The Lich's malicious laughter echoed through the ruins of Celestia. He reveled in the success of his flawless plan, believing his victory was assured. By pretending to be meek and scared, he had tricked Roy into letting his guard down, which resulted in him breaking the barrier without a second thought, and thus activating a hidden mechanism of the monument, causing him to be struck by a powerful force capable of vaporizing grandmasters.
The lich was so delighted because he was certain that Roy couldn't survive such a destructive blow. He already seemed to believe that Roy, who was buried under the rubble, was dead!
However, the lich's euphoria at Roy's supposed demise was short-lived, as suddenly, the young man emerged from the rubble, rising like a mythical phoenix reborn from its own ashes.
At this sight, the lich's joy quickly dissipated, replaced by a crushing wave of shock so profound that his jaw fell open, threatening to unhinge from its socket and tumble to the ground in disbelief.
"You are not dead?!" the lich exclaimed, his voice quivering incredulously.
"Sorry to disappoint you," Roy retorted, a sly grin spreading across his bloodied face. "But I am very much alive."
Roy's clothing was torn and tattered, and his body was a patchwork of wounds. His once perfect and clear skin was now marred with countless bloody cuts and bruises. These imperfections showcased the intensity of the damage he suffered.
He knew that he would have died if the circumstances had been any different. The force that attacked him out of nowhere carried both physical and magical traits. Because the passives he have gained after his living shadow devoured the Absolute Defense Soul Shard could stack against such types of attacks, a significant portion of the damage was mitigated. These abilities had reduced the damage he incurred by a staggering 60 percent!
Roy's defenses were not just reliant on his passives abilities, however. His physique was equally formidable, boasting a Lord-rank level of solidity. It was so resilient that it had managed to absorb another 10% of the remaining damage, reducing the blow to a mere fraction of its original strength. His stats, which had surpassed the 450-point mark, had helped to bolster his defenses, further reducing the impact of the attack by 10%.
Only 20% of the damage passed through, but that left him bloodied and almost knocked him out!
"You may have survived that. But how long can you fight in your state?" the lich said, his voice oozing with mockery. His taunting words echoed in the air, dripping with disdain and malice that seemed to drench Roy in cold water.
The pain wracking Roy's body was immense. The last time he was so badly injured was when he broke his first limiter, but despite the state he was in, he straightened his back, his lips twisting into a grimace of defiance as he stood tall and mighty before the lich.
"These injuries are nothing," Roy said with confidence. "They will disappear in an instant."
"Do you think you're immortal?!" The lich scoffed, rolling his eyes in disbelief.
"No," Roy shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips as he replied calmly. "But my self-regeneration is more ridiculous than one."
As if to prove his point, the blood flowing from his injuries began to recede, his broken skin began to knit back together, and his broken bones cracked back into place.
『Your self-regeneration has been activated!』
『One-third of your HP has been consumed to heal your injuries!』
The lich watched in disbelief as Roy's wounds closed before his very eyes, the healing process so swift that it was visible to the naked eye.
In but an instant, Roy was healed, his body restored to its former strength and vitality.
"How ridiculous!" the lich cried, "You are the real monster compared to me."
Roy suddenly hunched, black aura lightning crackling out of his eyes, making him look like a predator about to pounce on his prey.
The next instant, he moved with lightning-fast speed.
Swoosh!
He closed the distance between himself and the lich in a fraction of a second, a deep crater forming on the spot where he had just been standing as if the force of his movement had caused the very earth to buckle and break apart.
The lich had barely enough time to react before Roy was upon it, his sword glinting menacingly in the moonlight. It was clear that Roy was not playing games anymore; his movements were precise and deadly as if he couldn't wait to strike him dead.
The lich tried to evade Roy's attack, but it was too late.
Clang!
The sword struck true, slicing through the air with a fierce whistle and cleaving into the lich's skeletal body as the sound of metal meeting bone echoed across the ruins.
The lich's rib cage shattered under the impact, revealing a glowing stone in the place where his heart should've been.
It was his life core, the reason why he was alive despite being all bones.
With its greatest defense removed, it was vulnerable!
Roy twisted his wrist, causing his sword to take an unexpected turn.
The very next moment, GhostChaser, Roy's sword worth a whopping 15 tons, was heading straight for the lich's life core.
The lich reacted immediately, opening a void between his life core and Roy's sword.
The void swallowed Roy's sword, giving the lich the time he needed to turn the tide of the battle.
A blazing pillar of fire erupted from the lich's staff, hurtling towards Roy like a flaming javelin.
Roy was not one bit intimidated by his attack.
He simply willed for the flaming javelin to move out of his way, and it literally changed its trajectory, flying past him like an obedient child!
"What in the world is happening? It's always the people who dodge fire, but here it's like the fire dodged you instead!" The lich was taken aback by what had just transpired.
"Using fire against me is a foolish decision," Roy said with a sly smirk. He knew that because of his level-9 Fire Control skill, he was the Lord of all Magic Fire below the tenth level. He was impervious to any flame-based spells of the first to the sixth level that his opponent could conjure!
