Chapter 72
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: The Throne of the Hades King
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At first, upon hearing that he planned to proclaim his domain and then use the Dominion Authority, which allowed him to exert control over the entire area, to link and activate the magic circles...
The Hades King nearly blurted out, 'What kind of nonsense is that!' but he clamped his mouth shut just before the words escaped.
'...It, it might actually work...?'
Domain Declaration was a ability that amplified a necromancer's powers to their utmost, providing boosted spirit, qi, mental acuity, and focus.
Of course, necromancers capable of using Domain Declaration were exceedingly rare in the first place, and even with it active, the limits were still dictated by the user's own skill.
If another necromancer—even an elder—had suggested something like that, he wouldn't have hesitated to shoot it down. But for some reason, with Kang Sa-hu, it felt like it just might be possible.
Still, the Hades King quickly shook his head, banishing the thought.
Even if Domain Declaration made it feasible, Kang Sa-hu would clearly struggle just to gather the necessary spirit in the first place.
And even supposing he pulled it off through Domain Declaration, the spirit consumption would be anything but minor.
When the Hades King explained as much, Kang Sa-hu tilted his head thoughtfully before nodding in agreement.
"I see. Yeah, it could come across that way. I understand what you mean."
Of course, his inner thoughts were a bit different.
'From what you've told me, Lord Hades King, including the parts where I'm lacking—it really is possible with Domain Declaration.'
So was the Hades King just fretting unnecessarily, his old worries making him dismiss an otherwise viable idea?
No, that wasn't it either.
'With so many magic circles needing simultaneous maintenance, even substituting as much as possible with mana-based qi, relying entirely on Domain Declaration to operate and sustain them would cause spirit consumption to skyrocket.'
To anyone hearing just the conclusion, it might sound like he thought it impossible—but Kang Sa-hu knew one fact the Hades King didn't.
'That logic holds if it's ordinary human spirit. But using the abnormally swollen spirit of a hunter, or even Kataku's ridiculously vast spirit, should be more than enough to handle it.'
Of course, this was just an internal musing.
Kang Sa-hu had no intention of pushing his own view aggressively.
This was just the starting point, after all.
'Right now, it's just Kataku. But who knows when I'll encounter another monster with spirit? When that happens, I can use Domain Declaration my way to create a Death Knight.'
But to prepare for that, he needed hands-on experience creating one at least once. So without argument, he went along with the Hades King's proposal.
"Mm-hmm! Glad you all get it!"
The Hades King nodded in satisfaction at his response.
Then, eyes gleaming with intensity, he thrust his hand forward and flicked it once. A cluster of bones surged across the floor, gouging into it as they began tracing a magic circle.
Just like when Kang Sa-hu used his Embalming skill, the bones whipped through the air under his command, swiftly forming the circle. In no time, an incredibly intricate magic circle was complete.
"Whew. Having my spirit back really lightens the load—you can feel it. One down, anyway."
The Hades King, clearly pleased with himself, let out an impressed 'Mm!' as he rested his hands on his hips and nodded.
That's when Kang Sa-hu raised his hand.
"One thing, Lord Hades King. If we draw the magic circle on the floor here, I'll have to pry up a bit of it to take along. That okay with you?"
"Huh? Why pry up the floor?"
As the Hades King looked baffled, Kang Sa-hu calmly replied.
"Because the magic circles I prepared and showed you are in my parents' lab on the outskirts of the Necromancer Society."
Even in the Underworld, the Necromancer Society—roughly the size of Seoul in Korea—was no small distance from its center to the periphery.
The Necro Castle they stood in was at the heart of it all, so the trek to the lab was about the same as going from Namsan Tower to the edge of Gwanak-gu.
And the farther the distance, the greater the power required to operate and connect them proportionally. So the most practical solution was to rip up the magic circle the Hades King had drawn and take it along.
At those words, the Hades King burst into laughter, imagining Kang Sa-hu grunting as he hefted a stone slab like a turtle shuffling along.
"Hahaha! What? You were planning to carry this thing?"
"How else do we connect it?"
Kang Sa-hu phrased it as a perfectly reasonable question, but even he felt a twinge of awkwardness. The Hades King wiped away bloody tears from laughing so hard.
"You think I'd screw you over like that on purpose? No need for that."
At her words, Kang Sa-hu quietly pondered the reason.
Why was she so confidently saying there was no need?
The answer came naturally as he recalled something from before entering the Gate, leading him to one hypothesis.
"Like how you calculated the Gate's coordinates to teleport us— you're planning to move this magic circle the same way?"
"Mm, close, but not quite. Half right."
Even as she called it not fully correct, she smiled, pleased with his answer.
"No need to move the magic circle itself. Since it's within the Necromancer Society—my sphere of influence—it can't escape. And that doesn't just apply to physical objects."
The Hades King kept smiling as she gazed at Kang Sa-hu and continued her explanation.
"What I'll connect is the resonance and activation of the magic circle itself. In other words, I'll create the core axis here and link it to the ones you've prepared."
Worried her explanation might fall short, she started to bring up a 'Wi-Fi' analogy as if it just occurred to her—but Kang Sa-hu cut her off.
"I get it. But I didn't realize you could resonate all the way to the magic circles nearly at the very edge of the outskirts."
The Hades King's method wasn't all that different from what Kang Sa-hu had planned himself.
Activate, connect, and maintain the magic circles within his domain simultaneously while creating the Death Knight.
But Kang Sa-hu had never intended to stretch that domain across intermediate and outer ranges.
Maintaining resonance over such vast distances would just waste the spirit needed to sustain Domain Declaration needlessly.
And here was where he understood her 'half right' comment—she had no intention of squandering power like that.
"Normally, you'd use immense power to shorten the activation energy by warping space itself, right?"
"Yep, that's it! If needed, I could even warp your parents' lab or Seunghwan's and Ella's here—but moving physical matter takes a ridiculous amount of power, just like you'd expect. The spirit and qi drain would be no joke."
Her explanation was lengthy, but Kang Sa-hu could sum it up simply.
'Transfer only the magic circles' capabilities here and combine their effects.'
He understood intellectually, but imagining such energy warping was beyond him. Quietly, he watched as she drew more magic circles.
Five circles formed in an instant.
Five, yet somehow one at the same time.
The reason? Each occupied a vertex of a pentagram, with power designed to flow along its shape connecting them all.
Kang Sa-hu eyed the intricate script and tight linkages—clearly complex—and pocketed the notebook and pen he'd pulled out to copy them.
"Heh heh heh. Tough to draw, huh? Don't worry—plenty of time. About an hour?"
"No need. Ten seconds is enough."
"...Huh?"
The Hades King gaped, stunned that he'd claim to copy a magic circle so complex—even she would need ten minutes—at just ten seconds.
But Kang Sa-hu calmly crossed his legs, crouched like a spring, then leaped up, activating his phone's camera.
-Sma~ile!
Click click click click
As the cute voice chimed "Smile!", crystal-clear photos snapped onto the screen in a flash.
For good measure, he even recorded video. Landing back down, he nodded.
"I misspoke. Ten seconds was too optimistic. Took twelve."
"......"
Too busy checking his shots, Kang Sa-hu missed the Hades King's face—glistening with bloody tears of envy and injustice, her eyes bulging in a death glare.
Convinced the photos were perfect for later solo prep, Kang Sa-hu followed the Hades King—who, for some reason, now sported a protruding lip and endless grumbling—back to the castle's heart.
Rumble rumble rumble—
The Hell Gate, which had creaked open only slowly when Kang Sa-hu placed his hand at the center, now swung wide swiftly.
Stepping inside, the Hades King climbed energetically onto the throne—made of bones that had hardened over time into something almost metallic—with a spirited "Hup hup!"
"Phew. Well, anyway—preparations are complete now."
Kang Sa-hu nodded at her words.
The numerous magic circles and materials prepared in his parents' lab on the Necromancer Society's outskirts, at their request.
Plus the five additional ones from the Hades King.
She'd said two more ingredients were needed, but those were essentially ready too.
To retrieve one, the seated Hades King began leaking thick, blood-red glow from her eyes.
"By the pact etched in spirit from the start, I, Andrassi Bartori, command you. Born of blood and flesh, bone and hide, bearer of all spells and curses—heed my call."
She who was called the king of all necromancers commanded.
Her red glow deepened, and the immense power that had coursed through the throne beneath her, transmitting force across the realm, stirred.
Clack, clack, clack
Grind crunch
As her words ended, bones clattered together, and the throne she sat upon began disassembling—slowly at first.
Not shoving against each other like forced puzzle pieces, but gliding smoothly along precisely fitted paths. As the bones shifted, a small space opened at the center of her towering throne—over five meters tall.
Rooooar—
Ooooooh—!
Locked tight within the prison of the Hades King's throne, the entity revealed itself as the bones aligned perfectly.
"-Mm."
From the moment the throne stirred, Kang Sa-hu—feeling a viscous, overwhelming power flood out like a burst dam—let out a rare heavy groan.
Its magnitude and density were beyond easy comprehension, even for him: thick, weighty, savage, and fierce.
But he quickly steadied his vast mana and battle-hardened body, straightened his posture, and met the emerging presence head-on—green and blue glows shaping like horns from his eyes.
The holy scripture of all necromancers.
At the same time, the paladins who opposed them reviled it as unearthed from hell, fearing and loathing its demonic tome.
Yet to ordinary folk unaware—like necromancers, paladins, sorcerers, and others with special powers—it had seeped, twisted, and spread through ages, becoming a known ancient grimoire even to many today.
The Necronomicon drifted forth, leaking a thick, melancholic green aura, cradled in bony hands as if offered up.