Necromancer Of The Black Bible (114)

-You truly are amazing. I think I finally understand why they chose you.

A smile appeared on Erisia’s lips.

She was certain her attempt had worked.

But the man continued in a strange voice.

-But before that, there’s something you must do.

-What is it? I’ll definitely accomplish it.

Erisia’s mind was already made up.

She did not know the man’s identity, but the fact that those who would offer her as a sacrifice feared him was enough.

If she pledged loyalty to him, she could overcome this situation.

Perhaps she could even take revenge on them.

Erisia’s spirit form began to sharpen, and soon the man’s voice was heard.

-You must cut off the shackles on your ankle.

Erisia looked at the red shackle constricting her right ankle.

The shackle, formed by a verbal spell, pulsed with deep red mana.

Erisia, after examining it for a moment, spoke.

-It’s impossible to break this with my own strength.

-I’ll tell you how to.

At that moment, a greenish energy seeped into both of her hands.

-Focus your mind. Let go of the thought that it can’t be done, and imagine the shackle broken.

Erisia moved as the voice guided her.

-Imagine a sword in your hands. Picture a very fine, perfect sword.

-I did.

At that moment, a sword appeared in Erisia’s hand.

It was the sword the Crown Prince had been carrying that she had noticed before.

Its shape was similar, but the color was completely different.

Above all, the shimmering energy from the translucent blade sent chills down her spine just by looking at it.

-Cut the shackle with that sword.

Erisia swung the sword as instructed.

Shaaak-

The translucent blade sliced the shackle in two, and the severed pieces fell to the floor.

-Very well done.

-Thank you. Will you accept me now?

Erisia asked with a smile, and the man’s voice soon answered.

-Not yet. Becoming my servant isn’t that easy. At the very least, you must deal with those ones to earn the right.

Erisia looked at the three in front of her.

Astarene and Belphages. And the unidentified Demon King.

She looked at them and asked the man.

-Do you mean I should destroy all of them?

-Yes. Can’t you?

Erisia didn’t ponder for long.

-I will.

The reason was simple.

If she couldn’t eliminate them, there would be no future anyway.

It was better to struggle even once than to be senselessly offered as a sacrifice.

Besides, didn’t she have a guardian now?

Having received power from him and even removed the shackle, there was nothing she couldn’t do.

-You are a strong child.

-That’s why they chose me. This time too, I will be chosen by you.

-That’s a fine resolve. Then I’ll tell you the method.

At the mention of a method, Erisia suppressed a smile.

The voice’s owner acted stern but was helping her nonetheless.

That ultimately meant he would accept her.

-Don’t get ahead of yourself. Until you enter the pocket, nothing can be called yours.

-I’ll remember that.

-Then….

The man gave detailed instructions, and Erisia followed them.

She made a square with her hands, extended her arms, and aimed at the chair.

When the chair fit perfectly inside the square, a bizarre form she had never seen before began to appear.

A shape formed from clumped black mist.

The form resembled a human, and its two eyes glowed purple.

He leaned both hands on a massive greatsword and listened to Astarene and Belphages.

Watching like this, she began to hear their conversation as well.

“An interesting proposal. To use me to eliminate your enemies.”

“Demon King, that’s not what we mean. That creature is the enemy of this entire underground Demon Realm. It even defeated the vicious Crimson Dragon Eckhart, so of course next would be here, wouldn’t it?”

“That’s right. Until now, the demons of the underground realm couldn’t advance to the surface because of our clan. Now that we are gone, that creature will run rampant on the surface, and soon will eye this place. By then it will be too late.”

Erisia smiled.

When she first faced them, she had been terrified by their power and abilities.

So she followed whatever they said and paid no attention to their conversations.

Because that was proper etiquette.

A subordinate must never show interest in a superior’s conversation.

If one remembered and leaked such conversations, one could be executed.

In fact, some servants had been beheaded at the Eckhart manor for that reason.

That was why she had deliberately averted her attention from their conversation.

But now it was different.

The one they feared was aiding her.

So there was no need to look away or remain tense.

Because now she was the hunter.

-What should we do now?

-You need to pick a target. Who do you want to eliminate first?

-The Demon King?

Erisia answered without much hesitation.

Because the Demon King was precisely their hope.

‘If I remove their hope first, they will fall into despair.’

There’s no easier prey than one in despair.

This had been an important survival strategy for her until now.

-An interesting choice.

As his words fell, a greenish energy began to condense in the center of the square she formed with her fingers.

The energy formed a small magic circle and soon summoned something.

It was a kind of scale.

Erisia had never seen a scale of this shape before, but she had no time to inspect it closely.

Because the scale began to spin axially.

Piiing-

The scale spun at incredible speed.

The scale shot toward the Demon King and instantly pierced his head and the throne behind him.

Kwang-

Startled by the powerful impact, Erisia flinched and stepped back.

At the same time, a clear voice resonated in her mind.

-It’s not over yet. Hold your stance.

-Yes.

Erisia steeled herself and stood her ground.

Astarene and Belphages were already watching her and shouting something, but she paid them no attention.

That wasn’t what’s important right now.

‘I’ll definitely pull this off.’

She just had to maintain her stance.

Then she could please that man’s expectations.

Now the spinning scale turned back toward the throne. About half of the Demon King’s form remained on the throne, and when the scale struck it, the entire form was wrapped by the scale.

Erisia couldn’t help but marvel as she watched.

To her, the Demon King’s body was nothing more than smoke.

It seemed like a figure formed from dense black smoke.

It was hard to imagine wounding such a being with physical force, but the man’s attack easily surpassed that.

The scale’s fearsome axial rotation enveloped all the black smoke.

The centrifugal force was so tremendous the smoke couldn’t escape, and the scale, along with the black energy, slipped straight into the magic circle drawn in the square of Erisia’s fingers.

When the scale disappeared, a tremendous gust struck.

Even Erisia, in spirit form, was pushed back.

With the Demon King gone, all eyes turned to Erisia.

Astarene and Belphages stared at her with wide eyes and shouted.

“You! What on earth did you do?!”

“Could it be… we’ve been tracked?”

Erisia smiled faintly and replied.

“Guess. What did I do?”

Erisia lowered her hands and waited for the man’s instructions.

But the man remained silent until the enraged Astarene finished chanting the spell.

-Um… Master. What should we do now….

-Ahem. Mind your form of address. I haven’t accepted you yet.

-But….

At that moment, an iron collar that appeared from somewhere was fastened around Erisia’s neck.

Clack-

In that instant, Erisia’s spirit became clearer, and her senses, including sight, sharpened considerably.

-This is a reward for what you did earlier. From now on, fight as you please.

But Erisia could not answer readily.

Because without the man’s help, it would be impossible to face both Astarene and Belphages at once.

-Where did your earlier momentum go? Weren’t you destined to disappear anyway? You should be grateful I gave you this chance.

Only after hearing that did Erisia become aware of her position.

‘Right. I’m still being tested.’

The man had not accepted her.

All of this was a test, and it wasn’t over yet.

‘Even so….’

Having defeated the Demon King, she’d effectively passed the first test.

Only two remained.

Then the voice spoke again.

-Don’t forget that you are already dead. And the artifact I gave you is an object that materializes a spirit form. Use those two facts well and you can win.

-I will remember.

Erisia clenched both her fists.

She felt a noticeably different sensation in her hands.

‘Materialization of the spirit form….’

She couldn’t understand it all at once, but two things were clear.

That the iron collar the man had fastened was completely different from the red shackle Astarene had put on, and that it was an item that added power rather than draining it.

‘In that case….’

Erisia looked at Astarene, who had finished the incantation.

From her hands, verbal magic was pouring forth.

Erisia knew what that magic was.

The most basic verbal magic: ‘Dracarys’.

It was potent but had the drawback of a short range.

And Erisia could withstand that level of heat with her power.

“Kaor-”

As she uttered the verbal spell, a wall of flame rose before Erisia.

The flames of the barrier were far more powerful than the fire spewed from Astarene’s hands,

so the attack was completely nullified.

‘Good!’

Erisia clenched her fist.

She learned two things from this clash.

That Astarene’s skill wasn’t as great as she had thought, and that the magic she could use was more powerful than before.

Erisia glanced alternately at Astarene and Belphages standing beyond the flame barrier.

At first she had feared them, but not anymore.

Come to think of it, Astarene’s body had originally been hers.

At best, a 3rd-circle fire mage.

No matter how great the potential, one cannot use a mana circle one does not possess.

‘It’s worth trying.’

The man’s words were not empty boast.

The iron collar she received from him had made her far better off than her previous body.

Besides, Erisia was already dead.

The dead cannot die again.

This implied one thing.

“The time for revenge has come.”