This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 430 - 402 Arthur Goes to War

Chapter 430: Chapter 402 Arthur Goes to War

When that figure enveloped in Holy Light descended from the heavens, everyone was stunned.

This was, without a doubt, the force of the Holy Light, but what did that Lich just say? A Paladin under the command of a Lich?

The joke couldn’t be less funny.

And as this glittering Paladin landed, countless hailstones emerged from the darkened sky, rapidly crashing into the sea.

The power of the ice magic solidified the waves atop the sea, turning them into a vast expanse of thick floating ice, which became the firm ground upon which the Paladin stepped.

Cyril Rolan tried hard to get a good look at this person’s face.

The Holy Light wasn’t fake, but how could someone serving a Lich still possess the power of the Holy Light? How outrageous must the vows of this Paladin be that they could even work for the Undead without breaking their oath?

Unfortunately, all Cyril Rolan could see was a nearly fully sealed, heavy helmet.

This Paladin was encased in silver-white Heavy Armor, and if Cyril wasn’t mistaken, this was a suit of extremely expensive Mithril armor.

Mithril was light but significantly more durable than steel, and it boasted great Magic Resistance. It was always the best material for forging high-end magical armor. And now, in the whole world, only Amberser could trade with Tiflin in the Land of Chaos, having them help craft such a high-level set of Mithril Heavy Armor.

What Cyril Rolan didn’t know was that the primary purpose of this suit of armor wasn’t to enhance defense, but to perfectly conceal the mechanical body beneath it.

Essentially, this shining Paladin was not human but a Magipuppet Automaton that could be controlled by the Heroic Spirit of Arthur Laine.

Amberser placed the Eternal Hourglass, which was inhabited by Arthur Laine, at the center of this Magipuppet Automaton. Then, using a Divine Artifact of the God of Alchemy, he transformed the mechanical body of the Automaton into the same type of material as the Hourglass, effectively turning the whole Magipuppet Automaton into the same attribute as the Eternal Hourglass.

This sounded like it might lead to mass production of Divine Artifacts, but in reality, such assembly would not strengthen the power of the Artifact; on the contrary, it would diminish it.

An Artifact in itself is a perfect whole. Adding various materials to it like gilding the lily would only severely weaken its original effects.

But this didn’t matter, because the Eternal Hourglass needed the Time Dragon to be used, and even as a Heroic Spirit bound to an Artifact, Arthur Laine could not harness the Power of Time from this Artifact.

Therefore, Amberser’s modifications had only one target: to give Arthur Laine a brand new body.

Being mechanical wasn’t as flexible as a human body, but it was better than the purely spiritual form of a Heroic Spirit, at least it wouldn’t be immediately recognized by others.

Another important reason Arthur agreed to help was because Amberser said that if Arthur didn’t take action, all those Paladins would die. This wasn’t a threat; it was a mere fact.

Amberser had already decided to create a big scene to establish his dominance. When the crucial moment came, he would not hesitate to bring out Gareth, his trump card.

If that wasn’t enough, there were still Aige and the Withered Rose—half of the members of the Elegy Poetry Society were willing to help.

The combined power of these Undead would easily obliterate this army.

So, what Amberser meant was, if he took action himself, he wouldn’t be able to control his strength and would have to strike with full force, killing the opposition. But if Arthur Laine could persuade these Laine People to retreat, Amberser would let them live in consideration of Arthur’s intercession.

Arthur Laine had no choice but to intervene.

Even though he had never considered himself the Founding Emperor of Laine, he couldn’t stand by and watch these Laine People make a meaningless sacrifice.

As Arthur looked towards the Glorious General Cyril Rolan, he saw the long sword in his hand and felt a surge of emotion, not expecting that the sword he once wore had also become a Divine Artifact.

Arthur also grasped the Magic-breaking Longsword prepared for him by Amberser and said to Cyril Rolan, "Leave now, and no one will get hurt. Otherwise, I will be forced to cross swords with you."

Cyril Rolan looked at Arthur quizzically, unaware that the man before him was the Saint King of Laine whom he had idolized since childhood. He currently just wanted to remove this man’s helmet and see who this traitor really was.

"Which deity do you worship?" asked Cyril Rolan, his voice deep.

Not only the Lord of the Dawn had Paladins devoted to him, but many Deities could bless mortals, turning them into their own Paladins. Like the God of Justice, Tyr, whose Paladins were quite similar to those of the Lord of the Dawn, with only some subtle differences.

Just as Talos could grant marine blessings, to the Deities, Holy Light was not an absolute attribute of energy.

Zariel had once conducted an operation where he granted the power of Holy Light to his subordinates, allowing them to disguise themselves as Paladins of the God of Justice, Tyr, to sow discord in the Mortal Realm.

So, even if this person was covered in Holy Light, it didn’t represent his true allegiance.

Therefore, Cyril Rolan had to ask.

And Arthur Laine’s answer was unequivocal, he said to Cyril Rolan, "I worship the Lord of the Dawn."

"Impostor!" Cyril Rolan grinded his teeth in anger, "How could a Paladin who worships the Lord of the Dawn possibly conspire with a Lich?"

Arthur chuckled, "Why not? The Lord of the Dawn merely teaches us to distance ourselves from evil, to oppose evil, but that evil does not specifically refer to the undead. Although this Master Ultraman is a Lich, as he claims, everything he does is just, all in the salvation of the world. What evidence do you have to brand him as evil?"

Unable to answer this question, Cyril Rolan decided not to waste any more time arguing.

The Lich was well-prepared, even producing a fake Paladin, there was no chance he would give him any opportunity to retort.

Though exceedingly cunning, the Lich had spoken one true thing: the Holy Light would bear witness to their right and wrong.

Counterfeits would always be counterfeits, never able to become the real thing.

Cyril Rolan raised Blood of Rosanda, pointing the blade at Arthur, and said calmly, "Now, shed your disguise, and I can grant you a painless death. If you continue to insult my faith, then I will have no choice but to destroy your soul with the Holy Light!"

Arthur looked at his own sword and sighed, "Very well, let the Holy Light bear witness! Please, make the first move!"

As a senior of more than a thousand years, Arthur always felt that those before him were just children. The Paladins of old were nothing like this unreasonable, resembling spoiled brats screaming ’I won’t listen, I won’t listen.’

As their senior, he would just have to educate them.

However, Cyril did not feel any excitement from this belittling speech; such childish provocation was utterly useless.

Since he wished to be struck first, he would accommodate him.

Layers of golden light shone on Blood of Rosanda, forming a light barrier that swept over Arthur.

Undead sensory blocking barrier, this was the most powerful effect of Blood of Rosanda, the nemesis of all undead.

Even though he did not know what this counterfeit Paladin was, it likely was another trick of the Lich, and this move would undoubtedly be effective.

Which was why Cyril was surprised when Arthur, engulfed in the light barrier, showed no reaction whatsoever.

Heroic Spirits, although also a kind of soul, resembled more the spiritual form of those ascended to the Divine Realm, not the undead seeking life in vain. No effect of the barrier on Heroic Spirits, it was natural for Arthur to remain unaffected.

Catching the brief surprise on Cyril’s face, Arthur made his move.

His body transformed into a column of light and in an instant appeared before Cyril Rolan, his Magic-breaking Longsword already thrusting at Cyril’s shoulder.

Cyril was startled, this trickster was not easy to handle, and he quickly waved the Blood of Rosanda in an attempt to block.

Before the blades touched, Arthur had already switched moves, the longsword tracing an arc before once again aiming at Cyril’s wrist—a gap in the armor; if the blade pierced through, Cyril’s right arm would be rendered useless.

What shocked Cyril even more was how familiar the impostor’s moves were, almost identical to the sword techniques long passed down in Laine. That was the swordsmanship inherited from the Holy King, designed specifically for humanoid opponents, a compulsory lesson every Laine person learned from childhood, regardless of the profession they grew up into, capable of wielding a few moves with a sword.

Despite some minor differences, there was no doubt this was Laine swordsmanship.

The more Cyril fought, the more puzzled he became. This strength, this swordsmanship... could he really be a Laine?

But when had Laine ever produced such a Legendary Holy Warrior? He couldn’t possibly be unaware of it.

What amazed Cyril even more was that he was being outmatched in Laine swordsmanship.

Arthur had guarded the Eternal Hourglass for over a thousand years, never neglecting his martial skills. On the contrary, throughout those monotonous millennia, he pondered and refined his swordsmanship, fearing the day the seal might break and he would face the armies of the Dragon Worship Sect.

A naturally gifted prodigy, who had engaged in immersive study for over a thousand years— Arthur’s swordsmanship had transcended the mundane.

Cyril lasted only about ten seconds before losing his rhythm, his body retreating on the icy surface, swaying as though about to fall.

If his footing slipped, the opponent’s longsword would exploit the breach, piercing through the gap between the helmet and the chest armor. At that point, he might have to rely on his Magic Equipment to endure it, completely falling into a disadvantage.

This scene was carefully recorded by Black Tide above and was still being broadcast live around the world.

All viewers were taken aback by Arthur’s strength—a Paladin who worked with a Lich was suppressing the Glorious General? Holy Light, have you shed your rays upon the wrong person?

Just as Cyril was about to be driven to the edge of the ice by Arthur, the Glorious General finally abandoned the "just" fighting technique.

He couldn’t compete in swordsmanship with this charlatan any longer!

The shattered golden light around him transformed into dozens of small Holy Light swords, shooting towards Arthur.