Chapter 132

Chapter 132
## Chapter 132: The Lich Parhel

I couldn’t hide my disbelief. I truly hadn’t anticipated they would be capable of bringing it down.

“How on earth did you manage that? Was that bone dragon suffering from a calcium deficiency or something?”

Jeong Oh-hoon shot back immediately.

― What kind of nonsense is that? I genuinely thought we were dead meat!

I hadn’t given Han Sang-ah and Jeong Oh-hoon very high odds of overcoming that skeletal drake. In all honesty, it was far from a weak opponent.

I had personally relied on a bit of a shortcut by phasing inside its ribcage to pulverize the nucleus.

That wasn’t a tactic they could replicate. Regardless, that wasn’t the priority.

“Don’t destroy that fallen idol quite yet.”

The conflict we were engaged in wasn’t a simple matter of smashing every target that appeared to gain the upper hand.

We needed to prolong the engagement as much as possible, extracting every bit of utility from the situation.

The moment we finished off the final fallen idols, we would synchronize that with the destruction of several teleportation interference devices at once. That would allow us to flood Ramin’s position with a massive wave of reinforcements and initiate a decisive turnaround.

― Understood. I’m leaving it untouched for the time being.

The idols secured by Han Sang-ah and Jeong Oh-hoon served as our safety net—to be used when the tide of monsters pressing against Ramin’s lines became too overwhelming.

Each time one was shattered, the buffed monsters would revert to their standard power levels. We had to squeeze that advantage for all it was worth.

“The fact that you two can take down a bone dragon is excellent news.”

While issuing directives to Ramin, I listened to the breakdown of how they had dismantled the skeletal beast.

“So it’s essentially a railgun configuration.”

Han Sang-ah would imbue Jeong Oh-hoon’s firearm with high-voltage lightning. Simultaneously, he would act as bait, desperately keeping the dragon’s focus on himself.

Once the energy was fully peaked, she would hurl the weapon to him, and he would discharge his bayonet spear using the propulsion.

A collaborative strike combining Han Sang-ah’s electrical output and Jeong Oh-hoon’s trademark bayonet launch.

They had cycled through that maneuver several times to secure the kill.

― It was absolute misery. I was certain we were finished. How can a pile of bones be that sturdy?

It’s the remains of a dragon. It would be more shocking if it weren’t resilient.

― Do you think we could harvest some of these ribs? Sell them for a profit?

“Sure, you’d make a killing. Just don’t let the greed slow you down.”

If you carry too much, it’ll become a liability. Regardless, Jeong Oh-hoon and Han Sang-ah had confronted a bone dragon guarding a fallen idol, just as I had.

This suggested that the remaining idols were likely protected by similar skeletal sentinels.

“Since you’ve beaten it once…”

…you’ve got a blueprint for victory in the next rounds. They had already refined their method.

There was no reason for us to converge then. I could continue navigating the tunnels alone, neutralizing jammers and securing idols, while they functioned as a pair doing the same.

― Oh, aren’t you going to feel neglected?

Jeong Oh-hoon teased after hearing the arrangement. I clicked my tongue and retorted.

“Why, is your pulse racing being all alone with Han Sang-ah?”

His answer was immediate and resolute.

― Trust me, being stuck with her makes my head throb, not my heart.

Even with Han Sang-ah standing right there, he didn’t hesitate to vent.

― Do you require an aspirin?

Jeong Oh-hoon went silent the moment she spoke up.

“Hey, stop the chatter and get back to the mission.”

We didn’t have the luxury for this. We could relax after we neutralized this Erosion Core—plenty of time to mess around then.

“It looks like we’re due for a troop injection right about now.”

I analyzed the glowing holographic map and addressed Ramin.

“Deploying more units to your sector.”

― The progress is sluggish. We’re barely holding the line. You need to pick up the pace.

I was intentionally metering the reinforcements. From the perspective of a commander on the ground, he likely detested my strategy—pushing his soldiers to the absolute brink of exhaustion without letting the front collapse.

“My apologies. Just hold out a little while longer.”

I didn’t need to explain the nuances of our plan to Ramin. I just told him we were doing everything we could and asked for his continued endurance.

What choice did he have anyway? It wasn’t as if he had a secondary plan. And it wasn’t like we were taking it easy.

At that very moment, I was sprinting through subterranean darkness so fast my legs were a blur, crushing anything that stood in my way. We weren’t out here having a picnic with snacks on a blanket.

We were overwhelmed. Even in the heat of combat, I had to keep an eye on that cursed holographic display, dealing with clicking dragon skeletons and all manner of revolting undead and insects.

“And we’re far from the finish line.”

I circled back to the hub, demolished a teleportation jammer, bolstered Ramin’s perimeter, and paused to think.

The mechanics of this Erosion Core reminded me of a classic line from a cartoon antagonist.

*Don’t assume this is the conclusion.*

“Ah, get lost.”

A gargantuan centipede crept up and snapped at me. I snatched its front mandibles, ripped them off, and drove them into its own skull. It twisted violently, curled into a ball, and expired.

The cycle persisted. Slaying beasts, wrecking equipment, and barely keeping Ramin’s army functional with surgical reinforcements.

Destroying the fallen idols.

“Up to 23 already?”

We had cleared 23 teleportation interference devices in this labyrinth. That translated to roughly 230,000 soldiers I could potentially funnel to Ramin.

“That’s an excessive number.”

Far too high. But this Erosion Core wasn’t going to make things easy for us.

The fact that I could deploy nearly a quarter-million troops meant something monstrous was looming—something that even a force of that size might struggle to crush.

“Because…”

This miserable world had never done me any favors. Luck wasn’t exactly my forte.

― Located the final idol. I’m going to need your presence for this one, Chan-seok. The vibe here is completely different from the others.

I moved toward Jeong Oh-hoon’s coordinates and responded while running.

“Tag the location, back off, and get ready to trigger the teleportation arrays. When I give the word, blow them all.”

This was the concluding fallen idol. Once it broke, Ramin could go on the offensive.

This phase would conclude, and the next horror would begin.

Approaching the area Jeong Oh-hoon had indicated, I came to a sudden halt.

“Wow, this is a foul one.”

I tightened my grip on my spear. The aura here was leagues beyond the bone dragons that had guarded the previous sites.

The finale, then. I moved forward cautiously. In a cavernous room that had been leveled flat, there stood a large table surrounded by four seats.

A tattered, grimy teddy bear was slumped in one chair. Sitting across from it was a young girl draped in a dark robe.

“Oh, we have company!”

“Dammit.”

An undead. And not just any undead, but a Lich. Not some cheap skeleton in a burlap sack, either.

The genuine article. Completely intact. She had the appearance of a young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes—virtually indistinguishable from a human at first glance.

And that perfect facade was the ultimate testament to her power as a high-tier undead.

“Greetings.”

She stood up, wearing a smile, and glided to the side of the table. The hem of her oversized robe trailed heavily against the stone.

Wherever it touched, a crimson slime resembling wet clay oozed out, forming a pool behind her. Muffled shrieks vibrated from the bloody sludge.

Shapes resembling palms, eyes, and mouths bubbled to the surface of the swampy mess before being dragged back down.

“I can’t say the feeling is mutual.”

She let out a peal of laughter at my remark, her gaze locked onto me. Her blue pupils shone like polished glass, yet they were clouded, like relics covered in dust.

Her eyes were vacant, but her grin was wide.

“My playthings. You’ve smashed every single one. What am I supposed to amuse myself with now?”

“Not my problem. Go outside. Get some sunlight, try making a friend.”

A black, tar-like substance began to leak from beneath her garments. The concentrated spite radiating from her made my skin crawl.

“In your language, I’m what you call a shut-in. I don’t care for traveling.”

She laughed—a high, chilling sound—and thousands of overlapping voices screamed from within her robe in perfect unison.

A normal person would have dropped dead from the sheer psychic weight of that laugh. Even professional hunters would have been paralyzed with fear.

“Hm? You’re unaffected, I see.”

Instead of engaging in small talk, I sparked the flames on my spear and channeled mana into the crown gripped in my left hand. Paradox Flame erupted at the spearhead, while a sanctified light designed to wither the undead radiated from the crown.

“I’m fine. You’re the one about to have a bad day.”

“My, you have a sense of humor too? That fire is a bit glaring—would you mind extinguishing it?”

Caught in the crown’s radiance, the Lich winced, narrowing her eyes as if the light were physically painful. She tried to act as if it were a minor annoyance.

“You’re posturing.”

But I saw through it. She was faking. The crown was definitely eating away at her power.

“You’re observant. Well, then.”

The Lich offered a shallow bow.

“It is a pleasure. I am Parhel, High Priestess of Vallea and the Governor of Gonsalok. My associates refer to me as Purgatory. I appreciate the visit…”

Before she could finish her introduction, I launched myself off the ground, aiming a thrust directly at her throat. She went silent instantly. A mass of red gore erupted from her robe, manifesting as a shield to intercept me.

It was a sickening cluster of calcified bone, twitching eyes, teeth, and flailing limbs. A soft voice drifted from behind the nightmare barrier.

“I was in the middle of introducing myself. Do you have no sense of etiquette?”

“The only respect I show for a corpse is a bouquet for the grave and a drink poured on the dirt.”

Maybe I’ll buy you a round when you’re back in the ground. The wall of flesh dissolved with a wet sound, splitting apart to reveal her.

Parhel was now reclined on a hovering obsidian throne, legs crossed, peering down at me.

“Under normal circumstances, I would simply end you and bind your spirit inside me… but my banshee companion—who has sadly been extinguished—informed me about the nature of your soul.”

How unfortunate for her. If she had attempted it, she would have suffered the same fate as the banshee back in Jaun Valley.

“My reputation is traveling that fast?”

“Quite rare, she claimed. Even the Emperor of Gonsalok, who granted me my title, couldn’t wrap his head around it.”

Parhel looked down with a condescending air, waving her hand dismissively.

“I wonder if your physical shell is as remarkable as that soul.”

A thick red liquid began to seep from her throne. The floor, the walls, and the ceiling all transformed into a pulsating landscape of raw, bloody tissue.

It felt less like a cave and more like the internal organs of a living titan.

“If survival was your goal, you shouldn’t have stepped inside. You’re in my stomach now. Consumed.”

Is that so? I drove my Paradox Flame spear hard into the floor. Obsidian fire immediately began to incinerate the surrounding red biomass.

“Trying to swallow everything is a good way to get a stomach ache.”

Get ready for a nasty case of food poisoning, you rotted sorceress.