Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Necromancer Hunt (4)
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‘I knew it would come to this.’
Gerkios ground his teeth inwardly as he watched the young knight standing in the middle of the lake.
‘Everything was Dietrich’s trap, that bastard.’
Gerkios was a lich who had transcended the limits of living beings.
He was a being capable of separating his body, mind, and soul.
Normally, Gerkios used an artificial body that recreated his human form from life, infused with a spirit-like mental body made of mana.
However, the fundamental soul that defined the existence of Gerkios was stored in the relic casket.
As long as the relic casket remained intact, he could recover no matter if his body was destroyed or his mental body took damage.
But if the connection to the relic casket was severed or it was outright destroyed, even if his body and mental body survived, the existence known as Gerkios would collapse.
‘Dietrich must have anticipated that I’d store the relic casket here.’
The underground lake where the mana of the Western Great Forest converged.
It was the perfect place to hide Gerkios’s relic casket.
That was why he had set up his necromancer’s workshop above the underground lake as a decoy. Even if enemies invaded, they’d only ransack the workshop and leave.
Yet while Gerkios was dealing with Dietrich, this young holy knight had broken through the workshop floor and entered the underground lake.
‘There’s no way this bratty knight found this place on his own. It has to be Dietrich’s scheme.’
This holy knight was Dietrich’s puppet.
Dietrich had seen through the holy relic hidden in the underground lake and sent holy knights to destroy it.
‘But it’s all for nothing.’
Gerkios activated his mana.
He had to kill this young knight before he could touch the relic casket.
‘Wave of Annihilation…!’
The Wave of Annihilation.
It was the aura of death constantly emanating from Gerkios, now a lich, every 24 hours.
Humans exposed to this aura had their life force drained. Without at least 6th-circle mana to defend, they’d lose consciousness immediately and collapse. Prolonged exposure meant certain death.
The knights loitering in the workshop had all fainted the moment Gerkios appeared.
‘I’ll make it instant death!’
Gerkios unleashed the Wave of Annihilation stronger than usual.
A massive surge of mana from his mental body filled the surroundings.
At this intensity, a greenhorn knight like that would lose his life force and die the instant he made contact.
‘Die!’
The pitch-black mana stretched out silently!
Before long, the area was filled with a black mist-like energy.
“Kukuku…”
Confirming the silence around him, Gerkios let out a chuckle.
Visibility was blocked by the black mist, but the quiet suggested the young knight had died on the spot.
“Poor fool. You were used by Dietrich.”
Now that he thought about it, the knight was still young.
Dietrich might have sweet-talked him into coming here.
“Dietrich, that bastard… I thought he’d been purged from the Dialogue Church… Never imagined we’d clash again like this.”
Back when he still had his subordinates.
Gerkios had heard that Archbishop Hausel had been purged and Dietrich had fled.
He hadn’t heard anything since, but he’d assumed Dietrich had been caught and killed by the Dialogue Church.
Yet here he was, leading the holy knight order and showing up again.
“Still… this ends it.”
Dietrich’s scheme to secretly destroy the relic casket had been thoroughly crushed.
He might come charging in again, but Gerkios could repel him easily enough.
“Wait just a little longer, Dietrich.”
As he thought about finally taking Dietrich’s life this time, he gathered the surrounding mana.
He needed to recover his spent mana using the abundant natural energy in the underground lake.
“Hm, come to think of it, there were still knights up top.”
They’d all fainted from the Wave of Annihilation, but they probably weren’t dead yet.
Since Dietrich might come barging in, he had to turn them all into undead and add them to his forces.
With that in mind, Gerkios prepared to head back up to the workshop.
“…?”
Right then.
Gerkios sensed something off.
The black mist blanketing the area… the mana was flowing strangely within the Wave of Annihilation.
“What’s this?”
Puzzled, Gerkios tried to dispel the black mist entirely.
The knight who’d tried to destroy the relic casket was surely dead by now, so there was no need to keep it up any…
“…?”
That’s when he realized.
In the middle of the lake stood a man, straight and unwavering.
He was gripping a longsword in his hand, staring right at Gerkios.
“How are you still alive?”
It was impossible.
The Wave of Annihilation he’d just unleashed was strong enough to kill any ordinary knight instantly.
How was he standing there unscathed?
“Hmm, looks like Dietrich prepared some defensive measure for you.”
Dietrich might have given him anti-undead gear.
That must have allowed him to withstand the Wave of Annihilation.
“But…!”
Gerkios drew up his mana.
If the Wave of Annihilation didn’t work, he’d just overpower him with pure attack magic.
Crimson-black flames shot toward the knight.
Gerkios specialized in necromancy and was clumsy with general attack spells, but as a 9th-circle mage, he could still one-shot a brat like that.
He should have been able to.
“…?!”
Boom!
With an explosion, the crimson-black flames scattered around.
Amid the dispersing flames, the knight stood unharmed.
“What in the world…”
Gerkios couldn’t comprehend what had happened.
It looked like he’d slashed the flames away with his sword, but that was impossible.
For a kid like that to neutralize a 9th-circle mage’s attack spell—logically, it couldn’t happen…
“Ah!”
It hit Gerkios late.
In the knight’s hand, standing in the middle of the lake… was the Demon Spirit Sword Ashurai.
* * *
“This bastard, when did he… Ashurai!”
Gerkios raised his voice upon realizing I was holding Ashurai.
“When did you take Ashurai from the mechanism?!”
“Just a bit ago.”
I gave a curt reply and gripped Ashurai tighter.
It had been over a decade since I last held it in hand, but the feel was familiar.
‘Mana’s… flowing well, too.’
Mana from my circle thinly coated Ashurai’s blade.
I didn’t have 6th-circle mana yet to form a proper sword aura, but by concentrating my sword energy, I could mimic something close.
That was because Ashurai was a demon spirit sword that responded exceptionally well to mana.
‘Ashurai, your master’s back.’
Vmmm.
As I pushed more mana in, a hum came from Ashurai.
The blade grew even more solid, nearing true sword aura strength.
‘Thanks for responding.’
Vrrrrm.
Ashurai vibrated as if replying.
It seemed happy about our reunion after ten years, too.
“Put that back where it belongs, you bastard!”
I could see Gerkios’s smoky mental body thrashing wildly in the air.
“That’s essential for controlling the undead legion!”
“You think any holy knight would obediently return it after hearing that?”
I retorted, assuming a stance with Ashurai raised.
“Even if he weren’t a holy knight, no one would listen to you.”
“You little shit…!”
Another attack spell came flying from Gerkios.
I smirked at the fireballs hurtling from five directions.
“Your attack magic’s as lousy as ever, past or present.”
“What?”
“No improvement.”
Boom!
I kicked off the lake bottom and leaped.
Dodging every single fireball on their predictable paths, I charged straight at Gerkios.
“Guh?!”
Gerkios retreated in a panic.
His smoky mental body hid any facial expression, but if he had a face, it’d be one of wounded pride.
“A 9th-circle mage with nine circles, a lich no less—scared of a brat like me and running?”
“You…!”
Gerkios hesitated.
Seizing the opening, I swung Ashurai.
“Urk!”
Swoosh!
A chunk of Gerkios’s mental body was sliced off.
The severed part dispersed into the air and vanished.
“Don’t underestimate me, brat…!”
Immense mana poured from Gerkios’s body.
“I’m a lich who’s transcended death! I might lose to Dietrich, but not to a puppet like you…!”
“Puppet?”
I parried every spell Gerkios unleashed, replying coolly.
“Who’s the puppet?”
“What?”
“Dietrich’s been dancing to my tune from start to finish.”
“…?”
Gerkios fell silent.
He probably had no clue what I was talking about.
“No need to get it if you don’t.”
“Grk!”
Another slice took off part of Gerkios’s mental body.
Sensing danger, he started putting distance between us again.
“You’re no ordinary holy knight…!”
The black smoke rippled as he shouted.
“Then how about this!”
Suddenly, a black aura erupted from Gerkios.
It was the Wave of Annihilation, unleashed even stronger than before.
“No matter how great you are, you can’t withstand this!”
This seemed to be Gerkios’s maximum output.
Unleashing it this intensely must burden his mental body, but he figured he could recover with the mana here.
‘Still… it’s useless.’
I was fine.
Normally, this should’ve made me vomit blood and drop dead, but I took zero damage.
My vision was blocked, making it a bit stuffy, that’s all.
[Hey, how long are you gonna drag this out?]
That’s when Igzard spoke up from inside me.
[Neutralizing all this is a pain. How about going all out?]
‘I need time to get used to Ashurai. My body’s different from before, so the feel’s off.’
The reason I could stand unharmed in the Wave of Annihilation was Igzard neutralizing it.
Igzard had various special abilities, and blocking damage from sinister energies like this was one. According to him, it was called “curse resistance.”
‘But yeah, time to wrap it up.’
If he kept overexerting like this and depleted his mana completely, that’d be a problem.
Because… I needed some left for me to absorb.
I hadn’t smashed the relic casket first specifically to drain mana directly from his mental body.
‘Igzard, unleash the demon sword’s power.’
[Got it!]
In that instant.
A fierce energy pierced through my mana coating Ashurai’s blade.
Separate from the mana stored in my circle, it was the energy of the Demon Sword Igzard within me.
It began surging out in earnest, enveloping the blade.
With my subordinates all unconscious up top, I could go full throttle without prying eyes.
[Ooh, this is a demon spirit sword!]
Igzard cheered from inside me.
[Night and day compared to what you’ve been using! My energy’s syncing perfectly! Such efficiency!]
‘Looks like you love it.’
Even I was a bit surprised.
The crimson-black energy now coating Ashurai’s blade… matched the sword aura I wielded as Archbishop Hausel.
So this is what happens when Igzard’s power merges with a proper sword.
‘Then… let’s give it a swing.’
With Igzard reinforcing the blade, I could focus my own mana on strengthening my body.
I activated my entire physique and kicked off the lake.
‘Here I go.’
Boom!
I tore through the death mist blanketing the area.
It was all pitch black, but I instantly pinpointed Gerkios.
“Ah…!”
Gerkios noticed my approach and tried to cast in horror.
But it was too late.
“How can a brat like you wield sword aura like this…!”
A crimson-black flash cleaved through the black darkness.
Sword aura evoking my days as Archbishop Hausel bisected Gerkios’s mental body in one stroke.