Imperial Crown.

Chapter 431 The Pale Lord
Chapter 433: The Pale Lord

A lich is a magician, or more precisely a necromancer, who transforms himself into an undead creature in order to prolong his life.

Just like Zeswe now.

After taking off the black robe, he revealed a skinny body like a zombie, with dry hair on his head like rotten cotton, and the empty eye sockets were rippling with green soul fire.

The skin and flesh on many parts of the body have fallen off, revealing the jagged white bones. Weakness and powerlessness are the first impressions it leaves on people.

However, as the bone staff was inserted into the ground, the gray death energy surged up along the staff, and all this changed.

On the shriveled body, the breath of death condensed layer by layer and turned into substance.

The color is as clear as bones, yet has a metallic texture; the lines are clear and simple, with pine branch-like textures.

It was a suit of armor, a suit of bone armor.

There are two rows of fangs on the top of the boots, sharp bone spurs can be seen at the knees of the leg armor, skulls are coiled around the waist, and the white bones in the middle of the chest form a hideous and roaring zombie face.

Finally, a crown condensed on Zethwe's head.

It was a pale mountain-shaped crown. In the hole in the center where the gem should have been inlaid, there was endless deathly energy swirling and rippling in it!
Boom——

Thunder exploded in the sky, swirling clouds swept and condensed, and the wind howled, as if the goddess of nature was crying for the appearance of such an evil creation.

“Ahhh!!!!”

The zombies and skeletons suddenly became more powerful under the influence of the black energy, their speed and strength were greatly enhanced, and the sudden outburst caused the Eagle Army, which was originally advancing, to be delayed for a moment!

The Pale Lord is a special form of Lich, which can be said to be a transformation from a wizard into a true warrior who leads the army in battle.

Bones are his crown, death is his cloak, and the undead army that is marching violently at this moment is his weapon!

In the tide of immortality, Thor goes against the current.

His whole body was wrapped in silvery steel fighting spirit, his square face showed an unyielding firmness. As he swung his sword, both the zombies and skeletons were shattered one after another, and nothing could stop him!

After witnessing Zethwe's transformation, Thor had no time to feel fear. He now had only one thought - to kill this monster and win the war!

His feet kept stomping on the ground rhythmically, and the iron fighting spirit seeped into the ground along his feet, pushing Thor faster and faster, leaving a trail of iron footprints behind him.

More fighting spirit gathered in front of him. Thor held the sword in front of his chest with both hands. The ordinary long sword became thicker and heavier, like a sharpened log on a battering ram during a siege, or like a huge awl!

Only at such a speed could the heavy steel cone be pushed; and the heavy steel cone crushed everything in its way at an increasingly unstoppable speed, making a low and terrifying whimper. Even a first-level black warrior was unable to stop the steel cone at all!
"Tsk, you have some skills."

Zeswei spoke calmly, pulled out a bone staff from the ground, held the top of the staff with both hands and gently twisted it, and a blade engraved with intricate runes appeared.

The blade hidden in the staff was light and thin, reflecting Zeswei's expressionless, corpse-like face. After it was unsheathed, a thick, tangible death energy flowed out.

The earth was black and rotten, and the birds in the sky fell, turning into undead bones before they hit the ground.

Zeswei straightened his back, with the blade slanting at his feet, and then walked forward leisurely.

Just as it was about to collide with Thor's huge steel spike, Zethwei raised the sword in his staff and stabbed forward.

At this moment, countless ghosts screamed and wailed behind Zeswei, rising like a raging fire, and were sucked into the rapier in the staff, turning the originally green blade into an abyss-like black!
嚓

The sword blade in the staff collided with the steel cone and pierced into the tip of the steel cone. Then the surging death energy burst out with a roar, tearing cracks on the steel cone and restoring it to silver-colored steel fighting spirit.

"Ahhhh!!!"

Thor roared and moved forward, urging his fighting spirit, but he could not stop the rapier in the staff from penetrating deeper and deeper, destroying the steel spike formed by his fighting spirit, then passing through between his hands, piercing into his lower abdomen, and piercing out.

The deathly aura spread along the wound, and Thor's originally red and bloody face suddenly turned deathly gray!
At this moment, Thor felt that half of his body was dying. He could clearly feel the vitality being squeezed out from between his skin muscles, and replaced by a breath of death.

In just a few seconds, the flesh around the wound began to become inflamed, festered, and rotten, and his internal organs burst into uncontrollable pain, as if someone had grabbed his gallbladder and smashed it against a stone!
His body slowly fell, and Thor used the last of his strength to keep himself sitting on the ground instead of collapsing completely.

"Haha, you are indeed different, Thor, as you are still alive after being hit by my Netherworld Staff Sword." Zeswei laughed and glanced at the battlefield, a little surprised.

The Pale Lord form does not enhance the Necromancer's own magic power. On the contrary, it is a form specially created for war.

In addition to improving the combat capability of the body itself, the greatest benefit of this form is its own "Undead Uplifting Aura", which can increase the strength and agility of undead creatures, especially low-level undead creatures, by about 20%.

But even so, the Eagle Army on the opposite side did not collapse. In fact, after being caught off guard by the first wave, they quickly reorganized themselves and turned the offensive into an advancement state.

It’s just that at this moment, due to Thor’s life, no one dared to break through in a big way.

"Raven is really good at training soldiers. No wonder he was able to conquer the Principality of Eivor." Zethway praised him, and couldn't help but feel a little bit of admiration for his talent:

"However, attacking the Orc Empire is simply courting death. If you follow him into the Orc Empire, you will only face humiliation, defeat, and death."

As he said this, he looked at Thor and said, "However, I am a kind and wise lord and can give you another choice."

"Pledge your loyalty to me."

"I can allow you to retain your human form and the characteristics of life, and continue to lead this army - and you don't have to worry about death anymore. As long as you concentrate on working for me, your life will continue forever."

"And when Raven leads his army to leave Eagle City, I will lead you to fight back."

"You came to conquer me for wealth and power, didn't you? I can give you all of that!"

"At that time, you will be the master of Eagle City. You can take all the women in the territory and drive all the men around you."

"Even if you have a crush on a dead woman, such as Raven's dead wife, I can make her come back to the world and obey you."

"So...what's your choice?"

"Could you please stop buzzing like a fly?" Thor covered the wound on his waist that was oozing pus and blood, but his tone was extremely firm.

Although he was sitting on the ground and facing a desperate situation, Thor did not show any despair on his face. Instead, he had a strong disdain:

"Do you think that everyone is like you, willing to do nothing but be a human being in order to survive?"

"Yes, I like power and women, but I also know what is right and what is wrong!"

"Behind me are 2500 Eagle Army soldiers, 14 brothers who have entrusted their lives to me. Some of them like me, some don't, but since we are on the same battlefield, I will not sacrifice them for my own selfish desires!"

"The Dyson family will never betray Griffith!"

"Aren't you afraid of death?!" Zeswei couldn't understand such a childish reason.

Thor looked up and stared into Zethwe's eyes:

"Haven't you heard that?"

Zeswei said frivolously: "Oh? What?"

Thor said solemnly:

"Griffith, you'll die before you surrender!"

"Stubborn scum!" Zeswei raised his eyebrows:

"Then, go and die!"

The sword blade fell towards Thor's forehead.

……

Chapter 434: Cross-level Counterattack
The blade of the rapier in the staff flashed with cold light.

At this moment, Thor suddenly thought of the scene when he was training with his father a long time ago.

At that time, he had just become a transcendent, and was grateful that he and his father had awakened the same attributes of iron fighting spirit.

Having undergone rigorous training from his father since childhood, his skills far surpassed those of his peers, but that time he felt truly powerless.

The content of the practice was boring and monotonous. Eric drew his sword and Thor tried his best to block it. All counterattacks were forbidden. The training would not end until he could skillfully use the "mirror shield" under Eric's attack.

However, after half a day, Thor did not succeed once.

Under the scorching sun, the air was as dry as a desert, sweat poured down my face, and my throat was dry as smoke.

"No more!" Thor threw his shield to the ground angrily, took off his helmet, revealing his sweaty face.

Eric was not angry, but smiled and said, "Why, now that we are on the battlefield, you are going to tell your opponent that you don't want to fight?"

"This..." Thor was choked: "Can this be the same?"

"On the battlefield, I won't just be beaten without being able to fight back!"

Eric did not answer immediately, but took Thor to sit on the sidelines, and the two drank the iced beer brought by the maid. When the heat gradually subsided, Eric said, "The battlefield is never a fair place. You will always encounter enemies stronger than you."

"At that time, it's hard for the offense to make sense. Like today, if we all let go, do you think you would have a chance?"

Thor was silent.

Because he is level 1 and his father is level 3, the two are not on the same level at all.

Eric continued:

"Most strong people are strong on offense but weak on defense. You can't hurt them, but you can use their strength to attack themselves, and they will most likely be unstoppable."

"Mirror Shield is a fighting technique that uses a small amount of force to gain a big advantage by seizing the opponent's attack and counterattacking."

"This will also be your only means to fight fairly with the strong in an unfair battle."

Thor remained silent, drank the remaining wine in the cup, put on his helmet, grabbed his iron shield, and returned to the field again.

No miracle happened.

At least on that day, Thor was not able to successfully use the mirror shield.

After that, the father and son would start practicing like this whenever they had some free time.

When Thor actually successfully used the Mirror Shield to counterattack Eric, it was two years after he started practicing.

By that time, Thor had already mastered the "Mirror Shield" into an instinct, and he would not forget how to use it even in his dreams.

Eric's sword slashed Thor's chest, but the power was wrapped by the iron fighting spirit hidden in Thor's chest and pushed back, smashing the sword into pieces!

"Hahaha! That's it!" Eric was very pleased: "Always remember, it's not about how powerful a trump card is, but about being able to turn it over at any time and in any place!"

Thor was also immersed in the joy of his successful combat skills, and subconsciously asked:
"But what if the mirror shield is useless?"

At the time, Eric said nothing.

Now, Thor understood what his father meant at that time.

The blade of the rapier in Zeswei's staff was already close to his forehead.

If the mirror shield is useless, then you will just die!

The iron fighting spirit condensed between his eyebrows, coating his skin with a metallic color and causing a slight delay in the moment when the sword blade in the staff pierced into his body.

The momentary delay allowed Thor to swing his arms and grab the sword tightly!
Zethwe frowned. He saw the arc of light on Thor's forehead that was as smooth as a mirror and recognized this "Mirror Shield", a very common combat skill. Although he was a little surprised that it could be performed without a shield, a trace of disdain still appeared on the corner of his mouth:
"A mere first-level combat skill..."

At the tail of the sword, countless wronged souls were wailing and screaming, pouring the strong breath of the dead along the sword, dyeing the entire sword edge black, and were about to push it into Thor's brow!
To Zethwe, it was no different than piercing a piece of parchment.

However, in an area that he could not see, Thor had already woven his iron fighting spirit into a dense and tough spider web beneath the skin of his forehead and in the palms of his hands.

As the power in Zeswei's hands gushed out, the breath of death rushed into the spider web. The spider web was stretched to its limit, and the densely distributed iron fighting spirit cut and crushed it, and then suddenly contracted, feeding back all the absorbed power in the form of a gyroscope-like rotation!
At this moment, Zeswei was surprised to see that the center of Thor's eyebrows sank like a mattress, and then suddenly bounced up!

hum-

The vibration sounded, and the silver-colored steel fighting spirit bloomed like stardust, and a steel storm blew up around the sword blade!
The power exerted by Zeswei was fed back in a more violent form!
Under the vibration, cracks appeared on the blade of the sword in the staff covered with runes, and fine pieces of steel collapsed from it. The steel fighting spirit swept away and began to tear the sword body madly!
Zeswei was stunned for a moment.

If he was a seasoned warrior, he would have chosen to drop his sword and retreat at this moment.

However, although he created the Pale Lord form for himself, he had never experienced a true life-and-death battle in his long life, and his experience in this area was completely blank.

So this brief hesitation cost him a huge price!

The blade twisted like a pretzel, and then the force was transmitted to his body along his wrist.

The iron fighting spirit surged up and shook his body. The pale, majestic armor that seemed like that of a skeleton king was now covered with cracks like biscuits, and the breath of death began to leak out through the cracks!
The Pale Lord's form is crumbling.

"No, it's impossible—"

Zeswe screamed in panic and made his second mistake.

He mobilized the undead aura in his body, trying to fight against the iron fighting spirit that was sweeping around him. However, at this moment, the mirror shield that was fully exerted was like a hurricane that could only be allowed to subside naturally. Any intervention would only make it more violent!
boom.

Even Thor, the one who activated the Mirror Shield, was thrown out at this moment and fell to the ground with a thud.

At this moment, he ignored the pain and stood up in surprise, and saw a scene that he would never forget in his life.

Zeswei's body could no longer stand in the iron fighting spirit brought by the mirror shield. It twisted and spun, and the bone armor on his body shattered, and more undead aura flowed out. While fighting against the iron fighting spirit, it also became a part of the rotating force.

A gray-black whirlwind was blowing up, sucking in all the dirt on the ground, the zombies and bones around, then crushing and scattering them in the storm.

“Stop, stop, stop—!!!”

Zethwe's screams were drowned out by the storm, and a hail of bones, flesh, and mud fell from the sky.

When the hurricane gradually stopped, a huge hole like a meteorite crater appeared where Zeswei had originally stood!

"Cough cough—" Thor brushed off the dirt on his body and strode to the edge of the pit.

A skull was lying at the bottom of the pit, with half of a bone crown still remaining on its head.

It was Zeswe.

“Don’t come over here… don’t come over here!” Zeswei no longer had the calmness and elegance he had before. His jaw opened and closed, and his voice was filled with fear: “Come quickly, come quickly, stop him!!!”

However, no one responded to his request, either at the voice or soul level.

He could only watch Thor walk towards him step by step and pick up a broken spear from the ground.

Fear swirled in Zhethwe's soul.

He still has eternal life and cannot die here!

"Don't, don't kill me!" Zeswei screamed:

"I still have money, lots of money! It's all hidden in the mountains, and only I know where it is!"

"If you let me go, all this money will be yours, all yours!"

"The burial objects in hundreds of tombs are worth millions of gold coins. They are all yours!"

However, Zethwe saw in despair that Thor's steps did not hesitate at all, and his eyes did not waver at all.

Damn it, isn't this guy greedy for money! ?
"You don't want money, but you want credit, right?!" Zeswei said repeatedly:
"Give me to Raven. He's a magician and he knows my value! With me, he can create an endless supply of undead armies for him."

"Besides, he won't live long, right? I can help him transform into a lich and let him enjoy eternal life!"

Thor thrust his spear into his jaw and lifted his skull high.

Silver-colored fighting spirit condensed in Thor's hands.

"No, no, you can't kill me, you can't kill me!" Zeswei's tone has become pleading:
"I have lived for more than 200 years, more than 200 years, I don't want to die, I don't want to die——"

If he didn't value his life, how could he turn himself into this half-human, half-ghost appearance?
Click.

The fighting spirit flowed along the spear and poured into Zeswei's skull. The old bones suddenly exploded and shattered into pieces. The soul fire lingered in the air for several weeks and finally refused to dissipate.

"Huh..." Thor sat down in the pit, gasping for breath, blood spurting out from under his body.

It’s not that he is not tempted by Zeswe’s conditions, it’s just that he has reached his limit and the Undead Legion is still attacking.

If we let him live, there will be endless trouble.

puff.

Something fell to the ground.

Thor looked up and saw two things lying among the bone residue left by Zethwei.

A black pupa and a ring.

"This guy, hid something in his skull!?"

"No wonder there's no brain!"

……

(End of this chapter)