Isekai Journey Of The Magic Archer

Chapter 699 Corrupted lich

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A lightning strike from the heavens that weakened the demon overall and stunned it for long enough for the resistance to have the window of opportunity they had been searching for.

-Ooooooooomg!

-Boooooooooom!

Rein used her Witchcraft and the remaining bunch of cultists and emperor, along with the others, quickly finished the demon.

Which, of course, was no easy task even after it was weakened, however, thanks to the arrows of light from the top of the tower that distracted this demon, as well as the reinforcements that had arrived here after defeating the demonic and corrupted creatures going towards the city area, they were able to defeat the demons as well as most of the forces of these cultists.

Now, only a few of them were left, and, they can quickl;y take care of them.

[[ "Bastard… how're you holding up?" ]]

[[ "Not the worst I have felt. But, this certainly feels like shit." ]]

[[ "Drink something. We are almost doen here. I will come there as soon as this ends." ]]

[[ "Don't worry… I will be alright." ]]

[[ "You just coughed up blood didn't you? Didn't he Celes?" ]]

[[ Ummm… no? ]]

[[ "You don't know how to lie to us, darling. Why do you even try to do so?" ]]

[[ Ughhhh! Then don't ask me question that master certainly doesn't want me to answer sister Elle! ]]

[[ "Haaa. Take care of that bastard." ]]

Their side had upper hand in the battles now and she was having fun chopping the limbs and heads of the cultists. 

Thanks to his spell, they will be able to completely clear this stronghold soon as well. And, the other spell he had used on the demon on the northern end had critically weakened the demon as well so, they were almost about to take him down as well. 

And, since they had President Zodac's support and his SanSan's assistance, they were sure to finish their battles as well.

So…

"Haaaa. That wasn't as bad as I thought."

He first drank some potions to relive the pain after crowning on the ground for a while and used his healing skill afterwards to get back enough of his strength to stand on his two feet.

'See. I am fine.what did I say? There was nothing to worry about.'

[[ *The Amrita in the branch proved to be more effective, that's the only reason you are even standing right now, master.

If it weren't for the branch of the world tree, you would be on the ground still.* ]]

Lucy was upset at him.

But her reaction was better than what Eon had expected.

'Well then. Can you calm down now? Everything went well-'

-Booooooooooom!

An unusual explosion in the western side shook the entire city, attracting attention of all the cultisists and the people they were fighting.

"Celes! What was that?!"

[[ M-master?! This… I don't know but something appeared in that side! ]]

Celes was confused since she did not understand what this thing was. And, since the explosion was unexpectedly loud, he couldn't just ignore something of that scale.

So, he used his third eye and looked at what was going on in that direction…

"What the hell…? What's that thing doing here?"

In the west side stronghold of the forest area, the one in charge was Empress Madeleine as well as their Lord President. And, since the enemies there weren't as dangerous as the southern area according to their evaluation, they weren't much concerned about this bunch of cultist bastards. However, what Eon was seeing with his third eye, showed a being that should not have been present in that place.

[[ "Eon! Eon! What was that explosion?! Did it really come from the place where Lady Med and Master Maverick is?" ]]

[[ "Yes… and, you see, a corrupted lich has appeared over there." ]]

A creature covered in a sticky demonic energy, holding a strange red orb, wearing a single piece of strange cloth had appeared in the place. Or perhaps it was always present there but they had never discovered it.

But, it was there. 

And, different from the usual lich who had retained their complete sanity, lich like her Morris, this creature was a completely different thing altogether.

[[ "Holy shit! Why is it there?! And what about the damages?! Is someone hurt over there?!" ]]

[[ "Doesn't look like it. Master Maverick endured the full blow of the surprise attack and saved Lady Med. However, he looks to have injured himself in the process." ]]

[[ "Oh my…" ]]

Any creature corrupted by the demonic energy becomes a being unfathomable to the mortal limitations.

They become the true personification of demon characteristics and if they have good enough potential, some of them even gains the titles of 'Knight' according to their accomplishments.

They are a kind of creature that could get exponentially stronger as they continue living in this nature and destroying as many elements of the nature as their instincts could allow them.

Destruction and deaths. Spreading chaos in nature is the only6 purpose of their existence and, seeing the one that had appeared before them, Eon could tell at a glance this guy was a newborn.

Even his life vessel, the soul orb that was still in his hands, was with him instead of being hidden in some distant place.

It was a creature pretty easy to kill, however, it was a lich.

And, by nature, lich are near immortal beings.

-Booooooooooom!

They could use an absurd amount of energy directly by channeling it from the atmosphere and, being the beings that had overcome the limitations of lifespan, they achieve the powers to partially control life and death.

However, it varies quite a lot depending on the nature of their existence.

And in the case of the one that had appeared before them, it knew how to use a power that absorbed the very life force of the beings around it to strength his vessel.

[[ "Damn! Why was there another explosion?!" ]]

[[ "Emperss is now trying to push the lich back since it has the power to absorbe the life force from the living around it. It is a corrupted one as well so it's practically out of control and had nearly no sense of reason.

It has alredy killed most of their own forces and absorbed them. And, that attack that Lord Maverick blocked is now dealing him DoT damage." ]]

[[ "What the fuck?! Thy do these fucking bastards have to go as far as risking their beings and turn into a corrupted lich?! Why the hell do they not even care about their own lives?!" ]]

[[ "…" ]]

[[ "Eon! We have to help them! If that bastard continues doing it, they will be hurt for real! Tell everyone-" ]]

[[ "That's right. We have to help them…" ]]

He picked up his white bow once again. 

[[ "Yes! Tell everyone-… no. No no no! I didn't tell you to do it yourself you bastard! You are in no shape to do anything!" ]]

[[ "But I have to, Rein. Master Maverick will die otherwise. Lady Med cannot handle that thing on her own. It's alredy as strong as an elder mage.

And because of the bursts of demonic energy it is radiating, all of them are in a bigger danger now." ]]

[[ "Fuck that! You are not doing anything! Just stay put! Do not fucking do anything!" ]]

"Celes, disconnect her." 

[[ What? but master! Sister Elle is right! You are- ]]

"Just do it, Celes."

She couldn't desoby him, and, he looked at her with a smiling face, so she knew he wasn't saying it rashly.

He meant it, which meant she had no choice but to follow his will.

'Lucy…'

[[ *I am not doing anything. I don't want you to do anything either, master. But since you wont listen to me, just do what you want to do. I will forcefully stop you if you are about to die.* ]]

'Those words are more than enough.'

He smiled warmly, closed his eyes, and, with his third eye, looked at the lich closely…

'It looks completely different from Morris.'

[[ *It's a different entity from the natural liches. It's corrupt* ]]

This lich had horns like that of a demon even though it had a completel skeleton body that was floating above the ground.

The black cloth around his body was as darker as this night, the ugly green flames burning its eye sockets had no visible emotions, his skull was ugly like a zombie and there was no attractive air to this creature.

It was disgusting, and, close range attacks were not going to work on this creature even though it was foolishly carrying his biggest weakness in his hands.

Getting close to it was the same as inviting death for them mortals… he knew that, and he also knew how this same creature could be destroyed with a single, proper attack.

'Now then…'

He aimed his bow to the west, took out Asta and placed her on the bow.

"Asta, break Law 2. Additionally, execute Act 12, paragraph 6."

-Wuuuuuu!

"Haha, I will be alright dear. Don't worry about me. Don't you see? I am alright right now as well."

He wasn't alright at all.

[[ *Master should at least stop lying to Asta.* ]]

In fact, he barely had enough strength to stand up properly. Much less use another lethal move.

-Wuuuuuuu!

"Alright, alright. I promis I will will be alright."

As at knew he was lying however, it could not do anything to change his mind when he was dead set on something like this.

Asta was equally helpless as Lucy and Celes.

-Oooooooooooong!

So, it did as he had asked of her. However…

"Augh!"

He threw up more blood.

[[ Master… sister Elle is very angry right now. I think you should- ]]

"I am… ahem! Ahem! Not stoping, Celes."

He knew if he stopped there, someone will definitely get hurt badly.

And, if it is either the empress or Lord Maverick, his future plans would be destroyed completely. 

"Huuuu…"

He could not have that.

'Magic release…'

Even if he had to endure this hell once more, he was going to see the end of this war.

"Ahem!"

He was stubborn.

The pain from the energy circuits all over his body overflowing with more energy than he could handle, the purest kind of energy he was using from the branch of the world tree, was now too much to handle even for him.

But, he did not stop.

[[ *This is dangerous, master…* ]]

He continued channeling the energy into Asta and his bow, Don as he recreated the scripted spell from his mind library on the tip of his arrow.

'Initiating spell enchantment… ughhh!'

He clenched his mouth tightly and blocked his urge to throw up the blood filling his throat.

[[ *Master… please, stop.* ]]

She could not understand why he was doing this when he had absolutely no reason to. His life was in danger right now but he wasn't understanding that simple fact.

-Oooooooooooooomh!

The spell he was attaching to Asta was a powerful one. Not something merely destructive, but, something that would definitely get rid of that lich if it reaches it…

"Ahem!"

However, to make it reach there, he had to release it in a complete form accurately which, was certainly going to be difficult in his current state.

[[ *That's it master. I cannot take this anymore. I am-* ]]

'No Lucy. I can do this…'

His body would fall apart if he stayed that stubborn for one more moment, she knew that and was ready to overtake his body even though he had clearly denied it.

She was ready to do it, however, in the moment when his head was almost on the verge of collapse, every nerve in his body was about to burst out, and just when the spell he was preparing was about to go out of control…

[[ *Hmmm? Wait… what's this?* ]]

Something happened. 

[[ *Is this… no, but… right now?!* ]]

Something that usually happens in the early ages of those baring the power of an origin, happened to him after fifteen long years of his life, after he had gained many things that were difficult for most mortal beings, after he had forsaken the thought of it… it happened, right when he was on the verge of collapse.