135 The Ligh (1/2)

When the Ven'Thur shed his form, revealing the dread of a skeletal form that stood at the pinnacle of might in this new world, a distinct presence had filled the entirety of the cavern. It was like death personified, causing the air to chill, to almost feel as if it had solidified into creeping tendrils that snaked across the skin, around the neck to constrict breath, sinking into the heart and making it race.

Even the mind controlled beastwomen and criminals could not suppress their survival instincts, and they all shivered in unison as they huddled behind rocks, tables, anything they could find some solace in. Azhar could resist it, his adventurer's heart having been tempered through the forge of countless life and death battles.

As Li's manifested into existence, it was almost like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. His barked and horned form stretching out from the peels of his human encasing in a metamorphosis that precious few in this world had ever seen and lived to tell the tale of.

And when Li peeled away his human façade, an entirely new presence arose. No, rather, it charged in like cavalry, crashing into the lich's deathly presence and driving it away like a lantern light raised against the dark.

It was not a presence of death, nor was it one of hope. It was one of sheer, neutral power. Pure, devastatingly raw power that rumbled the cavern. It surged around Li's form, shadowing it in tendrils of darkness so engorged on magical power that they seemed more like pillars that rose far up, crashing into the cavern's ceiling and shattering the rock, sending debris falling every which way.

Amidst this raging sea of darkness, there was but one point of glowing whiteness, but this light was not at all a symbol of hope: it was Li's skeletal face, his eye sockets glowing with green.

Li did not look back as he addressed Azhar, but he could tell through whatever it was that linked them that the bowman was not taking well to seeing his true form. ”So? Now you truly know what I am. Any second thoughts? And do not worry about your wounds. I will heal them later regardless of your answer.”

Azhar had fallen upon his knees, his hand thrust on the ground as a hasty pillar to support his shaking body. His breathing was deep but still only managed to take in shallow breaths, as if he were suffocating in a vacuum. Blood trickled from his mouth, ears, and eyes as the intensity of Li's presence wreaked havoc upon his body and brain.

”I thought you were just similar, but yer exactly like it. The dark presence in the spirit realm, the sleeping void that's gonna swallow everythin' up when it wakes. Yer the end of all things.”

Li remained neutral. ”Perhaps I am, perhaps I am not.”

”Where did that humanitarianism you preached go?” commented Ven'thur. ”Truly you lot are fickle.”

Azhar was too weak to answer by this point. Perhaps he had not even heard the lich's words. Instead, Li spoke.

”Is this better?” asked Li as he stepped forwards, a small cyclone of debris starting to whirl around him as his power convulsed.

”Much better.” Ven'Thur peered upon Li, and his monocle shattered, the glass breaking up into brittle dust. He took the spheres of special distortion shimmering above his palms and mashed them together into one, preparing an attack.

”Wonderful. I cannot glean at all what you are, and yet, I understand you are above me, above Kel'Thor, above the gods themselves, perhaps. You are one above all and yet known by none. It is truly an honor to have the chance to indulge my final moments facing against something so new, so unknown. I shall consider it my final study.”

”Unfortunately, this study session might have to end early,” said Li as he waved a skeletal hand around him. Even through the mind control, the normal beastwomen and humans had become petrified in Li's presence, their breathing even halting as their eyes widened, their minds slowly breaking apart at the seams.

”But I will give you a chance to impress me: let loose your blows, spells, and skills - all the crystallization of your journey for knowledge.”

”It would be shameful not to grace your presence with but my very best.” Ven'thur thrust his hands out, sending forward the condensed ball of special distortion.

In a flash, Li appeared directly in front of Ven'thur and grabbed the ball between his own branched hands. It was [Gravity Bomb], a projectile that would explode into a void that sucked in everything to deal damage over time, but if it was stopped early, it would instead become massive damage to a single target.

Li chose to stop it to prevent environmental damage coming upon either the slaves or Azhar.

The spell itself was a formidable B ranked spell, and one that magic users with a subclass as Portalists favored as their best damage attack until they reached the late game. The lich himself slightly over level 80, nearing the top end of this world's power scaling.

Li put pressure into his hands, squashing the ball of manipulated space out of existence like popping a balloon. ”So you're a Warlock primary with a Portalist subclass. You have two other subclasses to show off. Show them.”

A purple tether flashed behind Venthur, attaching at the end of the cavern. His body vanished as he teleported to the end of the tether to create distance between himself and Li. This was [Anchored Presence], an useful spell to use for Portalists who wanted to scout out unknown areas but needed to instantly teleport back to a spot when they encountered danger.

By setting an anchor point in space and tethering themselves to it, they could achieve low cost, instantaneous teleportation where most portal spells required channels and high mana costs.

The lich splayed his fingers out and then curled them back in a squishing motion.