A Gunslinger’s System in a World of Magic

Just as Henry had his epiphany, worry clouded the Lich's expression which was strange to see because there were no muscles or skin to contort and change shape, and yet, there was a darkness over the Lich's black skull and its glare was intently on Louis.

Eloise had cut through her encirclement and she had also seen the little gap in the 'seams' of the contraption. Her eyes glowed with realization similar to Henry's as she looked over at Louis hoping to egg him on to try again. And then she saw the Mana blades the Lich had conjured and sent to Louis.

"No!" Henry yelled when he saw this too but there was nothing he could do. Worse, he knew there was nothing Louis could do either because he had never seen the Mage cast a defensive spell.

Andor was busy as well and would not react quickly enough to intercept the blades on Louis' behalf.

Eloise had her eyes screwed up and she began spellcasting at a speed Henry had never seen which admittedly wasn't saying much since he had not known her for long.

Anyway, driven by the urgency to save a life, Eloise tossed Shield Spell after Shield spell to the space between Louis and the coming Mana blades.

The blades struck the shields Eloise cast and by sheer numbers and relentless barrage, they shattered them one after the other. Luckily, Eloise had cast enough that the protection lasted long enough for Louis to dodge and avoid the rest.

Andor was also alerted and he raised his shield so the Mana blades that came at him struck against his defense and shattered while still managing to push him back a step.

Andor didn't just remain in place though. He forced a hard dash to the side and the blades, focused on a single trajectory, sailed past and struck unsuspecting Mummies, eliminating them.

The ordeal was only starting though and Eloise soon joined the group of two as a third that helped them fight against the barrage from the Lich while fending off attacks from Mummies.

The goal was to fend off attacks long enough to give Louis enough space to cast more of his Lightning attacks.

They never quite got that space.

As the main focus of the barrage of attacks, Louis was in constant danger, and for as long as they were in the Chamber, there was no way to avoid the gaze and authoritative attention of the Lich who had his eyes on them and only them.

There were a few mages among the group being led by Norbert but they were no help. Partly because they were too focused on themselves and immediate survival against the Mummies they were battling and partly because they did not quite recognize Eloise's authority to direct their efforts.

Aurelius and the Squires were hardly any help either. While Alice and Darren were holding their own against the Mummies and had both eliminated more than five each already, they didn't have range attacks to strike at the contraption and even if they did, the attempt would surely have repercussions in the fights they were already engaged in.

Henry scanned the Hall and concluded that no one could spare the attention to strike at the contraption which was ironic because since was actually the most important thing they had to do if they wanted to survive.

With the Lich's magical abilities and what was looking like an unlimited Mana reserve and unlimited summons (seriously just how many of the things did the evil bastard create and just how many people had been sacrificed for the components), things were not in their favor.

The only bright side at the moment, Henry noted, was that the Lich's attention was not currently focused on him. Despite how much authority it wielded within this Chamber, it couldn't focus on every aspect. It was why Henry could try and come up with a plan.

'Lightning is the key,' he repeated to himself, 'If I can just free Louis. Nyx could probably manage it…'

Henry stopped his thoughts then.

Because, in its bony throne, the Lich clenched the armrests of its throne hard and there was an instant change in the atmosphere of the Chamber. It became… Charged. Charged with authority… With power.

Spell circles began to form on the ground where Louis, Andor, and Eloise stood. The circles became more detailed with Arcane symbols; The preamble for a spell cast— In case the spell circles were not enough indications.

Before the spell circles were complete with the Arcane Symbols, before they were active, Eloise, Louis, and Andor had the good sense to attempt to escape but something bore down on their shoulders.

"Ah—" Eloise let out as her legs began to tremble and her knees were being forced to buckle. To hit the ground and show respect to an Authority.

Everyone in the chamber felt this authoritative wave but no one was more affected than the three who were its focus. Especially Louis whose Lightning Spell had provoked the Lich to unleash this power.

In that instant, Aurelius knew he had been wrong. Authority did have a smell… This particular authority was a mix of sweet and rotten. It shouldn't have worked and it didn't really work. The unnatural mix only served to intensify the Authority.

<Authority of Dominance>

Henry blinked as the System flashed the name of the Lich's move in front of his eyes. The system had only ever done this once before against Rena the Vyker who, at the time, had used <Wyvern Pride> as a Feral Meister.

Just like back then, Henry was confused as to why the System would volunteer the information but his confusion only intensified when the supplied information became broader.

It wasn't projected on a screen for him to read. He just knew it.

<Authority Of Dominance> was the sort of move the System called a 'Boss Action'.

As the Lords of Dungeons that are destined to have raiders storm within them, Dungeon Bosses such as the Lich had abilities they could use. Abilities beyond spells. Abilities that did not sap Mana or any real physical parameters but could simply be enacted by and at will.

The 'Boss Action' often varies from Boss to Boss and their ability to use it might also vary. For example, for the Lich, judging by the way it clenched the Armrests of its throne, there was some effort.

Anyway, even as Henry blinked with a newfound understanding of the move, it didn't change how much trouble Eloise, Louis, and Andor were in.

The spell circles were completed. Eloise's eyes widened even further than they already had because she knew the Authority holding her and the other two down had merely been to hold them in place and now came the real attack.

Despite the pressure bearing down on her and attempting to force her to her knees, or maybe because of it, Eloise channeled her Oath, let her Mana surge, and called forth the amount of Divine serenity she was currently afforded by her Divine Patron.

Her physical abilities swelled and her sword became coated in an energy blade that burned with a desire to cut and save.

When Spears began to rise out of the ground to skewer, she directed her sword into the ground. It cut through it as easily as a hot knife through butter and she caused all the energy within her to rupture.

Mana, Oath-channel, and Serene Divinity.

All exploded with every bit of their destructive force directed at the Spell circles, causing cracks to form all over before they shattered completely. Taking the conjured Spears with them and stopping the Lich's attacks before they could truly reach fruition.

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