Necromancer Of The Black Bible (132)

Squeak-

A somewhat unsettling sound.

Verdin disliked the faint foreign sensation he felt at the tip of his sword.

Yet his blade cut through Krause’s neck cleanly, taking part of the armor near the throat with it.

Krause’s head soared into the air and soon fell to the ground.

Thunk, tumbling-

Everyone on the battlefield watched in disbelief as the neck of the commander they had trusted was irreversibly severed.

The body that had been on the horse rolled listlessly to the ground, and the flame aura that had flared moments ago was completely extinguished.

Now all that remained on the field were two corpses and the heavy rain pouring down.

Verdin calmly surveyed the enemy formation.

At the same time, thunder and lightning struck.

Crack!

Lightning that struck a nearby tree split it in two instantly, and flames flared up.

The flames gradually died down under the onslaught of the heavy raindrops.

He noticed the soldiers’ faces gone white with shock.

They seemed momentarily stunned by the unbelievable sight.

Then Natasha’s voice was heard.

-Shall I raise them?

She meant to use Necroturgy on the two fallen commanders.

But Verdin shook his head.

[I will raise them.]

-You yourself? Can you do it?

[It’s my first time, but I can.]

Verdin knew the limits given to him.

With the mana given by his master Damian, he could have a total of three subordinates.

Unlike Natasha, who could use Necroturgy to almost infinite degrees, Verdin was permitted only three necrotic servants.

Verdin fiddled with the iron collar he wore around his neck.

Three dots in the center of the collar began to glow in a triangular formation.

[Master. Please look upon these two dead here. I wish to make them my subordinates.]

After a moment, Damian’s voice was heard.

-It shall be as you desire.

Verdin gripped the collar and used Necroturgy.

As two lights went out, thick, greenish mana flowed from the collar, split into two streams, and seeped into the corpses of Gerhardt and Krause lying on the ground.

The mana then soaked into the detached body parts and soon they were all fused together.

And then.

“Uuurgh…”

They emitted a grotesque moan and staggered to their feet.

When Krause stood after Gerhardt did, deep sighs spread throughout the army.

“Wh-what is that?”

“Is it black magic?”

“Raising corpses with black magic is something that happens only in fairy tales, isn’t it?”

“Impossible…!”

Fear blossomed among the soldiers.

Grovebern’s brow furrowed as he sensed it.

‘This is bad.’

He turned to his Chief of Staff, Konrad, and asked.

“Shall I give the order to charge?”

Konrad looked at the front with a grave expression.

A ghostly knight standing over there and, rising on either side of him, slowly stepping—

“No, My Lord. That spell is the corpse-raising ‘Necroturgy.’ If that ghostly knight knows how to use Necroturgy, he’ll raise the corpses. If we charge now, it will be irreversible.”

“So you suggest we retreat as is?”

“Regrettably, that’s the best course. However…”

Konrad continued, his eyes flashing.

“There is one tactic worth trying.”

“Really?”

Konrad answered with a triumphant smile.

“Corpses are inherently vulnerable to fire. I’ll burn them with magic. Use that opportunity to rout the troops.”

But Grovebern spoke with a dark look.

“It’s raining like this—can you burn them?”

His point was valid.

An enormous downpour drenched the sky.

In such rain, not only is creating fire difficult, any flame would be snuffed out immediately.

Nevertheless, Konrad replied with a confident tone.

“Do not worry. My magic can burn one or two targets even in rain like this.”

Grovebern nodded.

If Konrad claimed it so confidently, he must truly be able to.

“Good. When your magic is cast, we’ll take it as the signal to withdraw the troops.”

Konrad took out the magic staff he had hung on his saddle.

A refined staff set with a red gemstone.

Konrad closed his eyes, raised the staff, and began chanting; the gem started to glow red.

After a moment, Konrad opened his eyes and checked his target.

Gerhardt, who had risen to the right of the ghostly knight.

Memories of conversing with him in life flashed by, but now was not the time.

‘I’ll grant you peaceful rest, my friend.’

Konrad reached out and cast his spell.

A large fireball gathered in the air.

Despite the rain, the fireball’s flames did not ebb; they grew larger.

This was Konrad’s favored ‘Explosive Fireball.’

It was a highly potent spell, more than three times stronger than a normal fireball and capable of detonating the struck target.

When the fireball reached sufficient size, Konrad wasted no time and hurled it.

Whooosh-

It flew with tremendous speed.

The fireball streaked with a long tail of flame and struck Gerhardt.

Kwahng!

A tremendous blast and shockwave spread in all directions.

At the same time, Grovebern shouted an order.

“Retreat!”

An order only an experienced commander, seasoned by many battles, could issue.

Though the enemy numbered only three, once they confirmed Necroturgy was in use, numbers ceased to matter.

If they recklessly charged and suffered casualties, they’d effectively play into the enemy’s hands.

Toot- toot-

The trumpet signaling retreat blared, and the troops began to fall back.

Grovebern’s army was well-trained, so the maneuver was orderly.

But something nobody expected occurred.

Konrad’s magic had failed to take effect.

Whoosh-

Gerhardt’s corpse, which should have been completely incinerated by the explosion, was unharmed.

As the heavy rain quickly dispersed the smoke, Gerhardt’s form was revealed.

He stood firm, holding a black-iron shield.

Although the top of the shield had been sliced off, the remaining portion was more than enough to protect his body.

“Grrrr-”

The low groan instilled fear into the soldiers watching him.

The soldiers’ steps quickened to the point of faltering, and the ranks soon began to break.

Verdin watched the scene calmly.

He had briefly inhabited one of the raised corpses to block the incoming fireball, but it caused him no harm.

‘So this is how one can utilize those raised by Necroturgy.’

It was less a learned skill than instinct.

Because they had been raised with mana from his master Damian, he felt connected to them.

An item that Damian had given him long ago proved useful.

-We are all connected.

‘We really are connected.’

Feeling the link to Gerhardt and Krause, Verdin looked toward where the fireball had come from.

Soon a particularly red glow caught his eye.

Upon closer look, a middle-aged man in robes was chanting with a magic staff in hand.

While the rest of the troops hurried their retreat, the man was focusing on this direction, seemingly attempting to stop them with magic.

‘A bold try. But…’

Verdin spurred his horse forward.

The horse he rode differed from the heavily armored mounts Krause and Gerhardt had used.

It ran much lighter and much faster.

The soldiers, terrified, stepped aside rather than obstructed him, parting like the sea and leaving a path before Verdin.

Verdin held his sword in a cutting grip and lunged at Konrad.

Konrad had just finished his incantation and released the magic.

Hwaak-

Ignition.

Flames surged from Verdin’s core, but they inflicted no damage on him.

In truth, he felt nothing.

Only his tattered cloak and worn leather garments caught fire.

Verdin leapt over the shield-bearer blocking his path to Konrad.

He descended, slicing vertically toward the ground.

Ssak-

A light whoosh of wind.

The sensation transmitted through his grip was light and smooth.

Verdin sensed that this strike had connected properly.

‘I like that.’

Landing lightly, Verdin smiled faintly and looked ahead. The shield-bearer who had blocked him staggered back and screamed.

“Graaah!!!”

Thud!

The soldier was cleaved vertically along with his shield.

That was not all.

Those behind him were sliced along the same line and toppled one after another.

And then.

Konrad, still unable to comprehend what had happened, tried to turn his horse and flee.

But the moment he yanked the reins, his horse’s head split vertically and, along that line, he too was cleaved.

“Waaah!!!”

“The—the Chief of Staff!!!”

“Aaaah!!!”

The death of their Chief of Staff and mage utterly shattered the army’s morale.

Verdin stood where he was and sheathed his sword.

The corpses of Gerhardt and Krause that approached from behind strode forward to follow him.

Watching their backs, Verdin murmured with a hint of regret.

“They’re big, but too slow. Would be nice to have them ride horses.”

The last glow in Verdin’s collar faded.

The thick green mana that flowed from it split in two and began piecing together Konrad’s dismembered corpse.

When Konrad rose, Gerhardt and Krause stood beside him.

Laerin, watching the whole scene from a pine tree, couldn’t believe her eyes.

‘My goodness… One person holding off five thousand troops?’

She had known his skill was extraordinary last night, but not to this degree.

He had faced Gerhardt of the Iron Wall, and Krause the Red Wolf.

Even Laerin, who lived in Silvandel, knew of their renown.

‘These are the kind of folk whose very name quiets a crying child… and he dealt with them so simply?’

Gerhardt fell in three strikes, Krause in only two.

Though she didn’t know swordsmanship, Laerin could tell how remarkable that was.

‘More than that…’

There was something that surprised her even more.

It was their tactics.

Just after the cock crowed, Verdin had volunteered to hold this position alone.

And Natasha had planned a strategy expecting Verdin to succeed.

She had ambushed them in the valley over there.

‘At first I thought it madness…’

But it wasn’t.

They had foreseen this exact situation and designed their operation accordingly.

‘Am I the one lacking? Still, this is just too much.’

Who could have predicted that Grovebern’s five thousand troops would be held back by a single person?

Laerin watched the retreating forces with unbelieving eyes; those running in long strings were already stricken with fear.

‘How many of them will survive?’

She thought that and looked toward the place where Natasha had ambushed.

It was exactly the route the troops would take in retreat.