This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 360 - 334 The Fallout of Old Friends

Chapter 360: Chapter 334 The Fallout of Old Friends

Allen didn’t know what came over him when he encountered critical intelligence; his first instinct was to inform the Lich.

This was a bit absurd, given that he was a Paladin after all.

However, Allen didn’t over-dramatize the situation, knowing that both he and Amberser shared the same goal: to prevent this unjust war.

So, he might as well tell the important information to the Lich.

But how to find the Lich?

When Allen had left before, Amberser hadn’t given him a Magic Mirror, and Allen had no idea where the Lich currently was.

After pondering for a moment, an unethical method popped into his mind, and he muttered to himself, "The Lich is a Diviner Mage who can foresee the future, so if I curse him now, will he sense it?"

"Wow, Allen, you’ve picked up some bad habits there. Can you still consider yourself a Paladin if you do this?"

The sudden voice that rang out beside him startled Allen so much that he activated his Legendary Grace without looking and blinked a hundred meters away, cutting a small tree in half which he had used as a target.

Only after creating some distance did Allen turn around to find Amberser, now in human form, with a face that had not changed in the slightest from their first encounter.

Allen said angrily, "You’ve been eavesdropping on me?!"

Amberser chuckled and replied, "I’m a Lich, after all. It’s quite normal for an evil creature to eavesdrop, isn’t it? But you, a Paladin, speaking ill behind someone’s back, don’t you feel ashamed?"

Allen experienced a strong sense of déjà vu; he had already fallen for this moral entrapment once before.

But now, Allen was no longer the naive young man he once was.

He said to Amberser, "You are a Lich, and I am a Paladin. It’s quite normal for me to curse you, don’t you think?"

To his surprise, Amberser responded, "Not seeing you for a few days, and you’ve become smarter. Truly worthy of being the prodigy chosen by the Lord of the Dawn; your intelligence is catching up at an impressive rate."

Allen felt that even the praise was laced with mockery; the Lich was just too despicable.

"It seems I don’t need to tell you the intelligence after all; how long have you been stealthily following me?" asked Allen.

Amberser shook his head and said, "Not long. I’ve just arrived, just in time to hear you planning to curse me."

Amberser had indeed just arrived; he was there specifically to look for Allen.

Not caring whether Amberser was telling the truth or not, Allen shared the intelligence he knew.

"Do you know that a Tiflin has come to Flow Flame City? It looks like someone from the Impure Chant wants to negotiate with Laine. It’s just unclear if they’re representing the entire kingdom or just certain factions."

Amberser listened and appeared unsurprised, speculating, "Some of those impure ones probably want to surrender. It’s not important, though, because Laine won’t accept a surrender. I guess the Ironblood General will pretend to agree then turn around and use this to incite infighting among the Tiflin, making it easier to take over the nation."

"You... you’ve figured that out already?"

Allen suddenly felt very strange. The Lich had just heard him mention the Tiflin sending envoys to Flow Flame City and had so quickly come to this conclusion?

It seemed obvious when considered, and Allen thought he could figure it out with some time, but the Lich’s mind worked too fast, in less than a second. He realized that when he was conned out of Five Thousand Gold Coins, it wasn’t that the other party had come prepared; perhaps the Lich had crafted the plan to dupe him in the moment he saw him.

This Lich was truly dangerous.

The look in Allen’s eyes became more vigilant as he gazed at Amberser, even if their goals aligned now, he feared that if a day came when they had to cross swords, he might be tricked to death by the Lich before having the chance to fight honorably.

Suddenly, Amberser asked, "By the way, Allen, have you found quite a few companions already?"

Allen nodded and said, "Thanks to the blessings of the Lord of the Dawn, there really are quite a number of people who cannot accept the current Laine. Although not many, they, like me, wish to change the Empire."

After hearing this, Amberser responded calmly, "Then you need to be ready. Today, we’re going to lose most of your companions."

Allen showed a shocked expression, disregarding how terrifying the Lich was, and once again blinked to Amberser’s side, asking eagerly, "What do you mean? They’re going to die? What’s going on?"

Patting Allen on the shoulder, Amberser explained, "Why the agitation? The task you’re embarking on is bound to cost lives; it’s normal for people to die. I saw a prophecy that your companions will soon be caught up with by the Ironblood General. Based on the timing, it should be right about now."

As soon as Amberser finished speaking, a thick beam of Holy Light shone in the distance, reaching into the sky.

"Here it comes, your companions have been caught up to," Amberser stated.

Allen could no longer afford to question Amberser, he could only rush towards the site of the Holy Light’s explosion as quickly as he could.

Blink after blink, his figure vanished from Amberser’s perception at great speed.

Yet Amberser walked over leisurely because fate had already written Allen’s script. No matter how he chased, the outcome would remain the same in the end, only one of his companions would live.

"Ah, even the favor of the Lord of the Dawn cannot block the malice of the Goddess of Fate, Allen, if you can’t hold on, then Laine has no hope."

After Amberser finished his remark, he employed an Illusion Technique and followed.

At the site of the Holy Light’s burst, most of Allen’s companions had fallen, leaving only two still standing.

Rachel Angelo, leading millions of strong Paladins, had Lorencos and Frodo completely surrounded.

Rachel Angelo wore an expression so dark and terrible that Lorencos had never seen him so enraged, not even on the battlefield facing those evil creatures.

Rachel Angelo approached Lorencos, disregarding his long sword and stepped closer to him.

The sword’s edge neared Rachel Angelo’s chest, but the Ironblood General did not dodge or avoid it; instead, he met the blade with his chest, allowing Lorencos’s long sword to cut through his clothes and pierce his skin.

Blood flowed down, staining Rachel Angelo’s chest red.

Yet, he did not flinch, only gazing at Lorencos and saying, "You have drawn your sword against me, Lorencos! I never imagined that you would betray me one day! Why?! I need an explanation!"

A wry smile appeared on Lorencos’s aged face before he replied, "Rachel, do you know that the Empire is stepping into the abyss?"

"Stop talking nonsense. I’m asking you, why betray me!"

Enraged, Rachel Angelo tore open the clothes on his own chest, revealing a fresh sword wound among numerous crisscrossing scars. He pointed to a scar on his shoulder and said, "Here, this is where I took a blow meant for you. That bear Goblin could have split us in half, armor and all. Several comrades had already fallen to that bear Goblin before me, and it was I who blocked that deadly strike for you!

"And here, on my neck, that year we encountered an Orc slaver patrol! It was just the two of us facing thirty Orcs! This cut on my neck, I got it saving you, or you would have been dead long ago!

"And here, and here... All these scars were left when we fought side by side! Lorencos, you have countless scars too, and have saved me numerous times; we can no longer tell who took more deadly hits for whom! Was there anything we couldn’t share, how could you betray me, how could you!"

Rachel Angelo’s eyes reddened with fury as he roared at Lorencos, seemingly falling into madness.

Lorencos showed a reminiscent expression, but it quickly faded to calm.

"Rachel, you ask why... Do you remember the first time we went after Heretics? To keep our actions secret, you killed that child, that child who was sucking his thumb, not even as tall as my knee."

Furious, Rachel Angelo retorted, "They were Heretics! His parents were Heretics, he grew up speaking the language of Demons!"

But Lorencos said evenly, "No, not for that reason, because we were inexperienced at the time. We were meant to infiltrate the Temple of the Heretics and take out the Demon directly; then perhaps the villagers could have been saved. We failed, we were discovered, and you feared the child would call out, so you beheaded him before he could speak.

"Then it was the child’s parents and his sister... We were executioners, we used vows of vengeance, vows of conquest, to cover everything, to deceive our own conscience."

Rachel Angelo replied nonchalantly, "But we saved the other villagers, many, certainly more than we killed."

Lorencos sighed, "Rachel, you always do this, justifying your crimes with grand excuses. You ask why I betrayed you, but it wasn’t I who betrayed you; we both betrayed the Lord of the Dawn. Rachel, I am going to fall into Hell, and so are you."

With gritted teeth, Rachel Angelo grabbed the blade of Lorencos’s sword.

The blade could not cut through his palm because a thick Holy Light enveloped his hand. Rachel Angelo deformed the long sword with his grip and demanded, "Lorencos, you might think you’re the enlightened one, but my Holy Light is stronger than yours! Now, cease resisting and come back with me, I can act as if nothing happened. No one will know of your betrayal, and both you and your son will live."

Frodo, shivering to the side, never expected the notoriously fierce Ironblood General to let them go. He looked at his father with hopeful eyes, wishing he would surrender.

At least they could stay alive; as for whether they would fall into Hell, that could only be changed if alive; death now would mean certain damnation.

But Lorencos shook his head and said, "Rachel, my friend, grant me one final fair duel."

"Idiot! Lorencos, you were never my match, you’re asking for death!"

Rachel Angelo cursed but still drew his own long sword.

Powerful Holy Light wrapped around Rachel Angelo, forming a dazzling suit of silver-white armor.

Six wings of light unfolded behind him as Rachel Angelo floated in midair.

Rachel Angelo angrily called out to his old friend, "Lorencos, come and meet your death!"