Hum ——
As soon as the Abyssal Rose Necklace was taken out, a dark purple Abyssal Barrier materialized out of thin air, like a flowing obsidian membrane, firmly shielding Kalis and Tavren beside him.
The Tier 1 Class Skills of the Shadow Claw Guild players rained down on the barrier.
Flames, frost, and thunder exploded in ripples across the membrane's surface, but they could never penetrate the seemingly fragile shield, a scene identical to the special shield Kalis had encountered when attacking Lilith earlier.
"My dear Kalis, did you miss your Lilith so soon?"
A seductive voice that sent shivers down the spine echoed in his ears, accompanied by the unique cold fragrance of the Abyss.
Kalis felt his chin gently lifted by a pair of cool, soft hands, their fingertips brushing across his skin.
In the next second, the shadow in front of him condensed.
Lilith, the Abyssal Princess, clad in a dark purple gauze dress with an enchanting figure, appeared out of nowhere.
"What the hell?!"
"Who is this woman? She popped out of nowhere?"
"Hiss—— That face, that figure... She's so beautiful!"
Lilith's sudden appearance made the Shadow Claw players freeze their attacks instantly. They stared dumbfounded at the aggressively beautiful woman, and discussions erupted one after another.
Lilith glanced lazily at the dense crowd of players around her, frowned slightly, and her tone carried a hint of impatience: "My dear, are these ants harassing you?"
"Well... can you help me get rid of them?" Kalis asked awkwardly.
He had originally planned to keep the Abyssal Rose Necklace hidden deep in his backpack forever, never to touch it again in his life.
But who would have thought that only four hours after leaving the Abyss, he would be forced to summon Lilith.
With his own strength alone, he could never protect Tavren under the siege of 550 players; he would never give up this chance to advance to the hidden class.
And as a Level 120 Mythic Boss, Lilith was the only trump card that could ensure absolute safety.
"Of course I can handle such a trivial matter～" Lilith raised her hand to stroke Kalis's cheek, the Abyssal energy from her fingertips making his skin tingle slightly. "
However,... this is the outskirts of Valorian's main city, under the jurisdiction of the human temple. My sudden appearance has already violated the planar taboo. If I leak too much Abyssal energy when attacking, I'll be targeted by Valorian's temple inquisitors and executed at the Holy Light Altar～"
She deliberately dragged out her words, a cunning glint flashing in her eyes, clearly demanding a reward.
"Uh... then what should we do?" Kalis knew her intentions well, but he could only play dumb — in front of hundreds of hostile players, he couldn't possibly agree to any excessive conditions directly.
Lilith chuckled, hooked her fingers around his collar, and leaned close to his ear, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear: "As long as you promise to stay with me in the Abyssal Palace for three days afterward, and properly 'compensate' me for the pain of missing you, I'll help you settle this trouble this time～"
Kalis's cheeks instantly flushed.
Was this "compensation" legitimate? Anyone could guess the answer!
But he couldn't refute it at all — the Shadow Claw players around them were already staring at them with strange eyes, and the discussions were becoming more and more piercing:
"Look, that woman is a Boss! A Level 120 Mythic Boss!"
"Damn it! What's Kalis's background? He can actually summon a Mythic Boss as a bodyguard?"
"And she calls him so affectionately... Did the top-ranked player get to the top by dating an NPC and mooching off her?"
"Quick, take a screenshot! Post it pinned on the guild forum! Let the entire server know his true colors!"
Countless voices echoed around.
Fortunately, there was no direct connection between the game and the real-world internet — otherwise, this scene would definitely be recorded and posted online.
Kalis's heart twitched, and he already regretted summoning Lilith.
"So noisy."
Lilith was annoyed by the surrounding discussions. With a gentle wave of her jade-like hand, surging Abyssal Miasma spread instantly, transforming into a 100-meter-diameter black domain that enveloped all Shadow Claw players.
Boom!
Inside the domain, a dark purple energy shockwave erupted with a roar. Six-digit damage numbers popped up above the heads of all 550 Shadow Claw players simultaneously —
-897,412, -913,156, -873,621...
Without any room for resistance, everyone was instantly killed. Their bodies covered the ground densely.
Thud ——
A soft sound came from behind. Tavren had already fainted from fear at the terrifying aura released by Lilith, collapsing limply inside the barrier with a trickle of saliva hanging from the corner of his mouth.
"My dear, let's go! The people from Valorian's temple are coming!"
As soon as she finished off all the players, Lilith's expression turned serious instantly, her tone urgent.
"So soon?" Kalis was a little surprised; the temple's reaction speed was far faster than he had imagined.
"The aura of the Abyssal Domain can't be hidden from the temple." Lilith raised her hand and planted a light kiss on his cheek. "I have to leave immediately. Next time, remember to summon me in a secluded place～."
Before she finished speaking, her figure turned into a wisp of dark purple smoke and disappeared into the air.
The purple-black Abyssal Rose Necklace reappeared in Kalis's palm, and an additional line of notification appeared on its attribute panel:
[Cooldown: 7 days]
"Monster, don't escape!"
Boom!
A deafening thunderclap tore through the sky. Strong winds suddenly howled, and four huge tornadoes rose out of nowhere outside Valorian's city gates. The rotating wind pillars were shrouded in holy light, dyeing the sky a brilliant golden color.
Four powerful NPCs clad in temple armor hovered at the top of the tornadoes, overlooking the scene below. The imposing pressure they exuded made Kalis almost breathless.
"Damn it!"
One of the sharp gazes locked onto Kalis precisely, making his hair stand on end. He quickly stuffed the Abyssal Rose Necklace into his backpack.
"Traitor, prepare to die!"
The temple powerhouse, who had locked onto him, pointed a finger. A thunderbolt as thick as a water bucket crashed down, striking toward him with destructive force.
"Are you kidding me? A Level 210 NPC bullying a Level 39 player?!" Kalis almost cried. This level gap was simply a dimensionality reduction strike!
Just as the thunderbolt was about to hit him, another gentle voice sounded: "Zelas, the conflict between gods and demons must not involve innocent civilians.
Although this boy carries Abyssal energy, he has not directly committed any evil deeds. We should not take action against him personally."
As he spoke, a crystal-clear Wind Shield materialized out of nowhere, steadily blocking the destructive thunderbolt.
Kalis quickly looked at the speaker's attribute panel:
[Valorian Archbishop Paelen (Mythic Lord)]
Level: 230
HP: 19,500,000 / 19,500,000
(Target level is too high to display additional data)
"Your Eminence is right." The temple powerhouse, who had attacked earlier, said in a deep voice. With a flash, he disappeared from the spot, clearly going to track Lilith's whereabouts.
Before he left, Kalis also saw his attributes clearly:
[Valorian Divine General Zelas (Mythic Lord)]
Level: 210
HP: 22,000,000 / 22,000,000
(Target level is too high to display additional data)
Although this Divine General was 20 levels lower than the Archbishop, his HP was higher — clearly a tank-class professional focused on defense and sustainability.
"Innocent adventurer, rise again."
After Zelas left, Archbishop Paelen chanted a holy light incantation under his breath. With a gentle wave of his hand, a soft golden light poured down.
The bodies of the Shadow Claw players who had been killed by Lilith and hadn't chosen to respawn yet climbed up from the ground one after another.
Their equipment was intact, and they had lost no experience points. The temple's resurrection magic could actually directly revive players killed by a Boss!
Kalis: "..."
This operation was simply absurd! The enemies he had gone to great lengths to summon Lilith to kill were resurrected with a single word from the temple?
"Hahaha! Kalis, let's see how arrogant you are this time!"
Vaelen led the Shadow Claw players to surround him again, an arrogant smile on their faces, with the temple NPCs present, they were not afraid of Kalis summoning Lilith again.
"Valorian Temple, I'm really convinced..." Kalis was so depressed that he wanted to spit blood.
He had already incurred the cost of summoning Lilith, but the enemies had been resurrected. He had essentially worked for nothing and even got himself into a huge mess.
What should he do now? His trump card was already used, with a 7-day cooldown, he could never summon Lilith to help again!
The Shadow Claw players raised their weapons again. The glow of various skills converged into a torrent, smashing toward Kalis and the unconscious Tavren — this time, without the protection of the Abyssal Barrier, he would surely die!
"Stop!"
Just as the skills were about to hit Kalis, a fiery red Flame Elemental Barrier suddenly enveloped him. The blazing fire energy neutralized all attacks completely.
Following closely, a figure clad in a flame-embellished robe squeezed out of the crowd. His gaze fell on the unconscious Tavren, his tone carrying a hint of urgency: "Tavren, so you're here!"