Chương 115

The heavy lid of the stone coffin slid off and crashed to the floor. Rudra gripped his staff, expecting a massive vampire or another golem. Instead, a frail skeleton wrapped in tattered robes stepped out of the dust. The undead creature held a glowing magical orb in its bony hands. A red-gold system tag floated above its skull. [Lich Mumud] Rudra froze. He remembered the lore he heard from Winfred back in the Siren Kingdom. Mumud wasn't just some random monster. He was Braham's greatest disciple.

He was a magical genius who was supposed to surpass his master.

"Wait," Rudra said, his voice dropping. He looked from the skeletal Lich to the glowing ghost floating above the altar.

"Is that your own student?" Braham smirked proudly. [His talent was wasted on a mortal body. Now, he serves me perfectly. Even in death, his magic belongs to his master.] Rudra's deadpan, casual attitude vanished completely. He stared at the arrogant ghost. The idea of a teacher turning his own student into an undead puppet just to hoard his power deeply disgusted him.

"You're a garbage teacher," Rudra said flatly. Braham's ghostly face twisted in fury. [Tear him apart, Mumud!] The Lich raised its orb. A massive, concentrated beam of dark magic erupted from the sphere. It looked like a dragon's breath, tearing a deep trench through the stone floor as it shot directly toward Rudra. Rudra didn't step back. He didn't even try to dodge. He gripped his weapon with both hands.

"[Atlas's Rebound]." He spun the Staff of the Fire Lord like a propeller. The massive beam of dark magic slammed into the spinning bone. The cave shook violently, but the deadly energy didn't explode. It sank straight into the weapon. Rudra needed to hit back, and he needed to stay topped off. He channeled the banked force of the beam into a singular, bone-crushing swing aimed directly at the Lich's ribcage.

"[Crushing Strike]!" The staff connected with a bone-jarring CRACK. As the blow landed, he triggered his new skill.

"[Extreme Energy Transfusion]!" Fifty percent of the massive damage he dealt to the Lich was instantly siphoned back into his body. His resource bars—drained from keeping Atlas's Rebound active—snapped back to full. He used the Lich as a living battery to keep himself topped off while he hunted the real target. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Rudra barreled right past the staggered skeleton, his eyes locked on the ghost. [How is this possible?!] Braham yelled, floating backward.

"You're just a battery now," Rudra grunted. He pointed his left hand at his staff.

"[Divine Infusion]." [500 Mana and 50 Divine Energy consumed.] Holy light erupted around the dark bone. Braham just sneered, though his form was beginning to tremble. [Foolish human! Physical weapons cannot touch a soul!] Rudra stepped off the ground. He triggered Abyssal Step, creating an invisible foothold in the empty air. He launched himself up to the altar, right into Braham's face.

"[Crushing Strike]." Rudra brought the holy-infused staff down in a brutal arc. CRACK! The heavy bone smashed directly into Braham's glowing shoulder. The holy energy acted like solid iron against the spirit. The great ghost was violently swatted out of the air, crashing into the stone floor. [Kuaaah!] Braham screamed. His translucent body flickered wildly, losing its shape.

"Turns out I can touch you just fine," Rudra grunted. He didn't give the ghost a second to recover. Rudra dropped down from the air and swung again.

"[Sweeping Gale]!" The staff blurred horizontally. The holy light and explosive fire smashed into Braham's ghostly form. The great magician was thrown across the cave. His soul was too weak to defend himself, and the holy blunt force was tearing his spirit apart. Behind Rudra, the Lich turned around and fired dozens of dark magic missiles. Rudra just spun his staff, catching the missiles with Atlas's Rebound and absorbing the damage to keep his health and mana topped off.

He was an unstoppable, self-sustaining bulldozer. He marched right up to the battered ghost and raised his staff again. Braham looked up, his beautiful face twisted in panic. The legendary magician finally realized he was going to lose to a human. His pride shattered. [I will not perish in a damp cave!] Braham roared. [I will return, and you will pay for this insult!] The ghost turned into a streak of blue light and shot straight toward the open coffin.

At the same time, invisible chains of magic pulled hard on Mumud. The Lich was dragged backward, its bony fingers scraping across the stone. Braham was trying to drag his disciple's soul back into the coffin with him to escape.

"He's taking him!" Rudra yelled. Rudra sprinted forward, but he was too far away to hit the ghost before it reached the coffin. His staff couldn't cut an invisible soul chain anyway. He needed something that ate magic.

"Kratos!" Rudra shouted.

"Eat him!" The half-gold, half-black cub didn't hesitate. Kratos launched himself off a broken piece of golem rubble like a furry missile. The divine beast intercepted the streak of blue light in mid-air. Kratos unhinged his jaw. [Mana Devourer]. Kratos's jaws snapped shut directly on the glowing soul fragment. Crunch. Braham didn't even have time to scream. Kratos swallowed the ghost whole. The invisible chains dragging the Lich instantly snapped.

Mumud collapsed onto the stone floor, his glowing orb rolling away into the dust. The cave fell completely silent. Rudra lowered his staff, panting lightly. He looked down at his divine beast. Kratos sat on the floor, licking his chops. The cub let out a small, satisfied burp.