This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 244 - 225: The Battle Begins

Chapter 244: Chapter 225: The Battle Begins

"You say the Elven Gods sent you to help me?" Amberser felt he had heard a colossal joke.

He was, after all, a Lich.

His raggedy skeleton had nothing to do with the Elves, perhaps only comparable to the Spider-transformed Drow of the Gloomyland.

"Katherine, have you been cursed?" Amberser asked.

By curse, he meant an Evil God. Amberser even suspected that an Evil God had taken a fancy to Katherine and began crafting illusions for her. However, illusions weren’t very effective against Elves, and Katherine did not seem to be confused at all.

Katherine, not joking in the slightest, said seriously, "I have received a blessing from the Deity, you should know."

When it came to this, Amberser’s soul turned dark with envy.

He had been gnashing his teeth with envy at the time, feeling sorry for himself for living for hundreds of years without ever seeing such a reliable blessing or such a generous Deity.

Even the God of Alchemy, who was Amberser’s own teacher, had given a blessing that required payment to use.

But Katherine explained, "The blessing I received is that I will not be hurt under moonlight. Don’t you find this blessing strange? Although it’s a blessing given by the Moon Lady, and it relates to her priesthood, I always felt it was meant to be used here. Look at the moon in the sky, even deserts rarely see such a large moon, it’s as if it’s afraid of not illuminating the desert clearly enough."

As Katherine spoke, Amberser couldn’t help but look up at the sky, and indeed, the moon was so abnormally large it looked as if it might crash down at any moment.

"But this is unreasonable, why would the Elven Gods send you to help me? If they really wanted to do me a favor, why not just tell me directly?"

Amberser said this aloud, but inwardly he had already begun praying. What was the prayer to the Elven Gods again?

After chanting Corellon’s praise poem a few times and still nothing happened, Amberser could only say to Katherine, "I think you might be overthinking it. If the Elven Gods wanted you to help me, they would have said so directly, with no need for such roundabout methods. Aren’t you their most beloved chosen one?"

Katherine shook her head and spoke with an uncommonly firm tone, "I’m no longer the little girl I once was. The Gods must have seen this too, which is why they no longer deliver their oracles in such a straightforward and clear manner as before. They are testing me, hoping that I can make a mature decision."

"Straightforward and clear? How straightforward?" asked Amberser.

Katherine thought for a moment, then said, "Well... just like chatting with a friend."

Can you believe that?

Divine oracles have never been straightforward and clear; they are almost always riddles, leaving the faithful to guess and maintain the Gods’ mystique. Amberser couldn’t decide if Katherine was special or if the Elven Gods were treating her specially.

"Forget it, let’s not talk about such meaningless questions. You said you want to help me, and this is a mature decision? You are firmly bound to the Silvermoon Tribunal, and it’s not only because you are currently the Elven Queen in this timeline. Even if you had abdicated, your every word and deed would still bind you to the Elf Tribe."

Of course, Amberser hoped that Katherine would offer her help, but after spending time together, he had also come to regard Katherine as almost a friend and did not want this naive Elven girl to become a criminal of the Elf Tribe.

However, Katherine said, "If this were before, I too would have felt that acting in this way would be detrimental to the Silvermoon Tribunal, and after all, Laine has always been an ally of the Elf Tribe. But lately, I’ve thought a lot. From the onset of the mana addiction, to now, the crisis facing the Elf Tribe ultimately relies on you to resolve. And our ally Laine? The Elves don’t even want them to know about the mana addiction because we fear that Laine might take advantage of this opportunity to also conquer the Silvermoon Tribunal.

"Laine People have always been followers of the Lord of the Dawn; since when did the world start associating Laine with invasion so casually?"

Katherine’s words plunged Amberser into thought. This wasn’t just Katherine’s personal feeling—Amberser faintly sensed that something was very wrong.

Right, followers of the Lord of the Dawn, when did they become the common enemy of the entire continent?

Not only were the Elves guarding against them, but even the Druids of the Emerald Dream Forest were so frightened that they activated the barriers across the entire forest to prevent a Laine invasion.

The reputation of the Laine People had changed, and under the watch of the Lord of the Dawn, they had become the common enemy of all the races on the continent?

This was abnormal, highly abnormal.

Considering the words of Arthur Laine’s Heroic Spirit—that he slew the Magic Dragon Tyrant for the sake of all the races of the continent—it didn’t make sense that his kingdom had become the enemy of all. There must be an issue, and perhaps Hake Stone, the historian, would provide Amberser with an answer.

"So, you think something is wrong with Laine, and you’re prepared to stand against them?" Amberser asked.

"It’s not that simple, but at the very least, I should not stand with Laine unconditionally." Katherine hesitated for a moment, then continued, "If possible, I will still try to help you without revealing my identity, but even if there is a risk of exposure, I can now convince myself."

Amberser looked at Katherine for a long time, then finally said "Thank you."

He felt a touch of regret inside, wishing he had not spun such a future of servitude for Katherine. In the fate he had woven for her, she cried so miserably.

If that time came, he would have to give her a break.

Amberser was about to share this bit of good news with Katherine, but both turned their heads simultaneously, looking towards the end of the desert.

The darkness of the night did not prevent their perception; the army of Laine People had appeared on the horizon.

Now was not the time for conversation. Amberser opened his personal space and said to Katherine, "Go inside first; if needed, I will ask for your help."

Katherine nodded and stepped into Amberser’s personal space.

Amberser then summoned Naomi in her Time Dragon form and flew up into the sky on the Silver Dragon.

To Amberser’s surprise, the Silvermoon Knights did not fly into the sky. There were no Laine People appearing above, as if they had all remained on the ground, moving forward with the army.

"Playing it like this? The Dwarf Iron Guards are in for a rough time then."

No sooner had Amberser felt this way than a dazzling Holy Light condensed above the troops of the Laine People.

Amberser thought that the Silvermoon Knights were about to make a move, and was thinking of how he could trick them, only to realize that the Holy Light had coalesced into the shape of a Silver Armored Warrior.

Summoning a Celestial Warrior?

This giant of light was nearly thirty feet tall, and although made of Holy Light, its body was lifelike, with even the facial expressions of the Celestial Warrior detailed and clear.

Originally, three hundred slaves could summon a Celestial Warrior with just two days of faith training. These were the regular troops of the Laine, whose devotion to their faith was naturally much greater.

The Holy Light Condensation Celestial Warrior charged toward the defensive position of the Dwarf Iron Guards.

The defensive structures prepared for humans were completely meaningless in front of a thirty-foot tall Celestial Warrior. Low walls and ditches, traps and caltrops, it could step over them with a slight lift of its leg.

The long sword condensed from Holy Light swept across the ground, plowing a deep trench. Stones, sand, or steel—all were sliced open like butter under the cut of this Holy Light Longsword.

The Celestial Warrior charged forward, as if to split the entire defensive position in two.

However, the Dwarves did not panic. They had seen this tactic from the Laine People many times over the long battles they had fought.

Dozens of hammers, carrying powerful impact force, were thrown and hit the Celestial Warrior’s body.

The hammers, as if blessed by the earth, burst a storm-like force upon hitting the energy construct of the Celestial Warrior. Dozens of hammers were enough to interrupt the Celestial Warrior’s charge, causing large cracks to appear on its body.

Accepting the inevitable, the Celestial Warrior bent forward and swept its sword horizontally across the battlefield, thoroughly disrupting the defensive position.

But after the second round of hammer strikes, the light warrior completely collapsed, dispersing into Holy Light that scattered into the air.

The Laine People lost a Celestial Warrior, and most of the Dwarf Iron Guards’ defensive position was destroyed with casualties, seeming like a win for the Laine People. Thinking as much, their troops began to charge.

What followed was a brutal melee.

The Dwarf Iron Guards stood in front, clearing space for the spellcasters behind them.

The glow of various spells formed a continuous stream in the desert night, beautiful as fireworks; yet where these lights fell, flesh and blood flew in a horrific display.

The Laine did not have many fancy spells; most were Light Priests casting support on the warriors up front.

Divine Guidance, Blessing Spell, Chain of Guardianship, Shield of Refuge, Vigor Aura, and the like... The pure white Holy Light turned into an ocean, immersing all Laine warriors, wrapping them in Holy Light so intense that it stung the eyes.

Amberser glanced at the battlefield. Although he was a layman, he could see that the Dwarves were steadily retreating.

The Dwarves defending here were elite, but there were too few of them, and they could not compete with the military strength of the Laine.

The heavily armored Paladins stood in front, like canned sardines. Various blessings empowered these Paladins to withstand most of the spell damage, while the Paladin’s Sacred Slash could even cut through steel.

Offense and defense in one, coupled with their uniform formations, they seemed much more professional compared to the Dwarves.

In Dew City, only the Dwarf Iron Guards could maintain their formation. The other mercenaries, who were conscripted, had already become disorganized and were being pushed back step by step by the Laine legion.

Amberser watched carefully; this was his first time witnessing the Laine’s large army in battle.

In the previous exercises, Amberser relied entirely on deceit to lead the Paladins into traps and had never seen them perform at full strength. Now, looking at them, he felt a chill, realizing that just like the Silvermoon Knights, the Laine were exceptionally strong within the Nine Great Kingdoms.

The Dwarves could not hold out much longer in direct combat, so the Legendary figures of the Dwarf Kingdom had to join the fight, stopping the advance of the Laine legion.

Amberser kept circling in the sky, looking for his only opponent.

Soon, Amberser sensed a dangerous aura coming from below.

A silvery-white moonbeam shot out from the Laine legion, flying into the sky.

Amberser was shocked; this old man wasn’t striking at Dew City first but at him flying above?!

Without hesitation, Amberser controlled Naomi to dodge, but to his surprise, Naomi couldn’t outrun this sword light, and the Moonlight Sword seemed locked onto Amberser’s essence, even following as he turned corners.

"Fuck!"

Unable to hold back, Amberser cursed and quickly opened his personal space, grabbing Katherine out.

Before Katherine, who was still coming to her senses, could ask if she was needed for assistance, Amberser had already thrown her out.

The Moonlight Sword struck directly at Katherine!