Death Guns In Another World

Chapter 1716: Chapter 1533: Lich 2



As the dust from the dragon's icy demise settled, a figure emerged from the shadows cast by the fallen monstrosity. A slow, deliberate chill ran down Maria's spine, a prickling sensation far more potent than the wintery magic she wielded. The Lich, the true architect of this devastation, had finally revealed himself.

He was tall and gaunt, his frame encased in a suit of tarnished black armor that seemed to absorb the moonlight rather than reflect it. His face, a skeletal visage stretched taut over leathery skin, was a grotesque mockery of humanity. Empty sockets, where eyes should have been, glowed with an eerie, malevolent purple light. A single, jagged scar, a crimson streak across his cheekbone, was the only hint of color on his otherwise pallid complexion.

But it was the Lich's crown that sent a tremor of fear through Maria. A twisted circlet of blackened iron, adorned with a single, pulsing ruby the size of a pigeon's egg, rested upon his brow. This phylactery, the Lich's tether to undeath, pulsed with a dark energy, a beacon of malevolent power that rivaled the celestial aura Maria herself exuded.

A long, gnarled staff, tipped with a skull that seemed to leer with an evil grin, completed the Lich's macabre appearance. As he shuffled forward, the staff tapped a slow, rhythmic beat against the cobblestones, a chilling counterpoint to the ragged gasps escaping his desiccated lungs.

The air around him crackled with necromantic energy. The sickly sweet stench of decay, a signature of the undead, hung heavy in the air, a suffocating shroud that made Maria's stomach churn. This wasn't just any Lich; this was a being of immense power, a master of the dark arts who had orchestrated the city's downfall and unleashed a skeletal dragon as its harbinger.

His raspy voice, like sandpaper scraping against stone, filled the air. "Impressive, child," he rasped, the words dripping with a condescending amusement. "You've dealt admirably with my plaything. But a true test of your skills awaits."

As he spoke, the Lich raised his staff, the ruby in its skull pulsing brighter with each passing moment. An unsettling ripple spread through the air, and from the shadows cast by the surrounding buildings, skeletal figures began to emerge. Each one, a grotesque parody of a once-living soldier, their empty eye sockets glowing with the same malevolent purple light that emanated from the Lich himself.

"So you are the real Emperor level monster I should take care of."

Maria's smile, despite the horrific scene before her, held a chilling confidence. Thousands of skeletal warriors, reanimated by the Lich's dark magic, surged forward, a tide of bone and menace. Yet, the Saintess stood undaunted. With a low murmur, barely audible over the clattering of undead jaws, she unleashed the full might of her power.

"Absolute Cryokinesis!"

The world seemed to hold its breath. A wave of unimaginable cold, a force that rivaled the heart of winter, emanated from Maria. The ground beneath her feet fractured, the moisture in the air crystallizing instantly into a shimmering shroud. This wasn't a localized attack; it was a declaration of dominion over the very elements.

Within a two-kilometer radius of Maria, the world froze solid. Buildings, once ravaged by fire and war, became gleaming ice sculptures. The skeletal hordes, caught mid-stride, were encased in a blink of an eye. Their empty sockets, devoid of any expression in life, now held a grotesque parody of surprise frozen in ice. Even the debris that littered the battlefield, remnants of a city in ruins, became frozen into place, each shard a testament to the absolute power unleashed.

The very air itself turned to a swirling blizzard, the wind howling with a chilling fury. The once omnipresent stench of decay was replaced by the biting scent of pure cold. This was the Age of Ice, a frozen wasteland forged by the will of a single Saintess.

But even amidst this frigid tableau, a flicker of frustration flickered within Maria. The Lich, the mastermind behind this gruesome display, was nowhere to be seen. In his place, a monstrous chimera, a grotesque creation of undeath, emerged from the shadows bordering the frozen battlefield.

This creature, a testament to the Lich's dark mastery, was a horrifying amalgam of skeletal parts. Its skeletal lion head roared in silent defiance, its fiery mane composed of flickering spectral flames - the only source of warmth in the frozen wasteland. A serpentine lower body, a monstrous mix of dragon and serpent bones, coiled menacingly, its tail tipped with a wickedly barbed scorpion stinger. The creature, a monstrosity fueled by both fire and undeath, was the Lich's trump card, a last-ditch attempt to thwart Maria before he made his escape.

The frigid air crackled with a renewed energy as Maria, a lone warrior in a frozen world, set her sights on the chimera. The monstrous creation, a grotesque tapestry of skeletal parts, roared its defiance, the spectral flames in its lion's mane flickering like malevolent will-o'- the-wisps.

Maria, her white hair now a halo of frost against the icy backdrop, unsheathed her crystal sword. The blade, a shimmering shard of pure ice, pulsed with a soft, celestial light, a stark contrast to the chimera's unholy flames. With a balletic grace that defied the battlefield's stillness, she launched into a flurry of attacks, her movements a whirlwind of deadly precision.

Each swing of her blade wasn't just a physical attack; it was an extension of her cryokinetic power. Razor-sharp shards of ice erupted from the crystal sword, each one a miniature frozen projectile aimed at the chimera's vulnerable points. The skeletal lion head, the creature's fiery heart, bore the brunt of her assault. The spectral flames flickered and danced under the onslaught, the unholy heat struggling to melt the onslaught of ice.

The chimera, however, was no mindless puppet. Its serpentine body, a horrifying assemblage of dragon and serpent bones, lashed out with surprising agility. Its barbed scorpion tail, imbued with a touch of necrotic energy, snapped at Maria, its venomous tip promising a gruesome demise. But the Saintess was a whirlwind of movement, anticipating each attack with preternatural reflexes. With a well-timed dodge, she evaded the tail's poisonous strike, the barb snapping harmlessly against the frozen ground.

The battle raged across the frozen battlefield, a deadly dance between life and undeath, fire and ice. Maria, a whirlwind of frost and steel, pressed her attack. A well-placed ice shard, imbued with her full power, pierced the chimera's lion head, extinguishing the spectral flames in a hiss of impotent rage. The monstrous creature roared in pain, its remaining eye socket glowing with a malevolent purple light that flickered momentarily before dimming. With a final, decisive strike, Maria channeled her power into her crystal sword.

"Ice Spear!"

The blade, shimmering with an otherworldly brilliance, elongated and solidified, transforming into a colossal icicle, a spear of pure frozen energy. With a battle cry that echoed through the frozen wasteland, Maria slammed the icicle into the chimera's serpentine body, piercing through its skeletal frame with an ear-splitting crack.

Boom! CRACK!

The unholy creation shuddered, its unnatural life force extinguished in an instant. The flames in its lion's mane flickered and died, replaced by a chilling stillness. The chimera, a testament to the Lich's dark arts, crumbled to pieces, its skeletal parts scattering across the frozen battlefield like a grotesque confetti.

Maria stood amidst the ruins of her victory, her chest heaving with exertion. The chill that permeated the air seemed to emanate from her very being. The battle was won, but the war was far from over. The Lich, a master of deception and dark magic, had escaped. It probably

what he thought.

"Time to go on hunt!"