Necromancer Of The Black Bible (117)

Balthazar picked his staff up out of habit.

However, the feel of the staff was different from before.

That was only natural, since it wasn’t the staff he had always used in his previous life.

That wasn’t the only thing that had changed.

‘Don’t forget that there’s no Mana Ring.’

At this moment he had no connection with any Demon King.

Therefore there was no Mana Ring in his heart; instead, he could only use divine power.

And that was only the divine power of an ordinary investigator.

“That’s enough to deal with Murak.”

The shadow assassin Murak.

What made him terrifying was that he had no form.

Because he had no form, he could approach stealthily and ambush at unexpected moments.

Still, there was a weakness.

“He operates through shadows.”

That meant he couldn’t operate in areas without shadows.

This point is even clearly noted in ancient texts.

“<If you become a target of a Shade assassin, always stay beside the light. The stronger that light, the longer your life will be…>“

In his previous life, Balthazar used this fact to fight the Shade tribe several times.

Of course, he failed in the first encounter.

Those cunning creatures could launch shadow blades from within the darkness.

He had hidden his target in the light, but was hit by a shadow blade the Shade threw and died.

He failed to protect his targets several more times after that, but Balthazar didn’t give up.

He learned the natures of the Shade tribe and even cataloged all the weapons and tactics they used.

And after developing a magic circle that could trap them, he was able to win those confrontations.

From the moment Balthazar was first assigned here, he had drawn a huge magic circle in this place.

A pure magic circle that could be activated without a Mana Ring.

All that was left was to wait for the creature to arrive.

Balthazar gave instructions to Andre, who had taken up a watch ahead.

“Come to my side. Rash attacks won’t do.”

“Understood.”

Balthazar had already explained the strategy to Andre, so he complied obediently.

Andre stepped back silently.

The moment he stood next to Balthazar, a presence was felt from the distant darkness.

A faint presence just barely detectable by the power of perception.

But Balthazar could tell that it belonged to Murak.

‘Just a little more.’

It needed to advance ten more steps to enter the magic circle’s range.

But the opponent stopped at that point.

Had it perhaps detected the trap?

Or was there some other trick?

Balthazar closed his eyes.

To raise his senses to their peak.

Then he sensed an unexpected situation.

‘It’s splitting.’

The creature that had stopped right in front of the magic circle split into two, and one half was slowly approaching in a semicircle along the edge of the circle.

From that movement, it seemed to know about the magic circle already.

It was likely testing the circle’s range in this way.

‘Murak… as the rumors said, he’s not ordinary.’

As befits Illinas’s left hand, he had seen through Balthazar’s confinement magic circle.

If it came all the way across, it would probably use a technique to nullify the formation.

‘We can’t wait until then.’

The rest was obvious.

If the magic circle disappeared, they would have to face it unprotected.

If he could use magic it might be different, but now, able only to use divine power, it was extremely disadvantageous.

No matter how skilled Andre was, he couldn’t cut shadows.

There was only one effective skill.

The Celestial Shield.

A quite useful shield that condenses divine power to defend against all attacks.

But how many strikes from Murak it could withstand was unknown.

‘We need a plan.’

Just as a frown formed between Balthazar’s brows.

Andre, who was beside him, spoke.

“There’s one more person here.”

“No. That’s a clone.”

Andre shook his head at Balthazar’s words.

“I’m talking about someone other than the clone.”

Balthazar followed Andre’s gaze, then focused his mind and raised his perception.

‘It’s true. Something is there.’

A pale, grayish figure.

It was watching from atop a pillar, and its murderous intent was directed at Murak’s clone.

As he was about to find out what it was.

The magic circle vanished.

The mana that had been seeping gently from the floor evaporated in an instant.

And then.

Whoosh-

With a faint gust, Murak’s clones leapt into the air.

The one at the rear lunged at Balthazar, the one in front at Andre.

And the shadow clinging to the pillar above hurled itself toward the clone attacking Balthazar.

Chaaeng-

A sharp sound split the air.

The shadow clone that had pounced on Balthazar recoiled from the unexpected ambush, and Andre sliced the shadow rushing at him in an instant.

Swaak-

A clean slashing motion.

It was an ikketsu (single flash) that would have drawn gasps from any onlookers.

A small burst of light split the shadow in two in an instant, and the shadow vanished.

Only the rear clone remained.

Balthazar looked at the figure who had suddenly appeared and blocked the attack.

He couldn’t make out the figure with the naked eye because of the thick darkness.

Even with the power of perception, the opponent’s physical form wasn’t clear.

At that moment, Equinox’s voice echoed in his mind.

-A half-Shade, huh.

-Why did this one appear, I wonder?

-Judge it well. Isn’t that your specialty?

Equinox’s remark was correct.

Sizing up an opponent was Balthazar’s specialty.

It’s no exaggeration to say that this skill is why he had survived in his previous life.

Balthazar concentrated all his mind and stared at the opponent before him.

He was looking at the shadow standing in front of him.

That shadow was probably Murak.

What was surprising was that Andre cutting down another clone had no effect.

‘Normally, when a clone disappears, its fragments seep back into the original…’

It was strange.

Could it be that Andre had destroyed a shadow clone with a single strike?

If not, it was hard to explain the current situation.

Then Andre spoke to the shadow standing with its back to Balthazar.

“Reveal yourself.”

A low voice that resonated through the entire space.

The shadow glanced back and spoke.

“I am on your side.”

It was a somewhat low female voice.

She looked forward again and continued.

“You may not believe me, but believe me.”

As soon as she finished speaking, her corporeal form moved.

Like sticky jelly trembling, she moved forward, and a sharp metallic sound rang out.

Chaaeng-

That was only the beginning.

Murak’s assaults continued fiercely, and the woman parried them.

Cha-cha-cha-chaeng-

Because the fierce clash occurred within the darkness, Balthazar couldn’t clearly determine the nature of the exchange.

All he could discern was that the woman before him was skilled enough to rival Murak.

He didn’t know why the woman was here doing this, but one thing was clear.

‘That one is an ally. To gain the advantage, we must attack together.’

Andre seemed to have made the same judgment and leveled his sword.

Balthazar stopped him and said.

“Leave it to me.”

Divine power is inherently specialized for opposing darkness.

To use an overwhelmingly powerful offensive ability like the ‘Power of the Silver Blade’ requires a high level. But supportive abilities for allies can be used at a much lower tier.

Balthazar gripped his staff and watched ahead.

Because the duel took place in dense darkness, specifying the target wasn’t easy.

But the more he concentrated, the more he could make out details.

“Being a half-Shade, there’s a somewhat grayish hue.”

The woman who was defending against Murak’s attacks.

Equinox referred to her as a ‘half-Shade.’

This means someone born between the shadow-formed Shade tribe and a human.

Such half-Shades possess traits of both humans and Shades.

Those traits become especially evident when struck; each time Murak’s blow was parried, the woman’s form grew clearer.

Thanks to that, Balthazar could more easily make out her figure, and he soon cast an ability.

‘Power of the Silver Noose!’

At that moment a silver noose sprang up from the floor and seized Murak’s form.

No matter how Shade-like, it couldn’t escape the silver noose.

Such is the nature of the divine.

Murak was caught with no way to move.

It struggled and issued a cry.

Kiyaaaaa-

The scream was so piercing it could have torn listeners’ eardrums, but Balthazar reacted quickly.

He immediately cast ‘Prison of Silence’ and trapped Murak.

Now it was like a fish flopping its mouth, bound by the noose.

Seeing this, the woman sheathed the sword she’d been wielding on her back and instead gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist.

She focused for a moment and drew the sword at incredible speed.

Ssak-

With a chilling sound, a flash streaked by.

The flash cut through the Prison, slicing Murak’s afterimage along with the noose.

Murak vanished without even a scream.

It was astonishing.

To witness a Shade defeated with a single blade, twice over.

Balthazar gazed at the woman with disbelief.

Now her appearance was fully revealed.

A swordswoman in a dark gray cloak.

Her neat bob that fell over her shoulders had an ashen sheen, and her gray-white skin gave off a cold, metallic aura.

One arm was exposed up to the elbow, revealing well-developed muscles.

A master at a glance.

She slid the blade, which seemed to gleam with flowing light, back into its sheath at her waist, then looked at Balthazar with silver eyes and spoke.

“I am not your enemy.”

“That much is clear. But has the enemy disappeared?”

At Balthazar’s words, the woman gazed indifferently into the air.

She closed her eyes, seemed to sense something briefly, then opened them and spoke.

“It’s been annihilated. I sense no presence anymore.”

At that moment Andre stepped forward.

He raised his sword and leveled it at her throat as he spoke.

“Who are you?”

“As I said earlier…”

“If you’re not an enemy, state your true name.”

For a moment a killing intent flickered in her eyes.

That intent was so fierce it made Balthazar’s whole body recoil.

But Andre did not flinch.

Balthazar, standing between them, stepped back a pace and looked at the woman.

‘Who on earth is she?’

Who had infiltrated this place to help them?

And her skill was no small matter.

She was hardly inferior even compared to Andre.

‘If she’s a half-Shade, she’d be of the demon race…’

As his thoughts reached that point, the woman spoke.

“Riena Caligo. That is my true name.”