Ebelasque Benapotchi.
The world’s only necromancer.
The corpses she controls range from those with numbered designations to monstrous creations made of bare bones that are not human.
And now, what was filling the mountains of Hadenhartz were exactly those bony monsters.
From four-legged beasts to various forms of creatures, each carrying bio-weapons, they descended from the mountains.
This was to ensure that they wouldn’t interfere with the battle between the Mad Sword Emperor and the Sword King.
“Sir Kraush.”
As the bony monsters swarmed, Number 8 approached Kraush and spoke.
When Kraush turned to her, Number 8 said with a troubled expression.
“Master ordered not to interfere and to leave immediately.”Interfere, huh.
Kraush let out a brief snort.
“Where is she hiding now?”
“That’s….”
Number 8 began to stammer.
After all, she couldn’t go against Ebelasque’s orders, no matter the circumstances.
Thus, she hesitated to speak carelessly.
“It’s fine.”
It didn’t matter even if she didn’t tell him.
Knowing her personality, she’d be hiding somewhere very well.
「Necromancers never reveal themselves on the battlefield. A battlefield where the necromancer remains unseen is the most terrifying place.」
This was something Ebelasque used to say like a habit.
It was their task to find her.
“Haring, Professor Sena Meyer.”
Haring and Sena were already drawing their weapons, completing their preparations for battle.
“Those monsters have a core that serves as their vital point inside their bodies.”
Though the core’s location varied, the weak spot was always certain.
To break through that swarm, they needed to target that weak spot precisely.
“Hmm, this is my specialty.”
Sena drew a blade with one side sharply curved.
Her red eyes gleamed, and a wide grin stretched across her lips.
“Kraush-boy, you’re planning to find the leader of the Night Raven, right?”
“Yes, I’ll find her no matter what to give her a proper scolding.”
“Good. Then save your strength.”
A pure white energy coated Sena’s blade.
At the same time, her attire began to transform slightly.
A long, white cloth coiled around her arms.
Then, a long veil covered her face, obscuring her appearance.
Finally, white feathers sprouted from her shoulders, forming the shape of wings.
Her alias was Ghost Lord.
And another of her nicknames was Priestess of the Gods.
The reason was simple.
Normally, what is granted by the gods are skills.
However, she did not make contracts with the gods in the conventional sense.
Divine Essence
A secret technique that grants the raw power of a god, not their skills.
It was similar to what happened recently when Irma, a servant of the Moon Rabbit, was consumed by the power of the Night God and became the Apostle of the Night. ṛÅℕȰᛒĘȿ
At that time, Irma completely lost his sanity, but she was different.
Sena possessed one of the rare physique’s in the world capable of fully harnessing divine power.
Divine Spirit Body
Born with such a body, she directly received the divine power bestowed upon her, and it became her own strength.
“Follow me closely.”
She smiled faintly through the veil and kicked off the ground.
Boom!
The resulting noise was a tremendous explosion.
She moved so fast that even Kraush’s eyes could barely follow her.
The area where the bony monsters had been swarming was instantly cleared in the aftermath.
But that wasn’t the only remarkable thing.
Her strikes with the blade were astoundingly precise.
Because within that single blow, Sena’s blade had accurately destroyed the cores embedded within the bony monsters.
“Wow.”
Watching the scene, Haring couldn’t help but express his awe.
He felt the overwhelming level of a professor from Rahern Academy.
“Haring, I’m going to find Ebelasque from now on.”
Kraush dashed forward, careful not to lose sight of Sena.
“I’ll be focusing from now on, so I’ll need your help.”
Hearing Kraush’s request, Haring’s eyes widened slightly.
She lightly patted her chest.
“Leave it to me. I’ll protect it for sure.”
Her eyes were filled with a determined resolve.
Haring tended to act much more decisively when asked for help rather than on her own initiative.
This was likely a reflection of a long-standing trauma from being told not to do anything in the past.
Kraush, who was quick to pick up on such nuances, understood this about her.
Everyone has their own way of maximizing their efficiency, and this approach seemed to work best for Haring.
“I’m counting on you.”
When Kraush smiled and spoke, Haring tightened her grip on the dagger in her hand.
“Okay!”
Judging by her enthusiastic reply, it seemed she would give it her all.
So Kraush slowly began to focus on his intuition.
Normally, Kraush used his senses for combat.
But this time, just like when he navigated his way through the Demonic Bastion in the past, he was concentrating on locating Ebelasque.
‘One way or another, I’m the best at picking up on that one’s presence.’
Though Sena possessed Ghostly Insight, she had never encountered Ebelasque before.
Thus, finding Ebelasque was entirely Kraush’s responsibility.
Kraush’s aura transformed into the form of thin spiderwebs and extended outward.
On top of these delicate threads of aura, Lioner intertwined, creating a more refined and intricate web of aura.
It was a detection-based adaptation of the thunderous aura he normally used.
These threads of aura stretched endlessly, gradually enveloping the surroundings.
Simultaneously, Kraush’s focus intensified.
In the three-dimensional space around him, the overwhelming noise of the swarming army of bony monsters began to fade.
Beyond the noise, he could sense the rhythmic signals emanating from the cores embedded within each of them.
The bony monsters were not autonomous creatures.
They moved by receiving aura channeled through Ebelasque.
Moreover, managing an army of this size was no simple feat.
Even for Ebelasque, she couldn’t sever the signals being transmitted to them.
‘To be precise, this fool doesn’t know how to conceal her emotions.’
As Kraush followed the signals, his eyes slowly opened.
‘Even in a situation like this, she can’t help but inadvertently reveal herself.’
Though she said not to look for her, in the end, she wanted to be found.
Whenever she thought she was doing something wrong, she made it abundantly clear that she didn’t want to do it.
‘She’s so consistent.’
Suppressing a wry smile, Kraush lifted his head.
The signals from the bony monsters all pointed in one direction.
Up on the ridge.
One bony monster, pretending to descend like the others, caught Kraush’s sharp gaze.
At that moment, the monster flinched and began to slyly back away.
It had realized that Kraush had caught on.
At that moment, a bony monster flying toward them was split in half by Haring.
Through the gap, Kraush caught sight of Sena advancing ahead.
“Professor!”
Snapping out of his focus, Kraush shouted with vigor.
Sena, who had just blown away another wave of bony monsters, turned to look at him.
“Can you give me one big launch?”
Hearing Kraush’s request, Sena immediately understood his intent.
Kraush had found Ebelasque.
Realizing this, a faint smile curved across her lips.
“Come running!”
Though her official role was as a theology professor, she was a combat specialist through and through.
Her nature was as fierce as it could get.
The moment she gave her permission, Kraush’s body was engulfed in black flames.
“Haring, I’ll be back.”
“Be careful.”
Acknowledging Haring’s caution, Kraush pushed off the ground.
Leaving behind traces of black flames, Kraush shot straight toward Sena.
Clearing away the surrounding bony monsters, Sena spun gracefully, her veil fluttering in the air.
At the same time, her arms traced circles as if performing a dance.
The air around Sena began to ripple and swirl.
The rippling air soon became a powerful gale, creating a whirlwind that blew away the massive bony monsters nearby.
“Handle the landing yourself.”
With those words, Kraush leapt into the whirlwind.
Whoosh! BOOM!
The rising whirlwind, accompanied by a thunderous roar, launched Kraush high into the sky.
Now soaring through the air, Kraush felt the wind slamming against his face as he flew in a straight line.
Below him, the endless swarm of bony monsters flailed helplessly.
But they were far too slow to even attempt to catch the speeding Kraush.
“Ugh!”
The same applied to Kraush himself.
That professor—she had clearly enjoyed launching him, sending him flying with excessive force.
Even with Annihilation Erosion in effect, it felt like his senses were being overwhelmed.
But Kraush had no intention of losing consciousness in such an undignified manner.
Focusing his reinforced body through Annihilation Erosion, Kraush directed his gaze below.
Down below, a single bony monster was running frantically, not even glancing back.
The moment he spotted it, black flames began swirling violently around Kraush’s body.
While flying through the air, Kraush twisted his body, abruptly changing his trajectory.
Whoosh!
The sudden change in direction caused a strain that made his body tremble slightly.
However, Kraush paid it no mind and launched himself straight downward without breaking form.
“Huh?!”
A startled voice echoed from the direction of the bony monster.
Seeing its dumbfounded reaction, Kraush couldn’t help but let out a dry chuckle before swinging his leg forcefully.
“Take this for starters.”
Wham!
The impact of Kraush’s kick against the monster’s skull rang out with a crisp sound.
“Gah!”
A foolish-sounding cry emerged from the now-shattered skull.
Thud, crash!
The bony monster tumbled across the ground, and Kraush followed suit, rolling along with it.
After rolling for what felt like forever, Kraush finally came to a stop.
He shook his head to steady his spinning vision and vowed to himself.
He would never again ask to be launched like that.
Resolutely regaining his composure, Kraush turned his head.
There, sprawled on the ground, was the bony monster, attempting to slyly crawl away.
Without hesitation, Kraush leapt forward and stomped down hard on the monster’s back.
“Ack!”
With a scream, the monster’s form began to waver and dissolve.
Soon, long, black hair emerged from within.
The figure, dressed in a robe far removed from her usual attire, was none other than Ebelasque.
Although it had been a long time since they last met, Kraush’s first response was a heavy sigh.
“You really take the cake. What was all that about not wanting to be found? Repaying a favor, my foot.”
Pressing firmly on Ebelasque’s back with his foot, Kraush glared down at her.
“Eek, ow, ow! You’re crushing my chest! It hurts! Stop it!”
Her whiny complaints only made Kraush look at her with more disdain.
Even so, he had no intention of removing his foot.
After all, Ebelasque, clearly embarrassed, kept her face buried in the ground, showing no intention of getting up.
Of course, she wouldn’t.
She couldn’t bring herself to lift her face and meet Kraush’s eyes.
Kraush had once saved her from a life of servitude, where she was used recklessly as an imperial slave.
Yet here she was, betraying him and endangering Hadenhartz.
She had no face to show him.
Kraush looked down at Ebelasque and sighed once again.
“If you were going to stop me, you should have done it with everything you had.”
Ebelasque’s body flinched.
The bony legion she commanded was undeniably strong, with numbers to match.
However, Kraush had clearly sensed something as he fought his way through them.
Her heart wasn’t in it—not even a little.
Kraush knew the extent of Ebelasque’s power on the battlefield.
Her strength was beyond imagination, so much so that the term “one-person army” seemed perfectly fitting.
Even with Sena by his side, the level of resistance Kraush had faced wouldn’t have left him relatively unscathed if she had been serious.
Moreover, none of the corpses from her numbered ones—her true elite—had appeared.
‘If she’d tried even a little, she could’ve blocked anyone from getting close to the Mad Sword Emperor and Brother Rai for at least three days.’
In other words, the bony legion blocking his path had been nothing more than scarecrows.
Hearing Kraush’s criticism, Ebelasque remained silent.
Or rather, she didn’t speak, but the sound of her quiet sniffles gave her away.
“…Because it was all due to my foolish greed.”
The greed to resurrect the comrades she had lost long ago.
Her necromancy research, repeated over and over because of that desire.
And the inevitable reality of failure.
To her, the resolve to bring back her comrades was like a curse—one she could never break free from.
And because of that curse, she had betrayed even those who had helped her this time.
For someone with a nature that abhorred betrayal, the weight of her guilt was crushing.
Knowing this, Kraush sighed deeply.
“So that’s why you joined Ixion?”
Ebelasque froze.
Kraush had connections to Crimson Garden.
It wasn’t surprising that he knew about Ixion.
“Do you really think joining Ixion will give you what you want?”
“…She promised me. The Black Witch said she’d bring my comrades back to life.”
Ebelasque bit her lip as she spoke, her voice trembling.
“No, you know better.”
But Kraush refuted her words.
“There was no way to bring your comrades back, not from the start.”
Ebelasque’s eyes began to widen, trembling as they filled with shock.
Then, a flash of defiance crossed her gaze, her expression hardening into one of fierce resolve.
In that instant, Ebelasque’s body began to dissolve like a shadow and vanished.
At the same moment, her figure reappeared, emerging from the depths of the forest.
Ebelasque’s face, framed by her trailing black robe, looked utterly haggard.
The emotions she usually kept buried were now starkly visible, her expression shrouded in a deep, suffocating darkness.
“…What do you know to speak so carelessly?”
Her eyes burned with anger.
Kraush’s earlier statement was something she simply couldn’t tolerate.
But Kraush knew he couldn’t leave her like this.
Ebelasque couldn’t join Ixion.
If the necromancer added her power to their ranks, Ixion would grow into something unstoppable.
Moreover, her assistance was crucial to ending the battle between the Mad Sword Emperor and Rai Valheim, the Sword King.
Kraush recalled one of the Mad Sword Emperor’s other secret techniques:
Blood Heaven Realm.
A vile ability that trapped both the target and the user in a separate, isolated space.
The Mad Sword Emperor would undoubtedly have used it against Rai.
To enter that space, there were only two options.
Either brute force your way in with greater power output than the Mad Sword Emperor’s, or…
“Ebelasque, you’ve placed corpses in the Blood Heaven Realm, haven’t you?”
Ebelasque’s shoulders flinched visibly.
She wasn’t entirely a fool.
She had prepared a failsafe, leaving corpses within the Blood Heaven Realm to allow her to breach it if needed.
That was why Kraush needed her help.
Wasting his own power forcing entry into the realm would defeat the purpose entirely.
[So you plan to persuade her?]
Persuasion, huh.
Kraush let out a dry laugh.
“Are you asking for cooperation? I’ve already made a deal with Ixion.”
Ebelasque snapped, her voice shaking as if to reject reality.
“I don’t know what you think you know, but they promised me they’d bring my comrades back!”
Seeing her cling to delusions, Kraush lifted his head.
It was time to pull her out of fantasy and into reality.
“The conditions for resurrecting your comrades included retrieving parts of their bodies.”
Ebelasque’s wide eyes trembled violently.
She couldn’t fathom how Kraush knew that.
“S-stop.”
She opened her mouth as if to halt Kraush, her voice strained and desperate.
But Kraush didn’t stop.
“Their bodies are all gone—they don’t exist anymore.”
Crack—
Somewhere deep in Ebelasque’s heart, something shattered.
The reason she had never been able to resurrect her comrades, even as mere corpses, despite a lifetime devoted to necromancer studies.
The truth of her escape from her home world, leaving everything behind as a cowardly deserter.
That grim reality now resurfaced, forcing itself upon her once again.
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