The War Begins

Amber Xiu's voice dripped with cold malice, making him seem just like the classic evil villain from a story. Unfortunately, no one believed a word of his cruel threats.

Even the Paladin looked surprised. Was this Lich really protecting humans?

Another lord standing beside Porcupine Knight roared angrily, "Who do you think you're fooling? I saw my subjects clearing wasteland here! Don't think you can plunder another lord's people just because you're a Lich!"

Amber Xiu said indifferently, "Don't humans let their sheep graze on their own? I'm raising these prisoners. If I don't let them farm, am I supposed to feed them myself?"

"Damn undead!" Porcupine Knight was furious, but couldn't find a way to argue back.

Were they really going to spend all this money and manpower assembling an army, only to get nothing out of it?

They'd considered every angle, but never imagined their justification for marching would be so flimsy.

Porcupine Knight wasn't worried about starting a war. He was worried that if they did, but failed to kill Amber Xiu for good, the Lich would report this whole story to Alchemy City. Then Porcupine Knight and the other minor lords would be in serious trouble.

Justice and truth didn't matter. Alchemy City needed only an excuse to strike a heavy blow against these minor lords.

Porcupine Knight could already imagine how it would end: the minor lords would be punished with a hefty fine for starting a war without authorization. As for the Lich's Territory, they might even be forced to hand it back to Alchemy City.

It would be a lose-lose outcome, one Porcupine Knight couldn't accept.

At that moment, Magic Advisor Harvey, who had been hiding in the crowd, stepped beside Porcupine Knight and spoke quietly. "My lord, we've run into an unexpected complication. I suggest we withdraw for now and try another approach."

Porcupine Knight didn't like the suggestion at all.

Gathering troops cost a lot of money, and keeping an army camped for even one day consumed a great deal of food. If they got nothing out of this, they'd be taking a pure loss.

Harvey could see Porcupine Knight hesitating. As his lord's advisor, he ought to offer a more proactive solution. But the moment Amber Xiu appeared, Harvey's head had started pounding. The power of the School of Prophecy was sending him frantic warnings.

The Lich before them was dangerous. They had to get away immediately, or disaster would strike.

"My lord, if we keep facing off here, we'll likely end up at war. I don't think the outcome will go our way."

Porcupine Knight still hadn't made up his mind when the Paladin suddenly spoke. "Sir Porcupine Knight, perhaps this is the moment for the mercenaries to prove their worth. Shall I lead the charge?"

The Paladin couldn't stand by while evil went unchecked. Amber Xiu had appeared right before them in the open, in the form of a Lich. This evil had to be destroyed!

Porcupine Knight's eyes lit up. He'd gone to great lengths to win these Paladins over for the very purpose of dealing with the Lich. If they were confident they could eliminate him, then they could decide for themselves who was right and who was wrong.

Porcupine Knight asked the Paladin, "Are you truly confident you can handle this Lich? If he escapes, we'll all be in serious trouble."

"Don't worry. We have plenty of experience dealing with undead. A Lich's greatest weakness isn't the skeleton you see before you, but his Phylactery. As long as his Phylactery is hidden in the Ancient Castle, he won't flee. Once we take the castle, I'll find his Phylactery and destroy him for good. Now, give the order."

"Very well. In the name of House Jaes, I order you to destroy the evil before us. Mage Harvey, I command you to assist the Paladin in vanquishing this evil Lich."

Porcupine Knight gave the order with great formality. Harvey could only sigh inwardly. Reluctant as he was, he had no choice but to obey.

A Paladin, a Cleric, and an Apprentice Mage rode out from the ranks, slowly approaching Amber Xiu.

The Paladin didn't even bother with a sneak attack. He strode forward in plain sight, loudly proclaiming, "Evil undead, today I shall purify your soul in the name of Holy Light!"

With that cry, the Paladin began his charge.

It was the signal to attack. Porcupine Knight immediately ordered his soldiers to charge toward Amber Xiu's castle alongside the Paladin.

More than a thousand soldiers charged forward. It was an imposing sight.

Amber Xiu was somewhat surprised. He'd underestimated the humans' resolve. Still, this worked out well. He'd been running low on test subjects lately.

Amber Xiu swept his staff, and countless skeletons crawled out of the ground.

Though it was daytime, the skeletons weren't affected. At Amber Xiu's command, they quickly formed ranks.

Seeing the frail, shambling skeletons made the Paladin even more confident.

It didn't matter how many weak undead there were. A flash of light burst from the Paladin, brilliant radiance pouring from his body. Powerful Holy Light coated his armor and weapons, even enveloping his warhorse.

The Paladin charged into the skeletons. Before the frail creatures could even reach him, Holy Light purified them, reducing them to dust.

Ordinary humanoid skeletons were no match for a Paladin of the Lyne Empire. They couldn't even slow his charge.

As the Paladin neared him, Amber Xiu cast Flight Spell and rose into the air.

The Paladin didn't panic. He'd seen plenty of flying undead. He raised his weapon, while the Cleric riding beside him began chanting.

"By the name of the Lord of Dawn, I command you to prostrate yourself beneath Holy Light!"

A sinister glow fell upon Amber Xiu.

The Cleric's most commonly used divine spell: Command.

By borrowing the power of a god, it created overwhelming pressure and compelled its target to obey.

The Lord of Dawn was a benevolent deity, so Command couldn't make someone kill or injure themselves. But it could order them to lie down, drop their weapon, or flee the battlefield.

Those effects were formidable in combat. Imagine a warrior forced by Command to drop his weapon and lie face down on the ground. What would happen to him?

Command couldn't kill, but the sword in someone's hand could.

If Amber Xiu fell under Command's control, he'd plummet from the sky, land flat on his face, and then get his head chopped off.

A Lich could keep resurrecting, but it took time. That would be more than enough for the Paladin to break into the castle and find Amber Xiu's Phylactery.

"Heh. You've underestimated me."

A red glow flashed around Amber Xiu, and Command's magic rebounded instantly, striking the Cleric and nearly knocking him from his mount.

Counterspell was a Mage's specialty. With an equal or even smaller expenditure of magical energy, it could dispel a targeted spell.

The Cleric showed no sign of panic. The Paladins and Clerics of the Lyne Empire had seen nearly every trick undead could use. So far, Amber Xiu hadn't surprised them.

They'd used a divine spell even though they knew it wouldn't work simply to distract Amber Xiu and close the distance.

Now they could use their real trump card.

The Cleric pulled out a scroll and quickly recited its incantation.

In less than half a second, a faint blue field of energy spread out, trapping Amber Xiu inside.

Anti-magic Field!

Within the field, all magical effects would be dispelled, and no spells could be cast. All summoned creatures would be forcibly dismissed, and even enchanted equipment would be stripped of its magic.

Within the area covered by the field, Amber Xiu's Flight Spell should have stopped working, sending him plummeting from the sky. His proud spellcasting ability should have been completely sealed away.

That was what should have happened.

But as the Paladin and Cleric watched expectantly, Amber Xiu didn't fall from the sky. He vanished completely.

The Paladin reacted at once and shouted, "No! That was an illusion!"

The next second, countless green lights symbolizing decay blazed from the direction of the castle. They fell upon the soldiers like a meteor shower. Amid a rising chorus of screams, the living rotted away into gleaming white bones, and the casualties mounted in an instant.

At the castle gate, Amber Xiu said scornfully, "Still too young. What Lich would show up in person in front of a Paladin? What would be the point of spending a fortune on a huge magical castle like this otherwise?"