Chapter 90: One Type of Being (II)

For a long time, humans have feared demons, especially during times of chaos. Back then, humans lacked the strength to deal with those terrifying demons. Out of their endless fear, they unconsciously exaggerated the power of demons, to the point where some were even said to possess the ability to destroy the world.

Later, magicians emerged among humans—wise beings with extraordinary powers who studied the legends of demons. They discovered that demons were merely another type of creature, dark beings living in another realm, in the abyss.

The world of demons was similar to that of humans; they had fixed habitats, and their powers varied in strength. Yet that world was even more survival of the fittest, with the law of the abyss being nothing but “survival through strength.”

After defining demons, humans habitually referred to the most powerful ones as “great demons,” but there was a difference between the two. Ancient texts classified demons into thirteen ranks, yet “great demons” were not included among them.

Thus, modern magicians speculated whether there was an essential difference between demons and great demons. After studying numerous ancient texts, one magician proposed the concept of “will.” He believed that great demons were actually manifestations of an “evil will,” a “great will.” They were not pure life forms but rather a collection of wills that had absorbed evil intentions over long periods of history.

This explained the ancient legend…

According to the legend, every hundred years in the abyss, a great demon would be born, possessing terrifying power far beyond that of ordinary demons. Perhaps it could be seen as a convergence of the wills of countless dead demons—a great will filled with anger, resentment, jealousy, and other negative emotions, all of which could give rise to powerful and terrifying forces.

If the gods represented humanity’s longing for goodness, then great demons embodied the desolate darkness. But whether it was the gods or great demons—these legendary beings representing good and evil—perhaps they were merely human fantasies born from the unknown, or maybe they didn’t exist at all.

Yet perhaps, in some unknown place, they lay quietly asleep…
Waiting for the moment to awaken…

“That’s impossible… Mortal humans can’t possess such great power!”

Compared to before, the current Archlich Craig Hardlor looks far worse—both his ruined body and the faint glimmer of soulfire in his eyes show that as the most powerful archlich, he has completely lost his dignity, roaring angrily like a gambler driven mad by greed.
His opponent is too strong…
“Thos…” Dia’s gaze remained fixed on the boy in the distance, never wavering. Thus, she noticed both the immense power the boy displayed and the indifference in his expression as he killed those vampires.
If it were Ravia, she would likely feel disgust upon seeing these scenes. That girl from the north never confused good and evil—good was good, evil was evil; she wouldn’t tolerate any ambiguity. She was a very principled person, perhaps because of her life experiences.
But Dia was different. She came from the southern part of the empire, introverted and gentle, often relying on others unconsciously. So in this small group, she was never the protagonist—she always played the role of quietly listening to others speak.
Regarding good and evil, Dia didn’t share Ravia’s strong sense of justice, as their worlds were different—Ravia came from Altak, the granddaughter of a local duke, having witnessed many deaths and births. Meanwhile, Dia came from an ordinary low-ranking noble family; her father was merely a lord, not a significant figure, and their financial situation wasn’t very good. To make ends meet, they still had to think about how to earn money to cover expenses. Nations, justice—these things were too distant for Dia. If that tragic event hadn’t happened, if her brother were still alive, perhaps she wouldn’t have gone to Riox to study magic. Like other girls in the area, she would have learned a craft in a workshop and married a man of similar status. Husband, children, family—these were what mattered to her!
At least, at this moment, Dia still wore a faint smile on her face, as the boy in the distance didn’t seem to have suffered any harm. If it were Ravia, she would never be able to smile, because the power the boy displayed was truly terrifying and dark…
“Be careful, Thos…” murmuring to herself, Dia prayed devoutly to the gods she believed in.

Even during the fiercest moments of battle, even when her heart pounded violently due to the tilt in the balance of victory, she did not make a sound. She simply stared at the boy with a worried gaze, her hands clasped in prayer until they turned pale from the strain. She was afraid her voice might affect him… That’s all! It seemed, however, that Dia’s concerns were unnecessary. Both Argus and Jiang Zhe possessed strength far beyond even the notoriously terrifying liches. Their combined power completely overwhelmed the liches, not to mention those vampires, who were at best mere pawns in this battle, nothing more. “Damn humans, damn humans!” roared the Arch-Lich Craig Hardlor, his voice like a powerful shockwave that filled the entire room. Then, a glint appeared in his eyes, and a mental storm, as tangible as reality, swept through the room, bringing with it fierce hatred. If it were ordinary people, even this single attack might have been enough to kill them, as a human’s mind is directly connected to the soul, and the soul is extremely fragile, unable to withstand severe trauma. Unfortunately, the Arch-Lich Craig Hardlor was not facing ordinary humans. The illusions of the two-headed bird and the dark bear completely protected his two enemies from this intense and fierce mental storm. Even Dia, as an ordinary person, was protected by the Puppet King Cain—who had already summoned two bishop puppet minions before the battle to create a defensive barrier. “Oh my, what a terrifying sound…” Argus said with a laugh, but suddenly his smile vanished as he said playfully, “Do you want to hear an even more wonderful sound?” As soon as he spoke, the two-headed bird surrounding him unexpectedly let out a shrill and piercing cry. To others, it sounded like an ordinary bird call, just a bit too mournful, but not so much for those three liches. After that cry, it was clear that the soul flames of the three liches dimmed slightly. Looking at their trembling bodies, it was obvious they had suffered severe damage. Strange—aren’t liches immune to mental damage?

In truth, there is no true immunity in the world. Even the legendary gods cannot escape their moment of downfall, let alone mere liches. When the power gap between them is too large, immunity is nothing but a joke.
The current Argus possesses power that surpasses that of a grand mage!
“Roar!” The dark bear let out a low growl. Of course, this was not a mental attack—after the roar, black flames suddenly ignited in the surrounding area. Strangely, these black flames burned without clinging to any object; they appeared out of thin air, independent of anything.
These black flames had terrifying destructive power. A vampire who was merely slightly touched by them became engulfed in these flames. He tried his best to extinguish them, but terrifyingly, the flames seemed impossible to put out. Within seconds, they consumed the entire vampire, burning even the rocks and bricks on the ground to ashes. Nothing remained—no bones, no blood, no corpse—only a small amount of black crystal debris that could no longer be burned. Even Argus was stunned by the dreadful destructive power of these black flames.
Like a storm, the flames swept through, burning most of the vampires to ashes. Only a few managed to evade them temporarily through their agility. But once the entire room became an ocean of black flames, evasion was nothing but a futile attempt to survive.
One after another, rapidly spinning columns of fire continued to claim lives. Only the bone walls created by the three liches could hold them back for a while, but eventually, they too were broken through by these flames fueled by endless darkness.
With black flames filling the air and white bone souls floating around, standing still in such chaos was the stupidest thing to do. Argus and Jiang Zhe’s attacks could indeed deal severe damage to the liches, but conversely, the poisonous forces summoned by the liches were equally deadly.
After all the vampires here were killed, all that could be heard were the “whooshing” sounds as Argus, Jiang Zhe, and the three liches kept using their teleportation magic.
They absolutely couldn’t stop using teleportation magic, for even a brief pause would bring down devastating blows.
This dazzling battle made Dia’s heart pound violently.

Every time the boy was about to suffer a severe blow, Dia couldn’t help but feel a sense of suffocation. But soon after seeing him dodge the attack using teleportation magic, that suffocating feeling turned into relief. This repeated cycle left Dia feeling mentally exhausted. In fact, she didn’t need to be so tense, as the current battle situation clearly showed that Argus and Jiang Zhe, on the human side, held the advantage. It was incredible—since Argus said he hadn’t used all his strength due to some concerns. So, what kind of being was giving them that power? It must surely be a terrifying existence far beyond the level of liches! The fierce battle lasted for half an hour, during which the forces of death and darkness clashed violently, sweeping everywhere like a storm. The walls and the ground beneath their feet were covered in traces of corrosion from poison or darkness. “Bang! Bang!” Amidst the intense explosions, the stone pillars supporting the room were shattered by powerful magic, causing parts of the ceiling to collapse as well. It took half an hour before the room gradually quieted down, as the battle was coming to an end—with Jiang Zhe’s help, Argus, who had initially been at a slight disadvantage, further proved just how terrifying his power was. Under the roar of the Arch-Lich Craig Hardlor, he gradually defeated the other two liches and drove them out of this world, back to where they belonged—the Land of Death. “Damn human beings! I’ll kill you all!” The Arch-Lich Craig Hardlor was extremely enraged; he had lost his sanity. Not only had he watched his two brethren killed, but he himself had also suffered immeasurable damage—for liches, the concentration of their souls is everything; once the soul is destroyed, everything is over. Fueled by anger, Craig Hardlor used teleportation magic to escape the attack of the two humans, floating high in the air. He spread his arms wide, his body glowing with a dangerous dark blue light. This caused Argus’s expression to change abruptly, and he said urgently, “Damn it! This guy wants to self-destruct!”

Self-destruction—this is the ultimate tactic used by magicians. They gather as much elemental energy as possible from within their bodies at once, then use techniques to disrupt elemental balance, detonating those elements in an instant to cause a massive explosion. Even an ordinary magician’s self-destruction can easily level a small mountain, while more powerful ones can even destroy an entire city. So just how devastating would the self-destruction of a lich, the ultimate form of a necromancer who has broken free from his shackles, be?

No one knew until now, because no one could force such a powerful lich to use self-destruction. Although liches possess almost eternal lives, death at most weakens the strength of their souls, sending them back to the Land of Death. Yet the soul damage caused by self-destruction far exceeds that of death. It seems that Archlich Craig Hardlor was utterly enraged and nearly lost his sanity.

Regardless, a lich’s self-destruction is no joke. Not to mention this ancient castle, its explosion could be compared to an earthquake, causing severe landslides over several miles. In other words, anyone within that range would be trapped underground forever.

Watching the various elements rushing frantically toward the area, even Argus couldn’t help but show signs of urgency and fear. After all, despite his strength, he was still human and didn’t possess immortality. He would inevitably go through birth, aging, sickness, and death.

“What a joke!” he cursed under his breath. “I don’t want to be dug up a hundred years from now!” With that, he raised his hand toward Archlich Craig Hardlor, sending dense streams of dark tendrils flying at him like arrows.

But Archlich Craig Hardlor had clearly anticipated Argus’s move. With a flash magic spell, those tendrils lost their target and struck the ceiling, causing rocks to fall down with a loud crash.

“Hahaha, vermin! You cannot escape the fear of death!” Continuously summoning nearby elements, Archlich Craig Hardlor roared wildly. “For daring to offend us great beings, you shall pay with your lives! We will meet again in the Land of Death, and then I will make you taste the most terrifying thing in the world…” His words were cut short as a pillar-thick beam of dark energy slammed into his back, knocking him straight down from the air.

“Well done, kid!” Argus shouted, rushing forward. Before Archlich Craig Hadlor could react, his right hand pierced into the other’s chest like a sharp sword, then grabbed his spine. With a mocking tone, he said, “My life is very valuable. Want me to die with you? Save it—this isn’t your era anymore!” As he said this, he pulled his hand back sharply, and with a crack, Hadlor’s spine was crushed to pieces.

“Damn it…” The greenish soul flames in Archlich Craig Hadlor’s eyes flickered uncontrollably, just like his broken voice.

“Humans, you… you can’t kill me. I, Craig Hadlor, will be reborn in the Land of Death… We’ll meet there soon. Until then, live well—filled with fear, with…”

“Tch! Can’t you shut up, Loli?” Argus sneered. Before Archlich Craig Hadlor could finish speaking, he swallowed him up in endless darkness.

With the lich as a vessel killed, the dense elements gathered here lost control. The magic that once belonged to Hadlor was released wildly by those out of balance, quickly forming several massive air vortices, with sparks of static electricity flashing in the air.

“Tch, what an annoying guy. Even dead, he still wants to trouble us!” Argus mocked irritably, then turned to Jiang Zhe and said, “Let’s go, kid—we must leave before these elements explode. Otherwise, we’ll never be able to get out!”

Argus was right. Before they could catch their breath, loud explosions echoed around them—the already overloaded walls and ceilings began to collapse, and such severe collapses would eventually lead to the entire basement collapsing.

With a crash, the door to the room behind them collapsed.

“Tch, damn it!” Argus cursed in frustration, then glanced around and waved at Jiang Zhe, saying, “Follow me—take this path!”

Jiang Zhe glanced back at Dia, who immediately followed under Cain’s protection.

Just as they left, the room suddenly exploded with a loud boom. The immense force generated by the burst of elements accelerated the collapse of the room. The seemingly sturdy stone pillars shattered, and large chunks of rock, along with endless mud, poured down from the ceiling, causing the entire basement to shake violently.

At some point, Argus had already started running. As he ran, he turned back and shouted at Jiang Zhe and the others, “Hurry up! Faster!”
“Ouch!” Suddenly, as Dia was running fast, she stepped on something, causing her to lose balance. But immediately, someone caught her.
“Thors…” With a hint of shame, Dia seemed to want to say something, but before she could speak, she suddenly saw the boy extend his right hand to her and say calmly, “That guy was right—we don’t have time!”
Us…?
Dia suddenly felt a warm and shy emotion well up in her chest. She bit her lip slightly, took his hand, and said softly, “Mm!”
The group quickly left. As they passed another room, a puzzled question came from the side.
“Argus? What was that noise just now?”
Instinctively stopping, Argus turned to look at the person and shrugged, saying, “It was just some bastard trying to drag us down with him before dying—Glad to see you all again, my dear companions, Pule, and… Connel!”
It turned out that in that room were the necromancer Pule, who had just ended a battle, and the werewolf Connel. As planned, Pule was responsible for distracting one lich, while Connel distracted those annoying vampires.
It was clear that the battle here also ended with the lich’s defeat. Although the lich’s body wasn’t visible, the corpses of vampires scattered throughout the room proved this.
“Ugh!” Upon smelling the bloodstain in the room, Dia instinctively covered her mouth, feeling a urge to vomit.
The smell came from those vampire corpses—To kill them completely, Connel used the simplest method: snapping off their heads.
After all, these were just ordinary vampires. They didn’t possess terrifying immortality like the Gungro. Though they could heal their wounds, they would still die if their heads were cut off.
Glancing at the torn corpses on the ground, Argus shrugged and said, “Wow, that’s really extreme…”
With a cold snort, Connel said calmly, “It’s the best way to deal with them!”

“But you don’t have to overdo it, right?” Argus looked at the scattered limbs and the gruesome corpses of vampires, laughing and crying at the same time. “Quite thorough indeed…”
He was referring to the corpses of vampires torn apart by Connel. Encountering Connel was simply the worst fate for those vampires.
Actually, it couldn’t be blamed on Connel. Perhaps the blood stimulated his werewolf instincts. Just like before, whenever they smelled blood, they would experience a series of strange emotions, such as irritability—this was a common trait among bloodthirsty creatures.
“Hmph!” Connel snapped coldly, then glanced at Jiang Zhe and Dia beside him, especially their hands clasped together. This made Connel frown. After all, he had a strong liking for that stubborn little girl named Lavia. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have kept his promise to her not to harm innocent humans.
“Kid! How did you end up here?” Connel asked in a deep voice.
To his surprise, the boy gave him a brief glance, seemingly unwilling to answer. From him, Connel sensed a familiar presence.
This sense of pressure, this feeling, was exactly the same as back then…
Could it be that he…
Tch! What a troublesome kid!
Connel had never thought that Jiang Zhe killing him once was luck. After all, since regaining his freedom, he hadn’t been killed even once. The only time was when he died at the hands of Jiang Zhe’s dark bear…
But even so, it was impossible for Connel to feel fear toward that bear, because he was the only special dark being in the world with over 240,000 lives.
Staring intently at Jiang Zhe and Dia’s clasped hands, Connel wanted to teach this kid a lesson and avenge that girl he liked so much. After all, he was old enough to be considered an “elder.” How could Lavia’s fondness for Jiang Zhe escape his notice?
But now clearly wasn’t the right time, as the entire basement began to shake violently. Soon, all the rooms here would be buried under rocks and sand.
Seeing this, Argus waved his hand and said urgently, “Alright, we can talk about the old times once we get out of here. Staying here any longer isn’t a wise decision—Connel, the way we came here is blocked. See if there’s another exit!”

Glancing at Jiang Zhe, Connel shook his head secretly. Then he sniffed the surroundings and said, “Follow me! There’s another exit here!” As he spoke, it seemed he sensed something, hesitantly scanning the ground beneath his feet, just as Argus had done when he saw him earlier.

“What’s wrong, Connel?” Argus asked doubtfully.

“I think I can smell that bastard’s scent…”

“Stop joking,” Argus said irritably, shaking his head. “You saw it yourself—this is the cozy little home of the liches. There are some vampires here, but none of them are people you know, right? We’ve killed all the vampires here, haven’t we?”

“Maybe…” As the entire basement shook more and more violently, Connel didn’t have time to investigate further and nodded uncertainly.

The group left in a hurry, not noticing that the blood of the slain vampires was gradually seeping into the ground surface.

Not even Connel realized that deep beneath them, there was another huge secret chamber, arranged just like the rooms they had seen before, filled with wooden coffins everywhere.

But these wooden coffins were clearly of much finer quality in terms of material and craftsmanship. The most eye-catching one was the one in the center, made of black-painted wood, covered in intricate runes.

On the front of that black-painted coffin, a line of words was written in a dye resembling gold.

Perhaps due to having been sealed away for a long time, like all the coffins here, this black-painted coffin was covered in dust, making the inscriptions somewhat blurred. Yet, faintly, some words could still be made out.

“…Vlad, in the 127th year of the calendar…”