Cassius raised his hands skyward, his voice echoing across the dangerous battlefield.
[ Divine Move - Sr Cataclysm ]
Golden runes ignited around him, spinning into a vortex of blinding light as the spell drew on divine energy, the only force that could obliterate the embodiment of darkness and decay that the Lich was.
Meanwhile, the Lich, sensing that his life was in danger, extended its skeletal hands and reinforced his already present protective veil with yet another protective spell as a purple barrier soon formed around him.
[ Soul Shield ]
The barrier shimmered with a ghastly glow, a stark contrast to the purity of Cassius''s spell. It was a desperate, ethereal fortress, woven from the souls that the Lich had devoured.
As the Sr Cataclysm descended, a sunburst of radiant heat and piercing light collided with the Lich''s barrier.
The sh sent shockwaves through the ground, instantly causing first degree burns to Rocky''s skin as he could not withstand the power of the spell in such close proximity.
"Hold strong boy- cover your face" Ravan instructed Rocky. Asking him to duck his face behind his armor ted hand, so that he could withstand the heat for a while longer.
*Sizzle*
*Sizzle*
*Sizzle*
The heat was so intense, that the metal armor that Rocky wore turned into a red hot metal on the outside, as internally Rocky felt as if he was being cooked alive by being dipped into boiling hot water.
The degree of pain he felt was absolutely insane, however, he desperately powered through.
At first, the Lich''s barrier held strong, pulsating with every hit as it absorbed the Sr Cataclysm.
However, soon, the relentless onught of divine power began to crack the purple shield, veins of light fracturing its surface.
With one final, ear-shattering roar, the barrier shattered into shadowy wisps. The unleashed energy surging forward and engulfing the Lich.
"That''s it! DIE YOU UNDEAD BITCH" Cassius screamed in fury, as the upper half of the undead creature vaporized under the intense heat, leaving only its lower half and a cloud of ash floating in the wake of the spell''s path.
Cassius stood firm, watching as the remnants of his foe scattered in the wind, his spell seemingly having imed victory over the dark entity.
"It''s over-" Cassius said, raising his hand towards the sky victoriously, as he genuinely believed that the job was fully done.
However, little did Cassius know that the Lich''s undead heart was not in his body but in the staff that he carried alongside him instead, as the moment his upper half incinerated, the staff began glowing with dark mana as the Lich''s body began to regenerate.
"What? Impossible-" Cassius said, as he staggered backwards in shock and lost his footing.
This second divine attack had taken every ounce of his strength to be unleashed and he had managed to destroy over 60% of his enemy''s body with it.
If even after such a terrifying attack, he failed to kill his opponent, then Cassius had no idea how to kill him at all!
"Run ....we must run….. this Lich can''t be killed" Cassius said as he staggered back to his feet and began to run like a coward away from the body of the regenerating Lich.
Although it reflected on him extremely badly as a lesser god, Cassius decided to prioritize saving his life over fighting for Earth, as unlike earthlings he had no moral obligation towards saving them.
Sr Cataclysm was his strongest move! But if the Lich could not be killed even with Sr Cataclysm, then Cassius did not believe that he had any other attack in his arsenal that could kill him and hence he believed that running away was the only option left for him.
***********
( Meanwhile Earthlings )
Across the globe, screens flickered with the brutal conflict between Cassius and the Lich, capturing every detail in real time.
When Cassius unleashed the Sr Cataclysm and the upper half of the Lich disintegrated, deafening cheers erupted from viewers.
Homes, public shelters, and safe houses filled with the triumphant roars of countless spectators who believed they were witnessing the end of a nightmare.
"Finally! It''s over!"
"He did it! He really did it!"
"I knew hiring outside help was the right decision! Only a god can kill another god! Nobody else could have done this job but God Cassius-"
Throughout the broadcast, rarely did themoners ever have the chance to truly cheer for something as the monster wave this time had not been kind to Earth''s climbers.
With the death of the Lich, it finally seemed as if the tide of battle was on the verge of turning, however, before people could even process the joy of the Lich''s death properly, its staff began to glow and its body started to regenerate.
The atmosphere shifted palpably. What was a collective celebration turned into a scene of disbelief and horror as within a couple of seconds, the cheers died down to a pin-drop silence.
"No way... It can''t be!"
The joy morphed into confusion and dread. People clutched at each other, their faces pale, eyes wide with fear. Whispers of disbelief circted as the crowd struggled toprehend the Lich''s resurgence.
"It''s not possible... How can it still be alive?"
"This is bad, really bad, we''re all going to die, the Lich can''t be killed-"
Themoners panicked, just like Cassius, they couldn''t believe that the Lich did not die after receiving such a terrifying attack either.
The dread set in deeper as Cassius, their hired help, chose to flee. Disappointment and fear swept through the crowds as they watched their mercenary god retreat, the harsh reality dawning on them that without his help, they would truly be helpless.
"What do we do now? How can anyone else stop it if he couldn''t?"
Desperation and a sense of helplessness washed over the global audience as they grappled with the grim prospect of an unstoppable enemy.
—---------
/// A/N - This is a bonus chapter for hitting the PS target, good job everyone! ///