Subduing the Liches
If you asked any intelligent creature in the underground world where they most wanted to go in their lifetime, ninety percent would dream of the beautiful surface world above.
And if you asked which race longed most desperately to reach the surface, the liches would undoubtedly rank at the very top.
They were obsessed with magic, yet in this world, magic was utterly useless.
There was also another, even more important reason.
"You say you come from the surface world?"
The lich leader's voice trembled with excitement.
Thorne gave him a faint glance.
"I don't like repeating myself."
The lich leader barely managed to suppress his agitation.
"Impossible. People from the surface can't enter here. And they would never allow anyone to leave."
"They?" Thorne raised an eyebrow. "Who exactly locked you down here?"
"Locked?" The lich leader snorted coldly. "No one can lock us away. We were merely deceived by those despicable rats."
"The ones you're talking about… wouldn't happen to be the Church of Light, would they?"
The moment Thorne mentioned the Church of Light, the liches opposite him nearly exploded with rage. He knew he had guessed correctly.
"From your tone, you don't seem to be from the Church of Light," the leader said, forcing himself calm. "But I'm curious—if you're not one of theirs, how do you know of our existence? And how did you enter this underground world?"
Truthfully, Thorne only knew about liches by chance. The dark sorcerer whose soul he had devoured long ago had mastered a forbidden technique that could transform oneself into a lich-like being—immortal soul, undying existence.
"Your existence isn't exactly a huge secret. And entering the underground world? That's not difficult for me. Not only can I come in, I can leave whenever I want."
At those words, the blue glow in the liches' eyes blazed brighter, so intense that the Earth Spirits behind Thorne began to look dazed.
"Hmph."
Thorne gave a cold snort, snapping the Earth Spirits awake, then ordered Maki:
"Take your men and withdraw for now. I'll handle this. And remember—keep everything quiet."
Maki obeyed at once, leading his warriors away. He wasn't worried about Thorne's safety. In his heart, Thorne was a god. No matter how mysterious these liches seemed, they could never be his master's match.
"I'll be direct. You're all thousand-year-old monsters; there's no point beating around the bush. I know that in the past, each of you was terrifyingly strong. But here in this underground world, you're only a bit stronger than the Earth Spirits. I intend to unify this entire underground realm. Help me, and within ten years, I'll take you all to the surface. Deal?"
The liches glared at Thorne in fury. This arrogant stranger actually thought he could make the great liches his subordinates?
The lich leader stared at Thorne icily.
"You want to subdue us? What makes you think we'd believe you can get us out?"
Thorne smiled. He knew there was hope the moment he heard that question. Compared to the Earth Spirits, these liches yearned far more desperately to escape. Once proud and mighty archmages, they were now imprisoned in this sunless hell, stripped of magic, barely surviving.
They had tasted the splendor of the surface world. They had known the intoxicating thrill of true power. For a thousand years, they had replayed those memories every single day, lest they forget their enemies—or who they truly were—in this filthy darkness.
"Believe me or not, this is your only chance. Killing you would be child's play."
As he spoke, the River of Forgetfulness behind him suddenly surged upward in defiance of gravity, crashing toward the liches like an inverted waterfall. To them, it felt less like a river and more like an entire world bearing down to crush them. They couldn't even flee—just stood frozen in terror.
Then, abruptly, the pressure vanished. The black river calmed and flowed silently once more.
"Fine," the lich leader said through gritted teeth. "I'll take the gamble. Ten years of service—then you get us out."
Some of the other liches still hesitated. The leader turned and snapped:
"My words represent only myself. We've known each other a thousand years; I won't force you. But ten years? Even a hundred is nothing to us. If there is even the slightest chance, I will never give it up."
To rise as the leader of the liches required not just talent but ruthless decisiveness—something rare in this world.
The liches exchanged glances. After a long moment, they all knelt as one.
"We will follow the leader's decision."
The leader himself knelt before Thorne.
"My lord, I am Atreus. On behalf of the lich race, I swear our allegiance. As long as you take us to the surface, we are yours to command for the next ten years."
Thorne nodded, satisfied.
"Good. Rise, all of you. I don't stand on ceremony. Atreus, are these dozen all that remain of the lich race?"
"To answer my lord: there are slightly over a hundred liches left in total. We thirteen are the strongest. The rest are only about as powerful as Maki of the Earth Spirits."
Thorne was even more impressed. Over a hundred liches, and even the weakest matched Maki—despite having no elemental energy to draw upon. Truly worthy of thousand-year-old monsters.
"Then why did all of you strongest come here together? Surely dealing with Maki didn't require the entire elite force."
"Indeed, my lord. We did not come for the Earth Spirits. Two of our kin died near here recently—their souls completely extinguished. We came to investigate."
Something capable of truly killing a lich, annihilating even the soul, was a matter of life and death for their kind. Mobilizing every top-tier lich made perfect sense.
"To permanently kill a lich… whoever did it must be no small player. Have you found anything?"
Atreus thought for a moment before replying:
"We discovered some traces, but the situation is complicated. And… this matter may be connected to you, my lord."
"Oh?" Thorne's interest sharpened. "Connected to me? Tell me everything."