct was frantically sending his brain a warning sign.

'Something's up! Bar Khan is stronger than I expected, and he's behaving strangely.'

Until now, there had never been a case in which everything worked out smoothly once some unexpected event started to unfold. Life is not easy; one time he had rented a semi-basement flat at a price lower than the market value only to find out that the house was a natural habitat for cockroaches. At one point he had gotten seriously worried that the walls might collapse because of the layer of mold that had reached a thickness of over a centimeter. Through these experiences, Weed had learned to be wary when things were going a bit too well, and his instinct had almost always turned out to be right. Just as people say, an ominous hunch is never wrong.

On the other hand, he was bound to let his guard down from time to time no matter how careful he had been, and in those cases, some sort of mishap followed without fail.

'Something went wrong.'

Weed and Wy-3 were flying from far away to prepare for any situation. They were keeping a safe distance, at least three times farther than the users who had gathered on the ground to watch what was happening.

'It doesn't look like Bar Khan is going to attack me.But what is he up to?'

Endless darkness was erupting from within Bar Khan's body like a volcano, and the Immortal Legion was gathering close around him as if they were worshiping him.

Doom Knights, the most elite undead knights, were also on high alert, guarding the perimeter.

'There is something serious going on. I'm sure of it.'

Weed and Wy-3 moved a little farther to observe the situation.

"Wy-3."

- Kyuooo…

"The moment something looks off, we're out of here."

- Understood.Master.

The users who were on the ground, too, had enough wits to sense the danger.

"What… what is that?"

"Why are the undead gathering around him like that?"

"This doesn't feel quite right…"

They didn't run away, even though they knew something was wrong. Just like how people are unable to move their feet to escape an impending disaster, because of curiosity if nothing else.

- It seems Bar Khan Demoph has fallen into some sort of strange condition…

- The battle is already over, what's happening?

- It looks like a kind of high-level magical ritual…

Broadcasting stations were also reporting the situation with interest.

All the while, an aura of darkness originating from Bar Khan was spreading far and wide.

And then…

Ding!

<83,329 points of life force have been drained.>

<92,130 points of life force have been drained.>

<122,984 points of life force have been drained.>

The users who had been standing closer to the scene got nearly half of their life force taken away on the spot. The Immortal Legion and other summoned undead were all deprived of their vitality as well; they crumbled like sand and disappeared.

Shortly thereafter, Bar Khan's body itself began to change.

His skin rapidly aged and withered, then eventually melted altogether, running down his body like dirty water.

"What?!"

Now Bar Khan's body had been reduced to mere bones, and there was a red aura hanging around him.

This was a somewhat familiar sight. Someone in the crowd spoke out.

"That…looks like a skeleton monster, but it looks a bit too high-class… isn't that a lich?"

"A lich?"

"Yeah. Weed-nim transformed into one before."

Kkwakwakwakwaaa!

A powerful shock wave spread out from Bar Khan across the distance of several kilometers in radius, as if a great explosion occurred around him.

< You have been touched by the enormous energy of death. 83% of total physical ability will be temporarily reduced.

Maximum life force will be reduced to 41% of the original amount for two days.

Hunger!

Terror!

Disorientation!

Resistance against Necromancy spells will be lowered to the minimum level. As you are unable to focus your mind, the success rate and power of skills and/or magic will be reduced. The effect of Faith will be diminished.>

"Wha, what is this?"

"What on earth is going on…?"

Bar Khan did not use any attack spell; this was just a side effect that spread out as something deadly and enormous was manifesting itself in the Agoltha Region.

Ding!

<Remnants of the terrible darkness have gathered in one place.

Bar Khan Demoph!

He has demolished the boundaries of death itself and successfully transformed himself into an Arch-lich>

An Arch-lich.

It was a superior being of a rank even higher than a lich, and just an ordinary lich was already a very difficult enemy belonging to one of the boss-level monsters. Necromancer-type liches were most common, but even a lich who had mastered Black Magic was not killed easily. Due to its powerful magic and near-infinite pool of life force, a lich could not be dealt with by just an individual or a small party, and even an entire army could not guarantee a victory against it.

While Weed had once managed to get rid of the lich Shire, he had received a considerable amount of help from the Dark Elves and the Orc tribes, on top of using a special holy relic.

And now, Bar Khan, who was already terribly strong in the first place, became an Arch-lich.

<Restrictions of Sculpture Resurrection skill have been relieved by force.

Bar Khan Demoff has been freed from the limited life force. His fate, which was to disappear from the world after 16 hours, has changed, and now he has obtained immortality.>

'…'

Weed looked at the message window and said nothing.

'I'm doomed.'

He had summoned a historic boss monster that could threaten the peace of the whole Versailles Continent, the one being who had reached the very pinnacle of Necromancy.

'I've defeated Bar Khan before… but things were very different back then.'

During one historical event, every religious order and race had united their power to stop Bar Khan. As a result, The Holy Sword of Lugh had been driven into his chest, diminishing his strength significantly.

'I see, the problem was the Holy Sword of Lugh! The Bar Khan I have revived was in his top condition, so his power hasn't been weakened.'

And now he was not only magically and physically complete, but his bony body seemed so healthy and robust as if the joints were freshly oiled as he had just been born anew.

'Still, the average strength of users has improved a lot since back then. He is far from unbeatable. It's just that… the sacrifices we'll have to make will be enormous.'

Should Bar Khan choose to advance towards the North, he would become a disaster even greater than the Hermes Guild. Skeletons would swim in Puhol Water Park, and the Death Knights would take control of Morata's streets.

What Weed had intended was just to get rid of the Shadow Army of Palma, but now he ended up creating a deadly threat to the safety of the Versailles Continent.

'I really didn't expect this… but still, I need to turn this situation to my advantage by any means. Then the only solution is…'

Weed's eyes flashed like those of a politician who visited a marketplace during an election.

* * *

Bar Khan!

He summoned the undead army again with his overflowing power.

"I want blood!"

"Blood!"

"Let us begin the night of corpses!"

"Corpses!"

The undead shouted on top of the tower of bodies.

Doom Knights, Death Knights, and even skeletons and ghosts were all making a giant ruckus.The Bone Dragons were also soaring across the sky, spouting sprays of deadly poison in all directions.

This was the dreadful sight created by the return of the Immortal Legion.

"What is this? I'm so scared…"

"That's Bar Khan. Bar Khan has come back to life?"

"Oh no… It's the Immortal Legion."

The users who had kept on watching despite the fear were now beginning to sneak away. Even the users with relatively high levels laid flat on the ground to make themselves look inconspicuous in Bar Khan's gaze.

"So this is how I die."

"I'm so hungry but I'm not gonna eat.I'll die anyway. "

"I think my body will be good enough for a Death Knight, at least."

"If we become undead and invade the cities, do you think we can appear on TV?"

The grimness of the situation was such that the users were wondering if they had to leave some last words before their demise. Even if they managed to avoid drawing Bar Khan's attention, it was impossible to escape as long as the Bone Dragons were flying in the sky.

"Huh? Someone's coming."

"Is it a user? Shouldn't we tell him it's dangerous? "

"I don't think it's a user. Take a closer look. That's a lich. "

The spectators just watched on while lying on the ground, holding their breath.

A lich was coming riding on a phantom horse with great speed. The Bone Dragons first found him from afar, and soon he caught Bar Khan's eye as well.

"Shire! You dare to appear before me after your foul betrayal?!"

As soon as he noticed the approaching lich, a beam of red light sparked from the skull of Bar Khan.

Shire, who had lost his life by the hands of Weed! The thing that was wearing the appearance of Shire was actually Weed, who had used his Sculpture Transformation skill.

Weed stopped at a distance none less than 2 kilometers away, which he deemed as a safe distance, and belted out a lion's roar.

"Master. I think there is a misunderstanding. Everything I did, I did it for you. "

"Shut up. I will plunge your soul into the very bottom of Hell. "

Shire was the one who had ruined all the achievements that Bar Khan, once a scholar of life, had ever accomplished, and had driven him into the evil of dark mana.

Ding!

<A new quest has been unlocked.>

<The dangerous student of Bar Khan and the Immortal Legion's second-in-command, Shire the lich!

He tainted his own master, Bar Khan Demoff, with the power of darkness, leading him into the path of corruption. His craftiness was what forced Bar Khan to open his eyes to a new life.

"Master. It is the life through death. You dreamed of immortality, but this is not a complete failure, is it? "

He made Bar Khan embrace the unlife of a lich, and encouraged him to wage war against the entire continent.

Bar Khan's hatred towards you is an extremely great one. However, after he became a lich, he obtained a grand ambition to build a new world.

Will you persuade Bar Khan to forgive you, and start rebuilding the Immortal Army to conquer the Versailles Continent?

Difficulty: S

Reward: leads to 'Bar Khan's Cause' quest

Quest Restrictions: Bar Khan's Resurrection, Lich Shire.>

As a person's reputation grew higher or their strength greater, the quests that could corrupt them occurred more frequently.

Of course, Weed was not in the least interested in such things as conquering the continent using an undead army. If it was in the name of the Arpen Kingdom, perhaps, but what use would there be if some undead conquered the continent? He was not going to collect any rental fees from skeleton's graves!

On the back of the phantom horse, Weed laughed as he looked upon the face of Bar Khan.

"Hahaha. You're indeed persistent, coming back from death like that."

"Despicable thing.Death cannot be an escape for you, either. Follow my will once more, and I shall forgive you."

"I am not like you, Master. You have failed. Living as a hideous undead… you are nothing but a set of bones that hasn't fully rotten. How is that life immortal in any way?"

Ding!

<The quest has been rejected.>

"Such arrogance, Shire!"

Bar Khan began to utter an incantation for his magic spell.

Weed did not know what it was, but upon seeing the spell that was forming in a remarkable speed, he hurriedly rode his phantom steed south.

"You will never catch me. I have a lot of reliable human friends."

He feigned nonchalance, but he was riding his ghost horse with all his might.

Bar Khan ordered the Immortal Legion.

"Pursue him. To the depth of Hell itself, if necessary."

The Bone Dragons spread their wings wide and took off into the air, and the Doom Knights and Death Knights rode their own phantom steeds, chasing after him.

The Immortal Legion had begun their pursuit.

"Chi-eh!"

"It's going to be a brutal slaughter. Kukuku. "

The skeletons were all rushing and jumping.

*batabatabata!*

A chase that shook the very earth. As the undead never got tired, they were not slowing down at all. Bar Khan himself was using a flying spell, and his speed was terrifying to watch.

Weed glanced back over his shoulder, and his heart skipped a beat.

'They're getting closer. I'll be caught at this rate.'

Bar Khan with his full power, and all those high-level undead! Their speed was almost twice as fast as Weed's phantom steed.

The strength of the Immortal Army was such that even Weed during his days as the Great King of the Desert would have had a difficult time fighting against them. The undead would have been raised over and over unless they had been extinguished completely, and he would not have been able to use his full strength while suffering from dozens of curses.

Weed leaned down and rushed across the plain on the back of the phantom steed as fast as he could.

'Now. I should almost be there…'

After going over a low hill, Weed was able to see the camp of the Fifth Legion which spread widely. They had followed the Shadow Army of Palma, but suddenly lost their purpose with Bar Khan's appearance. They were currently waiting for the next order from the heads of the Hermes Guild, and now Weed appeared before them, riding a phantom steed.

"Who is that?"

"It's a lich."

"A Necromancer? Is he from our guild? "

As Weed was appearing as Shire after using Sculpture Transformation skill, they did not recognize him, so he first greeted the Hermes guild members with a waving hand.

"Good morning, fellow guild members! It's a lovely day."

"Ah… Yes. I assume you would be a lich?"

"I'm a Necromancer, but my circumstances are a bit complicated right now."

"I see. What brings you here, by the way?"

Hermes Guild members talked to him without much doubt. As the Necromancer's equipments Weed was wearing looked like quite high-quality gears, they thought he was another competent member of the guild. Since Necromancers tended not to participate in the guild's hunting events or large-scale raids, they weren't even familiar with the face of Krobidyun.

"I just happened to be passing by and thought to say hello. Good day!"

"Ah. Sure…"

And just like that, Weed went off, skirting around the edge of the Fifth Legion on his steed.

"Who is he, anyway?"

"You'd think that a user who succeeded in transforming into a lich would be quite famous."

"I haven't the slightest idea. I cannot even think of any name that might be him. Do you think he's on some kind of special quest?"

Before they even had time to ponder for long, Bar Khan and the undead emerged from beyond the hill.

(Continued on next chapter…)