Khajiit's shrill, incredulous cry echoed through the cemetery, his face twisting with terror.
In the distance, the radiant glow of six Archangel Flames illuminated the graveyard like a solitary beacon.
An invisible pressure bore down.
Khajiit's throat bobbed, sweat beading on his bald forehead.
If the reality before him weren't undeniable, he'd swear it was a dream, someone summoning six Archangel Flames at once!
"Attack!" Adam's raspy voice cut through, wasting no words.
Swish! Swish!
The six Archangel Flames surged. Four engaged the Skeleton Warriors, while two streaked toward Khajiit, the caster.
Seeing this, panic flashed across Khajiit's face. The hundred-meter distance between him and Adam was safe for a caster, bolstered by the horde of low-tier undead, a necromancer's insurance.
But Archangel Flames could fly.
The undead swarm offered no resistance. The glowing figures, brimming with loathsome holy aura, closed in.
"Damn it!" Khajiit's first instinct was to recall the Skeleton Warriors, but they were entangled by four archangels. Summoning new ones required dismissing the current ones or their destruction, there was no time.
Swish!
A Archangel Flame loomed, its searing sword slashing down.
"Skeleton Wall!" Khajiit shrieked.
Boom!
The ground quaked as a wall of skeletal arms erupted, blocking the strike.
But he faced two foes.
Swish!
The second archangel flanked him, its blazing attack descending.
"Shield Wall!" Khajiit stumbled back, his Shadow Staff flashing. An invisible barrier deflected the blow.
"Negative Ray!"
Despair tinged his furious roar. He knew his earlier choice, to commit all his Skeleton Warriors to crush Adam swiftly, fearing a hidden ally, had been a mistake.
Now, save for low-tier undead, he lacked sufficient defenses.
Facing death, Khajiit's mind sharpened.
If Adam could summon multiple Archangel Flames, could he do the same with Guardian Angels? Luring away the area's undead with them?
From the start, Adam had been alone.
Khajiit had assumed only two angels were possible, overlooking…
No, this was beyond prediction.
Boom!
A jet-black mana beam struck the nearest Archangel Flame, but unlike the Guardian Angel it repelled earlier, it only paused the archangel's advance.
Pfft,
A flaming sword pierced from the front. Khajiit's blood-red robe rippled with defensive magic, but it faltered quickly.
The blade punched through, embedding in his chest.
"Argh, cough…" Khajiit screamed, blood spewing from his mouth.
Unwillingness filled his eyes as he glared toward Adam, vision blurring. His gaze fell to the Orb of Death clutched in his right hand.
The orb pulsed with deep, iron-black light. A ruthless glint flashed in Khajiit's eyes as he rasped through blood, "Terror of the fallen, absorb all my-"
Swish!
The second Archangel Flame struck from the side, its sword severing Khajiit's arm holding the orb.
"Agh!" He wailed.
Clang!
The Orb of Death hit the ground, rolling down the temple steps, its black glow fading.
Thud.
The archangel's backhand slash sent blood spraying.
Khajiit's vision turned crimson. He glimpsed his headless body, all his rage and reluctance dissolving like his fading strength.
So unwilling…
Resurrection…
Magic…
As his consciousness vanished,
Buzz,
[Experience Gained: 3251]
[Experience Bar: 3462/10000]
Adam glanced at his attribute panel, then at Khajiit's corpse and the collapsing undead horde, no longer controlled. He adjusted his monocle.
"What a troublesome opponent." He muttered. "Still, curious as I am about your other tricks, I couldn't let you unleash a final gambit."
Facing two Archangel Flames up close, Khajiit, a caster, blocked two attacks and countered once.
Such skill, yet he ranked among Zurrernorn's weakest?
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
The Skeleton Warriors, bereft of their caster, crumbled after a brief struggle against the four archangels.
The six Archangel Flames glided back, surrounding Adam.
"No worst-case scenario, and I've got four Archangel Flame scrolls left." He said. "Who says production classes lack combat power?"
Honestly, facing this situation himself, he'd be as rattled as Khajiit.
The power of "pay-to-win."
After an intense battle, relying on scrolls, Adam's mana and stamina remained untouched.
He could fight another battle or retreat with ease if needed.
No wonder Ainz, upon arriving in this world, first checked his item box. Confirming his items intact, he mused that even if Nazarick's Floor Guardians betrayed him, he could escape safely.
Step.
Adam approached Khajiit's body, quickly spotting the Orb of Death on the ground, blending into the ruined temple's debris like an ordinary black stone.
He didn't pick it up directly, instead directing a Archangel Flame to retrieve it.
He knew the orb could interfere with a user's mind, even dominate it.
Flap~
The archangel, wings gently beating, presented the orb with both hands, hovering before Adam.
"No effect on summons." Adam noted, sensing his control over the archangel remained unhindered.
"Item Appraisal!"
Blue light enveloped the Orb of Death.
…
[Item: Magic Item · Special Craft · Orb of Death]
[Tier: High (Level 30–40)]
[Effect: Energy Gauge (75/300)]
[Passive:
[Negative Energy Absorption: Absorbs negative energy, restoring the gauge.]
[Negative Energy Corrosion: Prolonged contact causes negative energy corruption, leading to undeath or death.]
[Natural Intelligence: Possesses independent consciousness.]
[Will Influence: Subject to Natural Intelligence judgment, continuously affects the holder's mind, with stronger effects on humans.]
[Active:
[Create Undead · Low-Tier Enhancement I: Allows creation of one additional same-tier undead.]
[Summon Undead · Low-Tier Enhancement I: Allows summoning of one additional same-tier undead.]
[Control Undead · Low-Tier Enhancement I: Increases the number of controllable low-tier undead, based on caster strength.]
[Bone Dragon Summon: Consumes 100 energy.]
…
Hiss.
Adam's eyes twitched at the appraisal's details.
This was a necromancer's dream item, boasting eight effects.
Four passive abilities, albeit detrimental to the caster, still marked it as an overpowered artifact.
***
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