Lich for Hire

The fierce battle outside the royal palace lasted an entire day and night. By the time it ended, vast sections of ground had been pulverized. The once-grand plaza had collapsed into an enormous crater. Seawater from the inner bay began to spill inward, flooding the ruins.

What had begun as an evenly matched fight had finally reached its conclusion.

Aige's ghost ship sailed across the shallow waters that filled the crater, while Arthur Lyon stood immovable, bound to the seal he had sworn to protect.

Then came the ghost ship's earth-shattering strike. The impact sent seawater surging skyward, rising higher than even the palace walls themselves.

Ambrose had not merely stood by to watch. He had successfully convinced the Ragetide Kingdom to lend a hand. In the final clash, the Ragetide Legion unleashed a devastating storm of thunderous attacks.

Both sides joined forces and finally managed to shatter Arthur Lyon's heroic spirit.

Only after witnessing his power firsthand did Ambrose understand that the ancient epics had not been an exaggeration. A guardian who had stood watch for seventeen centuries, whether or not he had indeed founded the Lyon Empire, was worthy of every praise and paean he had received.

With the holy light exhausted, the seal collapsed entirely. What had once been a hairline crack expanded into a field of fractured spatial shards. When Aige thrust her hand inside, the remaining structure disintegrated completely.

She withdrew a glowing hourglass.