Sandru's face turned ashen as he stared at the lich in silence.
"I told you before—there's no need to be so stubborn." Inham let out a bitter chuckle and shook his head. Raising the flask in his hand high, he tilted it back, downing the remaining liquor in large gulps. The alcohol splashed over his face and clothes, drenching him. With a casual flick, he tossed the empty flask aside, letting it shatter against the rocks. The crisp sound of breaking glass echoed strangely through the valley, now filled with a suffocating aura of death.
Stepping forward, Inham stopped in front of Vadenina. Still reeking of alcohol, he spoke to Sandru without turning his head. "I've said all I needed to say. Whether you leave or not, that's up to you."
"He can't leave," Vadenina said softly, waving her shriveled, grotesque hand. At that moment, the black mist in the valley surged like a boiling cauldron. Within it lurked an overwhelming intent—an aura of slaughter and death. "Master, this is not my will—it is the divine will of the Dark Star. You should be able to feel it. There's no point in resisting anymore. Just stay here with us, and wait… wait for the glorious moment that belongs to us necromancers…"
Perhaps he had finally come to terms with it, or maybe he had realized that there was no longer any room for retreat. At that moment, Sandru suddenly turned and bolted in the direction from which he had come.
"Disappointed… I never expected you to be like Inham, Master. You've let me down." The lich watched Sandru's panicked retreat, shaking her head with a sigh. The soul flames in her eye sockets burned fiercely, just like the magical fire in her hands. "One after another, you all disappoint me. Men truly are nothing more than hypocritical creatures. No matter what they say, in the end, they are all selfish and cowardly."
"No, you just imagined men to be better than they are." Inham waved a hand dismissively, still wearing that charming smile capable of mesmerizing young women. "This kind of thinking comes from women who want to rely on men but end up disappointed when they can't. I've said this long ago—women who wish to depend on men should simply be dutiful wives and mothers. If they refuse to stay within their bounds and still expect emotional support from men, the outcome will always be disastrous, harming both themselves and others. I said these words twenty years ago."
"And twenty years ago, I also told you—don't flaunt your so-called romantic theories in front of me. They are disgusting." Vadenina kept her gaze fixed on Sandru's retreating figure. "And to be speaking about such filthy things at a sacred moment like this… you really are disgusting. I might even suspect you're just trying to make me laugh."
"Just like twenty years ago, I still think you're just being an obstinate girl," Inham replied with a smirk.
Vadenina didn't continue the conversation with Inham, which seemed like a lover's quarrel. The magical fire in her hands had already transformed into a massive fire serpent, its fiery body rising in a towering column.
Even the most argumentative woman prefers to use her fists when they are stronger than words. Language is always the tool of the weak; those who don't need to waste words simply don't.
The fire serpent twisted and coiled, carrying with it the heat that could melt rock and the oppressive aura of death as it rushed toward Sandru's retreating figure. Sandru, however, continued to run forward, not even glancing back.
The Marquis removed a ring from his finger and flicked it. The ring flew straight ahead, exploding just in front of the massive fire column. The surge of magical energy spread out instantly, forming a gigantic rainbow-colored magic shield.
These one-time-use magical items are usually quite powerful, and for a ring to be worn by Inham the Marquis, it could not be just "good"—it had to be exceptional. He had refrained from using it even when faced with a death blow from someone like Stephen, a necromancer. This ring was one of the few treasures of the Dehya Valley, and the defensive spell it triggered was an ancient elven enchantment, strong enough to resist the breath of any dragon, forming a radiant barrier of rainbow light.
However, before the enormous fire serpent, this thin rainbow wall proved just as fragile as its appearance. Without a sound, it shattered into nothingness. The fire serpent only slightly slowed down before surging forward again, carrying with it a terrifying wave of heat, melting the surrounding rocks into magma as it charged onward.
Just as the fire serpent broke through the rainbow light barrier, a blood-red sword of light pierced into the serpent's head and neck. The blood-red glow dispersed into the fiery body of the serpent, and the flaming creature twisted a few times before finally breaking apart into a sky full of green flames.
The one who struck with this sword was Marquis Inham. His face still bore that familiar smile, though it was now so pale it was almost frightening.
"With the addition of the rainbow light barrier, it still took a third of your original magical energy and essence to withstand my blow. Do you not yet realize how small, powerless, and foolish you are?" Vadenina gazed at Inham, who was now struggling even to stand. She looked at him like a cat with full confidence, watching an old mouse that was ripe for the crushing and devouring. "This is no longer a matter of power difference. What fills my body now is the aura of the Black Star. In the face of the power of this divine artifact, all is futile. If it weren't for the Black Star's mark in your body, even if your magic power were ten times greater, you would still not be able to block my strike."
Inham did not respond, still smiling. He turned his head to glance at the already distant Sandru and softly said, "It seems I've won. At least I managed to delay you enough to allow that old fool to escape."
"Stop trying to provoke me any further. No matter what, the result is the same. I've already told you that none of you can escape." Vadenina's fiery eyes blazed completely, spilling over and merging with the flames surrounding her body. "Let me show you the true Dark Dragon. This is the highest magic, imbued with the sacred will of the Black Star. I will turn both your body and soul into the dust of the Dehya Valley. You, such a disgrace, no longer even deserve to be a lich under the Death King's command."
"O ancient Dark Dragon, sleeping in the far reaches of time and space, I summon you in the name of darkness and death. In the name of the great Black Star, come forth and serve my will!"
The incantation was not long, just a short phrase and a gesture, but with that, a massive, black dragon materialized in the sky.
This was no mere illusion. It was a true, corporeal dragon, a monstrous being made from the vast magic power combined with the aura of the Black Star.
With wings spanning dozens of meters, the colossal dragon flapped, and in an instant, it was hovering above Sandru. The rain of dark green flames poured down like the Milky Way in reverse, completely engulfing Sandru's figure, which was soon swallowed up, disappearing into the torrent.