MMORPG: Rebirth of the Shadow Mage

185 Fighting a Lich (3)

The Lich, with his unparalleled mastery over mana, was an almost invincible opponent. However, whenever he cast a spell, a momentary disturbance in his mana gave the players a precious opportunity to strike. This peculiar vulnerability of the Lich was uncommon for a creature with such extraordinary control over mana, but it was likely included in the game design to give players a fighting chance against this formidable foe.

“Found it...”

A small smile crept up Leo’s face as he blocked the red chains with ‘Shadow Protection’ and instantly launched a spell towards the Lich, while his mana was going rampant.

Leo’s face lit up with a small smile as he swiftly raised his hand, casting ‘Shadow Protection’ to block the incoming red chains. Without missing a beat, he seized the opportunity presented by the Lich’s momentarily disrupted mana and unleashed a Shadow Blast towards its chest, making it stumble backwards.

‘Shado-...’

Leo wanted to order his Shadow soldiers to attack, but noticed that all of them were already dead. It seemed that he was the only one left to fight the Lich.

Rattle...

Leo’s senses heightened as a feeling of dread gripped him, causing him to instinctively dive to the right. With lightning-fast reflexes, he narrowly avoided the deadly red projectile that had just sailed past him, detonating the ground with a deafening explosion. Leo cursed under his breath, his annoyance mounting as he realized that the Lich seemed to have a sense of his location.

He retreated a good distance away from the Lich and the undead seemed to have no idea where Leo had gone. It seemed that its senses could only pick up Leo’s location if he was nearby.

.....

Swish...

Leo continued to dart around, unleashing Shadow Blasts at the Lich and creating Shadows with his shadow energy to throw the undead mage off his trail. The Lich’s frustration grew as Leo evaded his attacks, and the undead mage began to shoot spells in random directions, causing chaos outside the Shadow Dome.

Meanwhile, other players who had been watching the fight from a distance started to retreat, wary of the deadly crimson projectiles that the Lich was firing. Ava remained in her observation spot, unable to see the fight but sensing the vibrations through the ground.

Suddenly, a massive explosion of mana erupted from the Lich, sending a shockwave through the Shadow Dome. Leo quickly cast Shadow Protection to shield himself from the blast. Although the shockwave was not as powerful as Basilisk’s Magma Shockwave, it was still dangerous and could have seriously injured him had he not been prepared.

Despite the Lich’s mastery over mana, there were certain limitations to his abilities. For instance, while the undead mage could use a variety of spells, his lack of specialization in any particular type of magic made him less effective than a mage who had focused their training on a specific type of magic. Additionally, the Lich’s power was limited by his level, and he could only unleash around 65% of a spell’s true power depending on his level.

There were rumors of other undead creatures in the world of Fragmental who could replicate spells perfectly without any drawbacks, but such stories were often dismissed as myths.

Leo was beginning to really worry about the fight. The lich’s health was not even close to being low and his Shadow Realm could only last for another dozen minutes. He knew that he couldn’t afford to let the Lich out of the Shadow Dome, as the consequences could be catastrophic.

The Lich’s mastery of necromancy was one of the most powerful aspects of its powers. Leo remembered watching a clip of a Lich who stumbled upon a battlefield where two powerful guilds were fighting. The Lich was able to turn the corpses of the fallen players into an army of over 50,000 Undead, causing chaos and destruction until the game developers had to temporarily close the game servers to kill the creature.

This Lich was known as the Supreme Lich and was one of the most powerful undead ever recorded on camera, serving as a symbol of the potential danger posed by the Lichs.

Leo took a deep breath, pushing aside the thought of the Supreme Lich and focusing on the task at hand. He needed to defeat this Lich, or at the very least, keep it contained within the Shadow Dome until help arrived.

Leo’s mind raced as he considered his options. He could continue to evade the Lich’s attacks, but he knew that the undead mage would eventually catch on to his tricks. He could try to overpower the Lich with brute force, but he knew that the Lich’s mana shield was too strong for that.

“What to do...”

Leo quickly analyzed the situation, considering every possible strategy he could use against the Lich. He knew that he needed to act fast, as time was running out, and the Shadow Dome would collapse soon.

As he pondered, he noticed that the Lich was focusing most of its attacks on Leo’s current location, even though he was no longer there. That’s when a plan started to form in his mind.

He realized that the Lich’s mastery over mana also made it a predictable opponent. The undead mage was relying too much on its spells and lacked physical combat skills. Leo knew that he needed to exploit this weakness to his advantage.

Leo took a deep breath and extended his bone blades from his elbows. He knew that it was a risky move, as the Lich’s spells could easily slice through his body before he could reach him, but he also knew that he needed to take a chance.

Leo darted towards the Lich, dodging its spells and closing the distance between them. The Lich, caught off guard by Leo’s sudden change in tactics, attempted to cast a spell, but Leo was already upon it.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Leo slashed his bone blades at the Lich, landing a direct hit on its mana shield. The shield crackled and flickered, but held strong, blocking Leo’s attack.

It was to be expected, but Leo still felt kind of desperate, if he wasn’t able to kill the Lich within the upcoming minutes, this wave will be the last one.

As the Shadow Soldiers hid within his shadow, he dashed forward towards the Lich. The Lich noticed Leo’s movement and turned around, raising its bony hand to cast a spell. However, Leo was too fast for the Lich to react and he leaped forward, landing on the ground in front of the Lich.

Leo immediately attacked with his blades, but the Lich blocked the attack with ease using its skeletal arm. The Lich then counterattacked with a blast of dark magic, which Leo barely managed to dodge.

He realized that he needed to take out the Lich quickly before it could cast any more spells. He decided to use his Shadow Soldiers to his advantage.

With a quick mental command, the Shadow Soldiers emerged from his shadow and attacked the Lich from all sides. The Lich was caught off guard and tried to defend itself, but it was overwhelmed by the combined attacks of the Shadow Soldiers.

Whoosh...

As the Mana Shockwave hit the Shadow Soldiers, they were blasted away from the Lich’s body, dissipating into the air. The Lich let out an inaudible laugh as it turned its attention back to Leo.

Unfortunately for the Lich, Leo was already long gone from his last position.

Leo quickly circled around the Lich, keeping a safe distance while analyzing its movements. He noticed that the Lich seemed to be weaker on its left side, likely due to the earlier attacks from the Shadow Soldiers.

Leo quickly formulated a plan in his mind. He summoned a Lightning Bolt and directed it towards the Lich’s left side, hoping to destabilize it further. As the Lich stumbled, Leo dashed towards its back, avoiding its flailing attacks.

With his blade, Leo jumped onto the Lich’s back and aimed his blades at its skull. He channeled his Demonic Flames into the blades, creating a bright aura around it. With a swift strike, he pierced the skull, causing a bright explosion.

Boom...

As Leo tumbled away from the Lich, he could feel the force of the shockwave battering his body. He gritted his teeth, determined to somehow endure. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he came to a stop, rolling to a halt in the dirt and dust.

For a moment, he lay there, gasping for breath, his body aching and battered. But then he forced himself to push up onto his hands and knees, his eyes scanning the battlefield for any sign of the Lich.

To his relief, he saw that the undead sorcerer was some distance away, lying on the floor, his body turning into light particles. But Leo knew he couldn’t afford to let his guard down. He scrambled to his feet, wincing as his bruised and battered body protested the movement.

“Is he really, really dead?”

++++

AN: I’m going on a one month hiatus; Gonna plan out the story, spice up the story and review the opinion of the readers. I’ll see you on the April 1st

P.S: ManEatingTurtle, I saw your comment.... And this will not be harem. None of my books will ever be harem.