The Necromancer Who Was Despised

In reality, if the Empire hadn’t pulled the Black Star first, the priority would have changed, but it was a meaningless story now.

As the leaders fell, the Dark Mages began to flee for their lives.

However, they didn’t succeed.

“What, what’s going on!”

“How did this…!”

The fleeing Dark Mages were quickly caught by the suddenly appearing tentacles.

The cause was obvious.

“Rochis…”

Using his immense magical power and remaining territory, he was exploiting the dark magicians.

The captured dark magicians were dying in a horrific state.

It was as if they were being melted away, absorbed into the tentacles.

What was even more serious was that the dark magicians who were being absorbed were rapidly aging and melting away.

‘Magical power, vitality, and even lifespan…’

He was extracting everything he could, leaving nothing behind.

The dark magicians were in an uproar as they watched their comrades die.

The chaos intensified, and the tentacles sprouted from the ground, capturing the dark magicians.

Some dark magicians tried to resist, but their numbers were overwhelmingly insufficient.

Due to the chaos caused by the dark magic, even the monsters and chimeras, as well as the undead, were getting out of control.

It was so severe that some monsters were even attacking the undead from the black star’s side, not mine.

It was a situation where they would self-destruct if left alone, but I chose to push them even harder instead of waiting.

I shouted towards my allies.

“Stop the dark magicians from being absorbed!”

I didn’t know why he was doing such a thing.

I couldn’t understand how much power was required to sacrifice even his own dark magicians.

But I couldn’t just stand by and watch him act according to his will.

‘Even if he’s the Demon King… no, that’s not it.’

The Demon King’s contractor had died.

If Rochis was the leader, it was possible that he had also made a contract with another Demon King.

However, summoning the Demon King was not that easy.

‘Even if he reveals his true form, it’s impossible with this level of sacrifice.’

It was impossible to summon the Demon King with the accumulated power of the black star.

If it were possible, it would have been done already.

But there was something else… another scheme.

At that moment, the tentacles began to sprout around the corpses of the dead leaders.

Yeriya reacted quickly and managed to protect the leaders’ corpses.

Yeriya quickly recovered the corpses of the enemies and threw them into our territory.

Then, she began to take on the tentacles sprouting from the ground one by one.

However, the limit was clear.

The range was too wide.

Moreover, the enemy’s tentacles were getting stronger and stronger.

They were even expanding their absorption targets, including monsters and chimeras, and even our mages were being targeted.

From a distance, I saw the priests and Kaila returning to our territory with Atina, who had lost consciousness.

The priestesses were also becoming targets.

Although the holy power was effective against the tentacles, the priestesses had already consumed a lot of holy power in battle, making it difficult for them.

In addition, the priestesses were trying to bring back the corpses of their dead comrades.

As a result, their movements were slower.

It may seem like a foolish action, but it was understandable.

They didn’t have the luxury to choose, so they made that decision.

I’ll translate the novel excerpt for you:

I ordered Kyra, who had returned, to help them.

She received my order and headed towards the priestly group.

Although it was convenient to send the undead, I chose to do so because they would likely counterattack with holy power.

As it was confirmed that the tentacles were targeting the undead as well, Tinus requested that I bring all of our party members, including the undead, into our territory.

At the same time, I saw him preparing a large-scale magic spell.

“Well, there’s no need to spare them.”

It wasn’t about attacking the tentacles to save the black mages, but rather to hinder Rochis.

I followed his request and pulled back our party, and Tinus had to bear the enormous magical power.

“…It’s definitely better with support.”

The support was none other than a temporary stronghold.

From the start, I had no intention of taking the lead in this battle.

Before entering the territory, when I first met Lord, I realized the problem and aimed to maximize my magical amplification and efficiency, making it possible to maintain the front line.

Tinus was able to fly because I could bear the enormous magical power consumption, and my undead and two Richina were able to hold their ground thanks to that.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that as a necromancer’s level increases, it’s essential to have a means to bear enormous magical power consumption.

I need at least one, or preferably two, methods to increase efficiency, store massive amounts of magic, and boast overwhelming recovery.

“It’s not just about creating a foothold.”

If I have a foothold, I can minimize magical power consumption and create a separate storage tank, making it possible to increase recovery.

I had been relying on my overwhelming recovery, and my vessel itself was quite large, and I had also gained some efficiency through Elroset’s staff, but if it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have been able to move around so freely.

In fact, I had mobilized all three of them.

Even so, I was still lacking, which is why I had to borrow the power of the temporary stronghold.

Meanwhile, Tinus began to unleash magic indiscriminately over a wide area.

Hundreds, thousands of black spheres, similar to the one Langtem used, poured down in large and small forms.

If there were black mages, leaders, or red ogres, they would have interfered earlier, but currently, they were all either dead or too busy to escape.

Those who tried to escape earlier couldn’t even block the tentacles.

An enormous explosion occurred, and the surroundings were blown away.

Meanwhile, Yeria and the two elder dark elves approached me.

“…You managed to get them.”

“Heh heh. As a necromancer, it’s only natural to get them. The situation was tough, so it was a struggle.”

Bert, or rather Yeria, was collecting the leaders’ corpses, while Bert and Preté collected the red ogres’ corpses.

“We couldn’t get them all, though. Some were too damaged, and their bodies were too large…”.

It was only natural, considering the tentacles’ interference.

So, we managed to bring back around three, and they were the ones that were still intact.

Of course, that was enough.

“The giants’ power was all taken by Artina, but…”.

It would still be useful.

Even just an ogre’s corpse could be used to create a mid-sized undead, so it wasn’t a waste to collect them.

Moreover, unless the dragon had taken everything, including the souls, the corpses would still have some use.

Meanwhile, Tinus, who had devastated the entire area, descended beside me.

“You absorbed all of my subordinates, too. That’s disgusting.”

“…The appearance is disgusting, too.”

Kyla nodded in agreement with Yeriya’s words.

The sight of tentacles rising from the ground, grasping humans and monsters, was not aesthetically pleasing.

Even after Tinus swept the area clean, some tentacles still emerged.

In reality, they were absorbing the shattered flesh and blood, piece by piece.

“Stubborn, aren’t they?”

“What are they trying to do…?”

“They’re being fed.”

“Food? Do you know what they’re trying to do?”

“Yes. It’s too late to respond. So, I made a hasty move.”

“Too late?”

“They’ve already achieved their goal. That damn thing has summoned a being from the demon realm.”

“The demon realm…? You don’t mean the Demon King…?”

“That’s not it. I don’t know what kind of power it has, but it’s not prepared for that level of power. I’m guessing it’s a type of demon.”

Of course, Tinus said, we can’t let our guard down. There are demons stronger than high-ranking demon lords, and some are even feared by the Demon King.

“Judging by the power I sense, it’s not at the Demon King’s level….”

“Don’t underestimate it!”

Just then, Rithild rushed towards me.

“Artina-nim!”

At his cry, I rushed towards Artina.

◈ Black Star

When I arrived at the location Rithild had called out to, I saw Artina’s body undergoing a transformation.

Her body was glowing, and an enormous amount of mana was swirling around her entire being.

It was difficult to approach.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. I brought her here after she stabilized, but suddenly….”

After receiving the help of the dragon they served, Artina received special treatment within the Dolgaebaram faction.

That’s why Rithild was flustered, with a confused expression.

Kyla was examining Artina’s state with a serious expression, and Tinus was carefully observing Artina and the surrounding phenomenon.

They didn’t dare approach carelessly, unsure of what might happen.

“…It’s transcending the wall.”

At Tinus’s words, Kyla showed skepticism.

“It’s a bit different, I think.”

It was the words of someone who had experienced it directly. Tinus replied in detail, as if sensing the unease around them.

“It’s indeed transcending the wall. Didn’t she use the giant’s power to enhance her physical abilities before?”

It was something that had happened just recently. She had absorbed some of Lord’s power.

“Back then, the amount was small, but now it’s different. Even back then, she managed to escape.”

However, the amount of power absorbed from the giant was different now.

The power absorbed was transforming and enhancing Artina’s physical abilities, and it was so intense that it was forcibly transcending the wall.

“That’s a forced progression, half-coerced. It’s only because Artina had a good foundation that…”

“…I guess so.”

“Didn’t the remaining power naturally dissipate?”

“I thought that with this much power, we could forcefully break through the wall.”

“…Are you saying that’s what the dragon said?”

“Both.”

“If it’s both, then…”

“It’s just speculation, but I think they’re unconsciously holding back their power. Look, even now, their mana isn’t dissipating, is it?”

…Their mana is clearly overflowing, but it’s not dissipating.

“That’s a dangerous…”

“Don’t worry about it. If we couldn’t handle it, no matter how hard we tried, it would be pointless. There’s a possibility, so let’s seize this opportunity.”

“If we fail…”

“We might die.”

“…….”

It’s true that the probability of success is high, but it’s also a very dangerous task.

“…Was I too hasty?”

If it were just Atna’s talent and effort, she would have broken through the wall without doing it that way.

But I don’t know if she lacked confidence, wanted to do it faster, or thought this was the opportunity.

However, she made her choice, and all we can do is wait.

“It’ll take a long time. The mana is enough to surpass the wall. It’s not something that can be done in an hour or two.”

Tinus gazed at Kayla and said,

“Maybe you’ll surpass your current self.”

Tinus is someone who has seen both Kayla and Atna up close.

So, he already knew about their talents and fully understood that Atna was an extraordinary human being.

Kayla wasn’t ordinary either, but even Kayla had evaluated Atna’s talent as surpassing her own.

“If you use that mana entirely for physical growth, you’ll acquire abilities beyond your current self. Considering her talent, it won’t take long to reach that level. If that happens…”.

“I already expected that.”

Kayla said, as if she had thought it would happen someday.

“There’s no need to be surprised that the timeline has accelerated. Just come back alive, and that’s good enough.”

It seemed like Tinus had tried to change the mood by teasing Kayla a bit, but her too-calm response made him look disappointed.