Lith Verhen/History/Volume 7

## Chapters 619 - 744

### City of Huryole

Lith studies tomes about Necromancy in the Griffon Kingdom Royal Library but ultimately decides against becoming an undead due to the severe limitations of each specie, resolving to improve his life force while searching for a blueprint to a soul binding artifact. He is assigned to monitor the Lost City of Huryole, where he kills undead and finds a Forgemastering lab with a Davross Forge. They retrieve an enchanted sword and a book filled with Tier 5 Forgemastering spells. He realizes the city's layout resembles White Griffon Academy and encounters a large emerald Dragon named Jakra, who unsuccessfully attempts to communicate with him. Solus shows him her humanoid form for her birthday/their anniversary, but Lith reveals he knew all along and gifts her one of the Orichalcum hammers they Forged. They examine her memories of her holding an Adamant hammer, drawing similarities between its runes and those of the sword, speculating that "Master Menadion" was an Awakened.

### The Odi City of Kulah

Solus gifts him the gold-Orichalcum cloaking ring she made. They discover the runes on the sword can compress and stabilize its pseudo core, allowing even common iron to withstand powerful magic energy and giving it a firepower greater than what the gemstones used usually grant. Lith is summoned to escort Professors and their assistants from the Great Academies on an expedition to the Laroxya Duchy crystal mines as part of his yearly evaluation, along with fellow Ranger Morok Eari. The Ranger and the mine outpost had been attacked by goblins with Korgh's Abomination tissues, forcing them to retreat deep into the mines until they encountered ruins.

The two Rangers set up the dimensional waypoint to bring the expedition members to the mines, reuniting with Quylla as well as Phloria, who serves as the Captain of the elite Army escort. They are attacked by a goblin-Abomination hybrid named Korgh and Gatekeeper's pseudo core crumbles after being corrupted by her Abomination blood. Most members of the expedition are injured, including Phloria. Lith gets into an altercation with Professor Yondra Mefaal from the Black Griffon, though she later apologizes and helps him with a defensive array for their camp.

Orion contacts Lith, agreeing to Forge him a new sword in exchange for 3 of Lith's Orichalcum Skinwalker armors. Lith gives Quylla and Phloria his prototype armors. Yondra tells him about the metal Davross and pitches for him to inherit her legacy at Black Griffon Academy after seeing his skill as a Forgemaster.

The expedition discovers Odi language markings leading to a set of giant gates that are the entrance to Kulah. High Command orders the expedition to continue and seal all outside communications, with Phloria taking command as the highest ranked officer. The expedition comes across a set of large double doors protected by magical formations. A large swarm of Tek magical beasts attacks, where Morok and Lith display their impressive combat prowess. They beat back the Teks and Quylla's knowledge of the Odi proves critical to disabling the array on the city entrance gates. The majority of the Professors appeal to Commander Berion to preserve it, but he agrees with Phloria to destroy it for safety.

#### Military Complex

Upon entering the city, which turns out to be a military base, the expedition is attacked by a fungal creature made of countless spores. Professor Syndra's assistant Calil foolishly uses a fire magic spell that detonates and spreads the spores, infecting most of the expedition members. Lith manages to track down the source of the spores and Solus destroys the array protecting the slave spell on the creature. Freed, the creature gifts Lith an enchanted ring. Several succumb to their wounds while Phloria is forced to triage Professors Phesta and Syndra due to Lith, Phloria, and Morok not having enough vitality to heal all of them. Yondra's assistant Rainer Lomann approaches Lith asking him to heal Yondra, who had strained herself trying to save Rainer and Gaakhu's assistant Nilla. Seeing Nana in the aging Professor, Lith rejuvenates her.

Berion orders the expedition to search Kulah, only leaving after making sure nothing left can endanger the Kingdom. Yondra, Ellkas, and Gaakhu share their knowledge of golems and the Odi language. The following day, the expedition splits into two groups to explore the buildings. Yondra, Ellkas, Lith, and Phloria explore one group of buildings while Gaakhu, Neshal, Morok, and Phloria's soldiers Jerth and Helion explore the other. Quylla is assigned with the remaining soldiers to protect the Assistants and the camp's barriers.

Lith's group comes across a laboratory filled with dismembered members of various races. The way the meat puppets are kept barely alive with their life forces maimed and mana cores removed as well as the potential for them to be threats leads them to attempt to destroy the tanks. Morok's group inadvertently triggers a general alarm by alerting the golems in the Weapons Research department. Yondra uses a darkness spell to destroy the tanks, but it is absorbed by one of the creatures in the tanks which rejuvenates the other meat puppets until they merge together into a pseudo-Balor.

They manage to destroy the creature, but the other group runs into them with four prototype Flesh Golems on their tail. The two groups lure the golems back to the camp and manage to destroy their power cores, with Quylla salvaging the battle by regenerating the moss in Kulah and providing them with enough oxygen to fight. Professor Neshal and Phloria explain about ancient runes and the latter examines the booklet and sword Lith retrieved from Huryole, determining them to be a mix of old and modern Runesmithing. Phloria and Lith return to the tunnel to investigate the Teks' origin, discovering ancient Warp runes that lead them to a breeding chamber for the "Meat Shields" which they seal the entrance to.

Lith calls Kamila, learning of Zinya's divorce, Fallmug's disappearance and Rena's second pregnancy. He learns more about runes from Yondra and about Huryole being the Golden Griffon Academy. Solus discovers that the mana geyser the city is built on is having almost all of its mana siphoned elsewhere, hence the use of the cables on the powerful arrays that allowed the expedition to disable them easily. The expedition resumes exploring the first building, as the defeat of the golems had triggered an array that disintegrated the second building. Exploring the floors under the medical center, they encounter a pathogen-Abomination hybrid on the Immunization Ward whose words Lith is somehow able to understand.

Phloria learns about Lith's cracked life force and his real motivation for investigating the Odi's experiments, with Quylla explaining how she knew. The expedition explores half of Kulah before coming across the headquarters. Lith reconsiders Yondra's apprenticeship offer after witnessing the effectiveness of Phloria's Forgemastering wand. They uncover a Nightmare Safe that holds countless reports, a metal key, and a keycard.

Kamila informs him of Fallmug attempt to assassinate her, and Lith comforts her. Ellkas and Gaakhu analyze the reports, finding that the above ground facilities are the failed experiments, while the successful Life Merging, Mana Reactor, and Flesh Golem projects were moved to a facility underground. The expedition accesses the underground facility using the elevator in the headquarters building, inadvertently awakening the remaining Odi from their slumber deep underground.

#### Underground Facility

The world energy from the mana geyser is converted into a black miasma that devours all living life in the city and the crystal mine tunnels, forcing the Assistants and soldiers left in the camp to Warp into the elevator with the rest of the expedition. Gaakhu lashes out at Phloria and Lith and nearly causes them to succumb to a surprise attack. Lith intimidates and threatens to leave her behind, to which Phloria denies the proposal only on the grounds that Gaakhu is still useful as a linguist.

The Odi lure the expedition to the Living Quarters, where they set loose a small army of completed Flesh Golems that kidnap the Assistants and Phloria's soldiers. Lith and Quylla learn to use light magic to damage the runes on the constructs' life force, destroying several, before the remainder of the expedition Warp back to the lobby. Lith moves alone and ambushes a couple of Golems with his Hybrid Form, who attempt to warn him of a "green array" and the Mana Reactor as soon as they are freed. The female Golems' death releases a wisp of light that passes through Lith's body before shooting towards the sky, leading to Lith's third eye opening. The blue eye releases a tear before turning yellow and closing again.

Quylla deducts that the Mana Reactor project was the Odi's successful attempt to harvest from living beings "neutral mana," or mana without an energy signature, allowing it to be used without suffering from mana poisoning. The Odi conduct another ambush, capturing Yondra, Ellkas, and Gaakhu. Neshal destroys three before collapsing. After the remaining party recover, they explore the corridors for a way to the lower floors. The Golems attack again, and Neshal is killed before the others can save her.

Having separated from Phloria and Quylla, Morok reveals his Tyrannical Eye Emperor Beast form to Lith, having suspected him of being a fellow Emperor Beast due to his scent. Lith shows him his Hybrid Form, and the two make their way to the lower floors where they come across Yondra, Ellkas, and Rainer. Yondra agrees to help save Phloria and Quylla in return for Lith's help in reaching the dimensional rune to escape, and teaches him how to use her Royal Forgemaster Wand to activate dimensional runes.

The group fights their way to the dimensional runes amidst swarms of Koas, Teks, and Thorns. Yondra leaves Rainer in the rear with control over the elemental blocking arrays, but he is captured by the Odi Jiira while Ellkas is killed. Jiira uses his God's Will Array and endless supply of mana from the Mana Reactor to mortally wound Yondra and Morok and seemingly kill Lith. Lith holds Yondra as she dies and asks him to express her regrets to her family.

Lith is shaken by Yondra's death. Morok, who survived due to only having one of his two hearts pierced, agrees to help him rescue Phloria and Quylla. They come across the Mana Reactor, and Lith begins seeing specters in the shadows. They destroy two more Flesh Golems guarding the Mana Reactor and each gives Lith a door code before their souls are sucked into the Reactor. Lith uses his Demons of Darkness spell to disable the grid using one of the codes and manipulates the grid to destroy the other two Golems sent to investigate. He sends Morok off to find a way to destroy the Mana Reactor before entering the surveillance room next to the Reactor room. Lith uses the second code to unlock a hidden safe, retrieving three books on Flesh Golems, Body-Swapping, and the Mana Reactor.

Lith engages Jiira in the Body-Swapping room as the Odi attempts to begin the procedure on Phloria first due to her uncharming appearance while Solus frees the prisoners. Lith gives Quylla the Mana Reactor book and directs her to Morok. Phloria recovers in time to distract Jiira allowing Lith to mortally wound him, but Jiira overloads his life force in a huge detonation before the second Odi Rizo takes control. The Odi had learned how to use dimensional items and stored the results of countless experiments and equipment inside Ellkas' dimensional ring.

Quylla manages to capture and detonate the two remaining Flesh Golems inside the Mana Reactor, breaking its energy balance and allowing world energy to flood Kulah's underground floors, This, Yondra's death, and Jiira's torture of Phloria triggers Lith's fourth world tribulation that had been forcefully stopped since the moment Lith had listened to the words of the dying Golems. A silver pillar of light descends from the ground while a black pillar emerges from the ground. Lith assumes a proto-Guardian Hybrid Form, and goes berserk as Solus' stone form shatters when she blocks Rizo's high powered spell.

The destabilization of the Mana Reactor releases the souls trapped inside, some of which turn into shooting stars that shoot up into the sky. Others turn their hatred and rage towards the Odi onto Lith, hoping to use him as the instrument of their reckoning. They attempt to taint his mind and body with their anger, and Rizo exploits his internal struggle to sever Lith's arm, though black tendrils from the stump and the limb reattach it. The lost souls exploit their link with Lith to use Demons of Darkness in his stead, forming bodies made of darkness that erupt from his wings.

Solus returns from her with Mogar. Lith makes her stone body take the form of Gatekeeper and covers her with the Skinwalker armor. With Phloria and Quylla's assistance they decapitate Rizo. Quylla disables the God's Will Array, leaving Lith free to tear at and burn the Odi with Origin Flames as they reform. The cycle continues until the Mana Reactor runs out of mana and the Odi crumble to dust, ending the tribulation.

Lith's overuse of Origin Flames strains his cracked life force and Quylla frantically stabilizes his condition until the two of them fall unconscious with Phloria and Morok standing guard. They Warp back to the crystal mine and dig their way out before going their separate ways. Lith recuperates with Quylla and Phloria back at the Ernas mansion. For the next several days Lith eats, sleeps, and uses Accumulation to recover, noting that his impurities are moving closer to his core. He also studies Rizo's Adamant Eternal Blade, the God's Will Array sphere, and the books from the safe, while borrowing a complete book on Body-Swapping from the Ernas' library.

Orion promises to make a sword better than Gatekeeper after thanking him for saving Quylla and Phloria once again. Lith reveals his two life forces to Quylla, and she reveals that she can also hear life forces in addition to Manohar. He discusses his slightly improved Hybrid Form with Phloria and spends some time converting runes into modern magic by consulting tomes about arrays from the library. Lith decides to pursue studying Runesmithing to improve his creations and Body-Swapping as his new solution to his reincarnation problem. He also looks into Solus' past, reading on the first Royal Forgemaster named Ripha Menadion and her artifacts. He reunites with Friya and he and the three Ernas plan a vacation.

Lith talks with Protector and Selia about Kulah and asks for their support when he reveals his Hybrid nature to Kamila for their upcoming one year anniversary. They experiment with and study ancient runes using three blades (Huryole's, Phloria's, and Rizo's) when Lith suddenly undergoes a double refining process for both his human and hybrid body, advancing to a light blue core.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 619: Raid (Part 1)
2. ↑ Chapter 623: Birthday and Anniversary (Part 1)
3. ↑ Chapter 627: Gathering (Part 1)
4. ↑ Chapter 632: Friend or Foe (Part 2)
5. ↑ Chapter 636: Davross (Part 2)
6. ↑ Chapter 640: Teks (Part 2)
7. ↑ Chapter 644: Perfect Solution (Part 2)
8. ↑ Chapter 646: All are One (Part 2)
9. ↑ Chapter 648: All are One (Part 4)
10. ↑ Chapter 650: Tough Calls (Part 2)
11. ↑ Chapter 654: Fall of the Mighty (Part 2)
12. ↑ Chapter 658: Flesh and Stone (Part 2)
13. ↑ Chapter 663: Battle of Wits (Part 1)
14. ↑ Chapter 668: Meat Factory (Part 2)
15. ↑ Chapter 676: Conflicting Desires (Part 2)
16. ↑ Chapter 680: Survival of the Fittest (Part 2)
17. ↑ Chapter 685: Last Stop (Part 1)
18. ↑ Chapter 687: Death Trap (Part 1)
19. ↑ Chapter 689: Conflicts (Part 1)
20. ↑ Chapter 692: Bane (Part 2)
21. ↑ Chapter 696: Third Eye (Part 2)
22. ↑ Chapter 702: Split (Part 2)
23. ↑ Chapter 708: A Forgemaster’s Wand (Part 2)
24. ↑ Chapter 712: Green Array (Part 2)
25. ↑ Chapter 717: Immortal Body (Part 1)
26. ↑ Chapter 719: Doomed Race (Part 1)
27. ↑ Chapter 720: Doomed Race (Part 2)
28. ↑ Chapter 723: Judgment (Part 1)
29. ↑ Chapter 726: Lord of Destruction (Part 2)
30. ↑ Chapter 728: One Shall Fall (Part 2)
31. ↑ Chapter 731: Gains (Part 1)
32. ↑ Chapter 737: Menadion's Story (Part 1)
33. ↑ Chapter 741: Plans and Blueprints (Part 1)
34. ↑ Chapter 744: Double Breakthrough (Part 2)