CHAPTER 342: DEATHLY HOLLOW

The dead eyes of the High-Lich gleamed in interest, the blue flames on its hollow eye sockets dancing violently as it considered the question, wondering if it should answer or not. Another stretch of uncomfortable silence descended on the nearly destroyed area. The only thing that remained unharmed in the whole area above the sea was the Dark Ghostly Ship.

The High-Lich standing on the crow-deck of the ship answered with a chuckle,

"Hmm...Straight to the main question, I see."

It asked back to the principal, sowing the seeds of confusion, "But are you sure that is what you want to ask? Should you not be asking why we are attacking, instead of who?"

Alric frowned and shook his head, "No, please answer the question that I have asked."

The skeletal High-Lich seemed to cackle at that response from Alric. It started with a nod, "In truth, we from the Ghost Empire are not the ones making the attack. Nor are we interested in this pitiful academy, killing a bunch of worthless young and weak humans."

The High-Lich spread its arms wide and revealed further in a chilling tone, "We are but mercenaries hired for a job. It is those pitifully suppressed minor kingdoms of humanity that have asked for our help in this stupid endeavor."

The principal roared in rage, "Bullshit, do you think I am a fool? There is nothing those minor kingdoms can offer in exchange for the help of a neutral superpower like the Ghost Empire."

"Especially when Ghost Empire is in agreement with the other races not to meddle in the affairs of the mainland."

The high-lich smiled, "Oh, but they do have something valuable. Something so extremely priceless that no one could have ever imagined that such a thing could even exist."

The principal asked in a threatening tone, "And what is ’that’ thing?’

The High-Lich continued, "Well, the only reason I revealed so much is because all of you will be dying at my hands anyway. Even so, there is a saying we have in our dreadful lands. Which is... even the dead can talk if necessary."

"So, let’s end our pleasant conversation here, and I think you have wasted enough time to recover your mana, don’t you think?"

"Don’t worry, after this defeat, you will have the privilege to serve me eternally. I shall have you kill those little humans with your very own hands. Now wouldn’t that be a sight to behold?"

Alric’s face turned black hearing that response, as a murderous intent leaked from him in all of its power, as if waiting for that very cue, from far away, four streaks of light flew towards Alric at an impossible speed. The four lights entered his body, and his presence underwent a complete transformation.

Before, there was a slight instability to his existence. Then, now, it felt complete. The traitors had all been eliminated as all of Alric’s clones had joined back. Healing him, completing him. The High-Lich also felt the atmosphere change; the power of the principle solidified as it should, his weakness vanishing completely.

But that didn’t faze the lich even in the slightest. He who had been in the presence of the Ghost Emperor himself all his life. Compared to that being who was the incarnation of death itself, how could this measly weak aura of light affect him?

Alric declared in a chilling tone, "Tell me your name, lich, so that I can search for you even in the future, after I decimate you today."

But the High-Lich only laughed in satisfaction, "Good. You should have at least this much backbone to become my strongest underling."

The lich walked forward, an invisible staircase forming under each of its steps, the dark ship beneath it moving backwards, as if going out of the range of the destructive battle that was just about to take place. In its inhumane voice, it iterated, "I, Zabiur Ulpranak, commander of the 24th Ghost Legion, declare in the name of my Emperor that I will make you into my eternal slave."

Alric responded boldly in a similar manner, "And I, Alric Stragoy, Principal of the Unified Human Academy, will absolutely destroy you right here and now, in the near future, you shall also face the taste of true death in the hands of my radiant light."

Alric announced as he entered the most potent form of battle prowess he could manifest, "Lightbringer."

Similar to the principal, Zabiur also uttered, "Deathly Hollow."

Alric’s eyes and hair turned pure white; his skin also began to glow. His aged face started to turn backwards in time, and he became younger. His eyes took on a much sharper, yet calm, look, which was incomparable to his usual self. A halo of white light shone right behind his head. Making him resemble a being that had become the manifestation of light itself.

After one becomes a 5th phase being, aside from the highest form of mana, they acquire the ability to control the energy that sits right above mana, something fundamentally more powerful in every possible way. The energy named World Force.

Alric began to channel his world force, commanding the element of Light with effortless ease, in a radius of more than 2 kilometers, both in width and length. Every fragment of mana started to power the element of light that existed throughout the world. The most bizarre scene occurred in the dead of the night. The whole world became so illuminated in pure white light that even the brightest time of the day could not compare.

But the principal was not the only being going through a profound transformation, as Alric’s endless white light enshrouded the three-kilometer area of the ocean, sufficiently far away from the island. A pitch black dot appeared in the whole region, like a tear of black ink dropped on a pure white canvas.

But what happens when a drop of ink is put on a white canvas of paper? It does not stay idle; it continues to spread and devour the whiteness. Just like that, the sphere of black light continued to grow larger and larger and larger. The pitch black Death Energy directly produced by the world force of the High-Lich was a direct and malevolent counter to the blinding white radiance of Alric Stragoy.

The pitch black Death Energy continued to devour the white light like a hungry abomination. Millions of bone hands emerged from the Death Energy zone created by the commander of the 24th ghost legion, and all of them grabbed onto the rays of light itself, dragging it into the blackness of death. Eventually, the blackness grew to a point where it had reached a stalemate, competing equally with the endless radiance emanating from the principal.

But neither of the two showed any change of expression; both parties already knew the raw power of each other, to a certain extent. But now, what would determine the victory would be the overall battle prowess.

On one side stood the Lightbringer, Alric Stragoy, a peak 5th-phase Human Seeker overflowing with scorching brightness that could illuminate the entire world. A divine halo of light shone on his back, millions of spears of light covering multiple kilometers of area, ready to be unleashed.

On the other side was the Deathly Hollow, Zabiur Ulpranak, an initial 5th phase High-Lich Seeker, commander of the 24th ghost legion, wielding the Death Energy, from which millions of bone hands of the dead, vengeful souls, were trying to grab onto anything and bring it to the same blackness they existed in. Both of the figures vanished from their spots. A deafening explosion of black and white occurred between the powerhouses, painting the world itself in shades of gray.

Just the shockwave of their clash was significant enough to generate a mini-tsunami that headed towards the very island of the academy, the nearest land from the spot of the battle. This one battle was the most crucial of all, as it alone would determine whether the next generation of the most talented humans could survive this night or not. As for who would actually win between the two... only time would tell.