"Anyway, Banaya isn't going to break his own oath." Lynch tidied up his clothes, using a small spell to mend the tear from his recent fall. "No matter how many questions this decryptor can answer, it's better than me being here overthinking alone."

As soon as Lynch uttered the word "decryptor," the environment around him underwent a drastic change. The place that was once filled with smoke suddenly vanished, and the land, sky, and everything else turned into nothingness. In front of Lynch, half the world turned black, with no matter appearing there. Less than three meters in front of him was an abyss — a bottomless abyss. This strange world seemed as if it had been sliced open, with a mischievous child secretly taking away half of a cake.

"Mage."

Lynch felt someone calling him; the sudden voice left him a bit astonished, or rather, it was unexpected. He looked around, expanding the view of the Eye of Insight to its maximum, but there was no sign of anything. 'Or maybe it's just an illusion caused by my loneliness,' the mage thought.

"Mage!"

The voice rang out again, louder and clearer than before. Lynch was sure it wasn't an auditory hallucination this time, even though the voice felt like it was calling directly at his ear, and yet there was no one around. Perhaps Eryies liked to whisper in his ear, but definitely not now, not in this strange world. Lynch gazed into the void, and for an instant, he seemed to see a glimmer of light, so faint it was almost impossible to notice.

Suddenly, a skeleton head floated in front of him, without any warning. The mage took two steps back; it had been a long time since something had surprised him like this. It was a pink crystal skull, with eyes and teeth that seemed to be made of yellow gemstones. If there were any other features, it was that this skull from a human body floated in the air without needing any other part of the body. Moreover, it appeared to have its head tilted (which is indeed strange when there's no neck), and it was staring unblinkingly at Lynch.

"Oh, mage, are you okay?" The skull's mouth opened and closed, producing a neutral voice. Yet Lynch knew it wasn't using organs, but rather the power of magic to speak. Moreover, if this wasn't a skull enhanced by levitation or flight magic, it could only be a powerful Demigod Lich.

Not to mention the Demigod Lich itself, they were all legendary mages, which meant their magical power was certainly no weaker than Lynch's; simply imagining their bodies completely immune to magic, one could understand why such beings were called "the most troublesome enemies." A spellcaster mastering legendary magic, possessing infinite life and time; unafraid of poisoning, illness, hunger, thirst, or suffocation; fearing no weapons except divine artifacts; additionally immune to all spells and supernatural abilities. Is there anything more headache-inducing for a mage than such a foe?

"I'm fine." Lynch quickly recovered from the initial tension, his mind rapidly contemplating the possibility of conflict and ways to avoid harm. He said, "If the definition of 'fine' means being in a strange place, trapped, injured, and then watched by a Demigod Lich, then, yes, I'm fine."

"Your words are quite interesting, mage. Or rather, they remind me of myself." The skull shook side to side, seemingly indicating it was pleased. Yet deciphering expressions on a skull's face is impossible, and Lynch couldn't be sure what this shaking truly meant. "Always debating definitions, doubting, pondering, entangling, and then getting lost in a labyrinth. I used to be like that, mage. But now, let's discuss the present."

"Who are you?" Lynch instinctively clasped his right hand, but the Powerful Wand was no longer there. Although he wasn't sure if the Undead Magic Bead would be effective against this skull, having the wand in his hand would certainly put the mage more at ease.

"I have many names, so many I can't even remember them all." The skull floated slowly around Lynch, occasionally glancing at the mage with its yellow gemstone eyes. "Sometimes, when others say a noun — not referring to me — but I still turn my head. Because in my memory, what comes out of their mouth is my name."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.