This Lich Requests More Remuneration
Chapter 584 - 520: Journey to Hell

Chapter 584: Chapter 520: Journey to Hell

Clang, clang...

Repeated sounds of sword clashes echoed, leaving traces of fierce battles all over the beach of Dragon Tomb Island.

Wherever the purple flames swept, the sand and stones turned to ash, while the places splashed with Hellfire burned eternally, unquenchable even by seawater.

Gareth stood his ground, counteracting Melina’s relentless assaults.

This unequal battle had lasted for half an hour, but Gareth hadn’t moved his legs even half a step; instead, it was Melina who charged again and again, ending up with her body bruised and battered.

The body of a Death Knight, although resilient, couldn’t withstand Melina’s reckless charges. Fortunately, Withered Rose was there. Her specialty was creating undead bodies. Initially, she could restore Amberser’s full body with just a flick of her finger, even though only his head remained. Creating Melina’s body and repairing it wasn’t difficult for her.

It was tough for Gareth, however, as he had to control his strength as much as possible to avoid accidentally killing his little niece.

Melina’s strength was indeed formidable, and Gareth wasn’t always able to manage his power correctly, every mishap earning him a fierce glare from Pale Bone.

If this continued, he might end up sleeping alone on the beach.

Gareth, out of options, threw away the longsword he was holding and extended his palm to block Melina’s charge.

Melina hesitated and asked, puzzled, "Mr. Gareth, what happened? Did I pass?"

Gareth shook his finger and then said, "Not that easy, but continuing to charge blindly like this is pointless. Your strength isn’t weak, but your combat skills are too chaotic."

"Chaotic?" Melina didn’t understand Gareth’s point and just stood there, bewildered.

"Your combat skills are all instinctual. I think Rose, when creating your body, intentionally let the ’muscle memory’ in the raw material remain, which is the traditional way of Orc combat. But Orcs have the ability to go Berserk, which makes this self-destructive mode of attack effective to provoke Blood Rage, but for you, it’s just pure side-effects..."

With just a few words, Gareth pinpointed Melina’s issues.

"Undead have their own ways of combat; imitating an Orc will only hinder your abilities, watch this."

Gareth hooked his toes around the longsword, flipping it up, then grabbed it in his hand.

He swung the sword through the air, the trajectory seeming very skeletal, but Melina instantly recognized it as the Sword Skill she had just used.

It looked similar, but Melina noticed Gareth’s swing was faster. This was a difference visible to the naked eye.

Melina asked in surprise, "Why? Your strength seems about the same as mine."

"The body of an Undead is very special; we don’t rely solely on muscles and fascias. Feel your own arm. Do you think you look like a human? Even your bone structure is different! The force driving our bodies is Dark Magic Power, your muscles and bones provide just a part of the power, but more often, they actually limit your power. You need to fully master your body and master the Combat Skill that befits the Undead."

While Gareth might not be smart in other aspects, when it came to combat, he was without a doubt the best teacher.

Under Gareth’s guidance, Melina even cut open her own arm skin to carefully observe the internal changes during each exertion of force.

Although Undead did not feel pain, such training was horrifying nonetheless.

Like a body ready for dissection, Melina’s limbs were dismantled and reassembled over and over, Gareth even had Withered Rose reconstruct her on-site.

After tormenting her the entire night, Melina finally underwent a literal transformation.

When she once again picked up her longsword and launched an attack on Gareth, the latter could no longer multitask by giving pointers while fighting. The Headless Knight had to fully concentrate on the battle.

Since Melina had deployed her Anti-Magic Barrier, the Dark Magic Power in Gareth’s body was affected, which narrowed the gap in absolute power between them, eliminating Gareth’s overwhelming advantage.

Then, it all came down to skill.

The close combat of the Undead was unimaginably twisted. Gareth’s arms could become as flexible as whips, and the angles at which his long knife chopped were incredible. Every time the blade was whipped out, it could snap back in a reverse cut like cracking a whip, fast enough to break the sound barrier.

Under such attacks, Melina could only learn by following, learning how to turn every part of her body into a weapon.

Undead ignore pain, mostly having no vital parts, so they should fight unreservedly.

It looked like two dough figures shaking violently in combat, many moves could no longer be called techniques, they were beyond imagination.

This time, Melina lasted a full twenty minutes, but in the end, it was Gareth, even more flexible, who sent her flying.

With wounds all over her body, Melina once again experienced the sensation of flesh being torn.

But that was okay; it was just the pain of being slowly cut. Struggling to rise, Melina was about to launch another attack, but the unscathed Gareth stretched out a finger and shook it.

"That’s enough for today. What you need to do now is rest, forget the specific movements, but carefully remember the feeling during the battle. In a real strong fighter’s battle, you won’t have time to think, so trust your instincts, cultivate your instincts – that’s how you become stronger," Gareth completed his guidance.

After finishing, Gareth put away his long knife and hurriedly returned to Pale Bone to explain with a difficult expression, "You see, I’m seriously teaching her. Melina is a child with great talent; I must be cruel to teach. It’s not that I’m intentionally hurting her..."

Melina hadn’t expected that the Gareth who had seemed as powerful as a Deity just moments ago would suddenly turn into a henpecked son-in-law.

However, Melina wasn’t interested in such adult affairs; she quickly asked Withered Rose to help repair her body, and then started to meticulously recall the experience of the recent battle.

This brutal training continued for nearly half a month until the beach of Dragon Tomb Island was littered with Melina’s flesh and blood. Gareth finally nodded to Withered Rose and said, "That should be sufficient. As long as she stays vigilant, sending a message to Hell shouldn’t be much of an issue."

Melina wiped the blood from her face, excitedly looking towards Withered Rose.

"Mother, it’s as we agreed."

Withered Rose sighed and said reluctantly, "Alright, you rest for a bit. Once your wounds are healed, you can head to Hell."

"Excellent!"

Melina’s face lit up with a smile, finally able to embark on her journey to find her father in Hell.

With a sigh, Withered Rose carefully repaired Melina’s damaged body. Thankfully, Pale Bone also generously provided various precious materials, even bringing out a pile of Dragon Bones to reinforce her body.

The Dragon Race’s bones were the best materials. This was one of the reasons Melina had become stronger in such a short time, not because Gareth was scared of his wife and deliberately making it easy for her.

Once Melina’s wounds healed, at Withered Rose’s urging, she suited up in her full gear.

The Magical Armor, newly forged by the top craftsmen of Impure Chant, the Divine Artifact Longsword blessed by Zariel, and an assortment of various Magic Scrolls were all equipped for Melina.

After ensuring all preparations were complete, Withered Rose watched as Melina summoned the Gates of Hell, then she charged into the fiercely blazing door.

Withered Rose clenched her fists and whispered softly, "Melina, you must come back safely, and you must find your father."