Invaders

Chapter 33: Necromancy and Dark Mana

Liches are at their peak on a huge battlefield. Especially in a war. This is due to the dark mana that they are manipulating is especially compatible with necromancy. A type of skill that is used by dark mana user.

The first level of necromancy is sensing the soul. Able to sense spirit and supernatural activities. A sixth sense that is similar to mana sense. A skill that enables a person to detect those that are outside of our dimension. The so-called soul.

The second level would be physical interaction with the dead. All your sense will be able to directly connect yourself to another wandering soul. The person can touch, hear, speak, smell, and interact freely with the soul.

The third level is said to be the peak of necromancy. The ability to give rise to the dead. One might see it as reviving a dead person. A miracle. However, dark mana users would be able to tell it's actually manipulations of not just mana, but souls as well.

They are actually manipulating those who already past away. Unable a soul to rest in peace. Furthermore, the person who is raised will lose all of their consciousness. Becoming a loyal servant to their manipulators. For this reason, necromancy is considered to be a taboo, making people despise necromancers within any society. Becoming a cast-away in one's own home. All for more reasons why most necromancers would ascend to lich-hood.

Most necromancers will manipulate souls to bring demise to people. Due to the trait of these raised dead people madly move despite with severed limb, crushed organs, and even getting burnt, people started to call them the undead.

It says that the stronger their aptitude with dark mana, the better they are at manipulating souls. They could manipulate as much as hundreds of thousands of soul. Making them a one-man army that will surely bring forth a calamity anywhere they wanted to. Some even able to raise monsters to become undead. Although most would despise them, no one would deliberately make an enemy out of necromancers.

However, any kingdom would be against letting any one of those necromancers to step foot within their land since once they become a lich, a disaster will be inevitable as they would lose their human reasoning and become a monster. For that reason, their numbers are few. Albeit gaining inconceivable power, losing one's humanity is not an easy choice to make.

One of the said necromancers who achieved lich-hood and able to manipulate hundreds of thousands of monsters is currently floating in the air with its jaw agape. The power Kim utilized was seemingly similar to necromancy... however... it was as different as heaven and earth.

"T-this can't be... this...this... power..."

Although reaching the third level is the peak of necromancy, it wasn't the highest. One can actually transcend that level of mastery which also the reason why a person willing to sacrifice their human feelings. However, even among those who already become a lich for a thousand years of time still, think it's only a myth or legend that will never be seen by anyone again. The power... to truly bringing the dead back to life.

Although most impressions of necromancy were only manipulating the undead, a person who has transcended the highest level would be able to bring back a dead person... alive. Alive on its own. As of how he has walked the earth before. With its own thinking and power to act. And Kim just totally did that with ease. Just by giving a command, thousands of living human appeared from the earth and start to massacre the undead monsters, burying them to the ground.

Even if undead monsters can't be killed, mana has to be supplied to them so that they can continuously regenerate. And there's a limit to how much a body can handle getting slashed, pierced, smashed every single time it's being raised. In the end, the controlling necromancers would give up the body up as it would only be a waste of mana.

However, the warriors summoned by Kim doesn't rely on Kim's mana. They have their own mana like a living person. Thus, Kim doesn't feel any burden at all. The most critical point in this battle is, the intelligent and wisdom they have on the battlefield. Undeads are basically brainless servant who only serves its purpose to kill anything that stands against their manipulator.

In a strategic point of view, undead is useless. But in a battle of attrition, undead is horrendous due to their regenerative ability. And the more people die on a battlefield, the more undead keep piling up. However, the warriors seem to be able to hold on and madly sweeping through the hordes of undead monster.

"This is not necromancy. These people are... golems. Living with their own consciousness. But it feels like they are alive...they are alive...they are alive!!! Hahahahahahaha!!! Interesting human! Be grateful because you will be my precious test subject! Hahahahahaha!!!" The lich couldn't hold its obsessions with knowledge, causing it to laugh abruptly. The only things in its head right now were to cut Kim open like a frog in the classroom.

Kim let out a snort and only stand on the ground with his arm crossed. "Try me, if you can"

Currently, the battlefield obviously to be one-sided. With the warriors and their mana tempered body bravely go through the horde of undead monsters, swords continue to rain down piercing through the undead monsters with insane accuracy. None of them ever hit any of the warriors.

Most undead would be sliced to pieces. Some were sealed to the ground by the raining swords. The swords come with a variety of shapes and colours. Each of them has its own ability to govern the element like flames, ice, and thunder. Since the start of the ambush until now, millions of swords has fallen down from heaven!

Albeit within a disadvantageous position, the lich didn't falter. Instead, it seems to get excited.

"Kid, the lich must have prepared something, be wary of its movement. They are more intelligent than most monsters"

"Momo, make sure you preserved your mana. Although your master is strong, it's still wise to be prepared"

"Got it, Blackie" Although Enggang doesn't like the nickname at first, having Momo warmly call it that makes it feel like a blessing.

"It's been a while since someone took my interest. You deserved my praise human!"

The staff of the lich suddenly surrounded by dark matters. By sensing it make a person feel anxious. As if there's a screaming voice that could drive you to insanity. Both Kim and Momo couldn't avoid those feeling. Kim glanced at Momo to check on her.

"Servants, come! Unite and transform. Drag these people together to the depth of hell!"

The moment the lich finished its incantation, those undead monsters started to eat one another. As they eat, they would grow bigger and taller. The cannibalism act of the undead caused the warrior to momentarily froze in action. Some even puke.

"Urghh... What is this? Urghh..."

"I didn't sign up for this brother"

"Bro-brother! Are you okay? You look pale...brother?! Wake up!"

Even Enggang fly in front of Momo to disrupt her vision.

After a while, the biting stop and a huge disgustingly body of meat were formed. It has eyeballs scattered around its body. Sticking out of its body are limbs from different type of monsters. It has one giant mouth that continues to munch off other undead monsters. Overall, it looked like a giant with two huge arms and a disfigured face. A monster born straight from nightmares.

The huge giant, shout out a deafening roar which caused the ground to shook. Then its body started to squirm madly and it's transformed into a ball of meat. From that ball of meat, four limbs come out which made the ball to look like a body. The back started to protrude out as if something is trying to crawl its way through. Then dark blood gushing as two pair of wings appeared from its back.

Afterwards, from above and below it, the meat started to squirm more. Finally, a head and a tail were formed. From a disfigured body, into a giant ball of meat. It now looks like a full-fledged monster that is as huge as Alpha Cerberus and King Hydra combined.

When Kim look at the form of the monster it caused him to remember a certain vision from his memory.

"Dragon..."

The voice flinched a bit when heard Kim muttered the word 'Dragon'. He doesn't know how Kim would recognize a dragon form. He only thinks that something must have happened within the lair since he was able to feel a flow of mana in his body for a while now.

He then replied cooly "Yes, that does look like a dragon. A magnificent monster with the lowest strength is at the high-level heavenly monster. But this, in front of you is only an imitation. A fake. You don't need to dirty your hand with such trash"

The voice to Kim has always been a silly old geezer. But now, the voice sounded cold and solemn which make even Kim taking him seriously. The word 'Dragon' may have changed his feelings somehow. Kim has been suspicious for a while, but he let it slip first and started to focus on his battle with the lich as Momo already started to rest to recover her mana.

"I want to see how you handle my playful pet human. Go forth Undead Dragon! Devour these fools! Hahahahaha!"

The dragon let out an intimidating roar which caused the ground to tremble. As if the earth itself is in fear of such powerful roar.

"Shut up, you talk too much"

The lich flinched as suddenly Kim appeared in front of it with his fist ready.

"You fly too much. Let's taste the ground a little, skelly!"

The lich didn't have time to prepare a barrier and get pounded straight in the face forming cracks at its skull. The lich flew down to the ground like a meteor, causing the ground to explode. Forming a huge crater.

Kim felt a burning sensation at his fist. He felt like his skin is corroding. He checked his fist with mana sense and felt another kind of mana is covering his hands. He then used his own mana to disperse it away.

"That is dark mana. Imprint it in your mind. It's the power that directly sucks away your living soul and could burn you inside out. Mana comes from the soul and creates life. Dark mana, burns own soul to destroy another and extinguished life. Imprint your first-hand experience with dark mana, You will need it in the future"

The lich who is on the ground felt flabbergasted. It couldn't believe how its opponent could just use underhanded tricks. Before it even managed to say anything, it senses powerful densely mana is gathered around Kim's palm. A ball of fire. Feeling imminent danger, it didn't waste any time utilizing everything to form a barrier.

"This idiot human!"

Kim didn't want to waste any time and threw his hellfire toward lich which caused a magnificent explosion of inferno!"

The ground is now full of smoke. Kim didn't let his guard down because he could sense that the lich is still alive. As the smoke clearing, he could hear the sound of someone coughing. Then a skeletal figure with cracks on its bone and skull, wearing a long hooded robe walks out from the smoke. The robe was so long that it actually touched the ground.

"How could you?! You should fight my pet first before fighting! That's not right. That's not right at all!"

When Kim saw the lich and heard the lich voice, he felt something was odd.

"What are you looking at... y-you... you stupid human! Hmph! I'm a genius who became a lich at a young age! Although I looked like this now, I'm was actually the cutest girl in the world! Hmmphh!"

It wasn't that robe was long, but it was actually the lich who was too short. And its voice... no, she... is a little girl! And even smaller than Momo! Kim felt a bit weird when he thought of fighting a little girl. Somehow the lich sounded cute. Kim shook his head and start to focus again. Although all of these thinking is going through his mind, he didn't show any expressions at all.

"What are you thinking trying to beat me before fighting my cute pet! Who taught you huh?! You cheater! Ugly cheater!"

"Ugly?! Have you look yourself at the mirror?" Kim let out a sigh "Anyway... I don't need to fight your pet. Someone else will do it for me"

"If you think that sword girl or those golems of yours could take down my pet, then you are underestimating it a lot. My pet is at least a superior mythical monster!"

Kim only replied with a smile on his face. Before the lich could say anything the earth shook, and the sky is trembling. The whole world... is shaking!

"No... you are underestimating my brothers"