Chapter 145: Necromancer's Wrath
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System Notification:
[ Warning: Dorian Emberfall has been defeated. Threat level increased. ]
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Lilo, Boris, and Ezran froze in disbelief.
"He… he just killed Dorian," Ezran whispered.
Lilo gritted her teeth. "He just killed a level 75 mage like it was nothing?"
Sir Verek let out a roar of rage, charging at Malrik with renewed fury. "For Dorian! For the kingdom!"
Malrik met the charge with a wave of his staff, sending the knight flying as a powerful wave of energy swept across the surroundings.
He hit the ground hard causing his armor to get dented and bloodied, but he forced himself back to his feet.
The players realized how dire the situation had become now and all charged forward in a bid to chip away at Malrik's barrier.
"We need more firepower!" Lilo shouted while firing another explosive arrow at the barrier.
"We're giving it everything we've got!" Boris yelled while activating a powerful Berserker attack.
His axe slammed into the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked back a group of undead.
Ezran's hands shook as he summoned another spell. "This is impossible…"
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Meanwhile, in a different location...
The cool night air of Tagharium greeted August as he materialized in the middle of a secluded training ground.
The courtyard was lit by flickering lanterns, casting long shadows against the tall stone walls. It was a private space, tucked away from the prying eyes of other players and NPCs—a perfect place to test his newly acquired tier 2 assassin abilities.
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System Notification:
[ Congratulations! You have unlocked Tier 2 Assassin abilities. Your abilities have evolved, and your maximum energy pool has increased significantly. ]
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August opened his skill menu, scanning the list of his tier 2 abilities. Familiar skills now had entirely new descriptions. Their effects had amplified and transformed.
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[ Evolved Skills: ]
- Shadow Dance → Phantom Blitz:
Teleport rapidly between enemies, dealing devastating damage while leaving behind spectral decoys that distract foes.
- Stealth → Perfect Veil: Render yourself invisible and undetectable for a longer duration. Movement speed is increased while stealthed.
- Hidden Strike → Nightfang Execution: Deliver a critical strike from stealth with increased damage. Successful execution refunds energy.
- Dash → Voidstep: Instantly teleport a short distance, leaving behind a shadowy afterimage that can explode, dealing area damage.
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August couldn't help but grin as he closed the menu. "Alright, let's see what you've got."
There happened to be three training dummies in the courtyard.
He went ahead to tap an activation button on their foreheads and they emitted a glow.
Each one began to simulate moving enemies. They swayed and shuffled randomly, giving him a more dynamic challenge.
"Let's start small," he muttered before activating Perfect Veil.
[ Perfect Veil Has Been Activated ]
The air shimmered around him, and his form vanished completely. Unlike his previous stealth skill, there were no faint outlines or distortions to give him away. He moved silently with light steps as his speed increased dramatically. Continue reading on empire
The dummies continued their random movements, unaware of his presence. August grinned as he approached the closest one and activated Nightfang Execution.
From the shadows, his dagger glowed faintly with dark energy as he struck. The hit was swift, it looked like an afterimage as he delivered a critical blow that caused the dummy to shatter into pieces.
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System Notification:
[ Nightfang Execution successful! Energy refunded by 50%. ]
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"Smooth," he voiced while moving toward the next target.
This time, he activated Voidstep teleporting instantly behind the second dummy. The shadowy afterimage he left behind exploded, sending a wave of dark energy outward that damaged nearby targets.
"Not bad but would that affect even my teammates? Is there a way I could control the explosion or prevent it whenever I intend to?" August questioned no one in particular with a thoughtful gaze but he still needed to test the other abilities.
For the final dummy, he activated Phantom Blitz.
His body flickered and vanished, reappearing in rapid succession around the dummy as spectral decoys slashed at it from every angle.
The decoys moved chaotically, confusing the dummy's sensors before August delivered the final blow himself. The dummy collapsed into splinters, and the decoys faded into wisps of shadow.
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System Notification:
[ Phantom Blitz: All targets neutralized. Energy cost reduced by 20% for consecutive uses. ]
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August stood in the courtyard with his daggers in his grasp as he contemplated. The tier 2 abilities were leagues beyond his tier 1 skills—not just in power, but in how seamlessly they could be chained together.
"These aren't just upgrades," he said to himself as a grin spread across his face. "They're game-changers."
He turned toward the edge of the courtyard, where a lone crow perched on the wall, watching him with its beaded eyes. With a flick of his wrist, August activated Voidstep again, appearing at the wall in an instant. The crow squawked and took flight, startled by his sudden presence.
"Well," he sheathed his daggers with a smile. "Let's see who wants to mess with me now."
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The battlefield surrounding the ruined castle was chaos incarnate. The ground was littered with bodies—players, knights, and undead alike.
The crimson sky reflected the desperation of the fight, as Malrik, the level 85 sorcerer, continued to dominate with his overwhelming power. Players who had respawned repeatedly and lost levels were beginning to question if the battle was worth it.
Malrik raised his staff and the runes on his robes glowed brighter. His voice echoed across the battlefield, carrying a sinister tone.
"Rise, my servants! Serve me once more!"
Dark energy surged outward, spreading across the battlefield and enveloping every fallen body in its path. Dead knights, players, and even fragments of the undead army reassembled into grotesque abominations, fixing their glowing eyes on Malrik's enemies.
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System Notification:
[ Malrik has used Necromancer's Wrath. All fallen corpses have been revived as undead. ]
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"Are you kidding me?" Lilo shouted as she fired an explosive arrow at a cluster of undead. The explosion tore through the abominations, but more rose to take their place. "This guy just doesn't quit!"
Boris swung his axe, cutting down a reanimated knight. His strength was formidable, but even he was showing signs of fatigue. "We're getting nowhere! Every time we make progress, he pulls something like this!"