Chapter 78: The Balor and the Colossal Flesh Golem!
A Balor! The signature demon of the Abyss! Because it was just that powerful.
Balors were the elite among greater demons. Even within the Abyss, Balors were the absolute ruling class. Challenging a Balor was no easier than challenging a demigod. Few had seen them, but the awe they inspired was deeply ingrained in people’s minds. In the heroic legends of the mortal realm, the Balor was already one of the most powerful enemies, on the same level as an ancient red dragon. They were evil foes that only legendary heroes could resist.
Anything above that—demigods, divine messengers, saints… were not beings that mortals could deal with. And they were one of the few greater demons born with divinity.
[Greater Demon] [Large Outsider]
Attributes: Strength 35, Dexterity 25, Constitution 31, Intelligence 21, Wisdom 24, Charisma 26
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Creature Level: 25+ (High-Tier Legendary)
HP: 360+
Divine Rank: None
Divinity: Lesser Divinity
Domains: Fire, Chaos, Evil.
Base Skills: Bluff 310, Concentration 330, Diplomacy 350, Hide 260, Intimidate 330…
Special Abilities: Body Explosion, Entangle, Spell-Like Abilities, Summon Demon.
Feats: Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Initiative, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Power Attack, Greater Power Attack, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting…
Spell-Like Abilities: Blasphemy, Dominate Monster, Greater Dispel Magic, Greater Teleport, Soul Bind, Power Word Stun, Telekinesis, Unholy Aura, Fire Storm, Implosion…
**
“Mortals…”
“How do you wish to die?”
The ancient Abyssal language echoed from the rift where the magic circle had disappeared. A massive, flaming monster gradually emerged. The temperature rose sharply. A Balor was like a giant ball of fire; any creature that got close would be scorched by its flames. It had a pair of demonic horns and a pair of large demonic wings on its back. The Balor stood over four meters tall, holding a massive Abyssal greatsword in one hand and an Abyssal flame whip in the other.
Elena quickly retreated, took off the earring from her left ear, activated it, and placed it in Lydia’s arms. A shimmering light enveloped Lydia’s body. She lay quietly in the clearing, and no creature could approach her.
[Light of Protection · Legendary Item: When activated, it can defend against attacks from enemies below the legendary tier! Remember, it is the one who protected you!]
She ran back to Nadia’s side, on high alert, watching the evil figure struggle to emerge. Elena whispered to herself, “I am the protector of this country!”
“I will be the one to destroy evil!”
**
“This place is much different than I thought…”
A miniature dimension? That makes sense, otherwise it wouldn’t be able to hold so many undead.
The inside of the corpse giant was surprisingly spacious, and the passages were more like a dungeon’s labyrinth. It was less like a creature and more like a construct.
[Construct]
Mechanical creations assembled by spellcasters using various materials, then brought to life with Animate Objects and Limited Wish. This included, but was not limited to, various golems such as clay golems, iron golems, and diamond golems, as well as construct mechanical guards… They were a mage’s favorite, generally possessing immense strength and astonishing defense, and were an essential part of a mage tower’s defenses.
“So this friend was a golem? Hmm… a flesh golem?”
A flesh golem was a cruel thing. Some necromancers would sew together stolen human limbs to form a single entity. The body of a flesh golem had to come from human corpses that had not yet significantly decayed. And assembling a golem required at least six different corpses: one for each limb, one for the torso including the head, and one for the brain. Sometimes, even more corpses were needed.
Flesh golems couldn’t speak, but they could emit various hoarse roars. When they walked and moved, their steps were stiff, as if they couldn’t fully control their bodies.
“But this guy is… a bit too big!”
Estimating his current location, Shelley hesitated for a moment, then added, “…I’m talking about his size!”
“Could it be a colossal flesh golem?”
[Colossal Flesh Golem: Flesh golems made from the body parts of giants are stronger and more terrifying than ordinary ones! A giant flesh golem towers over its enemies, pummeling them to dust with its titanic strength.]
With his ethereal ability, Shelley moved quickly through its body…
“It’s very loose… I mean, the defenses!”
Shelley explored the inside, occasionally dodging a few lost-looking skeletons and mummies.
“It feels like a half-finished product. This necromancer has some interesting ideas…”
This was practically half of his wizard’s tower. The internal defenses were naturally very tight, but he had never expected to encounter an incubus who could travel through the Ethereal Plane.
“Found it!”
He saw a special room. He didn’t try to break the seal on the door, but simply passed through the fleshy wall on the side.
“Who’s so low-level as to still need to pick locks?”
“A true gentleman never picks locks!”
[…]
[You are a disgrace to incubi!]
[Go steal someone’s heart!]
[What’s the point of stealing things!]
“Don’t be like that. Everyone is happy.”
“Am I that kind of person?”
[…Have you no shame?]
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Behind the wall was a typical necromancer’s room—dark, cold, and filled with the faint wails of lost souls. A dense concentration of negative energy gathered here, only to be constantly dispersed, unable to form into a vengeful spirit…
Various jars and containers held the body parts of various rare and exotic beasts: a mermaid’s tail, a murloc’s gills, a half-orc’s canine teeth, a werewolf’s pelt… Shelley even saw a few blood samples from a red dragon.
“As expected of a legendary mage! The loot is abundant.”
A fully prepared mage was the most difficult to defeat. But in return, the loot they dropped was the most abundant. Only the treasure of an adult dragon or older could be richer. A single piece of their equipment might be more expensive than an entire set of a poor warrior’s gear. Not to mention the mage towers, which cost millions of gold coins. It was very common for a mage tower to be paid off in installments over hundreds of years.
What was the concept of a million gold coins? Ten gold coins, regulated by the temple of the Goddess of Wealth, were enough for a family of three commoners to live for two years. The annual income of a noble’s serf estate in the south might only be a few hundred gold coins.
But in reality, real gold and silver coins were rarely found in a mage’s tower. If they were, they were only used as pure gold and silver in emergencies. They were often short on cash, even though they were really rich, because they had converted all their wealth into magic equipment, spell components, and experimental materials. Fortunately, a mage’s experimental materials were always easy to sell.
“That half-orc won’t find this place for a while…”
“Let me see, where did you hide your heart?”
From the very beginning, Shelley had never believed that William would be so foolish as to keep his vital organs on his person.
“Oh?”
“This is… interesting.”
[I like your idea!]
“I’m honored.”
