Khajiit's disbelieving, shrill voice echoed through the graveyard, his face twisting into an expression of pure terror.
In the distance.
Six fiery Archangels radiated blinding light, making them the only source of illumination in the graveyard.
An invisible pressure surged.
Khajiit's throat spasmed as beads of sweat appeared on his bare forehead.
If the scene unfolding before his eyes weren't real, he would've assumed it was just a nightmare. Someone had managed to summon six Flame Archangels all at once!
"Attack!" Lyle's voice rasped, cutting straight to the point without any unnecessary words.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The six Flame Archangels sprang into action, four of them engaging the four Skeleton Warriors, while the other two charged toward Khajiit, the summoner himself.
Seeing this, Khajiit's face turned pale with panic. He was roughly a hundred meters away from Lyle—a comfortable distance for a caster.
Moreover, the area was swarming with low-level undead, providing extra protection for Khajiit, a necromancer. But the Flame Archangels could fly.
The low-level undead that formed a barrier in the middle were practically useless against such foes. The bright figures, cloaked in an aura of divine power, bore down upon him.
"Damn it!"
Khajiit's first instinct was to recall the Skeleton Warriors, but he quickly realized they were already locked in battle with the other four Archangels.
Even if he wanted to summon more Skeleton Warriors, he could only do so once the current ones were either destroyed or dismissed. By then, it would be far too late.
Whoosh!
One of the Flame Archangels had already arrived, its blazing sword descending in a fiery arc.
"Skeleton Wall!"
Khajiit screamed.
Boom!
The ground rumbled as a wall made of skeletal arms appeared, shielding Khajiit from the incoming strike.
But there wasn't just one Archangel!
Whoosh!
Another Flame Archangel appeared from the side, launching a scorching attack.
"Shield Wall!" Khajiit stumbled back a step in panic, his Shadow Staff flashing in his hand.
An invisible barrier materialized, successfully blocking the blow.
"Negative Light Ray!"
Khajiit's eyes flashed with desperation as he let out an enraged shout. He realized that he had made a grave mistake earlier.
In his haste to take down Lyle quickly, he'd summoned every available Skeleton Warrior, fearing Lyle's hidden allies.
But now, aside from low-level undead, he had no substantial defense left.
Now, facing imminent death, Khajiit's mind cleared in an instant.
He realized that if Lyle could summon multiple fiery Archangels, then he could surely summon an equal number of Guardian Angels.
Perhaps Lyle had lured the undead away with these Angels, leaving only himself to confront Khajiit!
But he had subconsciously assumed that Lyle could only summon two Angels, never considering...
No!
What was happening now was beyond his expectations.
Boom!
A jet-black magical beam shot out, hitting the nearest Flame Archangel.
But unlike when it effortlessly repelled the Guardian Angels before, this attack only caused the Flame Archangel to pause for a brief moment.
Whoosh—
The Flame sword came crashing down from the front, ripping through Khajiit's blood-red mage robes. The magic-imbued defense on the robes lasted mere moments before being pierced by the flames, driving the sword deep into Khajiit's chest.
"Ah, cough…"
The intense pain forced a scream from Khajiit's mouth, and he immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood.
His vision blurred, filled with nothing but regret as he looked toward Lyle's direction. But his eyes could no longer focus, and his gaze fell instead on the "Orb of Death" he still clutched tightly in his right hand.
At that moment!
The Orb of Death began to glow with a deep, iron-like black light. A glint of determination flashed in Khajiit's eyes, and he coughed up more blood, his lips parting.
"Descent of terror, absorb everything within me…"
Whoosh!
Another Flame Archangel appeared from the side, its fiery sword slicing through the air, severing Khajiit's arm that held the Orb of Death.
"Ah!"
Khajiit shrieked once more.
Clang!
The Orb of Death fell to the ground, rolling down the steps of the ruined temple, its eerie black light slowly fading away.
Thud—
After severing Khajiit's arm, the fiery Archangel swung its blade again, sending a spray of blood into the air.
Khajiit's vision turned red, and in a fleeting moment, he thought he saw his decapitated body. All his bitterness, rage, and fading strength seemed to vanish into nothingness.
How could it end like this…
Revive…
Magic…
As his final thoughts dissipated—
Buzz—
"Experience gained: 3251"
[Experience bar: 3462/10000]
Lyle glanced at the attribute panel, then looked up at Khajiit's fallen form, the surrounding decaying corpses now lifeless.
He raised his hand and tapped the single-lensed mirror near his left eye.
"Guess I picked a troublesome opponent after all."
Lyle muttered softly, "Though, as much as I'm curious about what other tricks you might have, your ultimate move isn't going to see the light of day."
Despite being surrounded by two Flame Archangels, Khajiit had not only withstood two attacks but had even retaliated once. Such power, and yet, in Zurrernorn, he ranked at the very bottom?
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
The Skeleton Warriors, still locked in combat with the four Flame Archangels, crumbled the moment their caster was slain. They barely held on for a few moments before disintegrating.
The six Flame Archangels landed around Lyle.
"Well, the worst-case scenario didn't happen. I still have four more Flame Archangel scrolls."
"Who said that production classes don't have combat potential?"
To be honest, if I had been in Khajiit's position earlier, I probably would've been just as frantic.
This is what maxing out your gacha pulls gets you, huh?
After a grueling battle, the summoning scrolls really proved their worth.
Lyle's magic reserves were still full, and his physical stamina hadn't taken much of a hit either.
Which meant!
Even if something unexpected happened, Lyle could easily start another battle—or simply make a calm retreat.
No wonder Overlord's first reaction after descending into this otherworld was to check his inventory.
Finding all his items intact put him at ease. He quietly sighed, thinking that even if every guardian in the great tomb turned on him, he'd be able to safely make his exit.
Step!
Lyle moved towards Khajiit's corpse, quickly noticing the fallen Orb of Death.
It seemed to blend into the ruinous ground, appearing as nothing more than a black stone—just the "Orb of Death."
He didn't immediately pick it up, instead having one of the fiery Archangels retrieve it for him.
He knew all too well that this magical item had the potential to interfere with the consciousness of its holder, even influencing their actions.
Clack
The fiery Archangel gently flapped its wings, lifting the Orb of Death with both hands, hovering it before Lyle.
"Doesn't seem to affect summons," Lyle mused.
He carefully sensed the Archangel, realizing he could still control it with ease. There were no disruptions or hindrances in the process.
"Item Appraisal!"
A blue light surrounded the Orb of Death.
…
[Item: Magical Item – Special Craft – Orb of Death]
Level: Superior (30-40Lv)
Effect: Energy Slot (75/300)
——Passive Skills
Negative Energy Absorption: Absorbs negative attribute energy to restore the energy slot.
Negative Energy Corrosion: Prolonged contact causes negative energy erosion, converting to undead or death.
Natural Intelligence: Possesses independent consciousness.
Will Influence: Affects the holder's consciousness. Stronger effects on humans.
——Active Skills
Undead Creation – Low Tier Enhancement I: Summons an additional undead of the same tier.
Undead Summon – Low Tier Enhancement I: Summons an additional undead of the same tier.
Undead Control – Low Tier Enhancement I: Increases control over low-tier undead based on caster's strength.
Skeletal Dragon Summon: Consumes 100 energy.
…
"Yikes."
Lyle's eyes twitched as he processed the item's details.
This was a magic item clearly crafted specifically for necromancers, and its list of effects was nearly endless.
Even if the four passive abilities seemed mostly negative, the sheer power it granted was undeniable.