Necromancer Of The Black Bible (16)

The boar flinched once upon noticing the skeleton, but it did not run away.

Instead, it let out a loud cry.

Kkuiiik!

At the loud, booming sound, the surrounding mountain birds flew up in alarm.

Seen from the front, its bulk was considerable.

It stood as tall as an adult man’s chest, with powerful, muscular legs spread firmly beneath it.

It was larger than expected, and that worried me somewhat.

‘But still…’

The boar did not recklessly charge, only glaring sharply while slowly approaching.

‘This might be more manageable than I thought.’

If the boar charged head-on, there was no real countermeasure. Without the skeleton’s strength to withstand it, it would surely be smashed to pieces.

But with it approaching slowly like this, I could prepare.

At that moment, Equinox’s voice rang out.

[You can possess any undead raised by necroturgy at will. If needed, directly control your minion.]

‘Really? So that’s how it is?’

When commanding the skeletons, I had half-expected that I might be able to move them myself.

This was the moment that confirmed it.

‘So I can directly possess those raised by necroturgy.’

This was something even my former master had never told me.

Back then, undead were used merely as combat pawns or errand-runners, so possession was never deemed necessary.

But now things were different.

‘Now I’m alone. To survive, I need to use everything I have with maximum efficiency.’

Enemies seeking my life lurked everywhere.

There were foes like the Demon King who knew me, and countless others I had yet to meet.

And here, most I encountered by chance would be enemies.

To survive against them, even a single technique or spell was precious.

‘If I can possess the undead I raise, it could be extremely advantageous.’

I immediately possessed the skeleton standing in the center.

Saaak—

As my consciousness flowed into its body, my senses became sharper and renewed.

Things that once felt distant now came through vividly.

‘So this is how it feels.’

I clenched and unclenched its right hand.

There was no tactile sensation in the palm, which felt strange — but it was actually an advantage.

No sensation meant no pain.

‘This will work for stabbing.’

Bones are the strongest natural weapons of the body. Skeletons could wield them freely, making them deadly even without additional arms.

Having finished my calculations, I ordered the ones hidden in the brush on either side.

[Advance a little further and wait.]

The skeletons advanced silently.

The boar was so fixated on me it seemed unaware of their movements.

Naturally so — skeletons had no scent.

If they moved soundlessly, no one could detect them.

I waited for the boar to draw closer.

It locked eyes with me and roared again.

Kkuiiik!!

A warning to leave its territory.

At that moment, I ordered the skeleton lurking on the left to attack.

At once, the skeleton burst from the brush, sliding forward and plunging its hand into the boar’s side.

Kkuik!

With a short shriek, the boar tried to shake it off, but in vain. The skeleton’s hand had pierced deep, gripping its innards tightly — and another skeleton leapt in from the opposite side.

Kkueek!

Again, a skeleton’s hand pierced through the boar’s other flank.

Such a lethal strike caused the boar’s legs to falter as it thrashed.

It struggled several times, but with both sides of its belly pierced, it could not muster its strength.

At last, its hind legs buckled, leaving it barely propped up on trembling forelegs.

I approached it slowly.

Then I drove my hand into where its heart lay.

Tuwak—

Dark blood spurted as I felt its heart clench in my grasp.

The boar’s heart pulsed in my hand, its surging life force palpable — and a thought struck me.

‘Could I… absorb life force while possessed?’

My suspicion proved correct.

I focused at once, and the boar’s life force began to pour into me.

More precisely, it flowed into the skeleton I possessed.

Then Equinox’s voice followed.

[Life force absorbed in a possessed state binds first to the undead’s body. Once you release the necroturgy on it, both the mana and life force will return to you.]

‘So that’s the principle.’

I had learned much from a single hunt.

How to command skeletons, possess them, and then absorb life force through them.

These techniques were on a whole different level than the necroturgy I had known in my past life.

‘Amazing… the same art, yet so profoundly different.’

I looked down at the boar’s body, shriveled after its life force was fully drained.

Now only an empty husk remained. Once the skeletons withdrew their arms, its hide collapsed into nothingness.

Equinox spoke again.

[Gather the spirit. A beast this massive carries a powerful soul. Do not forget to claim it — it will be a vital reagent for the necromancy you are to learn.]

[Got it.]

I waited for the spirit to separate from the carcass.

Soon, a pale mist rose above the corpse, forming into the shape of a small boar.

I seized it in my hand.

It emitted a bright blue light, transforming into a small orb.

Clutching it, I gave the skeletons an order.

[Return now. This orb must be delivered to me.]

After giving the command, I released the possession and opened my eyes.

The skeletons returned to the cave safely.

The leading skeleton handed me the soulstone as instructed.

Then I dispelled the necroturgy binding them.

And as Equinox said, the boar’s absorbed life force and essence returned to me.

Staring at the glowing blue soulstone, I asked Equinox,

[What can I do with this?]

Equinox answered with a voice tinged with satisfaction.

[It has many uses, but for now, it will serve as a catalyst for necromancy.]

His earlier explanation came to mind.

When I first captured the White Serpent’s spirit, he said it could be made a guardian spirit.

‘And now he says this one can be used as a necromancy catalyst?’

In magic, a catalyst is a reagent not consumed in casting but enabling stronger spells.

So with this soulstone, I could perform powerful necromancy?

[Hoho, sharp indeed. Yes. As long as the soul within is not extracted, the soulstone allows potent necromancy.]

[Then have I reached the level to learn necromancy now?]

[Yes. You have slain a beast bearing such a soul. To do so with skeletons raised from bones weakened by demonic taint is no small feat.]

[Then what should I raise?]

At that question, my eyes turned toward a pile of bones in the far corner of the cave.

Bones I had never once used for necroturgy.

They belonged to Raiernov, the High Priest of the Kallios Theocracy.

As befitted a high priest, a faint blue glow shimmered from the bones.

Whether by necroturgy or necromancy, raising such bones would yield a stronger servant.

I had gathered Raiernov’s bones from the start with necromancy in mind.

I stood before the pile and asked.

[I want to raise this one.]

Equinox seemed to smile faintly without reply, then suddenly spoke.

[Go ahead and try. The method is similar, but you must chant the summoning spell to call the soul. I shall engrave it upon your heart.]

He soon taught me the soul-summoning incantation. After memorizing it, I focused before the bones.

Then, just as Equinox had once shown, I began to perform necromancy.

‘Stop the Mana Ring’s rotation, extract the mana core.’

The thickly drawn core pooled in my palm, then seeped into Raiernov’s bones beneath.

With the other hand clutching the soulstone, I began the soul-summoning chant.

The soulstone flared brightly, and the bones began to stir.

‘Success?’

Raiernov was one of the most eminent high priests on the continent. If I could raise him as my servant, he would be most useful.

‘Of course, I would need to tame him well.’

Their notorious pride was a concern, but irrelevant.

I had the means to nullify his very existence.

With it, I could coerce Raiernov or anyone else into submission.

‘Rise, Raiernov!’

I poured greater focus into the necromancy.

The soulstone shone brighter, and the bones began to take shape.

Feet and legs, waist and torso, arms and head.

A complete skeleton was formed — but there was no further response.

Unlike before, it did not move or speak as Equinox’s had.

‘What?’

The mystery lingered.

And my willpower steadily waned.

The mana core pulled back from the bones, returning into my heart.

The bones clattered and scattered across the floor.

‘Why? Why won’t his soul return?’

Equinox answered my doubt.

[Because his soul is shackled.]

[Shackled?]

At that moment, I realized.

That Raiernov had been offered to the Demon King.

No matter the catalyst or chants, his soul could not return because Demon King Dikrea had claimed it.

[There is a way to summon souls shackled by the Demon King, but not yet.]

It was a bitter disappointment.

To have to give up on Raiernov.

‘Then what should I raise with necromancy?’

As I pondered, Equinox spoke again.

[You need not look far. From the start, I sensed this place harbors strong souls with many stories. Choose the strongest among them.]

[And where would such a one be?]

Instead of answering, Equinox drew my gaze to one side.

There, a black spirit lurked beneath the shadows, watching me.

I asked it.

“Who are you?”

It replied in a heavy, spectral voice.

[I am… William. Or rather, the one once called William.]