"So we meet, child of Solis!"
Sylvester felt hopelessness, powerlessness, and many more varied emotions. Everything that could go wrong had gone wrong. Zelfim didn't die, nor was he able to approach Emperor Lich.
He looked back at the battlefield. The Winter Army had already started to massacre the barbarians from the Borzol faction. But it was all meaningless if the major problems could not be solved.
Boom!
"Fuck!" A sudden curse left Sylvester's mouth, and he fell hard. Not only he but the entire army, be it human or undead, all fell, for the earth shook as if the world was ending.
The sounds of clashing steel and the eruptions of elemental energies echoed through the mountain passes, as Lady Aurora and Gideon Gracia locked in a fierce battle with the formidable Zelfim Borzol. Each impact of their respective weapons was like a cataclysm, causing the very earth to tremble and mountains to crumble into dust.
With fierce determination, Lady Aurora harnessed the power of thunder to its utmost limit, while Gideon Gracia utilised his unparalleled mastery over the elements of the earth to ensure their continued survival in the face of Zelfim's relentless barrage. Thankfully, Zelfim was a Knight, and the other two were Wizards.
The deafening roars of combat resounded through the air like the ominous scythe of the reaper, filling the hearts of all who witnessed the conflict with a sense of dread and foreboding. The fear of the unknown loomed over them all, for none could predict when a stray blow from one of the Grand Wizards or Platinum Knight would fall upon them and snuff out their lives without warning.
However, as the battle raged on, a realisation dawned upon all that there was an entity present on the battlefield whose might surpassed even the combined strength of the three. Many hearts sank at that moment.
Sylvester was one of them, as this was his first time seeing top-level fighters going all out. The damage to the mountain range was proof enough that these beings could easily destroy kingdoms if nobody were there to stop them.
'If I don't stop this Emperor Lich, nothing matters.'
There was no going back, only forward. So he gritted his teeth and stared at Winter Ghost. "Can you stand up and continue, Guardian? Perhaps my light magic is what's keeping me standing."
Sylvester didn't wait and used his right hand to shed light on him. At the same time, he handed over a few light crystals from his pockets between his armour. "Try to move now."
Winter Ghost tried to stand up and appeared strained. It felt like the ground was pulling them down against their wishes. But eventually, he was able to stand straight completely and even walk. "Your light doesss appear to have some effect, Lord Bard. But I'm unsure if this will be enough~"
Sylvester knew it, so he made a compromise. "Let's move as close as we can. If you can't move, you can support me remotely from behind. We're lucky that this Emperor Undead does not seem interested in a direct battle."
Graaa!
The skeleton undead started to surround them again and blocked the path.
Boom!
But, all of a sudden, one of the undead in the middle of the crowd exploded and took many of them along with itself.
Boom!
Then another similar explosion came, and a great many undead got ruined. Clearly, this was sabotage, and Sylvester knew who did it. 'Exploding undead, that's Bishop Lazark's work.'
As expected, when he glanced back, the necromancer showed a thumb. Strangely, the man helped Sylvester even when he was so far away.
'Good, they haven't quit this battle yet. I can't either.'
Sylvester spoke with Chonky to plan for any contingencies if he gets stuck. "Miraj, you can't move either, so you better ensure that if something happens, you unload the massive amount of dirt from your mouth on Emperor Lich."
"Y-Yes, Maxy…" Miraj stammered.
Sylvester silenced down as well and focused only on going forward. It was hard and bone-breaking. He felt his veins popping all over his body and his face getting red. Physical exertion for even a single step was enough to kill an ordinary man.
"You can not kill me, bard." Emperor Lich mocked Sylvester and raised his palm with blue flames higher. "This is the darkness of the dead, where only death shall spread!"
Woosh!
Boom!
Thunder fell from the stormy sky right on top of Sylvester and Winter Ghost. But it stopped as the Winter Ghost created an ice dome above. Though it still got cracked a little.
'Fuck! He started to get involved in the battle now.' Sylvester cursed.
He didn't even know what mental strategy to use against an undead because normal human logic did not apply to it. On top of that, there was only one smell he felt—death!
Boom!
Clank!
Again a bolt of lightning fell on them. But this time, Sylvester reinforced Winter Ghost's ice shield with the solidified light shield he had developed long ago.
Crack!
But this one also got cracked. They looked at each other's faces and realised their defences were useless. Yet, they continued to move.
"You are an abomination in the eyes of Solis. Your demise is my only prize!" Sylvester boomed and started chanting a hymn to make a halo. He needed as much light magic as possible, and the halo didn't consume much of his solarium reserves.
♫O' filth from the eternal darkness,
Your time has come to leave as a carcass.
My light shall be your last memory.
Nameless filth, you'll vanish in history.♫
Sylvester's voice turned from singing to growling as he continued to take steps forward. The pressure on his body tried its best to crush his bones and slam him onto the ground, but he persisted.
Thud!
Just as Sylvester reached fifty metres from Emperor Lich, Winter Ghost fell to his knees. Sylvester looked, and his heart sank as the eyes, ears, and perhaps the nose of the Winter Ghost were bleeding. Even the clothes all looked drenched in blood. How and when it happened was all he could wonder.
"G-Go… I will s-support!"
Boom!
Crack!
Thunder fell from the sky, blasting through the heavens and shattering the ears. It was stronger than before, and Sylvester or Winter Ghost's shield could not stop.
"Aaargh!" It reached Sylvester and burned away a hole in his back, revealing his charred skin.
"The closer we get to it, the deadlier his attacks are becoming." Sylvester realised and started taking out all the Light Crystals and Solarium Crystals he had. First, he gave some to the Winter Ghost and took the rest himself.
"Support me, Guardian… I'm counting on you."
Sylvester started the journey again. To even take a single step required five minutes. But, slowly, the time taken was also increasing, and he'd been at it for the past four hours. He was exhausted, he was angry and, above all, weak.
'It's getting colder… The night is coming.' Sylvester gritted his teeth.
He didn't like the feeling of being so vulnerable. He moved in slow motion and didn't even have enough powers to protect himself from the enemy. The raging thunder from the sky was as loud as the destruction of the mountains in the distance, and he stood wide in the open.
♫I am the Vanquisher of all things unholy.
Gloat as you wish, for death creeps slowly.
You stand no chance, O' filth so lowly.
I vow to replace this gloomy melancholy.♫
Shhh…!
Suddenly, the ground started to shake, and Sylvester looked up at Emperor Lich, wondering if this was his doing.
"You can never win, bard. Give up and join the ranks of my slave liches." Emperor Lich ordered him.
Sylvester sneered and continued to walk ahead.
♫May the lord's enemies eat the dust.
I will win, for my cause is holy and just.
Believe me. We share mutual disgust.
You will lose, for In Solis, I trust!♫
Sylvester activated all his light crystals, along with the Solarium crystals. His body started to shine like a beacon of light on a dark night. Under the stormy, unnatural dark sky, he shined and shined.
Woosh!
Only ten metres and the real test began. The moment he stepped forward to the ninth step, he felt a strong gust of invisible wind coming from Emperor Lich.
Boom!
The echoes in the sky still resounded from a distance. Sylvester wanted to see or ask what happened to the battle against Zelfim Borzol, but he had his own ground to stand first.
"Uuuuugh! Damn you!" Sylvester struggled to gain an inch, and his body tilted forward, revealing his fight against the air. He used Earth elemental magic to make his feet stick to the ground.
Slash!
Slash!
As he took his eighth step, the invisible air became deadlier and started cutting him. The first small cut appeared on his cheek, but then more came. In his mad pursuit, Sylvester cared not about his body any longer. His clothes and skin started chipping away, revealing the red under his skin. He bled profusely but never stopped.
Finally, he took the seventh step. This time, the pressure in the air increased as if the gravity had been turned up a notch.
Bam!
Sylvester fell on all fours since he could not stand anymore. But that didn't dampen his will, and he continued to move, even if it meant crawling. His face turned as ferocious as an injured lion, and his chants became roars.
The sixth step arrived, leaving Sylvester devastated as the Emperor Lich shook his head. "You can never win, bard."
Sylvester gritted his teeth and tried his best to keep moving. Already, Sylvester was feeling his bones slowly crushing into themselves and his veins about to burst simultaneously. This was the power of a Supreme Wizard, who was he, a mere Archwizard.
"Aaaaargh!" He screamed in pain as, similar to Winter Ghost, blood started oozing out of Sylvester's eyes, mouth, nose and ears. All the while, the veins on his hands and legs burst open, bleeding him dry and turning him pale.
'I… I can't move like this!' Sylvester grunted and felt helpless. 'But I have to! I must!'
"Haaaaa!" Sylvester let out a deafening roar and forced himself to keep crawling despite his veins being burst open. He left behind a trail of blood in his path as he took the fifth, fourth and third steps, each bringing more devastation to him.
Sylvester felt his bones cracking up under the invisible gravity pressure. His knees, elbows, ribs and much more all cracked apart and caused immense pain.
"I… Must… Stop… You!"
His growling, mixed with blood and saliva, left the Winter Army in tears in the distance. They couldn't imagine what it was like standing against a Supreme Wizard, let alone fight it.
Boom!
"Aaaaah!" A bolt of lightning fell from the sky, right on top of Sylvester's back and pierced right through his body and left a hole in his stomach.
Thud!
Finally, Sylvester fell onto his belly, his face touching the snow. His eyes felt heavy, but he didn't give up and pushed his feet.
And finally, the last step was taken.
Clank!
Sylvester's hands grabbed onto the tall Emperor Lich's ankles.
To which the undead Supreme Wizard sneered with voice. "Tsk… You can not win, bard. Now please die for me!"
Boom!
Emperor Lich kicked Sylvester in the face with monstrous power. The subsequent sound at contact made many squirm in fear as Sylvester's body flew high in the air and fell a hundred metres away, leaving his face unrecognisable, dismembered beyond reason—teeth knocked, nose broken, jaw left hanging and swollen eyes.
Yet there was a grin on Sylvester's face, no matter the pain, as he declared.
"Haha…! But I've already won!"
1000 GT = 1 Bonus chapter.
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