"A l-lich!" Kanna realizes, aware of how terrifying it can be to face a necromancer, especially a Lich – a being that has forsaken its own life for undead immortality.

Accompanying the necromancer is another Servant, this one with a covered face.
Holding a staff, it suggests belonging to a magic-using class.

Luysia clenches her teeth: "This is bad!"

"Undead are notoriously weak to fire," Xiaikai states calmly.
"Coincidentally, Tersiflare is a fire spirit." Her pink hair shines and moves due to the proximity of her summon.

Then, the woman points at Welze. "Moreover, we have her fire magic at our disposal."

Welze Juble is a bit shaken, but she gives her assent. "I-I think I can be helpful."

Kanna is much less certain.
She knows that Liches are not common undead. A lich is not a resurrected corpse.
A lich is a powerful necromancer who has mastered their magic to the point of using it on themselves to achieve virtual immortality.

"We have no choice. We must divide the opponents," Luysia states, observing the dwarf Eykad, who is no lesser threat.

"Do you want to fight the dwarf alone?" Kanna asks the blonde.
Luysia nods.
"A necromancer supported by a tank would be even more unbeatable. Someone has to keep him busy. You must take the opportunity to eliminate him while he is unprotected," the blonde-haired woman explains her logic.

Kanna isn't entirely convinced.
To defeat a magical class, it would be better to press them with an offensive class.
However, the presence of the dwarf complicates this strategy.

"This is my battle, Ques Vonfaer! Stay out of it!" Eykad is furious.
He slams his hammer on the ground loudly.

"Hahahahaha!" the Lich's grotesque and unnatural laughter shakes all members of Strauss's team except Xiaikai, who remains confident.

"You are a fool, Eykad. Our goal is to win, not to measure our skills. To win, to win at all costs, therefore we must strike with our greatest power," the undead explains his pragmatic viewpoint.

The two servants of the queen look at each other, but while the exposed skull of the Lich has no expression, Eykad's face is the incarnation of contempt.

Maybe there's a chance, Kanna thinks.
The enemies seem to disagree.

But the enemies don't give them a chance to rethink their strategy.

The lich, floating in the air, recites arcane words that are difficult to comprehend.
Circles of dark energy magic appear in front of him.

[DOOR TO THE OSSUARY]

*VRRAAAMM*

Emerging directly from the ground, a colossal archway stretches upwards.
It is built entirely of skeletons and skulls piled and fused together, creating a grotesque and unsettling entrance.

The door seems solid and impenetrable, but upon a more careful analysis, Kanna can see that the bones are fragile and brittle, in fact, a whitish dust from them rises into the air.
The cold, smooth surfaces of the skulls send a shiver down her spine as she imagines the lives they once had.

The door is rough and jagged, bones protrude at strange angles, and the skulls are placed irregularly.

*CLAP*

With a clap of the Lich's hands, the door emits a loud creak as it opens, as if the bones were scraping against each other.
From the door comes a rustling, as an army of skeletal soldiers begins to pour out.

The bones of the skeletons clink against each other as they move, and the army emerges with a sense of purpose and malice.

Kanna exchanges a worried look with her teammates.
They were caught off guard by the sudden move of Lich Ques.
As the skeletal soldiers advance, emerging from the ossuary, panic begins to set in with the professor, Welze, and Luysia.

Hundreds of new enemies, all ready to serve their master.
Kanna's heart sinks. This is not good.

"They'll overwhelm us! We can't let them take control of this place," exclaims Luysia.

She throws herself into the fray, her halberd moving like lightning.
When the first skeletal soldier falls under her blade's strikes, she begins to feel stronger.

Kanna with her blunt weapon, a typical Silverdark cleric mace, and Welze with her magic quickly follow suit, joining Luysia in the battle against the undead horde.
Meanwhile, Xiaikai prepares Tersiflare's destructive spell.
With her staff and graceful movements, she channels energy into the dancing spirit.

[RAY OF FIRE]
The fiery beam unleashed by the girl with blue hair pulverizes all the undead in its path, decimating the army that continues to emerge from the bone gate.

"They are weak!" exclaims Welze, satisfied with her attack.

"Quantity over quality. They only have numbers on their side." observes the professor.
The skeletons that confront her are easily defeated by the impact of her weapon.

"Hahahahaha!" Ques laughs heartily at the women's words.
He snaps his skeletal fingers, and immediately the skeletons brought down by the three women reassemble and rise again.

"My army... or rather, the Queen Azherie's army is practically inexhaustible and recyclable. The perfect army! Observe the beauty of my collection," states the Lich, floating.
The movements of his hands are like guiding the tide of the undead.

"This is deplorable. There's no will in an animated puppet," the Dwarf Servant comments with disgust.

"Your foolish ideals are misplaced in a game of this nature," the necromancer responds indifferently.

"They are not mere ideals, Lich. In your unholy state, you must have forgotten. Forgotten the bleeding of flesh, the trauma of spirit, and the cracks in steel. Where are these noble sacrifices in your dusty puppets?"

"Nonsense. Meaningless idiocies. Weaknesses I lost long ago when I acquired immortality. Your naivety is due to your youth. This is true power."

"Power?!" the dwarf yells. Then he raises his war hammer.

Ques looks at him perplexedly, as if he doesn't understand his intentions.

Eykad slams his hammer down violently on the ground.

[FATHER OF EARTH]

A quake, far more potent than any previously caused by the dwarf, shakes the temple to its foundations.
Walls and columns crumble and collapse upon themselves.

"Hyaah!" Welze falls and stumbles on the shifting ground.
The same fate befalls Luysia and Kanna, who fall onto the oscillating floor.

Xiaikai is lifted into the air by her summoning Terisflare, who floats and thus avoids the effects of the earth shaking.

In a short time, nothing remains of the small temple.
Only dust and debris.
Even the army of skeletons is swallowed by the destruction of the structure and the cracks in the ground.

The lich shakes his head, looking at the dwarf and his work of destruction.
Eykad turns his gaze towards Ques.
In his eyes, contempt.

"This is true strength! This unity makes me strong."

"You are very strong, Dwarf," says the lich in a grave tone.
"But I am beyond strength."
Ques Vonfaer raises his skeletal arms.
Dark energy surrounds him, manifesting his powerful necromantic power.

The dead rise, making their way through dust and earth.
Bones pierce through rock, finding a way out.
Bone hands emerge from the debris, driven by a dark command they cannot resist.

The Lich's army is back on its feet.
Slightly reduced in numbers, but new ones continue to emerge from the gate to replace the fallen.

Eykad Kzordodror clicks his tongue in annoyance at the sight of the unholy horde of skeletons that continues to rise.

The dwarf turns towards the exit of what remains of the temple he was guarding, intending to leave.

"I have no intention of spending another second in your presence," he says as he walks away.

"The queen will not be pleased with this, Eykad Kzordodror!" warns the Lich.

"Queen Azherie is aware of who is truly loyal to her, Lich," responds the dwarf without any intention of stopping.

Ques clenches his fist in annoyance.
Clearly, he would like to attack the former paladin dwarf, but he restrains himself from doing so.
Perhaps to not go against his Master, Queen Azherie? Or maybe because he fears Eykad's power?

Kanna struggles to her feet, wounded by the powerful earthquake, but she can't help thinking that somehow this turn of events favors them.

The professor gives a half-smile, unable to shake the feeling that things don't quite add up.
Eykad's furious outburst and his clashes with the Lich suggest that the situation is more complex than it seemed.
However, they now have one less dangerous opponent to deal with.

"EYKAD! Where do you think you're going?"
The shout interrupts Kanna's thoughts. Incredibly, the voice comes from Luysia Camclair who is rising up, shifting the debris covering her. "Luysia, what are you doing? We need to focus on the Lich!" the professor tries to reason with her.

The dwarf stops but doesn't turn around.

"Our duel is not yet finished!" yells the blonde, her tone so different from her usual icy demeanor.
She is challenging him.

Kanna can't believe what she is seeing and hearing.
She would have never expected such behavior from Luysia.
As if something long dormant within her had suddenly reawakened.

The Servant turns towards the blonde.
He looks at her amused.
Then he laughs. A warm laugh, not one of scorn.

"Prove you are worthy to face me and solve the riddle I have shown you. Follow me if you wish, but you will only find death if you do not bring me answers." With that, the dwarf continues to walk towards the exit, uninterested in the battle.

"What riddle?" asks Luysia.
But Eykad does not answer.

Luysia wants to follow him, but Kanna holds her back.

"We need to focus on the enemy that's trying to kill us!" she suggests to Luysia, trying to reason with her.
"Let's take down the Lich before he can unleash more members of his army."

Kanna looks into the blonde's eyes and sees a burning fire within them.
"The two remaining Servants are very dangerous. We need you here!"

Luysia lowers her gaze, aware that Kanna is right.

"There's no need for that! Stay down!" yells Xiaikai from Tersiflare's arms above.
The warning is because she's ready to unleash the most powerful attack of her fire spirit.

Tersiflare stands on a gigantic fireball, even larger than the one cast before.

"I will pulverize the gate from which the skeletons emerge, the army, and the two Servants in one fell swoop," Xiaikai asserts confidently. "Annihilate them, Tersiflare!" commands the pink-haired woman.

[BLAZING DANCING STAR]

The spirit tosses its summoner into the air, and with acrobatic grace, kicks the flaming sphere, starting its rapid descent.

Then, with the same grace, catches Xiaikai in mid-air.

The mysterious Servant accompanying the Lich, dressed in dark clothes, advances confidently and raises his staff above his head.
The tip of the staff glows with a pulsating blue light, reflected in the cold eyes of the Servant, the only visible feature.
His movements are precise and fluid, his fingers move quickly to create intricate magical circles.

Magical circles with complex inscriptions appear beneath and around him.
The speed with which he forms them startles Welze, who can't believe there is a mage so skilled.

[NORTHERN ROSE]

The arcane magic is performed, the air crystallizes, the temperature drops well below zero, and an ice sculpture begins to form, as beautiful as it is cold.

Like a blooming ice bud, it opens up, forming a gigantic crystal rose that protects the Lich and his army.

The fireball collides with the ice rose.

*KABOOOM*

The collision annihilates both in a cloud of steam and water that rains down on the arena, soaking those present.

"Hahahaha!" Ques laughs, satisfied with the protection created by his mage.

"The Northern Rose?!"
Kanna can't believe her eyes.

She has seen that spell before.