Chapter 54: Retribution
“How disgustingly true to a necromancer’s nature. Is playing with filth a hobby of yours?”
“To call these lovely creatures filthy… Well, I suppose to a perpetrator, they would indeed seem that way.”
Alex caressed the line of monsters arrayed at his sides.
To his eyes, the monsters, whose insides were clearly visible through their skin, must have looked endearing.
“No matter how you look at it, those eyes of yours seem to be merely decorative. LASIK wouldn’t cut it, I’d reckon. I suggest plucking them out instead.”
Fwssshhhh!
A blue aura trailed Jinhyuk’s dagger as he unsheathed it.
A dazzling light instantly engulfed the entire blade.
“Hahaha! Sword energy, indeed. Truly fitting for an S-rank. No, with this level of magical power, you’re outstanding even among S-ranks.”
Despite having seen the sword energy, Alex merely sneered with ease.
“If you’re talking big because you trust in the shoddy things behind you, you’re making a huge mistake.”
“Why? Did you think I’d face you with just this?”
Alex gave a sly smile.
At that moment.
Kukukukuku!
Dark energy surged forth.
[Alex has activated Lv5 ‘Magical Power Dissolution’!]
A wide-area skill that enveloped the entire mansion.
The sinister energy quickly burrowed into their skins.
“Arghhhh!”
“My head… my head!”
“It feels like I’m being torn to shreds.”
The guests screamed and collapsed where they stood.
A curse that forcibly extracted the life force from their bodies.
As a result, those present had no choice but to face the agony of their bodies melting away while still alive – and very slowly at that.
“Kuh.”
Jinhyuk furrowed his brows.
A numbing pain struck him, but he managed to avoid his skin melting away thanks to magic fortifying his body.
“Sa-save me…”
“Please…”
The people begged for their lives.
Most were middle-aged or elderly.
“Daddy… Mommy. It hurts.”
There were also children among them.
‘Maybe they are the families of the invited.’
It was too cruel to die for simply being here.
Especially leaving children to die would make for a lifetime of restless sleep.
There was still about 10 minutes before they’d completely dissolve.
If he could subdue Alex within that time and stop the dissolution, there was still a chance.
10 minutes.
Just 10 minutes.
There was no need for him to risk his life to save these people.
Even less need to act recklessly.
But, as long as they lay quietly on the floor without fuss…
“…”
Jinhyuk looked at Alex.
Their gaze met.
“Unpleased with something, are you? Does it bother you that much to see these bugs die?”
“Bugs?”
“Yes. What else to call these creatures that can only be used as magical fodder than bugs?”
Pfft.
Jinhyuk let out a hollow laugh at Alex’s words.
At this point, he was too astounded to even respond.
“This is why I can’t stand you Magi. I’d like to socialize, but your very existence is offensive to me.”
“Hmm. Expected an S-rank to be more pragmatic. Are you the same kind of sentimental trash? This world doesn’t spin on sympathy. It’s strictly a survival of the fittest.”
“Well said.”
Survival of the fittest.
He didn’t know about other things, but he could agree with that statement.
“Don’t blame me for your death. You did proclaim it yourself.”
“It’s like you believe you are stronger than me.”
In an instant.
Fwssshhhh!
Jinhyuk’s sword writhed.
[‘Grave of Swords’ activates!]
A much darker and ominous aura than what Alex had used began to ooze out.
The incandescent blue sword energy had now turned black.
At the same time.
Kwang!
Jinhyuk dashed forward with a leap.
Closing the distance in an instant.
His dagger, reversed in his grip, plunged into the flesh of the monsters.
“Kyaaack!”
“Keeeek!”
Despite their substantial layer of fatty tissue, it was not enough to withstand the sword energy.
Kwakwakwakwakwa!
The supreme skill, slicing through anything it touched.
With crossings slashes, over ten monsters were diced into dozens of pieces.
But.
[‘Blood Barrier’ activates!]
[The range-specific regeneration targeting undead begins!]
With the effect of ‘Magical Power Dissolution’ in play, an additional skill, ‘Blood Barrier,’ was now active.
Gurgling! Gurgling!
The severed flesh began to heal in an instant.
“Even bugs can be quite useful when gathered in this number. There’s no better ingredient for healing.”
Alex snickered carelessly.
Naturally.
This was his strategy: to drag out time.
As long as the people’s life force was sucked dry, the monsters would keep reviving.
Eventually, the other side would be depleted of magic power and wear down.
A textbook method.
Textbook indeed, yet…
“It’s pathetic, really.”
“What?”
“How adorably tragic it is to think that this is the trump card you’ve brought with such pride.”
Regeneration? Recovery?
If you erase it before it has a chance to heal, isn’t that all that matters?
Jinhyuk aimed the tip of his dagger at Alex.
Woooong!
Light began to converge at a singular point.
As the dark energy dissipated, a blinding flash took its place.
[Lv2 ‘Daylight’ activates!]
Terror gripped the monsters as the white aura, scorching even the retina, enveloped them.
“Kyaaa!”
“Keeek!”
It must be agony.
Just the manifestation of a light attribute skill could heavily damage dark attribute monsters.
“Tch! So you’re using that after all!”
Alex clicked his tongue as if he had been expecting it.
He had seen it already in the footage from the battle with Cheon Yuseong.
That very skill—a nightmare for undead—compressing magic into a singular line and firing it.
Thus, he was prepared.
If that skill activated, he’d scatter immediately.
Alex redistributed his magic power.
The direct command from the master infiltrated the psyche of the undead.
However.
For some reason, the undead did not budge from their spots.
“What, what is this?”
Well.
“Your feet are frozen solid, so naturally, you can’t move.”
To maximize the effect of the skill, Jinhyuk had combined several of his skills for an optimized battle formation.
One such combination was the wide-area skill ‘Daylight’ and ‘Ice Sculpture,’ which limited movement.
The only downside of ‘Daylight’ was the time it took to activate. However, ‘Ice Sculpture’ covered that flaw.
This meant checkmate.
Jinhyuk’s lips curled upward.
That moment.
Kwakwakwakwakwa!
A massive radiance swallowed the monsters.
＊＊＊
Hiss!
Heat rose from the ground.
Not a single monster survived.
Their cells capable of regeneration had all vaporized.
‘It’s the first time I’ve used it, but it’s beyond expectations.’
Jinhyuk muttered in slight admiration.
Creating new, superior versions of skills through merging copied ones.
And combining those into an optimized battle layout.
The thrill of such a process was incomparable to anything.
On the other hand.
“This, this can’t be…”
Alex couldn’t come to terms with the situation.
The battle would have been over in 10 minutes.
Once all the humans here dissolved, he could summon higher-tier undead monsters.
But to see the undead he used ‘Blood Barrier’ on swept away in a single strike was unimaginable.
“That damned…”
Flick!
Alex pulled out a surgical scalpel from his pocket.
A transparent liquid dripped from the sharp blade.
Poison.
Well, he was desperate, but…
“Are you serious?”
A necromancer rushing into melee?
Just as he thought this.
Alex flung the scalpel straight at him.
With precision, Jinhyuk parried the missile aimed at his face.
Clang!
The scalpel, now in two pieces, clattered to the floor.
“A disappointment. And here you’re just planning to run away?”
Distracting him with a weapon, so in that brief interval, he could escape.
That seemed to be the plan.
Dark smoke began to wrap around Alex.
A special skill unique to the Magi.
‘Twisted Gap.’
It was an escape technique for short-distance space travel.
Sssssss…
The smoke gradually thickened.
The skill was about to activate.
Of course, Jinhyuk wouldn’t just stand by and watch.
“Throwing… should be done like this.”
Understanding the shortest path to the target is fundamental.
It also needs to be swift enough to prevent the target from responding.
Thwack!
The dagger launched from Jinhyuk’s hand buried itself into Alex’s chest.
“Aggggh!”
The severe pain interrupted the skill’s activation.
“How’s that? I hope that clears things up a bit.”
“Cough! *Cough* *Cough*!”
“Ah! There’s no need to answer. It must be hard to breathe with the dagger in your lung.”
“Krrrr… Save… save me…”
“Even though you took pleasure in others’ suffering, you dislike it when it’s your turn?”
That seems rather unfair, doesn’t it?
A true necromancer should know how to cherish his own pain.
“Krrrgh, *cough*…”
Alex grasped at Jinhyuk’s shoes, but Jinhyuk ignored his plea.
“I’ll tell you how you’re going to die.”
Consider it a spoiler for your life – listen carefully.
It’s about you, after all.
“In the next hour or two, your lungs will slowly fill with blood.”
Human life is surprisingly tenacious.
To survive even a second longer, every organ in the body does its job.
“And after that long time, you can finally suffocate when your lungs fill with blood.”
Although not as severe as burning to death, this method was one of the most gruesome ways to go.
As he heard about his own demise, Alex’s expression became increasingly distorted.
“It’s… no… that shouldn’t…”
“Unfortunately, I don’t like to kill,” Jinhyuk said.
“…What?”
“Life is precious, you see, and I just can’t bring myself to take another’s life.”
“That, that’s some kind of sick… joke.”
Alex reached toward Jinhyuk.
Naturally, his weakened grasp couldn’t come close to catching even the hem of Jinhyuk’s pants.
‘Suitable end for trash.’
No, one hour is too merciful.
When considering his past crimes, one should think no sympathy is necessary.
May you die a prolonged, excruciating death, atoning for your sins of experimenting on innocents and desecrating the dead for undead creation.
