The aura-reinforced sword that Roy was riding was hurtling towards the holy barrier with the ferocity of a bolt of lightning, leaving him no time to change its trajectory.
It was going to crash into the holy barrier, no doubt about it, and that might severely injure or kill him unless he abandoned the sword.
Roy knew that his survival was more important than his sword. He could create swords like it at any time.
Thus, he leaped from the sword, but not before giving it one last push that sent it hurtling towards the holy barrier at a far faster speed.
He was sacrificing his weapon to increase the chances of destroying the holy barrier.
Bomb!
A resounding reverberation rang out as the sword struck the barrier. The impact was so great that not only did it shake the very foundations of the monument, but it broke the sword into two and created cracks in the holy barriers as well.
The holy barrier, however, held firm, the ripples on its surface quickly dissipating as the lich poured his energy into it.
Roy saw what happened as he hurtled down the air, and it left him shocked.
"My sword is destroyed, but the barrier he erected is unaffected?! How insanely strong is it?!" Roy exclaimed.
The barrier was entirely unharmed, even after enduring the self-destructive might of his lightning sword!
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A lich too afraid to confront me face-to-face?" Roy sneered as he sauntered towards the barrier behind which the hideous lich was hiding. His voice was filled with taunting amusement, capable of pressing anyone's button. He intentionally spoke in such a manner to provoke the lich into coming out of its turtle shell.
The lich was hundreds of years old. How could he lose his composure because of a mere taunt?
"Fighting is not solely reliant on raw power. Sometimes, one needs to employ their intellect and devise a plan when facing a foe who surpasses them in strength."
With those words, the lich unleashed a volley of void arrows and a barrage of dark beams. The attacks blinked out of the barrier, shooting straight towards Roy.
Seemingly unfazed by the oncoming assault, Roy stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Too slow."
Just as the barrage of spells was upon him, he moved, maneuvering his body in the most skillful ways possible, dodging one spell after another with minimalistic movements. His movements were so precise and fluid that it appeared as though he was dancing around the spells of the lich, avoiding them with ease!
"Your spells are so slow that I could dodge them forever! Don't tell me that's all you got. It would be a letdown." Roy taunted after dodging the lich's spell. His words were calculated to provoke the lich, to goad him into making a mistake that he could exploit.
"I haven't even begun to take you seriously." the lich said as he activated the ultimate of his class weapon, the void staff. "The real fight starts now."
The lich's words had barely fallen when dozens of portals opened up, swiftly swallowing the arrows and beams that Roy had dodged before closing and reopening near Roy, unleashing a torrent of spells at point-blank range.
Roy's vision was compromised by the incoming bombardment of spells, but even at this moment, he remained calm, not letting panic take over and affect his decision.
'I can't dodge them with my speed. I guess I am left with no choice but to use that.' he thought at light speed. He knew himself the best. He was aware of the extent of his physical prowess, so he could tell that relying on his speed alone to evade them would be a foolish choice. He had no other option but to use his trump card, the first of his soul-herding abilities.
"Night's Mist!"
Roy quickly turned into mist, his form becoming insubstantial and ethereal.
Pow! Pow! Pow!
The first few of the lich's spells hit him, but they were unable to harm him in this form. As for the rest, Roy easily went around them, but his energy decreased by a few dozen points.
After dodging all of the lich's attacks, the mist turned back into Roy.
He looked unharmed, with not as much as a single hair out of place, much to the surprise of the lich.
Seeing that he had failed to harm Roy yet again, the lich stepped back in shock. "Why doesn't anything hurt you? What are you?" the lich exclaimed, his voice thick with a mixture of confusion and frustration.
"Let's just say that I am more than you could ever imagine!" Roy replied, a sly grin spreading across his face.
"Nonsense!" The lich's eyes narrowed, and he scowled at Roy's words.
"Refusing to believe the truth makes you look stupid," Roy continued, his fists pounding against the barrier that separated him from his target.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Each blow caused the barrier to shake, and cracks began to form, spreading across its surface. Roy's muscles bulged as he put all his strength into each punch.
"The barrier will break soon, and there will be nothing to protect you from me! After I get rid of you, there will be no one to stop me from getting what I came here for," Roy said confidently.
"Don't be smug. You are far from victory!"
The lich's ominous words sent a chill down Roy's spine. He could sense that something terrible was about to happen, but he refused to back down. He couldn't miss this opportunity. The stone of history has to be his.
Suddenly, the lich began to chant. "32 Heavenly guardians, heed my call and awaken from your slumber!"
The eyes of the many statues placed around the monument shone with an eerie light as they slowly rose from their slumber, the rust and dust shivering off of them.
Roy watched with a raised eyebrow as the statues of Headless Horsemen, Hellhounds, Imp, and Baphomet that surrounded the monument came to life.
