"It doesn't matter who I am," the Skeleton Mage replied in a cold and emotionless tone. He turned his head slowly towards Khajiit, his hollow eye sockets appearing so dark that they created an indescribable terrifying impression. "Now I give you two simple choices. The first is to obey my orders obediently without question, and the other is to resist futilely and ultimately be forced to obey. Choose one."
"Hmph!" Khajiit snorted coldly in response to the threat. He placed his hand into the folds of his wide sleeves, and when he pulled it out, a strange, additional bead seemed to shimmer in his palm. The Orb of Death looked like a crude bead made of dark material with a somber, black iron-like sheen, yet Khajiit knew very well that it possessed the power to unleash various types of powerful necromancy magic, absorb the surrounding negative energy to summon living creatures like terrifying Skeletal Dragons, and even use the third-tier magic [Create Undead] which could usually only be used on a single target to raise multiple undead at once.
"I don't care where you came from as an undead, but judging from your tattered robe, you must be just a low-ranking magic caster, right? You're really unlucky to have run into me!!" Khajiit sneered confidently. He relied heavily on the powerful effects of the Orb of Death to summon the Skeletal Dragon that was his trump card in battle. Undead monsters like Skeletal Dragons might not be too difficult for well-trained warriors to deal with, but they were a true nightmare for magic casters because they possessed the terrifying power to negate magic up to the sixth tier and below. As everyone in this new world knew, the highest tier of magic that ordinary humans could use was only the sixth tier. Even among the more powerful sub-human races and alien species, those who could reach the seventh rank were extremely rare. Except for his own mysterious organization leader, Khajiit had never heard of such a powerful undead race in any human country.
This wave will definitely stabilize. Victory is already in my hands, Khajiit thought with growing confidence.
The Skeleton Mage lowered his head without the slightest expression. Although he had no physical eyes, judging from his movements, it was clear that he was glancing at the Orb of Death held in Khajiit's hand. However, he didn't seem to care much about the displayed threat. He then turned his head slowly towards Clementine who was standing on the other side of the cave and asked in a flat tone, "This fool has chosen to experience a little suffering. What about you, little girl?"
Clementine stared at the undead in front of her with a serious and wary expression. Although she wasn't sure what Khajiit was thinking, her keen intuition as a former member of the Black Scripture and a warrior who had reached the hero realm warned her that the undead before them was no ordinary creature, but a very dangerous existence. The fact that the undead could approach her so easily without her noticing, even before he took the Crown of Wisdom, was clear evidence of his strength. In other words, if their opponent had chosen not to grab the item but attack directly, it was highly likely that both of them would have died without even having time to react.
As various thoughts spun rapidly in her mind, Clementine suddenly gave a charming smile, the kind of smile that usually managed to melt the hearts of many men. "You're such a bully," she said in a deliberately coquettish tone. "I'm a sweet girl. Even if you're just a cold and heartless undead, you can't just force me to surrender without a fight." When she said this, an ambiguous and slightly shy expression appeared on her beautiful face, and her body wrapped in the black robe, writhing restlessly, looked like an innocent and frightened little girl. However, deep within her alluring red eyes, a cold cruelty and wicked calculation were hidden. "How about this? I'll let little Khajiit represent me for now. If you can defeat or even kill him, then I promise to do whatever you say. How about it, agreed?"
Damn it! Khajiit cursed inwardly with a growl. Clementine herself was no ordinary person. Otherwise, she wouldn't have easily given up her noble identity as a member of the Black Scripture of the fanatical Church and chosen to betray it and join the notoriously cruel Zuranon. Don't be fooled by her delicate and innocent appearance now. Khajiit knew very well that beneath her loose black robe, Clementine hid a set of light armor adorned with a large number of terrifying adventurer identification plates.
Identification plates were extremely important items for an adventurer, and they would never lose them unless they faced extremely unusual circumstances, usually death. If those badges appeared in Clementine's hands, there was only one terrifying possibility: all the adventurers who lost their nameplates had been brutally murdered by this woman. After all, this woman was not just an ordinary killer. Before ending her victims' lives, she would cruelly torture them for her personal pleasure. Someone with a severe lack of moral character, that was the best way to describe the manipulative and sadistic Clementine.
However, the Skeleton Mage in front of him didn't seem to realize Clementine's true nature, or perhaps he simply didn't care. After hearing Clementine's cunning suggestion, he turned back and faced Khajiit, saying in a flat tone, "Good. This will save me some effort."
Fool! Khajiit couldn't help but sneer inwardly. If you easily trust that two-faced Clementine, you will definitely suffer later. That woman is fundamentally untrustworthy and easily changes her mind for her own benefit. But no matter, let Clementine act as a killer lurking in the darkness and deliver a fatal blow to the opponent when he is off guard or reveals his weaknesses.
"Don't expect to defeat me easily, you low-ranking undead! Watch out!" Khajiit exclaimed confidently, raising the Orb of Death in his hand high.
Acid Javelin! A highly corrosive acidic liquid suddenly appeared out of thin air right beside Khajiit, then quickly condensed into the shape of a sharp and deadly javelin. The javelin then shot out at high speed, attacking the Skeleton Mage who was standing not far away.
However, the Skeleton Mage just stood rooted to the spot, not moving in the slightest as if unaware of the approaching danger. A living being who could utter outrageous statements to the point of making two fairly strong individuals yield should not be a weakling unable to react quickly. Why didn't he try to defend himself? As the same question flashed through the minds of Khajiit and Clementine who were watching with great interest, they immediately saw the shocking answer.
When the deadly acid javelin was less than five centimeters away from the Skeleton Mage's body, it suddenly began to disintegrate and vanish as if blocked by an invisible layer of extremely powerful protection.
"This!?" Khajiit exclaimed in a shocked and disbelieving tone as he witnessed that impossible scene. That's right! I've summoned Skeletal Dragons several times for experiments and am very familiar with this ability. This is high-level magic negation!
"I see," Khajiit said in a tone that suddenly became calm, his facial expression shifting to wary and serious. "You have the ability to negate magic, so you dare to speak so arrogantly?" He stared at the Skeleton Mage across from him with narrowed eyes and said in a threatening tone, "It seems I have to use my real trump card, the full power of the Orb of Death!"
Buzz! The human mage raised the Orb of Death in his hand high, and a dark and menacing magical light radiated from it, forming a large, swirling magic circle in front of him. As the summoned creature began to slowly emerge from within the gloomily glowing magic circle, the entire underground space trembled slightly due to the released magical power.
A huge monster about three meters tall finally fully emerged from within the magic circle. Its terrifying body was made of countless human bones that were horribly intertwined. Its overall shape looked like a terrifying mythical beast with wide bone wings and four strong bony legs. It was a terrifying creature summoned through high-level undead magic - a fearsome Skeletal Dragon.
"How is it? Are you still confident you can fight me now, arrogant undead? I have a Skeletal Dragon that not only possesses extraordinary physical strength, but also has the innate ability to negate magic!" Khajiit exclaimed with a cold, triumphant smile, hiding safely behind the large body of his newly summoned Skeletal Dragon.
What annoyed him slightly was that the Skeleton Mage across from him didn't say anything in response to his threat. It was difficult to read any expression on his bony, fleshless face.
"Your undead body might be useful for withstanding some physical attacks, Skeletal Dragon! Attack him now!" Khajiit commanded in a confident tone. Knowing that his opponent also had the ability to negate magic and didn't seem to die easily, Khajiit decided that the Skeletal Dragon's negative energy breath might not be able to deal much damage. Therefore, he simply ordered the Skeletal Dragon to attack using its brutal physical strength.
The distance between the two sides of the cave wasn't very far. The Skeletal Dragon only took two thunderous steps forward to bring its opponent within range of its deadly attack. The dragon's huge claws made of human bones lifted high, and the next second they slammed down fiercely towards the skeleton mage's head, emitting a terrifying whistling sound of wind!
This time, the Skeleton Mage finally moved. He raised the jet-black staff he held in one hand.
Boom! A loud, dull sound echoed throughout the damp underground space. Khajiit raised the corners of his mouth into a satisfied grin and moved slightly from behind the Skeletal Dragon's body to check on his opponent's condition.
"You fool! If you are indeed a magic caster, you should avoid close combat with a powerful enemy. You won't be able to withstand a direct attack from a Skeletal Dragon even if you are undead. It looks like you are just an arrogant clown and..."
As his gaze moved to see the result of his attack, Khajiit saw the scene he wanted to see, but his mocking words suddenly stopped in his throat, freezing in shock.
The Skeleton Mage calmly and with no visible difficulty blocked the terrifying Skeletal Dragon's claw attack simply by holding his magic staff with one hand. Although the ground beneath his feet was slightly dented by the powerful impact, it was far from the destruction Khajiit had expected.
"What a boring attack," the Skeleton Mage said in a flat voice without showing any emotion. After noticing Khajiit's action of peeking from behind the Skeletal Dragon, he turned his head slowly towards him and said in a chillingly cold tone, "Let me show you the true power of magic, the real seventh-tier magic... [Dead Man's Claw]!"
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