Necromancer Of The Black Bible (79)

After a single massive explosion.

Verdin heard a voice.

[That should do it, right?]

It was unmistakably Damian’s voice.

Though it was a voice he had heard long ago, for some reason it felt intensely familiar.

There was no time to think.

Damian removed both the energy that had been binding him and the energy that had been empowering Calix.

Finally, he had a real chance to fight.

‘Thank you.’

He had only thought it, yet Damian answered.

[Save the thanks. Just win first.]

There was a strange power in his voice.

Just hearing it made strength surge within him.

Verdin took his stance and charged at Calix.

Clang- clang- clang-

Calix barely managed to block Verdin’s attacks; now that the golden aura was gone, he could only just hold on.

The spectating spirits were rendered speechless by the sudden reversal.

Both Lexira, who had been overseeing the judgment, and the Lord of Wraiths seated on his throne watched the scene with intrigued eyes.

Verdin slipped inside Calix’s disrupted guard and severed his head in one stroke.

Shlick-

With a light scraping sound, Calix’s head soared high into the air.

At the same moment, the “Freedom” he had worn detached, and Calix’s spirit body turned translucent again.

Thud.

When “Freedom” fell to the ground, silence enveloped the area for a moment.

Verdin still wearing Freedom, and Calix reverted to a mere spirit.

Those who had been looking back and forth between them quickly understood what had just happened.

-As expected! Verdin! I knew you’d win!

Came Zerdak’s voice.

Along with him, cheers erupted from all directions.

-Fifty times the payout!

-That was awesome!!

-I’m rich now!

Starting with those who had bet on the duel, countless voices rang out.

Verdin looked up at the Lord of Wraiths with a dazed expression.

The Lord of Wraiths gave a strange smile and spoke.

“An impressive duel, Verdin. To blow away Lexira’s buff and end it in an instant… I’ve watched countless duels, but I’ve never seen anyone like you.”

Even while wearing “Freedom,” the oppressive aura emanating from the Lord of Wraiths was the same.

Verdin knelt and replied.

-You honor me too much.

“Honor too much? Compared to your skill, any praise falls short.”

The Lord of Wraiths turned his gaze from Verdin to Calix, who lay sprawled on the ground, and continued.

“Now it is clear, Calix. You have not atoned.”

-B-but…!

Calix hastily placed his head back on his neck and continued.

-I told the truth! The Theocracy really… mmph!

Calix could not finish his sentence.

Lexira, who had approached unnoticed, had covered his mouth.

Lexira could touch even a translucent spirit body.

Held in her black hand, Calix was lifted high into the air and brought before the Lord of Wraiths.

When Lexira placed Calix’s spirit right in front of the Lord of Wraiths’ eyes, the Lord seized his head and spoke.

“There is no next chance for a soul that fails to atone. You will be purged.”

The moment those words ended, Calix was sucked into the Lord of Wraiths’ grasp.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

Calix became a handful of crimson energy and vanished into the Lord of Wraiths’ palm.

He had just demonstrated the annihilation of a soul right before their eyes.

Every spirit present bowed their heads toward the Lord of Wraiths.

Verdin bowed his head along with them.

The Lord of Wraiths looked around at everyone with a satisfied expression, then spoke to Verdin once more.

“Now it is time to grant your wish. Yes—you said you were looking for the one you swore loyalty to in life. Who is it?”

Verdin involuntarily trembled.

He had been waiting for this moment, but now that it was here, fear surged through him.

‘Damn it…’

Verdin could not decide how to answer.

If he told the truth, the Lord of Wraiths might hunt down Lillian and kill her.

Even if Lillian were no longer among the living, he might annihilate her soul.

‘That can never happen.’

Then what should he do?

Yet no plan came to mind.

At that moment, laughter rang out.

Laughter that shook the heart. It was Damian’s laughter.

Though soft, it was perfectly clear.

After laughing for a moment, Damian spoke to him.

[Give him my name.]

-Pardon?

Startled, Verdin asked again.

-Is it truly all right to reveal your true name to the enemy?

[It doesn’t matter. I want to meet him too.]

Immense power emanated from Damian’s voice. In that instant, Verdin’s tension vanished and he could think calmly.

‘If that guy meets Lord Damian…’

The Lord of Wraiths and Damian.

If those two were to clash, who would win?

It was hard to gauge, but one thing was certain: the Lord of Wraiths would no longer search for Lillian.

‘But…’

Damian was his benefactor.

In life he had granted him an honorable death; in death he had saved him from annihilation.

Handing such a benefactor over to an enemy was unthinkable.

[You still don’t understand. You have no choice.]

In that moment, a bright emerald light swirled once through Verdin’s pupils.

All of Verdin’s conflict instantly vanished.

‘I see now. I understand.’

Though it was only for a brief instant, Verdin realized.

Who his true master was.

Both before and after death, his soul had always belonged to Damian.

Damian was not making a suggestion.

He was giving an order.

A master’s command must be obeyed.

Verdin bowed deeply to the Lord of Wraiths and spoke.

-The lord to whom I swore loyalty in life is a priest named Damian.

“Damian, Damian…”

The Lord of Wraiths closed his eyes for a moment and muttered the name Damian.

Light flashed alternately from the left and right sides of his body, and then he opened his eyes.

“Found him!”

The Lord of Wraiths gazed into the distance and continued.

“He’s masquerading as a priest in that land of fanatics!”

The Lord of Wraiths leapt to his feet and shouted.

“Today we march to slay Verdin’s former master! Everyone, prepare for war!”

When the Lord of Wraiths pointed into the air, that spot turned transparent, revealing the towering Grand Temple of the Kallios Theocracy far away.

All the wraiths cried out in unison.

-Prepare for war!

The wraiths’ voices shook the entire space.

The Lord of Wraiths rose from his throne, picked up the sword that had been leaning beside it in its scabbard,

slung it over his shoulder, walked down leisurely, and stood before Verdin to ask,

“If I kill Damian, to whom will you give your loyalty?”

-……

Verdin tried not to answer, but his true master moved his mouth for him.

-Naturally, it will be yours, My Lord.

Verdin was shocked, but the Lord of Wraiths merely grinned and walked past him.

As he disappeared behind Verdin’s back, Damian’s voice rang out.

[See you soon.]

After finishing my communication with Verdin,

I opened my eyes.

Despite having traveled a considerable astral distance, I felt no particular aftereffects.

Instead, a strange sensation coiled around my heart.

[Penbris. That half-wit is the Lord of Wraiths? It’s absurd, but when I think about it, it’s exactly like him.]

[You speak as if you know him well.]

[Of course I know him. He was always lacking in confidence. Compared to the other angels, he was weak and small, so he was constantly looked down upon.]

[Then his current state might be due to an artifact that lends him power.]

[I think the same.]

He’s easy enough to read.

A coward by nature.

When cowards gain power, they flaunt it and use it.

So that no one can ever oppose them.

The fact that he’s rushing here the moment he heard about me from the newly acquired Verdin proves he still hasn’t grown beyond that mindset.

‘There’s no need to let a guy like this live.’

I began thinking of ways to eliminate him.

At that moment, Equinox asked,

[They may be wraiths, but their numbers are considerable. We do not have many troops capable of fighting wraiths—perhaps only a few high-ranking inquisitors. Do you have some special plan to deal with them?]

Equinox sounded worried.

Well, fair enough.

After all, summoning the Lord of Wraiths had been entirely my decision.

Still, I have my calculations.

[I was thinking it might be good to absorb all the wraiths this time.]

There are still empty slots in the Soul Harvester.

Considering how many souls are needed to complete a single orb, the wraiths currently under the Lord of Wraiths are the perfect number to finish one.

If I absorb them all and turn them into my soul orbs, I can fill the empty slots and make the Soul Harvester far stronger than before.

‘Any leftover orbs can be absorbed to multiply my Mana Rings.’

There is no such thing as being “strong enough.”

I must seize as much power as possible whenever the chance arises, so I can face whatever unknown enemies await.

[So that was your plan.]

[Why? Do you have a better idea?]

At my question, Equinox thought for a moment before answering.

[No. Honored Master’s strategy is superior.]

[Tell me anyway. I’ll decide which is better.]

[Hmm…]

Equinox paused again before continuing.

[I was thinking we could use the Ethereal Gate.]

[The Ethereal Gate?]

[Originally, the Ethereal Gate was created to summon souls that have left their dead bodies. Simply opening it would cause all the dead wraiths to be sucked inside.]

Oh-ho.

That’s quite an interesting idea.

Above all, I hadn’t even considered the Ethereal Gate.

‘Now that I think about it, Equinox did mention it before—that if the Ethereal Gate opens, souls can pass through.’

Yet he had said the Gate had never been opened until now.

Is that how someone like the Lord of Wraiths was able to gather wraiths and play king?

[Honored Master’s guess is correct. Originally, Kallios planned to summon souls through the Ethereal Gate, judge and purify them, then return them to the world to help them grow. However, that plan was thwarted by the death of the god.]

[Then what is happening now?]

[Currently, the souls of this world either become earthbound spirits bound to the land according to their karma, fade away after losing the memories of their lives, or meet ancestral spirits like Ceres and undergo reincarnation. The Lord of Wraiths seems to have exploited that gap to build his kingdom.]

A fascinating story.

The meaning of this new card called the Ethereal Gate was heavier than expected.

It meant completing a divine plan that had never come to fruition in this world—while simultaneously granting control over all its souls.

‘However…’

One thing bothers me.

If the Ethereal Gate opens, where exactly do the souls go?

As soon as I thought of it, Equinox answered.