-----

"Ahahaha…! You're slowing down, you damn old man!" Laughed the old necromancer, as his staff moved forward, conjuring a storm of spiraling phantasmal flames, and impacting Ellergest directly.

BOOOOMMM!!!

"Unnggh..! T-This fire!"

Ellergest had no choice but to step back, losing his balance and then falling into the ground, rolling over the grass. However, he quickly got up, summoning his dragon and his turtle at each of his sides, some blood was coming out of his arms as he had over exceeded his limits when he clashed against his old friend.

"I thought you were stronger, what's wrong?" The old necromancer asked, as he noticed his hands began to fall apart more and more, his skin and his muscles falling apart, leaving only bones.

"Y-Your arms…" Ellergest muttered. "What… what is happening to you?" Ellergest asked, as he suddenly spit a mouthful of blood, his spiritual and holy power slowly beginning to channel into his chest.

"What is happening to me?" Asked the old man, noticing that the group with Ellergest reached him at long last, appearing right behind him. His Undead were given the job of taking care of the small fry, as the Death Wyvern led the others to battle. "Well, didn't I tell you that I have stopped being a human? I am no longer Kyle, your friend. I no longer have a name…"

The old necromancer suddenly grabbed his old and mummified skin and peeled it off his own face grossly, taking away skin and muscle, leaving half of his face turned into a dry white skull… from within his eye socket, red light began to emerge… The old necromancer's voice changed, sounding monstrous and phantasmal, as if he was no longer speaking with his own vocal chords.

"A Lich…?!"

Ellergest immediately realized what his friend had turned himself into… a Undead. And not a simple one, but a race of Undead known for being the strongest out there, the ones that were even said to be the Kings of all other Undead, Liches.

"This frail human body is no good. I had decided… to become something else now. Age wont matter anymore to me." The old necromancer said. "I can live as long as I want, Ellergest!"

"But you're no longer alive, you're dead!" Said Ellergest, his golden staff gained the power of his spiritual energy and holy light, as he quickly charged forward with his two spirits towards his old friend.

"Death is only a phase after life. Come on, why don't you join me?! Don't you want to be at my side so much, you coward?!" Laughed the necromancer, half his face was a white skull, and the other an old man.

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

Both of their staffs clashed against one another, generating sparks of darkness and golden light. Their spirits battled ferociously atop their heads, as the Reaper unleashed countless slashing attacks against the Holy Dragon, who was barely resisting them by reinforcing his scales. Meanwhile, a second spirit also emerged from within Kyle while Ellergest least expected it.

"But you know… I am quite versed in more things than merely using this old staff! Elemental Spirit Fusion!" He laughed, as another skeleton emerged behind him, completely covered with black armor from head to toe. The spirit did not attack, but suddenly converged with the old necromancer's body, giving him his armor and an enormous black sword.

FLASH!

"Y-You've reached this point already?!" Ellergest asked in shock, seeing as his friend had become an enormous black armored half skeleton.

"And this is not even my limit now!" Laughed the old necromancer, as he swung his enormous sword, Ellergest barely evaded by jumping back, only for the sword to impact the ground and unleash an enormous explosion of phantasmal flames that erupted from the ground as spirals.

BOOOOMMM!!!

"Unnggh…!"

Ellergest managed to defend himself by conjuring a barrier of light around his body, as he quickly brought his turtle.

"I can do this as well, now that I am Rank 3… Even if temporarily… That Blake could do it, then why can't I?!" Ellergest roared, as his turtle suddenly reached his body, converging with it.

"Master, sorry for being such a lazy spirit this entire time… Let me give you my strength." The Turtle said.

"Don't worry, my child. Spirit Fusion!"

FLASH!

Ellergest body suddenly grew muscular, as an armor of rocks grew over his entire body, his back was also covered by an enormous turtle shell with spikes, and his hands gained enormous metallic spikes resembling gauntlets, his staff had suddenly merged with such gauntlets, turning them into gold, and shining with holy light.

"I'm gonna smash that skull of yours!" Ellergest lost all patience, rushing towards the old Necromancer who felt shocked by his sudden boost of speed!

CLAAASH!

His fists clashed against his old foe's enormous black sword, as the sword barely resisted his enormous fists, but it wouldn't be able to resist countless punches!

CLASH!

"You know…?!"

CLASH!

"I…!"

CLASH!

"Was always…!"

CLASH!

"Better than you…!"

CLASH!

"At fighting with my fists!"

CLAAAASH!

"Unnggh?!"

The old necromancer gritted his teeth as he looked at Ellergest furiously, channeling his phantasmal flames into his sword and his entire body and screaming with undeath fury!

"You damn… OLD BASTARD!"

FLUOOOOSSSSHHH!

The flames took over Ellergest's entire body, as he felt his soul beginning to burn! However, Ellergest didn't give up, screaming his lungs out and unleashing his light.

"Nnngghh… GRAAAAH! [Tectonic Tremor]!!!"

TRUUUUMMMMM…!

The old Ellergest hit the ground with his enormous and muscular arms, shaking the entire ground surrounding him, making the floor crumble, and creating several spiderweb-shaped cracks, the necromancer was forced to escape not by the fear of falling into a hole, but because from within the ground, rays of holy light emerged one after the other!

FLASH! FLASH! FLAAASH!

The flashing light was so bright it made the necromancer close his only eye for a bit, losing a part of his vision which Ellergest used to surprise him!

"[One Hundred Rock Spears]!"

And right in front of him, a hundred spears made of sharp rocks were conjured.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

-----