#65: Necromancer Of The Black Bible (65) — Necromancer of the Black Bible

Vergas had no idea.

That the boy he was facing was William, one of the Twelve Heroes who defeated the Great Demon King about a thousand years ago.

Because of this, Vergas could hold onto hope.

‘If I return to my true form, that kind of thing…’

The boy was strong.

Strong enough to cut off his left arm and leg with just a stick.

But Vergas himself was not weak.

Having dominated the Deadlands in his previous life and received a powerful body from the Great Demon King Illinas after death, he couldn’t imagine losing.

The option of seeking help from his superior, Shador, didn’t even cross his mind.

But this was the Special District of the Kallios Theocracy.

The area with the strongest divine power.

Revealing a demon’s power here was, no matter how you thought about it, madness.

“Kid.”

Vergas looked at the boy and grinned.

“I see you’re good with a sword, but how about stopping here? I think you’ll regret it otherwise.”

It was, in its own way, a very restrained statement.

If the boy backed off, Vergas had no intention of pursuing him.

But the boy smirked, and at that moment, Vergas’s patience snapped.

Vergas’s eyes changed.

Then, the black darkness lurking in the surrounding shadows enveloped Vergas’s body, and soon his form returned to its true state.

A towering figure as tall as a one-story building, with a sturdy and balanced physique.

The left arm and leg the boy had cut off had fully regenerated.

Newly sprouted bone wings and four horns on his forehead revealed that Vergas was none other than a demon.

“Hoo-”

Hot breath flowed from Vergas’s mouth.

Due to the thick demonic energy mixed in, the grass on the ground touched by his breath instantly withered black and died.

The magical power flowing from his body and the immense strength surging from his two hearts.

A robust body far surpassing human strength.

And his perfectly regenerated arm and leg.

Vergas was pleased with all of it.

He clenched and unclenched his regenerated left hand, looking down at the boy.

“You’re no ordinary guy. You’re not even fazed by my true form.”

Next, Vergas summoned the sword bestowed upon him by Illinas.

The demonic sword ‘Black Brand.’

Dark obsidian, a mineral formed over centuries from the pure despair embedded in the deep darkness of the demon realm.

‘Black Brand’ was a sword forged from this dark obsidian.

The massive blade, imbued with dark light, absorbed the surrounding light, and as it did, a thick red aura shimmered around it.

It was a sword that could kill most living beings in a single strike, absorbing their life force to grow stronger.

Vergas decided to make the boy in front of him prey for Black Brand.

“It’s too late to escape now.”

Vergas bared his teeth and smiled.

The boy was clearly a master, but he couldn’t possibly match Vergas in his true form.

Strangely, the boy showed no reaction.

There was no trace of fear or surprise on his face, nor did he step back.

On the contrary, the boy smiled and took a step forward.

“Fine. Let’s see your skill.”

Muttering softly, the boy swung the stick.

His attack, previously invisible, was now clearly visible.

A sharp sword aura shot from the lightly swung stick.

The blue, shimmering sword aura was unlike anything Vergas had ever seen.

‘What’s this?’

First, the speed of the sword aura was incredibly fast.

Moreover, the blue hue enveloping the sword aura felt chilling just by sensing it.

Vergas’s instincts warned him not to block this sword aura.

Perhaps if he had been a step farther from the boy, he could have dodged it.

But the sword aura was too fast, and his body moved reflexively, raising Black Brand to block it.

Swish-

A chilling sound pierced diagonally through Vergas’s upper body.

Along with it, a cool breeze swept over his body.

Soon after.

Thud-

The blade of Black Brand split diagonally and fell to the ground.

‘What?!’

Vergas couldn’t believe it.

Well-forged dark obsidian was among the three hardest materials in the world. That a demonic sword forged from it could be so easily cut was unthinkable.

Was he trapped in some illusion?

‘If not…’

Vergas’s thoughts couldn’t continue.

Because something strange was happening to his own body.

Sizzle, thud-

Vergas’s upper body was sliced and fell to the ground.

Looking up at his still-standing lower half, it was certain.

His lower half was cut at the same angle as Black Brand.

Vergas couldn’t speak.

A sword aura that even a demonic sword bestowed by the Great Demon King couldn’t block.

And this wound.

No matter how severe the injury, a demon’s body could fully regenerate.

But now, he felt no strength in his body.

Far from regenerating, he couldn’t even move.

The boy approached slowly.

Step, step, step.

Slow but never light footsteps.

Each step sent a chill through him.

And when he came close and looked down at Vergas, Vergas sensed something.

A massive, faint figure loomed behind the boy.

Vergas asked the boy.

“What… are you?”

“You still don’t get it.”

The boy placed one foot on Vergas’s head and continued.

“I asked first. And you must answer the questions of someone stronger than you before their curiosity fades.”

The boy’s words were a proverb passed down from long ago in the southwestern region.

Not something a boy of his age would typically say.

Vergas tried to gauge the boy’s identity.

Was he a demon like himself?

Or a higher being?

If he was such a being, why was he here? In the courtyard of Damian’s hideout, no less.

His thoughts couldn’t continue for long.

The boy’s previously indifferent gaze flickered.

Sensing what it meant, Vergas spoke.

“W-wait!”

But the boy didn’t wait.

Crunch-

The boy pressed down without hesitation, and Vergas’s head shattered to pieces.

William clicked his tongue.

‘Tch, filthy.’

A demon’s body is different from a human’s.

So, destroying it feels more filthy than horrifying.

Memories of the demons he faced in his past life flashed before his eyes.

They too left such filthy traces as they perished.

‘A demon finding this place? That’s something.’

Thanks to his vivid memories from his past life, he could detect and eliminate the demon early.

This guy was a berserker.

And a greenhorn who had just received his body.

Going all out against such a novice might seem laughable, but it wasn’t.

Berserkers grow stronger the more their swords clash and the more blood stains their weapons, so they must be taken down immediately upon encounter.

Otherwise, it could lead to disaster.

In his past life, many skilled knights died at the hands of berserkers that way.

Thus, William put all his strength into a single strike to bring him down.

Crack-

The stick he was holding shattered.

The power was too great for an ordinary wooden stick to contain.

‘Still, it held up pretty well.’

William looked at the large tree standing in a corner of the courtyard.

The sacred tree Barelian.

An ancient tree symbolizing eternity and life.

It likely endured this much thanks to the tree’s power.

‘I’d love to forge a new sword from this tree’s branches. In the past, there were craftsmen who forged swords from such trees.’

A distant memory flickered.

An elven craftsman he met in the Unfinished Forest.

He had been captivated by his deep blue eyes and made him a companion, but after over a thousand years, the chances of him still being alive were slim.

William smiled bitterly and muttered.

“I’ve been dwelling on useless thoughts for too long.”

To forge a weapon from a sacred tree, the tree must first permit it.

And a craftsman capable of handling it is needed.

Currently, both were hard to expect.

‘For now, let’s clean this up.’

William looked at the demon’s corpse he had just defeated.

The demon didn’t reveal its identity, but from its actions here, he could roughly guess.

‘Probably one of Illinas’s subordinates.’

Even so, it was a reckless guy.

This was the backyard of the First Monastery.

And it was directly connected to the room of Raiernov, the most famous High Priest in the Theocracy.

No matter how strong the clue, the risk was too great.

If the guy had any sense, he would never have approached this place.

‘Foolish guy.’

William picked up another branch of the sacred tree lying on the ground.

Then, infusing it with the aura of purification, he stabbed the demon’s chest.

Whoosh-

As the branch pierced the heart, the demon’s body began to burn. Not only the upper body on the ground but also the lower half still standing burned as well.

White flames of purification burned brightly.

Those flames thoroughly eradicated the remnants of darkness.

Leaving behind pure white ash.

The ash scattered around like snow, and William gazed at it, lost in thought.

‘To be able to use the power of purification.’

William had returned from death.

His body had decayed to mere bones, yet he could still use all the skills from his past life.

Not only the techniques he mastered as a Swordmaster but also the purification skills he learned as a Holy Knight could be used without restriction.

This defied common sense.

Necromancy is an evil power, the opposite of light.

For someone risen by necromancy to use the power of Light was as contradictory as the Fire Spirit Ifrit using the power of Water.

‘What exactly is my master’s identity?’