This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 281 - 261 The Goddess’s Alliance Crumbles at the First Touch

Chapter 281: Chapter 261 The Goddess’s Alliance Crumbles at the First Touch

Amberser, despite not having witnessed the battle firsthand, wasn’t the least bit worried about the members of the Elegy Poetry Society.

These were the Undead standing at the apex of the world, each one with their unique, exceptional abilities.

Dealing with the Drow Elves was not at all a question of potential upset; it was merely a matter of how long they wished to toy with them.

Amberser had his own tasks to perform, and all he hoped for now was that the Drow Matron Tristan wouldn’t be affected by the ongoing battle outside.

Obviously, Tristan was even more ruthless and cold-hearted than Amberser had imagined.

She merely stood atop the high tower for a glance, confirming the inevitable defeat of the Drow Elves, then activated all of the tower’s magical defenses and invested herself fully into the sacrifice.

Perhaps the ceremony could not be perfectly completed, but she believed the goddesses would forgive her.

Slaves were skinned and deboned one by one, the blood pool was already more than half full; now, with insufficient time, this temporary measure would have to suffice.

Tristan dived into the pool of blood, beginning to recite the sacrificial prayer.

Once more, the statue of the Rose Spider Queen lit up, and the projections of the four goddesses reappeared.

Clearly, the goddesses consented to Tristan’s "perfunctory" efforts and were still prepared to bless her.

The Rose Spider Queen spoke first, "Devotee, I bestow upon you the kiss of deadly poison; to you, toxin shall be as honey, nourishing your body and soul. To your enemies, the poison shall be like a sharp blade, slicing through their bodies!"

Immense divine power descended, enveloping Tristan’s form; Amberser saw her lips turn purple, and a deadly mist began to emanate from her body.

The blood beside her hissed upon contact with the venomous fog, boiling as if on a stove. The obsidian floor corroded into pus upon exposure to the mist, indicating the extreme virulence of the poison.

Tristan furrowed her brows tightly as if the divine power brought not only strength but also immense pressure, making it difficult for her to endure.

But the Rose Spider Queen wasn’t withdrawing her divine power yet, and the second deity also spoke up.

"I gift to you the thorns’ sting. Your hair, your nails can transform into invincible spikes, bringing severe pain to your enemies and healing your wounds."

This was unmistakably in the style of the Goddess Lovieta.

Tristan’s luxurious hair began to wriggle and transform, growing into sharp spikes that effortlessly scratched deep marks into the ground, just as if cutting through tofu.

This time, Tristan bit her lip firmly until blood dripped from the corner of her mouth—apparently, the pressure from the dual blessing caused her great pain. Still, the pain also became her power, continuously mending the wound on her lips, only to be bitten and bleed once more.

Following this, the Evil Dragon Goddess Tiamat began her blessing.

"I will gift you the blood of the Dragon Race, transforming into tough dragon scales that protect your body. You shall not fear raging fire, and you shall turn your enemies to ash."

As Tiamat’s voice reached her, Tristan’s body once again underwent transformation—her pale skin turned a fiery red, as if not blood but scorching magma flowed within her veins.

The heat incinerated the spider silk robes on her body, exposing her elegant form.

But soon, fiery red scales began to grow across her skin, starting from her body to her limbs, and eventually, even her face was covered in dragon scales, leaving only her hair and eyes visible.

This time, Tristan could not hold back, emitting a painful wail.

The simultaneous blessings of the three goddesses came with great power and a steep price.

Amberser could sense that Tristan’s soul was on the verge of collapse; a mere mortal simply couldn’t endure such tremendous power.

At this point in the procedure, it was Shael’s turn to act.

But the Dark Goddess hesitated to exert her divine power and instead stared at a hidden corner—where Amberser was concealed.

Amberser sighed, understanding that it was time to fulfill his mission.

He instantly used the Traceless Step and appeared behind Tristan.

With a pitch-black dagger in hand, he thrust forcefully toward her back, intending to pierce through her heart.

This speed, this motion, was beyond the capability of any Mage, a testament to Amberser’s abilities as a Legendary Ranger. The dagger could penetrate steel plates.

But could the dagger pierce through Tristan’s dragon scales?

Dragon scales were harder than steel, comparable to Mithril. Hence, in past Dragon Slaying attempts, blunt weapons were used to damage the flesh beneath the scales.

Even if the dagger couldn’t penetrate Tristan’s dragon scales, he would consider his mission accomplished, for a lackluster dagger was not his fault.

However, when the blade made contact with Tristan’s back, the dragon scales there suddenly disappeared from a small area.

Thanks to this gap, Amberser’s dagger pierced effortlessly through Tristan’s back and ran her heart through.

The dagger’s tip emerged from Tristan’s chest, and the Drow Matron exhibited an expression of disbelief.

Who had conspired against her? Why had there been no sign at all?!

Amberser, however, didn’t linger on his feat; after striking successfully, he didn’t even withdraw the dagger but immediately prepared to teleport away.

However, Amberser was slightly too slow.

The Rose Spider Queen let out a piercing scream, and Amberser could only feel his body completely immobilized in midair as his bones began to crumble to ash, bit by bit.

The deity’s strike obliterated Amberser’s body and aimed to destroy his soul as well.

The power of a deity, sufficient to prevent a Lich from resurrecting through the Life Casket, had sent the Rose Spider Queen into a frenzy, unleashing her full force to make Amberser pay with his death.

But the next second, Amberser’s body flashed with light, and he was restored to his original state.

This was the Poet’s blessing given to Amberser; upon taking fatal damage, it would negate the damage of that attack and restore him to his previous condition.

Rose Spider Queen never expected her all-out strike to fail, and as she was about to strike again, she saw Amberser’s skeleton scatter across the ground.

The Life Casket didn’t require someone to be killed in order to be reborn; Amberser could choose to return to the Life Casket whenever he wished.

The Poet’s gift of immunity to death allowed Amberser to find a sliver of opportunity, a chance to survive amidst the Deity’s wrathful retribution.

The next second, Amberser’s soul appeared inside the Temple where he had previously summoned the Undead Army.

Before setting out, Amberser had buried his Life Casket there. As soon as he was reborn, he immediately donned his Mithril mechanical body.

Though his soul was a bit weakened, Amberser’s combat power was now even stronger than before.

Skeletons? Mithril is the real deal!

After changing bodies, Amberser flew straight out of the dilapidated Temple, finding Withered Rose commanding the battle from the skies.

"Is it done?" Withered Rose asked.

Amberser nodded, "I followed Shael’s instructions and stabbed the Drow Matriarch, but I’m not clear on the outcome. However, it seems like Shael must have teamed up with the Evil Dragon Goddess, for she lent me a hand as I launched the sneak attack."

At the last moment, it was Goddess Tiamat who removed a Dragon Scale from Tristan’s back, allowing Amberser’s strike to successfully pierce her heart.

It seemed like Shael and Goddess Tiamat had joined forces, ready to deceive Rose and Rowetta.

What use was that dagger? How would Tristan’s death affect the other Goddesses?

Amberser was curious, but he didn’t dare return to the spire.

A single strike from the Rose Spider Queen was enough to annihilate him, and although he had two lives left, Amberser couldn’t be sure that the Rose Spider Queen would not hold a grudge.

After hearing Amberser’s account, Withered Rose laughed and said, "The Rose Spider Queen launching a deadly attack against you must have violated the rules set by Aeo, so she is sure to face severe punishment. Shael probably had you take action for this very reason—the dagger might not afford any real advantage, but by driving Rose mad, she opens an opportunity for herself."

Amberser pulled out a crystal and said smilingly, "Want to know what’s going on? Just watch this."

"Observational Scrying Crystal? You left one of those behind?" Withered Rose said in surprise.

"The Goddesses are too busy tearing each other apart to notice," Amberser boasted as he activated the Scrying Crystal, viewing the scene atop the spire.

Withered Rose’s speculations were spot on; right after the Rose Spider Queen screamed at Amberser, Goddess Tiamat and Shael just watched her with smiles on their faces.

As soon as Amberser disappeared, a bolt of Thunder struck, harshly hitting the Rose Spider Queen’s projection.

A piercing shriek transcending the auditory threshold emanated from the Rose Spider Queen’s mouth as her apparition crashed heavily onto the ground.

"Hahaha, it worked!"

Shael let out a sinister laugh, lunging towards the downed Rose Spider Queen. All the scheming had led to this moment.

Aeo’s punishment had severely injured the Rose Spider Queen’s true form, casting her from the Divine Realm down to the Mortal Realm.

Now this graceful Drow Elf lying here was indeed the true form of the Rose Spider Queen; by devouring her, Shael was on the brink of seizing her power!

Just as Shael was about to make her move, a blood-red whip flew out, coiling around the Rose Spider Queen.

It was Goddess Lovieta—despite not anticipating that Shael would ally with Goddess Tiamat, she wasn’t to be underestimated either, having her own contingency in place. It was just that she hadn’t expected the other two Goddesses to be so hasty, attempting to strike during the blessing. Goddess Lovieta’s plan was to assassinate Tristan with her Spider-transformed Drow after the blessing, seizing the powers of the remaining Goddesses.

With the Rose Spider Queen being ambushed, Goddess Lovieta naturally didn’t want to wait any longer and made her move to snatch the power for herself.

However, before the crimson whip could recoil, Goddess Tiamat was already in her face. The formerly stunning visage split open to reveal five ferocious Dragon Heads—three snapping at Goddess Lovieta, the other two biting towards the Rose Spider Queen.

Goddess Lovieta had no choice but to release the Rose Spider Queen, using the crimson whip to bind those three Dragon Heads to prevent herself from becoming dragon fodder.

But Goddess Tiamat, too, failed to devour the Rose Spider Queen, because Shael intervened.

What had been an alliance with Goddess Tiamat before now became uncertain.

Dark Divine Power spread, engulfing all the Goddesses, temporarily blocking out all their senses.

As the dark mist cleared, the Rose Spider Queen already lay in Shael’s grasp, her body torn open.

Shael’s hand had reached inside the Rose Spider Queen, gripping her heart.

The true form of the Rose Spider Queen was that of a fallen Elf, now punished by Aeo and as vulnerable as a mortal. Once her heart was removed, she would be close to death.

Just as Shael was about to succeed, a crisp sound rang out.

Crack, it was the sound of a crystal shattering.

A bizarre melody arose, like a heavy hammer, brutally striking the heads of the three Goddesses.

The music was neither shrill nor unpleasant; it was simply unbearable, as if one had spun around hundreds of times before being pushed off a cliff.

Feeling nauseated, dizzy, on the verge of vomiting.

This was Amberser’s Sound Storing Crystal left in the hall, filled with a special tune given to him by the Poet, capable of blocking the will of Deities.

Before striking, Amberser had tied the crystal to the hall’s rafters, also leaving behind a small Skeleton crafted from a mouse bone and another Observational Scrying Crystal.

The job of the little Skeleton was simple: upon Amberser’s command, cut the rope and let the crystal fall.

Through the Scrying Crystal, Amberser faintly saw the Goddesses’ melee and commanded the little Skeleton to sever the rope at the critical moment.

Affected by this melody, the thought projections of the three Goddesses began to rapidly dissipate.

While the Rose Spider Queen laid tragically on the ground, her heart still beating slowly.

Amberser stowed away the Scrying Crystal and said to Withered Rose, "Now, it’s time to reap the rewards."