Chapter 241: Lich

Famine’s tendrils faltered first. The moment the compressed domain locked in, their movement slowed unnaturally, as if the space itself was crushing down on them. War’s lightning flickered violently, its control slipping under the sudden pressure.

They had been caught off guard.

That single moment of hesitation was all Adam needed. His eyes sharpened, his body already moving as the domain fully stabilized. There was no pause, no wasted motion, no second thought.

He attacked.

A violent cyclone erupted from his position, formed from compressed wind and coated entirely in death affinity. It didn’t spread outward, it twisted tightly, spinning faster and faster within the confined space of the domain.

There was nowhere to escape.

The cyclone expanded just enough to consume everything within the domain’s boundary. Famine’s tendrils were shredded instantly, torn apart before they could retract. War’s projectiles collapsed mid-air, crushed and erased before reaching him.

Then it hit them directly.

The force was overwhelming. Every rotation of the cyclone carved deeper, stripping away their forms piece by piece. Their defenses broke down under the pressure, unable to adapt inside the compressed domain.

They were being erased.

Famine let out a distorted screech as its body unraveled, its mass shredded into fragments that dissolved into nothing. War’s lightning surged one last time, flaring wildly before collapsing as its form was torn apart just the same.

In seconds, it was over.

The battlefield fell silent as the cyclone slowed, then dissipated completely. The domain remained for a brief moment longer, its pressure easing as the last traces of resistance vanished.

Famine and War were gone.

And Adam stood alone at the center, his domain still active… but his essence dangerously low once again.

This time, there would be no easy recovery.

****

The battlefield fell silent as Adam stood at the center, his domain still faintly active. Famine and War were gone, their remains scattered across the cracked ground. His breathing was steady, but his essence was dangerously low.

Then something stirred.

A sudden pulse came from his storage ring, sharp enough to snap his focus away from the battlefield. Adam frowned slightly, his hand instinctively moving toward it. “What was that?” he muttered, eyes narrowing.

Before he could react further, the ring flashed.

A small object shot out at high speed, stopping mid-air before him. Adam’s eyes widened slightly as he recognized it instantly. The monster egg Julius Nova had given him, something he hadn’t touched since receiving it.

Now, it was moving on its own.

A thin crack formed across its surface.

Adam didn’t move. He simply watched, alert, every muscle ready to respond. The crack spread slowly at first, then faster, the sound of splitting echoing unnaturally across the rift like something alive was pushing through.

Then it burst open.

Dark, slick tentacles shot out from within, writhing violently before locking onto the remains of the fallen creatures. In one swift motion, they wrapped around the corpses of Famine, War, and the third beast, dragging them in.

There was no resistance.

The bodies vanished into the egg as if consumed by a void. The tentacles retracted immediately after, disappearing just as quickly as they had emerged. The crack sealed itself completely, leaving no trace behind.

Silence returned as the egg dropped.

Adam caught it without thinking, his grip firm as he stared at its now perfectly smooth surface. It was as if nothing had just happened.

His brow furrowed slightly.

That’s… new.

Before he could analyze further, the space behind him shifted. A faint distortion formed, and within seconds, an exit began to take shape. The rift’s saturation had dropped, just enough to create a way out.

Adam noticed immediately.

The opening stabilized, its edges flickering slightly.

“Where did you get that from?”

A voice suddenly came out of nowhere.

Adam reacted instantly. He jumped back, creating distance as his head snapped toward the source. His body tensed, instincts screaming as his eyes locked onto the figure that had appeared.

And for the first time since entering the rift he froze.

The space around the newcomer felt wrong. The air itself seemed to thicken, pressing down with an invisible force that made breathing harder.

Then the figure stepped forward.

A lich.

Its body was withered, almost skeletal, draped in a tattered green robe that looked like it had rotted centuries ago. Yet the color remained, dark, moss-like, unsettlingly alive despite its decay.

Its presence alone distorted the air.

A crushing psychic pressure radiated outward, pressing against Adam’s senses. It wasn’t just strength, it was control, refined and overwhelming. Every instinct in his body warned him.

This wasn’t something he could fight lightly.

Beside it, something even more grotesque shifted.

A massive skeletal bear stood anchored to the ground, its empty frame held together by threads of flickering necrotic energy. Each movement produced a hollow rattle, but the sound was drowned out by the aura of dread it carried.

Its claws dug into the ground.

Its empty eye sockets locked onto Adam.

Adam tightened his grip on the egg, his eyes sharpening despite the suffocating force bearing down on him. His essence was nearly drained. His domain fading. And now something far worse had arrived.

The pressure continued to build, pressing down on Adam from every direction. His instincts screamed danger, but his mind stayed sharp. As he studied the lich, a realization clicked into place, the source of the domain was the lich.

The oppressive field surrounding them wasn’t just residual energy. It was controlled and focused. Every inch of space bent subtly under its influence, confirming what Adam already suspected. This wasn’t just a powerful enemy, it was the one maintaining control over the entire area.

Adam’s gaze shifted briefly.

Behind him, the unstable exit flickered weakly, its edges distorting as if struggling to stay intact. He could feel it clearly, three minutes at most before it collapsed completely. That was his window.

A guaranteed escape.

But he didn’t move.

Even with his essence nearly depleted and his domain fading, the thought of retreat didn’t settle in his mind. Instead, his grip tightened slightly around the egg, his focus returning to the lich without hesitation.

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